Classroom of the Elite: Reaction

by KavkaShin

Karuizawa Kei and the other first year students receive a mysterious message that takes them to the theater, where they are told to watch something they would never have thought of before.

3. Volume 1 Part 1

Everyone in the theater room watched the people Ayanokouji Kiyotaka mentioned walking towards a room that was in the corridor. They were all wondering what was going on, why did Ayanokouji call those people? What did he want to talk about? And more importantly, why did all the class leaders choose Ayanokouji?

Such questions popped up in their minds, but no matter how hard they thought, they didn't get the answers.

"Well, our class didn't get an invite, princess," said Hashimoto as several Class A students gathered around Sakayanagi.

"Fu fu, it seems so. Maybe it's because our class isn't that close to Ayanokouji-kun," Sakayanagi replied with her usual smile.

"Should we send someone to approach him?" asked Hashimoto. In his heart, he was much more willing to do so.

"That's an interesting idea. Masumi-san, will you do it?" Sakayanagi asked Kamuro who was sitting beside her.

"Hah? Why should I do that?" Kamuro said. Her expression looked very reluctant at Sakayanagi's request.

"Come on Kamuro, don't you have frequent contact with him?" said Hashimoto.

"I didn't do that on my own will!" growled Kamuro, her gaze fixed on Hashimoto. Hashimoto just whistled, not wanting to push Kamuro any further.

Indeed Kamuro had been in frequent contact with Ayanokouji but that was not her wish, but an order from Sakayanagi.

"Fu fu, I was just joking, you don't have to. Besides, I believe whatever relationship Ayanokouji-kun has with them, it comes naturally," said Sakayanagi amused.

Sakayanagi then looked back at the corridor behind the theatre, honestly she was curious about what Ayanokouji was doing and what he wanted to talk to them about. She also couldn't deny that there was jealousy inside her for not being invited.

But she put those feelings aside for now, she had to be patient, she couldn't be greedy. For now, she was satisfied with what she had got, she couldn't wait to see the life Ayanokouji had experienced while at this school.

While class A is having discussions, class D is also having their own discussion. Ryuuen was currently surrounded by his usual followers.

"Ryueen-san, are we not going to do anything?" Ishizaki asked a little anxiously.

"Haaah, what do you mean?" Ryueen said casually as he leaned back on the chair to make his body more comfortable.

"What's with that relaxed attitude of yours? Don't you mind what Ayanokouji did just now?" said Ibuki who was annoyed at Ryuuen's attitude.

"Ku ku, what's wrong Ibuki? Do you feel jealous that you weren't invited?" Ryuuen said amusedly looking at Ibuki.

"Hah!? No shit, that's not what I meant! Shiina was just invited by Ayanokouji, she could be manipulated by him," Ibuki snapped.

Ryueen and the gang already knew how great Ayanokouji was at manipulating people, so it was only natural for Ibuki to feel anxious when one of the important people in her class got close to Ayanokouji. She didn't want Manabe's incident to happen again.

But contrary to Ibuki's expectations, Ryuuen just sighed.

"Why are you worrying about trivial things like that. Look, do you think Ayanokouji is a fool to decide to blatantly manipulate Hiyori in front of me?"

"That…" Ibuki hesitated in replying to Ryuuen's words because he was right, "But what if he really did?"

"Then let it be, it's no big deal after all," Ryuuen said completely unperturbed, "If you're really worried, just ask her when she comes back."

"That… I think you're right," Ibuki said relentlessly. She knew she couldn't win an argument against Ryuuen and what Ryuuen said was also true, she could ask Shiina later.

"If you understand then shut up, you're ruining the mood," Ryuuen said. Ibuki glared at him but didn't say anything, she then sat down and crossed her arms dissatisfied.

Meanwhile in Class B since their class leader is currently absent, they gather around Kanzaki. Create their own discussion.

"Hey, Kanzaki. Do you think Ichinose is okay?" Shibata asked who was sitting next to Kanzaki.

"I'm also worried about Honami-chan, because Ayanokouji-kun was so scary earlier," said Amikura worriedly. She remembered Ayanokouji's cold stare earlier.

"Yeah, I didn't expect Ayanokouji to have such a side," said Shibata in surprise.

Kanzaki folded his arms while listening to his friends discussing. He was also like them, he didn't expect Ayanokouji to have such a cold side. That adds one more mysterious thing about Ayanokouji. Looks like his decision to choose Ayanokouji was the right choice.

"I think Ichinose is fine," said Kanzaki, attracting the attention of his friends, "There are Hirata and Kushida, plus Chabashira-sensei. There's no way anything bad will happen, we'd better just wait for Ichinose to come back so we can ask her."

After hearing Kanzaki's words, they all pondered. They thought that Kanzaki's words made sense.

"Well, I think you're right. Let's wait for Honami-chan and ask her later," said Amikura, the others nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile in class C split into several groups as they discussed, because their class leader and the person who could unify the class at this time were not present, making them currently split into several groups.

But even though they were separated, what they discussed remained the same. It relates to a student named Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

Matsushita occasionally looked towards the corridor with a curious look, several questions now popping up in her head. The biggest question is who exactly is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?

Her suspicions of Ayanokouji had strengthened again after the recent events. Being singled out by all the class leaders and that cold stare gave Matsushita the chills. Seeing it all made Matsushita think that what Ayanokouji had said to her when they talked this afternoon was a lie.

Ayanokouji said that he was holding back and had used around 80% of his power and knowledge, but can those words be believed? And also Ayanokouji calls Karuizawa by first name, how far is their relationship?

Matsushita subconsciously held her head while thinking about those questions, she thought that she had excelled in her conversation with Ayanokouji but now she felt that she had been manipulated unconsciously when they spoke.

"Are you alright, Matsushita-san?" Shinohara asked, maybe she saw the wrinkles on Matsushita's face.

"Eh? Oh, I'm okay. I was just thinking about Satou-san, that's all," Matsushita replied with a smile, reassuring Shinohara that she was fine.

"I see, you thought about her too. I'm also worried about Satou-san, the stares that Ayanokouji-kun sent to us earlier scared me. I don't really know him but I didn't expect him to have that kind of side," said Shinohara, she turned to the corridor worriedly.

That too was something Matsushita thought, what was Ayanokouji doing now? Why did he bring Satou and the others? What does he want to talk about?

Matsushita shook her head to dispel the questions. There was no point in questioning that since she would ask Satou later, for now she had to at least lessen Shinohara's worries.

"I think it's fine, Shinohara-san. There were Hirata-kun and Kushida-san, plus Chabashira-sensei was also there. I'm not sure anything bad will happen," Matsushita said.

"I think you're right, Matsushita-san," said Shinohara with a sigh. She then leaned her body to make herself comfortable.

Matsushita did too, she was also pretty sure nothing bad had happened. Now all she needed to do was wait quietly until the event started.

That's what she expected.

But…

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!"

BAM!

Everyone flinched from whatever they were doing in shock at Sudou's angry shout, almost all of them stood up and turned to the source of the voice that was in the C class meeting room.

"That's Ken's voice, what happened?" said a surprised Ike, he then walked towards the corridor while being followed by Miyamoto and the others.

Shinohara and Matsushita came out of their shocked state when they saw Ike and the others walking towards the corridor. They then looked at each other anxiously when they realized something.

"Satou-san!" they said in unison. Without thinking they rushed after Ike. On the other hand, class B students also headed for the corridor because they were worried about Ichinose's condition.

"Please stay in your seats."

Eve's voice echoed through the room making them stop.

"Hah? What do you mean? I just heard Ken's angry scream, and I know Ken being angry is not a good thing," said Ike in surprise. Miyamoto and the other boys nodded at Ike's words, because they were often the targets of Sudou's anger.

"My friend is also inside. She must be scared if she sees Sudou-kun angry," said Shinohara.

"Honami-chan too, we're afraid something bad will happen to her," said Amikura worriedly.

Hearing all their complaints, Eve just sighed. Then she spoke, "I can assure you that everything is fine, nothing bad happened."

"Hah? So what are they doing inside? Why was Sudou-kun just now so angry?" Shinohara asked in disbelief.

"It's just because of his emotional outburst, he's not mad at anyone at all. And what they're doing inside, they're just talking. That's all," Eve replied.

Everyone was confused by what Eve said, they didn't understand what made Sudou go berserk when all they did was talk.

Before they could ask further, the sound of the door opening caught their attention.

They turned to the source of the sound and saw that Chabashira had just left the room and was walking to their place.

"Chabashira-sensei!" they shouted at the same time. They then rushed to the teacher.

"Chabashira-sensei, what happened-"

"Sae-chan, what happened inside?" Hoshinomiya asked who immediately cut off Shinohara's words.

Chabashira just stared in bewilderment as the crowd approached her, "Looks like Ayanokouji was right about the commotion that Sudou made causing a stir outside," she thought.

Chabashira sighed. It was for this that Ayanokouji had asked her to come out sooner, to calm the commotion. If she didn't calm the current situation, some students might barge into the meeting room.

Chabashira stood at the end of the corridor near the stairs, intending to stop the students from barging into the meeting room. But then Hoshinomiya found something unusual about Chabashira as she approached.

"Sae-chan, you… are you crying?" Hoshinomiya shouted with wide eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Everyone widened their eyes in surprise at Hoshinomiya's words, especially for class C because Chabashira was their homeroom teacher.

Ike and the others examined their teacher's face more closely and they saw Chabashira's eyes were slightly red and still wet from crying.

"I-Impossible, that's true! Sae-chan-sensei, what happened?" shouted a flabbergasted Ike. He and the other C class students did not expect that their cold and cruel homeroom teacher could cry.

"Ah, I'm fine," said Chabashira while rubbing her still wet cheek, "More importantly, what are you doing here? The event is about to start, return to your seats."

"We came here because we heard Sudou-kun raging inside. What happened, sensei?" Matsushita asked.

