"Oh—Nishimiya-san, right?"
Hōjō Yoru repeated it once, then lifted his head, looked at Nishimiya Shoko, and smiled.
"Hi, Nishimiya-san."
A faint blush rose on Shoko's face. Seeing that Yoru had responded to what she'd written, the corners of her lips lifted into a small smile. Then she quickly wrote another sentence in her notebook.
[Sorry. I was born with a hearing impairment. Even with hearing aids, I can hear people talking, but I'm not good at speaking. So I can only communicate with you like this. Could you be my friend?]
Yoru didn't answer immediately. Instead, he wrote his own name in her notebook first, then smiled.
"This is how my name is written. If we're friends, you'd better remember it properly."
"Mm…"
Shoko made a soft sound of agreement and nodded enthusiastically. She didn't write anything else. As if she were handling a treasured keepsake, she carefully closed the notebook and slipped it into her single-strap bag.
From behind the podium, Hiratsuka Shizuka had watched their entire exchange. Interest sparked in her mind. Resting her chin on one hand, she thought to herself:
This Hōjō-kun is laid-back and kind of offbeat… but his emotional intelligence is high, and he's good at interacting with people.
Nishimiya Shoko was one of the students Hiratsuka had been paying special attention to—nothing was "wrong" with her personality, but as homeroom teacher, Hiratsuka already knew before school started that Shoko had a hearing disability, struggled with communication, and was timid and introverted.
And Hōjō-kun seemed to have noticed right away that Shoko wasn't like most girls. So he didn't come on too strong. When she first tried to speak to him, he didn't ask why she was writing her greeting in a notebook.
This kid's more mature than most high schoolers…
Approval gleamed in Hiratsuka's eyes. She'd initially assumed Hōjō Yoru would be an arrogant troublemaker with talent to spare. Now, it didn't look like that at all.
But when her gaze drifted to the other two figures sitting in the back row, she couldn't help letting out a sigh.
Both were beautiful girls with long, straight black hair—yet their vibes couldn't have been more different.
The girl seated to Yoru's right sat perfectly upright. Her face was adorably, unfairly cute, and the way she held a novel in one hand while reading carried an elegant, almost aristocratic air. Every gesture made her feel out of place among ordinary students.
And further to the right…
That one had already collapsed face-down on her desk, sleeping in a kind of infant-like serenity. You couldn't even see her face—only the waterfall-smooth black hair, the pale skin visible between a few strands, and the fact that even while seated, you could tell she was tall and long-limbed, with the proportions of a magazine model.
"…Yukinoshita Yukino… Tōma Kazusa…"
Just looking at the two of them gave Hiratsuka a headache.
Yukinoshita Yukino was her friend's younger sister. Her personality was far too complicated—Hiratsuka could never tell what she was truly thinking.
As for Tōma Kazusa, she was the only daughter of a world-class concert pianist. Mrs. Tōma Yōko had donated an enormous sum to the school, and Kazusa's own piano talent was exceptional, so the administration had specifically instructed everyone: as long as she wasn't committing arson or murder on campus, let her do whatever she wanted.
And she really took that to heart—she'd been late, missed the opening ceremony, didn't even bother greeting her homeroom teacher, and immediately started sleeping on her desk.
Class A is full of absolute characters… seriously, Shizuka thought.
She sighed again. The burden of her job as a teacher from here on out…
…was going to be heavy.
...
After drifting through the entire morning's classes without focus, Yuuki Asuna didn't even wait for Hōjō Yoru to stand up. She politely declined an invitation from several girls to eat lunch together, then hurried straight to him at the window seat in the back corner and asked tentatively.
"Hōjō-kun… want to eat lunch together?"
"Sure. Let's go."
Yoru didn't say anything more. He stood up and left the classroom with her.
But instead of taking her to some quiet corner of campus, he headed straight for the iron door leading to the rooftop—a door students normally weren't allowed to use due to safety concerns.
"Watch closely," he said.
Asuna didn't understand what he was planning and asked instinctively, "Watch what—"
Before she could finish, Yoru pulled a thin metal wire from inside his clothes and, almost instantly, popped the rooftop lock open with casual ease. Only then did he turn back and grin at her.
"Well? My lockpicking skills?"
Asuna pressed her lips together, her eyes showing complicated feelings. She'd been raised on elite education since childhood and had never broken school rules, so she couldn't help feeling nervous. She looked around quickly, then lowered her voice.
"It's… really impressive, yes. But this is against school rules, isn't it? You're the freshman representative—why didn't you just ask Hiratsuka-sensei for the rooftop key?"
"Then someone would know we're coming up here. She already has some vague misunderstanding about our relationship, and I don't feel like getting teased by that older single lady with the heart of a middle-aged man."
As he opened the rooftop door, Yoru answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Besides, covering your tracks is a core skill for Devil Hunters."
Hearing that, Asuna nodded very seriously.
As expected of a Devil Hunter…
Even though he was only a brand-new high school freshman, and his surface personality was scattered and weird, he was actually mature—someone who never overlooked details and stayed alert at all times.
But then Yoru abruptly changed tone.
"Of course, the main reason is I wanted to show off in front of you and demonstrate my lockpicking."
Asuna stared at him, utterly speechless. The three big words she wanted to say were practically written across her face:
Not even worth roasting.
Once they were on the rooftop and the door was shut again, Asuna looked at Yoru as he pulled out a convenience-store bento from his bag. She took a deep breath, steadied her emotions, and finally gathered the courage to speak.
"Hōjō-kun… if I made a contract with that Devil… would I be able to gain the power to kill Devils?"
Yoru, already seated with his back against the rooftop railing, lifted his head and looked at her. He neither confirmed nor denied it.
"You want power?"
"…Yes."
Asuna let out a long breath. Remembering what had happened at the train station that morning, a firm resolve slowly surfaced in her eyes.
"If I'd had power back then… I could've stopped the Bat Devil… and saved those people who were trapped in pain and despair."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 10
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 10
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