Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the 20-day spring break had come to an end.
It was the start of a new school year. Hachiman had successfully advanced to his third year of high school, while Komachi officially entered her first year at Sobu High.
"Onii-chan, hurry up! We're going to be late!"
Standing at the front door, Komachi called out loudly.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Don't worry, we won't be late," Hachiman replied as he emerged from the house.
Locking the door behind him, he nodded toward his sister.
"Let's go, Komachi."
"Mm-hmm! Let's head out, Onii-chan," Komachi said with a bright smile.
Finally, she could walk through the school gates with her beloved brother again.
At that moment, a familiar figure descended from the apartment building across the street.
Cherry blossom-pink hair, straight bangs, and two braided locks framing a delicate, makeup-enhanced face. Her piercing blue eyes radiated determination.
It was none other than Mafuyu Kirisu.
Since it was the first day of school, Mafuyu was impeccably dressed in her teacher's uniform. The black pencil skirt and sheer tights highlighted her curvaceous figure, exuding both professionalism and elegance.
It had to be said, beautiful people look good in anything. Even though Mafuyu's teacher uniform didn't reveal much skin, her figure alone made the outfit pleasing to the eye.
When Mafuyu came down, Komachi quickly greeted her.
"Ah, Mafuyu-nee, good morning!"
"Good morning, Komachi-chan," Mafuyu replied with a nod, her gaze shifting to Hachiman. A soft smile appeared on her face.
"Good morning, Hachiman-kun."
"Mm, good morning, Mafuyu… sensei."
Hachiman initially intended to call her by her first name, but realizing Komachi was present, he quickly corrected himself.
"Are you two heading to school?" Mafuyu asked, noticing the siblings were just leaving the house.
"Would you like me to give you a ride?"
Hearing this, Komachi's face turned pale as if she remembered something terrifying. She hurriedly shook her head.
"No, no, there's no need to trouble Mafuyu-nee! Onii-chan and I can walk to school—it's good exercise!"
"Let's go, Onii-chan, or we'll be late!"
With that, the little girl grabbed Hachiman's hand and dragged him away, practically fleeing the scene.
Seeing this, Mafuyu Kirisu looked a bit puzzled but didn't dwell on it. She got into her small red car and started the engine.
A roaring sound, reminiscent of a race car, echoed through the air. Moments later, the red car shot off like lightning, disappearing at the end of the road in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, Komachi, having escaped the "death car" of Mafuyu Kirisu, finally let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing his sister's reaction, Hachiman couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
He knew exactly why Komachi was acting this way. During spring break, the two of them had once ridden in Mafuyu's car.
Although it was just a regular family sedan, Mafuyu drove it like a race car.
The sheer speed was astonishing.
By the time they got out of the car, Komachi had been on the verge of tears.
Ever since then, she had developed a fear of Mafuyu's driving skills and had vowed never to ride in her car again.
Before long, the siblings arrived at the school gates.
Since it was the first day of the new term and the freshmen were reporting in, Sobu High was bustling with activity.
A wave of new faces, clad in fresh uniforms, flooded into the campus, bringing a renewed sense of vitality to the school. At the same time, this influx of students added considerable pressure to the members of the student council.
The student council members were overwhelmed, rushing to guide the freshmen through the registration process.
Watching the bustling scene, Hachiman turned to his younger sister and asked, "Komachi, do you want me to take you to registration?"
"No need, Onii-chan! I can handle it myself. You should head to your own classroom," Komachi replied, waving him off before running toward the registration area.
Seeing this, Hachiman shrugged and turned toward the teaching building.
Before long, he arrived at his new classroom: Class 3-A.
Stepping inside, he noticed many familiar faces already seated.
Yukino, Yui, Yumiko, Ebina, Saki, Kotonoha…
One by one, the girls with whom Hachiman had shared meaningful connections were all present in the classroom—carefully arranged through a bit of "pulling strings" on his part.
As for how Hachiman managed to pull those strings?
It wasn't too complicated—just a simple sponsorship fee of ten million yen.
Aside from the girls who were close to him, a few familiar boys also happened to end up in the same class, purely by "coincidence."
Hayama, Tobe, Zaimokuza, and even Saika were among them.
Looking at the classroom filled with familiar faces, Hachiman couldn't help but smile faintly.
At that moment, Yui was hugging Yukino, the two of them clinging to each other just as they did in the Service Club.
"This is great, Yukinon! We'll be in the same class from now on!"
"Too close, Yui," Yukino protested, trying to push her away.
Despite her words, the slight smile on her lips betrayed her true feelings—she didn't seem to mind Yui's affection at all.
When Yui noticed Hachiman walking in, her face lit up with joy.
"Ah, Hikki, you're here!"
Her cheerful exclamation drew the attention of the rest of the class.
As the girls noticed Hachiman entering the classroom, they greeted him one after another.
"You finally showed up, huh?"
"Good morning, Hachiman-kun."
"Hachiman-kun…"
"…"
Hearing the various greetings from the girls, Hachiman responded to each one with a smile.
For Tobe and his group, this scene had long become routine. However, for the other male students who had been normally assigned to this class, it was a completely different story.
Seeing so many beautiful girls surrounding Hachiman, their faces were filled with envy, jealousy, and frustration.
Is being famous that great? Does having fame mean you can openly live the life of a popular guy?
That's right—these boys knew who Hachiman was. After all, with all the events he had organized, his popularity at Sobu High was no secret.
But knowing about him was one thing; seeing Hachiman's enviable social life up close was another.
Just as they were about to don their "sacred robes" and prepare their metaphorical scythes and torches, the homeroom bell rang.
A woman with waist-length, cherry-blossom-pink hair, dressed in a teacher's uniform, hurried into the classroom.
"Alright, everyone, please take your seats!"
"I am your homeroom teacher for the coming year, Mafuyu Kirisu."
That's right—after Shizuka left her position, Mafuyu had taken over as Hachiman's new homeroom teacher.
After a round of roll call, Mafuyu instructed the students to head to the auditorium for the opening ceremony.
A new semester had begun, but for Hachiman, his peaceful life continued as usual.