Chapter 300: Integrating into Campus Life
After evading the swarming boys, Shirou let out a long breath. He knew this was typical behavior for adolescent boys; the fact that they expressed their jealousy openly rather than hiding it was actually proof that everyone hoped to get along harmoniously. However, he truly wished he didn't have to deal with such misplaced anger anymore.
Since the girls were being led by Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei, Shirou felt at ease returning to his own classroom. He climbed the stairs, walked through the corridor, and arrived at the familiar door. Seeing it already open, he walked straight in.
Because of the delay at the entrance, almost everyone was already present. Shirou greeted his classmates.
"Good morning!" "Morning~!"
The students responded with smiles before turning back to their various small circles to noisily discuss their holidays. Some gestured wildly, using exaggerated body language to convey their excitement. Yui Yuigahama waved toward him before resuming her conversation with her friends.
Just then, the "little angel" Saika Totsuka walked over, hands clasped behind his back, and offered a cute smile. "Good morning, Shirou. I heard from Yui-chan that you were very active this break. You worked hard."
"Ah, good morning, Saika. It was quite a mess at the time, but it's finally over," Shirou said with a light laugh. Recalling his recent experiences, it really had been a whirlwind; he hadn't had a single moment of rest.
"If I were a bit better at tennis, maybe I could have traveled with you," Saika said regretfully.
"Don't worry about it. It's enough that we can go to school together. Please look after me this year as well," Shirou said.
"The pleasure is mine. I should be the one saying that," Saika said, shaking Shirou's hand firmly.
"Shirou-kun! Good morning! You were surrounded by a group of boys just now—what was that about? Was it... a molester?!" Hina Ebina came running up, asking with intense excitement. This "runaway girl" had eyes reflecting off her glasses so much her pupils were invisible; her nostrils were flared, and she was huffing out hot air.
"You've misunderstood. They were just asking me a question," Shirou said, taking two steps back to put some distance between them.
This awkwardness instantly made the boy feel that the chaos of the holidays had been replaced by the school life of the previous semester. Everything had returned to the subtle flow of daily routine.
A while later, the teacher arrived, and the first lesson of the new term began.
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Time ticked by. When the free period for lunch break arrived, Shirou left his classroom and headed toward the Year 1 International Class.
"Ah, Senpai, what are you doing here?" As he passed another class, Iroha Isshiki happened to walk out and spotted him.
"I'm going to the International Class to see some friends," Shirou said.
"Which girl are you looking for? Ah! Is it those foreign transfer students? I know all about it—the exchange program was a huge success. And several great beauties arrived! One is a returnee who's a world-famous genius painter in Europe. The Principal and teachers are already planning a solo exhibition for her. Truly amazing. They're from a completely different world compared to us in the regular classes," Iroha remarked, waving her phone with a sigh.
"I know," Shirou replied plainly.
"So they really are your acquaintances?" Iroha asked.
"Yeah. Actually, they're currently boarding at my house," Shirou said.
"Eh?! Living together?! Shirou-senpai... if this continues, you might actually face a 'bloody calamity,'" Iroha cried out in surprise before suddenly lowering her voice. "When we met earlier, Eriri-senpai told you, didn't she? Heh heh heh, if you don't pay attention, things might get really bad."
"Eh?" At that moment, Shirou felt a sudden chill. He widened his eyes and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Ahahaha! Scared you? I'm just kidding! Hahaha, see you later!" Iroha instantly reverted to her cheerful, flippant smile and walked away with light footsteps.
"Huh? Whatever. It's probably fine." Shirou watched her retreating back and laughed, tossing her words to the back of his mind.
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Inside the Year 1 International Class, the students had cleared their desks and were preparing for lunch. Those who brought bento boxes pushed their desks together to eat and chat. Those
without could buy bread at the kiosk or order food from the cafeteria—everything from rice dishes to noodles was available.
The girls in the class weren't in a hurry to eat; instead, they gathered around the new members. On the first day of school, the class had suddenly gained three girls whose beauty reached the top tier of the academy. Since they were also foreign girls from afar, the local girls converged on them the moment class ended.
First was Shiina Mashiro, sitting quietly at her desk. A returnee whose parents were both artists, she had studied oil painting under famous masters since childhood. By her teens, she had won numerous awards and was hailed as a prodigy in European art circles. The secret of why such a girl chose to come here sparked an uncontrollable curiosity in the other students.
"Hello, Shiina-san."
"Hello," Mashiro nodded. Her responses to her new classmates were aloof—simple questions and answers.
"Hey! You lot, move aside." A cool, handsome girl with pale blonde hair moved her desk in front of Mashiro's. She looked at them with a cold, proud gaze and spoke calmly.
"Yes!!" Hearing Artoria's words, several girls quickly stepped out of the way.
This was a cool, sharp girl with a Western-style "cold beauty" vibe. Her voice wasn't loud, but it made it difficult for anyone to refuse.
"Um... can we eat lunch with you too?" the girls asked, plucking up their courage.
"Suit yourselves," Artoria replied after she had unpacked Mashiro's bento and produced a sturdy, double-layered, checkered bento box of her own.
"Thank you! We can trade food!" Having received permission, the girls brought out their own bentos, showing off meat patties, little octopuses, fried chicken, and popcorn chicken.
"Then sit down quickly," Artoria nodded, agreeing readily this time. She took out a cup and began calmly pouring hot soup for Mashiro.
