Watching his two best friends—Motohama and Matsuda—stand there with utterly stunned expressions, Issei Hyoudou wore a smug grin so wide it practically split his face.
For a guy who had been single since birth, he had never once imagined a moment like this would come.
The look in Motohama and Matsuda's eyes… Issei knew it all too well. After all, he used to look at others that exact same way.
It was the pure, unfiltered gaze of envy, jealousy, and resentment toward those blessed with a "fulfilled life."
"Amano Yuuma-senpai? You mean that super popular upperclassman who's insanely pretty and has a ridiculously amazing figure?"
"No way! Her popularity in the school is second only to the two great onee-samas—Rias-senpai and Akeno-senpai. There's no way she'd choose someone like you as her boyfriend!"
"Exactly! Even if we go a million steps back, I'm still way better than you, Issei. Why wouldn't she pick me instead? You must've played too many eroge last night and fried your brain—you're hallucinating now!"
The more agitated his friends became, the more triumphant Issei looked.
With exaggerated flair, he pulled out his phone and flipped it open, displaying the lock screen.
There, in plain view, was a photo of himself standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a sweet-looking, beautiful girl.
"Accept it, losers—I'm not the same as you anymore."
"And tonight… I'll be taking my first step into adulthood."
His voice dropped, thick with anticipation.
"This mix of excitement and nervousness? You guys will never understand it in your entire lives."
The moment Motohama and Matsuda saw the photo, they froze—then collapsed into despair, wailing as if the heavens themselves had betrayed them.
They lamented the injustice of the world.
Then, in a dramatic reversal, their hatred for so-called "normies" surged to its peak. Without hesitation, they demanded that Issei return the adult games they had lent him before.
Just like that, their fragile "friendship boat" capsized.
"Ugh, that's so gross. The Perverted Trio is at it again, talking about disgusting stuff."
"Why are all the worst kinds of guys gathered in our class? Honestly, if I could choose, I'd rather have that handsome new teacher we saw this morning as our homeroom teacher."
The trio's antics once again drew looks of disgust from the girls.
But the three of them couldn't care less—they were already used to it.
Having just sunk the "ship of friendship," Issei quickly tried to divert Motohama and Matsuda's attention.
"So, what's the deal with that new teacher? Why's he causing such a huge commotion? It's not like we've never had good-looking transfer students or teachers before—why are the girls acting like they've been injected with adrenaline?"
The real reason, of course, was simple.
He didn't want to return the games he'd borrowed.
So this was his way of making his friends forget about it—for now.
At Issei's question, Motohama confidently adjusted his glasses, the lenses catching the light with a dramatic gleam.
"Tenjoin Yuto, 23 years old, male. A returnee from overseas—specifically from a prestigious academic background abroad."
"He's won multiple awards overseas, is fluent in eight languages, and not only is he ridiculously handsome, but he's also known for having an extremely gentle personality."
"But here's the most outrageous part—despite being a top-tier academic genius, he's not some bookworm. His physical abilities are also exceptional, which is why he was ultimately hired as our school's P.E. teacher."
"Oh, and one more key detail—he has a ridiculously cute little girl with him. Possibly his daughter… or maybe his younger sister or niece."
Motohama might have been a certified pervert, but he was also the school's undisputed information broker.
Aside from the exact measurements of a few of the academy's idol-like upperclasswomen—which even he hadn't managed to uncover—there was basically nothing about the school he didn't know.
Ren had only just appeared that morning, yet Motohama already had a full dossier on him.
"Damn… So he's handsome, smart, athletic—and might even have a cute little sister?"
Issei clicked his tongue, his expression darkening with resentment.
"At this point, he's not just a normie… he's a public enemy of all men!"
At first, Issei hadn't paid much attention to the new teacher.
But hearing Motohama's breakdown, he couldn't help but feel a surge of bitterness.
A character like that? That was the kind of setup you only saw in video games.
Sure, they liked playing eroge and fantasizing about being the protagonist…
But if a character like that stepped into reality—and it wasn't them?
Yeah… no thanks.
"Public enemy? That's putting it lightly," Matsuda added grimly.
"Guys like that are usually 'bulldozers.' They use a respectable appearance to deceive one innocent girl after another."
"Don't think you're safe just because you got a girlfriend, Issei. Someone like him? A top-tier beauty like Yuuma-senpai would definitely fall within his hunting range."
"At this point, all we can do is pray he doesn't get assigned to our class… otherwise, our chances of ever getting girlfriends will drop to absolute zero."
As if their prayers had been heard—
Click.
The classroom door opened.
The noisy chatter instantly died down as students hurried back to their seats.
But soon, Issei and the others noticed something unusual.
Their homeroom teacher hadn't entered alone.
There was someone else walking in behind her.
Tall, well-proportioned, with strikingly handsome features and a bright, easygoing smile framed by tousled chestnut hair—
The moment Ren Kuroda stepped into the classroom, every girl in Class 2-B erupted.
In stark contrast, every boy in the room looked like their souls had just left their bodies.
A heavy, gray gloom seemed to hang over them as they muttered under their breath:
"Nope… there's no way we can beat that…"
Even Issei—who technically already had a girlfriend—hadn't cared much about whether the new teacher was handsome or not.
But when he saw several girls in the class who already had boyfriends staring at Ren with dreamy, lovestruck expressions…
And then remembered Motohama and Matsuda's warnings…
A cold sense of dread crept up his spine.
If Yuuma-senpai got stolen away too…
Wouldn't that make him even more miserable than Motohama and Matsuda?
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Ren Kuroda. I'll be your P.E. teacher from now on. You can call me Kuroda-sensei—or Ren, if you prefer."
Ren smiled casually, his tone relaxed.
"We're not that far apart in age, so if you're not comfortable calling me 'sensei,' that's fine too. I'd be happy if we could just get along as friends."
At that, the homeroom teacher beside him cleared her throat and added,
"Although Kuroda-sensei may seem close to you in age, he holds extremely advanced academic qualifications. Having him as your teacher is a great opportunity, so please don't be disrespectful."
In this country, respect for teachers still ran deep, even with the occasional rebellious streak among students.
Ren, however, simply waved it off with an easy smile.
"Shimada-sensei, please don't put too much pressure on them."
"I believe that teachers and students becoming friends is an important part of education."
"And besides—"
He glanced around the classroom, his eyes warm and sincere.
"I'm sure every one of you here has your own strengths. I don't think any of you are inferior to me."
A self-introduction unlike any other.
Handsome, approachable, humorous, and gentle—
At that moment, Issei felt a chill run down his spine.
If someone like this really set his sights on Yuuma-senpai…
Then he had absolutely no confidence he could hold his ground.