Chapter 8

As he was about to step into the train station, a newspaper on a nearby newsstand caught Aoba's attention.

He saw a large photo on the front page, featuring several people galloping on a racetrack.

Aoba's heart stirred, and he stopped in front of the newsstand.

Horse betting? Maybe this is a good way to make money!

Thinking this, Aoba bought all the newspapers related to horse betting, bundled them up, put them in his backpack, and then walked into the train station.

The people on the train saw a strange scene: a high school student in a school uniform reading a horse betting newspaper, something usually only middle-aged men would read.

Several girls wearing the same private Seikawa High School uniform as Aoba were pointing at him and whispering, but Aoba didn't care at all.

With his backpack bulging from the newspapers, some even sticking out, and another newspaper in his hand, Aoba walked into the school, deep in thought, clearly reflecting on the information about horse betting he had just read in the newspaper.

After entering the classroom and sitting down at his desk, Aoba felt someone's gaze and looked to the side.

A boy wearing glasses was looking at him with a strange expression.

Aoba smiled friendly, and the boy, who had been somewhat flustered at being caught, calmed down a bit and returned the smile.

Aoba remembered this boy with glasses, not because he had been chosen as the class president due to his excellent grades yesterday, but because he had been looking at him with that strange expression since yesterday.

As for his name, what was it again?

Just as Aoba was trying to recall the boy's name, the boy, as if making a decision, got up stiffly and walked towards Aoba.

"Good morning, Uesugi-kun," the boy greeted, a bit nervously.

"Good morning, Class President! Can I ask your name?" Aoba asked.

"I'm Ishihara Yuma, please take care of me," the boy introduced himself.

"Oh, so you're Ishihara Yuma-kun," Aoba nodded.

"Wait, didn't I already introduce myself yesterday?" Ishihara Yuma asked, puzzled.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention then," Aoba said nonchalantly.

"Uesugi-kun is quite a unique person," Ishihara Yuma said with a somewhat forced smile.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Aoba replied with a smile.

The two chatted aimlessly for a while, and Ishihara Yuma casually asked, "Uesugi-kun, do you believe in ghosts?"

"Maybe! Who knows!" Aoba answered ambiguously, his heart stirring.

They talked for a bit longer, and as the bell rang, Ishihara Yuma turned and returned to his seat, while Aoba looked at him thoughtfully.

Teacher Mizuki Yuka was lecturing at the front of the class, but Aoba was openly reading a newspaper at his desk.

He spread out the rolled-up newspapers from his backpack on the desk, holding one open with both hands, legs crossed, as if sitting on a sofa at home, reading the information about horse betting seriously.

Unfortunately, this was not at home but in class, so his behavior drew a lot of attention. Not only did the surrounding students look at him and whisper, but Mizuki Yuka at the front of the class also kept glancing at him.

However, Aoba seemed oblivious to the teacher's gaze and continued reading the newspaper without restraint.

So, not long after the class started, teacher Mizuki Yuka could no longer tolerate his behavior.

"Uesugi Aoba-kun, please don't read newspapers in class, okay?" Mizuki Yuka said, standing in front of Aoba, her voice suppressing her anger.

"Why? I don't seem to be disturbing anyone's learning, do I?" Aoba frowned, looking up at Mizuki Yuka with dissatisfaction.

Unnoticed by him, that dissatisfaction triggered a killing aura, which instantly burst out of his body.

The killing aura of a former emperor, who had caused countless massacres, flashed and was quickly reined in by Aoba, but even that brief leakage was too much for an ordinary person to bear.

Thus, the previously fierce Mizuki Yuka, her legs giving out, plopped down on the ground, and tears involuntarily streamed down her face.

Indeed, Mizuki Yuka was scared to tears.

Aoba inwardly cursed his trouble.

However, before he could do anything, Mizuki Yuka, who had been scared stiff by the killing aura, regained her ability to move as Aoba reined it in.

But the shock from that moment was not easily calmed, and without the suppression of the killing aura, it erupted completely. Mizuki Yuka let out a loud cry and, getting up from the ground, ran out of the classroom.

Fortunately, Aoba's killing aura had only been directed at her, otherwise the whole class would have been scared to tears.

However, the class clearly didn't know the truth. They only saw the teacher being driven to tears and running away by Aoba, and as Mizuki Yuka rushed out of the classroom, the whole class erupted in a buzz of chatter.

Aoba didn't pay attention to what the class was saying. He just shook his head helplessly at Mizuki Yuka, who had been scared to tears, got up, and followed her out of the classroom.

Under the eaves outside the teaching building, Mizuki Yuka was sitting on the steps, wiping her tears and sobbing softly.

Having just graduated, she still had the idealistic air of a student, determined to be a good teacher who could be friends with her students. Who knew that on her first day of teaching, she would be scared to tears by a student.

Mizuki Yuka felt useless, and the thought of it made her cry even harder.

At that moment, something cool suddenly touched her face, startling her, and a voice asked, "Do you want to drink?"

She then saw that it was a can of iced oolong tea pressed against her face, and the person offering it was Aoba, who had scared her to tears.

Seeing Aoba, Mizuki Yuka instinctively recalled the fear from just now, but it was quickly replaced by a sense of shame and anger.

As a teacher, she had been scared to tears by a student's glare, which was incredibly embarrassing.

Mizuki Yuka said, "I'll drink it," and snatched the oolong tea from Aoba, gulping it down.