The school field.
"Itsuki, Itsuki! How's your class going? It's officially our first day since the transfer. Everything here still feels so foreign, and since the five of us were split into different classes, it feels fresh but... kind of lonely and weird."
Gym clothes only made Yotsuba look more energetic. That soothing, innocent smile seemed permanently fixed to her face as she skipped around her closest sister, chirping away.
"It's alright. Although it was a bit of a hassle not having textbooks, a kind classmate offered to share hers with me, so it's actually been quite pleasant..."
Looking at Yotsuba's malice-free expression, Itsuki offered a relieved smile. She dismissed the sudden chill she'd felt in the locker room as a mere illusion. Internally, however, a twinge of guilt pricked at her.
{Forgive me, Yotsuba, for I have already taken a massive step ahead of you all. Don't blame me for being dishonest! After all, love is war, and the one who uses every means necessary to win in the end is the one who becomes king!}
But on the surface, Itsuki's smile didn't waver as she asked, "And what about you, Yotsuba? How did you solve the textbook problem? Did you just fall asleep in class?"
"How mean! Do you really see me as some dummy who doesn't study at all!?"
Yotsuba pouted at the teasing. Then, as if afraid of being overheard, she covered her mouth with a pale hand and giggled.
"I shared a book too. It's just... during the lesson, neither of us took a single note. We spent the whole hour just chatting!"
{That's actually worse than sleeping!}
Itsuki's smile turned a bit stiff. Just as she was about to reprimand her sister, the sharp trill of a whistle cut through the air.
"Alright, enough chatter. Everyone, assemble immediately!"
The P.E. teacher was a bald man named "Saitama." Rumor had it that in his youth, his training was so extreme that every single strand of hair deserted his scalp. However, due to his extraordinary physical fitness and his generally kind nature—provided no one called him "baldy" to his face—he was a fairly popular teacher.
Currently, Saitama stood at the very front of the rows. His head, smooth and glistening like a freshly peeled boiled egg, reflected the sunlight with blinding intensity. He ignored the subtle, mocking glances from the students with a deadpan face and began barked out instructions for the formation.
As a model student, Itsuki didn't possess Izuru's "death-seeking" spirit. She dutifully shut her mouth and, along with a relaxed Yotsuba, returned to her respective class line.
P.E. was a peculiar subject. It could be led by any teacher or even a student, and it was the first to be canceled if the weather turned slightly sour. Its most defining feature, however, was efficiency.
To maximize the use of the sprawling field and save the teacher's energy, multiple classes—and sometimes different grades—were often lumped together for a joint session.
Itsuki narrowed her eyes, her expression becoming uncharacteristically serious as she scanned the crowd.
Most of the students standing here were background characters she didn't need to worry about. However, there were a select few who demanded her absolute vigilance.
Yui and Yukino, who had been in the cooking class with her, and Yotsuba, who was here from another class.
They were all formidable rivals from her "previous life." Even though she felt she had a significant lead now, as someone who had once been a "loser," she had no intention of dropping her guard. She intended to monitor every move these competitors made and prepare counter-tactics at a moment's notice. She wouldn't let them overtake her again.
However, despite the large gathering, not all of her "enemies" were visible. She had only spotted the three mentioned. The rest were either buried in the crowd or absent. And also...
"Eh? Where is the President?"
Itsuki murmured in confusion. She scanned her own class line again but failed to find the figure she was looking for.
{Is the President actually late for gym? }
As the saying goes, "speak of the devil." The moment Izuru crossed her mind, he appeared.
"Sorry, I'm la—... wait. Whoa, that's one giant boiled egg!?"
Between the two "love letters" and the existential crisis they triggered, Izuru had lingered in the locker room far longer than intended. He had sprinted to the field the moment he finished, but as the sun emerged from the clouds, he was blindsided by the blinding glint of Saitama's scalp.
The result? Before his apology could even leave his throat, his poisonous tongue took over.
Instantly, the surrounding students wore a collective "you're dead" smirk, waiting for the fireworks. They watched Saitama-sensei, whose face was already beginning to sprout a "#" vein of pure rage, anticipating the fallout.
"Kamukura-kun, as the Student Council President, being late to class is incredibly disrespectful!"
Saitama, having been "attacked" by Izuru's venomous mouth, was naturally fuming. He fully intended to use this opportunity to make an example out of him.
However, Saitama's small act of vengeance was doomed, for as a bald man, he simply didn't understand the "sheer audacity of someone with hair and good looks."
"Saitama-sensei, the President is late because of me. The responsibility is mine. Please don't scold him!"
The person who spoke was none other than Saika, whom Izuru had briefly met the day before. Under the disbelieving stares of the student body, he stepped forward. His face was slightly flushed, his voice a bit soft, but he seemed to have gathered all his courage to speak.
Even though many students knew he was a boy—a genuine male with a "beast" hidden behind his gym shorts—they still couldn't help but feel a surge of protectiveness seeing Saika like this. Even Saitama found himself suddenly lost for words, standing there with a bewildered expression.
However, the gazes of four girls on the field suddenly turned razor-sharp.
🎇Keep reading and support this story on Ko-fi:
📎Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/lovefanfiction or bit.ly/4sbFiOM
✅More early access chapters from WebNovel
✅5 translated fanfic chapters & 1-2 new original fanfic chapters every day (Monday-Saturday), exclusive on Ko-fi.
Thank you so much for your incredible support!