Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.
After Itoko introduced herself, the class took turns giving their own introductions. And even though Tatsuo found most of the class uninteresting, he took the time to memorize all of his classmates' names. But when it was time for someone he was interested in to introduce themselves, he paid even closer attention.
The first person Tatsuo paid attention to was Yakumo's future best friend, Sarah Adiemus, a transfer student from England who served as a nun at the nearby Christian Church.
Next, the purple-haired girl he noticed when he stepped into the classroom, Asakura Ryoko. From what Tatsuo could remember, she was not human. On top of that, she was a little nuts and extreme in her methods.
After Ryoko, the shortest of the three boys Tatsuo took note of introduced himself as Kunikkida. Unfortunately, his given name was so generic that despite Tatsuo's attempts to remember everyone's full name, he could not retain it.
After that, Miyazono Kaori introduced her. But since Tatsuo spent a week practicing with her before the concert, he did not have to pay too much attention to her.
After that, the boy who Tatsuo only knew as Kyon introduced himself. But just like Kunikida's given name, Tatsuo found himself unable to remember Kyon's real name. And that was not because his name was too generic. Rather, it was because Tatsuo could not equate any other names with the young man other than Kyon thanks to watching his source material.
'I saw both seasons of the anime this guy was in.' Tatsuo thought to himself while listening to Kyon's introduction. 'But the second season kinda sucked thanks to the Endless Eight episodes. Even so, I can only see the guy as Kyon.'
After Kyon was the girl who drew the most attention in Tatsuo's opinion. And it was not just because she was the most beautiful girl in the class after Yakumo. Rather, it was because of what she said during her introduction.
"I'm Suzumiya Haruhi from East Junior High." The girl, Haruhi said as she introduced herself with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "First off, I'm not interested in ordinary people. But if any of you are aliens, time-travelers, espers, or sliders, please come see me."
When Haruhi reached that point, she stopped to look around at the reactions of the rest of her class. However, when she saw the shocked expressions on most of their faces, she sighed in disappointment before flicking some of her hair over her shoulder.
It should be noted that because Tatsuo was sitting in a row behind Haruhi, she missed the grin that spread across his face when he heard her iconic introduction.
"That is all." Haruhi said, concluding her introduction before sitting down.
"Well, that introduction was certainly… unique." Itoko said, washing away the awkward atmosphere Haruhi's introduction left in the room. "Alright, let's move onto the next introduction. And let's try to speed it up. We still have to go to the opening ceremony."
The next to introduce himself was the last of the three boys Tatsuo took note of. He was the same height as Kyon, 5'7", and introduced himself as Taniguchi. And just like Kunikida, Tatsuo could not remember his given name because of how generic it was.
Of course, Tatsuo's Yakumo's and Chiho's introductions were sprinkled in with the rest of the students, too. However, there was one student who did not introduce himself, and Itoko did not bother making him do so, either. And that student was naturally Kenji. Instead, he spent the entire time sitting there as if his soul had left his body.
After the introductions ended, Itoko, like all the other homeroom teachers, led her class towards the school's auditorium where they would sit through the opening ceremony. And just as Tatsuo expected, the whole thing was a bunch of people giving speeches. And despite the fact that he needed very little sleep to operate, he found himself falling asleep during the principal's speech.
"How much longer is this gonna go on?" Tatsuo asked quietly while looking down at his watch. "He's been going on for twenty minutes already. There can't be that much that he actually wants to say."
"I know, right." Chiho whispered back. "I almost fell asleep three times."
"It's polite to listen to the whole thing *Yawn~~~*" Yakumo said while trying to stifle a yawn of her own.
When Tatsuo and Chiho heard Yakumo's yawn, they both turned to her with deadpan expressions, causing the usually calm and composed Yakumo to blush in embarrassment.
'Well, I guess that's kind of normal.' Tatsuo thought to himself while trying not to laugh at Yakumo's embarrassment. 'I mean, in her source material, she had the habit of falling asleep easily. So, this must be torture for her.'
Reaching that point in his thoughts, Tatsuo turned his attention back to the stage.
'But What I'm really interested in is finding out who the student council president will be.' Tatsuo continued to think to himself. 'I mean, so far there are students from School Rumble, The Devil is a Part-Timer, and the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya in this school. I wouldn't be surprised if there were even more.'
However, when the student council president finally stepped up to the podium to give their speech, Tatsuo was a little disappointed that he did not recognize her. Though, he had to admit that she was quite pretty, and her glasses suited her perfectly.
After the student council president's speech, the opening ceremony ended and the students returned to their classes. Then, once they were back in their seats, Itoko went over a few more things before telling the students that classes would officially start tomorrow and dismissing the students for today.
