Horikita POV:
'Sitting alone in Ayanokouji-kun's room with him… For some reason, my heart can't stop beating rapidly. My body feels very warm and fuzzy. What is this feeling? I truly never felt this feeling before. Not to anyone…' thought Horikita.
"What's this theory of yours?" asked Horikita, tilting her head in curiosity.
"The school is not what it seems like. It looks like a paradise to students, providing them with points to spend and boasting a 100% employment."
"Are you talking about the points?"
"Yes, I don't think we're getting 100,000 points every month."
"What makes you say that?"
"The school is spending 4 million yen for an entire class every month which means the school is spending 16 million yen every month on every student in the same year. It'll total up to 48 million yen for every student in the school per month. That means the school spends 576 million yen per year for all of their students."
Horikita was surprised at Ayanokouji's quick calculations and she mentally did the calculations herself to confirm it.
"You're right. That's simply too much money the school is spending for their students."
"Exactly my point. Why give 100,000 yen as an allowance to high school students every month? You noticed the 'Free' section in the convenience store."
"It's for students that spent all their points."
"If students get 100,000 points every month, there will be no need to have that section for students."
Horikita began to think about it.
'Ayanokouji-kun is right. There will be no need for the school to include it. The school is providing an extremely generous amount of points per month. Even if students spent all their points during the month, students should have some leftover points saved up. It's almost impossible for someone to constantly spend 100,000 points every month. Unless, students don't get 100,000 points every month.' thought Horikita.
"I think I see where this is going. We don't get 100,000 points every month."
"Bingo. This is just my working theory. But, I believe we shouldn't frugally spend our points."
"That was my plan. I have no need for extra goods, just the bare minimum."
"You're not going to tell the class?"
"There's no use wasting time and effort for those brainless imbeciles. They are most likely going to waste all of their points this month."
"True. Since we're both loners, we probably get laughed at. My theory has not been proven yet. I need more evidence and I've a feeling that there's more to it."
"I agree. D-do you need some help?"
"Eh?"
Ayanokouji was surprised that Horikita agreed to help him. Horikita gave off an aura of superiority and solitude, she's someone that does not easily help others and confident in her own abilities and prefers to work by herself.
'Wait. Why am I saying this to him?! I don't want to help him, but I feel like I want to help him. What is wrong with me!? The only thing I need is to catch up to Nii-san and show him that I'm capable of standing with him, not behind him. Yes... I'm only doing this because it'll help me, not because I'm helping Ayanokouji-kun out.' thought Horikita.
"It would be great if I had your help, Horikita. Are you sure about this?"
"I-I'm sure."
"Let's first check to see if there's any discrepancies or unusual about the school."
Horikita nodded in agreement and finished off the rest of her green tea.
"It's time for me to leave now."
"Okay. Goodbye, Horikita."
Silence filled the room as Ayanokouji started to clean up the cups that were just used.
Ayanokouji POV
Ayanokouji began making dinner with some pre-made dinner sets. Ayanokouji picked it up at the convenience store earlier and was a little curious about how it works. It seems that you just pour some hot water into the dinner set and add the packaged ingredients. Ayanokouji's mind began to wander as he prepared his dinner.
'Horikita… I never thought of you as my soulmate. As God said, women fall in love instantly more than men. It takes men time to fall in love. Unfortunately, I'm not like most men. I don't feel this supposed 'love'. This 'love' is one-sided and I could easily use it to make Horikita with my tool. On the other hand, I have three years of freedom. Something that I don't have because of that place. It's time for a peaceful three years in high school.' thought Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji finished preparing his dinner and he peeled open the dinner set, steam wafting out of the dinner set.
"Itadakimasu"
*Timeskip (next day, morning)*
Ayanokouji woke up early in the morning at his usual time of 4:30 Am. His internal body clock and sleep schedule had been hard-wired by that place, so he's been waking up at the same time for about 8 years straight.
Ayanokouji did some stretches to wake up his sleeping and numb muscles before getting into a simple T-shirt and shorts that he bought from the convenience store. Apparently, you can buy sets of basic T-shirts and shorts for cheap at a convenience store. It's not the most fashionable outfit, but it's comfortable and useful for workouts.