"Sudou is just feeling irritated and he's calmed down for now, that's all. They just talk to each other inside, no violence happens. Now go back to your seats, you will only disturb them if you barge in."

"But…" Ike said uncertainly.

Chabashira sighed, "I can assure you they are fine, if you still don't believe me, just ask them when they come out."

Those were reassuring words from Chabashira, Ike and the others couldn't say anything more and in the end they gave up.

"Alright, sensei. We understand."

After that, Ike and the group returned to their respective seats. Their faces looked dissatisfied but even so there was nothing they could do now.

After the Class C students backed away, Chabashira then turned to the Class B students who were still standing nearby.

"You come back too," Chabashira said to the class B students. But it seemed they were still hesitating.

"Um… sensei, is Honami-chan really alright?" asked Shiranami shyly.

"Yeah, she's fine. You don't have to worry," Chabashira said.

Class B students breathed a sigh of relief hearing that, they were happy that their class leader was okay. From their reactions, it could be seen how important Ichinose Honami's existence was to them.

"Thank you, sensei. Everyone, let's go back," said Amikura representing class B.

After that they started to return to their seats, Chabashira watched them leave with a sigh. She then turned her head in a certain direction to take care of the final matter.

"Why are you still here, Chie?" Chabashira asked.

Unlike all the students who had left, Hoshinomiya was still standing where she was. From the look the class B teacher's homeroom teacher gave her, Chabashira could tell that the current Hoshinomiya wasn't in her cheerful personality.

"You're hiding something, aren't you?" Hoshinomiya asked with a smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes and looked flat.

"…What do you mean?" Chabashira asked back.

"You don't need to pretend, Sae-chan. I have known you for several years now, so I know that you are not a person who cries easily. The last time I saw you cry was during 'that' incident. So seeing you just cried, I'm sure that something is going on. Now tell me, what really happened?"

Chabashira looked at Hoshinomiya with a flat gaze, she knew that Hoshinomiya wouldn't just believe her story. The enmity that had existed between them over the years was already too deep.

Chabashira didn't answer anything, there was no way she could just say Ayanokouji's past. It was a story not just anyone should hear.

Chabashira walked forward and passed Hoshinomiya, "That has nothing to do with you," she said without turning to the homeroom teacher for Class B.

Hoshinomiya didn't say anything and remained standing where she was, moments later Chabashira heard Hoshinomiya say, "I see…"

Chabashira peeked behind her and saw Hoshinomiya walking after her with the smile she wore everyday, as if the cold personality she displayed earlier never existed.

Chabashira returned to her seat and then she sighed tiredly. What she had seen just a moment ago drained her stamina and emotions greatly, she didn't expect that Ayanokouji had gone through such a cruel time.

She felt lucky that Ayanokouji hadn't taken any action or at least hadn't done anything since she had used the boy for her own benefit. If Ayanokouji had wanted to, she would have been fired by now.

Chabashira got rid of those thoughts in her head, for now at least she could help ease Ayanokouji's burden in whatever trouble he had now.

"Mashima," said Chabashira who was sitting next to her, Mashima turned to Chabashira, "Pay close attention to this event, take this opportunity to get to know a student named Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."

Mashima could feel a strong conviction from Chabashira's words, then he replied, "It seems you have made up your mind. Okay, I understand. I will help as much as possible if Ayanokouji's words are proven."

Chabashira nodded in gratitude at Mashima's words. With that said, the deal was made, now all they did was wait for the truth to come out.

Everyone returned to waiting for their seats, even so they still couldn't shake off their curiosity about what really happened.

The first was Sudou's outburst of anger that made him make such a loud punching sound and the second was the rare phenomenon where the famously cold and calm Chabashira was crying.

But no matter how hard they thought, they couldn't find any answers.

Except for one person.

Sakayanagi Arisu watched Chabashira with an analytical gaze. Ever since Sudou's emotional outburst, she had been racking her brains to analyze what was going on in the room. But she didn't come to a definite conclusion.

Then it was only after seeing Chabashira come out of the room and see what had happened to her that she knew what was going on. The only answer she could deduce from Sudou's outburst of anger and Chabashira's cry.

"I see. So you told them about that place, Ayanokouji-kun…"

Sakayanagi closed her eyes and leaned her body back on the seat as she thought that.

Actually she is happy that Ayanokouji is willing to share his past with others but the question now is what is his goal?

Does Ayanokouji want to use them for his own benefit or does Ayanokouji want to move forward and want to connect with them sincerely?

Honestly she wished it was the last. It's possible that with Ayanokouji starting to open up to the people around him, she hopes that one day Ayanokouji can understand what human warmth is.

"Well, whatever the outcome, things will get interesting from now on."

Sakayanagi smiled at the thought. Big changes are bound to happen when the new school year begins, and she will enjoy them to the fullest.

---

It's now five minutes past eight, but Ayanokouji and the others still haven't come out. Five minutes past the scheduled eight o'clock event, the students were starting to lose their temper.

"Hey, Eve. It's already past eight, when will the show start?" shouted Ike on behalf of everyone.

"Fu fu, I'm glad you guys can't wait to watch. But let's wait for those inside to finish their business," said Eve.

Right after that, the door opened from the C class meeting room. Indicating that their meeting was over.

"What a great time," Eve said.

Everyone turned and saw Ayanokouji and his group had left the meeting room, they then walked to their respective seats.

"Alright, everyone. I went back to my class first," Ichinose said to Ayanokouji and the others.

"Me too," said Shiina following.

Ayanokouji and the others nodded at the two of them.

After that, Ichinose and Shiina returned to their respective seats. Arriving at the seat, Ichinose was immediately surrounded by her friends.

"Everyone, sorry I'm late," said Ichinose greeting her friends apologetically.

"Honami-chan you're back, are you okay?" asked a worried Amikura, followed by the others.

"Hmm? I'm fine, what's the matter?" Ichinose asked confused by the worries of her friends.

"We heard Sudou's scream earlier, we thought he was rampaging inside. So we were worried that you were in trouble," Shibata said.

"Raging…" Ichinose pondered on Shibata's words, before long she understood what he meant, "Ah, so that time. Indeed he had a tantrum at that time, but I'm fine. Ken-kun isn't angry with us."

"Ken-kun!?" All of her friends shouted at the same time, they were all shocked by Ichinose's words.

"Honami-chan, since when did you become close with Sudou-kun? You even call him by his first name," Amikura asked flabbergasted. Not only her, the other class B students also wanted answers.

"Ah ha ha, it's a long story," said Ichinose while rubbing her head shyly.

After that Ichinose told what happened in the meeting room, she told how they talked to each other about their respective pasts, and one thing led to another which made them close and eventually formed a hangout group.

"That's exactly what happened," said Ichinose ending her story.

Ichinose's friends didn't speak, it seemed they needed some time to process what Ichinose just said.

"So, Honami-chan… you mean you and those in the room talk to each other about your past," said Amikura confirming Ichinose's words once again.

"Yes."

"Then after that you guys became close and then made a hangout group and called each other's first names?"

"Yes."

All of Ichinose's friends looked at each other, Ichinose couldn't possibly deceive them but they were worried that Ayanokouji and the others tricked Ichinose out of her kindness. They were also suspicious of how quickly Ayanokouji and the others told their past.

"Umm, Honami-chan. Is it okay for you to just trust them? Maybe they're making up stories," said Shiranami who was worried that Ichinose might be being taken advantage of.

"It's okay, Chihiro-chan. I believe in them," Ichinose replied with a smile, then she looked at all her friends, "Everyone, I know that all of you are worried but I'm completely fine. So you don't have to worry."

Hearing Ichinose's confident words like that made her friends relent and believe in Ichinose.

"Alright Honami-chan, we believe in you," said Amikura.

"Thank you, everyone," Ichinose said happily.

Seeing that everyone had calmed down, Kanzaki stepped forward and saw Ichinose's slightly doubtful gaze. Ichinose who felt Kanzaki's gaze tilted her head in confusion.

"Ichinose, I'm not forbidding you to be friends with them or any students in this school, it's your right. But…"

Kanzaki hesitated to continue, but Ichinose already knew what Kanzaki wanted to say, to be more precise she had expected that questions like this would arise from her friends.

"I understand, Kanzaki-kun. When the time comes where I have to choose between my classmates and my group, I will choose you without hesitation. I will never abandon my classmates," Ichinose replied with complete confidence in Kanzaki.

Kanzaki of course was surprised to hear Ichinose's answer, because all this time when asked a question like this Ichinose always had a hard time answering it, but this time she answered directly and without hesitation.

Kanzaki subconsciously smiled slightly seeing Ichinose's progress, he also hoped that he and his friends would also develop so that they could compete with other classes and reach class A.

"Alright, I have no complaints then," said Kanzaki nodding in satisfaction.

Ichinose also nodded with a smile, she was happy that her answer could satisfy Kanzaki.

"By the way, Ichinose. You said you were talking about the past, didn't you, can you tell us?" Shibata asked curiously.

"About that… sorry I can't say, Shibata-kun," said Ichinose with a sad expression.

"Why?" Shibata asked confused.

"Some of them have a very dark past, I can't just tell it to other people. I'm sorry," said Ichinose.

"A very dark past?" Shibata asked flabbergasted. The others also widened their eyes hearing that.

"Yes, it's really hard to explain but what Kiyotaka-kun, Yousuke-kun, and Kei-chan went through was inhumane. I don't even know if I can get through it like them," said Ichinose sadly.

"Three of them? What exactly happened Honami-chan?" asked a surprised Amikura.

"Sorry but I can't tell you, all I can say is the events that happened in their past are still attached until they enter this school," said Ichinose. After that Ichinose silently stares at her friends, indicating that she won't say anything more.

"Okay, we understand. We won't press you anymore," Amikura said with a sigh.

"Thank you, everyone," Ichinose said with a sincere smile.

Meanwhile in class D, Shiina experienced the same thing as what happened to Ichinose. She is currently being interrogated by Ryuuen's gang.

"I'm serious, Ibuki-san. We're just talking about our past, that's all," Shiina assured Ibuki and the others.

