Ch.36 Transfer Student (A Familar Face). The Whole Story and The Flag Architect

About a week later...

"Alright everyone, today I'm going to introduce you to a transfer student!"

During morning homeroom, Teacher Yomogi, our homeroom teacher, dropped a bombshell as soon as he entered the classroom.

"""For real?!"""

"For real for real. It's an incredibly awkward time for it, but she's a real transfer student! And, while we're at it, she's a beautiful girl to boot."

"""Ohhhhhhhh!"""

With a sly grin, he revealed the fact, and the boys in the class cheered with MAX excitement.

Fumu. A transfer student.

Well, I do know who she is, so I am completely unaffected by the excitement that the other students are feeling.

To be more precise, 'tis not just me, but Miho and Mizuki as well noja.

"Okay, you can come in now."

"Okay!"

When Teacher Yomogi called out, a cheerful reply came from behind the door.

At the same time, the door slid open with a loud bang, and a female student came in, stood in front of the blackboard, and smiled.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Tokino C. Aristia, from Okinari High School! I look forward to working with you all!"

Aria introduced herself with the same energetic and lively demeanor I always see her in, and she seemed even more vibrant than when I usually see her at our part-time job.

Now, if a beautiful half-Japanese girl transfers to our school, naturally,

"""Uwooooooooooooo!"""

"Wow, a really beautiful girl just transferred to our school!"

"She's half-Japanese too! So cute!"

"We're really lucky!"

Overall, the responses from the boys are positive.

And as for the girls,

"Wow, her breasts are huge!"

"Maybe it's because she's half-Japanese?"

"I understand why the guys are making a fuss about it. It's just so blatant it's annoying though."

"""Exactly."""

Oh, it looks like the girls are annoyed with the boys.

Well, that is what is expected from high school boys when a cute transfer student arrives. Though, I do agree that they are being a little too blatant.

"Well, you guys are being really noisy, so let's settle down, all of you."

Suddenly, when Teacher Yomogi said that, he inexplicably glanced at me for a split second. However, it was only for a moment before he quickly looked away, flashing a wicked grin.

"This Tokino... unfortunately, she seems to be Ouka's new husband, so you guys absolutely must not lay a hand on her."

He stated that fact.

"""W-what did you saaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy?!''""

It was bound to come out eventually, but... it would have been better if he told them a little earlier...

◇◆◇

"Aaaahhhh... So tired nojaaa..."

"Good work, Mahiro-kun!"

"...You are still full of energy. Even after being bombarded with questions..."

Lunch break.

The four of us—myself, Miho, Mizuki, and Aria—are having lunch on the rooftop.

I could have eaten in the classroom, but the stares from the people were just too much.

Furthermore, a beautiful half-Japanese transfer student arrived, and it turned out she was my husband, who was the talk of the school (according to Miho and the others), which only added fuel to the situation.

What an awful thing to happen noja.

Also, it seems that Aria has already decided that I will be the bride as well.

"The boys were as usual, but the girls were amazing too."

"Right. Okinari High School is the other high school in this town, so it's natural that people would be surprised if someone transferred here from a nearby high school. Although, once people found out you're Mahiro's-chan's husband, some of them started to understand."

"I suppose so... After all, 'tis not normal for someone to transfer from a nearby high school for no reason. Well, 'tis all thanks to Mizuki, though."

"Thank you so much for your help back then."

"No, no. To be precise, it was Otou-sama who did it, so you don't need to thank me."

"B-but, I wouldn't have been able to get this far without Mizuki-chan, so let me say thank you! And also to Miho-chan and Mahiro-kun."

"I didn't do anything at all."

"Me too ja. Just Mizuki will do."

Aria thanked us with a radiant smile, but Miho and I responded with wry smiles.

"So, how was this past week? It seems like it was quite a hot topic on TV and in online news."

"Oh, yeah. Actually, you see..."

Aria then began to recount the events of the past week.

Although I was somewhat familiar with the content from the news and other sources, 'twas still quite substantial.

First of all, it turns out that the company where Aria's father worked was indeed engaging in illegal activities.

It started with some employees receiving less than their rightful salaries, then escalated to embezzlement and forgery of important documents. Furthermore, it appears the president was secretly running businesses that required permits, and this matter was also mentioned. Moreover, 'twas discovered that these businesses were connected to a rival company of the Uishi Group. It seems the rival company was slowly attacking from within, plotting to eventually take over.

What an outrageous company.

Naturally, when Mizuki's father found out, he was furious. Moreover, it seems that the executives at headquarters were also quite angry about the matter, and severe punishments were imposed.

Employees who were previously working for low wages seem to have seen a significant improvement in their status, with transfers to the head office or subsidiaries of the group located near the head office.

The question then becomes whether there might be some incompetent people among them, but there was no need to worry about that.

As all the employees who were being paid low wages were all highly capable individuals, after all.

Conversely, those involved in the wrongdoing were apparently hopeless individuals who were either incapable of doing their jobs or acted solely out of self-interest.

Apparently, they even threatened the hard workers to ensure they would not report it to headquarters.

Furthermore, due to widespread corruption within the company, it ceased to be a subsidiary, went bankrupt after the president's arrest, and apparently everyone involved in the corruption became unemployed and unable to find work anywhere.

Regarding the unpaid wages, the president and executives were obligated to pay them, and then, because they had been working under unfair conditions, the employees who had been paid low wages all sued at once, resulting in the company being burdened with a huge amount of debt.

Incidentally, Aria's father is among them, of course.

'Twas his rights from the start.

Apparently, some of those who committed fraud brazenly tried to get jobs at other affiliated companies, but naturally, everyone was well aware of their involvement and they were turned away. Even when they tried to work for other companies, this incident became widely known, and it seems they could not get hired anywhere else.

Considering this was only after a week, things are going to get pretty tough from here on out.

'Tis their own fault, so I cannot sympathize with them.

And now, let us talk about Aria's family and the other people who were forced to work for low wages.

First and foremost, their lives have become stable.

It seems that Mizuki's father took action, providing support to each of them.

At the very least, they paid an amount that will allow them to live comfortably without any problems this month.

This is already quite amazing, but apparently they even provided support regarding housing.

Apparently, some of them were living in places with rather poor living conditions, and since this was interfering with their work, company housing was provided for them.

His level of seriousness is incredible.

Aria has also benefited from this, and apparently now lives in a much larger area than where she used to live.

"That's how it went. Papa and Mama were really grateful."

"That's good to hear. I'll let Otou-sama know."

"Yes, please!"

Fumu, as expected of a young lady...

Occasionally one would hear someone say, "The best thing to have is a rich friend," and... I can see why. In a situation like this, 'tis understandable why someone might think that.

To be honest, I do not know what would have happened if Mizuki had not been there.

There might have been a worst-case scenario.

I cannot help but admire Mizuki.

...Well, she is an outrageous lolicon, though.

"But that was quite a commotion, wasn't it? Did Mizuki's Otou-san say anything?"

"He was quite remorseful about this matter. He felt that if he had been more careful, no employees would have been treated unfairly. At the same time, he was grateful to Mahiro-chan and Aristia-san."

"Mu, me?"

"Me too?"

Leaving Aria aside, 'tis strange that I am being thanked.

"Well, as for Aristia-san, it's simply that she was the one who gave me the opportunity to learn about this matter."

"But I don't recall saying anything that could be considered misconduct by the company..."

"Oh, no. It's because you do resemble William-san somewhat, so I thought maybe. And then there's the part about eloping."

"How do you know that?"

Now that she mentioned it, that is right.

'Twas supposed to be a quite private matter, so how did she know about it?

Miho also looked puzzled.

"Apparently, Otou-sama overheard it vaguely by chance when he went on an inspection while concealing his true identity."