Ayanokouji went outside and headed towards a park that he found yesterday when he was on the way back from the convenience store to the dorms with Horikita. Ayanokouji couldn't do his usual workout because he didn't have gym equipment. He decided to do his usual daily exercise routine without the ones with gym equipment.
Ayanokouji did 100-push ups, 100 sit-ups, and a 10-km run around the school. This routine took about 1 hour and 35 minutes. His T-shirt began caked with sweat and became a see-through, displaying his abs and muscles to the public. On the way back to the dorm, Ayanokouji spotted a girl, walking back to dorms too. The girl has short brown hair with yellow-violet colored eyes. She's unlike most girls that Ayanokouji has seen. She was muscular rather than petite, but she managed to maintain a slim figure. Ayanokouji could tell that she's an athlete.
'If I remember correctly, her name is Onodera and likes to swim.' thought Ayanokouji.
Onodera notices Ayanokouji walking behind her. She smiled at him and began to approach him.
"Hey. You're a classmate of mine. Sorry, I forgot your name." said Onodera.
"Don't worry about it, it's Ayanokouji."
"Ah... Sorry about that. I see that you work out too."
"Yeah. I do my usual morning routine."
"That's cool. It's nice to meet someone who takes exercise seriously." said Onodera, studying Ayanokouji's arms.
"Whoa! You're muscular, but you managed to hide it with a slim body!"
"Thanks!"
"And your abs and muscles are well-developed. It's a result of years of hard training." said Onodera, appreciatively as she checked out and got closer to Ayanokouji 's body. She blushed and turned a little red when she realized what she was doing.
"Sorry about that."
"It's no problem. I know you didn't mean it that way."
Ayanokouji and Onodera had a talk about their gym routines and exercise on their way back to the dorms and elevator trip up to their rooms. Onodera couldn't believe that Ayanokouji had an intense exercise routine and that he managed to do it daily. Ayanokouji complimented her commitment to exercise and other gym related activities.
"There's a gym in the school. You have pay points for a monthly plan." said Onodera.
" Maybe. I should spend some points on it." replied Ayanokouji.
"I was planning to do it! Hopefully we can become gym friends!"
"Maybe. But, I won't spend too many points at once." advised Ayanokouji.
"Hahahaha... don't worry about me. I'm a little too muscular as a girl to wear cute and fashionable things. I only spend points on food, protein, and gym membership to help my exercise."
"It's true that you've a muscular figure, but it's a result of your hard work and dedication. you probably look good with sports clothes on. " said Ayanokouji, studying Onodera's body.
"E-eh?! A-Ayanokouji-kun?!"
"Sorry about that. I'm just pointing out your physical features that an athlete like you can be proud of."
"U-uhh... thank you A-Ayanokouji-kun."
"This is my floor. See you in class, Onodera."
"Bye Ayanokouji-kun!"
Onodera POV:
Onodera was thinking about her encounter with Ayanokouji as the elevator was going up to her floor. Onodera entered her dorm room, took off her sweaty clothes, and hopped into a shower.
'What an interesting guy, Ayanokouji-kun is! After his failed attempt at a first introduction yesterday, I thought he was a quiet guy that likes to hide in the background and avoid any trouble. Underneath his slim body, he's quite muscular and athletic. I guess I had the wrong impression of that guy!' thought Onodera.
'I never thought he would be an exercise fiend like me. He's got such a great body. I don't mean it in a perverted way, but from an athlete perspective. His rock-hard abs and muscles. His chiseled arms. His sturdy legs. These are a result of years of hard-training and dedication. It's something that I can appreciate! It seems that Ayanokouji-kun is looking for a gym. I recommend the gym I found yesterday to him. Hopefully we can meet again there and be gym buddies! I want to know his exercise routine. It must be pretty intense to get that body of his! I hope we can meet again, Ayanokouji-kun. You're a pretty interesting guy.' thought Onodera.
Ayanokouji POV:
Ayanokouji got off and entered his dorm room. He took off his gym clothes and tossed them into a hamper he purchased yesterday. Ayanokouji took a quick shower to refresh himself and to get the sweat off his body. He got out and saw the time on his clock: 7:05 AM.
