The chatter of students filled the classroom, a blend of laughter and murmured conversations that created a low hum. Gradually fading as the teacher tapped the board, the sharp sound cutting through the noise. All eyes turned towards the front as the teacher gestured to their newest classmate standing beside him.

"Hello everyone, my name is Hyoudou Issei. I've been homeschooled the past few years, so please take care of me," he said, bowing with practiced politeness. As he straightened, a warm yet guarded smile played on his lips, his lavender eyes sweeping over the room. Whispers erupted instantly, some intrigued, others suspicious, as students leaned toward each other, eager to dissect the new arrival. The room buzzed with speculation until the teacher cleared his throat, restoring a semblance of order.

"Does anyone have questions for Hyoudou-san?" the teacher asked.

Almost immediately, hands shot up, some eager and others hesitant. The teacher nodded towards a boy in the back with a shaved head, an irritated expression stretched across his face.

"The name's Matsuda," he said, practically barking out his introduction. "So, Hyoudou, what's a pretty boy like you doing at Kuoh Academy?" Matsuda leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with a smug grin. "Trying to steal all the girls from us, huh?" he taunted, voice dripping with bravado. A few of the male students nodded in agreement, muttering among themselves. Several of the girls shook their heads, groaning at his usual antics.

A few of the male students nodded in agreement, muttering among themselves. Issei blinked, tilting his head slightly as if trying to decode the question. "To... learn?" he replied, his tone laced with genuine confusion. "I can't say I understand what you mean, Matsuda-san."

There was a ripple of laughter from some of the girls in the class, but most of the boys groaned or rolled their eyes. Matsuda's friend, a bespectacled boy with a calculating gaze, pushed his glasses up with a practiced motion.

"Motohama here," the second boy declared, adjusting his glasses with a smirk. "Here's a real question for you, Hyoudou—what's your favorite part of a woman's body?"

The question hung in the air, eliciting gasps and titters from the surrounding students. Issei's eye twitched ever so slightly, a sweatdrop forming as he wondered if he had somehow stumbled into a school for lunatics.

Smack! Smack!

Two sharp whacks echoed through the room as a pair of wooden shinai came down hard on Matsuda and Motohama's heads. The boys yelped in pain, rubbing their skulls as they turned to face their attackers.

"No corrupting Hyoudou-kun, you perverts!" the pink-haired girl scolded.

The brunette beside her offered a quick apology to the teacher. "Sorry we're late, Sensei. Kendo practice ran a bit over today," she explained, before turning her attention to Issei with a warm smile. "Glad to see you're in our class, Issei-kun."

Issei relaxed slightly, nodding in return. "You too, Murayama-san."

The boys in the back groaned, rubbing their sore heads, while some of the girls exchanged glances of approval. However, a certain tension still lingered, invisible battle lines being drawn as several girls glared daggers at Murayama.

"Any other questions?" the teacher asked, raising an eyebrow at the subdued class.

A final hand remained in the air, belonging to a girl with shoulder-length blue hair and a sharp, inquisitive look. "Tsubasa Yura," she introduced herself in a calm, measured tone. "Where did you live before coming here?"

Issei paused, a weight lying behind the seemingly innocent question. A flicker of old memories flashed in Issei's mind. He forced a smile, hoping it didn't look as strained as it felt. "My mother and I lived in Kyoto," he answered, his voice steady but devoid of its earlier warmth.

Tsubasa nodded, her eyes briefly flickering to a silver-haired girl sitting quietly near the window. There was a brief, almost imperceptible exchange between them, like a silent agreement. "Thank you, Hyoudou-san," Tsubasa said before sitting back down.

"If that's all, Hyoudou-san, please take a seat between Tsubasa-san and Murayama-san," the teacher instructed.

"Hai, Sensei." Issei made his way to his assigned desk, feeling the weight of several curious stares on his back.

The lunch bell rang, signaling a break from the morning's classes. Issei stood to leave, but before he could even take a step, he found himself surrounded by classmates eager to pepper him with questions.

"What clubs are you joining?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Are you into sports? You look like you could handle yourself."

"What's your type?"

The questions came at him like a machine gun, leaving him no time to even think. Just as he was about to resign himself to a lunch period full of interrogations, a hand reached through the throng and yanked him free.

"Ne, Issei-kun, want to eat lunch with Yui and me?" Murayama asked, her eyes sparkling with an almost mischievous glint. "We know a great spot."

Issei nodded, sighing in relief as she quickly pulled him out of the classroom door, Katase quickly joining in by grabbing his other arm. "Thanks, Murayama-chan. I owe you one."

The trio made their way outside, the midday sun casting a warm glow over the school grounds. The Kendo girls led him to a secluded spot beneath a large cherry blossom tree, its pink petals gently fluttering down as the soft freeze carried its beautiful scent across the courtyard.

"Here we are!" Murayama announced as they reached a secluded spot under a sprawling sakura tree. The ground was sprinkled with delicate pink petals, creating a picturesque scene.

"This is your secret lunch spot?" Issei asked, genuinely impressed.

"Yup! We come here when we want to escape the… chaos of class during lunch," Katase said with a nod, laying out a picnic cloth on the grass. "Hope you don't mind joining our little lunch club."

