Overloaded With Attributes Chapter 20

First Day of School, a 'Bishoujo,' and... a Stalker

A little time passed... and today is the day. The entrance ceremony for Ourin Academy.

"Ohh... sniff... You've grown up so splendidly, at an age where a uniform looks so good on you... Shouko is just overwhelmed with emotion..."

"And what 'position' are you getting all emotional from, exactly...?"

The Labyrinth Department is a little... 'something else'... but at the end of the day, it's still a normal high school. And, of course, it has a proper uniform.

"I mean, I've been out and about a fair bit since we moved. We even went to check out the school... but I have never seen a single guy wearing this uniform."

What I'm wearing... is, unbelievably... a white 'gakuran' (schoolboy uniform). I'm in a full-on "cosplay" getup, the kind of thing you'd only see on... 'some rich-kid anime rival!' Ourin Academy, your uniform is way too flashy!!

...No, wait, have I ever even seen any student in this? I'm racking my brain, but... nothing. Ah, I get it. I was probably only looking at the girl students. And in a world like this, it's not weird for the boys' and girls' uniforms to be totally different.

"Still, isn't it weird I've never seen it? I'm pretty sure the school guide said there were a few guys in the General Department."

"That's right. There are... I believe... two in the second year, and one in the third. But... in the first place, Kashiwagi-sama, you're the only male who would ever walk to school. Also, that uniform... is... my... prefere... It's... 'bespoke.' 'Haute couture,' if you will. There is absolutely no one else wearing it."

"You definitely almost said 'my preference,' didn't you? Anyway, can I just get an off-the-rack one?"

"No."

O-Okay. A flat-out "No." Not "There's no time," just... "No." Man, I'm already mentally exhausted, and I haven't even left the house.

Well, it's just the ceremony today. It'll be fine. Probably. I slip my brand-new sneakers on at the entryway.

"Do you have your wallet? Handkerchief? Tissues? Your terminal? And your Spetsnaz-issue self-defense knife?"

Shouko-san's acting less like a "newlywed wife" and more like my "mom." ...No, wait, she just casually mixed a high-lethality item in that list, didn't she? But... I'm gonna just... ignore that.

"Well, I'm off." "Okay. Be careful."

I grab my bag—it's empty, but whatever—and head out. I might have to bring home handouts or something. Right up to the last second, Shouko was giving me this... reproachful look. "Can't I please just drive you? Do you... not want to be with me...?" But... I held my ground. Walking to school was a right I would die for.

We've been glued at the hip since I left the hospital. She needs a break, too... right? (I mean, it's my 'circumstances' that kept her on 24/7 duty... so... yeah, my bad.) I've scouted the route multiple times. I won't get lost... probably.

Outside, spring was in full swing. Cherry blossom trees dotted the school route, all in full bloom. The shutters on the local shopping street aren't even halfway open yet, but I can smell fresh-baked bread from somewhere. Groups of students in uniforms are clustered here and there, chatting happily.

"Middle-school girls to the right... high-school girls to the left... with the occasional office-lady... What is this paradise?"

A girl on a bike rides past, her skirt fluttering in the wind. Up ahead, a girl with her hair in buns keeps glancing over, whispering, "Is he... a new student?"

Man, if this wasn't walking distance, if I had to take the train... imagine the blissful experiences... No, wait, Shouko would have never allowed that. ...Still... ah, the packed train...

Anyway, no one is staring staring, but I am getting a ton of side-glances. Is it because there are literally no other guys out? Or is it this bright-white uniform that really doesn't suit my plain-ass face?

"...And... the 'attractiveness rating' of every girl walking past is way too high... I can't relax..."

I'm supposed to be a 25-year-old isekai-veteran ossan (old guy) on the inside! ...Okay, fine, "nii-san" (older bro), barely! But this... surrounded by high school girls, the constant side-glances... my Mental Points... my MP... are draining way too fast.

"Right! Time for a... tactical retreat..."

I picked up my pace, trying to escape the attention and get to school. And that's when it happened. In the corner of my eye, the world's colors suddenly seemed to... sharpen.

I slowly turned my head. Long, jet-black hair, flowing like silk, swayed in the spring breeze. My gaze was locked on her, as if pulled by some invisible force. Translucent white skin. A cool, perfectly composed profile. Her expression was one of dignified stillness, giving off an aura of someone... completely detached from this world.

Like a piece of art... a transcendent beauty you wouldn't even see in a dream. I realized my mouth was hanging open. I'd forgotten to blink. I just... stared.

In a daze, I just... started following her, five steps behind, not saying a word. Oh, this is... from the outside... this is textbook stalking.

...And crap, she turned, and we made eye contact! Even the way she tilts her head is like a painting. She blinked, her eyes went wide with surprise... and in the next instant, she wrenched her gaze away.

No, wait! I'm not a creep, I swear! But... wow... that "total-and-utter-rejection" reaction... That... stings way more than I expected.

I still couldn't look away. I just kept following, maintaining that... awkwardly close five-step distance. A faint, flower-like scent drifted from her hair. No, no, no! I'm not tailing her, okay?! It's a coincidence! We're just... happening to go in the same direction!

And right then... she turned again. This time... she took one step straight towards me.

Crap, crap, crap, crap! Best-case scenario: I get slapped. Worst-case: she reports me, no questions asked. Getting picked up by the cops as a "pervert" on my first day of school...

Is my high-school life... over before it even began?

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