Ayanokouji checked his kitchen and realized that he didn't buy ingredients to make breakfast. Ayanokouji decided to stop at the convenience store to get some breakfast and lunch for the upcoming school day. He made sure to grab his phone and school bag since he won't be coming back to the dorm for a while.
Ayanokouji took the elevator down to the ground level and ran into Horikita when he called the elevator.
"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Good morning, Horikita. Coincidences can be freaky."
"Is that supposed to be funny, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"..."
"Your social ineptitude and terrible jokes in combination with your ever-present blank face does not make you funny, Ayanokouji-kun. If you think that will help you make friends, then you're surely wrong."
"Oh, excuse me. The mistress of sociability has come to grace me with her presence. She's so sociable and untouchable that she doesn't have any friends."
"Says the person that butchered their first introduction."
"At least, I didn't just say my name for an introduction."
The two began taking verbal jabs at each other throughout the elevator down. They fell silent when they entered the ground level of the dorms because there were some students in the lobby. Ayanokouji and Horikita walked to school together, but Ayanokouji stopped halfway from the school to stop at the convenience store for breakfast.
"I need to go get breakfast first." said Ayanokouji, stopping and walking towards the convenience store.
"What a coincidence. I also need to get some breakfast too."
"You're a terrible liar, you know that."
"Shut up!" hissed Horikita.
"I'm coming with you." said Horikita. She stubbornly followed Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji sighed and entered the convenience store. Ayanokouji browsed through the aisles, wondering what he should get for breakfast. Horikita split up with Ayanokouji and went to get her own stuff, leaving Ayanokouji to himself.
Ayanokouji decided to grab himself a breakfast sandwich and a can of coffee. He added to his shopping basket and scanned the aisles for something for lunch.
'Maybe I should get a pre-made bento. Depending on the size and ingredients of the bento, it might be of great value.' thought Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji looked at the various bentos the store had to offer. Ayanokouji tried to calculate the difference in price from buying the bento from the convenience store to buying the ingredients individually and making it yourself.
'It seems about even. I spent too much time staring at these bentos. I'll just go to the cafeteria and get some food.' thought Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji heard a giggle coming from behind him. He turned around and saw a girl with shoulder-length light brown hair with violet-colored eyes. Ayanokouji recognized her as his classmate, Mori Nene.
"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Good morning, Mori. How did you know my name? Most people tend to forget about my existence."
"After yesterday's awkward first introduction, your name and face sticks in my mind." Mori giggled.
"Please try to forget about that."
"No can do~"
"Is there anything you want from me to make you forget about that?"
"Let me think." said Mori, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Mori seems to be putting up a charade of thinking intensely.
"How about you buy me some lunch and I'll consider it?"
"A lunch? I was planning to eat at the cafeteria."
"Ohh... are you asking me out for a lunch date?" Mori smirked, playfully.
Ayanokouji quickly moved towards Mori and pushed her towards an aisle shelf with one of his arms.
"Yes, I am." said Ayanokouji with a blank face. His other arms moved towards Mori and caught something. Mori's eyes widened a little and her face turned a little red because of Ayanokouji's actions.
It turns out a big jar of pickled vegetables was teetering off the edge of the edge of a high shelf. It began to fall directly on top of Mori's head. Ayanokouji quickly pushed Mori out of the way, resulting in Ayanokouji pinning Mori to an aisle: a kabedon technique. His other hand caught the falling jar of pickled vegetables before it hit the ground. He smoothly placed it back on the shelf and away from the edge of the shelf, so it's in no danger of falling again. Ayanokouji decided to answer Mori's question while catching the falling jar because it will be more time-efficient to say it now rather than later. Of course, Mori didn't see that because this all happened behind her. She was more focused on Ayanokouji who's in front of her, inches from her face.
Mori averted her eyes from Ayanokouji, who began to back off after a few seconds of silence.
"U-umm... A-Ayanokouji-kun,.."
"If you don't want to, then it's fine."
"U-uhh... I-I'll take you up with t-that o-offer..." muttered Mori. Her usual cheery and friendly attitude was gone and replaced by a more shy and quiet attitude. Ayanokouji was confused by her change of attitude.
'She hates me, doesn't she. That first introduction sealed my fate.' thought Ayanokouji.
"You don't have to force yourself, you know." said Ayanokouji.
