"S-Shirasaki-san..."
Nagumo was nervous, as he knew that as soon as this young woman arrived, everyone's eyes would quickly turn toward him, dangerously.
"Why him?!"
"What's so special about that otaku?!"
"This otaku bastard!"
If this popular young woman, Kaori Shirasaki, decided to be with the most popular guy in the school, while they hated it, they could only swallow their feelings, as they knew well they were no match.
But Kaori came to Nagumo, who was at the bottom of the hierarchy of the class, and was simply the worst of the worst!
Why did you choose him, Kaori Shirasaki?!
Yet Kaori was obviously aware of the dagger gaze everyone put on Nagumo, and just came to him with a soft, gentle smile, seemingly happy to find him, who seemed nervous and stuttering.
"Also, good morning, too, Tanaka-kun."
"Hmm..."
"Good morning...?"
Suzuki rolled his eyes as he greeted Kaori with a gentle smile. "Good morning, Shirasaki-san."
"I can see that your greeting is insincere!"
"I can also see that you just came for Nagumo anyway. Go and talk somewhere else. Your group is too noisy."
"What's the matter? You have been accepted to Toudai. You should relax a bit, you know?"
Kaori sighed and wanted to take Suzuki's books, but he moved away, so his book wouldn't be caught. Yet as she got so close, her gentle white lily-like scent and the softness of her body were just a hairbreadth from his. Still, what was even worse was the obvious curveness of her chest was about to touch his face, which he definitely couldn't let happen, as he didn't want any strange scandals to happen before he entered the university, so even if he was stronger and was awakened with an unique ability that made him set up for a life, he knew that he couldn't face the threat that came from an oblivious woman.
"....here. Stop annoying me. Just go bother your Nagomu-kun."
"Hehehe..." Kaori laughed and took his books as if she were the victor.
If it were in the original story, this wouldn't have happened, but in this world, there was him, Suzuki, somehow, while Kaori still often went to talk with Nagumo, she also often talked to Suzuki.
However, Suzuki had been avoiding her a lot; no, he didn't avoid her deliberately, but he was just so busy, as he was an orphan, so to maintain his life, study, and many other things, he practically did everything.
Still, if there were something that attracted Kaori the most, it would be his silent dedication to his future. When everyone was playing around, he was just quiet, either studying or practicing. On the 1st year, as she followed the school to cheer on the National High School Ekiden Championship in late December, as high schools from all 47 prefectures send their best distance runners to pass the tasuki (the fabric relay sash) across a marathon-length course, Suzuki was the youngest of all, lead as the Anchor, running at the final, carrying the team's hopes.
For a high school, those were heavy, and despite being older than him, many were crying, screaming, and collapsing from the pressure. Still, Suzuki was stoic, calm, received the sash, hit his exact target pace for the second time, crossed the finish line without a drop of wasted sweat, and immediately clocked out to study.
Nagumo had the quality of kindness despite his weaknesses, which was a gesture of kindness in Kaori's eyes, yet Suzuki... she wasn't sure how to describe this. Still, she felt like... he had the qualities of a man, which was why, although he was often alone, no one thought he was a loner.
In their eyes, it might be because they were too childish; yet, in rare moments, he played with them and smiled, but that smile was rare, which made her want to see it somehow.
"Aren't you going to study, Shirosaki-san?"
"Ugh..." Kaori grimaced and sighed. "It's hard to study all the time. I want to rest, too, you know?"
"You want to be a doctor, after all. If you mess up, the patient is going to be killed."
"....that might be true, but I can be a nurse, too, right?"
'Shirosaki-san as a nurse...'
At that moment, everyone couldn't help but imagine the beautiful Kaori Shirasaki, who dressed like a nurse as she tended to them in the hospital... no! They had to stop! Or else, the demon within them might be awoken!
"Kuhhh!"
"S-She might be the cutest...!"
"Shirosaki-san as a nurse... hehehe..."
"...." Suzuki.
What was wrong with everyone?
Yes, Kaori was beautiful, with long, beautiful hair and a soft, gentle aura she had always exuded. She was practically everyone's dream lover at the school.
Unfortunately, no one would be able to get her, as Kaori's heart had always been on Nagumo, which made him become the enemy of all men.
As for Suzuki, no one got jealous of him, as it was clear that he had a girlfriend.
"Kaori, why are you still wasting your time with that guy?"
While the common guys couldn't do anything or even act on Kaori's closeness to Nagumo, except this guy, the one with the protagonist-like aura, Amanogawa Kouki.
