Vol 1 Chapter 1 (1/2)

Night 1: Usarin-kakka's Daily Edict

From ★ Usarin

To ★ Sensei

Subject ★ Edict

Body ★ hello, Usarin here I know that you should be the busiest during after class hours, but, since you said that I could text

you whenever I pleased, that’s what I’, just lecture me, okay? I’m currently at home Are

you still in school? If you think it’s too e, but, if you’re free, do reply! I’ll

be waiting!

From ★ Sensei

To ★ Milady Usarin

Subject ★ In the middle of a teacher’s conference

Body ★ I’-winded I’ cup after cup of

coffee… But, that wouldn’t be good forup? 'Cause, if there is, then this Sakaki Guryū

will hightail out of here right away It’s not like I’ll be , anyway, don’t worry

From ★ Usarin

To ★ Sensei

Subject ★ Edict 2

Body ★ Ehh~ You’re in a et straight to the point, then: After youradjourns later, please, come over to my house, sensei Do you remember what day it is? November 11th… It’s your birthday!

It’s irand at my house, so, I’ve only prepared a cake for you If you’re free – and I mean really free –

please, co!

If words were used to describe Kannonsakazaki Private High School teacher Sakaki Guryū, they would probably be soenius,” “stunning” – you could probably list out every positive adjective you knew and compare them to Sakaki, and none of them would seem out of place, because he was perhaps thethe closest resemblance to God Terms like “Godlike,” “flawless,” and “one-of-a-kind” seemed to match him – the pinnacle of human evolution, Sakaki Guryū

Obtaining a doctorate at twelve, skilled in all fields, being hailed as the reincarnation of Leonardo Da Vinci – not only was he intellectually gifted, he was physically talented, too Aikido wastime, but soon he found his way into the Olys of the brush shook worlds The titles “The Best,” ”The Finest,” and ”The Greatest,” seemed to perfectly suit hianization (the lynchpin of the japanese economy) to which he was heir, it seemed that he had already succeeded in life Failure was clearly not on the menu

However, Sakaki had a weakness - no, more of a problem actually This “problem” was the reason hen he was nineteen, he went down to the countryside and started teaching at the private high school he used to attend This was also why he no longer concentrated in literature, arts, or sports It was a “probleanization was powerless to deal with

Yes, it was a “probleawa Rinne

She was a norirl that Sakaki loved, was obsessed with, even In fact, you could even say that Sakaki worshi+ped the very ground she walked on

It was because of her that Sakaki Guryū had strayed from the path of the elite

Hoping to spend more time with her, Sakaki decided to become a teacher in her school All other literary, artistic, and sports matters, which were merely ways to pass the time in the first place, were put on indefinite hold All of her living expenses, including her apartment's rent, water and electricity bills, tuition fees and pocket money, were fully sponsored out of Sakaki’s pocket In short, he was her ”Daddy-Long-Legs”

Since there was nothing wrong with that nicknaed it

“What a waste of talent! What the hell are you doing?! Resign fro proper instead!” These ords uttered by people who didn’t know Sakaki’s feelings: in other words, pointless words of advice To Sakaki, there was so a thesis which overturned the olda world cha a name for himself as one of thethe day with Usagawa Rinne, doing ordinary stuff, living an ordinary life That was true happiness to him

Priorities did, after all, differ from person to person

And so did happiness

The head teacher stood up and began e delinquency and the current state of social safety, about how they were a threat to society, and what a better world it would be if they were all rounded up and expelled Fro but a peaceful discussion

What was he angry about? Was his anger genuinely about the degeneration of society? That was highly unlikely – the Head Teacher was probably just pissed, that’s all! pissed at the fact that nobody wished hi” today, pissed at the students who secretly called hier, he was directing his hatred towards all teenagers in general

“Boring,” Sakaki said softly

It was indeed boring – everything was Due to the low birth rate and a new policy to prioritize senior citizens introduced by politicians, the school was becohts were not turned on, resulting in theextre them took too much money Snobbish politicians prioritized elderly citizens, hoping for a higher voter turnout Even if the school’s fortunes were rapidly declining, there was still no reason to pin it on the student Plus, there was nothing wrong with being poor, Sakaki reasoned

Looking at Usagawa Rinne made him think that way

Huain happiness by fulfilling their own goals Even if someone owned a lot of property, if he felt that he hadn’t achieved his own goal and was unhappy, then he would, of course, be unhappy! Si as she felt she was happy, then, of course, she would be happy! “He,” in this case, referred to Sakaki before he awa Rinne “She,” in this case, referred to Rinne

