"This is a priority seat..."
"I have absolutely no interest in contributing to society."
Hearing two people start to argue over giving up a seat, Kiyomizu Akira, who was sitting near the exit, couldn't help but stand up and make space. "Ma'am, please take my seat."
"Thank you, young man."
Kiyomizu gave a slight nod, lightly guiding the elderly woman's elbow with one hand before moving to stand by a nearby pillar.
Suddenly, the elegant fragrance of gardenias wafted near.
When Kiyomizu looked up, he was met with a pair of smiling eyes. A girl with light brown hair tilted her head slightly in the swaying train car, her hair brushing against her shoulder. Seeing that he had noticed her, the girl gave a very subtle nod, a dimple flashing briefly by her lips.
"Thank you for your help just now."
Kiyomizu shook his head gently. "It was nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Thank you for contributing to society. You really helped me out a lot." The girl with light brown hair smiled, her eyes curving. "My name is Kikyo Kushida. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Kiyomizu Akira," the boy replied with a slight nod. "Hello, Kushida-san."
After the brief exchange, the train car fell silent once more.
Kiyomizu's gaze unconsciously lingered on the ends of the girl's hair.
So it really is light brown hair!
Even on his second day in this world, he was still surprised by the colorful hair of the people around him. Though everyone had East Asian features, the hair colors of the pedestrians were as vibrant as an overturned paint palette; it was almost impossible to find two people with the same color.
It was very much in the style of an anime.
But aside from this small anomaly, everything else here felt frighteningly real. The rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, the warmth of the sun on his skin, even the gentle breeze that brushed past his ear carried the breath of life.
After finishing overtime one day, he had opened his eyes to find himself back in his 16-year-old body, in this strange new world. A mechanical voice had echoed in his mind: [Sole Main Quest: Complete your studies at the Advanced Nurturing High School].
(I have to... graduate successfully... from the Advanced Nurturing High School?)
With it came an ability called the "Daily Intelligence System"—every morning at 8:00 AM, the system would refresh with three new pieces of intelligence.
In his past life, Kiyomizu had been a light novel enthusiast, so he quickly understood that this was likely a cheat ability to help him graduate smoothly.
'But why an intelligence system... and not a study system? Or a god-of-studying system?' he couldn't help but mutter. "Is the difficulty of graduating from this high school not about exams, but something else? What's so hard about graduating?"
Still, having something was better than nothing.
Following the system's instructions, he lightly tapped his pinky finger three times. This was how he accessed the three pieces of intel the system had given him when he first arrived yesterday.
The next second, three lines of text shimmering with a faint blue light appeared on his retina:
[Intel 1: On the first day of school at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, on bus route XXX, Kikyo Kushida and Rokusuke Koenji will clash over giving a seat to an elderly person.]
[Intel 2: Kikyo Kushida is a two-faced person.]
[Intel 3: Rokusuke Koenji's ability evaluation is severely skewed. His eccentric behavior angered the interviewer, causing his originally outstanding intelligence and judgment to be deliberately lowered to a C-rank.]
Kiyomizu's eyes focused on the first piece of intel. It was because of this information that he had specifically left half an hour early today, boarded the bus at the first stop, chosen a window seat, and quietly waited to verify the system's authenticity.
And now, everything had unfolded exactly as the intel described. A girl named Kikyo Kushida had indeed gotten into an argument with the student next to her, Rokusuke Koenji, over giving up a seat.
It seemed he no longer needed to doubt the system's reliability.
But the second piece of information puzzled him.
Kikyo Kushida is two-faced? Did that mean her entire persona was an act?
His gaze instinctively fell upon Kikyo Kushida. Her long, light brown hair rested smoothly on her shoulders, her delicate features were perfectly proportioned, and her figure was nothing short of perfect, especially her impressive bust. Combined with her earlier actions of demanding someone give up their seat, a beautiful girl like her seemed like an angel.
And yet, the system told him...
Could it be that this gentle and kind appearance was all just a carefully constructed facade?
Kiyomizu thought it over carefully and felt that the behavior of both individuals was strange. Koenji Rokusuke had shamelessly occupied two priority seats, that was true, but Kushida had been relentlessly demanding he give them up. As she spoke, she skillfully incited the emotions of those around them, turning the pressure of public opinion into her weapon.
Would a truly kind person try to semi-force a male student to give up his seat like that?
Kiyomizu suddenly understood. If this was all part of her plan, then all the strange behavior made perfect sense. But what was she trying to gain? He suddenly noticed the occasional glances from other students and the fleeting curve of the girl's lips.
(I see... She's deliberately crafting a public image to gain attention?)
...
The bus slowly pulled into the station, and the electronic announcer chimed in: "Now arriving at Advanced Nurturing High School. Now arriving at Advanced Nurturing High School."
"Ah, we're here already!" Kushida was about to say something, but her gaze suddenly caught a figure behind her. Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but it was so fleeting that one might think it was an illusion. "Well..." She put on her signature bright smile again. "See you later, Kiyomizu-kun. I hope we can be in the same class."
Before her words had even finished, the girl had already leaped lightly off the bus, disappearing into the bustling crowd at the stop.
Kiyomizu thoughtfully glanced back. The beautiful literature-loving girl, whose aura strongly resembled Yukino Yukinoshita, was closing her hardcover book and gracefully standing up. Without a glance in his direction, she passed by Kiyomizu, her long black hair tracing a cool arc in the air, carrying a faint, elegant scent of books as she walked straight off the bus.
Following her, a boy with light brown hair silently got up. The moment his eyes met Kiyomizu's, he remained expressionless before also disappearing through the doors.
Kiyomizu slowly followed the crowd off the bus, his mind repeatedly mulling over the deep meaning of the third piece of intel.
(He must be Rokusuke Koenji.)
He caught a glimpse of a blond figure ahead, stretching his long limbs. The man's self-absorbed posture was indeed easy to dislike. But what was more concerning was the insider information about the ratings revealed in the intel.
("The interviewer was annoyed"... "deliberately lowered the rating"...)
These words connected in his mind.
(Hmm? Does this school secretly assign ability ranks to students?)
-------
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