Chapter 2: New Player
-o-o-o-
I woke up at 5:50 AM, courtesy of my trained internal body clock. In just a few minutes, I was finished with my morning routine, and I headed out the door.
Sudō and I met up outside of the dorms and headed to the gymnasium, which was just a few blocks away.
"Yo, Kōji, what's your favorite lift?"
"Hm..." I adopted a thinking pose, my hand rubbing my chin. "Bench press or deadlift."
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"That thing you just tried to do," Sudō mimicked me.
"It was a thinking pose."
"A thinking pose?" Sudō burst out laughing, throwing his head back. He clapped me on the back incredibly hard, and I stumbled forward a little. That hurt. He then squeezed my shoulder, still grinning.
"Kōji, you looked way too serious there. Do you never change facial expressions? That was terrible! In fact, do me a favor and never do that shit again."
Sudō's words struck my very soul, and I was vulnerable to his judgment. For the first time in my life, I felt true fear.
"Uh, okay."
I sulked the rest of the way to the gym beside the oblivious Sudō Ken, who hummed happily to his own music on his headphones.
That was right. I had brand new 24D noise-canceling HD 44K Max Air Headphones Pro with Super Max Ultraviolet Ear Motion Sensors sold by the "Highly Reputable Company". They had cost me 10,000 points. I'd see if they were of any use today.
As we entered the gym, I took note of the large variety of machines. The government had made sure to put full, complete funding into every aspect of the school.
Sudō and I headed to a bench press, as he insisted that he wanted to test my physical strength.
I spotted him throughout his extensive warm-up routine. Sudō ended up maxing out at 225 lbs or 102 kg, which was his personal record. Very impressive for a fifteen-year-old high schooler. I helped him re-rack, and he sat up, wiping his brow and forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.
"Alright Kōji, now it's your turn," he grinned at me with an air of friendly competitiveness. "Think you can beat me?"
I began with the bar itself, warming up my joints and range of motion. Then, 135 lbs or 61 kg, and so on. Before I knew it, I was at Sudō's personal record of 225 lbs or 102 kg.
Just as I was about to unrack the bar, Sudō stopped me.
"Kōji, I might not be able to spot you if something happens. That PR wore me out. I'll find someone."
Then, before I could say no, Sudō was gone, off to find a new spotter in the gym. I sighed internally to myself as I patiently waited.
After a few minutes, I saw Sudō jogging back with a black-haired, violet-eyed student.
"Kōji, this is Horikita-senpai."
"I'm Horikita Manabu, class 3-A" the lean, well-built man smiled, "Your friend asked me to spot you."
Horikita Manabu? The last name couldn't be a coincidence…
I nodded in acknowledgment. "My name is Ayanokōji Kiyotaka. Nice to meet you."
I leaned back under the bar, unracking it.
Letting the bar drop down, I pushed the weight back up, struggling mightily. Finally, after what felt like forever, I managed to rerack the bar.
"Nice work," Horikita-senpai complimented me.
"Thanks."
"But I think you could do more," he accused me, a sharp gleam in his violet eye.
Horkita-senpai's statement froze me over. Do more? Was that even possible?
"I don't think I could." I refused. If I tried to do more, I might hurt myself, or even Horikita-senpai. It would be a hazard to myself and those around me. By that logic, I would soon be expelled from Advanced Nurturing High School for being a dangerous hazard.
"That weight was too easy for you."
"I don't know what you're talking about. It was really hard coming back up," I denied. It was very dangerous to try to lift so much weight if I were to do more.
"You see, pausing mid-rep is actually much more difficult than doing it in one shot because you need to counteract gravity. So give it a try. I have a feeling you can definitely do more."
With that, all exits were shut out. I was trapped, and Horikita-senpai had shut down all avenues to escape.
Sudō and Horikita-senpai racked more weights onto the bar, this time 315 lbs or 142 kg.
I panicked. "Isn't that way too much for a fifteen-year-old such as myself?"
"Shut up and bench." Again, he cut off all possible routes to escape. I could even see him smirking a little bit.
Left with no other choice, I lifted the weight from the rack, letting it descend. I pushed it upwards, once again struggling mightily. There were even moments when the weight would not move, and I was stuck.
Yet, Horikita-senpai refused to help me. His sharp eyes gleamed at me, daring me to refuse.