"Artoria-san is so cool! A bit intimidating, but very gentle and incredibly patient with Shiina-san. And Mashiro-san is so cute for accepting the care so obediently," the girls whispered, hands clasped in admiration.
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On the other side, the silver-haired girl was also receiving a warm welcome. However, unlike the "overlord" Artoria or the "natural" Mashiro, Jeanne Alter had no idea how to deal with these girls. In the past, she would have simply blown them away.
But this was Shirou's school. She had promised from the start to follow the rules here. Consequently, she felt restricted. She had to endure the endless questioning, and the anger in her eyes grew.
"Jeanne-san, your Japanese is very good. Did you come from London?"
"No!"
"Jeanne-san, do you know The Rose of Versailles? Oscar and André! Queen Marie and Fersen!"
"I don't! Who are those first two?"
"Jeanne-san, Jeanne-san..." The questions were endless.
Thump!! The surrounding girls jumped in surprise.
"You're too loud! Stop crowding me and asking questions!" Jeanne, hating being surrounded by strangers, slammed her hands on the desk and stood up, walking straight out the door.
"How scary... I thought France was supposed to be elegant..." the startled girls whispered behind her back. "Is she a French delinquent girl?"
As Jeanne stepped out of the classroom, she bumped right into the boy who had just arrived.
"Ah! Jeanne."
"Eh? Shirou?"
"Is that the second-year Shirou-senpai?" a girl at the door recognized him.
"The famous Shirou-senpai?!" Hearing the name, other girls poked their heads out curiously.
A girl who loved gossip spoke incessantly: "Yes, yes! The ace of the Kyudo club, the famous 'Mr. Nice Guy.' He looks harmless and is a good boy to everyone, but subtly, he has unusual relationships with almost every beautiful girl in school, yet he doesn't seem to be dating anyone."
Another girl leaned in, her glasses flashing with a white light as she laughed strangely. "Heh heh heh, you don't know? According to reliable info from a classmate of Shirou-senpai, his heart already belongs to someone, but he hasn't spoken out because he's considering everyone else's feelings."
"Hmph?" A sharp glint flashed in Artoria's eyes from across the room.
"..." The dazed Mashiro also involuntarily pricked up her ears.
"Eh? What's the story?"
"Yes! Shirou-senpai's true love is Saika-senpai from the tennis club! But Hayama and Tobe from his class, along with other boys, also deeply love Shirou-senpai, so he hasn't made a choice yet."
"Eh? Hayama-senpai from the soccer club?! No way! It doesn't seem like that? But... he has rejected a lot of girls' confessions!" the girls cried out.
The girl adjusted her glasses and continued: "According to my source, he used his charm during the exchange trip to conquer men from three different countries! He doesn't even spare the boys; they tried to drag him from the girls' dorm to the boys' dorm. It's simply scandalous, hee hee hee..."
"It's probably impossible, but imagining it is surprisingly... stimulating." A few girls in the International Class seemed to awaken to something; a dark aura rose from them, and the classroom began to fill with a "fermented" atmosphere.
"Right, right? Slurp." The glasses girl had found new companions for her "fujoshi" cause.
Of course, to each their own; many girls did not like this theory. "Wait! Drool! You're about to drool!" The surrounding girls jumped away in alarm.
"It's impossible for Shirou-senpai to be gay. Look! No matter how you look at it, that's the expression of a girl in love!"
They watched the silver-haired girl at the door. Having just escaped the crowd, she had locked eyes with the boy. For a split second, a flush of crimson and a faint, bashful shyness appeared on her face before she immediately turned away.
"Could it be she's actually a good girl?" the students asked in surprise.
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At the doorway:
"Jeanne, were you going out?" Shirou asked the silver-haired girl, puzzled.
"It's nothing. I just wanted to find a place with fewer people to eat. Why are you here, anyway?" Jeanne pouted.
'As I thought, she's not quite adapting to campus life,' Shirou thought. After all, Jeanne Alter—as the "other side" of the Saint who was burned at the stake—was naturally free-spirited and unrestrained. Suddenly being forced to follow laws and school rules was difficult for her.
"I actually came to see how you and the other two were doing." Shirou glanced at the busily surrounded Artoria and Mashiro. It seemed they had nothing to worry about.
"Is... is that so? I don't have any problems at all!" Jeanne said stubbornly.
"Don't worry, you'll adapt soon. I believe you won't have any trouble at all, Jeanne." Shirou gave her a light smile and reached out to pat her head.
"Annoying! Don't touch my head! I'll go back and eat, alright!" Blushing, Jeanne slapped away the warm hand on her head.
"How about we all go out for lunch together?" Shirou suggested kindly.
"I don't need to!" Jeanne clutched her bento and walked faster, eventually settling back in between Artoria and Mashiro.
"I see..." The girls watching from inside felt they finally understood.
"Wow, that shy expression was a total foul," one girl said excitedly. Seeing that look, she felt that if she were a boy, she'd have no choice but to marry her.
"I truly saw something wonderful. How cute! Jeanne-chan~! It seems we misunderstood her earlier." A girl wiped a tear of emotion from the corner of her eye.
"Yeah. With a smile like that, even if I can't be with her, I'd be happy just watching over her from the side." The girls held their hands to their chests with motherly affection.
And so, the silver-haired girl's reputation in class shifted from "French delinquent" to "strong-willed French tsundere." Even if she was sharp-tongued, the classmates who felt they had seen her true nature treated her very well throughout the term.
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