"Is that true? You didn't say anything other than that?" Ibuki asked to confirm once more.

"Yes, I'm not lying," said Shiina nodding to reassure Ibuki.

Ibuki sighed tiredly as she leaned back in her seat next to Shiina. After Ibuki withdrew from interrogating Shiina, Ishizaki stepped forward to ask.

"Then Shiina, can you tell us about their past?" Ishizaki asked. According to him this is a golden opportunity to find the opponent's weakness.

But contrary to Ishizaki's expectations, Shiina shook her head.

"Sorry, I can't tell you, Ishizaki-kun," said Shiina apologetically.

"Hah!? Why !?" Ibuki was immediately taken aback when she heard that and she looked at Shiina in disbelief.

"I promised not to tell," Shiina replied.

"But-"

"Stop Ibuki," Ryuuen said stopping Ibuki from urging Shiina further.

"Hah?"

"If Hiyori doesn't want to say it, then so be it. There's no need to rush it," Ryuuen said casually as he leaned back on the seat.

"Do you know what you're talking about? We can use this to our advantage," Ibuki said in disbelief at Ryuuen's words.

"Ibuki is right, Ryuuen-san. Shouldn't we take advantage of this opportunity?" Ishizaki asked in surprise.

"Ha! I can find out about their past in my own way, but I don't need it," Ryuuen said in an unconcerned tone, then he turned to Shiina, "Is there anything else you can say?"

"He left a message for you, Ryuuen-kun," said Shiina.

"Oh? I'm listening."

"He said 'Make good use of this opportunity'."

"Hah? What does it mean?" Ibuki asked confused. He and Ishizaki didn't understand the meaning of the message, but Ryuuen suddenly laughed.

"Ku ku ku, you bastard monster. Until now he still wants to pump up my fighting spirit huh…"

Ibuki and Ishizaki didn't know why Ryuuen was laughing but they knew that it had something to do with the message from Ayanokouji. Ryuuen didn't pay attention to them, his focus now shifted to those provoking words.

"Just you wait, Ayanokouji. After I'm done messing with the other classes, I'll definitely be hunting you again."

Ryuuen Kakeru smirked at the thought.

Returning to Ayanokouji and the others, they had taken their respective seats.

Ayanokouji sat in the back row of class C. Right after he sat down, Kushida hastily filled the seat to his right. He looked at Kushida in confusion, while Kushida returned his gaze with a smile.

"Kindly help, Kiyotaka-kun," said Kushida with a smile, Ayanokouji of course knew what Kushida meant.

"You know you're the one who has to face your problems in the end, right?"

"I know, it's just that I feel more comfortable sitting next to you. Is it not allowed?" Kushida asked.

"I don't mean it. I don't mind you sitting next to me," Ayanokouji said.

"Thank you," Kushida said with a smile.

After that, Karuizawa hurriedly took the seat to Ayanokouji's left. Then Horikita took the seat next to Kushida and was followed by Sudou who took the seat next to Horikita.

In front of their line was filled with other members of Ayanokouji's group, namely Yousuke, Akito, Haruka, Airi, and Keisei.

As for Satou, she looked at Kushida and Karuizawa with jealous eyes for being late to fill the seat next to Ayanokouji. In the end she gave up and went to Shinohara and Matsushita's seat.

"Matsushita-san, Shinohara-san, sorry I'm late," said Satou when she got to their place.

"Satou-san! Are you okay?" Shinohara asked.

"Hmm? I'm fine, what happened?" Satou asked confused seeing the expressions of her two friends.

"Eh? We heard-"

"Alright everyone, since you've all regrouped how about we just get started?"

Just before Shinohara asked further, Eve's cheerful voice echoed through the theater and caught everyone's attention.

"Finally, I'm tired of waiting," Ryuuen said.

"Fu fu, sorry for the delay," Eve said amused.

Shinohara, who had wanted to try asking Satou, gave up on asking further.

"Okay, we'll continue later," Matsushita said to her two friends, they both nodded and turned their attention forward.

"Before we start, there are a few things I need to explain first," Eve said.

"What's it?" Ichinose asked.

"There will be several sessions while you guys watch this. There are three sessions, namely morning session, afternoon session, and night session. And now you're in the night session," Eve said.

"Apart from maintaining our body and stamina, is there any other purpose about this session?"

Ayanokouji thought that while listening to Eve's explanation, he felt there was a purpose in these sessions.

"There must be a purpose for you to make these sessions?" Ryuuen asked. Apparently he was thinking the same thing as Ayanokouji.

"Yep, of course there is." Eve confirmed Ryuuen's question, then she continued, "As you all know, during your time in school there have been some big events that have happened, such as a special exam on an uninhabited island for example. So in one session it will be shown how the special exam runs from start to finish."

"Will only special exams be shown?" Horikita asked.

"No, other major events will also be featured. It's just that special exams are more dominant because they happen often."

"I see," said Horikita nodding.

"Fu fu, you really are fully prepared to do all this, Eve-san," said Sakayanagi.

"Of course, I also want you to enjoy this event as much as possible," Eve replied.

Judging from how detailed this room was, starting from the number of seats and divided into four groups, the meeting room, and the elevator and the mysterious door at the end of the corridor, it seemed that Eve was really serious about what she said.

"Alright, without wasting any more time, I'm officially starting this event. Now let's get to the first part."

After Eve said that, everyone focused their attention on the screen that started to light up. And then came the words…

Welcome to the School Life of your Dreams

"Welcome to the School Life of your Dreams…?"

All the students said that in unison and wondered what the words on the screen meant.

"What does it mean?" Miyamoto wondered.

"I don't know," answered Hondou. He looked at Ike and the others and they were also confused.

"Is that the title of this video?" Sotomura asked.

"As expected of Sotomura-kun. Right, this is the title of this video, I will give a title for each part, you can guess what will happen in the video from the title," said Eve.

After hearing Eve's words, everyone started to guess what the video would be about, but in the end they couldn't guess.

Except for a few people.

"Welcome to the School Life of your Dreams, huh…" muttered Ayanokouji thoughtfully.

"Do you know something, Kiyotaka?" Karuizawa asked. Kushida, Horikita and Sudou who were adjacent to them turned to Ayanokouji.

"Well, I can't say for sure, but I think this might be when we first entered this school. What do you think, Suzune?" Ayanokouji said, after that he asked Horikita.

"I agree with you. Judging from the title, it probably refers to our school life before we know that class points exist," explained Horikita.

"I think you're right, after all when you first entered this school it was like a dream, right?" Kushida said nodding.

After hearing that conclusion, they all looked back at the screen.

"Ayanokouji-kun, do you have a minute?"

"That… Horikita-san's voice, isn't it?" Mori Nene confirmed.

"Yes, it must be Horikita-san's voice," said Matsushita who was sitting next to Mori confirming her words.

"Suzune, when is it?" Sudou asked.

"I don't know, too few clues. I have to look further," Horikita said.

Ayanokouji crossed his arms while thinking about when Horikita had said that to him, because Horikita had said that so many times that it was hard for him to remember when this scene took place.

She came. She was here. It was terrifying. I'd been feigning sleep during class, pondering society's true purpose while I pretended to nap, when the devil approached me.

"So that time- ah!" Ayanokouji gasped when he realized how dangerous his past self's words were.

"Devil…?" a cold voice came from his right.

Ayanokouji slowly turned his head and saw the devil in question, Horikita Suzune, looking at him with a cold and deadly gaze, he also saw that a compass had been prepared in her hand.

"H-Hey, I guess I have the right to think that after the torture you've been doing to me," Ayanokouji said quickly defending himself.

"But I never remember that I tortured you," Horikita said sharply, but she put away her compass again.

"Hah?" said Ayanokouji flabbergasted. He had no idea what he had just heard.

"If it wasn't torture, then what were you doing to me all this time?"

Ayanokouji wanted to say that but he didn't want to, he didn't want to make matters worse.

"The true purpose of society? What was he talking about?" said Kanzaki in confusion.

"Ah ha ha, other people sometimes have strange thoughts in their heads," said Ichinose with a laugh.

"I think you're right."

Even though my eyes are closed, I understand. I could feel the devil's presence as she waited for her slave to wake up. So, as a slave, how exactly can I get out of this situation?

Horikita's body shook with anger as more and more she heard Ayanokouji's words.

"C-Calm down, Suzune-san," Kushida said trying to calm Horikita, and luckily it worked.

Ayanokouji thanked Kushida in his heart for calming Horikita down, but he was of course aware that he had not escaped danger. Because it wasn't the only time he insulted Horikita in his mind.

My computer-like brain immediately ran all the calculations to arrive at the answer I needed most.

Conclusion: I'd pretend not to hear her. I had dubbed this the "Sleeping Strategy." If she were a kind girl, then she would say something like, "Aw, well, there's nothing to be done. I'd feel bad to wake you, so I'll forgive you. ""If you don't get up, I'll kiss you!" would also be okay.

Most of the boys nodded in agreement with Ayanokouji's thoughts on how to escape his current situation, only that girl had to not be Horikita.

"Well, there's no way Horikita would say something like that," Ike said. His friends nodded in agreement, they knew what kind of girl Horikita was.

"If you don't wake up in three seconds, I will give you additional punishment."

"What do you mean, 'punishment'?" I ask.

Laughter erupted in the room.

"Ha ha ha, what the hell is that!" said Shibata with a laugh.

"His strategy quickly crumbled," said Amikura who was also laughing.

"Considering Suzune-san, I don't think that strategy works for her," said Ichinose giggling.

In an instant, I had abandoned my "Sleeping Strategy" and succumbed to her violent threat. Well, at least I offered resistance by not looking her in the eye.

"See, you're awake, aren't you?" she said.

"I know well enough that I am afraid of making you angry."

"Glad to hear it. Then, may I have a little of your time?"

"If I refuse?"

"Well, even though you don't have the right to veto such a decision, I guess I would be very displeased."

