With the forged identity documents prepared by Yasaka, both Ren Kuroda and Kuroe were able to enter Kuoh Academy without the slightest trouble.
Kuroe enrolled in the elementary division, throwing herself into school life with sparkling curiosity, as if everything she experienced was brand new and endlessly fascinating.
Ren, on the other hand, stared down at the teacher's ID card in his hand, his expression caught somewhere between resignation and disbelief.
At first, he'd intended to enroll as a high school student in the academy's upper division. But Yasaka had firmly rejected that idea.
"With your identity and strength, Ren," she'd said, "what right do ordinary humans have to act as your teachers?"
…He couldn't even argue with that.
As for his interview, it had gone absurdly smoothly.
The résumé Yasaka had prepared for him was so overwhelmingly impressive that the school barely hesitated. The moment they saw his academic credentials, the administration practically rushed to accept him on the spot.
"However, Principal… we don't actually have a suitable teaching position available for Mr. Kuroda right now…"
"What? Are you suggesting we turn away such an outstanding educator?"
"No, not at all! It's just… the only position we currently need to fill is for a P.E. teacher. But someone with Mr. Kuroda's overseas academic background taking on a role like that would be, well…"
"A P.E. teacher? Please, I insist on taking that position!"
Before they could finish their discussion, Ren cut in enthusiastically, raising his hand like an eager applicant.
"Don't let appearances fool you—I'm actually very confident in my athletic ability."
Initially, both the principal and the vice principal were skeptical. Ren's build leaned more toward slender than athletic, and he didn't exactly look like someone suited for physical education.
That skepticism didn't last long.
After watching him sprint a hundred meters at a speed that shattered world records—and casually launch a shot put with one hand like it weighed nothing—the two administrators exchanged a glance and made their decision immediately.
On one hand, the school genuinely needed a P.E. teacher.
On the other… Ren Kuroda was simply too absurd to pass up.
That sprint alone would've rewritten the record books.
And on top of that, he was a top-tier academic genius. Who knew—if he ever had free time, he might even help out teaching math.
After all, everyone knew that P.E. teachers, despite their "frequent injuries," were often surprisingly versatile. Plenty of students ended up learning math from them anyway.
Having successfully secured the position, Ren was more than satisfied.
Compared to teaching academic subjects, this role suited him far better.
P.E. classes were light on workload—some days, he might not even have a single class to teach—and more importantly, he wouldn't have to worry about exposing the "genius scholar" persona Yasaka had fabricated for him.
—
Early the next morning, Ren dragged a still half-asleep Kuroe out of bed. After quickly tidying themselves up, the two of them set off toward Kuoh Academy.
For convenience, the house they'd rented was located quite close to the school—only about a ten-minute walk.
Schools always carried a certain youthful energy, filled with teenagers at the height of their hormonal chaos.
And in that short ten-minute walk, Ren and Kuroe attracted more attention than most people did in an entire day.
The reason was simple.
First, their looks were far too striking.
Second, the contrast between them was impossible to ignore—one wore the academy's student uniform, while the other bore a teacher's badge.
Since they were already near the school gates, the area was packed with students.
And in a place where thousands of teenagers were crammed together, gossip naturally became one of the most popular daily pastimes.
Two unfamiliar faces—both ridiculously attractive—were more than enough to ignite a storm of whispers.
"Who is that guy? Is he a new teacher? He's ridiculously handsome!"
"He doesn't look much older than us… and yet he's a teacher, not a student?"
"Maybe he just looks young. Didn't you see that unbelievably cute little girl he was holding hands with? He might already be a dad."
"Well, if he asked me out, I wouldn't mind at all. He's totally my type. Honestly, I've always wanted a daughter anyway."
"I don't think you want a daughter—I think you're just horny."
After dropping Kuroe off at the elementary division, Ren couldn't help but feel awkward.
With his half-yokai senses, every single whispered comment reached his ears loud and clear.
…Were high school girls these days always like this?
Or was Kuoh Academy just particularly… bold?
Even if it wasn't his intention, he'd just overheard a group of girls openly saying that if the teacher was that handsome, they wouldn't even mind "sharing."
That was… a lot to process.
—
Inside Class 2-B, the buzz from the morning incident near the school gates had already spread like wildfire.
The girls had gathered in lively clusters, chattering excitedly about the handsome new teacher.
In stark contrast, the boys were anything but pleased.
Kuoh Academy had always had a higher ratio of girls to boys, making it something of a dream school for male students.
And not only were there more girls—the overall level of beauty was widely acknowledged to be exceptionally high.
Not long ago, several nearby schools had even held a popularity ranking for high school girls. When the votes were tallied, the top three spots had all been claimed by students from Kuoh Academy.
Hyoudou Issei—a completely average high school boy with chestnut hair and an utterly unremarkable face—sat among the crowd.
Despite his ordinary appearance, he possessed an extensive "track record" of lifelong singleness.
Together with his friends Motohama and Matsuda, he formed the infamous "Perverted Trio" of Kuoh Academy. Their reputation was so bad that any female—human or otherwise—would instinctively steer clear of them on sight.
"Damn it! Another annoying handsome guy joins the school. Our chances of being popular just dropped again!"
"Issei, why are you so calm? You're usually the most worked up in situations like this."
Motohama and Matsuda grumbled irritably as they listened to the girls' chatter.
Even if Ren hadn't shown up, the girls in their class had never paid them any attention to begin with.
Still, by the logic of "men naturally competing with each other," they couldn't stand good-looking guys.
After all, every handsome newcomer reduced their already microscopic chances to absolute zero.
Issei, however, remained unusually composed.
"Motohama, Matsuda… I regret to inform you of something."
He paused deliberately, a smug smile creeping across his face.
"Starting tomorrow, I won't be like you guys anymore."
"I've started dating Amano Yuuma-senpai."
"And tonight… she invited me out on a date."
"At ten o'clock at night."
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice with exaggerated meaning.
"I'm sure you understand what that implies, right?"