In this anime crossover, who stole my module?

As my tense nerves finally relaxed.

My emotions calmed down at an astonishing speed.

Miko Yotsuya's almost-shutdown brain began to function again, and her rationality gradually returned.

However, as the excitement of surviving the ordeal subsided, a subtle sense of unease soon belatedly surfaced in Yotsuya Miko's mind.

As if some important detail had been overlooked, Yotsuya Miko subconsciously frowned in thought, then suddenly realized something was wrong.

……

Natsume Ryo's hand was still resting on Yotsuya Miko's hair.

The distinct sensation of fingertips occasionally brushing against her hair clearly reminded Yotsuya Miko of this fact.

With a "boom," it was as if an invisible steam rushed straight to her brain, and Yotsuya Miko's cheeks quickly turned crimson at a visible speed. The heat spread all the way, and even her small, fair ears became burning hot.

Jian Zi could clearly feel her heart suddenly racing, pounding against her chest like a drum.

Since the awakening of her peculiar "visible" constitution, Miko Yotsuya has subconsciously maintained a subtle and safe distance from those around her.

Especially the opposite sex.

It's unbelievable to be affectionately patted on the head by a boy like this.

They never even had any physical contact at a slightly closer distance.

Admittedly, the sudden intimate contact caused Miko Yotsuya's brain to shut down. It was as if all her thinking ability had been stripped away by the hand resting on the top of her head.

She didn't even dare to look up at Natsume Ryo's expression at that moment.

Moreover, far from feeling any rejection deep in their subconscious, they were filled with an unprecedented sense of security.

She has always borne this "visible" fear alone, forcing herself to turn a blind eye day and night, living cautiously as if walking on thin ice.

I even wondered if I might be discovered and devoured by those "things" before I even reached adulthood.

No one around her could understand her situation.

Not to mention someone like Natsume Ryo, who can not only "see" but also effortlessly erase those terrifying "things," giving her such direct help.

Especially after Yotsuya Miko, who had long considered herself weak in the face of those "things," saw that those terrifying "things" could actually be killed.

The tension that had been constantly taut within her, stemming from the need to coexist with those terrifying "things" because she could "see" them, finally gave her an almost instinctive sense of peace.

……

but.

Natsume Ryo ultimately withdrew his hand.

The time between putting it down and taking it back is so short that it's less than six seconds.

Even the sense of security that Yotsuya Miko felt remained.

However, the feeling of emptiness that comes from the removal of the hands from the head is equally clear.

This quietly fostered a sense of indescribable loss within her, like a child who has just woken up from a dream seeing candy and instinctively wanting to reach out and grab it, yet knowing it's inappropriate.

"All right."

"Your friend is here to see you."

"Then see you later."

After saying that, before Yotsuya Miko could even look up, he tried to find out where Natsume Ryo had gone.

A lively, boisterous voice suddenly rang out from the side, interrupting her thoughts.

She didn't even need to turn around to know it was her good friend, Yurikawa Hana.

"Miko! Miko! What did you just say to Natsume-kun?!"

Along with the sound, Yurikawa Hana quickly approached Yotsuya Miko like a curious little squirrel, her round eyes sparkling with undisguised gossip, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Yotsuya Miko and Natsume Ryo's previous location.

"When did you meet?"

"Judging from how you two were just now, your relationship is definitely not ordinary!"

"When did your relationship become so good?"

"Did he just touch your head?!"

"How abominable!"

"Natsume beat me to it! I want to pat Miko's head too!"

Yurikawa Hana reached out, intending to mimic Natsume Ryo's earlier gesture and gently rub Yotsuya Miko's head.

He was bombarded with a barrage of questions and subjected to such blatant displays of affection.

Miko Yotsuya, whose cheeks were already flushed from Natsume Ryo's actions due to her thin skin, became even more embarrassed.

"Hua...you, you stop messing around..."

Seeing that she subconsciously tilted her head slightly to avoid Yurikawa Hana's hand, she wanted to turn her head to look in Natsume Ryo's direction and seek an explanation.

However, as far as the eye could see, the crowds at the school gate remained the same, but Natsume Ryo was nowhere to be seen.

Natsume Ryo had already left before Yurikawa Hana rushed over.

Not finding Natsume Ryo, Yotsuya Miko felt slightly disappointed, but she suddenly remembered Natsume Ryo's words earlier, "Those things in this area have now been cleared away," and she didn't bother to answer Yurikawa Hana's question.

Seeing Zi cautiously turn her head left and right, quickly scanning her surroundings.

As far as the eye could see, there were no longer those hideous, twisted, terrifying, and ominous "things".

The world seemed to have returned to its original, ordinary and commonplace state.

Everything seemed so normal.

Very safe.

After confirming that there was truly nothing around her and that the terrifying "things" that had driven her to the brink of a nervous breakdown had indeed disappeared.

Yotsuya Miko let out a long sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she felt much more relaxed.

You can always trust the kill efficiency of the /kille command.

Chapter 14: Commander-in-Chief of the Returning Home Department + Aloof Liberal Arts Genius, Shrimp Soldiers with Crab Generals

Seeing Yurikawa rushing towards him with a gossipy look on her face, Natsume Ryo felt it was best not to linger. Explaining things would be too troublesome, and the school bell was about to ring.

