Chapter 28: Urushihara Michiyo
But the next second, that pink-haired girl who should have been socially anxious enough to burrow underground did something that completely shattered Kazama Chiba's expectations.
She strode up to the podium, grabbed a piece of chalk, and wrote five large characters on the blackboard: "Urushihara Michiyo."
The handwriting was elegant and strong, not a single tremor.
Then she turned around and, facing those dozens of eyes below, flashed a smile so radiant it was almost dizzying.
"Hello everyone!"
"I'm Urushihara Michiyo! Though I'm transferring in halfway through, I'm really looking forward to becoming friends with all of you! My hobbies are rock music and making friends! I hope to spend a high school life full of love and peace together with everyone in this class!"
"If anyone wants to go to karaoke or shopping, feel free to find me anytime! I know every dessert shop in Kamimizu City like the back of my hand!"
After finishing, she even winked at the class below and made a peace sign.
Everyone was stunned by this overwhelming wave of positive energy, staring at this girl whose face beamed with a brilliant smile, her entire being radiating an aura more dazzling than the sun itself.
This was a social butterfly!
This person had the face of someone with social anxiety but acted more like a normie than actual normies!
Kazama Chiba leaned back in his chair, watching that girl on stage continuously radiating charm, his mouth twitching involuntarily.
Who the hell was this?
This definitely wasn't Bocchi-chan.
This was practically Bocchi-chan's antonym!
"Urushihara... Michiyo?"
Kazama Chiba frowned, searching through his memories.
Completely no recollection.
He'd never heard of this character.
Whether in the original works or fan fiction, there was no record of this character.
Could she be an original character? Or some mutation created by the butterfly effect? Or maybe some parallel world Bocchi who'd completely scrubbed her gloomy personality traits and dumped them all into charisma stats?
"So... so dazzling..."
Rikka beside him covered her good eye, releasing a pained cry as if scorched by holy light.
"Is this the so-called normie aura? It can bypass the Wicked Eye's barrier and directly inflict mental damage... This woman is a formidable enemy!"
After a brief moment of stupefaction, the male students below erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.
"Welcome, welcome!"
"Urushihara-san, there's an empty seat here!"
"She's really cute..."
Faced with this practically fanatical reaction, that "Urushihara Michiyo" showed no discomfort whatsoever.
On the contrary, she seemed to thoroughly enjoy this feeling of being the center of attention—just like an idol holding a fan meet-and-greet.
"Alright, alright, quiet down. Urushihara, you can sit in that empty seat over there."
Hiratsuka Shizuka coughed twice and pointed to an empty seat in Kazama's row, breaking the commotion.
"Yes, sensei! Thank you, sensei!"
Urushihara Michiyo responded energetically and picked up her bag to walk down.
Her steps were light and brisk. Passing by each classmate, she smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
Just as she passed by Kazama Chiba's desk, that faint cherry blossom fragrance drifted over.
She, who should have simply walked past, suddenly stopped.
Kazama Chiba instinctively looked up, meeting those pink eyes directly.
Those eyes held none of that strangeness of a first meeting. Instead, they carried a certain... how to put it?
That gaze was complex. Nostalgic. Relieved. And also a kind of excitement like a hunter spotting isolated prey.
"Hey."
Urushihara Michiyo bent down, leaning in closer, her voice lowered so only the two of them could hear.
"Finally met you... Kazama-kun."
Kazama Chiba's eyebrows furrowed even tighter.
"Do we know each other?"
"Aren't we acquainted now?"
Michiyo straightened up, not feeling awkward at all despite his coldness.
"My name is Urushihara Michiyo. We'll be sitting in the same row from now on. Please take care of me."
After saying this, she hummed a tune and walked to her seat to sit down.
"..."
Kazama Chiba watched her back, feeling his brain getting somewhat muddled.
What was this woman's deal? He clearly didn't know her—why was she inexplicably showing him goodwill?
What medicine was she selling in that gourd of hers?
"Hey, ally."
Rikka poked his waist.
"Just now, that pink witch... did she cast charm magic on you?"
"You saw it too?"
Kazama Chiba frowned.
"I saw it! Her eyes held evil energy! She definitely wants to drag you into her Reality Marble!"
Rikka's expression was dead serious.
"You need to be careful! That's something even more dangerous than the 'Unseen Horizon'! It's a deadly poison called 'normie'!"
"Stop talking nonsense."
Though Kazama said this, he inexplicably felt Rikka might have actually guessed correctly this time.
However, as Hiratsuka Shizuka announced the official start of class, this little incident was temporarily set aside.
"Kazama, Urushihara, and Hikigaya—you three, come with me to the office."
As soon as the first homeroom period ended, Hiratsuka Shizuka tucked her lesson plans under her arm. That piece of chalk traced a perfect parabolic arc through the air, striking and waking Hikigaya Hachiman who'd been catching up on sleep.
"Now. Immediately. At once."
This tone of unquestionable command, combined with that signature white coat and the faintly visible black tank top underneath, radiated a terrifying aura that made people not dare say half a word of refusal.
Kazama Chiba sighed and stuffed the textbook he'd only read two pages of into his desk.
Sure enough, being targeted by that hot-blooded female teacher never led to anything good.
The three lined up in single file behind Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Walking in front, Urushihara Michiyo seemed in good spirits. Even though they were heading to the office for a talking-to, her steps remained as light as if she were dancing a waltz.
That pink long hair swayed behind her, emanating a pleasant shampoo scent.
Walking at the very back, Hikigaya Hachiman wore an expression of utter despair.
Those already lifeless dead fish eyes were now even more dim and lightless, his entire being radiating an aura of "I want to go home" decadence.
Entering the office, the air held a faint smell of tobacco mixed with the aroma of instant coffee.
"Um... sensei, I was just contemplating life, not sleeping..."
Hikigaya Hachiman attempted to struggle, those murky dead fish eyes darting about guiltily.
"Contemplating life?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka pulled out her chair and sat down, crossing her long legs. She casually pulled a crumpled manuscript paper from a pile of homework.
"Then while you're at it, contemplate and explain what the hell this thing is supposed to be."
She slapped that paper on the desk with such force that the ashtray on top jumped.
An essay titled "Reflecting on High School Life."
The very first sentence was written in bold text: "Youth is a lie and a sin."
The ending, after a resentment-filled self-analysis, directly ascended to: "All normies should just explode!"