"Oh, I see. I understand, that's where you get it... Mizuki-chan, you're so smart. To understand it with just that much information."

"Fufu, it was just a coincidence you know, a coincidence."

Mizuki, smiling brightly, insisted that 'twas just a coincidence.

She is not convincing anybody here.

"What right does someone who is always at the top of our year have to say that?"

"But you're usually in the top ranks yourself, aren't you? And weren't you occasionally in the single digits?"

"Only when I am in good form ja."

"Umm, are the three of you are actually pretty good at studying?"

Seeing the exchange between me and Miho, Aria asked us a question, looking a little surprised.

"Mizuki and Miho are undeniably top students. As I just said, Mizuki is at the top of our year. She is always in the top ten."

"Wow, that's amazing. I can't afford to be complacent anymore."

"What about Alice?"

"Me? I was always at the top of my year at Okinari High School."

"...Ah, strong. So, I guess that means Mahiro is the weakest among us?"

"Indeed. When I am in the top ten, 'tis usually when I am in good form. Normally, I am hovering around 10th to 20th place."

I do some preparation and review on a regular basis.

If I get good grades, I will get a decent evaluation from the teachers. This way, I will not attract too much attention, and I will have a certain degree of flexibility in what I can do in this academy.

Well, that is also the reason why I am teaching Kengo too... His grades are not exactly great, to say the least.

"So, this group consists of quietly excellent students. Even Mahiro, who's the weakest, is quite high up. ...What's next? What if one of the student council members ends up marrying Mahiro too? they're all top students there."

"Ahh, it's Mahiro-kun we're talking about, after all. I bet she met one without you two even realizing it."

As Miho mentioned, the student council at this academy has considerable power, and therefore there are requirements for joining it.

That said, 'tis about students who have consistently ranked in the top 30 in test scores for two consecutive years.

Given this background, the student council is made up entirely of high-achieving students.

So, there is some truth to what Miho is saying, but...

"That may be true, but I am only aquainted with one member of the student council. I do know the others too, but only as far as seeing their faces."

"Huh, you're aquainted with someone there?"

"Well, a lot of things happened last year."

"Is it a girl?"

"A girl indeed."

"How old is she?"

"She is one year older, so she should be a third-year now ja."

"A third-year in the student council right now... So it's only between the student council president and the vice president?"

"Yes, I checked the school's app, and it's just those two."

Does the school app also include information about the student council members?

I thought this too when I heard from Librarian Yamoto about the duties of the head of the library committee, but do we have any privacy?

"So, which one?"

"By 'which one,' do you mean my acquaintance?"

"Yeah."

"That would be the student council president."

"Ah, her."

"Her, is it?"

When they learned that someone I knew was the student council president, the two of them made rather strange expressions.

"Why do you both have such slightly confused smiles on your faces?"

"Well, how should I put it... I do think that Mahiro and her might be on the same wavelength."

"Wavelength?"

"Yes. She looks like a cute girl, but how should I put it... she's expressionless."

"Oh, so that's the kind of person she is."

Expressionless... Well, that may be true, but if you look closely, she is actually quite expressive.

Can they not tell?

"Well, nothing is going to happen between me and her. Remember what I said a week ago? We really are just acquaintances."

"Oh, so that was about the student council president."

"That was the student council president?"

"Hmm... Mahiro-kun"

"What is it ja?"

"Isn't that what they call a 'flag' in anime and manga?"

"Flag? Hahaha! I thought you were going to say something else. No way. She and I are like friends, but it just happened that way by chance noja. Besides, she is a bit of a special case. I do not believe she would think of me that much, you know? No matter how interested she is, 'tis probably just as much as friendship go-... W-what is the matter noja?"

"""...A first-class flag architect."""

"Do not give me such a dishonorable title!"

I am completely offended ja.

I have not raised any flag or anything like that.

I told them I am not some sort of flag architect, but the three of them just looked at me with loving expressions and replied, "Yeah, yeah, you're right~."

My credibility is way too low.

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