This is a priority seat..."*
*"I have zero interest in social contributions..."*
Hearing the argument over seating etiquette, Shimizu Akira—seated near the exit—stood up and stepped aside. *"Obaa-san, please take this seat."*
*"Thank you, young man."*
He nodded slightly, lightly supporting her elbow before retreating to a nearby pole.
A delicate gardenia fragrance drifted close.
When he looked up, he met the smiling eyes of a girl with light brown hair. Her locks swayed as the train rocked, brushing her shoulders.
Noticing his gaze, she gave a faint nod, her dimple flashing briefly.
*"Thank you for your help earlier, classmate."*
Shimizu shook his head. *"Just a small gesture. No need to mention it."*
*"You've contributed to society—it really saved me,"* the girl said cheerfully, her eyes curving into crescents. *"I'm Kushida Kikyō. Nice to meet you."*
*"Shimizu Akira,"* he replied with a slight nod. *"Pleasure, Kushida-san."*
After the brief exchange, silence returned to the train car.
Shimizu's gaze lingered on her hair.
*—So it really is light brown...*
Even on his second day at **Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School**, he was still startled by the rainbow of hair colors around him. Despite everyone having East Asian features, their hair resembled a spilled palette—rarely matching.
*This is peak anime logic.*
Yet aside from this quirk, everything felt unsettlingly real: the rise and fall of his chest while breathing, the warmth of sunlight on his skin, even the breeze carrying traces of life.
After an overtime shift in his past life, he'd opened his eyes to this unfamiliar world—back in his 16-year-old body.
A mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
**[Sole Main Quest: Graduate from Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.]**
*(I have to... graduate from this school...?)*
Accompanying this was the *"Daily Intel System"*—a skill that refreshed three new pieces of intel every morning at 8:00.
As a light novel enthusiast in his past life, Shimizu quickly recognized this as a cheat to ensure his graduation.
*'But why an intel system... and not a study system? Or a genius module?'* he grumbled internally. *'Is the real challenge here not exams, but something else? How hard is graduating?'*
Still, something was better than nothing.
Following the system's instructions, he flicked his pinky three times—the gesture to activate yesterday's intel.
Three lines of pale blue text materialized in his vision:
**[Intel 1: On Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School's opening day, Kushida Kikyō and Kōenji Rokusuke will clash over priority seating on bus No. XXX.]**
**[Intel 2: Kushida Kikyō is two-faced.]**
**[Intel 3: Kōenji Rokusuke's ability evaluation was severely skewed—his exceptional intellect and judgment were deliberately downgraded to C-rank due to interviewers disliking his eccentricity.]**
Shimizu focused on the first line.
—Thanks to this, he'd left 30 minutes early, boarding from the bus's starting point to secure a window seat and observe.
Now, everything matched the intel perfectly.
The girl named Kushida Kikyō had indeed argued with a classmate named Kōenji Rokusuke over seating.
*No need to doubt the system's accuracy anymore.*
But the second intel puzzled him.
*Kushida Kikyō is two-faced?* As in, *everything* about her is an act?
His eyes unconsciously returned to her.
Her light brown hair cascaded smoothly over her shoulders, her features delicately balanced, her figure flawless—especially the *generous curves* of her bust.
Combined with her earlier advocacy for seating etiquette, she seemed like an angel.
Yet the system claimed...
*Was this kindness all an elaborate facade?*
As he pondered, both their behaviors grew stranger.
Kōenji had shamelessly hogged two priority seats, while Kushida aggressively demanded he yield—skillfully rallying bystanders to pressure him.
*—Would a truly kind person strong-arm someone like this?*
The realization hit him: *If this was all calculated, everything makes sense.*
But *why*?
He noticed the glances from other students and the fleeting smirk on her lips.
*(I see... She's crafting a persona for attention?)*
...
The bus slowed to a stop as the announcement played:
*"Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School Station. Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School Station."*
*"Ah, we're here already!"* Kushida began to speak but paused, her brow furrowing imperceptibly at someone behind Shimizu—so brief it might've been imagined.
*"Um..."* She brightened again. *"See you later, Shimizu-kun. Hope we're in the same class!"*
Before he could reply, she hopped off, vanishing into the crowd.
Shimizu glanced back—
A snow-haired literary beauty closed her hardcover book and stood gracefully. She passed him without a glance, her black hair tracing an icy arc, leaving a hint of ink and paper in her wake.
Behind her, a light brown-haired boy followed silently, locking eyes with Shimizu briefly before exiting.
Shimizu stepped off, mulling over the third intel.
*(That's Kōenji Rokusuke.)*
The golden-haired figure ahead stretched like a cat, his aloofness radiating disdain. But more intriguing was the intel about *rigged ratings*.
*("Interviewers disliked him"... "deliberately downgraded"...)*
The phrases connected in his mind.
*(Huh? Does this school secretly rank students' abilities?)*