Towa Tokoyami Just Wants a Quiet Life! ~ Reincarnated and Now She's Being Fought Over by the School Princes ~ - A quiet life, about to begin—or so it should have been.

The train pulled away. Wind lingered on the platform. I stood there for a while. Hoshimine-Saka-Shita Station. The morning rush had just ended, and the platform was sparsely dotted with students in uniform. All of them chatting happily as they headed for the ticket gates. Laughing with their friends. Alone, I watched their backs, half-dazed. "[whispers] …Peaceful." The April breeze swayed the hem of my skirt. A slightly longer skirt. I'd never bothered getting the length adjusted since the entrance ceremony — it was too much trouble. Besides, no one was going to notice anyway. I wanted it that way. I took a deep breath. Soft spring air, tinged with the scent of the sea. This was the world I'd wished for. But the moment I closed my eyes, it all came back. It was always like this. Every time I caught the scent of the wind, distant memories stirred. I still remember that world clearly. A sky black and stagnant. The smell of blood. The feel of a sword in my hand. The backs of my comrades. Valdine — that was the name of the world we lived in. A sword-and-sorcery *isekai*, made up of three continents and countless islands. I spent sixteen years there, fighting without pause. Not to save the world. I just wanted to protect whoever was right in front of me. Born in a small village, I awakened one day to the power of the "Calamity-Slaying Swordsman" without warning, found myself on the battlefield before I understood anything, gained comrades before I knew it, and somehow ended up leading the charge to defeat the Demon Lord. The history books probably write it up all cool — "Tokoyami Towa, vanquished the Demon Lord at age sixteen" — but the reality was nothing like that. I was terrified every day. I didn't want to die. I just couldn't run away. The Final War — the last battle, where we stormed Catastrophia, the Demon Lord Grauzarm's castle. After seven days of fierce combat, my sword pierced the Demon Lord's heart. But in that instant, the castle collapsed. Me, my comrades, all of us. That was where my previous life ended. The next thing I knew, I was a baby in Japan. Wrapped in warm blankets, my name called by a gentle voice. Without understanding anything, a new life began. Thankfully, the memories gradually faded. But they never vanished completely. For these sixteen years, I've lived carrying my past self with me. "…Well, whatever." I don't have to fight anymore. I don't have to carry anyone's life on my shoulders. Just live lazily as plain old "Tokoyami Towa." That was my one and only goal. I stopped by the bakery in front of the station — "Mugi no Hoshi." The sweet scent of bread fresh from the morning's first bake wafted out the moment I slid the door open. "[gentle] Morning, Towa-chan. You're early today." "[surprised] …Oh, you remembered me." "Come on now, how could I forget a young lady who buys cream bread every morning?" The shop lady grinned and slipped the usual cream bread into a paper bag for me. A hundred and fifty yen. Eating this on the way to school had become my small, recent pleasure. I took a bite. Soft dough and custard that wasn't too sweet. "Yeah. Peaceful." A smile slipped out before I could stop it. This. This right here. This is all I need. I strolled up the slope of Hoshimi-ga-Oka. Small shops lined both sides. The bookstore "Page One," the tea specialty shop "Leaf Note," the stationery store "Pen no Michi." None of them were open yet this early. I caught a glimpse of myself reflected in a shop window. My waist-length black hair had no bedhead today. Good, good. My deep crimson eyes seemed to glint faintly gold in the sunlight… or so I felt, but it was probably just my imagination. A slender frame, a navy blazer, and a dark red ribbon. The skirt's a little long, but that's fine. Not standing out is the most important thing. Ten minutes later, I reached the school gate. A large sign read "Private Hoshimine Academy." Founded ninety-two years ago, roughly twelve hundred students, a sprawling campus with a main building, annex, gymnasium, and even an archery range — a well-known combined junior and senior high school in the area. A deviation score of sixty-eight or something. Not that I care. Today was my first day as a transfer student. My new class was Year 2, Class 3. Apparently on the second floor of the main building. "Alright. Starting today, I'm seriously erasing my presence." With that resolve in my heart, I stepped into the school building. —Yes. That was how it was supposed to go. First period. Led by our homeroom teacher, Mr. Tamura, I stood at the podium in Class 2-3. "Uh, this is Tokoyami Towa-san, who'll be joining this class starting today." Nearly forty pairs of eyes turned toward me all at once. Please stop. Seriously, please stop. "Alright, a brief self-introduction, if you would." I mentally traced the three patterns I'd prepared in advance. Pattern A: "I'm Tokoyami Towa. Nice to meet you." → This was the baseline. Pattern B: "I don't really have any hobbies. I like spending my time quietly." → A preemptive strike. Pattern C: "Um… special skills? Well…" → Mumble deliberately and end it there. Okay, going with Pattern A. "Uh, um, I'm Tokoyami Towa. Special skills… I don't really… have any. That's all." Three seconds. I said it. Perfect. The classroom fell silent. …Huh? "…Wait, that's it?" "So short." A ripple of murmurs ran through the class. Why? Why the murmuring? "[surprised] Um, Tokoyami-san! Don't you have… any hobbies?" The girl in the seat in front of me timidly raised her hand and asked. Nakajima-san, her name tag said. "…Reading." "Seeeee!" For some reason, several boys in the class quietly fist-pumped. Wait, why? I just like books? "(What's that? Is it a gap-moe thing where the cool transfer student likes reading?)" "(I get it. Straight black hair, reddish eyes, kinda like an anime heroine.)" I could hear the whispered voices. For some reason, my ears caught all of it. This was another leftover