(PS: The image depicts Horikita Suzune)
"My name is Amamiya Yuki. Nice to meet you."
Amamiya Yuki spoke with a smile.
"You two seem pretty close. Were you friends at your previous school?"
It seemed that Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo, and the irritating Kōenji Rokusuke had already had a brief encounter on the bus.
The two people in front of him were clearly acquainted.
Horikita Suzune lifted her head and glanced at Amamiya Yuki, then slowly lowered her gaze back to the book in her hands.
Only then did she speak coldly.
"Making a judgment based on a single sentence is extremely shallow. Seeing me sitting next to this socially impaired person and still using the word 'friends'—my personal suggestion is that you visit the infirmary and have your eyesight checked."
That was harsh…
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka couldn't help turning his head toward Horikita. 'Socially impaired person' couldn't possibly be referring to him, right? Even if it was technically true, that was way too brutal.
The smile on Amamiya Yuki's face didn't change. This response was entirely within his expectations.
Horikita Suzune—the younger sister of Horikita Manabu, the third-year student council president.
A beautiful girl with outstanding grades and both academic and athletic excellence, but also a textbook case of an obsessive brother complex.
Because of that, despite her immense talent, her worldview was extremely narrow. She lacked empathy in interpersonal relationships and had little sense of teamwork.
Convinced she was superior to all her peers, she misunderstood Horikita Manabu's aloofness and assumed everyone else was merely dead weight—people to be kicked aside without hesitation.
Amamiya Yuki joked half-seriously,
"You're really strict. At this rate, you'll never find a boyfriend."
"That's fine. I don't care about that."
Horikita Suzune finally raised her head and looked directly at him. Her voice was calm and icy.
"I entered this school with a clear conviction. If your goal is to get along with everyone around you, go find someone else. Don't bother me."
With that, Horikita lowered her head again and returned to her book. Naturally, Amamiya Yuki had no intention of continuing a conversation that would only embarrass himself.
He turned his head slightly and looked at Ayanokōji Kiyotaka instead, offering him a friendly smile.
On the surface, Ayanokōji remained expressionless, but internally, his mind was racing.
Should I introduce myself? Would that make me seem too familiar? Would it conflict with my 'avoid trouble' persona? What if Horikita notices something off? If a lie gets exposed, I'll be labeled as someone who lies easily. Would that make Horikita and Amamiya suspicious? Would they discover my abilities and make the whole class suspicious of me?
A series of thoughts flashed through Ayanokōji's mind—only to be dismissed one after another.
Still, since this Amamiya Yuki guy was the one who looked over first, it made more sense for him to speak first. That way it wouldn't feel unnatural, and Ayanokōji could finally make his first friend.
Ayanokōji looked at Amamiya Yuki with a hint of anticipation—
Only to watch Amamiya Yuki turn around directly, without sparing him another glance.
"???"
Wait… Ayanokōji felt completely lost.
Is this how high school students are nowadays? Then why were you smiling at me just now? Is there something wrong with how I'm dressed?
Was everything I learned in the White Room wrong? Are normal high schoolers really like Horikita, Amamiya Yuki, and that Kōenji guy? Is society broken…?
Ayanokōji began questioning everything he thought he knew.
Amamiya Yuki, meanwhile, hadn't thought about any of that. He had no interest in Ayanokōji whatsoever.
The only successful product of the White Room.
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka had displayed extraordinary talent from childhood and was locked away by his father in the White Room as an experimental subject, undergoing extremely harsh controlled education.
There was no denying it—Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, as the sole success case, was indeed a success.
Years of controlled upbringing left him with no hatred toward the White Room. In fact, it erased his emotions entirely, leaving behind only curiosity and a desire for growth through learning.
Eventually, feeling that the White Room could no longer provide him with further growth, he escaped with the help of a butler.
It was also through that butler's arrangements that Ayanokōji Kiyotaka enrolled in this school.
Someone without emotions like that could not be controlled.
At the same time,
Amamiya Yuki was well aware of why he had been placed in Class D. Like Ayanokōji, he lacked the ability—or willingness—to truly trust others.
As for this school, Amamiya Yuki felt nothing more than faint disdain.
The world had always been governed by strength and profit—by interests.
Unlike Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, Amamiya Yuki possessed desire.
A burning desire to inherit the Amamiya family and take control of all of Sakurajima.
"Alright, all first-year students, please return to your seats."
At that moment, accompanied by the sharp click-clack of high heels, a mature woman dressed in a tight professional outfit with black stockings and a neat single ponytail entered the classroom.
The noisy room instantly fell silent. The students quickly returned to their seats—after all, to students who had just graduated from middle school, the authority of a teacher was still overwhelmingly intimidating.