Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty-Two: The First Day of School

On the last day of summer vacation, Niino Li gave himself a day off—neither practicing with Minazawa Yuu nor studying the task; it simply slipped away unnoticed.

At the sound of the alarm, Niino Li rose quickly, washed up, ate breakfast, picked up his already-packed backpack, changed into his uniform, and opened the apartment door.

The sky was a flat, vivid azure, so crisp it made one unconsciously stretch their waist; along the route, countless tiny, delicate windows on buildings of all sizes stood like nodes, glittering with morning light.

With the help of his phone's GPS, Niino Li arrived smoothly at the gate of Tokyo Sakura-Ran High School.

Glass walls joined exposed orange-red brick, and a colorful iron gate was plastered with flyers of various kinds.

This was indeed the school he remembered.

Following the map, Niino Li found Room 2-2 without incident, a blend of unfamiliarity and familiarity intertwining.

He found his desk—back row, by the window.

Good.

No graffiti or knife-carvings as he'd imagined—only a thin layer of dust from a month of disuse.

Without any formulaic malice, he felt a faint disappointment.

After wiping the desk with a pre-prepared tissue, he placed his backpack on it and sat down, glancing around.

Outside the window lay a clean, spacious playground and several adjacent classroom buildings.

Though it was the first day of school, some sports clubs had already begun morning training; figures wobbled mechanically around the track.

Looked exhausting.

After about twenty minutes, most students had arrived; boys and girls laughed and chatted, discussing pleasant summer memories and complaining about the troubles awaiting them after the break.

The atmosphere was relaxed, charged with the eager warmth of people long separated—perfectly fitting for high schoolers.

"Niino-kun, could you please hand in your summer practical report and homework?" A girl with black-rimmed glasses, looking intensely studious, approached holding two different documents.

On the surface, it was a mundane, ordinary request—but Niino Li saw something strange in her eyes.

"Sorry, I think I forgot to bring it," Niino Li replied calmly after searching his backpack.

"I figured as much," the girl muttered under her breath, seemingly unsurprised, then added: "Don't forget to go see Teacher Nohara after first period to explain."

Then she turned and continued collecting homework from other students.

"Did the original Niino Li never submit homework?" Niino Li's face remained calm, but his mind stirred with doubt.

He had found no record of homework assignments in his schedule or notes.

As he delved deeper into thought, a voice suddenly came from beside him.

"Niino-kun, what excuse are you planning to use this time to see Teacher Nohara? Working part-time, job interviews, losing it—all those have been used already."

"I haven't decided yet. What do you think?" Niino Li replied calmly, turning toward the voice.

Sitting beside him was a girl with an earring, slightly curled hair, and a face full of smiles.

No warmth in her expression—more like someone standing on shore, watching trash sink slowly, inwardly satisfied.

She clearly hadn't expected this usually silent boy to respond suddenly; she froze, stumbling, unable to utter a complete word.

Niino Li paid no mind; from the original's lifestyle, he was clearly a background wall type in class.

Even with decent grades, he was just a brick with a bit more pattern.

Seeing Niino Li turn back to stare out the window, the girl lost interest in continuing the conversation and stood up to join her friends.

Time passed second by second; the classroom's noise grew louder, like a kettle on a stove nearing a boil.

Just as it reached its peak, a young, composed, gentle-looking teacher stepped to the front, counted heads, then organized the students for the opening ceremony.

What Niino Li found regrettable was—

He didn't call roll by name; otherwise, Niino Li could have immediately identified Tomizawa Osamu, the ceremony's initiator mentioned by Tianye Zhenyi.

Students sought out their own circles and formed spontaneous groups heading toward the auditorium.

Niino Li ended up isolated.

But since the original had no peer social circle, this conveniently aided his impersonation.

Making friends was exhausting and troublesome, according to a campus veteran's advice.

The auditorium was spacious; the principal delivered his annual speech from a script, repeating the same expression, unchanged even in death.

Niino Li, standing at the back, had already heard more than one student say this.

"Niino-kun, come here for a moment." A stern voice called from behind.

It was the gentle-looking teacher.

"What is it?" Niino Li's expression was innocent, his eyes puzzled as he looked at Teacher Nohara.

"I heard from the study committee that your summer practical report and homework still haven't been submitted?"

"That's right," Niino Li nodded, not denying it.

"Whether you were working part-time..." Teacher Nohara rubbed his temples, preparing to recite his usual speech—then suddenly realized something: "You just... admitted it outright, didn't you?"

Teacher Nohara's eyebrows rose; he stared at Niino Li in disbelief.

In his memory, this student had always been the most headache-inducing.

Half because his academic performance and Painting skills brought the homeroom teacher much praise and favor;

The other half because he was always solitary, sometimes ignoring friendly overtures from others, and frequently disregarding homework assigned by teachers.

In the end, he'd produced piles of evidence claiming his conditions were too limited to complete the work—leaving the teachers unable to criticize him.

"This time it was my fault for not finishing the homework—I'll make sure not to repeat it next time!"

Seeing his reaction turn surprised, Niino Li felt a flicker of curiosity.

"Then I'll let it slide this time. Just remember to complete school assignments on time going forward," Teacher Nohara said cheerfully, not even noticing Niino Li's use of "try."

As a new teacher at Sakura-Ran High School, he was caught between students and veteran teachers.

Now that the student finally seemed to understand the rules, he wanted to push past the principal and cheer aloud.

"Teacher Nohara, do you have any pets at home?"

Nohara turned around and found Niino Li still standing motionless in place.

"No, go back to the team first," Nohara whispered, afraid he might change his mind and do something else.

"Understood."

As he spoke, Niino Li glanced sideways at the hazy, chaotic black shadow crouched on Nohara's shoulder.

More than one.