In this Second Chance at Life, where I can see skills as clear as day, everything feels like a breeze. And to make it even better, I’m spending my days joyfully with my First Love. - Chapter 43

Winter break came to an end, and the third term began.

While the special class doesn’t experience as much turnover as the general classes due to its focus on students with “useful” professions or skills, vacancies still occasionally occur. To fill those gaps, three new students joined our class.

“Well then, I’d like all three of you to introduce yourselves,” the teacher said.

“Yes, my name is Tōya Seki. My profession is Blacksmith, and I transferred from Class A.”

“I’m Hajime Naitō. My profession is Boxer. I have a unique skill called Muscle Hardening, which might be useful. I’m from Nagoya.”

Nothing about these two particularly caught my attention. Their stats were below 200, and they didn’t seem to have any notable skills.

But then, I noticed the third new student—a girl standing behind them. She had blonde hair and the vibe of a flashy gyaru, wearing an outfit that matched her style.

“Hi, hi! My name’s Shinobu Saotome! My profession is Ninja! I can throw shuriken like shubabababa and jump super high! I’m from Adachi City!”

Her overly high energy was distracting enough, but what caught my attention even more was her profession. When I used [Appraisal], it revealed that her actual profession wasn’t Ninja but Intelligence Operative—essentially, a spy.

Maybe she thought spy sounded lame, or perhaps the gyaru aesthetic clashed with it, so she decided to call herself a ninja instead. Either way, something about her seemed suspicious.

“So, who’s this ‘Yasushi Sashima’ that the voice in the summer mentioned?” she suddenly asked.

As soon as she said that, the entire class turned to look at me.

“Wow, so you’re the famous Yasushi Sashima? Oh my gosh, you look kinda weak at first glance, but you’re actually pretty muscular! Are you secretly ripped? Ohhh, I love guys who work out—guhp!?”

The moment she got excitedly close to me, closing the distance like a bullet and trying to hug me, she was stopped by my magic barrier. The result? She let out a sound like a squashed frog.

“W-what’s this? Is this your skill or something?”

Even though she was clearly struggling, she forced a smile, though her expression was twitching awkwardly.

The “magic barrier” is a fancy name for what is essentially a constant shield of magical energy around me. It regulates my strength, protects me from unexpected rain or dust, and is basically just a chunk of magic that clings to my body.

It’s not even a real skill, but since she seemed suspicious, I casually lied, “Yeah, it’s a skill.”

“Wow, that’s so cool! It seems really strong! I really like strong guys—uh, huh?”

She kept trying to hug me, but since I always maintain a 20cm-thick magic barrier, her chest was pressed flat against the invisible force. To anyone who couldn’t see the barrier, it probably looked like she was hugging a giant, transparent balloon.

While I was thinking about this, I noticed Ichika looking slightly annoyed.

…Even though the barrier was preventing anything from happening, maybe seeing her boyfriend being approached by another girl wasn’t exactly fun for her. Was Ichika jealous because this gyaru was hitting on me?

If so, that makes me happy. The thought made me smile unconsciously.

If the roles were reversed—if I saw another guy hitting on Ichika—I would definitely feel awful.

Still, while her jealousy makes me happy, I don’t want Ichika to feel uncomfortable because of me.

“Uh, sorry, but I have a girlfriend. I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t come on so strong,” I said as I gently pulled Ichika closer by the shoulder.

To drive the point home—and to subtly warn the rest of the class—I added a touch of intimidation, just enough to make my point without anyone fainting.

The gyaru’s expression shifted from confident to fearful, and her eyes began to water.

“E-even so, I won’t g-give u—never mind! T-teacher, can I go to the nurse’s office for a moment?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Go ahead,” the teacher replied with an exasperated glance at me before gesturing for her to leave.

The gyaru ran out of the classroom, nearly in tears.

…Man, I feel like a delinquent bullying transfer students now.

“Did I overdo it?” I muttered.

“Maybe a bit, but… it’s fine, once in a while,” Ichika replied, her ears slightly red as she avoided eye contact.

This incident allowed me to see an adorable side of Ichika. Plus, I managed to ward off an annoying pest. Overall, I’d say this was a win for me.