"Fu fu, too pushy isn't it?" said Sakayanagi amused. Horikita just sighed looking at her past self.

She continued with, "And when I'm not happy, then I'll prove a huge obstacle to your school life, Ayanokouji-kun. For example, I might put a bunch of tacks on your chair. Or, when you go to the toilet, I might splash water on you from above. Or stab you with the needle of my math compass. That kind of obstacle, I guess."

"…"

The atmosphere became gloomy upon hearing Horikita's cruel words. Hirata looked at Horikita worriedly about the action she was about to take.

"Suzune-san, that…" said Hirata quietly.

"Relax, Yousuke-kun. I didn't do anything like that," Horikita said. Hirata nodded with a light smile.

"It was nothing but harassment, or rather, intimidation! And besides, that last one sounds very familiar, since you stabbed me before."

Several people immediately turned their gazes to Horikita, Horikita's shoulders slightly jerked with their gazes but she tried to put on a poker face.

Reluctantly I got up from my desk. A beautiful girl, sharp eyes and long black hair that framed her face stared at me. Her name is Horikita Suzune, a student from Tokyo Metropolitan Advances Nurturing High School, Class D, and my classmate.

"Don't worry. It was just a joke. I will not splash water on you from above."

"Eh? Does that mean she's going to do something else?" said Nishikawa from class A in disbelief.

Meanwhile in class C, Ike and his group were whispering to each other.

"Is this what Ayanokouji experiences everyday? I'm lucky enough not to sit near Horikita," Ike whispered to Miyamoto and the others.

"Yeah, dude. Not kidding, I think so too," Miyamoto said nodding in agreement.

"More urgent are tacks and compass needles! Look at this! It still lingers on from when you stabbed me the last time! Will you take responsibility if it scars me for the rest of my life?" I rolled up my right sleeve and showed Horikita my forearm, so she could see the scar she left behind.

The girls grimaced slightly at the reddened scar on Ayanokouji's arm, to them it looked painful.

"Ku ku ku, it seems you have a intimitadion spirit within you, Suzune. I like that," Ryuuen said with a laugh.

"Ugh…" Horikita groaned when she heard those words. She wanted to deny those words, but she did often stab Ayanokouji with the needle of her compass.

"Evidence?" she asked.

"Hah?"

"Hah?"

Everyone in the theater room was also shocked by what they heard.

"What about the evidence? Did you decide I was the culprit without any evidence?"

"Seriously?" Ibuki asked raising her voice at Horikita.

Horikita didn't answer and continued to stare at the screen. Ibuki clicked her tongue at being ignored.

She's right, there was no evidence. Even though Horikita was the only one in the class who was close enough to stab me with a needle, I'd be hard-pressed to call that definitive proof...

Well, anyway, I need to confirm something first.

"So, I was asked to help you? I've thought about it some more, and, after all, I-"

"Ayanokouji-kun. Would you rather be sorry when you suffer or regret when you are in despair? Which do you want more? Because if you reject me and force my hand, it will be your responsibility."

"Isn't that too pushy, Horikita-san?" Shinohara asked who was surprised by Horikita's words. Most people agreed with what Shinohara said.

"Suzune, I think you should apologize to Kiyotaka," Karuizawa said. She was sensitive to all forms of bullying, so she didn't want Horikita to become a bully.

"I agree with Kei-san. Your actions can be called bullying, Suzune-san," Hirata said softly, agreeing with Karuizawa's words.

Noticing that almost everyone in the room's attention was on her, Horikita finally let go of her poker face and sighed.

"Alright, I understand," she said before turning to Ayanokouji and lowering her head slightly, "I'm sorry, Kiyotaka-kun."

Ayanokouji looked at Horikita thoughtfully, he didn't expect the day to come when Horikita bowed her head to apologize to him. The old Horikita would never want to do that.

"Hm, I guess I should take full advantage of this situation to give her a deterrent effect so as not to torture me with her compass needle again. Maybe I should sell her a little bit until she says 'What should I do so you can forgive me, Kiyotaka-kun?'. Yeah, let's do that, I call it the 'Horikita Suzune Subjugation Strategy'."

"Well, then you should-"

"Are you not willing to accept my apology?"

"…"

Just before Ayanokouji carried out his strategy, Horikita immediately interrupted him with her words.

"What is it?" Horikita asked.

"No, nothing."

"So how? Will you forgive me or not? Decide now," Horikita demanded.

"Why do you even demand like that? Am I not the victim here?"

Ayanokouji frowned while thinking that, but then he sighed and relented because he knew how troublesome it was to deal with Horikita.

"Alright, I forgive you," Ayanokouji said.

"Good," Horikita said while nodding in satisfaction, then she returned to her seat.

And with that, Horikita Suzune's Subjugation Strategy ended in failure.

Unbeknownst to Horikita and Ayanokouji, the people were listening to their conversation with disbelief, they were surprised by what they heard even more so Horikita Suzune.

There were many questions they wanted to ask the girl, but they came to the same conclusion.

((THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS GIRL!))

With that in mind, they looked back at the screen to continue their spectacle.

"Wait a minute," Ike shouted.

Or so they thought as Ike stood up and stared at Horikita's row of seats.

"What else," Horikita said sharply. She's in a bad mood right now.

"Eh, n-no, that's…" Ike flinched slightly at Horikita's snarl, then he shook his head violently, "Yeah that, I heard you guys calling by first names, what's with that? I don't remember you guys like that before."

"We are friends, of course we can call each other's first names. After all, does that have anything to do with you?" Horikita asked.

"No..."

"Then shut up."

"Okay…" Ike said shrinking under Horikita's pressure.

Many people looked pitifully at Ike's downcast figure after being yelled at by Horikita. Actually they also had the same curiosity as Ike when they saw the behavior of the people that Ayanokouji had brought.

The girls were curious when Hirata called Karuizawa and Horikita by first names, Ike and his friends and the girls in Karuizawa's group wondered why Karuizawa and Kushida were sitting next to Ayanokouji, and many other questions made them curious.

But they gave up after seeing Ike's fate.

No more questions, everyone went back to staring at the screen.

I was stuck with Horikita's two completely absurd choices. It appeared she would not accept any delays. Though it was a mistake to make a deal with this devil, I gave up and obeyed.

"All right, then. What am I supposed to do?" I asked, filled with trepidation. Her requests no longer surprised me. I certainly didn't like how this situation had turned out, but… I thought back to when I'd met this girl two months ago, on the day of the entrance ceremony.

"So we go into flashback, this really looks like a movie…" Ibuki muttered under her breath. As a person who often watches movies at the cinema, the current atmosphere is very familiar to her.

"He he, magic is amazing isn't it, Ibuki-san?" Shiina said with a smile listening to Ibuki's muttering.

"Yeah."

April. The school entrance ceremony. I rode the bus to school, bobbing and shaking in my seat. While I looked idly out my window, watching the city's scenery change, the bus picked up more and more passengers.

Most of them were young people wearing high school uniforms.

There was also a frustrated salary worker, who looked like the type to have once mistakenly groped someone aboard a crowded bus. An unsteady elderly lady stood in front of me, wobbling so badly I thought she was in danger of falling.

"Someone has to help her," muttered a girl from class B.

I was fortunate to have found a seat, but it was still crowded. I forgot about the unfortunate elderly woman and patiently waited to arrive at my destination, my mind clear as a passing stream. The weather was especially fine today, not a single cloud in the sky. It was so refreshing that I nearly fell asleep then and there.

"Hah? Shouldn't he be helping the old lady?" Amikura asked in disbelief.

"Yes, like giving up the chair," said Kobashi nodding.

Ichinose just smiled sadly. Given Ayanokouji's true nature, he knew that the boy would not give up his seat unless a request was made to him.

However, my gentle respite was promptly obliterated.

"Excuse me, but shouldn't you offer up your seat?"

My eyes, which were about to close, snapped back open. Huh? Could this person be angry with me? But I realized that it was someone else being scolded.

A young, well-built blond man of high school age had sat down in one of the priority seats. The elderly woman stood right next to him, and another woman stood beside her. This second, younger lady appeared to be an office worker.

"Ha, that narcissist. I bet that bastard won't give up his seat," Sudou snorted.

"Fu fu, it seems you are starting to understand my perfection, Red hair-kun. Even if it's just under one percent," said Kouenji.

Sudou grumbled in annoyance, but he then managed to calm himself down.

"Hey, you there. Can't you see that this elderly woman is having trouble?" the office lady said.

Her voice carried quite well throughout the quiet bus, attracting several people's attention.

"That's a really crazy question, lady," the boy said.

"Hah?"

People who were not very familiar with Kouenji's nature gasped at his words. Only the C class students didn't show much reaction, they already knew what kind of person Kouenji was.

I wondered whether the boy was angry, unobservant, or just painfully honest. In any case, he grinned broadly and crossed his legs. "Why should I offer up my seat? There's no reason for me to do so."

"Of course to help the old lady," said one of the girls from class B.

"You're sitting in a priority seat. It's natural to offer up those seats to the elderly."

"Yeah tell him!"

"I don't understand. Priority seats are just that: priority seats. I have no legal obligation to move. Since I'm currently occupying this seat, I should be the one who determines whether or not I move. Am I supposed to give up my seat just because I'm young? Ha! That reasoning is nonsense."

"…"

Everyone fell silent when they heard those nonsense words.

He didn't speak like a normal high school student. His hair was dyed blond, which made him stand out.

"I'm a healthy young person who certainly wouldn't find standing inconvenient. However, I'd obviously expend more energy by standing than I would by sitting. I have no intention of doing such a pointless thing. Or are you suggesting I should act a bit livelier, I wonder?"

"There's something wrong with this guy," Shibata said in disbelief. Ichinose and the others nodded in agreement.

"Wh-what kind of attitude is that to take with your superiors?" she demanded.

