As usual, I want to say thank you to my patrons.

Thank you for your continued support.

Also, thank you pizzapicante27 for your coffee.

***

"Yoo, Irisdina"

In front of the school gate, Kevin found Nozomu and his friends who had just come to school. However, his gaze is fixed on Irisdina, and he doesn't even look at Nozomu and Mars who were by the side.

Irisdina also noticed Kevin's voice and she turned to him, but her expression was stiff in a different sense than the expression she had shown to Nozomu earlier.

Kevin approaches Irisdina and reaches for her, but when she notices his hand trying to touch her, she easily escapes from his hand.

"Kevin. I don't like people who suddenly try to do something immoral."

"Hee, as usual huh. Well, I like you like that ... How about it? From now on....."

"I'm sorry, but now I'm with my friends. It's a nice invitation, but I'll refrain from doing so."

Irisdina repeated her words thus blocking Kevin's words.

"Hee, friends ... Hey ........."

In response to Irisdina's word "friend," Kevin turned his gaze toward Nozomu for the first time.

His face facing Nozomu was grinning and ridiculing, it was the face Nozomu had always seen.

His gaze clearly contains contempt for Nozomu, and Nozomu's expression becomes stiff.

Kevin glanced at Nozomu again. When he saw Nozomu's expression, he lost interest and faced Irisdina again.

"Why this guy? There are as many people in this school as there are stars who want to work together with you, right? Even if there are many, I'm the only one who can keep up with you."

Instead of looking at Nozomu, he points to Nozomu with his chin and gives his frank opinion. From the perspective of others, Nozomu's evaluation hasn't changed, so it's reasonable, but Irisdina's expression becomes steep due to his criticism.

However, there was someone who opened his mouth to Kevin before Nozomu could say anything.  

"......... You bast*rd, you're messing with us from a while ago ..."

The voice that was heard from the side suppressed Nozomu’s anger. It was Mars who moved before Nozomu did.

Mars was originally quick to pick a fight. His anger, which was caused by his friends being told so much, easily exceeded his low boiling point and quickly burst out his anger.

"O, oi Mars"

"Make fun of someone else's friend. "

"...... that's why"

"As I thought, everyone in this school thinks alike as you."

"...... Listen to me. "

Nozomu was also terribly annoyed by Kevin, but his anger was completely taken away by his friend who got angry earlier than him.

The two heated people ignored the said person who was being made fun of.

Both of them have high pride from the beginning, and blood tends to rise in their heads. The quarrel quickly spreads like a fire in the field and becomes uncontrollable.

The students around them were gathering for some reason, but the distance between the students and them was widening, perhaps because they were pressured by the two who were heating up. 

"What the, did the half-baked person joining the bottom class going to be even more half-baked? Good grief."

"What did you say!"

Mars and Kevin couldn't see their surroundings, and Nozomu, who should have been at the center of the story, was left behind.

"Wouldn't that kind of thing end up being set aside by Irisdina? It's more miserable than a half-hearted person to argue persistently even though it's just for friends."

"......... I'll kill you."

Kevin takes a stance at the same time as Mars reaches for the greatsword on his back. Their spirit and bloodlust are mixed with the heated atmosphere, and the air begins to be unsteady.

"O, oi Mars!"

"Stop it, both of you!"

"Wait, don't do it, Mars-kun!"

"Ehh! Pl, please stop!"

Perhaps it was not good to fight in such a place, Nozomu and his friends called out to them, but there was no sign that they would withdraw. In the meantime, the tension between the two continues to grow, and it is about to burst.

At Solminati Academy, it is basically prohibited to fight using weapons except in specific places such as training grounds.

Mars's hand grabs the giantsword on his back and Kevin lower his posture further.

They can't be stopped anymore.

While the surrounding curious onlookers were watching, Mars and Kevin finally rushed out, ignoring Nozomu and his friends desperately trying to stop them. And the moment when they tried to start their battle.

"Hey ~~! Stop it ~~~~~~~!"

A large amount of water struck the two who rushed out.

"Uoo !!"

"Bufu~ !!"

The two were swallowed by a large amount of water, and in a blink of an eye, their whole body was soaked, like a wet mouse.

When Nozomu and his friends turned towards the voice, a beautiful woman came over, pushing her way through the curious onlookers.

"You shouldn't do that ~~. You shouldn't fight in a place like this ~~~"

"A, Anri-sensei..."

It was Anri Var, Nozomu's homeroom teacher, who came.

Anri, who came beside Mars and Kevin, glares at the two who were about to fight here.

