Two months have passed since the day Minato met the Japanese patron god of fishermen. Ebisu, one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, was the name, according to the Persona in his head.

Now was the start of a new school year. He was back again as a 2nd year high school student. This was no Gekkoukan High, this was not a premier high school, but it was a school nonetheless.

He found a job because of a wanted ad by a ramen restaurant. It was run by an old couple that was not unlike Bunkichi and Mitsuko, the elder couple who ran a humble bookshop at a strip mall from his previous world.

With the old woman's help, he was also able to find a cheap place to stay; a humble room that was sized three tatami mats. Then again, it was almost like his previous room from before.

To have an extra income, Minato also started to work as a newspaper boy.

With a little bit of saving, Minato enrolled himself in the nearby high school and began his slow life as a working high school student.

But to think he was an ordinary high school student was false.

"Hey boss!" the local demons of the area started to refer to him as such. Minato has no idea why because when he asked, these demons simply told him that Minato's 'scent' or 'aura' felt like he was above everything else.

"Oh, hello." It was a crow yokai this time. Minato ran a finger over the bird's feather, smoothing it down with slow movements.

"Where are you going?" These yokai were very simple-minded. They were like children who didn't know much about the world. Sometimes, they would even ask for his help to fix disputes between other yokai. Like a big brother to his siblings.

"School." He was walking, the yokai hovering around him.

"School? What's that?"

"A place to learn." Minato said simply.

"B-But!" the crow squawked, "But you're already so smart! You help us with our problems."

Minato tilted his head. Not like normal people would find him and the yokai flying around him to be odd because they rarely noticed him when he interacted with these yokai. They said it was because of the [Mist] that he was left alone. Whatever this [Mist] was, it cloaked him and the yokai whenever they interacted with him.

"Well, you need to study too to become smarter."

"I don't get it but if boss says he'll be smarter then I'll believe him!" The yokai said before saying goodbye.

Minato, at school, also had to get used to people treating him differently. But then again, it was no different to how the students over at Gekkkoukan acted around him. Most tried to keep their distance, not out of malice mind you, but because of his aloofness.

Not that he was unfriendly though, in his two months, Minato became the unofficial authority of the school. Not unlike his senpai Mitsuru, because even the student council came to depend on him, but not so much in the case that he was generally left alone by the teachers and the authority figures.

People would often say that he only appeared to be unfriendly but once you get to know him, he was actually accommodating and kind. Admirers he had, but no love confession.

"Good morning." A schoolmate of his greeted with a wave. It was a girl from a different class. Minato rarely interacted with the students of his school, but these same people treated him like their unofficial leader. While his word was not law, his opinions and beliefs seemed to have some weight and sway in the student body.

Being greatly admired, he was starting to find, was different from being pinned. Which can be a good thing. He couldn't imagine what his school life would have been like if he had the amount of fangirls Akihiko-senpai had.

Not only that, the troublemakers of the school, ironically named Yankiis, also generally kept trouble out of school since he started studying there. Their leader even nodding at him whenever they'd visit his work place at the ramen place.

It was as if he came into this world with a maxed out charm and courage stat; at least according to the newly-popular isekai genre his peers seem to consume these days. Well my life now is sorta like an isekai story.

With his academics, despite being a top performer from his previous school, since a lot has changed in the few years of being inactive, he had to adjust a little to the level of competency Japan expected from their students. Languages became one of his top subjects because it was generally the same while Math and Sciences became a bit harder. Geography was his poorest subject because a lot has changed and certain cities that was present from his previous world was no longer there. History was both ridiculously easy and ridiculously hard - certain events from the past stayed consistent while other events either never occurred, changed so much it was unrecognizable, or had an entirely different outcome.

That did not mean he had too much difficulty. He was one of the school's top performers through sheer work ethic, only held back by his need to work instead of studying. But most of his teachers understood, and found it endearing that a hardworking student like him was able to perform well in school despite struggling financially.

To summarize, school was challenging, isolating and tiring but also a welcome, refreshing and fun experience for him.

"Good morning." The classmate who was in-charge of the classroom's morning rituals greeted him. A few of his classmates also greeted him.

Minato nodded at them, smiled politely and greeted back.

When the teacher entered for their first period, the instructor came with a new kid.

A transfer student.

And her entrance was, excuse the pun, entrancing.

"Hello, my name is Drew Tanaka. Please treat me well."