"Superiors? Well, it's obvious that both you and the old woman there been alive longer than I have. There can be no doubt about that. However, the word 'superior' implies that you're referring to someone of a higher position. In addition, we have another problem. Even though our ages are different, wouldn't you agree that you have an impertinent attitude and are being extremely rude?"

"What…"

The people were flabbergasted to hear that, they then looked at Kouenji with intense gazes.

Kouenji himself didn't care about their gazes and continued to stare at the screen with a smile. He seemed to be admiring how perfect he was on screen.

"Wha— You're a high schooler, aren't you?! You should be quiet and listen to what adults tell you!"

"It's f-fine, whatever…" the elderly woman mumbled.

She apparently didn't want any further commotion and tried to calm the office lady. But after being insulted by the high school student, the younger woman still seemed very upset.

"Apparently, this elderly woman is more perceptive than you, which is nice. Also, I haven't given up on Japanese society yet. Please enjoy your remaining years."

"Fu fu, what a very interesting person," said Sakayanagi amused at the spectacle.

"Yeah, he didn't even flinch with all those stares," said Hashimoto looking at Kouenji.

After flashing a pointlessly vigorous smile, the boy slid his earphones in and began listening to rather cacophonous music. The office lady now clenched her teeth in frustration.

At any rate, I had to at least partly agree with the boy.

"Hah!?"

Everyone was surprised at the thought of Ayanokouji agreeing with Kouenji's words.

"Hey, Kiyotaka. Why did you agree with that bastard?" Sudou asked.

"I don't completely agree with him. It's just that if we get rid of morals, indeed he is not obliged to give up his seat," said Ayanokouji.

"That… makes sense…"

"But indeed in the view of society, Kouenji is wrong," said Ayanokouji. Sudou nodded in understanding.

If you ignored the question of a moral imperative, it was true that he wasn't legally obligated to give up his seat.

People didn't show much reaction to those words because they had heard Ayanokouji's explanation when he talked to Sudou earlier.

"I'm sorry…" Desperately fighting back her tears, the office lady apologized to the elderly woman.

Many felt sorry for the woman, they then looked at Kouenji with sharp gazes.

Clearly, the egotistical boy had won. At least, everyone secretly thought so.

"Um… I think that the lady is right."

"That voice…" Mii-chan mumbled when she felt that she recognized that person's voice.

Kushida steeled herself when she saw her past self about to appear on the screen.

The woman received unexpected support from someone standing alongside her. The helper, a girl wearing my high school's uniform, gave her brave and frank opinion to the boy.

"It's Kushida-san!"

"So she's on the same bus as Ayanokouji-kun."

"As expected of Kikyou-chan, always helping people in need."

"Of course, she is a good person."

Many people praised Kushida, both boys and girls. It was all thanks to the kindness Kushida showed everyone. She doesn't discriminate between boys and girls, as long as that person is in trouble she will help them.

But even so…

"Ugh…"

Kushida moaned softly even though many people were praising her. The old Kushida couldn't possibly do that, she would be very happy to receive all their compliments.

But the current Kushida is a different Kushida from the past.

Kushida who has now let go or rather is trying to let go of her pent-up desire and wants to trust the people who have accepted her as she is.

That's why she subconsciously groaned when many people were praising her.

"Somehow I feel uncomfortable when they praise me now," Kushida said quietly.

"Of course, it's because you've given up on your desires that you subconsciously feel guilty for deceiving them with your false kindness," Ayanokouji said.

"I see," Kushida muttered, then she smiled at Ayanokouji, "He he, are you trying to cheer me up, Kiyotaka-kun?"

"Not really," Ayanokouji said, he immediately received a soft hit from Kushida.

"And the new challenger is a pretty girl, eh? It would seem that I'm rather lucky with the fairer sex," the boy said.

"This poor woman appears to have been suffering for quite some time now. Won't you offer up your seat? While you might consider such courtesy unnecessary, I think it would contribute greatly to society."

Crack! The boy snapped his fingers.

"A contribution to society, you say? Well, that is a rather interesting opinion. It's certainly true that offering up one's seat to the elderly could be viewed in such a positive light. Unfortunately, I have no interest in contributing to society. I care only for my own satisfaction. Oh, and one more thing. You're asking me, the one in the priority seat, to give up his spot, but couldn't you simply ask one of the other people seated on this crowded bus? If you truly cared for the elderly, then something like priority seating would be a rather trivial concern, wouldn't you agree?"

At this point no one questioned Kouenji's words anymore, they all now knew that all Kouenji cared about was himself. But the irritated stares people gave him of course didn't lessen.

Kouenji was still Kouenji, he didn't care at all about the glares that everyone gave him.

The boy's haughty attitude remained unchanged. Both the office lady and the elderly woman simply wore bitter smiles in response. However, the girl didn't back down.

"Everyone, please listen to me for just a moment. Won't someone give up their seat for this woman? It doesn't matter who. Please."

How could someone pour so much courage, determination, and compassion into so few words? That was no simple feat. The girl might have seemed like a nuisance to those around her, but she appealed to the other passengers earnestly and without fear.

"That's a compliment, right?" Kushida asked with a seductive smile.

"Yeah, to be honest you're far superior to me on that," Ayanokouji said.

"I wouldn't call it excellence anyway, but thank you," Kushida said.

Though not in a priority seat, I was near the elderly woman. I imagined if I raised my hand and offered my spot, then the matter would be settled.

"Yeah, just give the chair," shouted one of the boys from class B.

However, like everyone else, I didn't move. None of us had thought it necessary to move. The boy's attitude and remarks aside, everyone on the bus had, for the most part, agreed with him.

"Hah?"

Some people do not believe what they see, they wonder why no one is willing to give help to people in need? Why didn't anyone want to give their seat to the old lady?

"What…? Why would they…?" Amikura asked in disbelief. She and the other B graders couldn't believe what they saw the most.

"Don't assume everyone has a hero complex like you. They also have their own selfishness and desires," Ryuuen said to class B. To be honest he had no intention of saying that, but he felt a little annoyed with the class B students who seemed so innocent.

Amikura and the other class B students lowered their heads when they heard Ryuuen's words, they didn't want to believe it but what they saw was reality.

Ichinose who saw her friends looking down sadly decided to speak.

"Don't worry guys, not everything Ryuuen-kun says is true," she said.

"Honami-chan…?" Shiranami asked confused.

"Look," said Ichinose while staring at the screen, her friends also following Ichinose's gaze.

But still, I wondered what the others would do. As I looked around, I saw two kinds of people: those who had pretended not to have heard anything and those who looked hesitant.

"They… hesitated?" said Amikura who widened her eyes.

"See? It's not that they don't want to give up their seats, but they're just hesitating," said Ichinose.

Hearing Ichinose's words, their expressions brightened again.

"You're right, Honami-chan," Amikura said with a smile.

In the distance, Ryuuen snorted at that scene.

However, the girl sitting next to me was different. She alone wasn't swept up by the confusion. Her face remained expressionless.

"Oh, it's you Suzune," said Sudou.

"Yeah," replied Horikita while looking at her past self.

While I unintentionally stared at her, our eyes met for an instant. Even without speaking a word, I could tell that we shared the same opinion. Neither of us considered it necessary to give up our seat.

"Well, it's no surprise that Horikita is like that," said Ike as he leaned back.

"Did you say something, Ike-kun?" Horikita asked. Apparently Ike subconsciously muttered loud enough for Horikita to hear.

"N-no, I didn't say anything," said Ike straightening himself nervously.

"E-excuse me. You can have mine." Shortly after the girl's appeal, a working woman stood, unable to bear the guilt any longer, and offered up her seat.

"Thank you very much!" the elderly woman said.

Some people breathed a sigh of relief when they saw someone willing to give their seat to the old woman.

The elderly woman expressed her gratitude repeatedly, and slowly sat. Watching the scene unfold from my peripheral vision, I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. Soon, we arrived at our destination, and all the high school students began to disembark.

As I got off the bus, I saw a gate formed from natural rock waiting just ahead. All the young boys and girls dressed in school uniforms were passing through this gate.

"Man, it feels like a long time since we passed through that gate," said Ishizaki.

"You are right," said Shiina nodding.

"Why are you guys so melancholic? It's only been a year," Ibuki said slightly annoyed.

"You are too stiff, Ibuki-san," said Shiina with a frown. Ibuki turned her attention away while snorting.

The Japanese government had created the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School with the express purpose of developing future leaders. This would be my school from now on.

Okay, stop for a moment. Take a deep breath. All right, here we go!

"Is he nervous?" Shinohara asked in surprise.

"He he, I think so," said Satou giggling.

"Wait!"

"Hm?"

People tilted their heads thinking about what would happen.

The instant I tried to take my first courageous step, someone called out to me. It was the girl who'd sat next to me on the bus.

"You were looking at me. Why?" she asked.

"Just because of that?" said Kamuro raising her eyebrows.

"She's a very sensitive person," said Hashimoto.

She narrowed her eyes while we spoke.

"Sorry. I guess I was just interested, is all. I mean, you didn't think about giving up your seat to the old woman, did you?"

"That's right. I didn't consider giving it up. Is there something wrong with that?"

Horikita groaned softly at her past self, now that she realized how troubled her old self was.

"Oh, no, not at all. I didn't intend to give up my seat, either. In fact, I firmly abide by the philosophy of letting sleeping dogs lie. I dislike trouble."

"You dislike trouble? Then I don't think you and I are anything alike. I didn't give up my seat because I thought it would be pointless. That's all."

"But doesn't that seem worse than just not liking trouble?"

"Perhaps. I'm simply acting according to my own beliefs. That's different from someone who just dislikes trouble, like you. I don't want to spend any time around people like you."

"That's rude, Suzune," Haruka said to Horikita.

"I know," Horikita said with a sigh, then she realized that Ayanokouji was looking at her as if expecting something.

"What? Do you want me to apologize again?"

"No, I'm just curious about your reaction," Ayanokouji said, then he looked back at the screen.

"I feel the same way," I muttered.

I had only wanted to share my opinion, but I wasn't too keen on going back and forth with her like this. We both sighed and proceeded to walk in the same direction.

