Person With Inferior Ability Vol.3-Chapter-3-Part-3

Part III

“And, that’s why I am here. Ichigo-dono.”

　Ichigo remembered the briefing that Goukou gave him in the corridor of the 1-D class.

　It was hard not to laugh when he heard the story of how Hiroto had gotten into trouble with the non-humans in that rundown house and how the non-humans had ended up becoming his friends, and Ichigo felt sorry for Hiroto.

(Jeez…… my close friend, what is going on with you? No one is as far from the word “peace” as Hiroto.)

　Morning homeroom is about to start. And the first and the biggest obstacle of the day, Takano Mirei, is coming.

　Ichigo urged Goukou to go to the classroom, telling him to keep a low profile for the rest of the day.

　Goukou honestly nodded and bowed his head, saying, “Thank you for taking care of me today”.

　His appearance was also so well dressed that it was hard to imagine him as the real Hiroto.

　With tense expression, Ichigo entered the classroom of Class 1D with Goukou.

(But then again, …… I am pretty much the same. Why can I accept this situation so honestly?　I’m amazed at my ability to adapt. This is also Hiroto’s fault, isn’t it? I’ve developed a strange tolerance.)

　While thinking about this, he instructed Goukou who had taken Hiroto’s form, to sit in the front row on the hallway side of the classroom, which was Hiroto’s seat, and Ichigo also took his seat diagonally behind him.

（Uuh~, damn… I’m starting to get really nervous. Suddenly, the strongest enemy is coming… ……)

　Ichigo started to sweat as he imagined the reaction of the last boss of this mission, Takano Mirei, who would be coming soon.

　Mirei Takano is too good of a homeroom teacher.

　She is calm and unreadable, but she doesn’t miss even the slightest change in her students.

　In addition, she can see right through the students’ situations and give them the right orders. On top of that, there’s this aura of heaviness that is invisible to the …… eye. There are rumors among the students that she has mastered some kind of martial arts.

　For this reason, she was called “the Zhuge Liang of a hundred armed forces” or “the Luo Bu of a hundred intellects” by the students and was both feared and respected.

　The definition of a super cool beauty.

　She is the Holy Empress who reigns over Class D.

　Incidentally, there is an urban legend about Takano Mirei at Kitsurin High School.

　It says that anyone who sees Takano’s upset face before graduation will have their life span shortened by a hundred years, that anyone who sees Takano’s tears will be reincarnated in another world, and even that those who catch Takano’s heart will die from sheer joy.

　When Ichigo heard about this, he remembered saying out loud, “Most of them are dead, right!

　At this point, Shizuka, who was diagonally behind Ichigo, called out to him.

“Hey, Hakamada-kun. Something is wrong with Domori-kun, isn’t it?　You did something, didn’t you, Hakamada-kun?”

“Eh!?　W-What?

　Ichigo replied to Shizuka’s sharp remarks while hiding his agitation.

“Umm, how should I put it …… Yes, the atmosphere is different, and he’s very well dressed. Because from the moment he walked into the classroom, the girls in the class have been acting strange, you know?　See?”

“What?”

　Ichigo looks around the class as Shizuka tells him so, and is astonished to see what’s going on. He had been so nervous about the future that he hadn’t noticed it at all.

　The girls in the class were all staring at Hiroto’s back.

　They had an upturned expression on their faces and were entranced.

“W-what’s this ……?”

　Ichigo turns his head to Shizuka. Only Shizuka is the usual Shizuka, cowering with her hands outstretched.

“You didn’t notice?　It was already like this when Hakamada-kun and Domori-kun were talking in the hallway. All the girls who saw Domori-kun today were like that.”

“I-I didn’t notice that. ……”

“I can’t exactly explain it, but his good-looking aura today is unbelievable.　Hakamada-kun, what did you do to Domori-kun?　I have no idea, you know?　Well, no matter what happens later, ……”

“I-I didn’t do anything. Like seriously, you know?　What was about that later?”

“Ah~Ah, I wonder what will happen when Matsuri sees this. ……”

“Oi oi oi!”

　Sweat poured from Ichigo’s forehead. There is a high probability that Matsuri will notice if this continues all day today,……, or rather, she will certainly notice instantly.

This morning, he had spent the day in the back of the school building with the fake Hiroto, acted by Goukou, and had arrived in front of the classroom just in time, so luckily he had not met Matsuri.

　As a result, Ichigo didn’t have enough time to think about this important matter.

　Then, Ichigo imagined the scene…….