Just before Yurikawa's energetic voice rang out, Natsume Ryo decisively turned around and merged into the flow of students heading to the teaching building without leaving a trace.

Walking through the noisy corridor and ignoring the occasional glances cast at him, Natsume Ryo arrived at the door of his first-year classroom.

The classroom was already mostly occupied by students.

Ryo Natsume walked straight to the back of the classroom, his gaze fixed on that classic spot—the second-to-last row by the window.

With its wide-open view, you can see the scenery outside the window and take in the dynamics of the entire classroom. At the same time, being away from the podium makes it a perfect place to relax, daydream, or observe the world.

However, this position was not chosen by Natsume Ryo himself.

It was arranged specifically by the teacher.

As for why?

After Natsume Ryo casually pulled out a chair and sat down...

With his backpack hanging on the back of the chair, he turned his head to look out the window at the sports clubs doing their morning exercises on the playground.

"Hey, Commander-in-Chief of the Returning Home Department, you're not late today."

A slightly languid, flat, and even self-deprecating voice sounded from behind, which Natsume Ryo caught precisely as he looked out the window.

Natsume Ryo knew who it was without even turning around.

In the entire class, and even the entire grade, there was only one person who would speak to him in that deadpan, sarcastic tone and knew exactly his newly coined nickname—Hachiman Hikigaya, who sat directly behind him in the last row of the classroom, also by the window.

Natsume Ryo slowly turned his head and met those signature dead fish eyes that seemed to never wake up and had seen through the hypocrisy of the world.

"Hachiman, laugh if you want to..."

"I only recently found out that I've been given this title."

Natsume Ryo's tone remained as calm as ever.

The nickname "Commander-in-Chief of the Homecoming Department" has indeed only recently become popular among female students.

According to Natsume Ryo's investigation, it was probably because his style of disappearing on time as soon as the school bell rang, except for attending classes and necessary activities, and never participating in any clubs or group activities, was so "unique" that he earned such a title that sounds both chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur) and somewhat fitting.

"No, I just think that this title suits you quite well in a certain sense."

Hachiman Hikigaya was already used to Natsume Ryo's reaction, and gave a barely perceptible smile:

"After all, we are a rare species who refuse to integrate into the group of popular young people and insist on the principle of going home immediately after school."

"There has to be a leader with a more prestigious title, doesn't there?"

The self-deprecating tone in Hachiman Hikigaya's words was even stronger.

Natsume Ryo remained noncommittal.

The reason he and Hachiman Hikigaya ended up sitting at adjacent desks was entirely due to the "brilliant" decision of their homeroom teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka.

It is said that at the beginning of the school year, both students showed amazing "unsociable" traits. One was taciturn and kept to himself, while the other used twisted logic and negative essays to fight against the world, which gave the young (self-proclaimed) and passionate (often lecturing with his fists) teacher Hiratsuka a terrible headache.

This is precisely why, in the eyes of this energetic teacher who tries to "save" every problem student.

The idea of ​​"two negatives make a positive", or "fight fire with fire", or simply "out of sight, out of mind, throw the two most troublesome things into a corner together".

Hiratsuka Shizuka made a stroke of her pen.

Natsume Ryo was seated in the second-to-last row by the window!

Hachiman Hikigaya occupied the last row.

They called it "mutual supervision and common progress," but in reality, they probably thought it was better to put these two troublemakers together than to let them scatter and pollute the rest of the class.

Thus, one became the "Commander-in-Chief of the Homecoming Department," and the other became the "Lonely Liberal Arts Genius."

Two guys who were at the bottom of the campus social food chain ended up sitting next to each other.

In Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes, this must be a perfect match – a shrimp soldier paired with a crab general.

At first, the two naturally got along well, each immersed in their own world.

But over time, seeing each other all the time, they would occasionally exchange a few casual words. Perhaps it was a subtle attraction between kindred spirits, or perhaps they simply felt that the other's presence wasn't too bothersome.

Over time, a peculiar relationship developed between the two, somewhere between strangers and friends.

We wouldn't call it a deep confidant, but we at least got along well and were among the few people in this monotonous campus life with whom we could exchange a few words.

……

After ending his brief and slightly self-deprecating conversation with Hachiman Hikigaya, Ryo Natsume withdrew his gaze and refocused on his seat.

Just as Natsume Ryo was about to take his textbook out of his bag.

My finger accidentally touched something under the table.

"Ok?"

Natsume Ryo raised an eyebrow and reached under the table.

What I touched was a beautifully packaged cardboard box; judging from its shape and size, it appeared to be a bag of snacks.

Natsume Ryo took it out and placed it on the table.

Sure enough, it was a box of expensive-looking imported chocolates, with a small pink bow tied to the wrapping paper and a small, unsigned card tucked in the corner with polite words like "Please enjoy."

"Tsk, this again?"

Natsume Ryo sighed inwardly, but his face remained calm and composed.

These anonymous little gifts often end up in the drawer of a desk.

At first, he found it a bit strange, wondering who had given it to him.

But after a while, once people figured out who it was, they got used to it.

Having developed a creative mindset, he had long lost interest in these material things.

Even if an entire mountain of gold were placed in front of him, it would be something he could replicate with a wave of his hand.