The Omnipotent Super Chuunibyou - Chapter 14
The next morning, Nibutani Shinka dressed herself with care in front of the mirror.
The plan to assimilate into Shuchi’in had hit a minor snag, but overall, she was still on top of things. She’d successfully joined the cheerleading squad, and her relationship with her teammates had been pleasant enough.
If things kept going this way, it wouldn’t be long before she gained the approval of her peers and became a true friend.
A flight of stairs leading up from near the school entrance was lined with flowers in full bloom.
“This is the starting point for my grand debut into high society!”
Nibutani Shinka climbed the stairs, gazing at the historic building looming before her, feeling quite satisfied.
Getting into a prestigious school like this was no easy feat. If she could build up her connections here, she’d have no trouble finding a place to go after graduation. But if she continued down the path she’d been on…
“No! No! I need to erase those memories!”
She smacked herself on the forehead.
As Nibutani Shinka stepped through the school gate, she noticed a crowd gathered off to the side, murmuring amongst themselves.
Gawking and spreading gossip were human nature, so she casually strolled past, pretending not to listen. But she heard some key words: “Hasegawa,” “that Chuunibyou,” “everyone’s trash,” and so on.
“I can’t believe he did something so extreme! I thought Chuunibyou was just about as far as it went… I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear.”
Her expression froze, and she hurried away.
Don’t get involved with that guy, or you’ll be cursed with bad luck!
Then, a black luxury sedan stopped at the school entrance, and a figure emerged from it, noticed the commotion, and walked over.
“What happened?”
Upon hearing this elegant, yet cold, voice, the crowd instinctively ceased their chatter and turned to look.
The newcomer was a beautiful woman with long, shoulder-length black hair parted slightly down the middle, and wine-red eyes devoid of highlights. Her expression, cold and aloof, seemed to emanate a frigid chill, making her seem unapproachable.
They instantly recognized her: the ‘Ice Princess Kaguya’, Shinomiya Kaguya.
Her aura was so imposing that no one dared respond.
“Never mind, I’ll see for myself.”
Shinomiya Kaguya took a step forward, and the crowd parted slightly. She came to a stop beneath the announcement board and read the news the Mass Media Club had put up.
It contained the exact words Hasegawa Izumi had spoken in response to the invitation to appear on the news the previous day.
This was why everyone was so shaken.
“So that’s what happened. I can’t believe he did this again.”
Even when she saw the taunting words, her expression remained unchanged, and she didn’t offer any further comment on the matter.
Just as Shinomiya Kaguya was about to leave, she stopped in her tracks, having noticed the reactions of the others.
“It’s Sawamura-san!”
“Sawamura-san is here?”
“Let’s ask what Sawamura-san thinks.”
The crowd buzzed with enthusiasm, demonstrating the high regard they held for this individual.
The first thing that caught their eyes was the girl’s dazzling blond hair, a sight in itself worthy of admiration. Then there was her porcelain-fair skin and clear blue eyes.
Carrying her schoolbag in both hands, Eriri greeted them with an amiable smile.
“Good day, Sawamura-san,”
When she reached Shinomiya Kaguya, she also offered a courteous greeting.
She could ignore anyone else, but she couldn’t possibly ignore the Sawamura family’s young lady.
“Good day, Shinomiya-san,” Eriri responded politely, nodding with a smile.
“Well, then, I’ll be taking my leave.”
Shinomiya Kaguya wasted no more time, turning to depart.
At this, the crowd surrounded Eriri and filled her in on the latest antics of their childhood friend.
It’s been barely a day, Izumi, and you’ve already pulled off another grand scheme?
If you keep this up, you’re going to wreck Shuchi’in!
She glanced around, slightly embarrassed, and offered a polite smile that still seemed a bit awkward. “Okay, okay, everyone, don’t get so mad. Maybe he just said it on a whim; don’t take it so seriously…”
She always took this approach when making excuses for her childhood friend. It was her current public persona, and no one could find fault with it.
Most people didn’t care enough to respond to her plea, content to view the whole affair as the ravings of a clown. As long as the situation didn’t directly affect them, they saw no reason to stir up trouble.
But Hasegawa Izumi’s Class C was different.
“Hasegawa, what did you mean by that? How dare you!”
“Take it back and apologize to everyone!”
“You’ve ruined Class C’s reputation, you know!”
Several students questioned him, indignant.
“I was just participating in the ‘trash talk’ segment,” he replied. “Please don’t take it so personally… Of course, if you consider yourself to be trash, then by all means, feel free to identify with it.”
A stiff response, indeed.
If not for the fact that everyone knew his relationship with Fujiwara Chika, many of those students would have felt compelled to resort to more extreme measures. Social isolation was the best solution they could come up with for now.
————–
“Way to go, Izumi-chan! How did you come up with that?”
After class, Fujiwara Chika came to his desk.
“Ah, I want to try it, too!” she said, clenching her fists at her chest and adopting an eager expression. “Saying ‘You’re all trash’ to everybody’s face? That’d be fun!”
She was one of the few people in the entire school who dared to think such thoughts.
“I just thought of it,” Hasegawa Izumi replied casually.
“Wow, you’re a genius, Izumi-chan! You’re great at being cool! I’m gonna learn from you.”
Fujiwara Chika struck a pose she deemed “cool,” but it just made her look silly.
“You and Takanashi-san started the Far Eastern Magic Society, right?” she asked again.
“It’s our base of operations in Shuchi’in, as well as the name of our organization,” Takanashi Rikka chimed in.
“Base of operations? What does that even mean?” Fujiwara Chika tilted her head, looking slightly adorable in her confusion.
“Speaking of clubs, I remember you mentioning that you joined the Tabletop Gaming Club, Chika. You play the piano so well; I thought you’d join the Music Club.”
Hasegawa Izumi suddenly remembered something. “I’ve already given up playing the piano.”
In response, he only smiled. “Given up? That’s fine, too. There’s no need to force yourself to do something you’re not truly interested in.”
He didn’t ask for her reasons.
“Izumi-chan, why aren’t you following the script? Shouldn’t you be asking me why I gave it up?”
Instead, Fujiwara Chika pouted unhappily and delivered a biting critique.
“Uh, then why did you?” he asked, cooperating.
“Because Kaguya-san told me to stop playing the piano…”
Fujiwara Chika eagerly explained.
“She’s the type to say something like that, but it looks like it was a good thing for you, Chika.”
He expressed his agreement.
“Izumi-chan, you know Kaguya, too? I’ve never heard her mention you.”
The girl’s eyes lit up, and she leaned in toward him, as if she’d caught a whiff of a scandalous romance.
“Not really. We’ve only met once.” His tone was even.