I managed to eventually lift the weight with a great level of difficulty and re-racked it. I sat up. Sudō's jaw was on the floor, his eyes widened in shock.
By now, I had attracted the attention of the entire gym. This was a complete disaster. I sighed.
Horikita Manabu, this was all your fault.
"Ho, ho, what do we have here?"
A platinum-haired, crimson-eyed woman sauntered over to the bench press I was currently occupying. For some reason, I could sense that she was the epitome of trouble. I had to leave as soon as possible, or disaster would strike.
"Oh, do you want to bench? In that case, I have no more sets left," I moved to leave, but Horkita-senpai pushed me back onto the bench.
"No, I think you have more than a few more sets left. You can also go higher, since your friend and I are here to spot you. You're going for a personal record, isn't that right?"
Once again, Horikita-senpai had effortlessly and completely shut down all avenues of escape. I could only nod somberly in agreement with him. At this moment, it would not be an exaggeration to say that I was merely Horikita Manabu's prisoner.
So, I sat under the bar once more, and they raised the weight to 405 lbs or 184 kg.
I went through the motion once more, as I unracked the weight, dropping it down to my chest, and then pushing upwards. This time, I truly struggled, pushing it back up so slowly that it might drop back down. Still, Horikita Manabu did not help me. Instead, he smirked at me, even as I struggled and pushed the weight with all of my might.
Sudō gaped like a fish as I re-racked the weight. Every occupant of the gym had a laser-locked focus on me.
"Thank you for spotting me, Horikita-senpai."
A twinkle of amusement shone in the man's eyes, as he replied, "No problem."
That smirking dictator.
Sudō and I quickly gathered our belongings and left the gym. Sudō, who had been quiet until now, suddenly burst out.
"Kōji, I didn't know you were this fucking strong!" he exclaimed.
"Well, I just had a lot of adrenaline."
"Kōhai-kun~"
It was the violet-eyed, platinum-haired girl that we had seen in the gym earlier.
I turned around. "Sudō, head to class. I'll catch up with you later."
I wanted to save my friend from this vixen.
"Sudō-kōhai-kun, stay here."
I narrowed my eyes at the troublesome woman, who only smirked at me. Sudō glanced at the two of us, but ultimately, followed my order.
"What do you want?"
"Aww, not even a greeting for this senpai?" she smirked. She moved closer to me and latched onto my arm, an intoxicating aroma enrapturing my senses.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself," she giggled, "Kiryūin Fūka. Class 2-B. Aren't you incredibly interesting?"
"Not really. I don't possess any special talents or skills aside from weightlifting."
"For some reason, I don't believe that." Kiryūin's purple eyes seemed to sparkle even more. "Here, let's exchange contact information."
I sighed, handing over my phone. This was troublesome. After we exchanged contact information, she gave my phone back.
I had a new message from 'Fūka-chan."
"Well, I need to head to class, Kiryūin-senpai."
"Fūka-chan."
"I'm sorry?"
"Fūka-chan," she smirked devilishly.
"Goodbye, Fūka-senpai."
"Fūka-chan. Or you'll regret it."
"Goodbye, Fūka-chan."
With her satisfied nod, I immediately left the vicinity. Hopefully, I would never meet or see that woman again in my life.
But, knowing my luck, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be true.
-o-o-o-
"Give me the file on Ayanokōji Kiyotaka. Class 1-D."
"Eh? Why?"
"He made a bit of a stir this morning at the gym. I want to take a look at him."
All students had files they were logged on. Their entrance exam scores, their interview, and notes from the school were all logged on files that were in the cabinets and available for the student council to access.
It was a useful perk at the school, but only for new students whom I wasn't already familiar with. Over the past few days, I have been reading up on the files, which were just recently updated by the school, and I had made my way through class 1-A already.
Asahina Nazuna sighed as she dug through the cabinet for first-year class 1-D and found the appropriate folder, before handing it to me.
My hands glided over the light-yellow folder. Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.
What was so remarkable about you?
Average. Ordinary. Unexceptional.
These were all adjectives that read continuously across his file. Unremarkable interview. No dislikes or likes. No hobbies. No favorite food. No middle school. No future career aspirations.
In other words, no wishes. No desires. Was he human?
I took in every single word with great care, wondering where Horikita Manabu had taken interest in this ordinary first-year.
There was something at the bottom. My eyes flitted downwards.
Fifities across the board in his entrance exams.