"N-No... I'm not not. I'm just h-happy." said Mori. Mori realized what she said and the implied meaning.
"N-nnooo... it's not l-like that, A-Ayanokouji-kun." yelped Mori, her face turning a little more red. Ayanokouji tilted his head in confusion.
"What do you mean, Mori?"
"It's nothing, Ayanokouji-kun. I'll see you later in class." said Mori, scrambling away from Ayanokouji. He looked on at Mori's retreating figure in confusion.
'What just happened? I believe that's a success' thought Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji felt a cold and dark presence coming from behind him. He turned around to see Horikita standing there with her shopping basket on the ground and her cold and angry look directed at Ayanokouji.
"Ayanokouji-kun, you have some explaining to do." said Horikita with a cold smile. Her cold and dark aura intensified.
'Well, there's going to be some trouble in the near future.' thought Ayanokouji.
Mori POV:
Mori scrambled away from Ayanokouji as fast as possible. She quickly approached the cashier and paid for her goods and left the store in a hurry. The cashier raised her eyebrows in confusion with Mori's strange behavior.
Mori walked at briskly pace away from the convenience store before slowing down at a considerable distance away from the convenience store. She opened the packaging that contained croissants and shoved it into her mouth. Mori began to think about her encounter with Ayanokouji while eating and walking to school.
'Did that really just happen? I didn't expect Ayanokouji-kun to be so bold. I thought he was a bit of a gloomy person that likes to keep to himself. His introduction yesterday basically screams 'I don't know anyone here. Someone please be my friend!' To think that he's that bold…' thought Mori.
'I'm often described by former classmates as a cheerful and friendly girl. I normally crack jokes and tease my classmates a little. I thought Ayanokouji-kun would be a little flustered by my little joke, but he seems to take it head-on and roll with it. I'm not sure if it actually meant it. With his blank face, I couldn't tell if he's making a joke or being serious. But, I think he's serious about it. Ayanokouji-kun is quite an interesting person. Let's see what he likes during lunch…' thought Mori.
Ayanokouji POV:
It was a few minutes after Ayanokouji noticed Horikita behind him. The duo is walking to school as Ayanokouji finishes the last of his breakfast sandwich.
"You didn't have to stab me in the arm with a compass." said Ayanokouji, rubbing his right arm in pain.
"You deserved it." said Horikita, looking in the opposite direction and avoiding Ayanokouji's gaze.
"It's not what you think. I was helping Mori out."
"Pinning her to a shelf and getting close to her is a strange and unique way of helping someone out... I wouldn't mind if you did that to me." said Horikita, muttering the last part to herself.
"What did you say in the last part?"
"I-It's nothing."
"Okay."
The pair approach their classroom with silence. Ayanokouji stopped at a nearby trashcan and discarded the packaging of the breakfast sandwich. Horikita opened the door and the pair walked into the classroom together.
Some of the classmates looked surprised at the unexpected duo. Horikita presented herself as a loner and her imposing, but solitude aura she gave off deterred most classmates from approaching her. From most people's perspective, Ayanokouji was seen as a quiet, but gloomy guy. Onodera and Mori both waved hello to Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji gave them a nod in response before heading to his seat.
Ayanokouji sat down and a moment later, a compass appeared and inserted itself into Ayanokouji's arm.
"Ow! What was that for?" said Ayanokouji, rubbing his arm again as the compass already retracted itself away from Ayanokouji's arm.
"You didn't tell me that you were close to other girls too."
"They're just classmates. Nothing is wrong with saying hello to my classmates."
"..."
Horikita continued to glare at Ayanokouji, but when he turned to look at her, she turned away from him, scowling.
"Horikita."
"..."
"Do you want to have lunch with me?"
"Huh?!" Horikita was shocked by Ayanokouji's sudden invitation.
'What?! What is guy planning? I should refuse, I do not need any friends or anyone. I just need to reach Nii-san, but something is wrong with my heart. No. NO. NO! It can't be. I'm feeling like I should go and have lunch with him. What's wrong with me? It's something that I haven't felt for a person.' thought Horikita.
"I-ii'm in. B-be glad that you have the privilege of eating with me."
"Okay."
Ayanokouji turned back around and looked outside the window, enjoying the peaceful morning for a few more minutes before Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom.
