The Initiation Ceremony

They reached the entrance of the gymnasium.

The clamor of voices washed over them.

Hundreds of new students had gathered here, like headless flies searching for their class positions.

They found two adjacent empty seats in the Class A section and sat down.

Soon, the entrance ceremony officially began.

Student Council President Horikita Manabu stepped onto the podium and started his lengthy, formulaic welcome speech.

The content was nothing more than the school's glorious history, expectations for the new students, and some disciplinary requirements.

These words were boring enough for the vast majority of new students, let alone for Kazehara Tetsu, who already had the script—it was no different from a lullaby.

His attention wasn't on the podium at all.

His gaze wove through the crowd. He spotted that dazzling figure in the Class B formation—Ichinose Honami.

She was listening earnestly to the speech, but as if sensing the line of sight, she casually glanced toward the Class A direction—though of course, she couldn't see anything.

Next, his gaze shifted to the Class C area.

There, a man with long hair and a defiant, unruly demeanor was yawning impatiently.

Ryuen Kakeru, a dictator who believed in violence.

Finally, his line of sight landed on the back row of Class D.

In an inconspicuous corner, a black-haired girl stood quietly, her eyes fixed on her older brother.

Horikita Suzune.

But what he cared about more was the one beside her.

A boy who looked utterly unmotivated, with hollow eyes, as if he might fall asleep at any moment, was listening to Horikita Manabu's speech.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"The highest masterpiece... huh?"

A smile that no one could read curled at the corner of Kazehara Tetsu's mouth.

"What are you looking at?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's voice came abruptly from beside him. She had apparently lost interest in the boring speech as well and had turned to observe Kazehara Tetsu instead.

"Looking at... some people who seem like extras but might bring surprises—'hidden protagonists.'"

Kazehara Tetsu replied, his gaze still fixed on Ayanokoji's direction.

Sakayanagi Arisu followed his line of sight. She carefully discerned the target and eventually locked onto the expressionless Horikita Suzune.

"That female classmate?" she made her judgment.

"No, not her."

Kazehara Tetsu shook his head. "The one beside her. That man who looks utterly unremarkable, completely mediocre."

Sakayanagi Arisu looked again.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka?

For the first time, genuine, undisguised shock appeared in Sakayanagi Arisu's beautiful violet eyes.

"Him?"

This single word slipped from her lips, which always wore an elegant smile, with a barely perceptible distortion in tone.

For Sakayanagi Arisu, there were very few things in this world that could stir such emotional fluctuations within her.

And the name "Ayanokoji Kiyotaka" happened to be one of them.

It wasn't just a name; it was a code name, one that came from her father's mouth—the White Room, isolated from the world, representing the highest masterpiece of artificial genius.

A large part of the reason she had entered this school was to personally "bury" this so-called "highest masterpiece" her father spoke of, thereby proving that natural genius always surpasses the products of acquired cultivation.

This was the deepest, most secret obsession in her inner heart.

Yet now, on the first day of school, on this campus, a man who had only just piqued her interest—Kazehara Tetsu—had used such a confident tone to precisely point out the target she was searching for from the vast crowd.

How is it possible?

The existence of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was itself a secret.

He should be like a drop of water merging into the ocean, perfectly hidden among the crowd.

And this man before her—how had he glimpsed his essence?

Possibility one: coincidence.

Kazehara Tetsu was just speaking randomly, happening to pick an ordinary-looking person, with no basis for his words.

But the probability was extremely low. From their earlier clash in the classroom, this man's actions were never without purpose; every word he spoke carried a clear objective.

Possibility two: he knew Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Were they from the same place?

The probability was close to zero. The existence of the "White Room" was a top-secret matter, and its graduates were under strict surveillance; it was impossible for them to come into contact with outsiders so easily.

Possibility three: The insight he possessed allowed him to see through Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's disguise with mere observation.

This possibility sent an unprecedented thrill of excitement through Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Hehe... Classmate Kagihara's taste is truly unique and hard to understand. What is it about that utterly ordinary man that earns such praise from you?"

"Classmate Sakayanagi, have you ever played a game called 'Spot the Difference'?"

"In a single picture, you find the one point that stands out. Everyone does their utmost to radiate their own 'color,' proclaiming their existence."

"But that man is absolute 'nothingness.' A 'gray' that absorbs all emotions cast upon him without leaving a single trace. