The chatter of the classmates naturally reached the ears of Shin and Megumi Kato.
Upon noticing that a well-known beauty from the school had come to see Shin, Megumi Kato glanced at him and remarked with a subtle tone:
"Another beauty has come to see you, Shin-kun. You're really popular, aren't you?"
"This time, I really don't know her, or rather, I haven't had any contact with her."
Seeing the strange look Megumi Kato gave him, Shin shrugged—this time, he was telling the truth. Although he knew of Utaha Kasumigaoka's existence, he had never spoken to her before.
After all, Shin wasn't like some protagonists in fanfiction who drew manga or wrote novels, nor did he show any otaku tendencies at school. Logically, he shouldn't have had any interaction with her.
"Isn't this perfect? Akagi invited you to karaoke before, saying you could meet Kasumigaoka-san."
Megumi Kato reminded Shin of something that happened two weeks ago after school—the very day Shin first used the "Infinite Terror VR Game."
"You didn't go last time, so now you can make up for the missed opportunity."
"You still remember that? I had almost forgotten about it myself."
Shin was both amused and exasperated. Last time, Akagi had invited him, claiming he could meet Utaha Kasumigaoka, but Shin had refused because he was in a hurry to go home and activate the system.
Thinking back now, Megumi Kato, who was sitting in front of him at the time, must have overheard. However, Shin hadn't yet developed the ability to sense "Ki," so he hadn't noticed her.
He hadn't expected that Megumi Kato would remember what Akagi had said to him that day and even bring it up now to tease him.
It seemed that Megumi Kato was feeling a bit jealous again—Shin hadn't realized before that she was the type to get jealous so easily.
While Shin and Megumi Kato were exchanging a few words, Utaha Kasumigaoka had already entered the classroom and approached Shin.
She wore a natural smile on her face and held a piece of paper in her hand, causing quite a stir.
"Coming all the way to the classroom with a piece of paper in hand... Could it be something like a love letter?"
Hina Ebina, one of the popular girls in the class, watched the scene with interest and couldn't help but voice her speculation.
After all, Shin had often received love letters from girls before, though he had always turned them down. So, it wasn't entirely surprising for a girl to confess to him.
However, this time, the center of attention was Utaha Kasumigaoka, who was also quite famous throughout the school, making the situation even more noteworthy.
Thinking this, Hina Ebina glanced at Yumiko Miura, who was sitting beside her.
Sure enough, Yumiko Miura was glaring intently at Shin and Utaha Kasumigaoka, clearly upset. It seemed she was genuinely anxious.
Although Shin had often been confessed to before, the girls who confessed were usually of average quality, and Shin had always rejected them without exception.
That was why Yumiko Miura had dared to delay her own confession, never mustering the courage to express her feelings to Shin. She had even relied on Yui Yuigahama to test the waters for her.
But now, things were different. Utaha Kasumigaoka wasn't an average girl. With such a high-quality girl setting her sights on Shin, Yumiko Miura would likely no longer be able to sit still.
In fact, Hina Ebina thought this might be for the best. Yumiko Miura had been constantly talking about Shin but never made a move herself, leaving everyone else feeling anxious on her behalf.
Perhaps Utaha Kasumigaoka's appearance would spur Yumiko Miura into action.
"Looking at it this way, we should actually thank Utaha Kasumigaoka."
Hina Ebina adjusted her glasses, thinking this to herself.
She wondered how Yumiko Miura would react if she knew her friend was actually grateful to Utaha Kasumigaoka.
...
Shin wasn't aware of what the other classmates were thinking, but he had already taken the piece of paper Utaha Kasumigaoka handed to him.
Although some people speculated it might be a love letter, a little thought would reveal that it was unlikely—who would print a love letter on a full sheet of A4 paper?
The paper was actually a club application form. Utaha Kasumigaoka had come to apply to join the Paranormal Research Club.
Yesterday, Utaha Kasumigaoka had visited the Paranormal Research Club to check it out, but she had learned from Yotsuya Miko that the club didn't hold any activities after school.
However, she was genuinely curious about Shin—whether he was a superhuman or a ghost. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
After some hesitation, she had asked Yotsuya Miko about Shin's class and his usual routine, and finally decided to come in the morning to submit her club application.
"...A club application?"
Megumi Kato also leaned over to Shin's side and saw what was written on the paper. Only then did she understand what Utaha Kasumigaoka was here for.
She gave Utaha Kasumigaoka a surprised look, probably not expecting that the school's famous top student was also a fan of the paranormal. Shin was also a bit surprised. Although he hadn't interacted with Utaha Kasumigaoka in this world, he had some knowledge of her character from the works he had encountered before his transmigration.
He didn't recall Utaha Kasumigaoka being particularly interested in paranormal events. In the original story, she hadn't joined any paranormal-related clubs, had she?
Or was it that Utaha Kasumigaoka's novel was now taking a turn toward the paranormal? Could it be that the absence of Tomoya Aki in this school had caused a butterfly effect?
However, before Shin could respond, Megumi Kato spoke up first:
"Kasumigaoka-san, although you may not be aware, our Paranormal Research Club doesn't actually have any club activities. It's just a formality."
It was clear that Megumi Kato didn't want Utaha Kasumigaoka to join the Paranormal Research Club.
After all, the club was essentially just a place for Shin and his friends to have lunch together. The current number of members was more than enough.
If Utaha Kasumigaoka joined, wouldn't that mean another rival?
Although Megumi Kato had mostly come to terms with the fact that Shin was surrounded by many girls, she naturally hoped there would be as few as possible.
"As Megumi said, our club is really just a formality."
Shin smiled and glanced at Megumi Kato, fully aware of her little scheme, but he didn't refute her.
After all, it was true that the Paranormal Research Club was just a place to have lunch. He couldn't possibly start holding club activities just for Utaha Kasumigaoka.
Every day after school, he either had plans or needed to go home to play games. When would he have time for such things?
To be continued…
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