*Timeskip (lunch time)*
The lunch bell rang and students began to get up from their seats, forming up into groups. Some stayed in the classroom while others left. Hirata was being mobbed by a bunch of girls. He gave Ayanokouji a look for help, but Ayanokouji nodded back. Hirata was swept up and left the classroom with the girls.
Horikita looked at Ayanokouji, "Are we going yet?"
"Yes, but we're waiting for someone else."
"Someone else?"
Mori approached Ayanokouji's desk, "Ayanokouji-kun, are we going yet?"
Suddenly, the temperature of the room dropped and the air around Ayanokouji became colder. Ayanokouji turned to his neighbor and saw the coldest look Horikita had ever gave him so far. Mori also felt something off and turned to Horikita. Mori tried to swallow her fear, but failed and averted her eyes away from Horikita.
"I invited Mori for lunch as payback." said Ayanokouji.
'Payback? What does that mean? Did Ayanokouji-kun owe Mori-san? Is that all to it? Wait, did something happen between Ayanokouji-kun and Mori-san? No, this can't be...' thought Horikita.
'What's wrong with me? Why am I thinking about this? I only met Ayanokouji-kun yesterday and I'm already acting like this. I should go to the nurse's office to get this check up.' thought Horikita.
"Fine." said Horikita, reluctantly.
Ayanokouji, Horikita, and Mori began to head out of the classroom, but with some stares. Mori's group looked puzzled as they walked by them. The trio headed to the cafeteria in silence before waiting in line for a meal ticket.
"Mori, you can choose anything you want. My treat, of course." said Ayanokouji.
"Anything?" asked Mori.
"Just not too expensive, I need some extra points."
"Meanie..." pouted Mori, before choosing the katsudon curry meal. Ayanokouji chooses the daily special meal. Horikita gave Ayanokouji and Mori a glare before choosing the tonkotsu ramen meal. The three exchanged their meal tickets, picked up their lunch, and chose an empty table near the corner of the cafeteria to eat.
"Itadakimasu!" said the trio.
Ayanokouji took a bite of his karaage. The chicken's coating broke under the pressure of Ayanokouji's teeth which released the juiciness and taste of chicken into Ayanokouji's mouth. The batter was just right.
After a few quiet minutes of eating, Mori decided to start a conservation.
"Hey Ayanokouji-kun, this school is pretty amazing, right?" said Mori.
"Yeah, it gives us a free dorm and an allowance along with a 100% employment rate." replied Ayanokouji.
"I know right. There's so many things I want to buy."
"Hey, look over there. Some of our senpais are eating some free vegetable lunch sets." said Ayanokouji, pointing at some unhappy upperclassmen sitting at some nearby tables.
"Yeah. I wonder why they're eating it. Don't they have points?"
"It wouldn't make sense for them to get it. Unless they already spend their monthly points on the second day already." said Horikita, thinking about it.
"Or they don't have that many points as allowance to begin with." said Ayanokouji.
"WHAT?!" said the two girls, dropping their chopsticks.
"Let's assume that they have 100,000 every month. It's unlikely that these upperclassmen spent that many points in a single day. They would've had some points saved up from the previous months because it's very unlikely that they spent 100,000 points every single month." said Ayanokouji.
"That's true." said Horikita with Mori nodding along.
"Under the assumption that they still have points, why would they eat the free vegetable sets? It's unappetizing and it's cheap. Unless they're vegetarians, there's no reason to get it." explained Ayanokouji.
"You have a good point, Ayanokouji-kun. The other meal tickets are pretty cheap too." said Mori.
"Are you implying that these upperclassmen did not get 100,000 points every month?" said Horikita.
"WHAT?!" yelped Mori.
"Yes. This is a theory and I'm basing it off the observations I got in the cafeteria." said Ayanokouji.
"That means we're not getting 100,000 points next month?" asked Mori, panicking.
"This is just a theory, Mori. I have no evidence for my claim. There's no need to spread rumors and panic to our class." said Ayanokouji.
'Plus I need to hide and preserve my life' thought Ayanokouji.
"I guess you have a good point." said Mori.
"It's not like those imbeciles would even listen to you." added Horikita.
"For now, be careful of the amount of points you spend." said Ayanokouji.