(What a pain in the ass!　It’s already terribly troublesome!　I don’t have time for this!)

　It’s like another last boss appeared on its own in Ichigo’s mind.

(She just joined the server, even though she wasn’t invited from a different game! 　A damn collaboration!　An unnecessarily strong last boss with no perks whatsoever!)

“Hahaha hmm …… Hakamada-kun, you must have given him weird advice again. I know Hakamada-kun is trying to promote Domori-kun for some reason. But I can’t follow up on this one. A woman’s grudge is a terrible thing. Especially Matsuri’s. ……”

“Wait a minute!　Stop your misguided reasoning, this is not my fault …….”

　As Ichigo turned his face to the detective mode Shizuka, to clear up the misunderstanding, the morning homeroom bell rang …… and right on time, the Holy Empress and homeroom teacher, Takano Mirei, opened the door of the Class 1-D.

　As soon as she did, Ichigo and his classmates from Class D looked straight ahead.

　In the two months since they entered this school, they have unconsciously come to do this when the bell rings in the morning. At this school, they call this the “curse of Takano Mirei”. Also known as Pavlov’s dog condition, …….[TN: Pavlov showed that dogs could be conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell if that sound was repeatedly presented at the same time that they were given food]

　Right now, Ichigo was extremely tense and his whole body was stiff. And his shirt was soaked with sweat.

　Even though he seems like this, Ichigo is good at keeping a poker face.

　But right now, he felt like a frog in a diner with a hundred giant snakes.

(I didn’t do anything!　It’s just that Hiroto took a day off!　What’s with this position I’m in?)

　For the first time in his life, Ichigo lamented his own bad luck.

　And a slender female foot came in from the door of the Class 1-D.

　Obviously, it belonged to the ruler of Class D, Takano Mirei.

　This scene, which should have been familiar to Ichigo, looked like a slow-motion movie to him.

　Ichigo’s face was clearly unnatural, as he was pretending to be natural under the extreme tension.

　However, Ichigo doesn’t even have time to notice it.

　His homeroom teacher, Takano Mirei, walked to the podium in front of him, with her back straight and unruffled as usual.

　However, as soon as she entered the …… classroom, she stopped in front of Hiroto’s seat.

　Ichigo’s heart skipped a beat.

　It jumped so much …… that he felt as if he had been hit with a home run by the greatest hitter in history.

　And then …… Mirei slowly turned her face to Hiroto, or rather the fake Hiroto played by Goukou.

　Astonished.

　But it was the students in the class who were astonished.

　This is because that Takano Mirei …… was for a moment, yes, just a moment. The students of Class D, who had been watching this super cool beauty for the past two months, understood.

　It was because this female Holy Empress, Takano Mirei, showed a …… flustered face.

　And because of their astonishment, almost all of the students in the class didn’t notice the subtle movements of Mirei afterward.

　Except for Ichigo.

　This was also a very slight movement.

　A movement so slight that even Ichigo thought he might have misjudged it.

　It was as if Takano Mirei gave the fake Hiroto…….

　A slight bow.

(Eh!?　Did she …… not just now bow to Goukou-san?)

　As Ichigo told him, Goukou sat in Hiroto’s seat,……, and was, how should he put it, unnecessarily imposing.

　It’s strange that he looks so good in that way too.

　Was it the inner appearance that made the difference between good looks and cuteness?　Ichigo couldn’t help but wonder, but now was not the time to dig deeper.

　She stood in front of the podium with her usual expression and began to take attendance as if nothing had happened.

　One by one, each student’s name was called out, and her classmates responded in slightly hushed tones. The momentary look of agitation on Mirei’s face seemed to have given the students a great shock.

　At this moment, Ichigo’s mind was confused about what had just happened with Mirei, but suddenly he became calm.

　He was worried that Goukou would not be able to respond to her when she called him “Domori-kun”. However, by the time Ichigo realized this, it was almost Hiroto’s turn to be called, and there was nothing more he could do.

“…… Soma-kun, …… Tamada-san, ……”

（Aaaaaaaaah, noo!　Goukou-san, please!　Please read the air!　Please reply to te me!)

　Ichigo prayed.

　And …….

“Domori-kun.”

　Mirei then called out.

　Then, a momentary silence covers the class.

　The …… reply is slow.

　Sweat began to pour out of Ichigo’s body.

　From Ichigo’s perspective, Goukou, the fake Hiroto sitting in front of him on the right, did not move a muscle.

　A short pause passed, but even this short pause was more than Ichigo could bear.