"I don't mind at all. I'm honored, actually," Issei said with a smile.

The girls settled down, each of them pulling out their neatly packed bento boxes. Murayama's was a bit messy, with rice and pickled vegetables squished into one corner, while Katase's looked carefully arranged with colorful dividers. However, both of them paused as Issei took out his own bento—a sleek, lacquered box that seemed almost too elegant for a high school lunch.

"Whoa, fancy! Did you buy that from a restaurant or something?" Murayama asked, her eyes widening as he opened the lid.

Issei shook his head, revealing an assortment of beautifully arranged dishes—perfectly grilled salmon, delicate tamagoyaki, karaage fried to a golden crisp, and a side of pickled daikon. Everything was arranged with the kind of care that spoke of years of practice.

"You made this yourself?" Katase asked, blinking in disbelief.

Issei scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I did. I like cooking, so I try to make my meals special."

Murayama's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "You can cook and arrange it? I'm seriously jealous, Issei-kun! I can barely make instant ramen without burning it."

Katase let out a soft laugh. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Yui. You're great at sports. Some things just aren't your strong suit."

"I'm no expert or anything myself," Issei said with a modest smile, though the pleased glint in his eyes didn't go unnoticed. He picked up a piece of karaage with his chopsticks and offered it to Murayama. "Here, try some."

Murayama's cheeks turned slightly pink, but she accepted the offer, leaning forward to take a bite. Her eyes widened in delight as she chewed. "This is amazing! How'd you get it so crispy on the outside without making the meat all dry?"

"Just a trick with the oil temperature," Issei replied, clearly pleased by her reaction as he scratched the back of his head modestly. "I could show you sometime if you're interested."

Murayama's face lit up. "I'll take you up on that! I've always wanted to learn how to cook food that good."

Katase, not wanting to be left out, leaned in closer. "Can I try some too?"

"Of course." Issei passed her a piece of tamagoyaki, which she eagerly accepted.

"Mmm, it's sweet but not overpowering," Katase said, savoring the bite. "You could seriously open a restaurant with skills like this."

"You expect us to believe you picked up cooking just for fun?" Murayama teased, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, Issei-kun, who are you trying to impress?"
Issei chuckled, shaking his head as it grew slightly warmer. "I swear it's just a hobby. I had to cook a lot growing up, and it just kinda stuck with me. No ulterior motives, promise."
"Hmm, if you say so," Katase joined in, a smirk smacked onto her face as a playful pout laid on Murayama's. "But with cooking like this, you're definitely going to become popular–intentional or not."

Before they could continue, a sudden, high-pitched chorus of screams filled the courtyard.

"KYAAA!" "KIBA-SAMA!" "KONEKO-CHAN!"

Issei looked up to see two figures approaching—a handsome blond boy with a charming smile, and a petite girl with snow-white hair and a stoic expression. The crowd of students parted for them like the Red Sea, their adoring gazes never leaving the pair.

"Yo, Hyoudou-san!" the blond called out, waving casually as he approached. "I heard we had a new 'prince' in school. Had to see if the rumors were true." He flashed a friendly smile. "I'm Kiba Yuuto, nice to meet you."

Issei blinked in confusion. "Prince?"

"It's just a nickname," Kiba chuckled. "No need to take it seriously."

Beside him, the white-haired girl—Koneko—stared intently at Issei, her golden eyes narrowing. "Crow," she muttered almost inaudibly, Issei's ears twitching. "Toujou Koneko, Hey." She spoke slightly louder with that, her sturdy posture buckling for a moment as her gaze met Issei's.

"Hyoudou Issei," he introduced himself, bowing slightly. "But it seems you already knew that."

"Just the talk of the school, nothing personal," Kiba said with a wink.

Kiba turned his attention towards Murayama and Katase, flashing them a warm smile. "Good to see you again, Murayama-san, Katase-san. Mind if I drop by the Kendo club later? I've got a few moves I want to test out."

"Anytime, Kiba-san!" Katase replied eagerly. "We'd love to spar with you."

Kiba nodded, turning to leave. "Well, we should get going. It was nice meeting you Hyoudou-san, I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other" Kiba's smile never quite reached his eyes, "Welcome to Kuoh Academy."

"Bye," Koneko added in a flat tone, the two turning and walking off towards one of the older school buildings.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Kiba leaned in towards Koneko. "So, what did you think?"

Koneko's voice was a barely audible whisper. "Crow... something more too." Her expression remained impassive, but her fists clenched at her sides, knuckles turning white as her golden eyes narrowed.

"Interesting," Kiba mused, a sly smile spreading across his face. "This year just got a whole lot more exciting."

A/N: Hello everyone! Another chapter revision for you all has arrived. I'm realizing more the further I get with the rewrite that I was really bad at spreading out material throughout the chapters. I'm going to do my best to add a bit of additional content in future chapters, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this one 3. I've also received a few messages about the previous Harem list in particular and just to clarify: I have no intention of using that system or having that expansive of a romance system this time around. Very much a high school Phenex-Chan way of trying to satisfy as many people as possible I'm afraid. Regardless, I will still have a Harem. Albeit a bit smaller than before. Anyways, have a good rest of your day everyone 3

Kisses,
Petra