Crafted. Almost so ordinary, so average, that it was exceptional. Remarkable, even.
I felt a smile spread across my face.
He had miscalculated. All fifties were too average. Too average that they were unsettling and enrapturing.
The first-year who had extorted my pawns out of private points on the first day. Who had unwillingly demonstrated his physical capability at the gym and attracted the attention of Horikita Manabu and Fūka Kiryūin, two students who never took such an interest in anyone.
There was no question. He must have noticed the behavior difference between every class, where Class D was the worst behaved, and Class A was the best behaved. He must have noticed the scripted speech that their homeroom teacher gave.
He had figured out the school system on the first day.
He had extraordinary physical capabilities. These two things I was sure of.
But such brilliance should never be underestimated.
Fifties across every single exam. A deliberate miscalculation? I was sure of it.
He had reeled me in. He had caught my attention, and commanded it, without even knowing.
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, who are you?
-o-o-o-
The day quickly passed by as I stared out the window or napped away most of the time. My seatmate was as distant and cold as ever, and I wasn't particularly inclined to start a conversation with her.
The bell rang, signaling that it was lunchtime. Sudō waved me over from his side of the room, and I gathered with my new friends to head to the cafeteria. I felt an uncharacteristic amount of gazes on me, confirming my theory. Someone had posted my video to the forum.
As we stood in the line, our gazes were drawn to the free vegetable meal sets. They looked unappetizing, to say the least.
"Can you imagine eating that?" Sudō voiced our collective thoughts.
"We should never have to, considering our 100,000 points per month," Sotomura replied. I nodded.
Okitani began to chew his lip, his gaze fixed upon the 'free' vegetable meal sets.
Soon, we ordered and sat down with our meals at a free table. I dug into my steak bento.
"Don't you guys think this school is strange?"
I turned to Okitani, along with the others. We stared at him as if he had grown a second head.
"What do you mean?" Sudō scratched the back of his head.
"Well, like. Don't you think everything is a little suspicious? 100,000 yen for every student across 3 years is a lot."
"Well, I guess this is the reward for getting into such a crazy school," Sudō shrugged, not seeing the logic.
"But it's not just that. Remember yesterday, when Kōji saved us? The points were used in the transaction, but points wouldn't be useful if everyone got 100,000 yen a month, would they?"
"Maybe..." Still, the skepticism radiated from Sotomura and Sudō. It was like watching a tug-of-war, but with only one person tugging the rope on one side, and the other side holding still, little progress was to be made.
"Think about it, it's really hard to use 100,000 yen in a month. Yet, somehow, there's free vegetable meal sets and free stuff in the grocery store." Okitani Kyōsuke insisted.
"But perhaps they're just contingency measures." Sotomura pointed out.
"Maybe..." Okitani trailed off.
"I don't know about that." I joined Okitani's side. "Look at that upperclassman."
Three gazes followed my gesture, as they saw a despondent upperclassman get a free vegetable meal set and sit down alone at a table. His shoulders were slumped forward, and it seemed like there was no joy left in him.
"Damn. He's really out of it." Sudō commented on what we were all thinking.
"Oh, Ayanokōji-kun!"
A sweet, angelic voice interrupted our conversation. I turned around, seeing a blob of blonde hair and gradient crimson eyes. Kushida Kikyō, the girl I had seen the other day on the bus.
"Oh, hello, Kushida-san."
"Ayanokōji-kun!" she replied cheerfully."
"What brings you to our table?" I wondered.
"I want to exchange contact information with the four of you! My goal is to become friends with everyone in the school, and I didn't get your contact information yesterday since you all left so quickly."
We nodded and exchanged contact information with the bubbly girl. Her eyes lit up at having more numbers saved in her phone. Maybe it was a game to have the most friends in the school.
"By the way Ayanokōji-kun, do you have Horikita's contact?"
"No. Why would I?"
"Oh..." she seemed disappointed. "W-Well, I thought she was your seatmate, so you might have talked to each other."
I shook my head. "She doesn't seem to talk very much."
"Well, could you try to get her contact information for me? I want to be friends with everyone in the school!"
She smiled at me cutely, with pouting eyes as she leaned forward. Instantly, I knew she had perfected the formula. She was dangerous.
I looked away.
"Uh. Well, I can try."
"Thank you so much Ayanokōji-kun!" She clasped my hands, beaming at me. Soon after, we exchanged pleasantries, and she left the cafeteria.
