Kumagawa sat at what could best be referred to as a main character's chair, despite not being the main character in any way, shape, or form. In his hands was a copy of the latest Weekly Shounen Jump.

"Hey, is someone going to report that guy?"

"I totally felt like I was impaled by something."

"I don't like him. I don't wanna be in the same class as him—the same school as him!"

The chattering continued unabated.

The homeroom teacher, Aikurou Mikisugi, had eyed the young man with a similar level of discomfort before leaving the classroom. As he made his way towards the teachers' lounge, he couldn't help but think back to what exactly happened back there. Almost all the students were impaled by what appeared to be ridiculously oversized screws. However, almost immediately afterward, the entire scene had been undone. But still, the memory remained.

The only way he could rationalize it was by thinking of it as some elaborate illusion induced by hypnosis. Kumagawa Misogi… He would have to keep an eye on that one. If that person turned out to be an enemy, too, it could spell disaster for his efforts in infiltrating Honnouji Academy.

"Excuse me?"

Kumagawa, who was still sitting at his desk, turned to face Mako, who had been holding out her lunchbox with one croquette intact.

"『Hm?』"

"An apology and thank you for earlier. If you hadn't shown up when you did, I'd never given those one-stars the slip. So here. A Mankanshoku-brand croquette. Straight from the lunchbox."

As she held out the box, she bowed her head as if in the presence of royalty. Only after a minute of waiting did she lift her head somewhat, only to see tears bursting out of the transfer student's eye sockets.

"Uwah! Did I hurt your feelings again!? I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please forgive me!"

"『No, no, it's nothing like that. These are tears of happiness! I'm genuinely happy to have someone genuinely concerned about me after everyone else basically gave me the cold shoulder and assaulted me both physically and verbally.』" Kumagawa took the box from the other's hands and placed it on his desk. "『I know, let's be friends. And I will save your disgusting croquette, instead of eating it, as proof of our friendship.』"

As soon as the word "friend" was mentioned, Mako's eyes lit up. "Woooow, an actual friend? Yipee, I feel so lucky! I never had a friend before. I mean, I did, but never a male friend that just transferred and whose name I don't know. What's your name, by the way, friend? I forget."

"『Kumagawa.』"

"Kumagawa! That's a name I won't ever forget. Because that's the name of my friend. Kumagawa! Since it's the end of the class, let me give you a tour of the academy."

"『…that sounds like a wonderful idea, Mako. I've been meaning to get some fresh air. I'm sure that everyone's lightened up now that the school day's over.』"

Meanwhile, near the entrance of Honnouji Academy…

"What is this miserable sight?"

Before a young woman and an incredibly huge man, there were injured and unconscious bodies of the disciplinary committee members strewn about. Their clothes appeared to be pierced by some large object, but their bodies remained largely intact.

"Forgive me, milady. It seems that some ruffians have managed to undermine your authority. I will correct this error posthaste."

"Hold on."

The woman walked up to the leader of the group, who was lying half-unconscious against a wall. Next to his head was what appeared to be some oversized screw. As weird it may have seemed, it was not her first time seeing an oversized appliance being used as a weapon. And neither this instance nor the other could be recalled as good memories.

"Who is it that placed you in such a terrible state?"

"M-monster," the leader muttered before falling into unconsciousness.

With that, the young woman turned to the large man and said, "It seems that an enemy has invaded our Honnouji Academy. I want the perpetrator of this crime to be caught and made an example of by tomorrow morning."

"By your order, it will be done, Lady Satsuki," Gamagouri Ira said with an ardent salute.

Her eyes gazed back to the large screw indenting the wall.

Someone who could rend a mob of one-stars, large enough to equate to a single two-star, to this sorry state was certainly dangerous. With the day of her ambitions being fully realized coming closer and closer, Satsuki Kiryuin could not risk any unforeseen factors, no matter how small they may appear. The perpetrator of this act would be punished, and that would be that.

Still, what was this profoundly negative feeling gnawing at her? Like a storm was brewing. Like something incredibly terrible was about to take place.

"And this is the garden. I'm not sure what they do here, but there's lots of plants, and some of them are even edible!"

"『Fascinating.』"

True to her word, for two hours, Mako had been showing Kumagawa around the entire school.

"And I think that's that. Huff, huff… Man, I'm tired… Hey, you still got that croquette I lent you?"

"『Here.』"

"Thanks."

As she cheerfully devoured the morsel, Kumagawa walked ahead and scanned his surroundings.

"『This is quite an interesting place.』"

"Hm?"

"『This school. I've been to many schools, but I've seen very few like this. I think I might finally be able to find what I'm looking for here after all.』"

"Well, yeah, Honnouji isn't like your typical schools. I mean, I wouldn't know all about that, since I spent my entire life living in Honnou. Speaking of which, how is the outside world?"

"『Not really special or interesting.』"

"That's a bummer."

"『But still, most people here dress and look the same. And some dress like they didn't get enough attention from mommy and daddy growing up. Makes it really easy to tell the main characters apart from the side characters. Like those two over there.』"

The two colorfully dressed characters looked at the young man and then at each other.

"Is he pointing at us, Kusatao?"

"I think he is, Kusanosuke. I think he is."

The two approached Kumagawa.

"And who might you be?"

"Yeah, yeah, where do you get off pointing at us like we're nothing, no-star?"

"Uh-oh, Kumagawa. Those two are two-stars," said Mako, bowing her head while subsequently hiding behind a newsstand. "We shouldn't mess with them. Stop pointing, bow your head, and say you're sorry immediately."

"Yeah, do what your friend says."

"Else you might get snipped."

"『...actually, I changed my mind. You two look nothing like main characters at all.』"

What'd you say?"

"『I mean, the author isn't even bothering to denote which one of you is speaking his lines within the narration. That's of how little consequence your existence is to the plot.』"

"This fool is just raring for a fight!"

"Yeah, this no-star is going to regret messing with gardening club elites, said Kusatao."

"Yeah, he- Wait, what did you say?"

"…said Kusanosuke."

"Stop that."

"Stop what, replied Kusanosuke."

"That. Whatever it is you're doing."

"You heard the guy. The author has no interest in denoting who is saying what. How are the readers going to know the order of dialogue if I don't reveal it to them explicitly, said Kusatao."

"I think we have bigger things to worry about than explaining who's saying what to a bunch of imaginary readers. Like disciplining these two— aaaaaand they're gone."

The two stood by in silence.

"…said Kusanosuke."

"You didn't even say that one!"