William 01

Title: The First Day of School

A gentle breeze blew softly, carrying cherry blossom petals that slowly fell and landed on the tousled blonde hair of a young man.

Simply by standing at the school gate, the youth had already drawn the attention of passing female students.

However, he was all too accustomed to such scenes.

William—no, not quite. In this world, he had another name: Kudou Kousen.

When he arrived in this world, William had fervently hoped to be born into a great magical family.

And in reality, it was more or less in line with his hopes—perhaps even exceeding his expectations.

In Japan, ten prominent families dominated the world of magic. They were known as the Ten Master Clans:

Ichijō, Futatsugi, Mitsuya, Yotsuba, Itsuwa, Mutsuzuka, Saegusa, Yatsushiro, Kudou, and Juumonji. These ten families now controlled Japan’s magical world.

By sheer coincidence, their names were derived from the numbers one to ten—a first since the establishment of the Ten Master Clans.

This time, William had been reincarnated as the youngest child of the Kudou family, the grandson of the current family head, Kudou Retsu—a position that could be considered highly prestigious.

“Even though Kudou-kun already looked handsome in photos, he’s way more stunning in person!”

A sudden voice interrupted Kousen’s drifting thoughts, snapping him back to the figure of a girl who had somehow appeared in front of him.

The girl stood with her hands clasped in front of her stomach. Her wine-red eyes and near-perfect face were framed by two neatly arranged strands of hair hanging over her chest. Her only flaw, perhaps, was her petite stature.

Yet, it was likely that very petite frame that triggered a protective instinct in men.

Especially since the girl stood so close to him, the scent of her body mixed with the fragrance of her shampooed hair was unmistakable to Kousen.

“If I’m not mistaken, Saegusa-senpai? Nice to meet you, I’m Kudou Kousen.”

Kousen quickly composed himself, taking half a step back and giving a polite bow to the petite girl. His manners were impeccable.

The reason Kousen hadn’t yet entered the school gate and lingered here was because he was waiting for this girl. Based on the location of the Kudou family’s residence, Kousen should have attended the Second National Magic High School.

Although the books in this world didn’t explain it in detail, the epicenter of the magical world was in Japan, specifically here: the First National Magic High School.

Despite his grandfather, Kudou Retsu, who always doted on him, strongly opposing Kousen’s decision to live alone and attend the First High School...

In the end, Retsu couldn’t resist his grandson’s determination and reluctantly agreed.

Somehow, this news reached Saegusa Kōuichi, the head of the Saegusa family, during a visit to the Kudou household. He informed Retsu that his daughter, who also attended First High, would look after Kousen—and this was the result.

Saegusa Mayumi wasn’t offended by Kousen’s slight step back; in fact, she seemed even more intrigued.

She knew full well—even without considering her magic or her charm as a “Magical Beauty”—her face alone was enough to leave most men flustered and uneasy.

Yet, the Kousen standing before her wasn’t just immune to her charm; he even maintained a calm distance. How could that not pique her curiosity?

“Sorry, Kudou-kun. I was a bit late because of student council duties.”

Though she apologized, Mayumi’s twinkling eyes betrayed no hint of sincerity in Kousen’s view.

“No problem at all. I’m the one troubling you, Senpai.” Kousen replied with a slight shake of his head.

“Well then, let’s head to the auditorium first. The opening ceremony is about to start.”

Mayumi tilted her body slightly and waved her slender hand, gesturing for Kousen to follow.

Kousen nodded and stepped beside her, matching her pace.

“By the way, I heard something interesting earlier!”

Mayumi suddenly squinted one eye as they walked, her head tilting slightly.

“What’s that?” Kousen asked, glancing at her.

“About your grades, Kudou-kun. The teachers said if you had taken the magic activation speed test, you’d definitely be the top freshman.”

“They said you’re the first student at this Magic High School to score perfectly in all seven subjects: theory, magic theory, and magic engineering.”

“You even broke the school record for magic pattern scale and the strength of rewriting target information.”

“So… mind telling me why you didn’t take that final test?”

Mayumi’s curiosity was palpable. Neither she nor the teachers doubted that Kousen would have topped the magic activation speed test.

After all, the Ninth Research Laboratory specialized in magic activation speed. There was no way Kousen would be slow in that regard.

“That… sorry, Senpai, it’s a family matter, so I can’t talk about it.” Kousen replied calmly.

“Oh, sorry, I was too forward.”

This time, Mayumi genuinely felt regretful. Asking about the affairs of a major magical family, especially one of the Ten Master Clans, was a serious taboo.

Even an innocent remark could spark major conflict.

“No worries, Senpai. It’s not a big deal, so don’t think too much about it.”

Kousen showed no sign of blame. He wasn’t the type to stir up trouble.

“Besides, being the top freshman isn’t that important.”

“What matters is having good average grades, right?” he said, pointing to the flower emblem on his chest.

“I see…” Mayumi glanced at the emblem and nodded slightly.

The two walked side by side in silence, drawing the attention of upperclassmen around them.

How could they not? The beautiful, elegant, and popular student council president, who had never been rumored to have a boyfriend since starting school…

Was walking alongside a new student whose face alone was enough to make even conservative Japanese high school girls steal multiple glances.

“Is that new kid actually winning over the student council president!? This world is cruel… it’s all about looks!” — an upperclassman boy.

“Or maybe the president fell for him first!? This world is too harsh!” — an upperclassman girl.