Sotomura, Sudō, and Okitani chatted away as they ranked the top ten anime of all time. It was a heated battle, and I couldn't help but feel disappointed that I couldn't relate. Perhaps I would take Sotomura up on some of his recommendations later.
Befriend Horikita Suzune? No, that wasn't right. I merely had to get her contact information for Kushida Kikyō. That way, I would be viewed in a positive light by a person of the opposite gender.
-o-o-o-
Throughout class, I tried to find an opportunity to speak to my black-haired seatmate. However, she was incredibly aloof. Whenever it was break time, she took to reading her book. She had the sort of aura that was haughty and unapproachable.
Even Kushida's cute aura couldn't break through that. As the bell rang, and class ended, music blared through the speakers.
"At 5 PM Japan Standard Time today, we will be holding a student club fair in Gymnasium No. 1. Students interested in joining a club, please gather in Gymnasium No. 1. We will be hosting a student club fair. Thank you very much."
Student clubs? To be honest, I had never thought of joining one, but maybe I should.
I met up with the trio of Sudō, Sotomura, and Okitani, and together, we headed to Gymnasium No. 1.
"Damn, there's a lot of people here."
About 120 people were waiting around. We stood near the back of the room and waited for the fair to begin. We poured over the pamphlets that we had received upon entering the gymnasium. The pamphlet contained detailed information about club activities.
After a few minutes, I raised my gaze from the pamphlet and decided to look around.
On the far left, there was a little girl with lilac hair who was leaning on a cane, and with her was a disgruntled-looking purple-haired girl and a smug-looking, blonde-haired boy.
On the far right, there was a tall, rogue-looking, magenta-haired boy accompanied by a foreign-born boy who looked bigger and stronger than Sudō.
Finally, in front of me, there was a pink-haired girl surrounded by a group of chatty girls. Off to the side was a stern-looking, purple-haired boy, who seemed to be both part of the group and not part of the group at the same time.
I couldn't explain why these groups had drawn my attention specifically, but it seemed that they were doing the same as me: scouting others.
As the upperclassmen finished their introductions, they walked off the stage and headed toward an area where some plain tables had been set up. Probably a reception area designed to accept new members to their club. Eventually, everyone walked off until only one person remained. Every student focused their attention on him.
Horikita Manabu. The smirking dictator.
He was about 178 centimeters in height, and had a lean physique, with sleek black hair. This time, he wore sharp glasses and had a piercing, calculating gaze—an aura that was polarizing to the one I had seen in the gym. Standing in front of the microphone, he calmly looked around at the first-year students. What was his club, and what in the world was he going to say? My interest had been piqued.
Unfortunately, my expectations were dashed immediately. He didn't say a single word. Maybe he was drawing a blank? Or perhaps he was so nervous he couldn't speak? No, that didn't seem like the Horikita Manabu I had seen at the gym.
"Do your best!"
"Did you forget to bring your notecards?"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
The first-year students hurled comments and jeers at him. However, Horikita Manabu stood on the stage calmly, without trembling. The laughter and comments didn't seem to faze him. When the laughter had reached a crescendo, it suddenly died. He wore an apathetic expression.
"What's with this guy?" an astonished student remarked. Murmurs of agreement were heard around the room, and the gymnasium buzzed with people talking, yet the boy on stage still did not move or speak. He simply stood there, quiet and motionless, staring fixedly at the crowd.
The relaxed atmosphere gradually changed, and things took an unexpected turn. It was as if some chemical reaction had taken place. An unbelievably tense, quiet mood gripped the entire gymnasium. Even though no orders had been given, the silence was so terrible that it seemed to have gagged everyone. Not a single student looked able to open his or her mouth. The silence continued for about thirty seconds or so...
Then, the student started his speech, slowly scanning the crowd.
"My name is Horikita Manabu. I am the student council president."
"The student council is looking to recruit potential candidates among the first-year students to replace the graduating third years." His piercing gaze seemed to be directed in my direction, and I shrunk under the ferocity. "Although no special qualifications are required for candidacy, we humbly ask that those considering application not be involved in other club activities. We generally do not accept students involved elsewhere."
