Chapter 4

I headed to the classroom for Class 1-B on the third floor.

On my desk, second from the back in the middle row, sat a plastic model of Knight Gundam. I picked it up, tossed it in the trash, and returned to my seat.

“Yo, welcome back from lock-up,” someone said.

It was Tadahiko Katsura, with his failed two-block haircut and his phone in hand. His name sounds like he could be some kind of samurai from the Sengoku period or a loyalist from the Bakumatsu, but since he’s glued to his phone all the time, I call him Sumahiko (Smartphone-boy).

“You just threw out my masterpiece, didn’t you?”

“Wait, that model on my desk was yours?”

“Your desk’s been empty for almost two weeks. Figured it looked a little lonely.”

He’s the kind of psychopath who’d bully you out of what he considers kindness.

No harm intended, just an idiot. So I let it slide.

“Man, I passed Hime in the hall earlier. She’s radiant as ever. It’s like she’s glowing, her aura’s just different.” [Princess]

By Hime, he obviously means Miki Tachibana. I can’t help but feel a bit conflicted.

Sumahiko seemed to pick up on my expression.

“What’s with that face? Had a rough time up till today, huh? All right, take a look at this—it’ll cheer you up.”

He messed with his phone for a second and then held it up to show me the screen.

The picture was of our so-called princess, smiling and waving at someone off in the distance, with a cityscape in the background.

“What’s this, some kind of photo?”

“Apparently, someone dug it up on Minsta. It’s gone now, though—the account’s been deleted.”

“And why do you have it?”

“Came through on the group chat. Isn’t it wild? The sheer bishoujo energy.” [Beautiful girl]

So, a photo of her was circulating.

Judging from the different school uniform, it looked like it was from her middle school days.

“Hey, have you seen this? It’s from a TV interview she did. They posted it on one of those roundup sites, calling her a super beautiful girl.”

He showed me another photo. This time, it was a still from a TV segment. There was a caption that said, “I’d prefer someone strong and kind over just a good-looking guy.” 

I’d never seen it before. It looked like it aired recently, and apparently, it was pretty public—though her name wasn’t mentioned. 

But something felt off. It wasn’t like it was a completely different person, but there was a strange vibe, a subtle difference in how she carried herself. 

Still, I had to admit, she seemed to have gained quite a bit of attention. Curiosity nudged me to ask.

“So, she’s super popular, but doesn’t have a special someone? No ‘prince charming’ in the picture?”

“That’s the weird part. She doesn’t. A lot of guys have tried, but there’s way too much competition. Plus, the whole group of people around her is really tense and it’s a pretty volatile scene.”

“Didn’t I hear something about the basketball team’s captain and vice-captain fighting over her?”

“Honestly, I keep worrying someone might do something extreme. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised if some dude gets desperate and does something that ruins his life just to get close to her.”

“Okay, that’s a little messed up. It’s actually more disturbing to hear you thinking about it like that.”

I hesitated for a second, thinking about whether I should mention what happened yesterday. In the end, I decided against it. It wasn’t because I’d been told to keep quiet, but because there was no real benefit for me in sharing it. In fact, it would probably just cause more problems. If I told Sumahiko, it would spread like wildfire.

“She has some pretty high standards, though. I mean, finding someone who meets them is going to be tough. But anyway, don’t worry, ‘knight-kun’—you’re definitely not on her radar.”

With that, Sumahiko went off, still messing around on his phone.

Aside from him, no one in this class really talks to me. I’m the kind of person they avoid, the one they keep at arm’s length.

I leaned back in my chair and stretched, then caught the gaze of a girl walking by. I smiled at her, and she quickly nodded before hurrying to her seat. Yeah, sure, she’s totally into me… or not.

Not wanting to be left to my own devices, I pulled out my phone and started fiddling with it, just like Sumahiko was. 

There were no notifications. Then, I remembered yesterday’s new contact. I opened the Line app and checked it.

The name was “Mickey.” The icon? A close-up of Mickey Mouse’s face.

…Yeah, this has to be a alt account.

[It’s more like ‘throwaway’, like an alt i guess. comment if you know a better word]