　Preparing himself to be warned, Ichigo was about to leave his seat, hoping that Goukou would somehow notice him, when ……

“Fumu, there’s Domori-kun. Then …… Nagai-san.”

　Mirei said so and began to call out the name of the next student.

(Haah!?　Now, she allowed him to not respond to her?)

　Ichigo’s mind couldn’t keep up with all the surprises.

　Not only did she forgive Hiroto for his apparent rudeness in not responding to the female Empress, but she also seemed to be following up.

　Ichigo stifled his growing emotions as he plopped down on the desk.

“It……It can’t be!　There’s no way that’s possible!　That noisy woman, she would never tolerate this disrespect. ……”

　As Ichigo muttered in a very quiet voice, looking down and trembling as he clenched both fists, Mirei’s eyebrows twitched for some reason.

　For a moment, the battle spirit that was emitted from Mirei ran through the students, and the bodies of the students in D class began to tremble involuntarily.

　The students whose names were called after this one responded with tears in their eyes.

　Ichigo was oblivious to the battle spirit that Mirei was giving off, as he was holding his head in his hands, unable to keep up with his understanding of the situation, as it had all deviated from the dozens of ways he had assumed last night.

　Now, all of Ichigo’s organs and senses were focused on trying to analyze Mirei’s inexplicable behavior.

　He didn’t know why this was happening, but Ichigo was now completely in the role of the fake Hiroto, or in other words, Goukou’s protector. However, now that Ichigo knows who this fake Hiroto is and what’s going on, he can’t just leave him alone. So he was going to follow up on this.

　Furthermore, he was prepared to spend all of today following up with Goukou. Ichigo had such a tragic determination, but if you look at the events that have occurred, …… is going smoothly.

　However.

　However, the biggest obstacle in this situation is Mirei, who is contributing greatly.

(What?　Why?　What’s going on?)

　Ichigo had a tendency to stick to a problem until he understood it. Once he became calm, he would be able to see the situation from a bird’s eye view, but he hadn’t reached that point yet.

　Because …….

　The reason was that the person he was dealing with was the same person, Takano Mirei.

　Ichigo asks himself in a whisper, with his face so close to the desk that it almost touches it.

“If you’re a normal person, you’ll see that your subordinates(*students) are rude, and you’ll warn them to disinfect their filth!　Good mood …… No, was this a stroke of luck?　No, but the other party is that woman, noisy Mirei?　This is such a convenient thing …….”

　The attendance book, which is held in Mirei’s one hand,……, is sandwiched in a thick cover, but suddenly the cover is ripped off.

“”””hi! “”””

　Class D students were in tears and shouted in despair, not understanding the meaning of Mirei’s actions

　The only one who didn’t notice was Ichigo.

“Nakauma-kun, ……, Nose-san.”

　Gradually, Ichigo’s turn to be called was approaching.

　And …….

“…… Hakamada-kun.”

(I don’t know. …… I have no idea. There’s something wrong with you today, Mirei-sensei.)

“…… Hakamada-kun.”

　Ichigo carelessly doesn’t notice that he’s being called by Mirei.

　Then, Mirei quietly starts to move …….

　With her usual blank expression and clutching the crumpled attendance book, Mirei slowly walks towards Ichigo.

　Everyone in the class froze and followed her with only their eyes.

　Shizuka tried to call out from behind Ichigo’s left, but she couldn’t do it.

　Rather, there was no way she could.

　The reason was that she was dealing with Takano Mirei.

　Some in the class were already holding their hands together for Ichigo, while others were making a cross on his chest.

“…… Hakamada-kun.”

　Mirei stood in front of Ichigo.

　It was at this point that Ichigo finally noticed the presence.

　A few …… streaks of extremely cold sweat flowed from Ichigo’s forehead.

　His body began to tremble uncontrollably, and he slowly looked up at the …… face.

　There was the Holy Empress who looked down on him as if he were filth,……, no, it was his homeroom teacher.

(Ahhhh …… I’m going to be sterilized…)

　Ichigo begins to reflect on his short life.

　At the same time, the whole class started to pray for Ichigo’s soul, a little ahead of time.

　But then, …….

　Behind the Empress, diagonally to the right from Ichigo, a dignified voice came up.

“Ichigo-dono, you’re being summoned. Shouldn’t you reply?”

“””””……!”””””

　The whole class’s eyes focused on the unexpected appearance of the speaker in this situation.

　It was Goukou who had taken the form of Hiroto.