Rinne was extreh she had to work hard to make ends meet, she still bravely lived on She ot to meet her – Sakaki - must also be equally happy

Sakaki, as previously listening to thein a corner, shi+fted his attention towards his cell phone upon receiving Rinne’s e

The Head Teacher was still going on loudly about so out loud like that in the winter will evidently give hiht this as he withdrew the vibrating cell phone froh the Head Teacher visibly frowned at this, Sakaki pretended not to notice as he indifferently began replying to thetable

The Head Teacher immediately reprimanded him

“Sakaki-sensei, please refrain fro…”

“I apologize”

Sakaki said softly, while stilla conceited attitude

“I previously evaluated which was e I acted according to the order of iize”

Sakaki haughtily – or should we say arrogantly - silenced the Head Teacher The Head Teacher coughed, as if wanting to display an air of strictness and continued talking

Not too long after, Sakaki’s phone made a “Rat-Tat-Tat” sound as it vibrated on the table It seee Sakaki naturally reached for his phone

The Head Teacher, as in theeverywhere, “Sakaki-sensei…”

“…I’entnow Oh yeah, you, Head Teacher, ht Only list down the points; there shouldn’t benow”

“Wha---”

Seeing the Head Teacher’s face darken, Sakaki ient business to settle now Don’t forget, this school is under the jurisdiction of the Sakaki Organization, and the teacher’s union is also funded by it, so I think that those who sit down and quietly listen are the bright ones”

Sakaki stood up afterwards Full of rage at being humiliated, the Head Teacher’s face was red as a toaze Nodding at the other teachers, ere rendered speechless, Sakaki turned and left theShe should bestrides echoed in the empty hallways

Sakaki’s elegant stride would often irls would even point at hi to say “unbelievable!”

Be it a guy or girl, all who saw his elegant demeanor would be robbed of the ability to think for a few seconds, stopping in their tracks to marvel at him Of course, “hi his way to Usagawa Rinne’s apartnored the stares of the crowd and walked ahead

His blonde hair, inherited from his Aht This was in addition to a series of proper facial features and a perfectly proportioned body Disliking outlandish outfits, Sakaki frequently wore a suit, save for occasions where he went to Rinne’s place Every ti fancy, he would be mistaken as a celebrity, soraph! Givetowards hih school teacher’s signature?” Even though he had a celebrity-like nanature), it didn’t mean he was a celebrity!

Since this was a countryside town, the crowds began to thin as soon as Sakaki left the , dark, uneven path, as he made his way to Rinne's apartment He could have reached her place faster with a bike or car, but since Sakaki wanted to avoid his perfect hair (which took hi o on foot Besides, Rinne’s apart at his new, handpicked clothes, Sakaki wondered, Do these clothes suitclothesa suit to a party was si up with it Plus, wearing a suit often gave him a “teacher-ish” aura Whenever he was alone with Rinne, Sakaki hoped to shed his teacher “shell”, and be himself with her

It was quite a distance froe fields were left abandoned without apparent reason, some ooden houses erected on theave one a sense of antiquity, as if time had suddenly stopped

Just as Sakaki wasa couple of pointless observations…

“Hey there, young sir…”

A voice drifted out frouous in the extreme - he couldn't even tell if was it the falsetto of a man or the contralto of a woman

Sakaki turned towards the source of the voice and saw a s stall in the middle of the field

But could that even pass as a stall? A purple round with nails, while a robe clad figure sat atop it silently The figure’s face was hidden by a long hood,it impossible to tell if the wearer was a e, crystal ball on theThere was also a sn placed on the , 100 yen”

“Fortune telling…?”

Why would a fortune teller be in such a place? Shouldn’t they be in a shopping district or so in the countryside anyway? And could one reallywith a measly 100 yen per fortune? Many questions surfaced in Sakaki’s mind This was a suspicious trader indeed

The mysterious trader lifted both hands Maybe it was due to the long sleeves on the robe, but this made the trader seem positively inhu sir, fortune telling Would you like to give it a go? I’m very accurate, you know Your fortune in wealth, in love, or life in general… Or perhaps you would like to hit it big? Win a big prize? Look for so you? I can tell all sorts of fortunes!”

“Sorry, but I’m not interested”

Sakaki replied shortly, as he quickly turned his back to the fortune teller

“Wait, wait!!” The fortune teller said and hastily got up The fortune teller then proceeded to say so that made Sakaki freeze in his steps

“You won’t lose anything by just getting a reading, young sir! I sense a et rid of it soon, it is certain to bring you misfortune! You seem to be a powerful person, who doesn’t really care about what happens to himself However, this malicious aura may cause misfortune to fall upon those around you! I know you don’t want that to happen, do you? Sakaki Guryū…”

“Huh…?”

