Inside the classroom, Nisha, the twins, Frey, and Shekina were sitting, unaware of the commotion.
“Shekina! You’re here?!”
“Come over here and sit.”
The twins waved to Shekina and showed her to her seat, and Shekina smiled and took her place similarly to them.
Nisha was sitting in the front diagonal seat, not even giving Shekina a glance. However, the butterfly-shaped pin in her side hair was shining beautifully. Does it mean that objects are innocent even if she dislike that? Shekina smirked.
“Frey, are you here today too?”
At Merdes words, Shekina glanced back subtly.
Then she saw Frey glaring at her fiercely. Still boasting a pig-like snout, but the difference was the casts on his arms and neck and the green bruise around his eye.
“Why is he looking like that?”
“I told you. He got beat up by me and brother.”
“Ah, I see.”
Is he still like that after all this time?… How hard did they hit him… Shekina shivered slightly and rubbed her arm.
“Did you see the problem?”
It was Pardes’s voice. Shekina nodded and looked back at the blackboard.
[What would be the appropriate response in the following conversation?
A: Honey, how about dining out tonight?
B: ______
(1) Why should I eat with you?
(2) Ah, annoying. I’m busy right now, let’s talk later.
(3) I had lunch with a male junior earlier. You should go out and eat with someone else too.
(4) Are you not even eating?]
“Sure. Let’s decide as we go in.”
“This time, I’ll guess it right. I already know the answer!”
What are you talking about? There’s no correct option among those choices.
“You can tell from the questionnaire that it’s about marital relations. Humans have a culture of getting married and living together.”
Pardes raised his glasses as he spoke.
“So the answer is option 3! I had a meal, so I’m advising you to go eat with someone else. How sweet, right? It’s an answer that can be seen as part of marital relations.”
Oh… That’s completely wrong.
Shekina tried to erase the look of disdain, but it didn’t work well.
“No, the answer is option 2.”
This time, Nisha spoke.
“We made a promise to talk later. Saying ‘later’ implies there will be another opportunity, so it can be considered as the correct answer.”
Why are you sitting there sulking when you got it wrong too?
“Wow, you’re both smart. It seems like both answers are correct. So, are there two correct answers?”
There’s no correct answer here in the first place!
Seeing Merdes also getting involved, it seemed like the situation was about to explode if they kept arguing. So Shekina spoke up.
However,
“No, you’re all wrong.”
The unfamiliar voice caught everyone off guard.
A kid with long navy blue hair hanging down her back appeared. She was a new transfer student, but who is she? Shekina raised an eyebrow.
“The answer is option 4. Why? It’s what we commonly call ‘tsundere.’ It’s when you act tough towards someone you like but secretly take care of them! So, if they says that, then you have no choice but to take them out to eat. Trust me, they’ll come. I’m sure of it.”
Who are you to know so much about this stuff? Where did you learn the term ‘tsundere’? Can demons even use such words?
“Oh… speaking of professional terminology. Didi, did you actually study?”
“Yep. I’ve read all the bestsellers in the human world’s bookstores. One I read recently was ‘I was reborn to get revenge on the evil stepmother who killed me.’ I’ve read four books just this month!”
That’s just being a plain otaku. Talking openly about subculture… you’ve got some courage.
Shekina felt dizzy and touched her forehead.
“Hold on a second.”
So she suddenly stood up.
“You’re all wrong. There’s no correct answer among the options.”
Shekina approached the blackboard and added more content.
“The correct answer is ‘Option 5. I’ll make a reservation at a nice restaurant.’ Hey, since the other person is suggesting, you should find and guide them to a restaurant accordingly. That’s manners.”
“Oh…”
Then other students started nodding their heads.
“Shekina seems to be right.”
“Yeah, we got it wrong again.”
Shekina gently patted Pardes’s shoulder, who looked sulky, making a whining sound.
“At least it’s better than before. Back then, I really thought you were a blockhead.”
“Shekina, are you comforting me or making fun of me?”
“Both.”
“That’s too mean.”
Shekina chuckled at Pardes, who was pouting, showing his lips. Despite everything, they were indeed cute kids.
“If you get the next question right, I’ll treat you. Of course, it seems unlikely that you’ll get it right, but give it a shot. Cheer up.”
“You annoy me, you know.”
Shekina laughed while lightly poking Pardes’s cheek.
That was when it happened.
“Hello?”
Suddenly, a hand rested on her shoulder. The hand felt so cold and light that Shekina was even more surprised.
“Uh, hi?”
“I’m Didi. Haven’t we met before?”
Didi had long navy blue hair. Her face was not clearly visible due to the bangs that reached her chin, framing her face in a short haircut. With her thinness, she looked eerie enough from afar to be mistaken for a ghost.
“Um, I’m Sekina.”
“I know.”
Didi said, rolling her lips slightly between her hair strands.
“But you seem to know a lot about the human world.”
Holding Shekina’s hand tightly as she spoke.
“How do you know so much? Tell me. I want to know too. So, sit next to me. Yeah?”
…Oh, this.
Seems like a wrong move.
***
The lesson didn’t last long.
A demon with a lazy and indifferent attitude came in, wrote a problem on the board, and left, while the students just gathered and chatted.
‘But the problem is there’s no answer.’
It’s been like this before and now again.
It seems like a demon who knows nothing about humans, but can we entrust education to such a demon…? Shekina’s worries prevailed.
But that wasn’t important right now.
What was important was,
“Shekina. Hey, where are you going? Can’t you play with me more?”
It was Didi, a fellow student, who was following her persistently.
Even during class, she blatantly ignored her by constantly talking, and she continued to follow her even after class.
Shekina wondered why this kid was acting like this. Wouldn’t she have come earlier if she really wanted to be friends with her or liked her? But why now suddenly?
“Shekina!”
Once again, Shekina stopped at Didi’s voice calling out to her.
Then she swiftly turned around and faced Didi.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
Shekina narrowed her eyes.
“If you wanted to be friends with me, wouldn’t you have come earlier? But why suddenly today? What’s so curious about me? Or did the elders order you to befriend me?”
Didi’s shoulders slightly slumped.
Oh, was my tone a bit harsh? As Shekina started to worry, a mischievous laughter emanated from Didi’s lips.
“Silly Shekina. To be precise, I did come to see you earlier.”
“…What?”
“You didn’t see me, but I saw you.”
Shekina blinked slowly.
So you’ve been secretly watching me? And now you’re acting all confident about it?
“…Stalker?”
Shekina stepped back, her mouth agape.
“Hey! Don’t call me that creepy word! I was just watching over you, okay? And it’s not because I like you! Don’t get the wrong idea!”
No, that’s exactly what a stalker is.
Shekina raised her head. Although she knew that demons and students weren’t all in their right minds, this was a first.
“What’s your relationship with Yurian?”
Why is that name suddenly coming up? We’ve never met, so how could there be any relationship? There was nothing.
“If you don’t tell the truth…”
What, are you going to kill me or something?
“I’m too weak to k*ill you, so I’ll just d*ie in front of you.”
Suddenly, I miss Arthur…
Shekina gazed at the distant mountain for a moment, lost in thought.