"I'll keep that in mind, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Mori, picking up her chopsticks.
Music began playing through the loudspeakers, "At five 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. I repeat, at—"
A girl with a sweet voice continued the announcement.
'A club, huh? I have never joined one before.' thought Ayanokouji.
"Ayanokouji-kun, are you going to the club fair?" asked Mori.
"I'm not sure, probably not. It doesn't hurt for me to check it out." said Ayanokouji.
"Ohh... maybe I should join. I'm not very interested."
"Hey Horikita."
"I'm not going." Horikita responded immediately.
"I'm not interested in joining a club."
"I didn't even ask you anything yet."
"Well, what is it?"
"Are you interested in joining a club?"
"Ayanokouji-kun, do you have dementia, or are you just an idiot? Didn't I just tell you that I'm not interested?"
"That doesn't mean you won't join, though," Ayanokouji replied.
"Now you're just splitting hairs. Don't argue for the sake of arguing."
Mori watched the two argue back and forth. She started to giggle and the two stopped to look at her.
"What's so funny?" asked Ayanokouji, confused by Mori's actions.
"It's funny seeing you two arguing. You guys seem close." said Mori.
"W-wwe're not close." said Horikita, denying Mori's claim and blushing a little bit.
"I see you're turning a little red, Horikita-san~" teased Mori.
"I-it's not like that." said Horikita. She stopped for a few moments before responding to Ayanokouji, "I'll join you, I suppose."
"Okay." said Ayanokouji, puzzled by Horikita's sudden change of mind. Ayanokouji wondered if Horikita always does the opposite of what she says.
For the rest of lunchtime, Mori and Ayanokouji had idle small talk with Mori taking the lead. Horikita chimed in from time to time, but kept to herself. As the three are walking back to the classroom, Mori gives Ayanokouji her number. Horikita scowled at that and walked ahead of Ayanokouji and Mori. Ayanokouji was a little confused by Horikita's actions and wondered if Horikita wanted Mori's number.
*Timeskip (5 PM, gymnasium #1)*
Ayanokouji and Horikita entered the gymnasium to attend the club fair. Mori decided to not go because she already planned to hang out with her friends. She sent Ayanokouji a thumbs up and wished him luck which confused Ayanokouji.
"There are more people than I expected." said Ayanokouji, observing the crows. Most of the students assembled are freshmen with about 100 people in the gym. The pamphlet handed out to the visitors contained information about club activities and a list of all available clubs.
"I wonder if this school has famous clubs. For example, something like karate." said Ayanokouji.
"Every club seems to operate on a high level. It looks like many athletes and club members here are famous throughout the nation." replied Horikita.
"Thank you all for waiting, first-year students. We will now begin the club fair. A representative from each club will explain their function. My name is Tachibana, the student council secretary and the club fair's organizer. It's nice to meet you all." said a short purple-haired girl with buns tied to the side of her head.
After Tachibana delivered the opening remarks, representatives from each club quickly lined up on a stage. It was quite a diverse crowd. The club representatives included everything from burly athletes in judo uniforms to students dressed in beautiful kimonos
Ayanokouji and Horikita observed in silence as each representative gave out their pitch to get new members in their club. None of the clubs appealed to Ayanokouji and he decided to not join any clubs. Ayanokouji looked at Horikita and noticed something unusual about her. Horikta became more quiet and tense. She was busy staring intently at the empty stage as if she's expecting someone to come on. There was no one and all the representatives from the clubs had already gotten off the stage and into tables, waiting for new club members to sign up.
Someone appeared on the stage and it was the person that Horikita was staring at. He appeared to be about 170 centimeters in height, so he wasn't very tall. He was slender, with sleek black hair. He wore sharp glasses and had a piercing, calculating gaze. Standing in front of the microphone, he calmly looked around at the first-year students. Ayanokouji wondered what his club was, and what in the world was he going to say? This person had piqued Ayanokouji's interest. He was still standing at the stage and didn't utter a single word. It seems that he's observing the crowd and the crowd noticed him.
"Do your best!"