---

As someone who dislikes trouble, I decided I'd like to establish proper relationships. Unfamiliar with the notion, I'd spent the day before in preparation, running through different scenarios.

For instance, should I burst into the classroom and actively start talking to people? Should I secretly pass around a slip of paper with my email address, so as to better befriend someone? Someone like me needed to practice, because this environment was so different from what I'd experienced thus far. I was completely isolated. I had ventured alone into a battlefield, and it was do or die.

"…"

Everyone fell silent while listening to Ayanokouji's complicated thoughts about making friends.

"Man, Ayanokouji. You think too much about unnecessary things to make friends, you look like you've never been friends before," Ike said.

"That's because it's my first time," Ayanokouji said, leaving Ike speechless.

"Eh? What do you mean?" asked a confused Ike. The other students also turned to Ayanokouji.

"All my life I've always studied at home, so I've never had any friends. This school is my first time studying outside, so I feel nervous interacting with other people," explained Ayanokouji.

After hearing Ayanokouji's explanation, several people began to understand the unnatural behavior he had displayed so far. Starting from his selfish attitude, nervous when entering school, and his complicated thoughts on how to make friends. Everything happened because it was Ayanokouji's first experience.

"Well, that's… sorry…" Ike said feeling bad.

"It's fine, don't think too much about it," Ayanokouji said.

Looking around the classroom, I walked toward the seat that bore my nameplate. It was at the back of the room, near the window. A good place to sit, generally. As I looked around, I saw that the room was already halfway filled with students. The others were either immersed in their class materials or already talking with other people. Perhaps they'd all been friends beforehand or had only recently gotten acquainted.

Reflexively, I let out a deep sigh. My high school experience seemed poised to be exceptionally dour. Then, someone sat down beside me.

"That's quite a heavy sigh, considering the school year has only begun. Meeting you again makes me want to sigh."

It was the girl who'd fought with me at the bus stop and then walked off.

"Whether it's fate or just coincidence, their meeting is similar to the anime I watched where the main character meets the main heroine."

Sotomura thought that when he saw how Ayanokouji and Horikita's meeting was going.

"So, we were placed in the same class, huh?" I mumbled.

Well, there were only four classes for all of the first-year students, after all. Statistically, it wasn't impossible for us to be together.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."

"He immediately introduced himself after being treated so coldly," Yamashita said in admiration.

"Heh, he has guts," said Komiya.

"Of course he has guts, he even beat me, Ibuki, Albert, and Ryuuen-san without breaking a sweat."

Ishizaki wanted to shout those words at them but he held back, Ryuuen had ordered him to keep his mouth shut about Ayanokouji until the rooftop incident was exposed.

Ishizaki agreed with Ryuuen's order, to be honest he also wanted to see how everyone would react when they saw Ayanokouji's true strength.

"You just went ahead and introduced yourself?" she said.

"Well, this is the second time that we've spoken. Isn't it fine for me to do so?"

I had wanted to introduce myself to someone anyway, so it wasn't as though I could just keep quiet. Besides, in order to become familiar with my class, I had to at least know my neighbor's name…even if she was this audacious girl.

"Do you mind if I refuse?" she asked.

"I don't think sitting next to someone for an entire year without knowing their name would be comfortable."

"I disagree."

Shooting me a glance, she placed her bag on her desk. Apparently, she wasn't going to tell me her name. Lacking any interest in the classroom, the girl simply sat upright in her chair like a model student.

"Do you have a friend in another class? Or did you enroll here all on your lonesome?" I asked.

"Wow, Ayanokouji-kun really pushed her," said Mori amused.

"Yeah, he's not even afraid of being yelled at by Horikita-san anymore," Onodera said.

"Come to think of it, Ayanokouji-kun isn't as quiet as I thought."

"Yeah, maybe because he rarely talks to other people? He said he was studying at home all this time."

"I think you're right, I suddenly feel a little sorry for him."

"Same. All this time he couldn't feel what it was like to be like a normal student," Onodera said, "But at least he's in school here now."

"You're right," said Mori.

"You're a curious one, aren't you? You won't find talking to me very interesting, though."

"If I'm bothering you, you can just tell me to be quiet."

I wouldn't introduce myself if it made her angry. I thought that the conversation was over, but then the girl sighed. Apparently, she'd changed her mind. She turned her gaze on me and introduced herself.

"I'm Horikita Suzune."

For the first time, I got a good look at her face.

Wow. She was cute. Or rather, she was beautiful. Even though we were in the same grade, I'd have believed it if you told me she was a year or two older.

Such a calm, cool beauty.

"Hmm, hmm, I agree," said Sudou nodding.

"You really do have a lot going on in your head, don't you?" Horikita said to Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji didn't say anything and just groaned softly while leaning his body. This was one of the reasons why he initially didn't want to accept Eve's offer to show his life, but the gains outweighed the disadvantages so he finally agreed.

"Well, what happened let it pass," thought Ayanokouji.

"Let me tell you about myself," I said. "I have no particular hobbies, but I'm interested in just about anything. I don't need many friends, but I think it would be nice to have at least a few. And, well, that's about it."

"Spoken just like someone who avoids trouble. I don't think I could ever like such a person," she said.

"Jeez, I feel like you trashed my entire existence in one second," I muttered.

"I pray this will be my only upset."

"I sympathize, but, unfortunately, I don't think your prayers will be answered." I pointed to the classroom entrance. Standing there was—

"This seems like a rather well-equipped classroom. It would appear to live up to people's expectations, hmm?" Yes. The boy who'd quarreled with those women on the bus.

"I see. This certainly is bad luck," she said.

"Yeah, really bad luck," snorted Sudou as he crossed his arms. Many people agreed with him even more so for students who were in the same class as Kouenji.

"Geez. I've been getting a lot of attention lately," said Kouenji as he brushed his hair.

I decided to swing by the convenience store on my way back to the dormitory. Of course, I went alone. I didn't have a chaperone, or acquaintance, or anyone like that.

"Suddenly straight here," said Ike slightly surprised.

"Looks like Eve missed Chabashira-sensei's explanation about class," Miyamoto said.

"Thankfully, I looked pretty stupid back then," said Hondou.

"Yeah, dude. We're all hooked on the luxuries this school provides," Ike said nodding.

"My, what an unpleasant coincidence."

"They met again," Shiranami muttered.

"He he, did you know Chihiro-chan, if two people meet three times in a short space of time, they usually have a match," Amikura said with a grin.

"Eh?" Shiranami blinked.

"Is that true?" Kobashi was also surprised by Amikura's words.

"Isn't that a lie?" thought Himeno while looking at the shocked Shiranami and Kobashi.

"Th-That's a lie, isn't it? I mean everyone also runs into each other a lot and nothing happens," Ichinose stutters a little.

Amikura, Shiranami, Kobashi, and even Himeno looked at Ichinose with astonished eyes, they were sure that they rarely saw Ichinose look nervous.

"W-What is it?" Ichinose asked nervously under their gazes.

It wasn't long before Amikura had an epiphany about Ichinose's attitude, after which she made the widest grin she had ever made.

"I see, I see, as you said Honami-chan. It must be a coincidence. Yes, coincidence. Right, guys?" Amikura asked Shiranami and Kobashi.

The two of them finally understood what Amikura meant and nodded with a smile, "Yes, that's right."

"W-Wait, Mako-chan. What do you mean by that smile?" Ichinose asked who sensed that something was wrong.

"Hmm, I don't know what you mean~," said Amikura while looking back at the screen.

"Mako-chan!" Ichinose said louder, but she was ignored.

Entering the convenience store, I ran into Horikita once again.

"Come on, there's no need to be so hostile. Anyway, did you need to buy something?" I asked.

"Yes, just a few things. I came to get some necessities."

There was no shortage of things you needed when starting life in a dorm, especially if you were a girl. Horikita took various necessities like shampoo off the shelves and promptly threw them into the basket she was carrying. I'd thought she would choose higher quality items, but she only took the cheapest options.

"I thought girls usually made a fuss over what kind of shampoo they bought."

"It depends on the person, Kiyopon," said Hasebe. Sakura nodded in agreement.

"Well, that depends on the person, doesn't it? I'm the sort who doesn't know when you might need money," she replied.

She shot me an icy glare that seemed to say, Could you please not inspect other people's purchases without their permission?

"At any rate, I was terribly surprised that you stayed for introductions," she said. "You didn't look like the type to hang out with a circle of classmates."

"I decided to participate precisely because I don't like trouble. Why didn't you introduce yourself to them, Horikita? You could have gotten to know several other students, and it would have been a chance to make friends."

"Uh what happened?" asked a confused girl from class B.

"Some people don't want to introduce themselves during class, including Horikita-san," Shinohara replied.

Quite a few of the students had exchanged cell numbers, too. If Horikita had participated, she would probably have become quite popular. What a waste.

"There are several reasons why I objected, but I suppose it might be better if I simply explain, hmm? My introduction might have sown discord, depending on how things went. Thus, doing nothing avoided creating more problems. Am I wrong?"

"But, statistically speaking, there was a high probability that you could have hit it off with everyone after introducing yourself," I said.

"How did you arrive at that conclusion? Actually, if I argue this with you now, we'll just end up in an endless debate. Let's say that the probability of making friends was high, like you said. So, how many people did you get to know?"

"That must be painful," Miyake said with a slight grimace.

"Yeah, Suzune mercilessly beat Kiyopon with her words," Hasebe said.

"Kiyotaka, did you even think about your words before speaking? You look pathetic there," Karuizawa said.

"I'm trying to keep the conversation going as long as possible, can't you see she really wants to be alone?" Ayanokouji said defensively.

Karuizawa sighed, but what Ayanokouji said was true.

"Well, I think you have a point."

"Ugh…"

She gazed at me.

That was a rather splendid argument. The fact that I hadn't yet exchanged contact information with anyone worked in Horikita's favor. It proved there was no guarantee that introductions led to friendship. I instinctively averted my eyes.