With that, Itoko left the classroom and most of the students began chatting with the students they already knew. The only exception being Haruhi, the eccentric girl, who left the classroom as soon as the class was dismissed.
"Soramoto-Kun."
Hearing his name, Tatsuo turned to see who was speaking to him. Both Yakumo and Chiho, curious who would call out to Tatsuo, also turned to look.
When they did, they saw Kaori approaching as she weaved between the desks and students.
"Hey, what's up, Miyazono-San." Tatsuo replied with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine for now." Kaori replied with a smile. "Today was pretty easy. So, I'm not straining too much today."
"Hey, isn't that the girl you performed with Friday?" Chiho asked in a cheerful tone.
"Oh, you were at the concert?" Kaori, finally noticing the two girls sitting near Tatsuo, asked while directing her smile at Chiho and Yakumo. "That's right, I'm Miyazono Kaori. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too." Chiho said happily as she stood up and reached out for a handshake. "I'm Sasaki Chiho. And this is Tsukamoto Yakumo."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Yakumo said while bowing her head politely.
"So, Mom really did manage to have you put in the same class as me to look after you, huh?" Tatsuo asked with a smile. "She's got a lot more pull than I realized."
Of course, that was not true. With Sumire talking about having the laws changed to make harems legal, Tatsuo knew she had more than just a little influence in the country. Hell, she might even have influence all over the world with her accomplishments.
"Yeah." Kaori replied with a nod. "Honestly, I thought she was just saying that to reassure me. But it looks like it was really true."
"Wait!" Chiho exclaimed. "Your mom can do that? Does that mean she had something to do with Yakumo-Chan and I being in the same class as you, too?"
"Maybe." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "I wouldn't put it past her."
'She probably knew about Harui and the rest, too.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'So, it really isn't so surprising that they were put in this class, too.'
"Anyway, have you given anymore thought to my mom's offer?" Tatsuo asked without getting into the details. "It could really help you in the long run, Miyazono-San."
"I have." Kaori replied with a slow nod. "But to be honest, I'm really scared."
"Well, I can understand that." Tatsuo replied. "But you should really consider it. Mom's people are really good at what they do."
"I'll think about it." Kaori said, her mood having dropped noticeably. A moment later, she shook her head and put her usual smile back on her face. "Anyway, I gotta get going. My mom took today off so she could pick me up after school. So, I'll see you tomorrow, Soramoto-Kun. And it was nice to meet you, too, Sasaki-San and Tsukamoto-San. I hope we can get along."
With that, Kaori turned around and headed towards the door before exiting the classroom. Meanwhile, Tatsuo, Yakumo, and Chiho also prepared to leave the classroom. And as they walked towards the backdoor of the classroom, passing Kenji, Tatsuo patted the older boy on the shoulder, letting him know that it was time to go home. Though, the trio did not wait to see if he snapped out of his funk long enough to leave the classroom.
"What were you talking about with Miyazono-San, Tatsuo-Kun?" Chiho asked curiously. "It sounds like Miyazono is in some kind of trouble."
"That's not really my story to tell." Tatsuo replied as he, Yakumo, and Chiho left the classroom. "If Miyazono-San wants to tell you, she will."
"*Sigh* I know you're right." Chiho said in a disappointed tone. "But after hearing the two of you talk so cryptically, I'm really curious."
"I'm actually more surprised that no one recognized Tatsuo-Kun." Yakumo said.
"Oh! Yeah, me, too." Chiho said, her attention successfully diverted. "I mean, he's been a pretty big deal on YouTube for a while, hasn't he?"
With Yakumo helping to divert Chiho's attention, Tatsuo sent a grateful smile in Yakumo's direction. And even though she still hasn't spoken to him, she did return a nod.
"By the way, I've noticed that you haven't said a word to Tatsuo-Kun yet, Yakumo-Chan." Chiho said in a slightly worried tone. "Is everything okay?"
Hearing Chiho's question, Yakumo stiffened slightly. Knowing that Chiho did not know anything about the supernatural, she did not know how to explain.
"It's because I asked her out during Spring Break." Tatsuo replied, saving Yakumo from the awkward situation with a technical truth. "But she said she wasn't sure if she wanted our relationship to go in that direction. So, I'm trying to give her time to think. But since my mom put us in the same class, it's making things a little weird."
This time, it was Yakumo's turn to show gratitude, which Tatsuo only shrugged in response. Like that, the trio continued to chat, though the conversations were only between Tatsuo and Chiho, and Yakumo and Chiho. But no one really seemed to care all that much.
When the trio arrived at the shoe lockers, they saw Ayane changing her shoes while Kasumi waited closer to the main entrance doors.
"Yo, Ayane-Oneesan." Tatsuo said while waving at Ayane. "How was it? Think you can survive here?"