Sakaki turned his head furiously There was a crystal ball in the fortune teller’s outstretched hands as the fortune teller awa Rinne? She will be the first victim, and die a very horrible death You don’t wish such fate to befall your lover, do you, young sir? A corpse, with a gouged out eyeball…”

“You…”

Sakaki roared as he charged into the empty field, towards the stall This shady character not only knew his narabbed the fortune teller by the collar

“Ouch! Don’t do that! It hurts!” The fortune teller yelled, somewhat unemotionally Sakaki ripped open the fortune teller’s hood, revealing the face of a surprisingly young ave Sakaki the chills It was like a bug's, totally void of expression

The guy’s hair wascrimson

Sakaki hollered in a loud voice, “Who the hell are you? How do you know my and Rinne’s naoing to die? What on earth do you mean? Answer me, brat!”

“That’s why…”

The fortune teller wasn’t the least bit shaken He was also not the slightest bit attracted towards Sakaki, as he looked at hi rather like clear accessories

“… I told you to co, didn’t I? That’s what I could tell anyway I’m a fortune teller after all You will encounter a series of misfortunes after this, misfortunes which will destroy your nor forth pain and suffering! And the overture to this catastrophe, the first victiawa Rinne…”

The fortune teller said in one-breath Not pausing to draw a breath, he continued, “… She will be killed by a devil, in a brutal, inhuman way – her eye sockets will be pierced by a spoon, and her eyeballs will be gouged out! She will slowly die, with pain being the last thing registered in her brain! Because it’s such a painful way to die, I bet she’ll even hate you! Co murdered like this, I bet she would wish to have died back then, in that big, blue sea Ah, it would have been so much easier if I had died in the sea back then~ Why did you have to saveto curse you for all eternity…”

Sakaki whacked his fist into the fortune teller’s face, as if trying to stop that prediction fro true

Even after being walloped in the face, the fortune teller’s expression did not change Since he was being grabbed by the collar, he did not fall as he said, in that fe to happen in the future Punching e it”

“What the… You son of a…!”

Sakaki yelled, clearly shocked by the fortune teller’s inhuman response “Who the hell are you? What is yoursuch things? You’re saying misfortune is about to befall me? What misfortune? Why must Rinne die?”

Sakaki had no doubt that this fortune teller was a real one now, most likely due to his inhuman reaction and aura Also, Sakaki was clearly disturbed by his shi+uy was clearly not human

“We are called ‘Mushi+’”

The shady fortune teller said in the same tone

“W-We?”

“…… Yes we We do not have form, we do not have sentience We only obey orders from our superiors, a collection of individuals who have forsaken individuality We are known as ‘Mushi+’

The ‘Mushi+’ said, with ironically bug-like eyes

The purpleon seemed to shi+mmer, as if it lacked substance, as if it were ethereal What’s going on here? Is this really true? Those were the thoughts racing through Sakaki’s head

“As a ‘Mushi+’, s from the future You are to ponder upon y and try to delay the inevitable Who knows? You ht be able to avoid the worst case scenario”

“Worse case scenario?”

“The co of the devil”

The 'Mushi+' spelled out

“It could happen anytime – today, tomorrow, 10 years later, maybe even 10 seconds later However, in the end, that day will still coawa Rinne and cause the worst case scenario”

“Worst case scenario?”

“I can’t tell you”

The 'Mushi+' answered, rejecting Sakaki’s second question just like a faulty calculator failing at the last moment Did he mean to say that that was not part of his fate?

“Even though I can’t tell you, what I can say is that it would be the worst case scenario”

“Then toEven if you were to weight the Earth exploding or the universe i on the other, the scale would clearly tip towards her favor”

“That uess!”

People, after all, had different priorities The 'Mushi+' a, “In a situation like this, it doesn’t matter what you hold as the worst case scenario After all, if Usagawa Rinne isn’t murdered by the devil, then the worst case scenario will never occur So try to keep it that way”

The 'Mushi+' brushed Sakaki’s hand away, as he ruh a siant egg and cupped it in both hands

What kind of egg was that? It was slightly smaller than a hu It had a white base and, as if wanting to look less dull, had red and green patterns on it However, these patterns see someone had painted on it

Of course, this was no egg a bird, reptile, amphibian or insect could ever lay

What was this egg? And as the fortune teller holding it?