"In other words, you have no evidence to support your claim that self- introductions lead to making friends, do you?" she asked. "Besides, I never intended to make friends in the first place. If I have no need to introduce myself, then I also have no reason to listen to anyone else's introductions. Have I convinced you?"

"And that's what made you fall into class D. Your defect is obvious," said Sakayanagi.

Horikita grimaced at those words, but she didn't say anything because what Sakayanagi said was true.

"Tch. She's much better now," thought Sudou in annoyance. He wanted to shout that, but he restrained himself because it would cause Horikita a lot of trouble.

That reminded me of the disastrous first time I'd tried to introduce myself to Horikita. Come to think of it, it might have been a miracle that I'd managed to get her name.

We roamed around the convenience store without looking at each other. Even though she was somewhat uptight, being with her didn't feel uncomfortable.

"Noodle cups. They have so many kinds."

These were definitely one reason I'd come to the convenience store.

"So, do boys really like this kind of stuff? I can't imagine that it's healthy," Horikita said.

"I like them just fine, I guess."

I picked up a noodle cup and examined the price tag. It said 156 yen, but I couldn't tell whether that was expensive or cheap. Even though the school referred to its credit system as points, the prices were all listed in yen.

"Huh, isn't that common knowledge?" said Kondou in surprise.

"You are stupid. Didn't he already say that he was a homebody," said Komiya.

"Oh yeah, you're right. Sorry I forgot."

"Hey, what do you think? Is this price high or low?"

"Hmm. I'm not sure. Why, is there something curious about it?"

"No, I was just wondering."

The store's prices seemed reasonable. One point appeared to really equal one yen. Given that the average freshman's allowance was around 5,000 yen, the amount of money we'd received seemed impossibly large. Horikita, noting my odd behavior, gave me a quizzical look. I grabbed a noodle cup to avoid suspicion.

"Oh no…"

Ayanokouji suddenly felt very anxious now. He still remembered what his past self would think after this, and the result would probably be very dangerous for his current self.

Her attention wandering, Horikita moved away from the food and began hunting for daily essentials.

Seeing the scene on the screen, Ayanokouji breathed a sigh of relief that he had escaped the death penalty.

"Eve, I'm very grateful to you," Ayanokouji thought gratefully.

"What are you doing?" asked a confused Karuizawa.

"Nothing. Just showing gratitude to the gods," replied Ayanokouji.

Horikita looked at Ayanokouji with a suspicious look, she sensed that something was wrong for a moment. She didn't really remember what she said onscreen back then, but she was sure that they had a few conversations before getting to this scene.

Ayanokouji who sensed Horikita's gaze tried to ignore it. He didn't want his inappropriate thoughts to be known by Horikita, otherwise the needle of the girl's compass would definitely fly.

Horikita chose the cheapest face wash. I would have thought girls cared more about that kind of thing, too.

"Don't you think that this one is better?" I took an expensive cream off the shelf and showed it to her.

"Unnecessary." She refused it.

"Well, but—"

"I already said it was unnecessary, didn't I?" she snapped.

"Yes…"

Some people laughed at their ridiculous conversation.

"Ayanokouji-kun is really bad at conversation, isn't he?" asked Mori amused.

"He looks so innocent," Shinohara chuckled.

"Yeah, but it looks funny somehow," said a laughing Onodera.

I gently returned the face wash as she glared at me. I thought I could carry on a conversation without making her angry, but I'd failed.

"You don't seem adept at socializing. You're terrible at conversation."

"Well, if it's coming from you, then it's definitely true," I grumbled.

I'd said that I wanted to be her friend, but, apparently, she didn't feel the same. With that, our conversation abruptly stopped.

"Hey. What's up with this?"

While looking around the store, desperate for a new topic, I'd found something strange. Some toiletries and food had been tucked away in the corner of the convenience store. At first glance, they appeared to be the same as the other items, but there was one big difference.

"Free?"

Horikita apparently also thought it strange, so she picked up one of the items. Daily necessities like toothbrushes and bandages had been stuffed into a clearance bin and labeled "Free." The bin was also marked with the proviso "three items per month." These were obviously different from the store's other goods.

"They must be emergency relief supplies for students who use up their points. This school is so incredibly lenient," I said.

"Hah! Soft on the surface," Ishizaki snorted.

I had to wonder how far their leniency extended, though.

"Hey, shut it! Just wait a sec! I'm looking for it right now!"

"That's Ken's voice," Ike said.

Sudou groaned when he saw his past self, he looked like a big bastard there.

A sudden, loud voice drowned out the store's peaceful background music.

"Come on, hurry up. You have a line of people waiting on you!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, if they have any complaints, they can take it up with me!"

Apparently, trouble was brewing by the register. A dispute had broken out between two young men who were glaring at each other. I recognized the one with the thoroughly ill-tempered look on his face. It was the student from my class, the guy with the red hair. He had his hands full of noodle cups.

"What's going on here?" I asked.

"Huh? Who are you?"

I had meant to appear amicable, but the guy with red hair scowled at me. Apparently, he was under the mistaken impression that I was an enemy.

"My name's Ayanokouji. I'm from your class. I just asked because it sounded like there was trouble."

At my explanation, the red-haired guy looked somewhat mollified and lowered his voice a little. "Oh. Yeah, I remember you. I forgot my student ID card. Forgot that it pretty much acts as our money from now on, too."

I looked at his empty hands. He'd put the noodle cups away. He started to leave, probably heading back to the dorms, where he'd likely forgotten his card. To be honest, the fact that the student ID was necessary for payment hadn't yet sunk in for me, either.

"I can pay for you. I mean, it'd be annoying if you had to head all the way back to the dorms. I don't mind."

"That's true. You're right, it'd be absolutely annoying. Thanks."

The store wasn't particularly far from the dorms, but by the time he got back there would be a long line of students buying lunch.

"My name's Sudou," he said. "Thanks for helping me out. I owe you."

"Nice to meet you, Sudou."

Sudou handed me his noodle cup, and I walked over to the hot water dispenser. After watching our short exchange, Horikita sighed, aghast.

"You're acting like a pushover right from the start. Do you intend to become his servant? Or are you doing this to make friends?" she asked.

"I didn't care about making friends. I just wanted to help. No big deal."

"He he, Ayanokouji-kun is a good person right, Honami-chan?" said Amikura with a grin.

"Yeah," Ichinose said without thinking, then she came to her senses, "Wait, Mako-chan. Why are you asking me that?"

"Hmm, nothing. I was just asking," Amikura said with a shrug, but the grin never went away.

Ichinose looked at her friend suspiciously, she thought for a moment then she widened her eyes after drawing one conclusion.

"Hwa wa wa… D-Does she know that I like Kiyotaka-kun?"

Ichinose's face reddened at the thought.

"You don't seem to be afraid."

"Hah! As if that monster could be afraid of that idiot," thought Ryuuen with a snort.

"Afraid? Why? Because he looks like a delinquent?" I asked.

"A normal person would try to keep someone like him at a distance."

"I guess, but he doesn't seem like a bad person to me. And you don't appear to be scared either, Horikita."

"It's mostly defenseless people who stay away from those types. If he acted violently, I could rebuff him. That's why I don't withdraw."

Horikita's words were always a little difficult to understand. To begin with, what did she mean by "rebuff"? Did she carry pepper spray to keep off perverts or something?

"Ha ha, I'm pretty sure Suzune-san wouldn't do that," said Kushida giggling.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll beat them up right, Suzune?" Sudou said.

"I don't like how you talk like I like hitting people, but I have to admit that I'll defend myself if that person goes too far," Horikita said while crossing her arms.

"Let's finish our shopping. We'll be a bother to the other students if we dawdle," she said.

Wrapping things up, we presented our student ID cards to the machine by the register. Since we didn't have to deal with small change, our transaction was speedy.

"You really can use it like money…" I said.

My receipt showed the price of each item and the remaining amount of points. The payment had gone through without any problems. I poured hot water into my noodle cup while waiting for Horikita. I'd thought it might be tricky, but opening the lid and pouring hot water up to the line was simple enough.

Anyway, this school was eerie.

What merit could every student possibly have that would warrant such a massive allowance? Considering that there were about 160 people enrolled in my grade, simple calculation suggested that there were 480 people total in this school. That alone would mean 48 million yen each month. Annually, that would equal 560 million yen. Even for a government-supported school, that seemed like overkill.

"Wow, he did such complex calculations in seconds," said Shibata in awe.

"Yes, it seems that Ayanokouji is much smarter than one knows," Kanzaki said while glancing at Ayanokouji out of the corner of his eye, "But what he said makes sense, we should have suspicions about that."

"Well, it can't be helped. Almost everyone is carried away by the luxuries that school provides," said Shibata as he leaned back.

"How does the school benefit from giving us this much money?"

"I wonder. The campus has more than enough facilities for the number of students, and I wouldn't think it necessary to hand out so much. Students who should be studying might slack off."

Perhaps it was some kind of reward for working hard and passing a test or something. Indeed, student motivation might increase if offered an incentive. However, the school had just handed out 100,000 yen to everyone, with no strings attached.

"I won't tell you what to do, but I think it would be best to avoid wasting your money. It's difficult to fix frivolous spending habits. Once a person gets used to an easy life, they find they need more and more. When you lose it, the shock can be great," Horikita said.

All of the Class C students grimaced at Horikita's words, because they had experienced the destruction themselves. Back then when they were still Class D, they were very distraught when they heard that they only got 0 points after experiencing the luxury they got.

But that was all in the past, even though they ended up falling into D class again when the school year started, their classes were much more united now. They would not allow themselves to be destroyed again.

"I'll keep that in mind."

I didn't really intend to waste money on miscellaneous junk, but she had a point. After paying and exiting the store, I found Sudou seated outside, waiting for me. When I saw him, he gently waved me over. I waved in return, feeling somewhat embarrassed, yet happy.

"Are you really going to eat here?" I asked him.

