Arriving at school, which only took about five minutes on foot, Tanaka looked around his new environment—Daijuni Junior High School. The campus was fairly large and well-maintained, but it still couldn't compare to elite schools with massive funding like Shuchiin Academy or Hyakkaou Private Academy.
As he observed the surroundings, his gaze shifted toward the school right next to it—an all-girls academy known as Kikyo Private Academy.
Daijuni is just a normal co-ed school… but being right next to an all-girls academy? Tanaka thought. Feels like there's some kind of story behind that.
He shrugged lightly and pushed the thought aside before walking toward the school gate.
There, he noticed several students standing neatly by the entrance, greeting everyone who entered. They all wore armbands labeled "Student Council."
Pretty hardworking, Tanaka thought casually.
As if sensing his gaze, one of them stepped forward and approached him.
"Hello, student. Are you a freshman?" she asked politely.
Tanaka nodded. "Yes. How may I help you?"
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Sona Sitri, the student council president," she introduced herself calmly. "We've been instructed to guide freshmen. Please head directly to the gymnasium for the welcome ceremony—it's that way."
She pointed in a specific direction.
"I see. Thank you for the guidance. It's nice to meet you, President," Tanaka replied with a respectful nod before heading off.
However, as he walked away, Tanaka glanced back from the corner of his eye and noticed that Sona Sitri was still staring at his back.
Hah… first day, and I've already caught the attention of something interesting, he thought.
As someone with divine power, even without actively using it, Tanaka could naturally perceive auras and spiritual presence. And the people standing at the gate—especially that student council president—definitely weren't normal humans.
It wasn't the first time he had seen beings like that, but it was the first time he had interacted with one so directly.
Still, he didn't dwell on it too much. Compared to his family, who could communicate with literal gods, encountering non-human entities wasn't something that would shake him.
Soon, he arrived at the gymnasium.
Looking at it, he couldn't help but remember the days he spent constantly going in and out of places like this, practicing basketball without rest. The echoes of bouncing balls and squeaking shoes felt almost real in his mind.
But that life… was over.
Pushing those thoughts away, he stepped inside and scanned the area. It didn't take long for him to spot Anna, who stood out easily as she chatted energetically with her friends from middle school who also attended the same school.
Seeing that she was doing fine, Tanaka quietly found an empty seat and sat down. He pulled out his phone and casually scrolled through it while waiting for the ceremony to begin.
After some time, students started filling the seats around him. When someone sat beside him, Tanaka put away his phone and glanced to his right.
There, he saw a small boy—really small compared to others—with black hair and long bangs covering one eye. His posture was hunched, and his overall presence felt gloomy.
If Tanaka couldn't see auras, he might have thought the guy had some kind of dark or negative energy surrounding him. But in reality, his aura was quite normal… even good.
Ah… just one of those phases, Tanaka thought.
Still, he found himself curious.
"Hey, nice to meet you. My name is Tanaka," he said casually.
The boy flinched slightly, clearly surprised, but instead of responding, he lowered his head as if trying to avoid attention altogether.
Seeing that reaction, Tanaka couldn't help but find it a bit amusing. He reached out and lightly tapped the boy's shoulder.
The boy jolted and looked up at him.
"What's your name?" Tanaka asked.
The boy hesitated, visibly nervous, before speaking in a barely audible voice.
"U-Um… I-I'm… Ichikawa K-Kyotaro…"
"Nice to meet you, Ichikawa-kun," Tanaka said with a nod.
Then he turned to his left—
And immediately froze.
Sitting there was a familiar figure with blonde hair and a devilish grin stretched across his face, staring at him like he had just pulled off something brilliant.
"Kekeke… fancy seeing you here, Tanaka," he said.
"Yoichi?! What are you doing here!?" Tanaka exclaimed in genuine shock. He had felt a familiar aura earlier but assumed it was Anna—never expecting it to be him.
"Kekeke… there's nothing I don't know," Yoichi said, casually waving a notebook in his hand.
Yoichi Hiruma.
Tanaka's best friend from Yukigaoka.
His former teammate.
You could even say they were childhood friends.
They first met when they were kids, in a rather ridiculous situation. Tanaka's grandmother had tried to exorcise Yoichi, believing him to be some kind of devil. Instead of being scared like a normal child, Yoichi laughed, mocked her, and even provoked her further.
It took quite a while before they realized that he wasn't possessed at all—he was just a kid who naturally acted like a devil.
Even so, his grandmother didn't let him off easily. She scolded him so harshly that he nearly cried, and Tanaka still remembered coming home to see that scene.
That had been their first meeting.
And somehow, after that… they became inseparable.
"I live with my grandparents here in Meguro," Yoichi continued as they walked toward their classroom after the welcome ceremony. "After your grandmother told me you were here, I transferred. Kekeke…"
Tanaka narrowed his eyes slightly.