The 'Mushi+' carefully raised the egg, and handed it to Sakaki

“This is the egg of a Dream World Beast It’s not a creature of this world, so don’t bother searching any encyclopedias for it Don’t forget to hand it to Usagawa Rinne You don’t have to keep it warm; it will hatch after some time If you’re lucky, it’ll hatch into a Dream World Beast before the devil arrives Dreas, and just like aninize the first thing they see as their awa Rinne as its h they are physically different Since Dream World Beasts are very powerful, they should most likely be able to ward off the devil”

“Because of its parents?”

“Because its parents are in danger Dream World Beasts value family ties, and they are the best counter to the devil Hh, you should carry firearh they are forbidden!”

The 'Mushi+' gently prodded Sakaki’s chest, and true enough, a handgun was hidden inside How could he possibly tell? Sakaki was shocked He felt as if he was breathing another planet’s air, and the air was co hie and dizzy It was as if the world had suddenly gone mad

“Who… What on Earth are you?”

Sakaki yelled, having asked this question for the third time

For the first tihout their encounter, the 'Mushi+' smiled

“I wonder, what should I answer for you to believe me?”

For soawa Rinne stayed in looked even more run-down today than the tile-roofed houses It was a three storey building, with a total of six rooms, three of which were vacant The second floor here the office was situated, and rooed to Rinne Room 1B, which happened to be situated next door, was occupied by a self-clai to Rinne, she was either bad at socializing or she just plain hated humans, since she rarely mixed with anyone at all

There was also the question as to why an apart an apartment, however, the rooms were uncomfortably small and narrohich in turn caused the rent to be very cheap – so cheap, in fact, that even Rinne could afford it with the money she earned from her part-time job Also, despite Sakaki’s frequent “Don’t worry about the et a better house”, Rinne stubbornly refused to listen, replying with a sih for me to lie down, its all the same to me!” Not only did Rinne turn down Sakaki’s offers, she was also very against receiving any for that she could take care of herself just fine

Of course, Sakaki had, behind Rinne’s back, given her all for her boss with the prospect of not being able to establish hi a water purifier in her apart contaminated water

Back to the story By the time Sakaki reached Rinne’s apart on the old cement floor, he made his way to room 1A and stopped He took a deep breath Appearances were indeed deceiving Sakaki was, in fact, quite vulnerable to girls, especially when the girl in question was Rinne He tended to get nervous quite easily, so stopping by the door and taking a deep breath every time he visited this apartment was already a routine of his

Again, for some unknown reason, this run-down apartment had an intercom Sakaki pressed the door bell, and waited

Rinne’s clear, chine-like voice quickly came out from the intercom

“Who is it?”

“Milady Usarin, it's me”

“Yes~~”

Even though he never said who he was, Rinne already kneho it was on the other side of the door The only person ould address Rinne as “Milady” would be Sakaki Rinne immediately let out a squeal, and cut her reply short

Since the room was small, Rinne literally reached the door in less than two seconds

Appearing behind the open door was the silhouette of a cute, little girl Because her clothes were quite dated, she looked so this fact, she was indeed really cute Clean and straight hair, snohite skin, a gentle sh to make her very attractive, but what attracted Sakaki the most was her clear, chime-like voice

Rinne, as up to Sakaki’s chest in height, looked up to hi flower

“Sensei, you really calad you did! Co outside!”

Rinne pulled Sakaki’s arh space for one to take off his or her shoes (and also store them at the same spot – there wasn’t room for a shoe rack) Sakaki took off his shoes, and let her drag him into her room

Rinne’s apartment was about 4 tatamis wide, and consisted of her room, a toilet and the kitchen, so the four-and-a-half tata a toilet) actually took up the entirety of Rinne’s apartment unit There was no bathroom in her unit, so Rinne had to use the bathroom located outside everyday

Sakaki took off his coat and placed it in a corner, along with the egg

Most likely due to Rinne’s cooking, there was a strong aroma in the room that wouldn’t disperse There was a shtly shut, because of the cold outside Even if she turned on the kitchen fan, it wouldn’t have helped gled both his legs into the futon beneath the table

Rinne opened the fridge and withdrew a box and some malt tea She poured the tea into a cup she withdrew from a sink, and placed it onto a saucer She then took the box, along with the tea, and went to Sakaki’s side

“It’s done!”

“Thanks a lot… But why are you sitting next to me? Isn’t it squishy? The table is square anyhow, you don’t have to squeeze beside ht?”

“You don’t understand?”