"Of course. It's just common sense."

Sudou perplexed me with his matter-of-fact reply. Horikita sighed in exasperation.

"I'm going back. I'll be stripped of my dignity if I spend more time here," she said.

"O-Oh, this isn't going to end well," Ike said nervously, Miyamoto and the others agreed.

Sudou sweats a little looking at his past self, he remembers a little about the conversation he had with Horikita back then.

"What do you mean, 'dignity'? We're just high school students. We're ordinary. Or, what, are you the high-born daughter of some noble family or something?"

Horikita didn't flinch at Sudou's harsh tone. Seemingly irritated, Sudou set his noodle cup on the ground and stood.

"Huh? Hey, listen to people when they're talking to you! Hey!" he said.

"What's his problem? He just suddenly got angry." Horikita said this to me, ignoring Sudou. This was apparently too much for Sudou, who started to shout.

"Hey, get over here! I'll smack that smug look off your face!" he yelled.

"Look, I'll admit that Horikita has a bad attitude, but you're taking this too far."

It was apparent that Sudou's patience had run out. "Huh? What was that? She has a bratty, obnoxious attitude. That's bad, especially for a girl!"

"For a girl? That's rather outdated thinking. Ayanokouji, I would advise you not to become his friend," Horikita said. With that, she turned her back on Sudou.

"Hey, wait! You shitty girl!"

"Calm down." I held Sudou back as he actually tried to grab Horikita. She made her way in the direction of the dorms without stopping or glancing back.

"What the hell is her deal? Goddamn it!" he shouted.

"There are many different types of people, you know."

"Shut it. I hate those stuffy, too-serious types."

"I-I'm sorry, Suzune. I didn't mean it like that," said Sudou quickly apologetically.

"No, I was the one looking for trouble first. I should be the one apologizing," said Horikita.

Sudou was a little overwhelmed by Horikita's apology but he nodded and said everything was fine with a grin.

He continued to glare at me. Sudou grabbed his noodle cup once again, ripped off the cover, and began eating. Just a little while ago, he'd fought in front of the register, too. He probably had a short fuse.

"Hey, you guys first years? This is our spot."

Sudou sighed, it seemed his past stupidity wasn't done showing yet.

As Sudou slurped his ramen, three boys called out to us. They seemed to have come out of the same store and were carrying the same brand of noodle cups.

"Who are you? I was already here. You're in the way. Get lost," Sudou barked.

"You hear this guy? 'Get lost,' he says. What a cocky little first-year punk."

The three laughed in Sudou's face. Sudou shot up, slamming his noodle cup against the ground. The broth and noodles splashed everywhere.

"Ken, you really have a very short wick," said Akito.

"Shut it, Akito. I'm no longer that kind of person," said Sudou in annoyance.

"Well, at least Kenchin looks a little smarter now," Haruka said.

"Yeah, that's it. Wait… hey, what do you mean 'a little', Haruka?" Sudou asked, but he was ignored.

"'First-year punk,' huh? You tryin' to make fun of me, huh?!"

Sudou had an extremely short fuse. If I had to judge, he seemed like the type to immediately threaten anyone or anything that crossed him.

"You're awfully mouthy, considering we're second-year students. We already put our bags here, see?"

Plop! With those words, the second-year upperclassmen students put down their bags and guffawed loudly.

"Somehow, I feel like the second year seniors are the bastards here," said Ike.

"Yeah, I agree with you," Miyamoto said.

"See, our stuff's here. Now, beat it," one of them said.

"You got a lot of guts, asshole."

Sudou didn't back down, unfazed by being outnumbered. It looked like fists were going to fly at any moment. I, of course, didn't want any part of it myself.

"Oh, wow, scary. What class are you in? Wait, never mind. I think I know. You're in Class D, aren't you?"

"Yeah, so what?" Sudou snapped.

The upperclassmen students exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

"You hear that? He's in Class D! I knew it! It was a dead giveaway!"

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean? Hey!"

As Sudou barked at them, the boys grinned and stepped backwards.

"Aw, you poor things. Since you're 'defective,' we'll let you off the hook, just for today. Let's get going, guys."

Some people were offended by the senior's saying that they were 'defective'. They looked at the seniors with sharp gazes.

"Hey, don't run away! Hey!" Sudou shouted.

"Yeah, yeah, keep on yapping. You guys'll be in hell soon enough anyway."

Be in hell?

"Um, sensei? Didn't they give a lot of hints?" Ichinose asked the teachers.

Some people thought that Ichinose's question was reasonable, the words of the seniors gave some clues that could arouse suspicion among the new students.

"As long as they're not very accurate clues then there's no problem," replied Mashima.

"I see," said Ichinose while nodding.

They appeared calm and composed. I wondered what they'd meant. Previously, I'd been certain this school would be filled with upper-class young men and women, but there seemed to be plenty of rowdy, combative people like Sudou or those upperclassmen.

"Ah, damn it! If those had been nice second-year students, or cute girls, that would've been great. Instead, we had to deal with those annoying morons."

Sudou didn't bother to clean up his mess. He thrust his hands into his pockets before heading back. I looked at the wall outside the convenience store, discovering two surveillance cameras.

Sudou flinched slightly when he saw the surveillance camera.

"This might lead to problems later," I muttered.

Reluctantly, I bent down, picked up the cup, and started cleaning up the mess. Come to think of it, as soon as those second-year students found out Sudou was in Class D, their attitudes had changed. Although it ate at me, I couldn't explain it.

"Sorry Kiyotaka, making you clean up my mess," said Sudou apologetically.

"It's okay," Ayanokouji replied.

Meanwhile in class A, Sakayanagi thought about Ayanokouji's words just now.

"Can't explain it, huh. I'm sure if you're serious and don't keep a low profile, you'll be able to find out the secret of this school that very day," thought Sakayanagi.

Around one pm, I made my way back to the dormitory, my home from that day onward. At the reception desk, I received a keycard for Room 401 and a handbook containing information about the dorm's rules, then boarded the elevator. I quickly flipped through the handbook, which only detailed the most basic things that we needed for our daily routines. The dates and times for garbage disposal were listed, as well as a notice about avoiding excessive noise. I also saw notes about not wasting water or electricity, and so on.

"So, they don't place restrictions on electricity or gas usage?"

I'd assumed that the school would deduct the cost from our points. This school really went to great lengths to have a perfect system for its students.

While I privately doubted that such pampered students could develop into fine, upstanding adults, it would be wise to make the best of the situation for now.

This school boasted a high employment rate upon graduation, and its facilities and student services were unmatched throughout the country, making it the preeminent high school in Japan. I found such things trivial, however. I'd chosen this school for one fundamental reason.

At this high school, people were not allowed to contact students without permission, even if they were friends or immediate family. I greatly appreciated that. I was free. In English, they would call it, "freedom." In French, they would call it, "liberté."

For people who don't know about Ayanokouji, they might think that Ayanokouji can freely study and enjoy school here.

But for the members of Ayanokouji's group, the meaning goes much deeper.

The freedom for Ayanokouji was that he was no longer bound by anything, not by the instructors, not by the White Room, and no longer by his father. He is free to do whatever he wants.

Isn't freedom simply the best? When I wanted to eat something, I could eat it. I almost didn't want to graduate. Before being accepted, I'd honestly thought I would be been fine either way, that the difference between passing and failing would have been trivial. But my true feelings finally welled up. I was glad to have been admitted here.

"So he wasn't attracted by this school's graduation gift, but because he wanted to be free," said Hashimoto.

"I think so," said Kamuro.

"Hey, what do you think princess-" Hashimoto wanted to ask Sakayanagi but he stopped when he saw the leader of class A.

Sakayanagi was currently smiling melancholy while staring at the screen, Hashimoto and Kamuro didn't know what was going on but they decided to leave Sakayanagi alone for now.

No one else's eyes or words would ever reach me. I could start ag—no. I could begin anew entirely. A new life. I resolved to enjoy my time here to the fullest, but without drawing attention to myself. Still in my uniform, I dived into my already-made bed. I felt far from tired, however. I was so incredibly excited about my new life that I was unable to calm down. My eyes remained wide open.

The video ends and the screen goes black again.

Everyone started to relax their bodies after watching, they then thought about what they just watched.

Ayanokouji's monologue on freedom was what caught their attention the most. For class C in particular, they can't imagine how they would spend their whole life cooped up at home without experiencing the life of the outside world. Now they understood why Ayanokouji had become a quiet student and not good at socializing.

"So, what do you think?" Eve asked everyone.

"Pretty fun."

"Yeah, we can find out a little bit about Ayanokouji-kun."

"We can also find out some things we don't know."

The students gave their opinion on what they had just watched, their opinions varied.

"Nothing big has happened yet," Ryuuen said leaning back to make his body comfortable.

"Of course, just like a movie, the big conflict always in the end, right?" Eve said.

"How many parts are we going to watch in this session?" Horikita asked.

"That's a secret~. But I'll tell you guys later," Eve said. Horikita nodded in understanding.

"Alright everyone, the next part will be broadcast in five minutes. Relax for now."

---

Thanks for reading!

Now I want to discuss a few things, first there are some people who asked me to skip vol 1. I'm sorry that I can't do that, I've been planning this story for a long time and want to start from vol 1, so I can't skip it. Maybe you guys will be bored because there are many stories of other people who have done that but I still want to do it.

The second is class naming, as you know Kiyotaka's class has fallen to D class after his defeat to Arisu. At first I thought their classes would drop when the new school year started, but there were some people who gave reasonable suggestions that Kiyotaka's classes officially dropped on April 1st along with the awarding of private points. Honestly it was my fault, I wanted to change it but maybe it would slow down the update of this story so I ended up canceling it.

So I want to clarify the class naming in this story:

Class A (Sakayanagi Arisu)

Class B (Ichinose Honami)

Class C (Horikita Suzune)

Class D (Ryuuen Kakeru)

I decided not to change it because it didn't have any impact on the story.

Well that's all I want to say, see you later!