Shin had no idea that he was already being secretly watched by Gabriel.
Although the Turtle Hermit School had techniques that used "ki" to read minds, it wasn't a passive skill. Shin couldn't possibly read the minds of everyone he t.
After parting ways with Gabriel, Shin continued on to school, taking care of a few newly spawned evil spirits along the way.
At school, Shin's daily routine was no different from usual. He chatted with his classmates, listened to Akagi report on his progress, and secretly ssaged gumi Kato during class.
By the way, Ikuyo Kita had created a group chat, adding herself, gumi Kato, and Gotou Hitori. According to her, this was their lunch group's chat space.
So now, when Shin and gumi Kato secretly chatted during class, they did so in this lunch group. Occasionally, Gotou Hitori and Ikuyo Kita would join in and say a few words.
However, Gotou Hitori and Ikuyo Kita were just ordinary people. Unlike gumi Kato, who had the "superpower" of being ignored by teachers, and unlike Shin, who could use his "ki" to monitor the teacher's every move, they couldn't participate as freely.
During class, the group chat was mostly dominated by Shin and gumi Kato, with Gotou Hitori and Ikuyo Kita only occasionally chiming in.
Of course, sotis Shin and gumi Kato would discuss more ambiguous topics, and in those cases, gumi Kato would switch to a private chat with Shin.
It seed gumi Kato was still a bit wary of Gotou Hitori and Ikuyo Kita—after all, as a girl, she wouldn't want to reveal such things in front of potential "rivals."
Even though she had gradually co to accept the fact that Shin was surrounded by many girls, gumi Kato wasn't entirely selfless. As a girl, she had her monts of small, selfish desires.
However, Shin noticed that the teacher had been glancing at him more often than usual yesterday and today.
After a bit of thought, Shin guessed that it was probably because he had left with Hayasaka Ai the day before yesterday, sparking the topic of "Shin and a girl from Shuchi'in Academy walking together" among the teachers.
The students at Shuchi'in Academy were all descendants of influential families, a place out of reach for most people. The fact that Shin had so connection with a Shuchi'in student naturally drew a lot of attention.
However, Japanese teachers generally took a hands-off approach. Except for a rare few like Hiratsuka-sensei, who genuinely cared about their students, most teachers wouldn't interfere with student affairs.
This was also one of the reasons why bullying was so prevalent in Japanese schools. No matter how much soone was bullied, the teachers wouldn't step in.
Even at the private Toyosaki Academy, there were quite a few cases of bullying—though this had nothing to do with Shin.
Shin's social standing among the students was above average, just a step away from the top social circles, so no one dared to cause him trouble.
Not that Shin cared much about the students' rigid social hierarchies anyway.
…
During lunch, Shin and the others went to the rooftop, only to find… the bench had been replaced.
The old bench could barely fit four people, but the new one looked like it could comfortably seat five or six.
Even more, there was a spare bench placed in the corner, ready to be installed if needed.
"Huh? Why was the bench suddenly replaced?"
Ikuyo Kita was surprised. She ran over to the new bench and curiously touched it.
"It's clean, and there's no fresh paint. We can sit here."
Unlike the energetic but slightly airheaded Ikuyo Kita, gumi Kato, standing next to Shin, imdiately guessed who was behind this. She gave Shin a sly look.
Aside from Shin, who else could have access to the rooftop? And since the rooftop was rarely used, why would the bench suddenly be replaced?
It had to be Shin's doing, right?
"Don't look at . I didn't replace it."
Shin innocently raised his hands—it really wasn't him. After all, he hadn't been to the rooftop all morning.
However, he had sent Hayasaka Ai a ssage last night, ntioning that he wanted to find a bigger place and replace the rooftop bench.
He just didn't expect the Four Houses to act so quickly, replacing the bench and even leaving a spare one nearby.
And although gumi Kato and the others didn't notice, Shin could tell—not only had the bench been replaced, but so damaged areas of the rooftop had also been repaired.
The old, discarded desks and chairs that had been piled up in the corner were also cleared away, making the rooftop much cleaner.
Now Shin was even worried that Ogiwara Sayu and Irisviel might have already moved into the new house by the ti he got ho… though he doubted it would be that fast.
"Even though I don't know what's going on… having a longer bench is a good thing, right?"
Gotou Hitori, as usual, spoke softly, but this ti she showed rare emotional intelligence.
She also guessed that the bench replacent was Shin's doing, though she didn't think as deeply as gumi Kato. She simply thought that the new bench would at least make sitting less cramped.
The old bench had been a tight squeeze for four people, making it inconvenient to eat.
Everyone sat down on the new bench—sure enough, with the new bench, the four of them no longer had to squeeze together.
However, Shin soon noticed that gumi Kato, sitting next to him, was still pressing close to him despite there being plenty of space.
"Here, Shin-Kun, your lunch."
gumi Kato casually handed Shin his lunchbox, then made no move to create distance, continuing to sit close to him as she opened her own lunchbox.
Sitting on Shin's other side, Gotou Hitori also noticed this. She glanced at gumi Kato and Shin, who were sitting so close, and hesitated.
Then, as if she had thought of sothing, she also leaned against Shin, just like she used to when the bench was smaller, and opened her lunchbox.
"Huh?"
Ikuyo Kita, sitting next to Gotou Hitori, also noticed. She looked at Gotou Hitori and gumi Kato, who were still pressing close to Shin despite the extra space, and seed to understand sothing.
To be continued…
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