Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.
"Wahh~~~~~~~~~~~~!" Mai's heartbroken cry echoed throughout the Soramoto Family penthouse. "Why? Why is Tatsu-Kun being so cruel?"
Despite Mai's loud cry, no one, Sumire, Kasumi, Tio, or Ayane, paid her any attention. Instead, they all watched the drama playing on the living room's television. Sumire even picked up the remote and turned up the volume as if nothing happened.
"Wahh~~~~~~~~~~~!" Mai cried even louder, her new volume once again drowning out the television. "You all are even crueler than Tatsu-Kun. None of you help me when Tatsu-Kun got mad. And now, you're not even consoling me."
"Stop trying to play the victim, you annoying woman." Ayane said disdainfully without even looking in Mai's direction. "You got punished for doing something stupid and getting caught. You brought this on yourself."
*Thud!*
Hearing Ayane's merciless rebuke, Mai fell from the couch she was sitting on, landing on her hands and knees. Then, she turned to look at Ayane with tears in her eyes.
"Ayane-Chan, you're so heartless." Mai said in a tearful tone.
"She's not wrong, though." Sumire said casually. "Honestly, you got off easy, too. If I didn't know Tatsu-Chan would punish you for this, I would have been the one to punish you…"
*Gulp!*
"… and if it had been me, you would have gotten a lot worse than a month without physical contact with my Tatsu-Chan." Sumire continued while ignoring Mai's audible gulp and terrified shivering.
"Sumire-Sama..." Mai muttered, her voice wavering from fear.
The room fell into a short silence after that, causing Sumire to turn the volume back down to its normal volume. However, that did not last for long.
*Pant!* *Pant!*
Hearing the sound of panting, everyone turned towards its source. When they did, they saw Tio trying her best to hide her sloppy expression behind her hand fan. However, the words she was muttering made that gesture completely meaningless.
"It's too bad Mai-San wasn't able to convince Tatsuo-Sama that it was actually me who stole all those love letters." Tio said with her face flushed. "If she had, I would be the one being punished. *Pant**Pant* And if it were me, maybe Tatsu-Sama would have punched, or kicked me. *Pant* *Pant* Then, when I showed that I enjoyed it, with a feeling of disgust, he would have thrown me through a window to get me as far away from him as possible. *Pant* *Pant*
Glancing at Tio, who was lost in her fantasies, Sumire, Kasumi, and Ayane, once again decided to collectively ignore the other problem child in the room. Even Mai, who was still sniffling on the floor, stealthily inched away from the masochistic Dragonman.
"*Cough* By the way, where did Tatsuo-Kun go after he finished punishing Mai-San?" Kasumi asked, deliberately trying to change the subject.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure he went to MgRonald's to tell Maou-Chan about the move." Sumire said cheerfully. "He did want to help his friend with his living situation, after all. *Sigh* My Tatsu-Chan is so considerate."
Kasumi nodded in understanding while Ayane barely reacted.
"Since he went to MgRonald's, he better remember er to bring back some of those strawberry cream pies for me." Ayane muttered while her eyes stayed glued to the drama on the television. "If he comes back and I don't see any strawberry cream pies, hmph!"
"You'll sulk like a child?" Sumire asked, her expression, the picture of innocence. "Because you can't beat him up. So, there really isn't anything else you can do, right, Ayane-Chan?"
Immediately, Ayane snapped her head in Sumire's direction, her glare enough to make most seasoned killers piss their pants. However, when that glare landed on Sumire, there was not even a hint of discomfort on her face. She even winked at the purple-haired kunoichi playfully.
"Hmph!" Ayane snorted once again while turning away from Sumire and crossing her arms.
Meanwhile, Tatsuo had just arrived at the MgRonald's where Chiho and Sadao worked. And as he walked through the restaurant's door, he extended his spatial awareness behind him to the bookstore across the street.
'Oh, so she really is there, just like in the canon.' Tatsuo thought to himself while walking towards the counter where Sadao was standing behind a register. 'So, Maou-San giving her the umbrella was not the actual trigger for all the stuff that happened in the story, huh?'
"Ah!"
A sharp cry broke Tatsuo from his thoughts. And when he turned to the source of the sound, he saw exactly what he expected… Chiho, carrying a tray with a customer's order, falling towards the ground with a panicked look in her eyes.
"*igh* This happens way too much to be a coincidence." Tatsuo muttered to himself as he stepped towards Chiho.
In the next moment, Tatsuo seemingly vanished from where he stood before reappearing next to Chiho with his arms extended.
Though it seemed as if Tatsuo used his formidable strength to close the distance. That could not have been further from the truth. Rather, because everyone's awareness was focused on Chiho after she shouted, Tatsuo just happened to slip past their cognition using some rather exquisite footwork.
*Tap!* *Tap!* *Tap!* *Tap!*
"Huh?" Chiho exclaimed when, instead of feeling the hard floor, she felt a strong embrace. She then opened her eyes, which had been closed tightly in preparation for the pain she knew was coming, and looked at the one who caught her. "Ah! Tatsuo-Kun. You saved me again."