"Did you forget to bring your notecards?"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
The first-year students hurled comments at him. However, the upperclassman 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?" remarked an astonished student. The gymnasium buzzed with people talking, yet the boy on the stage still did not move. He simply stood there, quiet and motionless, staring fixedly at the crowd. Horikita stared back at the student with an intense gaze, not breaking her line of sight even for a second.
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.
"I'm the student council president. My name is Horikita Manabu," he said.
'Horikita? They have the same surname.' thought Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji glanced at Horikita, who was still standing there tensely and studying the upperclassmen.
'The same black hair? Cold yet calculating look. Her strange behavior when he's present in the room. They're siblings.' thought Ayanokouji.
"The student council is looking to recruit potential candidates among the first-year students to replace the graduating third years. 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 tone, but the tension around us was so thick it felt like you could cut it with a knife. He had managed to silence over a hundred new students in that spacious gymnasium. Of course, it wasn't his position as student council president that granted him this deference. That was simply Horikita Manabu's power. His presence dominated everyone around him.
"Furthermore, we in the student council do not wish to appoint anyone who possesses a naive outlook. Not only would such a person not be elected, he or she would sully the sanctity of this school. It is the student council's right and duty to enforce and amend the rules, but the school expects more than that. We gladly welcome those of you who understand this."
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 everyone watched him go. Nobody knew what would've happened if they 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." said Tachibana.
Thanks to the laid-back organizer, the tension in the air dissipated. Afterward, the third-year students who'd introduced their respective clubs started taking applications. Ayanokouji noticed that Horikita is still a statue and stared at the stage.
"Horikita, are you okay?" asked Ayanokouji.
Horikita didn't answer and it's like Ayanokouji's words haven't reached her yet.
"Yo, Ayanokouji. You came, huh?"
As Ayanokouji was lost in thought and wondering how he should snap Horikita out of her trance, someone called out to him. It was Sudou with Ike and Yamauchi.
"Oh hey, Sudou."
So, you joined a club, too?"
"Oh, no, I just came to check things out. Wait, 'too'? Did you join a club, Sudou?"
"Yeah. I've been playing basketball ever since elementary school. I thought I'd join the team here."
Ayanokouji had thought Sudou was athletic, judging from his physique. Basketball was clearly his game.
"What about you two?"
"We just came because we felt it might be fun, you know? Besides, we thought we might have a fateful encounter afterward," Ike said.
"What do you mean, 'fateful encounter'?"
Ayanokouji was confused by Ike's statement and wanted Ike to explain his rather odd-sounding goal. He crossed his arms and responded proudly, "I want to get my first girlfriend in Class D.
That's my goal. That's why I'm keeping my eyes open for an encounter."
'Apparently, Ike considered having a girlfriend to be of the utmost priority. He would've killed me if he heard about my situation.' thought Ayanokouji.
"Also, I have to say that the student council president was something else. He was so imposing. I got the feeling he ruled the place, you know?" he said.
"He made everyone shut up without saying a word. That kinda stuff is impossible," Ayanokouji replied.
"Yeah. Oh, by the way, I made a group chat for the guys yesterday." Ike took out his phone. "Do you want to join in, too? It's pretty handy."
"Huh? Me? Is that okay?" Ayanokouji asked.
"Of course it's okay. We're all in Class D together, after all."
Ayanokouji took out my cell phone to exchange contact information, and Horikita disappeared into the crowd. Worried about her, Ayanokouji stopped what I was doing.
"What's wrong?" Ike asked.
"Oh, nothing. Are you ready?"
Ayanokouji returned to my phone and exchanged contact information with Ike and the other guys. Horikita was free to do whatever she wanted, and Ayanokouji didn't have the right to stop her. For a moment, Ayanokouji felt like following her, but in the end he decided not to.
'She has own problems and I have mine. I also don't want to be stabbed by a compass.' thought Ayanokouji.
*Timeskip (a day later (morning), class D)*
Ayanokouji walked into the classroom by himself. He noticed that most people had already formed their groups and started to hang out with them. Besides Ayanokouji and Horikita, they were a few loners in the class. Ayanokouji sighed and sat down at his desk, looking out the window and observed the beautiful morning.
'What a peaceful life… I still don't have any friends. What a shame. I don't think Horikita counts though.' thought Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji felt a cold stare coming from his neighbor. He glanced at Horikita who looked away, scowling.
