In a crossover anime, do you believe that a machine spirit can defeat a fake human?

"Uh, it's approved."

"That's good."

"By the way, if possible, let's move to a better apartment. This building doesn't even have a security office; no one checked my information when I came in..."

"..."

Hiratsuka-sensei left, her face showing some confusion, as if she were lost in thought.

"Well, let's buy some daily necessities first, so we won't be short of money when we need them."

However, after hearing what he just said, Chen Yi changed his mind slightly.

Safety is indeed very important. Judging from the way that fake man swaggered in to our door the other night, we'll probably be living in constant fear from now on.

"This house must be rented. Let me see if I can find the landlord's phone number..." Chen Yi turned on his phone, glanced at the blank contact screen, and sighed slightly.

Okay, let's ask the neighbors.

......

In the end, Chen Yi first went to buy a batch of daily necessities and some small gifts.

Finally, thanks to her excellent eloquence and extremely good looks (probably?), she established a good relationship with the neighbors and successfully found out the landlord's phone number.

"Mr. Chen, come visit again sometime. I'll introduce you to my daughter next time..."

The old lady waved from the doorway with a broad smile.

"They're easy to get along with..." Chen Yi thought.

As dusk fell, it was time to head home and prepare dinner. Luckily, I had bought some groceries earlier, but I must say, fruits and vegetables are really expensive here in Japan...

"Hello..." Chen Yi said as he fried eggs in the kitchen, raising his phone to call his landlord.

"Oh! It's that international student, Mr. Chen, right? Is there a problem with the apartment?"

"The house is nicely renovated, but the security is..."

"Oh, it's alright. Don't listen to those cowardly old men and women talking nonsense. There aren't that many fake people. Being attacked is just a low-probability event."

"Besides, didn't you handle that stuff perfectly...?"

"...Okay then..."

"Good luck, Chen Jun! I wish you all the best in your studies!" He hung up the phone after saying that.

"..." The boy's blush spoke louder than any sweet words.

An invisible force had arranged a full-year lease for him; in other words, if he breached the contract, he would have to pay a hefty penalty.

Thinking about it carefully, there's nothing wrong with this apartment building. It's close to Chiba Station, the surrounding facilities are quite complete, and it can respond quickly if you call for help.

Well, apart from the lack of security, everything else is fine.

However, the landlord eventually agreed to provide Chen Yi with some compensation for the loss of his personal safety, including replacing the door with a more secure one.

Putting down his phone, Chen Yi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

Looking down, I realized that the "little sun" in the pot had somehow turned into a "little lump of coal".

"..." Chen Yi casually scraped off the blob of paste and cracked a new egg into it.

......

I haven't had any symptoms all day, so I can go back to school tomorrow.

Dinner consisted of egg noodles and a fried egg; we opted for a light meal due to limited resources.

Chen Yi glanced at the time; it was almost 6:30.

In mid-to-late March, it was already almost dark by 6:30 pm.

With nothing to do after dinner, Chen Yi pulled out the violin case and took out the HK416 to stroke it carefully.

Come to think of it, there seem to be only this many bullets?

Looking at the two magazines in the violin case, Chen Yi touched his chin in confusion.

Seriously? Aren't you going to give me ammo?

With nothing to do, I would unload the bullets from the chamber and take them out of the magazine one by one, counting how many rounds I could fire in total.

"Two magazines... 59?" Why is one magazine missing? Chen Yi frowned.

Oh, he remembered. His gaze shifted to the doorway, where a bullet lay quietly on the floor of the entryway.

"..."

Hmm, Hiratsuka-sensei probably didn't see it when she left, right?

Never mind, let's put it aside for now.

Now, let's go through those memories again.

It's true that the bullet was ejected during the standoff.

But did I pull the plug twice?

In Chen Yi's memory, the first time he took the assault rifle out of the violin case, there was no magazine inserted, meaning that there were no bullets in the gun at that time.

Then, as I retreated to prepare for the enemy to break down the door... I pulled the bolt, and at that moment a bullet ricocheted out.

So when was the first time you pulled the throttle? Or did I just remember it wrong because I was nervous?

Picking up the bullets from the ground, their bright yellow tips gleamed coldly under the light.

Back at the coffee table, Chen Yi loaded the bullets into the magazine one by one, still puzzled.

He's more inclined to believe he misremembered.

Chen Yi put the rifle back in its case and pondered.

Should I bring this with me if I go to school tomorrow?

...Never mind, carrying such a big violin case would attract a lot of attention wherever I go, and it would be hard to explain if someone asked me about it.

"Next time I'll remember to buy a real guitar to cover it up."

P.S.: Is anyone watching? Could you post some random threads?

Freshman: Chapter Six - Daily Life on Campus?

Grade 1, Group F.

Chen Yi looked up at the class sign and stepped inside.

"A new international student has joined our class. From now on, we'll be classmates. Remember to get along well with each other, and don't let me find out if you're doing anything to exclude others..." The homeroom teacher, Ms. Hiratsuka, was introducing the class from the stage. Chen Yi stood aside and silently glanced at the whole class.

