"Prince Onii-chan, what are you doing at our school?"
Lunch break, rooftop. Shichen sat with two "school idol"–level beauties, the three of them forming a triangle.
The two girls had totally different vibes: one was blonde with twin-tails, the other had long straight black hair flowing down her back.
The blonde twin-tail girl looked a bit younger, her skin smooth like white porcelain. Her cherry-pink lips shone slightly when she spoke, and a tiny fang would peek out now and then—ridiculously cute.
The black-haired girl looked more mature. Every glance and expression carried a kind of allure, her complexion fair with a healthy flush. If she weren't wearing a uniform, anyone who didn't know her would assume she was already an adult. Even in uniform, her figure was hard to miss.
These were Toyogasaki Private Academy's two most famous "school idols": Eriri Spencer Sawamura and Utaha Kasumigaoka. They were the kind of girls everyone liked—boys and girls alike.
But lately the "school idol" count had started to feel… inflated.
With Tohka transferring in, plus Origami and the others, the campus was basically overflowing with standout girls. They were all at the perfect age for school, and Shichen felt it would be a waste not to let them experience it. The fun of school is something you only really understand after you've lived it—and you can't fully appreciate it while you're still in it.
Even Sawa was attending school now. She looked younger than she had any right to, basically a "Youthful Beautiful Girl," and she didn't need to spend all day monitoring neighborhoods for trouble anymore. Better to come to class than sit around bored at home.
Kurumi still did her "night justice" routine, though. Some nights she'd wander out and deal with bad guys when she happened to find them. Shichen often went with her—together they'd gotten a nickname in certain circles: "the night duo." It wasn't mainstream fame, just something petty criminals whispered about.
Among the group, Shichen had arranged school for almost everyone—except Mio and Reine, and Nia.
Nia was still a working manga artist. She complained about deadlines like it was the end of the world, but she did have talent—her drafts got accepted easily. Shichen thought it'd be stranger if she didn't succeed, considering the "inspiration" she drew from.
Reine shared work with Tohru, and Mio was busy adjusting to this time period and figuring out how to fit into Shichen's world properly.
Kotori stayed in middle school, following the timeline naturally—she'd eventually graduate and become Tohka's underclassman.
As for Natsumi, since she looked young, Shichen put her and Yoshino into elementary school together so they'd have company.
Eriri, cheeks pink, looked genuinely happy. "So you were just bored at the shop and came to see us?"
Shichen popped a bite of tamagoyaki into his mouth and nodded. "Yeah. The shop was quiet."
Utaha sighed dramatically. "I thought you came to help me ditch class."
"Ditch what class?" Shichen shot her a look. "Go study."
Utaha waved a hand. "I'm ranked first in the grade. I can skip and it won't matter."
"That's not the point," Shichen said seriously. "School isn't only about grades. It's learning how to get along with people, how to live, how to enjoy this part of your life."
Utaha clicked her tongue. "Listen to you. You sound like an old man."
"Either way," Shichen said, "no skipping."
Utaha smirked. "You're forgetting you've dragged me out before."
"That was different."
"Hypocrite."
Shichen narrowed his eyes and fired back with a teasing line that clearly referred to something very personal from the night before.
Utaha's face instantly went red.
Eriri froze. "W-Wait—what did you just say?!"
Shichen coughed and smoothly changed the subject. "Anyway. Eat. You still have class after this."
"Right…"
Utaha leaned in, enjoying Eriri's reaction. "Eriri looks very interested."
"I-I'm not!" Eriri stammered, red as a tomato.
Utaha grinned. "Want details? So you can… prepare."
Eriri's eyes flicked toward Shichen, unmistakably curious.
Shichen shot Utaha a warning look. "Stop stirring trouble."
Utaha laughed lightly. "I'm helping you, you know."
"Why is everyone more invested in my love life than I am?" Shichen groaned. "Even Chisato's trying to 'help' lately. What is it with you people?"
Utaha smiled sweetly. "We just understand you."
"Eat," Shichen said, and casually stuffed a piece of fried chicken into Utaha's mouth to shut her up.
Utaha rolled her eyes while chewing. "Great. Now I'm reminded of an… unfortunate experience."
Eriri blurted, "What experience?"
Utaha glanced at Eriri. "Still too early for you."
Eriri puffed up. "Who says?! I know things!"
Utaha raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then you must've learned from… certain movies or manga."
Eriri choked and couldn't answer.
Utaha, clearly enjoying herself, said something even more suggestive—enough that Shichen sighed in defeat.
"You really say everything out loud," he muttered.
Utaha shrugged. "We're basically family sooner or later. Don't tell me you don't have any thoughts about Eriri."
Eriri looked at Shichen with shining eyes. "I-Is that… true?"
Shichen didn't dodge. "Yeah. I do like you."
"Prince Onii-chan…" Eriri's eyes actually watered. Hearing it so directly made her ridiculously happy.
"But," Shichen added, "it's not time yet."
Eriri blinked. "Huh?"
Shichen looked at her carefully. "Eriri, you met me a long time ago, didn't you?"
Eriri nodded softly. "Seven years ago… I ran into you."
"Exactly," Shichen said. "But I haven't met that you yet. So I need to go."
"Go where?"
"Back seven years."
After lunch, once Utaha and Eriri returned to class, Shichen used his time ability and jumped back seven years. That had been his real purpose all along—not just Eriri's thread, but also Chisato's.
…
Seven years ago, the city still only had one radio tower.
Shichen stood there, staring at it, feeling oddly emotional. In the future, he and Chisato would end up on that tower more than once.
He swept his gaze around. Everything felt older—less developed, almost like a period drama compared to the present.
Then—
Bang.
A faint gunshot.
It came from the tower.
Shichen's eyes sharpened. "So it's started."
He vanished.
The moment he reached the tower, the gunfire became deafening—rapid shots, sparks, smoke, figures moving fast through the haze.
And in the middle of it all, he caught sight of a small figure darting through the smoke—white-blonde short hair shining even in the chaos.
Chisato.
~~~
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