"You're thinking about something rude about me, Ayanokouji-kun."
'Yikes. This girl is an esper!' thought Ayanokouji.
"No, I'm not." replied Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji decided against it to bring up Horikita's older brother and what happened yesterday in the club fair out of fear of being stabbed by a compass.
Chabashira-sensei suddenly entered the room and the homeroom period began.
*Timeskip (lunchtime)*
Class went on as usual with nothing unusual for the lessons. Ayanokouji noticed that a huge number of students are not paying attention to class. Some students were talking to each other, using their phones, playing games, reading comics, and sleeping during class. A small number were paying attention and taking notes. It was strange because Ayanokouji noticed that the teachers didn't even reprimand or punish the students. They would just ignore them and continue on with the lesson.
'Something is not right. That's not how a normal classroom is supposed to function like that. There's something wrong with it. I believe that those 4 cameras placed in each corner of the classroom have something to do with it.' thought Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji decided it would be better if he went to a convenience store to grab some food. It was better than sitting and eating by himself at the cafeteria. Horikita didn't look interested in joining Ayanokouji for lunch.
On the way out of the classroom, a beautiful girl called Ayanokouji's name. Ayanokouji glanced and saw she had short, straight, dyed-brown hair that almost brushed the tops of her shoulders. She followed Ayanokouji outside the classroom before Ayanokouji stopped.
I'm Kushida, from your class. Do you remember me?" she asked.
"Yeah, kinda. Do you need something?"
"To tell you the truth, there's something I wanted to ask you. It's just one little question. Ayanokouji-kun, are you on good terms with Horikita-san?"
"I wouldn't really say we're on good terms. Just casual acquaintances, I guess. Did she do something?"
"Oh, no. Well, do you remember when I said I wanted to get along with everyone in class? That's why I wanted everyone's contact info. But... Horikita turned me down. Weren't you two talking outside the school on the day of the entrance ceremony?"
'Considering we'd all ridden the bus together, it was no wonder that she'd seen my meeting with Horikita.' thought Ayanokouji.
"I was just wondering what kind of person Horikita-san is," Kushida continued. "Is she the type who'll talk a lot when she's with a friend?"
'She seemed to want information on Horikita, but I couldn't give her any answers.' thought Ayanokouji.
"I don't think she's very good at interacting with others. Why are you asking about Horikita, anyway?"
"Well, during our introductions, Horikita-san didn't say much during the introduction. It seems like she hasn't talked to anybody yet, so I'm a little worried about her." Kushida had said that she wanted to get along with everyone when she introduced herself.
'But why is she so fixated on Horikita? Most people would just ignore her and let her be a loner. Something does not add up.' thought Ayanokouji.
"I understand what you're saying, but I only just met her yesterday. I can't really help you."
"Hmm. I see. I thought that you two must have been old friends before starting school here. I'm sorry to have asked you such a strange question."
"Oh, no, it's all right. Anyway, how did you know my name?"
"How? You introduced yourself the other day, didn't you? I remembered."
Kushida had listened to Ayanokouji's hopelessly lame self-introduction.
'This first introduction is really screwing me over. At this rate, everyone is going to remember me as that guy with the bad first introduction.' thought Ayanokouji.
"Well, it's nice to meet you again, Ayanokouji-kun," she said.
Although Ayanokouji was a little bewildered by her outstretched hand, Ayanokouji wiped the palms of his hands on his pants and shook hands with her.
"Yeah, nice to meet you." Ayanokouji said, looking directly at Kushida's eyes.
Suddenly, a mind-numbing electric shock ran through Ayanokouji's body and his eyes slightly widened. It was something that he felt a few days ago and it came back to him.
Author's Note:
I finally finished this chapter and left it on a cliffhanger. This is the most I've ever written: about 6.5 k words. Sorry for not uploading for about 2 days. I decided to upload this new chapter instead of harem school president. The next upload will be on that instead of 100 girlfriends.
I've decided to slowly introduce some girls to the story. It's better to introduce them and be friendly and get to know Ayanokouji before falling in love with him. Some of the girls will instantly fall in love with him while others will take a bit of time. I hope that's fine with you guys.
For the side characters, I decided to use other fanfics to create a backstory and background.
Until next time, my dear readers.