The thousands of students gathered at the gates of Totsuki Academy scattered like sheep spotting a tiger, scrambling to clear a path.
The commotion sent a familiar chill down Tomoya Aki's spine. He'd seen this exact scene play out more than once in the Naruto world.
He whipped around, and sure enough, there he was.
Tomoya clenched his jaw, watching Makoto Nishikado stroll through the center of everyone's attention like a star ringed by satellites.
And trailing behind him, as always, was a procession of stunningly beautiful girls.
"Isn't that Miss Kaguya from the Shinomiya family?" a girl beside Tomoya whispered.
"Shinomiya? As in, one of the four great financial dynasties?"
Tomoya's expression shifted.
Then two more figures broke from the crowd and fell in step behind Makoto.
His face darkened further. Utaha Kasumigaoka and Megumi Kato.
"Sensei-kun..." Utaha's lips curled into a fetching pout, her voice laced with reproach. "Where did you disappear to last night? We spent ages looking for you."
Before Makoto could answer, Marina Akizuki stepped forward and murmured, "We'll fill you in later. Not here."
Makoto had already told them the truth behind his bluff. That kind of information couldn't leak in front of this many people.
Catching the gravity on Marina's face, Utaha and Megumi exchanged a glance and nodded, dropping the subject.
Deeper in the crowd, Yui Yuigahama fidgeted, torn over whether to approach. Yumiko Miura and Hina Ebina flanked her, equally hesitant.
They'd been servants in the Naruto world, nothing more. Their standing couldn't compare to the Akizuki sisters or Utaha.
But while the three of them wavered, Ichinose Chizuru broke away from their group and strode forward, flashing a radiant smile.
"Congratulations on your triumphant return, Makoto."
Twice in a row she'd hesitated and fallen behind. Not this time.
Yui and the other two stared at each other.
Chizuru... that bold?
When Makoto gave a casual nod without brushing her off, Yumiko gritted her teeth, grabbed Yui and Hina by the wrists, and surged forward.
Screw it. With someone willing to charge in first, what were they afraid of? Full send.
But just as the trio made their move, a startled voice cut through the noise beside them.
"Kokoro?!"
Kotonoha Katsura froze at the sight of her little sister clinging to Makoto's pant leg.
The girl was supposed to be out playing. How had she ended up attached to Makoto Nishikado?
"Sis!" Kokoro waved excitedly, about to dash over, but the instant she let go, she noticed Makoto beside her. Reluctance flickered across her face. Her small hand latched back onto his pant leg, and she waved her free arm at her sister instead. "Come here!"
Thousands of eyes snapped to Kotonoha.
Every male heart in the courtyard skipped a beat simultaneously.
Even Shuchiin Academy's slimming black uniform couldn't disguise Kotonoha's absurdly exaggerated curves.
"Dear God, that girl is gorgeous!" Zenji Marui from Totsuki's main cast swallowed hard.
"Yeah!" Daigo Aoki and Shoji Sato nodded vigorously beside him, their expressions devolving into something shameless. "What do you think, compared to Miss Erina... who's bigger?"
Soma Yukihira blinked, considered for a moment, then answered with complete sincerity. "Probably that girl."
None of them knew Erina Nakiri's actual measurements; they could only go by what their eyes told them.
Erina's figure was impressive, sure, but even a quick mental comparison made it clear she wasn't in the same league.
Totsuki was hardly short on well-endowed women. Erina, her cousin Alice, Rindo Kobayashi of the Elite Ten, Erina's aide Ikumi Mito... every one of them was formidable.
But if they were in the major leagues, Kotonoha was playing a different sport entirely.
Pair that with her quiet, delicate face, the kind that looked painfully easy to bully, and the contrast hit like a truck. The impact rivaled that of the tanned, blonde Ikumi Mito.
Overhearing the boys discuss Kotonoha, Makoto Ito felt a swell of unprecedented satisfaction.
Pretty, isn't she? Stacked, isn't she? Mine.
"Looks like another girl falling under Nishikado's spell. Then again, it's only natural. Women instinctively submit to pow..."
