Chiba City Municipal Soubu High School, Class 2-F.
As the morning sun filtered through the windows, Akiyama Ren stepped into the classroom with the quiet composure of someone who didn't need to prove himself.
He moved toward the back of the room, to the window seat that had unofficially become his own—formerly occupied by Hayama Hayato, the so-called golden boy of Class 2-F. But Hayato no longer sat there. From the moment Ren arrived, everything changed.
Hayato had tried to rope him into his circle during the first week of school. The classic popular crowd—bright smiles, empty talk. But Ren didn't bite. He didn't need to.
Even before awakening his system, Akiyama Ren wasn't someone who faded into the background. As the heir of the prestigious Adagaki family, he had always stood above the rest—tall, composed, strikingly handsome. Top of his class academically, untouchable on the sports field, and possessing an innate charm that drew people in whether he wanted it or not.
Hayama? He couldn't compare. Not in grades, not in skill, not in charisma.
So while Hayato might've ruled the class in the past, now it was Ren they whispered about in the halls.
Love letters found their way into his locker daily. Confessions came almost as often. But Akiyama Ren wasn't moved by ordinary girls with shallow crushes.
Only a few women at Soubu High could even begin to catch his interest.
Yuigahama Yui, with her hidden depths behind her bubbly front. Yukinoshita Yukino, the icy queen of logic and elegance. And of course, Hiratsuka Shizuka, the gorgeous homeroom teacher who wore dignity like armor—and stilettos like a second skin.
Ren dropped his bag onto the desk and leaned forward, resting his head on folded arms. He hadn't slept a wink the night before. Studying new spells and Jujutsu techniques had eaten through the hours.
Sure, he was a God now—he didn't need rest—but there was something soothing about pretending to be human for just a little while longer. Sleeping felt... nostalgic.
Just as his eyes were about to drift shut, the classroom door slid open.
Click.
A familiar voice called out, firm and laced with exasperation. "Akiyama."
Ren cracked open one eye to find Hiratsuka Shizuka standing over him.
"Hm? Something wrong, sensei?" he replied, voice smooth but clearly half-asleep.
Her eyebrow twitched. That laid-back tone of his always grated her nerves. But she bit back the scolding. Last night's… unusual situation still lingered fresh in her mind.
"Come with me to the office," she said, spinning on her heel.
Ren sighed and followed.
As they walked through the hallway, his eyes couldn't help but drift downward.
Shizuka-sensei's outfit was different today.
Her sharp white blouse was tucked into a tailored navy blazer. A snug black pencil skirt clung to her hips, ending just above her knees. She wore sheer stockings and a pair of red-soled heels that clicked authoritatively with every step.
She was elegance wrapped in temptation.
Ren watched the sway of her figure, his mind wandering. For someone who wielded such control in the classroom, she sure didn't realize how dangerously attractive she looked walking ahead like that...
When they arrived at the faculty office, Hiratsuka sat down and crossed one leg over the other. Her posture was strict, almost queenly.
"Why were you asleep the moment class started?" she asked, voice firm.
Ren rubbed the back of his neck lazily. "You dropped me off past one in the morning, remember? Took a shower, got to bed around two. Didn't fall asleep until nearly three. Woke up before six. You do the math."
Of course, he left out the part about studying magic for seven straight hours.
Shizuka blinked, momentarily flustered as memories of last night came rushing back. Her cheeks colored faintly, but she quickly masked it.
"Well… fine. I'll let the sleeping slide this once," she said, clearing her throat. "But that's not why I called you here. You still haven't joined a club, have you?"
"Clubs are a waste of time," Ren said flatly, slouching in his chair. "Pointless socializing. I don't need it."
"Maybe you don't," Shizuka replied, pulling out a form. "But clubs teach important life skills. Cooperation. Leadership. Engagement with others. That sort of thing."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "You don't actually believe that, do you?"
"I do. And that's why I've signed you up for one." She handed him the paper.
Ren glanced at the form.
Soubu High School—Volunteer Service Club.
He blinked, then laughed.
"Seriously? You're throwing me in there?"
That club—small, obscure, practically forgotten—was created and led by Yukinoshita Yukino, the famous ice princess herself. A place where students could come seeking help, only to be met with blunt truths and brutal honesty.
The ideal setting for someone like her.
The complete opposite of someone like him.
He wasn't some benevolent protagonist out to fix everyone's lives. In his past life, he'd watched this exact anime unfold—and all he remembered was how the Service Club kept saving ungrateful brats who turned on them the moment things got tough. No rewards. No appreciation. Just unnecessary drama.
Ren tossed the form onto the teacher's desk.
"I'm not joining," he said coolly. "If Sensei insists I need to be in a club, I'd rather just start my own."
A visible tick formed on Hiratsuka Shizuka's forehead.
"You little punk!" she barked, slamming a hand down. "You think you can just walk in here and reject orders from a teacher?!"
Ren gave her a lazy shrug. "You could try forcing me. But… I wouldn't recommend that."
"Oh?" Her tone dropped. "Is that a challenge, Akiyama?"
A fire lit in her eyes—a spark Ren recognized all too well.
"If you think you're that tough," he said, lips tugging into a smug grin, "let's spar."
That was all it took.
Shizuka's chair screeched back as she stood up, cracking her knuckles with dangerous enthusiasm. "Come on, boy!"
Without another word, she grabbed Ren by the collar and dragged him to the Martial Arts Club's training hall.
After changing into gi uniforms, the two faced each other on the mat.
Shizuka cracked her neck and smiled fiercely. "Last chance. Back out now, and I'll go easy on you."
Ren merely hooked a finger at her. "You'll be kissing the floor in one move."
That was it. The final straw.
With a shout, Hiratsuka launched herself forward and spun into a powerful downward kick.
But Ren was already gone, sidestepping with effortless grace.
In the same motion, he turned on his heel and delivered a swift horizontal whip kick.
Wham!
Shizuka barely raised her arms in time to block, but the force sent her sprawling across the mat.
Ren walked over and looked down at her, expression unreadable. "Told you it'd only take one."
"You arrogant little…!" Shizuka growled, springing to her feet and attacking again with renewed fury.
But no matter how many punches she threw or kicks she launched, Ren dodged them all—calm, composed, and utterly untouchable.
Ten minutes later, she stood hunched over, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. Ren, meanwhile, hadn't even broken a sweat.
"You're… seriously a monster…" she muttered, collapsing onto the mat with a defeated groan.
Ren sat down beside her, still smiling. "So, about that club?"
"You don't have to join the Service Club," she muttered. "But you're still joining something."
"Fair enough," Ren said, rising to his feet. "I'll just create my own."
After all, what kind of Deity would follow someone else's orders?
***************
Yukinoshita Yukino