Chapter 100

"Actually, I do have a few questions I'd like to ask. Could I speak with you alone, Mr. Levi?"

So, it wasn't for me? She just happened to meet Levi and then... No! That's strange, Rin stared at the new student whose face revealed nothing. Meeting a teacher in their home, dressed in casual clothes, or a classmate in their pajamas, either situation should be shocking. But from Izumi Kotonoha's reaction, did she know about this already? And she and Levi don't even know each other, wouldn't it be more convenient and natural to ask her homeroom teacher for help with academic or personal issues?

"This..."

"Miss Izumi, don't worry, if you have any questions, just discuss them with him."

Rin nodded slightly at Levi's questioning gaze, then stood up from the sofa and said to the new student, turning to go upstairs directly. Since there was no Heroic Spirit to help, the genius magician girl had multiple ways to easily listen to the conversation in the living room from her room, which would help her figure out why Izumi Kotonoha was here and clear up all the questions in her mind.

"Miss Izumi Kotonoha, please speak."

Now only Levi and the transfer student were left in the living room.

"Please forgive my rudeness..."

"Wait, although I am your teacher and you are my student, there's no need to be so formal. It's easier to communicate casually, right?"

Levi always preferred a relaxed and pleasant way of communication. Haven't you seen his students dare to joke with him, even attack him with dictionaries and other weapons?

"Huh? Is there something wrong with my acting? Or did you understand me so well just from our first meeting? Your ability to see through the surface to the essence is truly impressive. No wonder you have so many lolis at home, and they're all tsundere or emotionless, really high-level bosses! I admire you so much, Mr. Levi, please accept my worship!"

...

His facial muscles twitched, and Levi struggled to force a smile, but it probably didn't look like one at all. The sudden change from the small, reserved girl to one who was jumping around and gesturing wildly was too much. Was this her true nature? Levi finally understood the unsettling feeling he had sensed from her before. So, this transfer student, Izumi Kotonoha, had been acting all along?

"Ah ha~ Are you looking at me with those eyes, teacher, thinking of conquering me? You already have so much experience, please spare this little girl."

Huff... Huff... Huff...

Three deep breaths, they say, can quickly calm a person. After trying it, Levi found it did have some effect. At least he had decided to ignore the small girl's rambling.

"Ah, it's already so late. Students should go to bed early. If there's nothing else, Miss Izumi, you should go home quickly. The neighborhood isn't safe at night."

If she weren't a student at No. 2 High School and Rin's classmate, Levi would have teleported her to the woods. In the long time since she entered, he had already used his senses to thoroughly investigate Izumi Kotonoha. No magic, no qi, just slightly better muscle development than other girls her age, suggesting she might be good at sports. Apart from any connection to the Holy Grail War, there was no reason for an ordinary student to visit a teacher of a different class late at night, except to cause trouble. Levi couldn't think of any other reason.

"Sigh~ So, you're taking me off the conquest list? Romance is really not for me, but it's nice to witness a teacher-student romance."

"I and Rin are just ordinary senior and junior relations, nothing like what you're thinking. Also, don't sneak around outside the student council office anymore. If you get caught as a thief, I won't have time to bail you out."

When he had sensed Izumi Kotonoha's aura earlier, Levi had a vague sense of familiarity. Hearing Rin mentioned, he immediately remembered the suspicious person he had noticed in the hallway during lunch at the student council office. A few students had been caught eavesdropping, peeping, and taking photos out of admiration for the student council president, so he had assumed this was another one of Rin's crazy fans.

"Wow, you really can't be fooled, Toré. Hartnett."

"Toré? You know that guy?"

The name of the person Eve had been looking for, coming from an ordinary transfer student, made Levi stand up abruptly.

"Not Toré? But Eve was... Ah! Could it have been 'Golden Darkness'!?"

Izumi Kotonoha muttered to herself, and the surprised Levi took a step forward, hesitating about how to deal with this increasingly mysterious girl. Should he grab her and threaten her? She hadn't shown any hostility, and she was a student at No. 2 High School.

"Uh, Mr. Levi, please don't get excited. I absolutely, absolutely have no intention of harming you. I don't know any magic, superpowers, or martial arts. I'm just an ordinary second-year high school student!"

Finally noticing Levi's expression, Izumi Kotonoha shrank into the sofa, making her already small frame seem even tinier, almost making Levi look like a bully.

"Speak. Who are you, and why are you here? We'll decide what to do with you based on the specifics. Hmph."

Izumi Kotonoha's appearance made it hard for Levi to decide how to handle her. But he needed to get to the bottom of things. After delivering a stern warning, he sat back on the sofa, resting his chin in his hands, looking like a stern judge.

Huff...

This time, it was Izumi Kotonoha's turn to use deep breaths to calm herself. Reflecting on it, she regretted her rashness. Everything was still uncertain, and she had come here based on mere speculation. If she had encountered a bad person, she could have been captured and interrogated... Kotonoha didn't dare to think further. She organized her thoughts and, this time, not acting, she told everything like a good, obedient child.

"Actually, I'm from another world."

After saying this, Kotonoha secretly glanced at Levi's expression. Seeing no surprise, she continued.

"I don't belong to this world. I have no memory of how I got here. One day, I was sleeping at home, and the next morning, I woke up to find the entire world had changed. My father was still the same, but the house was different. I had never heard of School Island, but it felt like I had lived there for a long time, even remembering the names of small shops in the shopping district. The history, culture, and structure of this world were like they had been forced into my mind."

Levi gestured for the blue-haired girl to pause, then went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, realizing he hadn't fulfilled his duty as a host.

"Thank you. The kitchen... When I left my room, I saw my mother in the kitchen! She had already passed away when I was very young, but I never thought I would see her again. She prepared breakfast and a lunch box for me as if she did it every day. Before I left, she reminded me of the address of the new school and not to be late. I couldn't believe any of this was real until I walked out the door. Was it a dream? Or was my previous memory just a dream?"

The small girl held the teacup, staring blankly at the green tea that was still slightly rippling, as if she was still struggling to distinguish reality from illusion.