　The dignified and imposing Hiroto, which was something you wouldn’t normally see, turned his body towards Ichigo with a composed look on his face. Mirei, as well, turned half of her face to the back of the room where Hiroto’s seat was and looked at the fake Hiroto without any expression.

　Ichigo used the slight pause created by Goukou’s words to reflexively reply.

“Sorry about that!　Yes!　Hakamada, present!”

　It wasn’t just one or two people who thought that the fake Hiroto, who was undaunted in front of the beautiful Takano, looked divine. What a hero, his classmates said, looking at him as if he were the savior of the century who had suddenly appeared. However, even if …… so, the opponent is Takano Mirei.

　Most of the Class D classmates seemed to be just more targets for the Holy Empress emperor to cleanse.

“””””Gulp……”””””

　Everyone swallowed hard, and silence covered Class 1-D.

　Then …… Mirei turned her body around and said.

“All right ……, reply quickly next time. Thank you, Domori-kun.”

（（（（（Ehhhh!!!）））））

　Mirei returned to the podium as if nothing had happened, and after taking attendance, she neatly conducted the homeroom and left.

　Just after their homeroom teacher, Mirae, left …… the remaining students confirmed that her presence was far away, and the Class 1-D went into an uproar as if they had burst a dam.

“Uoooooh!　Domori, that’s amazing!　Right in front of Mirei-sensei!”

“Domori-kun, you’re amazing!　And …… you look so good today, …… poof.”

“Oh, I caught a glimpse of an upset Mirei-sensei!　I’m going to lose a hundred years of my life!”

“Mirei-sensei’s flustered face was also very nice. …… And …… Domori-kun. ……”

　A crowd of classmates gathered around Goukou, making it look like a festival.

　They were all excitedly looking back at the previous exchange and praising him.

　The boys were all in an uproar, while the girls were blushing at the sight of Goukou who had taken Hiroto’s appearance.

　Poor Ichigo, who had just been saved by his savior Domori, was watching the scene with a puzzled look on his face.

“No, gentlemen, that lady doesn’t look so unreasonable. She’s not the kind of person who would get angry over something like that.”

　Goukou replied calmly, “eh?” and everyone looked at each other in surprise.

　Ichigo hurriedly stood up and jumped in front of Goukou, fake Hiroto, and held his mouth.

“Whoa!　I-Idiot!　Your tone!　Hahaha, this guy is …… you see, he has chunibyou. Sometimes, you know?　You know, this tone of voice?　Ahhaha ……”

“Mmmm, sorry. Ichigo-do. …… Ichigo. Sorry …… I forgot.”

　Next to the remorseful Goukou, Ichigo smiles at everyone as if trying desperately to cover it up.

“””””…………”””””

　When the other classmates stared at the fake Hiroto for a while, ……

“””””Uhooooooh!　So cooool!! “””””

“””””Do-Domori-kun: …………Noice! “””””

　It’s was already a big fuss.

“Haaah!?”

　Contrary to Ichigo’s imagination, his classmates accepted Goukou with joy.

“Hakamada-kun, what are you talking about?”

“Hey, Hakamada-kun, get out of the way. I can’t talk to Domori-kun.”

　Ichigo was kicked out of the room by everyone who thought he was in the way beside Goukou.

　The fake Hiroto is already treated like a hero. Ichigo was treated as if he was just a villager who was saved by that hero. ……

“Ara~?”

　Ichigo couldn’t understand what was going on at …….

　There’s no need to follow up at all, is there?　He felt weak.

　Then, Ichigo was gradually enveloped by a sense of helplessness.

“What the hell?　Look at how nervous I was just now!　My determination!　Give it back to me!”

　With tears in his eyes, Ichigo glared at Goukou, who was worshipped at the center of the Class D students, as if to appeal.

“Uu~, my plan to supercharge my likability!　How did this happen!”

　Later, Shizuka told him that Matsuri was fortunate enough to be busy with her job as class president today, so she wouldn’t be able to show up at Class D. Ichigo felt weak for the second time.

　As for the fake Hiroto, acted by Goukou, he received invitations from the girls every recess and spent most of his time with them outside of class.

　Ichigo, who is completely bent out of shape, is mumbling to himself, “My likability is …….”

　And Shizuka was watching all of this with amusement.

　After morning homeroom, Mirei left the classroom and went to …….

　She went down the hallway for a while and talked to herself with a puzzled look on her face, which she never usually shows.

“Absolutely ……, what kind of a contract did he make with that person?”

　This is also unusual, and Mirei held her head lightly.

“No way, this is the East Sea Dragon King,…….”

