Although they were both in the South District, there was still some distance between the apartment where Kaiser and the Akatsuki siblings lived and Saikai Academy.
Therefore, to go to Saikai Academy for school, it was best to take the train.
If one got off at the station closest to Saikai Academy, it wouldn't even take ten minutes to walk to the academy.
Thus, Kaiser and the three Akatsuki siblings took the monorail together, chatting and laughing all the way to Saikai Academy.
Though it was said they were chatting and laughing, in reality, only Kaiser and Akatsuki Nagisa were talking; Akatsuki Kojou was sulking on the side, secretly glaring at Kaiser with a face full of bitterness and resentment.
Akatsuki Nagisa naturally had a bit of a chatterbox trait, and Kaiser never let her words fall to the ground, always responding, which made their conversation more and more enjoyable, their rapport growing ever stronger. As a result, Nagisa's brother, Kojou, was completely neglected, left to stare blankly at the side. How could this siscon not wear such a bitter and resentful expression?
It was still commuting time, and many fellow students from the same school were coming and going around Kaiser and the Akatsuki siblings. Upon seeing this scene, they began whispering among themselves, especially those who knew them.
"Isn't that Akatsuki-san?"
"Who are the two boys next to Akatsuki-san?"
"I know. That gloomy-looking guy is Akatsuki-san's brother, and the other one seems to be the high school senior who transferred in just yesterday."
"A senior... He must be a friend of Akatsuki-san's brother?"
"Then no wonder they're going to school together."
"But why do I feel like Akatsuki-san is closer with that transfer student?"
"Yeah, they seem really close…"
Such whispered discussions occurred from time to time, clearly indicating that among the three who were the center of attention, Akatsuki Nagisa was the one drawing the most eyes.
That was only natural. After all, Nagisa was cheerful and cute. While she wasn't as stunningly beautiful as Kanon, she was still a beauty in the making. If she wanted to debut, she could definitely become a cute girl idol.
A girl with such a cute appearance wasn't aloof at all, but rather a chatterbox who could talk to anyone, and because of her naturally caring personality, she was considerate toward others. How could someone like that not be popular?
You could say that Akatsuki Nagisa and Kanase Kanon were two extremes. One was so beautiful that people didn't dare approach easily, which made her seem somewhat solitary; the other was so cute and cheerful that everyone wanted to be her friend. That's why Nagisa was very well-liked at school, especially among the boys.
Compared to her, her brother Akatsuki Kojou seemed rather ordinary, while Kaiser had just transferred yesterday and didn't know many people. Naturally, this made Nagisa the most eye-catching person, garnering no small amount of discussion.
In such a situation, when the automated monorail arrived at the station, the three of them exited along with the groups of other students, passed through the ticket gate, and stepped onto the gently sloping man-made ramp.
At the top of this gently sloping ramp, less than ten minutes away, was Saikai Academy.
However, once they left the air-conditioned station, a wave of heat immediately washed over the crowd, making many people show expressions of being unbearably hot.
"So hot…"
Just moments ago, full of energy and excitedly chirping away with Kaiser, Akatsuki Nagisa suddenly broke into a sweat on her forehead, and her liveliness dropped considerably.
"It's already September, so why is it still this hot?"
Akatsuki Kojou also stopped glaring at Kaiser and instead glared at the clear sky, from which the scorching sunlight poured down, his face full of bitterness.
"September isn't exactly a cool season, right?" Kaiser, bathed in the sunlight, felt like a fish in water and said calmly, "Summer vacation just ended, and with Itogami Island's year-round summer climate, not to mention September, even October probably won't cool down."
"While clear weather is nice, when it's too hot it gets unbearable. If I don't wear sunscreen, I'll definitely get sunburned." Nagisa began muttering habitually, saying, "I wonder when it'll rain next, that would definitely cool things down."
"Should be soon, right?" Kojou replied casually, "Even though the weather forecast didn't mention it, with Itogami Island's climate, it rains pretty easily."
Due to being isolated in the Pacific Ocean, even though Itogami Island had a year-round summer climate, it was still prone to rain and frequently hit by typhoons.
Even if this streak of sunny days lasted a while, once you endured it, a nice cooling rain would likely arrive.
"Rain, huh…"
Kaiser looked up at the clear sky, then glanced at Nagisa, whose cheeks were flushed red from the heat, and felt a slight stir in his heart.
He himself couldn't feel any heat at all. For someone empowered by the sun, this kind of sunny weather was just buffing him. But if it were gone, he wouldn't feel any loss.
With his strength, even without the blessing of the Eye of Horus, he could basically be considered invincible on Itogami Island.