A new voice piped up, and the smug grin evaporated from Ito's face.
"No way! That's my girlfriend!" he barked, whipping around.
Soma, Zenji, Alice Nakiri, and Hachiman Hikigaya, who'd been the one speaking, all turned to stare at him.
Then...
Heh.
Every single one of them let out a disdainful scoff.
Yuki Yoshino from the Totsuki crew covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Buddy, it's fine to fool us, but don't go fooling yourself."
She'd thought the delusional guys in her dorm were bad. Apparently the ones from other schools were on another level.
Yoshino glanced down at herself, then back at Kotonoha, and internally screamed.
Dammit! Not even close! What did she eat to grow like that?!
Kotonoha, plagued by social anxiety, shrank under the weight of thousands of stares, her head dropping until she practically folded in on herself.
Kokoro sighed, released Makoto's pant leg, trotted over to her sister, took her hand, and hauled her to Makoto's side.
"Honestly, Sis. If you keep acting like this, you'll never get a boyfriend!"
Ito opened his mouth to shout I am your sister's boyfriend, but one look at Makoto leading the procession and the words died in his throat.
"That woman's at it again."
On the other side of the crowd, a plain-looking girl with red hair scowled.
Her name was Natsumi Koizumi, one of the four girls who'd locked Kotonoha in a bathroom stall.
"Same old trick. Getting her little sister to cozy up to someone important so she can ride those coattails," another member, Tokiko Mori, sneered, chin in hand. "Smooth moves, Katsura."
"She... she wouldn't tell Nishikado about us, would she?" Minami Obuchi shot a nervous look at their ringleader, Otome Kato.
Everyone on the planet knew how terrifying Makoto Nishikado was. If Kotonoha embellished the bullying story even a little...
The memory of yesterday's devastation across Tokyo sent a collective shiver through all four of them.
"Relax," Otome said, puffing out her chest in a show of composure. "If she had the guts to report us, she'd have gone to a teacher ages ago. Besides, someone that powerful isn't going to bother with petty school drama."
Say what you will about high schoolers—they might be soft in other areas, but they sure know how to talk a tough game.
Still, Otome had a point. If Kotonoha were the type to speak up, she wouldn't have waited this long. She could've told her father, who ran a food corporation, and he'd have had a hundred ways to make their lives miserable.
The other three relaxed slightly.
"Ugh, who's that busty chick now?!" Yumiko growled, her chance interrupted yet again. By the time she rallied her two friends for another charge, Makoto's group had already reached the school gates.
"Susanoo-sama, your willingness to grace our humble institution is an honor beyond measure!" Senzaemon Nakiri bowed deeply, his voice booming.
Erina hastily followed suit.
She normally projected the aura of a queen, but she knew when to read a room.
So many crossover stories liked to write these proud, headstrong heroines as brainless idiots...
"Welcome! It's a privilege to have you!" The rest of the Elite Ten lowered their heads in unison.
"Stop calling me that. Makes me want to twist your head off." Makoto's expression was flat with exasperation.
The crowd collectively recalled the prime minister's fate from the day before and shuddered as one.
"Understood. Noted." Senzaemon nodded frantically.
Beside him, Shuchiin's principal Adolphe scrambled to interject. "Makoto, what do you think of my idea? Temporarily merging Shuchiin and Totsuki. After yesterday's upheaval, Totsuki is one of the few schools in Tokyo still standing..."
His face went white as he caught himself. "Oh, I... I'm not saying that's your fault or anything."
Makoto gave a thin smile. "Relax, Principal. It's a smart move."
Realization rippled through the student body.
So that's how it is.
Totsuki and Shuchiin had merged because of Makoto Nishikado. And barely a day after the chaos ended, every last one of them had been called back.
They were all here to keep him company.
A thought drifted unbidden through the minds of every rich kid present.
It felt like they had just been drafted into the emperor's royal harem...
With Makoto's arrival, Totsuki's gates swung open.
Most Shuchiin students hadn't had the chance to appreciate the campus during the evacuation.
