Vol 1 Chapter 4 (1/2)

The chime rang.

Looking at the clock on the desk, it was probably lunch break.

“Well then, you shall be introduced to the students now.”

Kujou-san said.

“Introduced?”

“Yes. To the young ladies of the first year high school cla.s.s that you have been enrolled in.”

At that moment…

…*knock*knock*

A gentle knocking echoed.

“Yes?”

[It’s Arisugawa. All of my fellow first-year high school division students are here with me.]

It was the pretty voice of a girl, ringing like a majestic bell.

Kujou-san turned to open the door.

“Kagurazaka-san.”

The headmistress gently said.

“Most of these students haven’t talked to any men other than their fathers and they have never met a commoner before. Please don’t stir them up too much, okay?”

“…………”

Kujou-san turned the k.n.o.b and drew the door open.

My chest was throbbing due to nervousness. I hadn’t seen anything even close to ojou-samas my whole life. Plus, they had been sheltered and didn’t know anything about the real world… They were likely that kind of ojou-samas.

On the other side of the doorway were—— rows of girls in school uniforms.

Yeah, nothing compares, huh…

An atmosphere essentially different from that of the girls in my former cla.s.s.

Their countenance, cleanly straightened backs, even up to their fingers—all came together one by one like a puzzle, perfectionated a dignified aura. I was enchanted in an instant.

The young ladies slowly… entered.

Their posture was something else. Their grace was something else. I couldn’t even hear their footsteps.

There were approximately 30 of them in rows of six, and they stopped in the middle of the room.

I was—— overwhelmed.

“Arisugawa-san.”

“Yes.”

The girl standing at the head of the rows answered the headmistress.

“This is the commoner we’ve invited to this academy. Please, greet him.”

“Certainly.”

After a gentle bow, she faced and walked towards me ever so quietly.

After she was about one meter away from me, she firmly stopped. Following a moderate pause,

“I am the high school division’s committee president, Arisugawa Reiko.”

The ojou-sama among ojou-samas—— is what popped into my head.

From her bewitching, softly-curled hair, over her beautifully balanced curves, lovely fingers, and down to her toes, everything about her overflowed with elegance and grace.

She was more beautiful than anyone. Her smile was like a white rose, allowing me to feel her pure and gentle heart, that nothing in this world could make lose its temper.

“If it so pleases you, please take care of me.”

I was too scared. I leaked a gasp towards that beauty’s behavior before I knew it.

While I stood there bewitched, she had kept herself in a 45 degree bow, before finally restoring her posture.

Our eyes met. In an instant—— Arisugawa-san’s cheeks dyed a deep red and she cast her eyes down.

Her eyes moistened seemingly unknowing what she was supposed to do and she expressed a bashful smile.

An utmost innocent ojou-sama. Is what I thought.

“E… Ehm, I’m Kagurazaka Kimito.”

In that instant, the atmosphere in the room suddenly tensed.

There were hints of the ojou-samas behind her acting up.

“…I…”

“He said ‘I[1]‘…”

“It seems like commoner gentlemen really refer to themselves like that…”

Amazing…

They whispered among themselves.

And for some reason, they looked at me with their eyes sparkling.

“…?”

They seemed to be unable to resist staring and an aura of restlessness was emanating from them. Their curiosity towards me seemed to be the cause and that they conveyed with an incredible force.

“Everyone.”

Arisugawa-san cleared her throat with a small cough and the Ojou-samas quickly quieted down.

*Piriririri*… (Ringtone)

That sound—my cell phone? I felt my pocket, Ah, which reminds me, wasn’t it confiscated by Kujou-san——

Zawazawazawa…!

The Ojou-samas started murmuring loudly.

“W-What was that?!”

“What was that sound?!”

“E-Everyone, please calm down!”

At that moment, Kujou-san took my cell phone out of her ap.r.o.n.

When they saw the source of the ringing, they became noisy again.

With a face that seemed just about to cry, Arisugawa-san said,

“K-Kujou-san. Just… what in the world might it be?”

“This item is called a ‘cell phone’ that I have confiscated from the commoner over there.”

“Cell… phone?”

“As you can see, it’s a handy telephone device that you’re able to carry around. They are widely used in society.”

Just as she said that.

“Wah!” the ojou-samas rushed over.

“A telephone?!”

“This?!”

They surrounded Kujou-san and fixed their eyes on my phone in Kujou-san’s hand.

“To think that such a thin and small object could be a phone…”

“Of course it’s not. Kujou-san must be trying to get the better of us, right?”

“That’s right. This is not what a phone looks like.”

…Do they… really not know about cell phones…?

No way, can the ojou-samas here even be disconnected that much…?

*Beep* Kaijou-san pressed the answer b.u.t.ton.

[Where the h.e.l.l are you right now?!]

Even from over here I could clearly hear the voice of my childhood friend, Ery.

[What does that mean ‘transferred’? I don’t get it and I won’t allow it. I’m done checking the script, so come over after school, make tea ‘n clean, alright? Ah, while we’re at it, go buy some Jaga*ko[2] too. The carbonara flavor (laughing)]

The voice of my abusive childhood friend reverberated in this high cla.s.s place. I felt embarra.s.sed that these ojou-samas were hearing something that I had no excuse for. By the way, the carbonara flavor had been discontinued for quite some time at this point.

“It… It really is!!”

“I can hear a voice!!”

With a ‘Wah!’, the ojou-samas became rowdy.

[…………]

Ery conveyed her speechlessness.

Kaijou-san faced the cell phone towards Arisugawa-san.

Arisugawa-san timidly brought her face closer and said,

“H… h.e.l.lo?”

As if it was some experiment from back when the telephone was first invented, the ojou-samas were enveloped by it.

[…………Who’s this?]

“! It went through!!”

There were high pitched shrills of joy. ‘This is amazing! This is amazing!’ they yelled out repeatedly.

“I am pleased to meet you! My name is Arisugawa Reiko!”

“……Huh……?”

“Reiko-sama! I want to chat too!”

“I do too! By all means!”

“Everyone, we’re scaring the other side—— I’m terribly sorry for troubling you. To tell you the truth, it’s the first time for any of us to hear about this thing you call a ‘cell phone conversation’. I feel terribly embarra.s.sed.”

[……………………]

“I am really envious to think that commoners would have this kind of wonderful thing. I am deeply moved. Following this, I wonder if it is fate. By all means, may I know your na…”

*clack*—— The call ended.

“h.e.l.lo? ……h.e.l.lo?”

As Arisugawa-san repeated herself again, the other girls watched attentively.

“…She hung up.”