In that case…
"Then let's have it rain."
Thinking so, magical power surged within Kaiser's body.
"Buzz…"
The Yagrush and Aymur, which had been quietly resting inside him, trembled slightly, emanating power that Kaiser released outward.
"Rumble rumble…"
Suddenly, clouds began to drift across the previously clear sky, and thunder and lightning soon followed.
Not long after, heavy rain started pouring from the sky, causing a commotion throughout the entire Itogami City.
"It's raining!"
"Awesome!"
"Finally, it's going to be so much cooler!"
"Awesome my ass! I didn't bring an umbrella!"
"Run! We're gonna get soaked!"
On the sloping ramp, the students in Saikai Academy uniforms all cried out and began to run.
"Ah! It really started raining!" Nagisa also let out a surprised cry, both happy and anxious. "Let's run too! Or we'll get soaked!"
As she spoke, she instinctively grabbed Kaiser's hand and dashed toward Saikai Academy.
"......"
Watching his own little sister ignore him completely and grab their classmate's hand to run off, Kojou's mouth twitched, and veins popped on his forehead.
"This is school! Keep some distance, damn it!"
Fuming, Kojou chased after them.
Chased by the downpour, the trip that usually took nearly ten minutes was covered by Kaiser and the others in just two or three minutes.
"We still got wet, huh."
In the school building's entrance, a thoroughly drenched Nagisa stood dejectedly in front of the shoe locker.
"What do I do? I don't have a spare uniform at school. Should I change into gym clothes or the cheerleading outfit? Wait, the clothes at home are still drying, right? Can't go get them!"
Nagisa kept chattering away, making Kojou, who was also soaked, look annoyed.
"Forget the clothes at home. But you, Nagisa, are not allowed to wear gym clothes or a cheerleader outfit to class."
Kojou's face was full of wariness, clearly thinking that if his sister showed up to class in those, she'd be giving out free fanservice to their classmates.
"Then what should I do like this?" Nagisa asked, then suddenly paused and said, "Wait, Kai-kun, how come you're not wet at all? Did you use an umbrella?"
Indeed, while everyone else was drenched, Kaiser alone was completely dry, with not a trace of moisture on him.
"How did you do that?"
Kojou, who had been running behind Kaiser, was certain he hadn't used an umbrella.
Then how did he stay completely dry in the downpour?
"Simple." Kaiser shrugged, walked up to Nagisa, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said, "Like this."
As he spoke, a burst of heat suddenly emanated from Kaiser's hand, instantly evaporating all the moisture on Nagisa's body.
In an instant, Nagisa was dry again.
Akatsuki siblings: ︽⊙_⊙︽
"H-How did you do that?"
Kojou was dumbfounded.
Not just him—even Nagisa was stunned for a moment. Once she recovered, she remembered: Kaiser wasn't an ordinary person, but a Sword Shaman.
Since he was a Sword Shaman, he definitely knew some kind of curse technique or magic—he might even be a Hyper-Adaptable like her and their mom, Mimori.
In that case, it wasn't so surprising.
"Thank you, Kai-kun. That's much more comfortable."
Nagisa thanked him very frankly.
"It was nothing. Don't be so polite."
Seeing her grateful expression, Kaiser naturally reached out and did a head pat.
Smack!
Kojou wasn't stunned anymore—he slapped Kaiser's hand away with veins bulging.
This bastard was just using every opportunity to get close to his sister, and right in front of her brother, no less—clearly had no respect for him.
"Kojou-kun, seriously…" Nagisa muttered with some dissatisfaction, then said, "I'm heading to class first. Kai-kun, see you after school!"
Maybe to show her displeasure, Nagisa didn't even say goodbye to Kojou and just ran off without a trace.
"Nagisa…"
Kojou stared sadly after her, looking exactly like a calf abandoned by its mother.
"Alright, stop staring." Kaiser patted Kojou's shoulder, evaporating the moisture off him as well, and said with a smile, "If someone didn't know better, they'd think your girlfriend dumped you. Hurry up and get to class."
"Spare me…"
Kojou didn't even have the strength to argue with Kaiser anymore. He sighed and slowly walked toward his classroom.
Just as Kaiser was about to follow, a broadcast sounded.
"Kaiser from First-Year Class B, please come to the staff office. Your homeroom teacher, Natsuki Minamiya, is looking for you."
Hearing the announcement, Kaiser stopped in his tracks.
"Here comes the reckoning?"
Guessing what it was about, Kaiser didn't bother greeting Kojou and headed straight for the staff office.