Unlike her friend Kaguya, Chika usually walked to school.
Coming from a political family, she had to be mindful of appearances.
But since Shuchi'in Academy had moved its campus near Totsuki Academy, she took the train this time.
On the way, Fujiwara Chika was conflicted.
She was socially outgoing, but approaching someone of the opposite sex with that kind of intent was a first.
'What to do, what to do, what to do...'
She was lost in thought until she got off the train and arrived at the Totsuki Academy's gate, still without a clue.
"Nishikawa-kun."
Just then, a voice pulled the conflicted Chika back to reality.
The Cancer of the Planet Earth looked up and saw the man who had been on her mind for the past two days standing at the Totsuki Academy's gate, his usual entourage of stunning, unique girls behind him.
Standing opposite him was a slender girl with long black hair, also very attractive.
Chika searched her memory.
'That was... Yukinoshita Yukino, right?'
Before, she wouldn't have remembered someone from such a minor family.
But because the Yukinoshitas suddenly had two superhumans in the family, they'd gained some notoriety in her circles recently.
Seeing the tense standoff at the gate, people on their way to school, like Kazuya, Alice, and Kotonoha, also stopped.
Though they didn't know exactly what was happening, seeing Yukino's clearly hostile gaze towards Makoto, everyone silently thought:
'This girl is really brave.'
"Is there something you want, Yukino?"
Makoto accidentally used her nickname.
It was a habit from his past life.
Yukino's face darkened. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
"Nishikawa-kun, are you that desperate for women?"
Recalling her mother's state yesterday, Yukino couldn't bear to face her again. She could only try to approach Makoto, to see if she could convince him to leave her mother alone.
"Huh?"
'Desperate for women?'
Kazuya and the others looked at the diverse group of top-tier, stunning girls behind Makoto and inwardly screamed:
'How could that be?!'
'But thinking about it, maybe he was?'
After all, once you have one girl, you want a group. Once you have a group, you want a whole bunch.
Human desire is like a boulder rolling down a mountain. Once it starts, it can't be stopped.
Hearing Yukino's question, Makoto immediately understood her intent.
His response was simple.
"Heh."
Yes, he didn't say anything else. He just chuckled softly and turned to leave.
Mrs. Yukinoshita had come to him. How could he be rude enough to refuse?
Of course, if she ever tired of it and wanted to leave, Makoto would respect a woman's wishes.
But that day would likely be a very long time coming.
If Yukino had the ability to convince her own mother, Makoto certainly wouldn't interfere.
But she wanted to come and dictate his decisions...
Sorry, you don't have the power to do that.
"Wait!"
Seeing Makoto and his group turn to leave, Yukino immediately moved to follow.
"Take this!"
Just at that critical moment, a dark figure shot out from the side, executing a textbook Leo Kick, aimed straight at Yukino's face!
Under the astonished gazes of non-player students like Kazuya and Alice, a dark figure shot out from the side, aiming a Leo Kick directly at Yukino.
But Yukino already possessed the strength of an elite Genin, and she was a Sensor-type Ninja. How could she not detect such a sneak attack?
Without needing to think, relying purely on instinct, Yukino formed a hand seal, opened her mouth slightly, and turned, unleashing a high-pressure water jet about the thickness of a thumb.
But the moment she used the technique, her expression changed.
Because she saw that the attacker wasn't a mutated being like the crab-man from the news, but an ordinary middle school boy.
Ishigami Yu!
If this landed, Yu's body would be cut in two.
Splash!
Under the horrified gazes of the onlookers, the water jet from Yukino's mouth had already sliced off a corner of Yu's uniform and was about to cut his body in half.
At this critical moment, a dark figure appeared next to Yu. A gray-black skeletal claw materialized, swatting away the incoming water jet like a mosquito.
Bang!
Caught off guard, Yukino was thrown back, landing awkwardly against a large tree by the roadside.
Everyone looked closely. It was Makoto.
"Th-that's what we saw on TV before..." Alice gasped.
Ryo beside her also broke out in a cold sweat, lowering his voice. "I think it was called... Susanoo?"
"What were you doing, Ishigami?"
Makoto asked, his back to Yu.
Yu, who had just brushed death, showed no fear. Pointing at Yukino, who had just gotten up by the greenery, he declared indignantly, "She was trying to ambush you, Nishikawa-senpai!"
"I was not!" Yukino, hunched over in pain, retorted.
'D-damn it, it felt like my tailbone was broken...'
She wondered if Yu had some mental issue. She had only wanted to ask a question. When did she try to ambush anyone?
She was proud, not stupid.
"You were glaring at Nishikawa-senpai with hostility. That alone is grounds for death!" Yu declared righteously.
Yukino was speechless.
'Seriously? Was he crazy?!'
"I remember, he's the one who took out the Ninth Seat..." Ryo stared at Yu for a moment, then whispered to Alice, "Miss, it's him, right?"
Alice swallowed hard and nodded vigorously.
She had been terrified then too.
News had spread throughout Totsuki Academy. Most people thought Yu had been secretly arrested, maybe even disposed of.
After all, Eizan was the Ninth Seat of the Elite Ten Council, a man of considerable standing. Anyone who dared to do such a thing in public would surely not escape unscathed.
Yet here he was, attending class.
Seeing Yu's obsequious attitude towards Makoto, everyone understood.
At that moment, whether ordinary students like Kawasaki Saki and Kinoshita Kazuya, or children of financial cliques like Alice and Yukino, they all realized once again… the old rules no longer applied.
After Yukino repeatedly stated she meant no hostility, and Makoto showed he didn't care, Yu finally pointed at her and shouted, "Watch your step!"
Seeing Yu like this, even Makoto was speechless.
'This kid's personality had changed drastically compared to the original.'
"Come to the Suzuki Estate for training after school." As they were about to part, Makoto spoke.
"Yes!" Yu's whole body trembled with excitement.
Even though he couldn't use any superpowers yet, Makoto's willingness to train him was a huge validation.
Yu silently vowed to become stronger, to repay Makoto's faith in him.
Too bad Makoto was so overwhelmingly powerful, otherwise, he'd want to take a bullet for him to show his loyalty.
Watching Yu's retreating figure, the girls' expressions were complex.
Utaha smiled lightly. "Sensei-kun, you've got yourself a loyal retainer."
Makoto just shrugged indifferently.
In this drastically changed world, Yu's current personality wasn't necessarily bad. At least he was ruthless and lacked any saint-like mercy.
Just then, Yukino's voice came again, with a tone of desperate resolve:
"I can substitute!"
The Aizono sisters and others turned to look at the determined Yukino, who seemed to have made some significant decision, then looked at Makoto in confusion.
'Substitute? For what?'
This time, Makoto was unusually silent.
He looked Yukino up and down, then finally...
"Pfft."
A slight snort escaped him. He turned and walked away. Utaha and the others immediately followed, leaving Yukino frozen in place.
After a few seconds, Yukino's clenched fists trembled uncontrollably.
She felt that even though Makoto said nothing, he had said everything.
At noon, the Elite Ten Council still came to Class 1-F as usual to prepare Makoto's lunch.
After a few days, Erina and the others were no longer as nervous and scared as at the beginning.
An interesting thing happened, though.
With Eizan dead, Erina, originally the Tenth Seat, moved up to Ninth.
The new Tenth Seat was her cousin, Nakiri Alice.
"Thanks, Nishikawa-kun."
As she served the food, Alice winked playfully at Makoto. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have become a member of the Elite Ten Council so fast."