Chapter 9: Come to our school!
Translator: imperfectluck Editor: - -
The words of the black-haired girl, Natsuya Yoruhana, the student council president, shocked the table into silence for a lengthy period of time.
"Erm... hi." Seiji’s face twitched, "I’d like to ask... what did you mean just now?"
"It was exactly what it sounded like." Natsuya Yoruhana gazed searchingly at his face and smiled slightly: "But that was something from a long time ago."
Seiji’s mind was teeming with questions. He glanced at Mika beside him and discovered that she was still sitting there, stunned, with her mouth wide agape and eyes fully widened.
*Cough cough.*
He forced a coughing fit.
"Well… it looks like we should really have a good chat, mm... Miss Yoruhana, you and Mika should take a good look at the menu first and choose something to eat."
He had finally alleviated the tense atmosphere. As the two high school girls looked at the menu, Seiji sighed inwardly.
This president sure didn’t act like how most ordinary people would.
"President, that drink is specially for a couple to drink together..."
"Eh? Couples together... in a public location... Hmph, how shameless!"
Natsuya’s thoughts were indeterminable as her cheeks flushed slightly red, and her clear, righteous expression suddenly became purer.
Just as Seiji was observing her with mild surprise, the black-haired girl’s expression instantly regained its indifference.
Perhaps she was one of those legendary ladies that never went out?
Seiji had never expected that he would meet such a character in real life.
Okay, maybe a sword-carrying lady’s appearance wasn’t all that strange in this world filled with 2-D elements?
After everyone had ordered some food, the table fell silent once more.
"Miss Yoruhana, don’t you intend to explain anything further?" Seiji broke the silence yet again.
"There’s really not much to say. Honestly, the incident was from a long time ago and doesn’t have much meaning towards your current self." Natsuya took a deep look at him: "Even though it was an unforgettable childhood memory for me, you’ve never even met me before, so we’ve never communicated. I admit that I spoke slightly too rashly, but it was just a venting of my emotions."
"Oh..."
"If I surprised you, I apologize." Natsuya smiled gently. "This meeting today was because of my wish, so I appreciate that you accepted my invitation. Also, by meeting you here, in addition to giving my memory a face I can associate your name with, it is also an opportunity for me to thank you."
"Thank? I don’t think that I’ve done anything before that Miss Yoruhana needs to thank me for."
"You risked your life and protected my classmate, Uehara-san, an important student of our school, so that deserves my gratitude as the student council president."
Natsuya’s smile was replaced by a serious expression. "Thank you very much, Seiji Haruta. You protected a high school girl and prevented a huge scandal at our school. Our school—Genhana High School, owes you a debt!"
She formally lowered her head in seriousness as she finished talking.
"President..." Watching this scene, Mika was rather moved.
"No need to be so polite; I just did what I should have." Seiji smiled,
"Anyway, it’s President-san that done the bulk of the work. After all, you were the one who protected Mika. Otherwise, if that guy had made a move at school, I... would have been powerless."
*Ding!* The system indicated that her favorability rating towards him had increased.
"I just did what the president should do... Ha, this is the exact same as what you were just saying." Natsuya lifted her head, and she smiled again.
At this moment, their desserts arrived.
"This store’s sweets are quite delicious—you should have a taste." As an employee, Seiji naturally gave them some recommendations.
Both Mika and Natsuya used their spoons to try a bite, and their eyes instantly lit up.
"It’s really delicious!"
"It seems good... I’ve never tasted this flavor before."
The three of them happily ate together.
"Actually, Miss Yoruhana, I have something on my mind. Um... I heard that blondie’s family’s company suddenly went bankrupt, did... did you do that?"
"It wasn’t me. Although I had already made preparations to do that if he didn’t heed my warning. But without me moving a finger, that company suddenly went bankrupt." Natsuya shook her head.
"So it was just a coincidence?"
"In my opinion, yes. Unfortunately, he focused all of his hatred on Uehara-san, which is why he ended up committing such a crime."
Natsuya sighed deeply.
"And I actually didn’t expect... If it wasn’t for you, Haruta-kun, something truly regrettable may have happened."
Actually, if it wasn’t for the fact that Seiji had the ability to save and load, everyone would be regretting what had happened.
So Seiji could understand the president’s frustrations, as something that she thought was already over had suddenly turned into a bad ending; those capricious twists of fate were difficult for anyone to accept.
"It’s all over now, and Mika’s safe; that’s enough for me."
"Yeah, I’m so grateful to both of you. President, Seiji… because of you guys, I didn’t..." Mika thought back to the incident, and a teardrop formed in the corner of her eye.
The table fell quiet again, but this time there was a gentle atmosphere permeating throughout the silence.
"Haruta-kun, you’re currently living by yourself and you’ve dropped out of school. You need to work to support yourself, right?" Natsuya changed the topic of conversation.
Seiji smiled wryly and nodded.
"Our school is indebted to you—if it’s okay with you, I’d like to give you some assistance... If you can’t go back to your original school, why don’t you consider transferring schools to Genhana High School?"
"Eh?"
Mika widened her eyes in surprise, and Seiji was also stunned.
"Your previous mistakes are of no significance, as the current you seems like a good person to me. You shouldn’t be wasting your time like this; you should go to school and study diligently." Natsuya was serious about this.