He spoke in a soft, silvery tone, but the tension around us was so thick you could cut it with a knife. He had managed to silence over a hundred, rowdy, new students in the spacious gymnasium. Of course, it wasn't his position or legal power as student council president that had granted him this submissive deference. It was simply Horikita Manabu's own, natural power. His presence dominated everyone around him.
"Furthermore, we in the student council do not wish to appoint anyone who possesses a naïve outlook. Not only would such a person not be elected, he or she would sully the sanctity and character of this school. It is the student council's right and duty to enforce and amend the rules, of course, but the school expects more than that. We gladly welcome those of you who understand this."
"We look for students who both adhere to the rules of this institution and leave their own, indelible mark on it."
Again, his powerful gaze seemed to pierce right at me, and I looked away. This speech didn't have anything to do with me.
I was an ordinary, average student with no special talents, so he should stop looking at me.
He didn't pause even once during his eloquent speech. Immediately after finishing, he hopped off the stage and left the gymnasium. None of the first-year students could utter a single word as we watched him go. We didn't even know what would've happened if we had tried to talk. Everyone in the room shared the same thought, apparently.
"Thank you all for coming. The club fair has ended. We will now open the reception area to anyone interested in signing up. Also, registration will be open until the end of April, so if any student wishes to join at a later date, we ask that you please bring the application form directly to the club you wish to join."
Thanks to the purple-haired, laid-back organizer, the tension in the air dissipated. Afterward, the third-year students who'd introduced their respective clubs started taking applications.
-o-o-o-
I came back to the first-year dormitory in the middle of the night.
A certain crimson-eyed, platinum-haired senpai was lounging languidly on one of the benches, near a vending machine.
Kiryūin Fūka made eye contact with me, but I ignored her. I needed to sleep, after all. I had no time for a troublesome woman like her.
I walked past her and opened the doors, entering the dormitory. I could hear her get up and trail me.
"Ara ara, Kōji-kōhai-kun, you're really going to ignore a beautiful woman like me?"
Of course. She already had a nickname for me.
"I don't have anything to do with you right now, as I would like to sleep," I answered.
"Oh come on," she grinned, as she got into the elevator with me.
I raised an eyebrow, as I pressed the button for the fourth floor, "You are following a first-year boy into the dormitories. What would people think of you?"
Her grin widened.
She threw her head back elegantly, as a charming sound emanated from her pink lips. "I don't care what people think of me."
"And what would they say, anyway?" She leaned in, wiggling her eyebrows. She was so close that I could smell the alluring scent of her perfume. Combined with her rather sizeable assets and silver tongue, this was a recipe for disaster. I averted my eyes.
"That you're preying on an ordinary, innocent kōhai like myself."
"So hurtful. I would never do such a thing," she pouted cutely. The innocent, shy look didn't suit her face at all. Soon, though, her facial expression shifted back to its predatory form.
"And don't try to fool me, kōhai. You are anything but ordinary."
"While I may have some physical ability, I assure you that is all there is to me."
"Oh? Is that right? Fifty-percent-kun?"
The dangerous vixen watched my face intently for a reaction. This was one of the few times that my lack of facial expression came in handy. In fact, my facial muscles were perhaps the weakest muscles on my body.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"Sure, sure, Fifty-percent-kun. Don't you want to know where I got your test scores from?"
"No."
"I got them from the Student Council Vice President, Nagumo Miyabi."
"How much did you pay for them?"
"Nothing," she grinned. "I was bored, so I asked him for the file of the most interesting student in the first year."
"I see. Did he owe you a favor or something?"
Kiryūin hummed. "Something like that."
The elevator doors opened with a ding, and I stepped out.
Kiryūin followed me, though. I didn't speak to her, although she wrapped her arms around my arm. They were being pushed into her soft, warm, pillowy mountains of flesh...
She leaned her head on my shoulder. I moved forward, but she moved forward at the same rate as I did, making sure she kept pace. Making sure that my arm was enraptured.
I unlocked my door with the student ID, and I stepped inside. Thankfully, she didn't follow inside.
"Good night, Kiryūin-senpai."
"Fūka-chan."
"No."
"Fūka-chan," she insisted, grinning wildly.
"No."
"It'll be good for you~"
"Good night."
I closed the door in her face and proceeded to lock it. I had to be careful.
I could hear her on the outside, "Good night, Kiyotaka!"
Her voice was so loud. What if someone heard?
What a troublesome woman.
I sighed.
Horikita Manabu, this was all your fault.
-o-o-o-
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