Tendo Private Academy.
As a highly selective institution, getting into this academy practically meant you were already good enough to enter a decent university.
There weren’t many students here, but they were all promising talents, so the facilities, equipment, and everything else were far more complete than at other educational institutions to nurture that kind of talent.
And today, Tendo Academy was beginning a new school term.
Students walked toward the campus while chatting with friends about what had happened over spring break.
"Ah, it’s that person...!"
"Eek! We saw them on the first day! We’re so lucky!"
"They’re really handsome..."
But when one student was spotted walking along the path, a small cheer broke out.
Since all the ones cheering were girls, the student must have been a boy... but unexpectedly, the one who caught their eyes was actually a girl.
"..."
Even though she could hear their cheers, the girl gave no reaction at all and continued forward with graceful steps.
Her dyed-blonde hair, which had originally only been long enough to brush the nape of her neck and fall slightly over her back, was now tied into a small ponytail.
Her slender, slightly upturned eyebrows were sharply defined.
And her clear blue eyes were so beautiful they brought to mind the sea and the sky.
A straight nose and full lips. With her neatly shaped face, she was the very image of a beauty.
The ones cheering at the sight of her walking on those long legs were women, not men.
Her name was Rika Onizuka. She was one of Tendo Academy’s two most popular campus idols, especially adored by the girls.
She was the kind of woman women fell for.
Normally, that might have made her a little unhappy, but for Rika, it was better this way.
For her, being liked by girls was preferable to being liked by boys.
"Good morning."
"...Good morning."
Rika quietly greeted the physical education teacher standing at the school gate.
Because Tendo Academy’s academic standards were so high, dyed hair was basically not allowed.
But Rika’s hair had originally been black, like any Japanese girl’s, and she had dyed it blonde.
Even so, she wasn’t stopped and was allowed straight into the academy.
That was probably because she had excellent grades and outstanding achievements in club activities.
It was only a small special treatment, but for her, not having to be questioned one by one was a huge help.
That blonde hair was very important to Rika.
"...Ah, I still need to check the class assignments."
At Tendo Academy, classes were reshuffled every time you advanced a grade.
So Rika headed to the bulletin board in the courtyard to check the new class list.
"...If only I were with Mei."
Rika murmured to herself.
Because she kept her distance from boys, the other girls saw her as an untouchable flower on a high peak, and as a result she had almost no close friends.
Only Mei, as she called her, truly counted as her best friend.
No, although she hadn’t let anyone else find out yet, the truth was their relationship went far beyond that...
Many students had gathered around the bulletin board in the courtyard, cheering or groaning as they looked at the classes they’d been assigned to.
As Rika approached, the crowd naturally parted to make a path for her, just like Moses.
"(I don’t need them to keep their distance that much... but if it were a man, that’d be trouble...)"
It wasn’t that Rika especially liked women; she just thought it might avoid some trouble.
Her heart wasn’t fragile enough to be hurt by that, so she walked up to the bulletin board without caring in the slightest and started searching for her name.
"...Found it. And then..."
After finding her own name, she looked for Mei’s.
To be greedy about it, if we could be in the same class, that would be perfect...
"...Ah."
Mei’s name was indeed in the same class as hers.
A faint smile appeared on her usually expressionless face.
The girl students who had been sneaking glances at Rika let out squeals of "Eek! Eek!"
"..."
"Haa..."
Rika let out a satisfied breath.
Now that she knew her class and Mei’s class, there was no reason to stay here any longer.
Besides, if she kept standing here, it would be hard for the others to see the bulletin board, so Rika stepped back.
"Ah..."
With a dull thud, Rika’s body was jolted.
She had moved without looking behind her, so she must have bumped into someone standing there.
But because it was a rather solid body, it made Rika stagger forward.
Probably a man. I hate men. Still, the fundamentally kind Rika couldn’t ignore her own mistake.
"...S-sor...ry..."
She turned around to apologize in a small voice... but her voice grew quieter and quieter.
Rika’s blue eyes kept lifting higher and higher.
The person she had collided with was huge and imposing, like a stone statue.
He was a hulking brute who made you wonder if he really was a student in the same grade. His muscles were incredibly well developed.
That man was staring at Rika without blinking.
In everyday life, Rika did her best to avoid getting close to men, and because of that her life had been going smoothly so far.
Being stared at was unpleasant, but if it were only that, she could have dealt with it.
But this man’s eyes... because he was so overwhelmingly masculine, a sense of fear welled up inside Rika.
"Ah, don’t worry about it."
Fortunately, the man didn’t seem angry at Rika’s behavior.
But although the heavy thud his stomach had made sounded very manly, it only deepened Rika’s disgust.
"Are you okay?"
Rika didn’t answer the man’s concerned words. Instead, she bolted and fled the scene.
I know that was rude. I know it was my fault.
But I can’t stand it anymore.
Just talking to an ordinary man was already a severe trial for Rika, and this time she had to speak to a man overflowing with masculinity... for Rika, who hated men, there was no way she could do it.
Only one man remained standing there, dumbfounded in front of the bulletin board.