004. Never Once Found Joy in Being a Transfer Student

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Minami Mori’s gaze fell on the guitar cradled in Mutsumi Wakaba’s arms, her smile deepening slightly.

“Is Mutsumi playing the guitar?”

Mutsumi Wakaba kept her head lowered, holding the guitar tightly to her chest, her eyes fixed on the strings without looking up.

After a few seconds, she softly spoke.

“Yuzuki… plays well.”

Her words came slowly, as if carefully considering her praise.

Nagumo Yuzuki was slightly startled and hadn’t yet responded when Minami Mori clapped her hands with a smile and praised,

“Oh, I didn’t expect Yuzuki to be so talented and versatile, to have earned Mutsumi’s approval so willingly—that’s no small feat.”

Leaning in slightly, her gaze settled warmly on Nagumo Yuzuki.

“Yuzuki, if you don’t mind, you can come here often to play guitar with Mutsumi.”

Her tone sounded like inviting an ordinary friend—polite, natural, and even somewhat friendly.

Yet, a strange unease stirred in Nagumo Yuzuki’s heart.

What exactly did this woman mean?

Minami Mori’s expression was flawless, her smile perfectly curved—neither too much nor too little—and her voice was so kindly that refusal felt difficult.

But Yuzuki couldn’t tell whether this was genuine warmth or merely a practiced act from a seasoned performer.

He hesitated briefly, then chose to follow along with a natural tone.

“Sure. Actually, Mutsumi plays very well too, and she’s improving quickly.”

Minami Mori blinked slightly, her smile unchanged.

“Really?”

She looked toward Mutsumi Wakaba, who still kept her head bowed, her fingertips slowly gliding over the strings, neither confirming nor denying.

“Well then, please take good care of her, Yuzuki.”

Minami Mori chuckled softly.

“Mutsumi has been attending Moon Forest School all along and doesn’t have many friends. Finding someone who shares her interests is actually quite nice.”

She shifted her tone.

“By the way…”

“If I’m not mistaken, isn’t Moon Forest planning to accept a batch of transfer students soon?”

She tilted her head slightly, smiling with a hint of teasing as she looked at Nagumo Yuzuki.

His heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Though Minami Mori’s smile was gentle, her tone carried a certain depth of meaning.

“Yuzuki, as one of the top students at Kamokawa Central Junior High, you must be on the recommended list, right?”

Nagumo Yuzuki’s eyes remained calm as he looked back at her, his mind suddenly swirling with thoughts.

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He was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes.”

He looked up at Minami Mori, cautiously asking,

“But… hasn’t Moon Forest always been a prestigious all-girls school? Why would they allow boys as transfer students this time?”

It did seem unusual.

Moon Forest, a noble all-girls academy standing for over a century in Tokyo, had always prided itself on tradition and excellence. Its students were either from wealthy families or exceptionally gifted in the arts.

And now, they were accepting boys?

It hardly seemed like a decision such a conservative school would make.

“Hehe.”

Minami Mori chuckled lightly, the corners of her mouth curving into a perfect arc.

“That’s the board’s consideration.”

She spoke casually.

“Times change, and educational philosophies must evolve with them. The reason Moon Forest has remained a century-old institution is precisely because it’s not rigid or conservative, but willing to innovate and adapt.”

Leaning in slightly, her eyes softened as she looked at Nagumo Yuzuki, her voice slowing.

“Maybe, by then, you and Mutsumi will be classmates.”

Though she sounded like she was joking, Yuzuki’s heart tightened sharply.

Classmates?

The word echoed slowly in his mind before sinking like a stone into a deep, bottomless whirlpool.

A vague sense of unease within him began to swell.

He looked at Minami Mori, whose smile remained gentle, like a mother simply hoping her daughter would make more friends.

Yet to Nagumo Yuzuki, her smile seemed to carry an odd undertone.

It was a smile that felt as if reality was meant to be this way.

His throat grew slightly dry, as if he were silently ensnared by an invisible net, with no chance to even notice an escape.

The world he once believed in was being twisted and reshaped bit by bit through a prism called “The Dragon Clan.”

Everything he had once taken for granted began to reveal a grotesque truth.

The most terrifying part—

They were smiling as they beckoned him.

——————

Memory ends here.

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At this moment, Nagumo Yuzuki stood before the gates engraved with “Moon Forest Girls’ Academy.” After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped inside.

Within the academy, a crowd of girls in sailor-style uniforms hurried past, brushing shoulders.

Many were surprised to see Yuzuki, a rare boy among them, then were quickly pulled away by their friends.

“Don’t the students here even check the bulletin board?” Yuzuki muttered, somewhat speechless.

Nagumo Yuzuki—male.

Formerly a student at Kamokawa Central Junior High, he was now, as a transfer student, officially enrolled at Moon Forest Girls’ Academy.

Moon Forest, a century-old prestigious school, had traditionally admitted only girls in the Tokyo area.

Until recently, when the school board, after careful deliberation, believed that long-term lack of contact with the opposite sex during adolescence might harm students’ mental health, communication, and expressive abilities,

which could negatively impact their future lives.

Thus, they jointly decided to admit a small number of male transfer students across Tokyo as a trial.

“This really aligns with Japan’s declining birthrate trend,” Nagumo Yuzuki sighed.

Transported into the world of MyGO and Ave Mujica, Yuzuki had originally wished to avoid involvement in the disputes among the various “landmine girls.”

With some memories of the future, copying songs and novels, perhaps living as a mere scribe would be a good choice.

Thanks to free tuition and the convenience of a six-year integrated junior and senior high program, Yuzuki became one of the first transfer students.

But now, knowing the true nature of this world, his heart was more unsettled than ever.

If Mutsumi Wakaba is a hybrid, then what about the others from MyGO and Ave Mujica?

He approached the bulletin board and looked up at the notice posted just that day.

“To all students:

We sincerely thank you for your deep understanding of Moon Forest’s educational philosophy.

After careful deliberation by the school board, it has been decided to admit a limited number of male transfer students. This is hereby announced.”

“I never expected a century-old girls’ school to break precedent and admit male transfer students,” he murmured.

“It feels like the traditional Japanese family model—raising sons-in-law—has fallen behind the times. Their abilities can’t be guaranteed, and if they get scammed out of 16.8 billion yen, it could cause huge losses to the family.”

“Having adolescents interact more with the opposite sex can also prevent boys from becoming ‘puppies’ and girls from being tricked by flashy bad boys.”

Nagumo Yuzuki silently added in his mind,

“And it also prevents girls from becoming ‘puppies’ for other girls.”