— — — — — —
"Iroha Isshiki?"
The name sounded familiar. Oikawa vaguely remembered it but couldn't really say who she was. He wasn't an otaku god who remembered every detail; otherwise, he would realize Utako Kasumi was Utaha Kasumigaoka long ago.
As for her question… how did he jump from the bottom of the class to fourth place in just one semester?
Oikawa thought for a moment, then answered seriously, "I cheated."
Iroha froze. She clearly hadn't expected that kind of response.
"Senpai, you must be joking…"
"I'm serious."
In a way, Oikawa really had cheated.
It was just that his method was a little too advanced… and not something other people could realistically copy. It was called getting isekai'd.
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Iroha frowned slightly, unsure whether he was telling the truth or brushing her off. She leaned toward the latter.
"Senp—"
Before she could continue, the bus came to a stop. Sobu High had arrived.
"Next time," Oikawa said, stepping off the bus without giving her another chance to chat.
People were strange creatures.
At the start of September, Oikawa had desperately wanted the awful summer to end. But now that a typhoon had rolled in and the temperature had dropped, he found himself missing summer again. The warm sun. The gentle breeze that lifted your mood.
"Senpai, come on, just tell me your secret for improving your grades!"
Iroha hurried after him, her voice turning deliberately cutesy. When Oikawa glanced at her, she even stuck out her tongue playfully.
Unfortunately… Oikawa wasn't into that.
He wasn't like some people whose preferences leaned toward petite girls. For Oikawa, flat chests started at negative points, okay? Sure, petite girls had their own charm, but who said they had to be flat by default?
Why couldn't they learn from High School DxD and exaggerate those pectorals a little?
"I'm not lying. I really did get these grades by cheating."
Oikawa genuinely couldn't understand where trust between people had gone. He was telling the truth, yet nobody believed him.
Shaking his head, Oikawa walked faster and left Iroha behind.
...
..
After class, Oikawa noticed Kawasaki seemed a bit off today.
He'd tried talking to her several times, and she'd ignored him every time. That made Oikawa wonder if he'd somehow offended her.
After thinking it over…
Aside from tricking her during the injection incident, he hadn't done anything else.
And besides, she had already gotten her revenge. His hand was still wrapped in bandages. He was convinced she'd put her entire body's strength into that bite.
"Do either of you want to come to the student council meeting later?"
Inside the Literature Club, Oikawa asked the only two members with a hopeful tone.
"I'm busy. No time."
Zaimokuza was furiously typing on his phone, apparently arguing with people online.
"Hmph! A bunch of haters showed up out of nowhere and started trashing my favourite novel right now, Your Lie in April. I'm debating them with the group chat!"
Oikawa awkwardly scratched his nose.
"Kawasaki, what about you? Want to come?"
"No."
She shook her head and refused without hesitation.
Oikawa sighed.
Sometimes it felt like those two were the real leaders of the Literature Club, and he was just the errand boy.
Shaking his head, he walked out of the clubroom.
At that moment, the three members of the Service Club happened to come out as well. It looked like they were also heading to the student council room.
"Yahallo!" Yui Yuigahama waved with a smile. "Oikawa-kun, are you going to the student council too?"
"Yeah."
Yukino Yukinoshita looked at him with faint disdain. "I thought the delinquent-kun would stubbornly refuse to attend."
"Heh, don't forget our bet."
Oikawa smirked. "I'm already looking forward to Yukino-san shouting on the school rooftop: 'I'm Yukino Yukinoshita from Class 2-J. I shouldn't have falsely accused someone of being a pervert!' Or maybe you should say, 'It was my mistake. I shouldn't have falsely accused the noble Oikawa Tōru from Class 2-F. It was I who was the pervert.'"
"What a delightful dilemma."
Oikawa wore a teasing expression.
It was already generous of him not to pick a fight with her. And she still dared to provoke him face to face? She really had a death wish.
For the first time, a flicker of panic appeared on Yukino Yukinoshita's usually calm and composed face.
Hachiman also seemed to picture the scene and couldn't help curling his lips into a faint smile.
As for Yui…
She looked completely at a loss.
"Oikawa-kun, maybe just forget it. Yukino's a girl, after all."
Oh? Pulling the gender card?
Oikawa perked up instantly. "These days we're all about gender equality. A wise old man once said the hammer of justice is unisex."
"Hmph. I won't go back on my word."
Yukino looked at him and made up her mind. "As long as the second volume of Your Lie in April is released before winter break, I'll apologize to you on the school rooftop."
"Hehe~ I'm looking forward to your performance."
Oikawa fanned the flames, clearly enjoying the chaos.
"Hmph!"
Yukino snorted and quickly walked away.
"Yukino, wait up!"
Yui hurried after her. Only after their figures disappeared did Hachiman lean in and whisper, "Oikawa… I support you doing this!!!"
Well, well.
Looks like Hikifroggaya wants revenge too.
...
..
Sitting in the most inconspicuous seat in the student council room, Oikawa secretly played Pokémon on his phone.
A true master of slacking off.
At that moment, a somewhat scholarly-looking girl took a seat at the front of the room.
With a glance from her, two first-year student council members began handing out documents to everyone attending the meeting.
Oikawa briefly wondered if the materials might run out right before reaching him.
Then he could slack off guilt-free.
Unfortunately, he was disappointed. Even after the distribution ended, the two first-years still had four or five spare copies left.
"Well then, we'll begin the Cultural Festival Executive Committee meeting."
"I'm the student council president, Meguri Shiromeguri from Class 3-J. I'm very happy that we once again have the support of every club this year. Let's all work together to ensure the festival goes smoothly."
As soon as she finished speaking, the girl beside her started clapping. The rest of the room quickly followed with enthusiastic applause.
Oikawa didn't even know where to begin complaining.
"Thank you all for your support. Let's move straight to the main topic. Next, we'll decide the Executive Committee Chair."
The attendees looked confused.
Apparently, they didn't understand why the student council president wouldn't take the role herself.
Meanwhile, Oikawa kept quietly playing Pokémon, completely uninterested.
"According to tradition, the Cultural Festival Executive Chair is usually a second-year student. I'm already in my third year."
Once you reach third year, university entrance exams become the priority.
After all, around eighty percent of Sobu High students planned to go on to university, so not wanting to be distracted by the festival was perfectly normal.
"Does anyone want to volunteer?"
Silence filled the room.
Of course nobody volunteered. This wasn't an easy job. It was more like exhausting work with little reward.
"No volunteers, as expected."
Meguri looked unsurprised.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. Being Executive Chair has many benefits. For example, it can be considered favorably when applying to universities…"
Oikawa almost laughed.
Why did every troublesome task at Sobu High come with bonus points? Volunteer work was like that. This was the same.
.
.
.