Rinne smiled as she leaned on Sakaki

“It’s because I want to be by your side! Even if its one centimeter closer, I still want to be closer to you”

“Happy birthday, sensei…” Rinne concluded as she looked up at Sakaki

Sakaki looked as if he was trying very hard to withhold so

“… Milady Usarin, if you utter such cute words, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold myself back Please don’t be that way I’ve already pro before you graduate So please, don’t make me break that promise”

“I won’t mind if you break them those kind of promises You shouldn’t have to restrain yourself in the first place”

Rinne said matter-of-factly as she continued to lean on Sakaki

This is bad, Sakaki thought Rinne was too cute, to the point that Sakaki wanted to hug her on the spot But he couldn’t If a teacher did that to a student, it was considered an offense

Sakaki resisted the notion with an iron-clad will, and steered the topic to a safe direction

“Speaking of which, Milady Usarin, it seeain?”

“They have?”

“Yeah, like that television for example I didn’t notice it the last I was here? Did you buy it recently?”

“I wouldn’t be able to afford such a thing! It’s too expensive! You kno the shopping district has these lucky draws once in a while? Like on their 10-year-anniversary or grand sales and such? This was the prize for the runner-up!”

“So you drew the second place?”

“Nope, its just that nobody did, and the television becae of the lucky draw said ‘It’s no use keeping it I guess we’ll just give it to Rinne!’, so that’s how I got it~”

“He’s abusing his authority that way It’s fairly easy to see what he was after”

“Yeah! But since he said he would give it to me, there wasn’t any reason for me to refuse him, was there? Actually, I kinda wanted a television myself too That’s why I accepted it Oh, and I also took lots of instant noodles back with me”

In a corner of the room, there was indeed a cardboard box labeled “Kannonsakazaki Shopping District” If it was filled with instant noodles, then it would certainly have been a lot of instant noodles Sakaki warned Rinne, “Don’t ers There have been lots of reports fro charged with high-interest loans”

“Okay…”

Rinne smiled bitterly, as she opened the box on the table There were two slices of cake inside She was too poor to purchase an entire cake

Rinne placed the cakes on the saucers, and announced, “I don’t have any forks!” She then stood up, hesitated a while, and stood rooted to the spot as if thinking of so After a while, she went to another corner of the roo

Her face was flushi+ng red It was as if she was embarrassed and frustrated at the same time

“Erm…”

Sakaki

The bag must have contained Sakaki’s birthday present, and Rinne was obviously hesitating whether or not to give it to hi the lines of “Would this be appropriate? Would sensei like it, and what if he rejected it?”, and thus was hesitant to present Sakaki his present

Sakaki understood He said to Rinne with a benevolent expression never seen by anyone else, “Don’t worry! As long as its so from Milady Usarin, then I’ll definitely treasure it, no matter what!”

“R-Really? But sensei, you’re so rich I bet your previous birthdays were rander, and the presents ht? I’m sorry, or maybe I’m ashamed of myself”

“That’s not true”

Sakaki answered truthfully: “A present’s value is not measured by howthe celebration was Toable to spend the day like today sitting by a war withI’ve experienced thus far This is definitely my best birthday by far, so please, don’t put on such a face”

“B-b-but…”

“Stop 'buting' anymore I’ve sworn to you that I’m with you not because I pity you, but because I really love you from the depths of my heart TrustMilady Usarin, you are more than a match for irl to ht?”

“Yeah…”

I’ve given you my word

Usagawa Rinne shouldn’t have been asha as she was herself for Sakaki, she would be the one he loved the most Sakaki had told her this before when the two of them had first met Back then, Rinne hadn’t been able to s conversations Compared to then, she had become so cheerful

“T-then, at least for today…”

Rinne said as she lowered her head, “Don’t call me ‘Milady Usarin’”

She said in a voice that sounded as if she was pouting, yet teasing him at the same time

This was Rinne’s true desire, expressed half-jokingly

Sakaki obliged and said, “Usagawa”

“Call iven name”

“Rinne”

“Yeah…”

Most likely satisfied, Rinne nodded, as she withdrew his present fro

It was a wool scarf Rinne’s handas good, and the weaving was absolutely fantastic

“I was going to give you this for Christive it to you now I’ll prepare so else for Christmas”

“Thanks Wow, this really is some handwork Did you learn it from anyone?”

“I learned it frohts, and begged her to teach me her secrets All I needed to do was master the basics, and it was continuous repetition froot the hang of it! Although the wool is of cheap material, its 100 hand-seith lots of love!”

“I see, it’s very warm!”

Sakaki smiled in joy Love – it definitely provided the most warmth!

Rinne held the scarf with both hands, and sat down facing Sakaki

“I’ to help you wear it, lower your head a bit”

“Okay”