　After school, Goukou walked with the exhausted Ichigo to the empty back of the school building and bowed his head.

“Ichigo-dono, thank you very much for your help today.”

“Ah, ……,yeah it’s fine.”

“I’m sorry, but I need your help for the next five days.”

　Ichigo’s eyes widened.

(That’s right, …… today was only the first day of Hiroto’s absence.)

　Ichigo was stunned to find out that he had five more days to go.

“P-Please keep up the good work tomorrow, Goukou-san. ……”

“My time is up for today. Tomorrow, someone else will be here.”

“……Eh?　Haah—hmm!?　You’re not coming tomorrow!?”

“Yes, that’s what I thought I told you. ……”

“No!　Did you say that?”

　There was so much going on that he had forgotten.

　He didn’t remember taking a break today to sort out the traffic of girls who wanted to talk to Goukou who had taken Hiroto’s form every break time. Moreover, if he didn’t organize them well, he was likely to incur the resentment of the girls, so Ichigo worked desperately. There were times when he asked Shizuka to help him, and she did.

　In retrospect, Ichigo was trying his best not to lose favor with the girls, let alone gain it. Fortunately, Matsuri did not see the situation, and Ichigo was relieved to hear this.

　However, the hardest part was the physical education class.

　Today’s P.E. was baseball, where Goukou handled the bat like a spear and pierced the ball with the tip of the bat, causing it to fly off the field, grazing Kamata-kun’s ear, who was a candidate to become the next ace of the baseball team at Kitsurin High School.

　Immediately afterward, Kamata-kun announced that he was quitting baseball, and Ichigo did his best to quiet him down.

“Shiro will be the one coming tomorrow”

“Hahaha …… so ……, w-what type of person are they?”

“Yes, An innocent and curious child. Can be a little too energetic, so I’ll be sure to remind that.”

“……”

　That sounds like a lot of work …….

　If possible, a child with little energy and indifference is better.

“They would have Hiroto’s appearance, right?”

“Yes, of course. However, there is something that worries me.”

　Is there more?

“Shiro is a girl, so if tomorrow she has to do this P.E. subject again, it will be difficult for her to change with other men. …… She is a pure girl.”

“Ehhh!?　A Girl!?”

　This is going to be troublesome.

“Oh, by the way ……, from now on, each day, people who will come…….”

“Yes, that’s right. Starting tomorrow, Shiro, Susan, Sally, Gen, and finally Kiyoko will come in order. All of them are women except for Gen. And, if I may say so myself, …….”

“I-I-Is there anything more?”

　Ichigo’s shoulders were shaking slightly.

“The women, in particular, all have unique …… personalities.”

“P-Personalities…you say ……. Hahaha …….”

“I’ll be sure to pass on what I’ve learned today. Ichigo-dono, I will definitely repay you for this favor one day.”

“Hahahaha …… Beh, it’s fine. I was originally planning to cover up for Hiroto.”

“Ohh ……!”

　Hearing Ichigo’s words Goukou covered his mouth with the palm of his hand as if impressed.

“As expected of …… Lord. What a wonderful friend you have. This is also the result of your virtue!”

　As soon as Ichigo heard Goukou’s words, he was annoyed and thought of Hiroto’s calm face.”

(Human virtue, huh?　Hiroto you bastard. ……)

“Ah, by the way, Goukou-san. Why didn’t you answer your name was called?”

　Ichigo asked Goukou why he didn’t answer when Mirei called his name in the morning homeroom. Afterward, he even asked Ichigo to respond when his name was called.

　In other words, Goukou knew that he should answer when his name was called.

“No, it would be disrespectful for me to respond to my Lord’s name. I really did not want to do that.”

“Ah, ……,yeah I see. Fuu, disrespectful to that Hiroto, huh. That’s right. …… Hahaha.”

　Ichigo nodded with a dry laugh.

（Is it because of this reason that I was almost disinfected? Disrespect for Hiroto is a thing ……. That guy doesn’t feel anything worthwhile. ……)

“Well, I’ll leave you here. I want to go home soon and report on today’s experience. ……”

“Ah, I understand. Please make sure you tell them well, thoroughly, and without fail!　Make sure you tell them everything, especially what I’ve said!”

“I understand. Ichigo-dono, I’ll see you later!”

　And then Goukou floated away and disappeared.

　Ichigo was surprised by Goukou’s sudden disappearance, but after a while, he let out a mature smile.

　Then …… Ichigo raised his fist.

“Goraaaaaaa!　Go home like a normal person!　What if someone was watching !!!”