Of course.
It wasn't a coincidence that they ended up in the same school and in the same class—this was definitely something Yoichi had arranged.
"That notebook again, huh…" Tanaka sighed. "You really haven't changed. Still digging up information and twisting things to get what you want."
Yoichi's grin widened.
"Kekeke… information is power, Tanaka. And power… is everything."
Tanaka shook his head, but a small smile formed on his face.
Some things really never change.
For the first day of school, it was nothing more than simple introductions and a few speeches from the teachers. There wasn't anything particularly exciting, but it was enough to set the atmosphere for the start of their school life.
Tanaka's class was 1-S, the so-called star class of the first years. It seemed like the school placed students with certain potential or backgrounds here, though Tanaka didn't think too deeply about it.
Meanwhile, Anna ended up in Class 1-A. Her grades weren't bad at all, but with her modeling work starting to pick up, she couldn't fully focus on academics.
When it came to seating arrangements, Tanaka found himself placed in what many would call the delinquent seat—the very back of the classroom. It was a spot naturally hidden from the teacher's direct view, especially with taller students sitting in front.
In short, it was the perfect blind spot.
Beside him, of course, was Yoichi. On his other side sat a guy who looked like he had already grown tired of life despite their age.
If Tanaka remembered correctly, this guy was Hikigaya Hachiman.
His introduction earlier had been… unique, to say the least. In just a few sentences, he had successfully dropped his social standing in the class straight to the bottom. And yet, instead of looking embarrassed, he seemed oddly satisfied.
In fact, after finishing, he almost looked like he was glowing with satisfaction, his aura stabilizing as if he had achieved something important.
People are really strange, Tanaka thought.
Still, he ended up chatting with Hikigaya a bit and quickly realized that the guy was genuinely like that. Despite his attitude, there was a certain honesty to him—and in his own way, he was actually kind.
When lunchtime came, Tanaka didn't eat much. A simple yakisoba and a cold drink were more than enough for him.
With plenty of free time left, he casually chatted with Yoichi while scrolling through his phone, occasionally showing him interesting things he found online.
It wasn't long before something caught their attention.
Shangri-La Frontier, or SLF.
It was a virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game—a VRMMORPG set in a vast open world. The story revolved around descendants of space travelers from thousands of years ago, blending a medieval fantasy setting with advanced science-fiction elements. The game was filled with unexplored areas, unknown monsters, and hidden scenarios that players were still uncovering.
"This game looks pretty interesting," Tanaka said as he read through the details.
SLF had only been released for a few months, yet it already had over 120 million active players, making it the most popular game in the market. It was highly praised not only by players but also by professionals for its compatibility with the AmuSphere and other full-dive VR devices.
Tanaka had never really tried VR gaming before. The one time he played a computer game—League—his divine power reacted strangely to it. That was before he started playing basketball, and since then, he had avoided games altogether.
"Kekeke… SLF, huh?" Yoichi smirked. "I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard it's fun. Why not give it a shot, Tanaka? It doesn't even require physical movement. And I've got an extra device at home you can use."
Yoichi didn't know the full reason why Tanaka quit basketball. All he knew was that his parents had stopped him from playing. Even with all his information-gathering, he couldn't uncover the real truth—but as Tanaka's best friend, he wanted to see him enjoy life again.
And VR games… were a good way to start.
Tanaka didn't agree immediately. Instead, he continued researching the game, carefully reading through articles, forums, and reviews. At the same time, he subtly used his divine power to sense if there was anything dangerous about it.
He still remembered the incident years ago—the Sword Art Online death game—and he wasn't about to jump into something similar without caution.
But the more he looked into it, the more he noticed something unusual.
This game… carried a sense of good fortune.
It wasn't something easily explained, but from what he could perceive, SLF didn't feel dangerous at all. If anything, it felt… promising.
By the time there were only five minutes left before lunch break ended, Tanaka looked at Yoichi and gave a small nod.
"Alright… I'll try it."
He didn't say it with excitement, but there was a hint of curiosity in his voice. For now, he truly intended to just try it—his only concern being how his divine power would react.
Soon, the school day came to an end.
Even though Tanaka hadn't made any close friends yet, he had formed a few acquaintances, and that was enough for now. For some reason, he felt that the people he met today would become important to him in the future.
On their way home, Tanaka introduced Anna to Yoichi. The two got along surprisingly well, especially with Anna's outgoing personality. However, her slight fear of men created a small but noticeable distance between them.
Still, it wasn't anything serious.
Yoichi lived only a few blocks away from Tanaka's aunt's house, so they decided to stop by his place first.
After all—
Tonight would be Tanaka's first time playing Shangri-La Frontier.
-End-