"You are too nice, you know, Kaori?"
"Jeez, there is no point in talking to the lazy one."
There was Kouki's foil, the one with an athletic figure, but his feat was much lower than Suzuki's, or this guy had no feats at all, and only appeared fit.
Still, among the two, one woman approached Kaori and took the book from her hand. "Don't bother him, Kaori."
"But, Shizuku, he has been accepted into Toudai anyway, don't you want him to rest?"
"He has plenty of rest at my place later." Shizuku Yaegashi is the school's cool beauty. Like Kaori, her charm was high, with waist-length, silky black hair usually tied back in a high, practical ponytail that whips behind her as she moves. Her eyes are a deep, intelligent brown, yet when she approached Suzuki, there was a hint of shyness. "Here. You need it, right?"
"Thanks, Shizuku."
"Um... but no more books later, okay?"
"I will focus on you later when we go home."
"Um."
Shizuku nodded softly with a gentle smile.
"...." Everyone.
Yup, they might be jealous of Nagumo, who got the attention of Kaori all the time, but they could only sigh helplessly at Suzuki, who could get a beautiful, cool girlfriend, such as Shizuki Yaegashi.
Why did he choose her?
Shizuku was probably the most mature one among the women that he knew.
After all, with his popularity, it was troublesome to be confessed to every time, and to reject them was troublesome since he had to be gentle or else he might get a bad reputation and be labeled as cruel by many. Instead of having such trouble, he knew that he had to find a girlfriend, someone strong enough to handle the pressure, and also someone who was popular enough so that the other girls wouldn't bully her.
So, among all, it was Shizuku.
So, how did the others react?
If someone had the most complicated reaction, it would be Kouki himself, as Shizuku was Kouki's childhood friend.
Yet, Koiki had a hard time talking with Suzuki—why?
Because Suzuki's achievements were all above his.
Kouki might be a popular guy, good at studying, and also athletic. Still, all of that paled in comparison to Suzuki, who got a good enough score to be accepted into Toudai by recommendation and is also a national marathon athlete.
Kouki's face was probably a bit better, or he felt that he was more handsome, but Suzuki's face wasn't bad at all, despite being just above average.
Still, while Kouki couldn't do anything against Suzuki, whose life was as good as set in stone, for Nagumo, this was his punching bag.
"You can't take advantage of Kaori's softness, Nagumo-kun! She can't look after you all the time!"
'Ugh...'
This time, Nagumo couldn't ask for help, or rather, Suzuki's figure was hidden behind Shizuku, making it hard for him to see. Even worse, all of the class seemed to agree with Kouki, as they all wished him to move away from Shizuku, even though she was the one who approached him.
'Man... I hope they get sucked into another world or something...'
Only in that moment did a blinding light emerge in the class, leaving them unable to see; yet, despite this, Nagumo said, "Magic Circle?"
"..." Suzuki.
'Oh, god...'
Suzuki didn't plan for this, and to be honest, he was thinking of just staying at home after he got his recommendation so that he wouldn't be dragged to this, but it was too late.
"Suzuki..."
Suzuki subconsciously drew Shizuku closer to him, and someone else joined in, but as the light grew even brighter, everyone grew even more panicked until the light disappeared.
While he didn't let go of Shizuku and the other one, he slightly loosened his arms as he looked at his surroundings calmly.
The ceiling is so high it's perpetually lost in a soft, golden mist. Massive white marble pillars, thick enough to hide a bus behind, line the hall, topped with gold-leaf carvings of wings.
Dominating the far end is a colossal, terrifyingly beautiful statue of the god. It's carved from a single piece of glowing white stone, looking down on "them" with a gaze that feels judgmental rather than welcoming.
Burned into the polished floor are the remnants of the Summoning Array—a complex, glowing geometric pattern that slowly fades from a violent purple-white to a dull, scorched grey once the "cargo" (the students) arrives.
"Where the hell is this?!"
"What's happening?!"
"Everyone, calm down! There is no need to panic! Everything is okay!"
The last sentence definitely came from Kouki, Suzuki thought.
Still, his focus was on the elderly man who dressed like a certain religious leader, who appeared to welcome them with a smile that was definitely unpleasant in his eyes.
"Welcome to the world of Tortus, Brave Heroes. We have been waiting for your arrival. I am Ishtar Langbard, Pope of the Holy Church. Please follow me as we have prepared refreshments to welcome your presence as the great heroes of this world."
"....."
Suzuki wasn't sure why, but he wanted to beat the shit out of this guy somehow.