“I didn’t sign up for this!”

Shinobu Saotome, nearly in tears, ran not to the nurse’s office but to the back of the school. Pulling out her phone, she made a call.

The person on the other end was Shunji Ishibashi, a prominent politician rumored to be a potential future prime minister.

“Well, Saotome, how’s it going? Have you managed to win over the boy—Yasushi Sashima?”

Shinobu Saotome was one of the spies employed by the influential politician Shunji Ishibashi.

“Even if Yasushi Sashima is strong enough to fend off armed police, he’s still just a hormone-driven middle schooler. Give him a woman, and he’ll be an easy pawn,” Ishibashi had reasoned when assigning her the mission of seducing Yasushi.

However…

“No, no, no! Absolutely impossible! You didn’t tell me this… You didn’t tell me Yasushi Sashima has a girlfriend!”

“A girlfriend? So what? Just ignore that and create an irrefutable situation. Once that’s done, we’ll have him under control.”

Ishibashi was well aware of Yasushi’s relationship with Ichika Kobayashi.

Sure, Ichika was undeniably attractive, but Saotome wasn’t inferior in looks. In fact, Ishibashi personally thought Saotome was cuter, which is why he had entrusted her with this mission.

“I thought so too! But… but… when I tried to hug him, I was physically stopped by some invisible wall! And then he got furious and told me not to touch him! It was terrifying! He’s absolutely killed someone before—I was sure he was going to kill me!”

“Hmm…”

Saotome had been a professional spy even before acquiring her profession. She had undergone training to endure even torture. For someone like her to be this shaken was almost unthinkable.

Still, Ishibashi had heard that Yasushi’s aura of intimidation was so intense it could induce mild psychological trauma even in battle-hardened police officers. If Yasushi found advances like hers that unpleasant, a honey trap might indeed backfire.

“I thought bringing Yasushi Sashima under our control would ensure our success. But it seems wiser to tread carefully. Saotome, I won’t press you to seduce him anymore. However, at the very least, gather information on his profession and skills. If possible, build a relationship with him—enough to be called a friend.”

Ishibashi was an ambitious man but also a shrewd politician who knew when to pull back. Still, he wasn’t one to retreat empty-handed.

“If… if that’s all… I-I understand,” Saotome stammered.

Deep down, she didn’t want anything to do with someone like Yasushi, a person she now saw as a monster in human skin. Honestly, she wanted to throw in the towel and flee back to the countryside.

But Ishibashi had taken her in, and she owed him for that. Plus, she still had goals she wanted to achieve as a spy.

As Saotome lay on the infirmary bed, mulling over her situation, the curtain around her bed was suddenly drawn back with a soft swish.

Standing there was none other than Yasushi’s girlfriend, Ichika Kobayashi.

“I came to visit you, Shinobu Saotome. Born in Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture… 21 years old. Or should I say, one of Shunji Ishibashi’s spies? What brings someone like you to this school?”

“W-what are you talking about?”

Saotome felt a cold sweat run down her back.

Why? I’ve always been mistaken for a middle schooler thanks to my baby face, and my profession’s skills should be hiding my real age. How does she know where I’m from? Is she using some kind of skill? How much does she know about me?

Ichika smiled sweetly, but it was a smile so unnervingly perfect that it sent a chill down Saotome’s spine.

“It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that I don’t like people like you trying to get close to Yasushi-kun.”

“I understand you have your reasons, your mission, and your orders. But from now on, if you need anything from Yasushi-kun, I want you to go through me first. Please make sure to convey that to your superior, Ishibashi-san.”

Saotome found herself captivated by Ichika’s eyes—brilliant like jade, radiating an inexplicable and irresistible power.

It was a Mystic Eye, and the overwhelming magical energy emanating from it was terrifying beyond belief. Saotome barely managed to suppress the urge to wet herself as she nodded weakly and stammered, “Y-y-yes…”

At that moment, Saotome knew she couldn’t defy Ichika.

No, she wouldn’t defy her. That fact was burned into her instincts as if it were a primal truth etched into her very soul.