Chapter 3: Problem Students in the Back Row
"Prestige?"
Yui Yuigahama tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion.
"It's just a seat... right?"
"You still don't understand."
Yoru shook his head with a look of profound seriousness, speaking slowly as if he were preaching common knowledge that everyone in the world should know.
"Listen well. This seat is in the back row by the window. It is the Homeland of Kings, commonly known as the Protagonist Seat."
"Eh?"
Yui blinked, her curiosity piqued.
"So, if you sit in this seat, are there any special benefits?"
"Of course there are benefits."
Yoru sounded like a patient teacher explaining a difficult problem to a student.
"First of all, there is a wall to the left of this seat, and the only aisle is to the right. This means that when sleeping, you can lean your entire body to the left and rest directly against the wall without worrying about being bumped by passing students."
"Secondly, this is the most remote corner of the classroom. Statistically speaking, foot traffic around here is the lowest, making it the quietest spot."
"And finally, choosing this seat demonstrates a 'strangers keep out' attitude. It minimizes the chances of classmates initiating conversation. for a solitary soul who doesn't wish to socialize, calling it a 'Throne' is not an exaggeration in the least."
After hearing this explanation, Yui nodded as if a lightbulb had gone off in her head.
"So that's how it is. I was being superficial."
Not far away, Yotsuya Miko sighed helplessly, wondering if this cute girl dressed like a gyaru was a bit slow in the head.
It was one thing for Yoru to spout nonsense.
But you actually believed him?
What "Protagonist Seat"? It was clearly just a set of twisted logic Yoru came up with so he could sleep during class!
"Hmph."
Seeing the gazes of the students in the classroom turning toward their corner, the girl with long, straight black hair let out a cold snort. Her gaze, sharp as a knife, stabbed toward Yoru's face.
Yoru maintained his smile and even pressed his hand down on his bag, showing absolutely no intention of backing down.
"Hmph."
The girl snorted coldly again and sat down in the seat next to him without another word. She hung her bag on the hook by the desk, then, ignoring everyone's stares, slumped directly onto the desk and began to sleep.
It was the first day of school, and classes hadn't even started yet. Naturally, such an incident sparked whispers among the surrounding students.
"That girl is really weird."
"No, no, if you really think about it, that guy is even weirder, right?"
"They both look pretty good-looking, though..."
"Problem students? Delinquents? Better to stay away from those two."
...
A girl who had just been talking to Yui walked over quickly. She tugged at Yui's sleeve, glancing warily at Yoru—who was now sitting contentedly in his "Protagonist Seat"—and lowered her voice.
"Yuigahama-san, don't associate with weirdos like that, or you'll be treated as a weirdo too. Let's go."
Sensing the stares from the surrounding classmates and the strange atmosphere, Yui pursed her lips. She gave Yoru a slightly apologetic look, but in the end, she said nothing and followed the girl back to her own seating area.
"Sigh, so sleepy."
Yoru himself couldn't care less about the surrounding gazes and gossip. He mirrored the exact same action as the girl sitting next to him.
That is—slump down and start sleeping.
What a strange person.
Although Miko thought this, she decided that she definitely had to find a convenient time to ask Yoru what was going on.
How exactly does he manage to destroy evil spirits with a human body?
If I could possess that kind of ability too, I wouldn't have to live this life of constant fear anymore.
A few minutes later.
Hiratsuka Shizuka walked into the classroom, yawning and rubbing her eyes, looking like she hadn't fully woken up yet.
The students who had just been whispering to each other immediately fell silent.
Shizuka nodded with satisfaction. She was about to speak when her gaze drifted to the back row of the classroom, where two students were sound asleep. She couldn't help but frown slightly.
Noticing her expression, most of the students felt a bit of schadenfreude.
Sleeping openly during class on the first day of school.
They're definitely going to get singled out and scolded harshly, right?
To their surprise, Shizuka simply scanned the room, then acted as if she hadn't seen anything. She turned around and wrote her name on the blackboard.
"I am Hiratsuka Shizuka. I teach Japanese Literature. Starting today, I will be your homeroom teacher and guidance counselor."
Seeing that she had no intention of scolding the two, the students looked at each other in confusion.
"Next, I would like everyone to take turns introducing themselves."
Nothing particularly special happened during this process.
Once the rest of the students had finished their introductions, Shizuka looked toward the two still sleeping in the back row and tapped her knuckles on the blackboard.
"Those two students in the back, please wake up and introduce yourselves."
Seeing that the two remained motionless, Shizuka sighed helplessly. She walked straight to the desk of the beautiful girl with long black hair and reminded her softly.
"Excuse me, please wake up and introduce yourself."
The girl lifted her head, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and glanced at Shizuka standing in front of her. showing no panic whatsoever at being caught sleeping by a teacher. She simply stood up and said faintly:
"Touma Kazusa."
The girl's voice was very pleasant to the ear, but it carried an icy chill that pushed people away, along with the impatience of having a good dream interrupted.
After stating her name, Touma Kazusa sat back down on her own accord and slumped onto the desk to continue sleeping.
Seeing this, the students had only one thought in their minds.
Arrogant.
She is unbelievably arrogant.
To be this brazen right in front of a teacher.
Could she be a rich young lady from some noble family?
Faced with Touma Kazusa's attitude, Shizuka also felt quite helpless, but she couldn't really say anything.
Before school started, the administration had specifically spoken to her.
This student, Touma Kazusa, had special circumstances. As long as she showed up to the classroom on time every day, everything else was to be ignored. The "turn a blind eye" policy was in effect.
Shizuka was very much against this style of teaching.
But it was a unanimous decision by the school's higher-ups, and she couldn't change it.
Looking at Yoru, who was still slumped on the desk in a sleep as deep as a baby's, Shizuka sighed and skipped the process of waking him up entirely.
"This male student is named Yoru. Alright, introductions are complete. Let's begin class."
...
The morning classes passed by quietly and quickly.
When the lunch bell rang, Yoru finally woke from his slumber.
Just as he stood up, he saw a boy from another class—who was reasonably good-looking but had a somewhat frivolous air about him—blocking Touma Kazusa's path as she tried to leave the classroom. He flashed what he thought was a charming smile and tried to hit on her.
"Hey there. Could I be friends with you?"
Yotsuya Miko, who had just arrived at Yoru's side, noticed him watching the scene outside the classroom. He revealed a gloating smile and muttered softly to himself.
"Here comes a good show."
Immediately after, Miko saw a sharp gleam flash through Touma Kazusa's slender, beautiful eyes. She parted her lips slightly and said coldly:
"Move. You're in my way."