She seems to be quite angry, her cheeks are inflated, but other people who are watching from the side may think it doesn't look like she's serious.

The heated atmosphere was so tense that it was too disproportionate to this place. Not to mention Mars and Kevin, Nozomu and the surrounding curious onlookers had been completely swallowed up by the malicious atmosphere.

Nozomu also held his head because of his lack of courage.

"......... Haa, it's kind of annoying. Then, see you later Irisdina." 

Kevin sighs and releases his stance, then turns his heels back toward the school building. Perhaps even Anri in front of him wasn't in his eyes, Irisdina was the only one Kevin called out when he left.

As Kevin leaves, the surrounding curious onlookers also start walking toward the school building one after another.

Perhaps Anri was satisfied that the turmoil had subsided, she nodded and came to Nozomu and his friends.

"Good morning ~~. Everyone, how are you doing today?~~"

"Good morning, Anri-sensei. Well ... We're good as always."

Just like before, Anri spoke to them while calming the atmosphere.

If she had a calm face, somewhat quiet, she would look like a secluded young lady, but the warm air she still wore and her innocent childlike smile made her atmosphere somewhat youthful, unbalanced but attractive.

Nozomu and Irisdina also greeted her, but exposed to her innocence, bitter smiles appeared on their faces.

"Mars-kun ~~. Doing something like that is not good ~~"

"Y, yea. It was my bad ..."

Perhaps she still angry at Mars, her cheeks are still inflated.

Mars was also swallowed by Anri's atmosphere, and he could only give an ambiguous reply.

"Anyway~~, thank you for telling me about this~~. Shīna-san."

"Eh……"

Nozomu doubted his ears for a moment at the content of the conversation he heard. However, the voice he heard from the side affirmed what Nozomu had imagined.

"... No, don't worry about it, Sensei. I can't really let them make such a fuss here ..."

Nozomu turned towards the voice and saw the elf girl he met yesterday.

A girl with long blue hair, a black cloth headband, well-proportioned and slender limbs is staring back at Nozomu.

“……………..”

“……………..”

Neither Nozomu nor her spoke to each other. They can't make a conversation. Perhaps it was because of their awkward way of parting. And when their eyes meet, they quickly turn their eyes away from each other.

Nozomu was wondering if he should speak to her, but a voice can be heard from behind her.

"You're as serious as ever, right ~ Shīna. As soon as you see the turmoil, you say "I'll call a teacher" and run away."

"Now, now. But Mimuru, it was such a big fuss, and I think she did the right thing ..."

One of the voices he heard was the voice of a woman that Nozomu is familiar with. The other was the voice of a man he had never heard. When Nozomu and his friends turned their eyes toward them, there were a female and a male student. An energetic female beastman with tanned skin, cat-like ears, and a tail. And a petite boy with glasses and a scholarly atmosphere.

"Hm~~m. Tom is covering Shīna ~~. To cover up another woman in front of his own lover ... Hmm !! Tom is such an unfaithful person ~~~~!"

"Eh !! Wha, it's not like that! What are you talking about! Mimuru !!"

The two who started a lover's quarrel for some reason. The sulking female student and the petite boy who tried to compete with her, but no matter how we look at it, it looks like a pleasant flirting between lovers.

"Mimuru. Don't be stupid. That's why Tom is always under Mimuru’s thumb. Well then, Anri-sensei. It seems that the turmoil has subsided, so please excuse us."

Shīna says so with an astonished face, and also urges the two who are having a quarrel and heads to the school building.

Shīna turned to Nozomu just before she headed to the school building, but she eventually left without saying anything.

"Yup! Thank you, Shīna-san ~~"

Anri sees off the three who are heading to the school building while waving her cute hands. After that, she approached Nozomu and his friends.

"Nozomu-kun ~~. Are you all right ~~"

Anri talks to look into Nozomu. She felt that Nozomu was weirder than he usually was.

She just glanced at him and feels that he is a little worse than usual.

She could see Nozomu overlapping with him a while back when he was walking around the city in an unconscious gait.

"Y, yeah. I'm okay."

Nozomu answered Anri's question, but Anri was still not satisfied. She remembered the impression that his mind wasn't actually here.

“…………..Really ~~?”

"Yes……"

Anri brought her face closer. Her down‐slanting eyes were looking dejected more than usual, and she looked anxiously at Nozomu.

The well-organized appearance approaching in front of him was brought close enough to feel each other's breath, and Nozomu's heart beats slightly faster by inhaling the soft floral scent, but his face is still somewhat stiff.

“………….”

“………….”

The two stared at each other in silence.

