Mashiro Shiina

After submitting Chainsaw Man to Shueisha, Izumi Kotomi didn't dwell on it too much. There was nothing more she could do but wait for Shueisha's editors to contact her.

The next morning, as she walked to Sobu High School with Megumi Kato, Megumi casually remarked, "It's Wednesday today, isn't it?"

"Yeah, so?" Kotomi replied.

"I remember hearing that the new transfer student was supposed to arrive on Wednesday. That means today."

"Oh, the one transferring to Class 1-F, right? Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing about that," Kotomi said, recalling the news of the transfer student.

"Are you excited to meet the new student, Kotomi?" Megumi asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Not particularly excited. Just a bit curious, I guess," Kotomi replied.

When they arrived at the classroom, Kotomi immediately saw Yui Yuigahama staring at her expectantly. Kotomi was already used to this and skillfully pulled out her homework from her bag, handing it to Yui for her to "borrow"... or rather, reference.

It's not copying; it's just one classmate helping another by letting them "refer to" their solutions!

"Feeling better, Kirigiri-san?" Kotomi asked when she saw Seiko Kirigiri chatting with a group of girls. Her complexion seemed better, indicating she had recovered from her cold.

"Still a bit sleepy, but the fever's gone," Seiko replied, rubbing her nose.

"And your sister?"

"My sister? She's been fine for a while now. She came to school with me today. Actually, she's the one who gave me the cold."

"When I first heard from Naegi-senpai that you had caught a cold, I couldn't help but wonder—how do the two of you manage to catch colds back-to-back?"

Hearing this, a faint blush of embarrassment appeared on Seiko's face. She hesitated for a moment before explaining, "It might be because I didn't keep enough distance from her while she was still sick. I ended up catching it from her."

"The exams are coming up soon. You should take care of your health."

"Thanks for your concern," Seiko said with a nod.

After Kotomi walked away, Seiko let out a quiet sigh of relief, internally chiding herself: 'Ugh, my sister… She always seems so passive, but sometimes she can be surprisingly sneaky. She promised not to tell anyone about the cold. What if people get the wrong idea? Thankfully, Kotomi didn't read too much into it...'

The bell for the first class rang, and the first subject of the morning was Japanese, taught by Shizuka Hiratsuka.

Shizuka entered the classroom and, instead of starting the lesson right away, she addressed the class.

"Starting today, we have a new student joining Class 1-F."

As soon as she said this, the classroom buzzed with excitement.

"A transfer student!"

"I wonder what kind of person they'll be?"

"Where will they sit?"

The students began murmuring, but Shizuka raised her hand, signaling for them to quiet down.

When the room settled, Shizuka turned to the door and said, "Shina-san, please come in."

The door to the classroom opened, and a girl entered, immediately drawing gasps of awe from both the boys and the girls. She had long, flowing blonde hair that shimmered beautifully, and her fair skin was smooth and radiant. Wearing the Sobu High School uniform, her slightly slanted eyes gave her a mature appearance, but her naturally dazed expression made her seem more like an innocent, absent-minded type.

And as it turned out, she really was.

"Shina-san, please introduce yourself briefly," Shizuka encouraged.

The blonde girl blinked, hesitating for a moment before speaking in a soft voice:

"Shiina Mashiro."

It was a brief introduction—just her name and nothing more.

Clatter—

Izumi Kotomi's pencil fell to the floor. A few days ago, she had been absentmindedly sketching in her notebook, and what she had drawn was… Mashiro Shiina.

Her mind went blank. How could this be happening? When Kotomi had casually doodled Shiina Mashiro in her notebook, she had assumed that Mashiro was a character who didn't exist in real life. Even when she heard about the transfer student, it hadn't crossed her mind that the student could be Mashiro.

But now, here Mashiro was, standing before her as the new transfer student—and, by some strange coincidence, she had been placed in Kotomi's class!

Kotomi was caught between wanting to say "Yay!" and "What the...?"

Megumi Kato, seated beside Kotomi, glanced down at her. There was a curious look in Megumi's eyes—Kotomi's reaction and expression were strange to her. And when Megumi got a good look at Mashiro, her mind immediately recalled the sketch Kotomi had made just a few days earlier.

The girl standing at the front of the room looked exactly like the one in Kotomi's drawing!

It wasn't just a coincidence anymore—it was as if Kotomi had drawn a portrait of Mashiro Shiina before even meeting her.

However, Kotomi didn't notice Megumi's reaction because she was still reeling from the surprise of seeing Mashiro.

Luckily, only Megumi had seen the sketch in her notebook. If any of their other classmates had seen it, Kotomi would have a lot of explaining to do. She sighed in relief, thinking, Thank goodness for small mercies.

"Wow, she's so cute!"

"Class 1-F really is full of beautiful girls, huh?"

"A foreign girl with such slender legs and such fair skin... I'm so jealous! How do you get your skin that white?"

"Just look at Kotomi's skin—it's the same! It's all natural~"

"White stockings! Nice!"

The class was buzzing with whispers, most of them marveling at Mashiro's beauty.

Kotomi, still recovering from the initial shock, found her gaze lingering on Mashiro's white stockings and her legs beneath Sobu High School's blue pleated skirt.

"Shiina-san, since you're new and the seating was already arranged last week, where would you like to sit?" Shizuka asked.

Usually, when a transfer student joins after seating has been arranged, the teacher lets them choose an available spot and makes adjustments accordingly.

"I'd like to sit by the window in the sixth row," Mashiro replied without hesitation.

As soon as she said this, the whole class turned enviously toward the window-side seats in the sixth row.

The sixth row by the window—also known as the last row. And more importantly, it was where Izumi Kotomi and Megumi Kato sat.

"The sixth row by the window is already… Wait, huh?" Shizuka began to explain, but before she could finish, Mashiro had already walked down from the podium and headed toward the window-side seat.

"I want to sit here," Mashiro said, pointing to Megumi's seat, without a trace of doubt in her voice.

Shizuka, seeing this, rubbed her temples, a bit exasperated. "But that's already Kotomi and Megumi's seat. Would you mind choosing a different one?"

Mashiro, however, didn't respond to Shizuka's suggestion. Instead, she looked straight at Kotomi and, as if confirming something, asked, "Your name is Izumi Kotomi, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Kotomi nodded, still puzzled as to how Mashiro knew her name.

Shizuka wasn't surprised that Mashiro knew Kotomi's name. On the way to the classroom, she had shown Mashiro the student roster for Class 1-F, which included student names, club affiliations, and photos.

Mashiro must have seen Kotomi's name and picture on the roster.

"I want to sit here," Mashiro said softly but firmly. "She's the only other member of the Art Club in this class, besides me. I want to sit with her."

Shizuka, feeling a bit stuck, ran a hand through her hair. She understood why Mashiro wanted to sit with Kotomi—they were both in the Art Club. But if Mashiro insisted on sitting here, that would mean Megumi would have to move.

Would Megumi agree to this? Just as Shizuka pondered how to navigate the situation, she noticed something unexpected.

Megumi's usually calm and deep black eyes turned cold the moment she looked at Mashiro. As she turned, it seemed as though she was shielding Kotomi behind her, and her voice, sharp and frosty, broke the tension:

"This is my seat."