The entire morning, new players like Katou Megumi and Aki Tomoya had been cramming like their lives depended on it.
Reality, however, was merciless. The third-years were already deep into practical ninjutsu training. Expecting a bunch of newcomers who couldn't even define Chakra to keep pace? Laughable.
By the time the morning bell rang, even Mouri Ran, who had solid grades back in the real world, felt like she'd been listening to a foreign language.
Aki Tomoya and Yuigahama Yui, neither of whom had ever been strong students, fared far worse.
At noon, the class scattered in twos and threes.
Some pulled out boxed lunches from home. Others headed for the school store to grab bread and call it a meal.
Makoto Nishikado stepped out of the classroom with Akizuki Airi in tow.
"M-Makoto... Airi!"
A familiar voice, thick with tears, called out behind them.
They turned. Standing there was a girl with long chestnut hair and a delicate, almost fragile air about her. She looked about nine years old.
"S-Sis?!" Akizuki Airi's eyes went wide.
The next instant, Akizuki Marina threw herself into Makoto's arms. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Makoto... I... I was so scared..."
He patted her back gently. "It's fine. I'm right here, aren't I?"
The normie clique happened to step outside for lunch at exactly the wrong moment to witness the scene.
"That girl... isn't she Akizuki Marina from the second year? Akizuki Airi's older sister?" Miura Yumiko said, surprised.
Tobe Kakeru glanced at Makoto with a flicker of envy.
Two sisters, huh... that guy's really got it made.
Then another thought hit him: Now that I've crossed over too, if I can learn what they teach here, maybe I could also...
"Looks like it's not just our grade that got pulled in," Hayama Hayato murmured, half to himself.
"You'd be right about that, Hayama-kun."
A familiar voice came from behind.
Hayama and Yukinoshita Yukino spun around. A girl of about twelve stood watching them with a smile, her features strikingly similar to Yukino's.
"Sis?!" Yukino blurted.
"Haruno?!" Hayama was stunned.
Yukinoshita Haruno flashed a playful peace sign. "Sixth-year student at the Ninja Academy, Yukinoshita Haruno. Pleasure to meet you."
Yukino and Hayama stared, mouths hanging open wide enough to catch flies.
Even her...
Haruno's gaze drifted past them, landing on Makoto in the distance. A knowing smile curled her lips. "So this is the source of your strength, Makoto?"
He glanced at her and didn't bother answering.
Without another word, he turned and headed for the school store, the Akizuki sisters trailing behind him.
Yukino leaned closer to her sister, brow furrowed. "You seem awfully familiar with him."
"Well, during the month you were living on your own, he's been staying at our house."
Haruno dropped the line like it was nothing. Every pair of eyes in earshot went wide.
She shrugged. "Long story. I'll fill you in later."
Then she placed both hands on her little sister's shoulders, beaming. "Yukino, I hear you've been doing great in class. How about tutoring your big sister? Otherwise I'm going to flunk out."
When she'd first crossed over, Haruno had panicked too.
But she was a grown woman who'd cut her teeth in the business world. Composure came back fast.
By the end of her first class, she'd already charmed her classmates into sharing every useful piece of intel they had.
Learning she was a sixth-year about to graduate while her little sister was a top-performing third-year, her first instinct had been obvious: get Yukino to tutor her.
Supernatural power. Who wouldn't want to master it?
And honestly... rather than let their mother treat Makoto as the Yukinoshita family's 'pillar of support', Haruno would rather take on that role herself.
Because something about that guy told her he was no good.
Back in the classroom after buying bread, Makoto sat with the Akizuki sisters and Katou Megumi.
He noticed that the "background heroine" squad had gained a new member: a child-sized version of Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Well, well. It's not just the Oregairu cast. The Saekano crew is all here too.
"Makoto," Marina began softly. "You and Airi have been in this world for two years now, right? This is my first time, and I'm so far behind... could you help me study?"
Her assigned identity was a fourth-year student, yet she didn't even know how to mold Chakra.
He thought it over. "Go see Iruka-sensei after school today. Apply to repeat a year and drop into our class. I'll tutor you after hours."
Marina's face lit up. She nodded eagerly.
Back in the real world, she'd always regretted not being in the same grade as Makoto. They'd barely had any time together at school.
Who would've guessed that crossing into another world would grant that wish?
"I'm applying to repeat too."
Kasumigaoka Utaha cut in.
Like Marina, she'd been assigned as a fourth-year, one grade above Makoto and the others. Without dropping down, keeping up was hopeless.
Besides, being in a strange world, staying close to people she knew offered at least a shred of comfort.
Across the room, Yukinoshita Yukino sat beside Haruno, her gaze on Makoto growing colder by the minute.
She'd already heard from her sister what had happened at home during the month she'd been away.
The very person she'd been trying to track down had become the one her mother wanted to rely on.
I have to get stronger.
The vow crystallized silently inside her.
She refused to let some thug who wielded power however he pleased have any ties to her family.
Afternoon. Physical training.
Aki Tomoya and Kinoshita Kazuya, the kind of shut-ins who never exercised, were destroyed within minutes.
Hayama and Tobe, at least, were members of the soccer club and had some baseline fitness. They were half-dead by the end, but they kept up.
Haruno, in the sixth-year group, ran somewhere in the middle of the pack.
She stole a glance at her little sister, who held a steady position near the front, and a wry thought crossed her mind: This might be the first time I've ever lost to you, Yukino.
Her sister had spent her whole life trying to beat her at something. Who would've thought that dream would come true in another world?
After the run came shuriken drills and sparring. More punishment for the newcomers.
The results were posted:
Makoto Nishikado: first place in every category. Total domination.
Yukinoshita Yukino: upper-middle.
Akizuki Airi and Eriri: upper-middle, though a notch below Yukino.
Hikigaya Hachiman and Ichinose Chizuru: middle of the pack.
Every other new player: dead last.
Iruka stared at the score sheet, massaging his temples. "At this rate, nearly half the class is going to be held back..."
Yukino bit her lip, resolve burning brighter in her eyes.
This wasn't just about keeping that bastard away from her mother anymore. She wanted this power for herself too, to fulfill her own dream.
A world of absolute justice. Absolute righteousness.
"Alright, school's out for the..."
Iruka stopped mid-sentence, remembering something. "Oh, right. Akizuki, Sawamura, Mouri, and Yukinoshita, your parents have been located. The school has already contacted them to come pick you up."
The named students froze.
Their parents... had been pulled into this world too?
Joy spread across the faces of the Akizuki sisters and Eriri.
But Yukinoshita Yukino?
She nearly blacked out from rage.
She had just resolved to grow stronger. To become the Yukinoshita family's true asset. To keep Makoto Nishikado, that absolute bastard, far away from her mother.
And now her mother had crossed over too?!
Recalling everything Haruno had told her, Yukino couldn't stop herself from shooting a glance at Makoto, her expression twisting into something indescribable.
Dammit!
Stay away from my mother!
_____________________
*The Bonus Chapter*