from my past life, I guess. Seriously, please stop. Somehow surviving the self-introduction, I settled into the very back seat by the window. "Okay… today's mission is complete. Now I just have to erase my presence." I muttered quietly and opened my textbook. "Hey, can I call you Tokoyami-san? What middle school are you from?" Here it comes. The boy in the seat next to me struck up a conversation with a smile. "…Ah, bathroom." I stood up. "Wait, class just start—" "Sorry, I dropped my textbook." I pretended to pick it up and put it in my bag. "Didn't you not drop it?" "I'm going to the bathroom." I quickly left the classroom. A sigh in the hallway. "…Getting talked to is way too much trouble." How many times am I going to have to do this today? I dreaded what was ahead. Fourth period ended. Lunch break. I dodged the lunch invitations from the girls in my class with a "Sorry, I've got something to do," and headed to the courtyard alone. Luna Garden. A roughly eight-hundred-square-meter courtyard between the main building and the annex. The moment I stepped in, the air changed. Spring sunlight filtered through the leaves of a large zelkova tree, falling in soft particles of light. The tree, said to be a hundred and twenty years old, had a thick trunk and wide-spreading branches, as if it were protecting this place alone from the rest of the world. The gentle sound of water from a small fountain was pleasant to the ear. In the flowerbeds, colorful blossoms tended by the gardening club swayed, their sweet scent carried on the breeze. "This is it…" I sat down on a bench at the base of the zelkova tree. This was it. This was supposed to be my sanctuary. No one around. Quiet. I pulled a paperback from my bag. A new release I'd been wanting to read. One the bookstore's Koga-san had recommended, saying, "Seems like something you'd like, Towa-chan." I opened to the first page. "…Ah, bliss." The words soaked into my eyes. Warm sunlight, a pleasant breeze, a bench with just the right firmness. The perfect reading environment. Five minutes later. "Tokoyami… Towa?" A quiet voice. From beyond the lawn. I looked up with a start. Standing there was a tall male student. He also wore a navy blazer, with a dark red necktie fastened neatly at his chest. His slightly long platinum blond hair swayed softly in the spring breeze. Eyes clear and blue as sapphires gazed straight at me. Well-defined features. Gentle eyes. And on the breast pocket of his blazer, the student council president's badge. I know him. No — even if I don't want to remember, I do. Holy Knight, Leon. The man who always stood at my right in my past life. The moment I saw his face, memories flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern. The days we entrusted our backs to each other on the battlefield. The moment at the Temple of Light, Palladium, when he received the title of Holy Knight and swore to me, "I will serve you." His murmured voice just before the Final War — "Don't die." Leon stared at my face, unmoving. His blue eyes widened. Those sapphire pupils reddened, as if bloodshot. "…Found you." A hoarse voice spilled from his lips. In that instant, I knew something had burst inside him. No. His past-life memories had just awakened in an explosion of emotion. I could vaguely sense what kind of images were flooding his mind. Because I'm the same. Slowly, Leon dropped to one knee right there. His navy slacks sank into the grass. "It has been a long time, Towa-sama." His voice trembled. Even so, he spoke clearly. "In this life as well, I am here to protect you." And then, he extended his right hand, trying to take mine. Ah, no. This is the bad kind. "…Holy Knight Leon." The name fell from my lips naturally. That confirmed it. He's completely remembered. And what's more, his past-life loyalty has gotten twisted into something seriously dangerous. "No, wait, wait, wait." I jumped off the bench. "Why is this already starting?!" I shoved the paperback into my bag. Slinging the bag over my shoulder. "Towa-sama, I have been searching for you all this—" "You don't need to search! I just want to live peacefully and read books!" Before Leon could stand and take a single step, I broke into a full sprint. "Please wait!" "I won't wait! Give me a break already!" I dashed through the courtyard and rounded the corner of the school building. That's when it happened. "Whoa!" I nearly collided head-on with Mr. Kuroda, the PE teacher, who came around the corner. I nimbly dodged and kept running. Mr. Kuroda stood frozen in place. He seemed to have unconsciously pressed the stopwatch in his hand. Staring at the numbers on the display, his eyes went wide. "…Wait, 50 meters… in 3 seconds?" That's not a human record. As I ran, I realized I wasn't even slightly out of breath. "Ah, crap, it came out." I muttered under my breath. "How many times have I told myself not to go all out?!" This was the "Residual Ability from My Past Life." When danger approaches or my emotions run high, my past-life physical abilities unconsciously emerge. In everyday life, it's nothing but a nuisance feature. I crouched down in the shadow of the school building and held my breath. Meanwhile, in Luna Garden. Having risen to his feet, Leon stood perfectly still, gazing in the direction Towa had fled. The spring wind swayed his platinum blond hair. A quiet smile touched the corner of his lips. "As I thought. It was you." His blue eyes were still slightly moist. "Even in this life, your talent for running away remains unmatched." And then, he murmured softly. "…But I won't let you go anymore." After school. I was walking down the slope of Hoshimi-ga-Oka alone. The sky was gradually dyed orange. The lights of the shopping district began to flicker on one by one, and the day was drawing to a close. "Hah…" Nothing but sighs. A comrade from my past life is

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Episode 1

Name: Towa Tokoyami Just Wants a Quiet Life! ~ Reincarnated and Now She's Being Fought Over by the School Princes ~
Author: Novelia

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