Hearing Tatsuo's voice, Ayane looked up for a moment, snorted, and returned to putting her outdoor shoes on.
"I guess that's a yes?" Tatsuo asked rhetorically with a smile.
"Is it necessary to mess with her like that?" Chiho asked in an exasperated tone. "Or do you just mess with everyone like that?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Chi-Chan." Tatsuo replied while patting Chiho on the top of her head, emphasizing just how short she was.
"Whatever." Chiho replied while rolling her eyes and swatting Tatsuo's hand away. "Anyway, I need to get going, I have to work today. So, I'll see you two later."
With that, Chiho ran towards her shoe locker, opened it quickly, tossed her outdoor shoes onto the floor, and quickly changed shoes before putting her indoor shoes into the locker. Then, she ran out of the front door, greeting Kasumi as she passed before disappearing in the crowd of students.
"She's gonna cause a traffic accident if she keeps running like that." Tatsuo said while shaking his head.
"What do you mean?" Yakumo, speaking her first words of the day to Tatsuo, asked curiously.
Instead of responding verbally, Tatsuo smiled while lowering his mental defenses, allowing Yakumo to hear his thoughts on the subject. And when she did, she could not help blushing lightly before turning away.
Seeing Yakumo's reaction to his thoughts about Chiho causing an accident because people would be staring at her breasts if she kept running, Tatsuo snickered as he made his way to his own shoe locker and started changing shoes.
After that, it did not take long for Tatsuo, Yakumo, and Ayane to gather with Kasumi near the front doors. They then left the school building together, chatting about their first day until they exited the school gates.
"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow, Yakumo-Chan." Tatsuo said once the quartet stepped through the school gates. "I'd offer to walk you home. But Mom said she had something she wanted to talk to me, Kasumi-Neechan, and Ayane-Oneesan about after school today."
"It's okay." Yakumo replied softly. "I'll see you tomorrow. You, too, Kasumi-San, Ayane-San. Have a good evening."
"You, too, Yakumo-Chan." Kasumi replied with a smile. "Be safe on your way home."
"See ya." Ayane replied in a much more casual tone.
With that, the group split up. On the way home, Tatsuo, Kasumi and Ayane continued chatting about the first day of school and their new classmates."
"I didn't have any new classmates in my class." Kasumi said. "Everyone is the same from last year."
"Everyone was new to me." Ayane said with a slight frown on her face. "And most of them were annoying. Especially that guy, Tennoji-Kun. He's so obsessed with you, Kasumi. He tried to ask me things about you every time he had a chance. I actually had to threaten to beat him up to get him to shut up."
"Oh, that guy was already on my hit list." Tatsuo added. "I heard from Harima-Senpai that after Kasumi-Neechan broke up a fight between them by kicking both of their asses, Tennoji-Senpai fell for her really hard."
"Oh god, is he some kind of masochist, too?" Ayane asked with a disgusted expression on her face. "We already have one of those at home. I really don't wanna deal with one at school, too."
While Tatsuo and Ayane continued to bad mouth Tennoji, Kasumi only listened with a smile. Though, neither Tatsuo nor Ayane missed the way the corners of her lips twitched every time they said something about Tennoji asking her out in the future.
"So, were there any other interesting people in your class, Ayane?" Kasumi asked, a blatant attempt to change the subject that made both Tatsuo and Ayane grin at her.
"*Sigh* Yeah, there were." Ayane replied, deciding to let Kasumi have this. "There was an American guy named Harry McKenzie. He seemed like the delinquent type... A lot like that Harima guy the two of you have talked about. Then, there was this guy who had a slight noble air, Togo Masakazu. Kinda felt like a schemer. But the most interesting people in the class were two girls. One was named... Tsuruya-something. Green hair, way too upbeat personality. You know the type. And what seemed to be her best friend, an extremely busty, shy redhead named Asahina Mikuru. A real odd couple in my opinion."
"You really should try harder to learn your classmates' names, Ayane." Kasumi said with a gentle reprimand.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Ayane said while waving off Kasumi's reminder.
At the same time, Ttatsuo turned away with slight embarrassment, as there were some students in his class whose names he could not remember, either.
"*Cough* Anyway, let's hurry home." Tatsuo said before either girl noticed his change in expression. "I'm really curious to know what Mom had to say about that bombshell she dropped last night."
"Oh, are you looking forward to losing your virginity that much, Tatsuo?" Ayane asked in a teasing tone.
"Ayane, that is highly inappropriate." Kasumi reprimanded more harshly as her face reddened slightly. "You shouldn't speak like that in public."
At the same time, Tatsuo rolled his eyes at Ayane's teasing. Then, he led Kasumi and Ayane into a secluded area before [Blinking] them into another secluded area near the apartment.