Unlike ordinary schools, the buildings here were spaced far apart, and in the distance, livestock pastures and freshwater fish ponds dotted the grounds.
The two principals flanked Makoto, desperately making conversation, while he responded with the bare minimum of engagement.
"Someone that strong still has to go to school?" Alice Nakiri muttered under her breath.
"Maybe powerful people think differently than us," Ryo Kurokiba said, scratching his head, quietly calculating whether he should flee back to Northern Europe.
One careless slip in front of Makoto Nishikado, and he'd be dead before he understood what happened. He had zero confidence in his own social skills.
When the group reached the academic building, Shizuka Hiratsuka, absent for some time, clapped her hands. "Everyone, check the bulletin board for your class assignments. Your teachers will handle the rest."
She swallowed hard, turned to Makoto, and her voice trembled.
"So... um, Nishikado... sir, who would you like as classmates?"
Watching her quake like a chihuahua, Makoto laughed.
"Relax, Hiratsuka-sensei. I prefer the version of you that smacks people for no reason."
The legendary Iron Fist Shizuka, the unrivaled champion against crossover protagonists everywhere, reduced to this? A bit disappointing.
"When have I ever hit people for no reason?" she grumbled silently, then ventured carefully, "So... same as before? Class 1-F?"
Makoto nodded, and she exhaled with relief. "Just come to the classroom when you're ready."
"Excuse me, Sensei, could I join your class?" Utaha raised her hand.
"Huh?" Shizuka blinked.
Chizuru was equally confused. "Utaha, aren't you a second-year?"
"So what?" Utaha folded her arms beneath her chest, the gesture accentuating curves that belonged on someone far older.
"I finished the high school curriculum on my own ages ago. And honestly, now that we're all superhuman, do school rules even matter?"
Hard to argue with that.
Everyone knew the real reason: Utaha wanted to be in Makoto's class.
"Me too!" Marina Akizuki, also a year above Makoto, jumped in immediately.
She was finally going to get her wish of being his classmate.
"Count me in! Count me in!" Sonoko Suzuki burst from the crowd, dragging Ran Mouri along.
Kokoro tugged at her sister's skirt, shooting her frantic looks.
Kotonoha wasn't oblivious to the hint. She understood what her sister meant.
But... wouldn't that be weird? It'd look like she had some special relationship with Makoto.
Hikigaya Hachiman watched the scene unfold beside Saika Totsuka, something clicking behind his eyes.
A few seconds later, he pulled Saika forward and cleared his throat.
"Um... Hiratsuka-sensei, could we transfer classes?"
Every head turned toward the pair.
"Hachiman! Saika! Long time no see!" Marina greeted them warmly.
They'd been squadmates in the Naruto world.
"It hasn't been that long, really," Saika said with a shy, gentle smile.
The people nearby gave him odd looks.
That's really a guy?
"Why the transfer?" Marina asked.
Hachiman forced what he imagined was a friendly grin.
"I... I figured I should clear out some seats for Makoto-san's harem."
The girls whose relationships with Makoto existed in that undefined, unspoken space... Megumi, Utaha, and the rest... flushed pink at the word.
The ones with no romantic connection whatsoever, like Ran and Kotonoha, turned crimson from ear to ear.
Senzaemon and Adolphe stared at Hachiman, incredulous.
This little punk... you're trying to out-kiss-ass us?!
In the end, Hachiman and Saika stayed put. Marina had been their partner for nearly half a year, and a bond had formed.
She spent most of that time feeling like a third wheel, true, but she would've missed them.
Ten minutes later, Class 1-F.
The roster had transformed. With Kakeru Tobe gone, a wave of new faces filled the seats.
Setting aside Utaha, Marina, Sonoko Suzuki, and Ran, two completely unfamiliar additions stood out: Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri.
"They're gorgeous..." The handful of boys in the class couldn't help staring at the cousins.
Erina radiated queenly authority, the twin strands of golden hair framing her face like an elf's, her figure impeccable.
And then Alice, with her obvious mixed heritage, that rare white hair and crimson eyes, skin pale to the point of ethereal, yet somehow perfectly, hauntingly beautiful.