At this moment, Koenji Rokusuke had his legs propped up on the desk, one hand holding a mirror while the other played with his bangs, his face filled with admiration as he gazed at his reflection.
In a class full of eccentric characters, Koenji Rokusuke stood out as the most unique.
No matter the situation, Koenji always did things his own way, completely out of sync with everyone else and rarely interacting with them. However, thanks to his telepathy, Saiki Kusuo knew that Koenji, much like Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, possessed exceptional talents that the rest of the class lacked.
The difference was that while Ayanokoji and Saiki went out of their way to hide their abilities, Koenji didn't care at all. In fact, some of his actions made him even more conspicuous.
Koenji's exam scores were among the top in the class, though not perfect. This was because he only bothered to answer some of the questions, often skipping others or choosing answers based purely on his whims.
He was an extremely self-centered individual, and his behavior was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. He could completely ignore the existence of others, and within the first minute of the class getting to know each other, Koenji had already managed to earn the dislike of almost everyone. Saiki had no desire to interact with someone like him.
"An existence as unrefined as yours has no place here."
Koenji maintained his peculiar tone, but his gaze never shifted toward Sudo Ken.
"What did you say? Say it again if you dare!"
"Repeating myself would be inefficient. What nonsense. If you're so insecure about your abilities that you need me to repeat myself, I suppose I don't mind indulging you."
Sudo Ken flew into a rage, slamming his hand on the desk with such force that it nearly flipped over. He looked ready to charge at Koenji.
Saiki didn't intervene, as he knew someone else would step in before things escalated.
"That's enough! Both of you, stop it now!"
Hirata Yosuke loudly intervened, stopping the two of them.
[We absolutely cannot allow a physical fight to break out in the class.]
'Hirata is the real angel here. If only there were more students like him in the class.'
Saiki sighed inwardly.
[Koenji is really annoying.]
[If someone has to be expelled, it should be Koenji too.]
[Honestly, I think Koenji is even more annoying than Sudo.]
The thoughts of most students in the class had shifted, and their focus was now largely on Koenji Rokusuke.
Although Sudo's anger was palpable, thanks to Hirata's timely intervention, the situation didn't escalate further.
Meanwhile, Koenji continued to admire himself in the mirror, tidying up his appearance as if Sudo didn't even exist.
"In one week, the student council will mediate the negotiations between you and Class D. Based on the outcome, points will be deducted, and Sudo's punishment will be decided."
Chabashira Sae, the teacher, seemed completely indifferent to the tense atmosphere in the class, almost as if she was looking forward to what would happen next.
...
After the morning classes ended, Chabashira took Sudo Ken to the office to discuss the situation.
Back in the classroom, the students were buzzing with discussions about Sudo.
"No points again this month... I spent so much thinking we'd get our points soon..."
"Honestly, it'd be better if Sudo just dropped out."
"What are we going to do this month..."
Now that Sudo was no longer in the classroom, the other students didn't hold back their opinions about him.
"What do you think, Horikita?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka propped his chin on his hand, tilting his head slightly to look at Horikita Suzune beside him.
"It's not certain whether a student's expulsion would affect the class points. For now, it's best to avoid such a situation."
Horikita spoke calmly, appearing very composed.
[Although Sudo has a bad temper, it doesn't seem like he was lying earlier. I've also heard some rumors about Class D, especially about that Ryuen Kakeru guy... He might be a troublesome individual.]
Horikita thought to herself.
[If it were the old Horikita, she would've said something like, "It'd be better if someone like Sudo just dropped out."]
Ayanokoji remained silent, simply watching Horikita.
'Yare yare, the atmosphere in the classroom isn't great. I should leave.'
Saiki thought to himself, preparing to leave the classroom for lunch.
For him, clearing Sudo's name wouldn't be too difficult, but Saiki needed to find a way to avoid making the situation more complicated.
Acting on his own would be much more convenient.
'I need to leave quickly, otherwise...'
Before Saiki could even stand up, Hirata Yosuke was already standing at the front of the classroom.
"I believe in our classmates! I think we should all work together to find any leads on witnesses!"
Hirata spoke earnestly from the podium.
"I agree! I believe in Sudo too."
"If Hirata says so..."
"I think the same."
After Hirata finished speaking, many students in the class voiced their agreement, most of them girls.
'Wait... Weren't some of you just badmouthing Sudo behind his back? And now you've changed your stance just because Hirata said something?'
Saiki inwardly complained. He knew full well that if he were the one standing at the podium, no one would pay him any attention.
'I didn't agree to this, Hirata. But if I leave the classroom openly like Koenji, I'll probably become the target of everyone's ire.'
Saiki thought to himself, planning to wait until everyone's attention shifted elsewhere before making his escape.
But in the next moment, a bad feeling crept into Saiki's mind.
"Saiki-kun, you'll help too, right?"
Kushida Kikyo walked up to Saiki, smiling as she asked.