"Yeah, this is starting to turn into a common occurrence, isn't it?" Tatsuo replied with a shrug while holding Chiho in one arm and the tray she dropped in the other with all the food items sitting atop it safely. "I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose to see just how good my reflexes are. Because you never trip like this at school."
Although she definitely heard everything Tatsuo said, the only words that registered in her mind were 'doing this on purpose.' Immediately afterwards, Chiho's eyes widened in horror. Then, she struggled to get out of Tatsuo's arms. Because, if Tatsuo was thinking something like that, there was a chance that Sadao had similar thoughts. And if he thought that she had a thing for Tatsuo, then her chances at getting his affection would all but disappear.
Seeing Chiho's reaction, Tatsuo knew exactly what she was thinking. Rolling his eyes, he let Chiho go. Then, once she was standing steadily, he handed her the tray and turned towards the counter.
"Anyway, see you later, chi-chan." Tatsuo said while waving over his shoulder as he made his way over to the counter. "I got something to tell Maou-San."
"Uh... Yeah…" Chiho said, her tone making it clear she was feeling a little guilty about the way she reacted. "I'll see you later, Tatsuo-Kun."
Hearing Chiho's tone, Tatsuo did not react much. He knew he would feel something similar if Yakumo decided to distance herself from him because of a misunderstanding, too.
"Thanks for the help, Soramoto-Kun." Sadao, standing behind the register, said with a smile as Tatsuo approached. "You're timing is always impeccable."
"Honestly, I'd rather it wasn't." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "I mean, how does she always manage to fall as soon as I walk through that door? It feels like some kind of causality interference, or something."
"I'm sure it's not that deep." Sadao said with a chuckle. "Anyway, you said you wanted to tell me something. So, what's up?"
"Right." Tatsuo said with a nod. "The new house will be done this weekend. So, you should start packing your stuff. You'll probably be able to move in to the penthouse the weekend after this one."
Sadao's eyes widened when he heard that. Then, his expression morphed into a happy smile.
"Thanks for the good news." Sadao said as his expression returned to normal. "I'm sure Ashiya will love the new place. He's been complaining about how our current place isn't suitable for people like us. Now, I won't have to hear that ever again."
"Just trying to help a friend." Tatsuo replied with a smile. A moment later, however, his expression turned solemn. "Just don't start skipping the rent. Because if it's not paid on time, Mom will throw you, Ashiya-San, Urushihara-San, and everything you own out. And I mean that literally… And that's a pretty long drop."
"*Gulp* Understood." Sadao said with his voice quivering. He then forcefully put on his professional smile to cover his fear. "*cough* Anyway, welcome to MgRonald's, Sir. May I take your order? Or maybe I could interest you in our limited-time special, Black Pepper Fries."
"Sure, I'll take an order of those and four strawberry cream pies," Tatsuo replied with an eye roll. "And I'll take that to go."
At the same time, the person in the bookstore that Tatsuo noticed through his spatial awareness, Yusa Emi, was watching the goings on in the MgRonald's through the bookstore across the street's front window. And when she saw Tatsuo interracting with Sadao so naturally, she could not help but frown.
'I really hope I'm wrong about that guy.' Emi thought to herself while clenching her fist under the table she was sitting at. 'Because if he's who I think he is, there's a good chance he's manipulating Soramoto-Kun. And I will not forgive him for doing something so terrible to such a nice boy.'
As her emotions intensified, a light began to glow in her clenched hand. However, before it could get bright enough for anyone to notice, Emi forcefully calmed herself down with a deep breath. Though, she did not loosen her clenched fist.
And while she was thinking, Tatsuo finished his transaction and retreated to a table near the front window of the MgRonald's to wait for his order. Though, Emi did not really pay him much mind. Instead, she kept all her attention on Sadao, who stepped from behind the register to prepare Tatsuo's order.
As for Tatsuo, before sitting down, he fished his smartphone out of his pocket and logged into the [Dimensional Chat]. He had not logged in since he returned from the My Hero Academia [Mission]. So, he felt he needed to check in with everyone. Plus, letting them know about the interesting characters in his class would be fun, too.
{[Dimensional Chat]
James: So, you're telling me, you're not allowed to make things like guns?
James: Lame
Momo: That's correct
Momo: It's because guns are illegal in Japan
Momo: There's also a safety regulation put forth by the HPSC
Alfonzo: brass knuckles, bombs of any kind, and certain kinds of knives are illegal in Japan, too
Alfonzo: But I've seen you make those before
Alfonzo: So, that argument doesn't really hold up
Lici: Hey, Tatsuo
Lici: Long time no see
Tatsuo (Admin): Hey
Tatsuo (Admin): Yeah, sorry I was AFK for so long
Tatsuo (Admin): The first few days of school have been more than I expected
Sakura: Has there been trouble?
