After Manabu's math class ended, but before the next class could begin, Nozomi was approached by a familiar face. A girl with short brown hair, adorned with a small red ribbon on the side, emerald-green eyes, and dressed in the same school uniform as Nozomi, approached. This was Yoshino Kettei, Nozomi's best and only friend, who seemed upset about her tardiness.

"Seriously, Nozomi? Are you really going to keep up this habit of being late this year too? You almost failed last year because of it! You're really lucky that the teacher was in a good mood since it's the first day. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't have been allowed back in class. Hey... are you even listening?" Yoshino asked, as Nozomi sat in a school chair at the back of the class, next to the windows.

Nozomi purposely ignored her question and avoided making eye contact. She knew Yoshino meant well and had a point—she was pushing her luck with her frequent lateness—but it still stung to be reprimanded by her friend.

Noticing she was being ignored, Yoshino decided to take action. She raised her hand and pinched Nozomi's cheeks to get her attention. As the grip tightened, Nozomi finally reached her limit. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry! You can let go!"

Yoshino released her grip, and Nozomi turned to face her friend, who now had a smug expression. Nozomi pouted slightly as she rubbed her reddened cheek.

After a few moments, Nozomi decided to apologize properly. "Also... sorry for being late. I'll... try to do better this year."

Yoshino nodded, apparently satisfied with Nozomi's apology, and changed the subject. "Good. Now... did you hear about the new professor who's going to teach our class?"

That got Nozomi's attention. A new teacher? Well, this could make this year less boring. If he's really new, he might be less strict with me compared to Manabu. Then again... that's not a high bar.

"Huh, have you heard anything about him?" Nozomi asked, raising her head from the table.

"Not much. I heard he graduated recently and this is his first teaching job. I haven't seen him yet, but rumors suggest he's quite the looker or something," Yoshino shrugged. "I haven't seen him, so I can't confirm that."

Seeing a chance to tease her friend, Nozomi took it. "Yeah, I figured. I mean, you don't look dreamy-eyed like you did the first time!" she teased her friend with a grin.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Raising an eyebrow, Yoshino responded with an unamused expression, clearly knowing better than to give Nozomi any strong reaction. "Really? Do you honestly think I'd fall for that again? Nice try, I guess." She returned Nozomi's grin with a smug smile.

Before Nozomi could retort, the classroom door slid open.

Both girls turned to see a young man with blond hair and sapphire-blue eyes step inside. He wore rimless reading glasses, a light blue dress shirt, light gray khakis, and black shoes. He carried an English textbook and a black backpack. As he scanned the room, the students quickly returned to their seats without a word.

Once everyone was seated, the man walked up to the teacher's desk. After arranging his materials, he looked at the class and spoke for the first time.

"My name is Shigoto Seikatsu. I will be your English teacher this year. I hope we can learn a lot together." His calm and collected tone belied his status as a novice teacher. He gave the class a light bow, accompanied by a small smile.

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Life glanced around the classroom; everything seemed to slow down as he observed the students staring back at him. Ugh, even though I've seen images of people from this kind of world, it's still unsettling to have an entire crowd staring at me like this with those eyes as big as a soccer ball. Life joked, but it wasn't that far off his actual opinion.

As he contemplated this, a realization crossed his mind. Hmm, now that I get a proper look at these students... why do they all look older than their actual age? Not as old-looking as some of the teachers, but surely, they would not be out of place working at a company if given the right clothes.

His gaze finally settled on a familiar girl with messy, short blond hair and brown eyes. He quickly looked away before anyone noticed.

So, that's the protagonist this time. It could be worse; at least it's not a problematic design. That would be a headache to deal with. But being bland isn't much better, especially since I almost didn't recognize her among the rest of her class. Still, making her story interesting is a tall order, but I think I can pull it off.

Recalling his actual teaching duties, Life fake-coughed to get the class's attention. "Now, since I am new here, I would like to know the names of my students. Please say 'Here' when your name is called."

He gave the class a relaxed smile, aiming to make a good first impression. Having a good relationship with the students could make his real job much easier.

As Life took out the list of student names, he paused when he realized the paper was illegible. What the-? Why is it all scribbles?! Did I forget to activate the [Reality-Translator] program? Ugh, why does it turn off every time I switch worlds?

Sighing internally, he focused on the task at hand. Activate [Reality-Translator] program.

In less than a second, the scribbles transformed into readable names. Though most would be forgotten in the grand scheme of things, for now, he played along to maintain a good impression. Alright, that caught me off guard. I need to understand this world's laws better to avoid more serious issues later.

Life continued the roll call, with students answering whenever their names were called. As the roll call concluded, class proceeded smoothly.