Anri seems to be still worried, and Nozomu's expression remains stiff, and time passes for a while.

Eventually, Anri took a big breath and left Nozomu.

"I understand ~~. However, Nozomu-kun, please don't overdo it ~~"

She finally said so and walked towards the school building. Nozomu's heart ached at the sight of her slightly lonely back.

(... I'm sorry ... Anri-sensei. But I can't talk about that ...) 

Nozomu apologizes to Anri in his heart while seeing her off from behind. He felt anxious but he couldn't say anything.

The ongoing conflict inside his heart starts to tighten Nozomu's chest again, but at that time, Irisdina called out to Nozomu from behind.

"Nozomu, did you know about her?"

"Eh?"

Irisdina asked about Shīna who called Anri.

Since Anri was talking earlier, most of the people there were looking towards Anri, Mars, and Kevin, but Irisdina was sensitive to the strange atmosphere between Nozomu and Shīna.

"E, ermm ... that ... She was looking at you ... I wonder if something happened."

"A, ah. Well, I haven't talked much about it ... When I was called by my classmates behind the school building, she was the one who helped me at that time ... "

"Is that so…………"

"Yea"

Irisdina puts her hand on her mouth and begins to think about something. She was absorbed in her thoughts for a while, but she suddenly opens her mouth as if something was stuck in the back of her throat.

"No, Nozomu. Ermm..."

*Clang, clang, clang*

"Ah ..."

When she tried to ask something, the sound of the school bell ringing echoed in the school building. It's time for the morning assembly to begin. If nothing is done, they may be treated as late.

"Ah~~~ !! I have to hurry because my classroom is on the other side of this school building!!! ”

After saying that, Somia started running in a hurry.

The school building of Ecross, where she attends, stands adjacent to Solminati, but it's a little far from this place.

Whether she could reach the current morning assembly classroom or not until the last minute.

Although she is desperate not to be late, Somia's appearance as she runs with a large bag is cute, and a slight smile returns to Nozomu's face.

"Fufu. Let's go, too. If we don't go to the classroom fast, we'll be treated late."

"Yeah"

Nozomu urges them to start walking, and everyone else rushes to the classroom. Somia, who had a different school building, ran in a hurry, but it softened the stiff atmosphere between Nozomu and everyone else.

***

“…… Somehow, I've seen so many interesting things since the morning ……”

From the shadow of the school building, Feo was looking at the turmoil from a distance.

It seems that it was messed up in so many ways, but what caught his eye was Shīna, who was from the same class as him.

"I knew that he befriend with that black-haired princess, but I didn’t expect she really did that from the bottom of her heart. In addition, it seems that there is something going on with that straight-laced Shīna ... What's going on?"

It wasn't Mars who was fighting loudly that Feo was interested in, but the expression of Irisdina when Nozomu was ridiculed and the atmosphere that flowed between Shīna and Nozomu.

Irisdina's expression was harsh when Nozomu was ridiculed, and above all, it wasn't like her usual self.

Usually, no matter how angry she is, she will respond to the situation and rebuke it in a logical manner. It was just for a moment, but her emotions were leaking, she seemed to have lacked the usual calmness and fairness.

Another thing Feo was curious about was that when Shīna and Nozomu looked at each other, Shīna also turned her eyes away.

Feo had been peeking at the event that Nozomu was called by his classmates behind the school building, so he knew that it was Shīna who helped Nozomu at that time.

However, she is originally a serious girl. She must have hated Nozomu, at least given the content of Nozomu's rumors, and Feo also saw her rebuking Nozomu.

Also, at that time, she didn't avert her gaze from Nozomu.

“……… I can't understand just by looking at it from a distance~~. Maybe it's time..."

It was the strong curiosity peculiar to the Fox Tribe that was driving him so far.

Feo likes to have fun. He enrolled in this school thinking that it would be fun if various people from all over the continent gathered. He would have something to enjoy. However, when he opened the lid, he was repeatedly trained, and it was colorless every day.

When he got tired of those gray days and thought "I don't care anymore", finally he found an interesting person called Nozomu.

Let's enjoy it because it's been long-awaited.

With that in mind, he had Nozomu's classmates bring Nozomu to the back of the school building. It was unexpected for Shīna to interfere, but it's becoming even more interesting.

"......... Well, First of all, I want to hear about his story... "

When he muttered, Feo also started walking toward his classroom.

By the way, the distance from the back of the school building to his classroom is longer than the main gate where Nozomu and his friends were, Feo was treated late. The teacher in charge wanted to hear the reason, and Feo was very sorry about it.