Tatsuo (Admin): Not really
Tatsuo (Admin): Just a lot going on
James: Like what?
James: I know there was a lot of stuff that happened in the School Rumble series at the beginning of the year
James: Was that it?
Tatsuo (Admin): Partially
Tatsuo (Admin): Like, I got to see Tenma-Senpai's stupid long love letter
Tatsuo (Admin): Harina-Senpai ended up in my class after getting held back
Tatsuo (Admin): But he got transferred into a second-year class after the first day
Tatsuo (Admin): But that wasn't the most interesting thing that happened
Alfonzo: Ther was more?
Alfonzo: Now, I'm interested
Zelretch: For you to call something interesting after all the things you've been through, I must admit, you've drawn this old man's attention, as well
Aletia: More girls?
Aletia: Grrr
Violet: Calm down, Aletia-San
Violet: It's natural for Tatsuo-Kun to have interest from female students
Violet: He is quite handsome, after all😳
Lici: You can be so cute sometimes, Violet
Sakura: Even more girls?
Momo: He is quite handsome
Momo: Like Violet-San said, it's natural😳
Lici: Momo is cute, too
Lici: LOL
Tatsuo (Admin): Well, girls are actually two parts of the interesting stuff that happened.
Aletia: Grrr
James: Did you have a love letter waterfall like in manga?
James: Hilarious
James: The trope is real
Tatsuo (Admin): Nope
Tatsuo (Admin): That never happened
Tatsuo (Admin): It should have, though, apparently
Lici: What do you mean?
Tatsuo (Admin): I just had to punish Mai-Nee for stealing all the love letters I should have received in the first three days of school
Tatsuo (Admin): Not that I really mind all that much
Alfonzo: It's the principle of the matter, right?
Tatsuo (Admin): Exactly
Tatsuo (Admin): She doesn't have the right to dictate who I can interact with
Tatsuo (Admin): And she needed to know that
James: So, how did you punish her?
Tatsuo (Admin): No physical contact for a month
Lici: You might just kill that lovestruck girl
Lici: Tatsuo, you're ruthless
Lici: Going right for the jugular
James: Well, he is an assassin
James: Or he was raised to be one, at least
James: So, that makes sense
James: hit em where it hurts
Aletia: Good job, Mai
Aletia: I approve
Violet: Don't say that, Aletia-San
Violet: It's not right
Momo: nothing like that happened while you were at UA
Sakura: that's because Akatsuki-San and I were always with him
Akatsuki: Yeah
Akatsuki: Everyone got the wrong idea about me being with him, too, though
Akatsuki: On the other hand, it kept boys from confessing to me
Akatsuki: So, I guess it turned out fine
Alfonzo: The love letter thing was pretty funny
Alfonzo: But what's the other thing about girls?
Tatsuo (Admin): One of my classmates is named Suzumiya Haruhi
Alfonzo: …
James: …
Lici: …
Lici: Wow!
Zelretch: I assume this Suzumiya Haruhi is someone special
Zelretch: I can't say that name rings any bells for me
Violet: I've heard it before
Violet: But I don't know much about it
Momo: I've never heard of it either.
Aletia: Grrr
===James sent file: The_Melancholy_of_Haruhi-Suzymiya_Anime.zip===
===James sent file: The_Melancholy_of_Haruhi_Suzumiya_Lightnovels.zip===
James: Check those out and you'll understand
James: A girl with reality warping powers who doesn't even know it
James: That's what makes her so special
Tatsuo (Admin): Yeah
Tatsuo (Admin): but there was something that was added to her introduction
Tatsuo (Admin): She added sliders
Tatsuo (Admin): Like, people who jump from world to world}
Before Tatsuo could read any of the replies to his last message, he looked up from his smartphone and turned back towards the restaurant's preparation area. And just as he did, Sadao was going through a bit of an existential crisis. Unfortunately, this crisis would lead to most of the troubles from the canon events in his story.
Like Tatsuo, Emi's focus also turned laser-like when she felt what was going on in the MgRonald's preparation area.
As for Sadao…
'Oh no! The Black Pepper Fries aren't cooked.' Sadao thought to himself. 'What's going on? Is the frier… broken? How can this be?'
Staring down at the frier basket full of uncooked French fries, Sadao was starting to break down. At the rate things were going, his store was on pace to have the highest Black Pepper Fries sales in the district. But with the frier broken, that, and the bonus that would come with it, would never happen.
'Should I use magic to fix it?' Sadao asked himself. 'But Ashiya has been nagging me about not using magic unless it's an emergency. But… Isn't this an emergency?'
While those thoughts ran through his head, Sadao subconsciously began mobilizing his magic power to repair the frier. However, just as he was set to cast the spell…
"Yo, Maou-San, what's wrong?" Kisaki Mayumi, the manager of the MgRonald's, asked after seeing Sadao's desperate expression.
And with that, Sadao's plan to use magic secretly to fix the frier was shattered. Unfortunately, because of his leaking magic, the damage had already been done.