I felt inexplicably disoriented.

If it weren't for what happened these past few days, he might have really taken advantage of his transmigrator identity to enjoy the wonderful life he had in the anime.

"I am Chen Yi, an international student from the University of Tokyo." The self-introduction was concise enough.

"...Then you can pick an empty seat yourself." Hiratsuka waited a few seconds but didn't get the rest of the content. She glanced at him and then dismissed Chen Yi with some boredom.

Tsk, what a boring guy—that was clearly the meaning in his gaze.

"..." Chen Yi felt her gaze and stared back at her.

Ignoring him, Chen Yi slowly walked to the empty seat behind a boy with deadpan eyes and sat down.

......

I never thought I'd be able to go back to school as a high school student several years after graduation. It's really rare.

The thought of another round of intense competition fills me with a deep sadness.

Is that kid over there Hachiman Hikigaya? His demeanor is definitely quite different from the others.

...Well, just by looking at them, you can tell that they are the kind of person with a very withdrawn personality.

Perhaps Hachiman Hikigaya is a fake? Chen Yi thought rudely.

His mind seemed to have relaxed, and he was unusually lost in thought, pondering random things.

"Um, classmate..." The boy in front of me turned around when get out of class ended.

"Let's get to know each other?" His expression was somewhat stiff, seemingly tense but not quite.

"Chen Yi." Chen Yi looked up at him.

"H-Hachiman Hikigaya..." His voice trailed off, and he stopped talking altogether. The two of them just stood there awkwardly.

"Um, what do you want?" Embarrassed to the point of picking his toes, Chen Yi could only manage a smile.

"Big brother, your smile looks a bit forced!" Hachiman thought to himself, cursing wildly.

"N-nothing..." Hachiman Hikigaya responded weakly, then turned back and stopped talking.

Hachiman felt incredibly inadequate—he mustered the courage to try communicating with a transfer student, only to suffer a humiliating defeat...

This will probably be the subject of my repeated reflections as I struggle to sleep tonight.

......

"Mr. Chen, I need to talk to you about something."

It was noon, and Chen Yi, who was planning to leisurely stroll to the cafeteria for lunch, was caught red-handed by Hiratsuka Shizuka who had rushed over.

"Can't you wait until I finish eating before you talk about it..." Chen Yi muttered as he walked slowly behind.

"Who knows where you went after you finished eating? It's a hassle to find you." Hiratsuka Shizuka retorted without hesitation, showing no intention of maintaining any teacherly demeanor.

"On another note, a morning has passed. Is there anything you're finding difficult to adjust to?"

"No, the knowledge here is quite simple," Chen Yi replied.

"You know that's not what I'm asking."

No, I don't know. What else could a teacher ask if not about studies?

Chen Yi squinted, neither confirming nor denying.

"I don't know, Professor Hiratsuka. Why don't you just lay it all out?"

"You brat, you're making it sound like I'm interrogating you... Alright, come in first." Hiratsuka Shizuka pushed open the office door, circled around a couple of times, and returned to her workstation, casually asking, "By the way, how's the atmosphere in the class? Have they been giving you any trouble?"

"The atmosphere in the class is alright... You know, Hiratsuka-sensei, I'm still a foreigner, so it's unlikely I'll make any friends on my first day." Chen Yi shrugged.

"Alright, to make it up to you, I'll order you some takeout. But don't go around saying I'm some kind of bad person who doesn't let people eat," Hiratsuka Shizuka joked.

"Thank you." Chen Yi nodded and found a seat.

"Want some black tea?" Hiratsuka Shizuka brought over a kettle of hot water from the side.

"No need, I can do it myself." Chen Yi took the kettle, poured half a cup, and took a small sip.

"Okay, I'll get straight to the point."

"How did that fake manta monstrosity you encountered the day before yesterday get its eyes on you?"

"...Maybe I ran into it on the road?" Chen Yi pondered.

It was pretty much a certainty; that day, during a heavy rain, there was only that one "person" walking on the street.

Perhaps the other party has some kind of tracking method.

"Are you alright?" Hiratsuka Shizuka's gaze held a hint of concern.

"It's nothing, they couldn't even break down the door." Chen Yi waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to worry.

"I was definitely scared, but I was able to handle it once I calmed down."

"Your door doesn't look like it's of particularly good quality. Just in case, I suggest you replace it," Hiratsuka Shizuka retorted.

"Be more careful in the future. This place is different from yours. There aren't surveillance cameras everywhere, so they can easily take advantage of loopholes," Hiratsuka Shizuka warned.

"..." That's true. In Japan, the fact that the security forces can respond so quickly is already considered very efficient.

"Thank you for the reminder, teacher."

"You're welcome. Here's my phone number and LINE ID. Just add me. Contact me anytime, don't be shy." Hiratsuka Shizuka stood up and patted his shoulder.

"By the way, high school students in Japan have to join clubs after school. Take some time these next few days to see which one you like," Hiratsuka Shizuka said to Chen Yi, as if she had just remembered something.