"If you need to work, our school also allows part-time jobs, and I can introduce some nice jobs to you that can help with your living expenses. If you’re willing, I can take care of all the procedures for you, and your guardian doesn’t even need to get involved. So, what do you think?"
After Natsuya said this, the conversation options appeared—
[A: I don’t want to go back to school, it’s not necessary, thank you.]
[B: Can I really do this? Of course I’d like to go back to school...]
[C: This is an important decision; I need some time to consider it.]
Since the conversation options had appeared, it meant that it was related to her favorability rating. And judging by the importance of these options, it was probably worth quite a few points.
‘This was probably the critical decision starting off the student council president’s route... if there was such a route,’ Seiji commented inwardly.
"Seiji... President-sama’s idea seems like a good one..." Although she was shocked by the president’s sudden proposal, Mika couldn’t contain her excitement. Naturally, she had instantly realized that this was a wonderful chance! "Our school is pretty nice, if you come... it’ll definitely be great!"
She imagined herself going to and returning home from school together with him, being in the same classes, eating lunch together, and being in the same club or activities. She desperately wanted him to agree to Natsuya’s proposal!
Seiji glanced at Mika and noticed that her expression was filled with expectation for him to say yes.
Hmm… it seemed like this choice would seriously affect two girls’ favorability ratings towards him, as well as their future routes.
Seiji thought about it seriously.
After a while, he came to the conclusion that that he had no reason to refuse.
His main goal after reincarnating was to enjoy his new life. And going back to school again felt much more exciting than continuing to work.
Even though he had the soul of a thirty-year-old adult, and going back to high school was a bit shameless, it was still fun!
The only worry he held was that he would have increased contact with Mika, so she might fall even further in love with him. But maybe it was too narcissistic of him to think that, and perhaps the opposite would occur as well.
As a virgin otaku, Seiji had no confidence in his ability to get along with girls.
And so, the answer he chose was B.
"Can I really do this? Of course I’d like to go back to school again... but I made some serious mistakes before; if news of this spreads, then it might be a bad influence on your school."
Seiji expressed his desire with a hint of nervousness.
"As long as you want to, then there’s no problem! If you’re worried about rumors, there’s a method..." Natsuya smiled widely, "you can change your name."
"Eh?"
Seiji and Mika both widened their eyes in astonishment.
"According to the law, young people that have committed a crime or made serious mistakes in the past but show signs of reformation are allowed to temporarily use a fake name. This is in order to help them adapt to a new life. As long as they receive permission from the relevant school or workplace, they are free to start anew." Natsuya folded her arms, causing her plump breasts to bulge out slightly; Seiji had to admit that it was quite the impressive sight.
Seiji restrained himself to the utmost extent from staring at those killer mounds, while he inwardly thought: ‘There were these sorts of laws in this world? Wasn’t this world way too convenient!?’
Well, it was not like he was a legal expert in his previous life. Perhaps there were similar laws in his old world that he didn’t know about?
Anyway, since it was the first time he had ever heard about such a strange law, it almost felt like it was created just for him...
"So listen carefully, Haruta-kun. Your current appearance is quite different from before, right? If you changed your name and transferred to a new school, nobody would recognize you, so naturally there wouldn’t be any negative news spreading around." Natsuya spoke in a tone filled with confidence.
"That’s right... if Seiji changed his name, with the way he was before, anyone that knew him before would probably... No, they definitely wouldn’t recognize him— I’m sure of it!" Mika Uehara said adamantly.
The change in Seiji Haruta was just too big!
Anyone that previously knew the fat otaku would definitely never imagine that he had now turned into a handsome boy, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Mika was the landlord’s daughter and personally witnessed the change in him, she wouldn’t have recognized him either or believed her own eyes.
Because his change was definitely a miracle!
"Besides... if Uehara-san is willing to help out, we can even make the process even more perfect." Natsuya glanced at Mika.
"Me?"
"Yep, if Haruta-kun changes his name, instead of choosing a random name, it would be more convincing if he had a family background. For example, if he changed his last name to ‘Uehara,’ and we said that he’s your older cousin, it would add an extra layer of protection. Of course, this is only if your family consents, Uehara-san."
Seiji was speechless.
Mika was shocked momentarily before her heartbeat increased to maximum speed!
Let Seiji change his name to ‘Uehara’!?
If she had the same last name as him, they would have to pretend that they were close cousins. She would have the perfect excuse to do various things with him, and her face began burning as she pictured this in her mind.
‘I’m willing!’ She shouted passionately in her heart.
"Oh... This is all a bit too much; it’ll be troublesome for Mika and Miss Landlord." Seiji smiled wryly and decided to avoid this route.
‘It’s no trouble at all!’ Mika wanted to shout this out loud desperately, but as her final shreds of female pride prevented her from doing so, she kept her silence with a reddened face.
"Okay then, we can just change the name. What do you think, Haruta-kun?"
"Miss Yoruhana has considered all of the details. I’ll just listen to your suggestions."
"Okay then, it’s decided." Natsuya looked at the youth, her eyes shining,
"Welcome to Genhana High School, Haruta-kun."
"Thank you... I’m so grateful for this opportunity you’ve given me to start anew, Miss Yoruhana, no... President Yoruhana." Seiji looked at her and smiled, "I promise that I will not disappoint you."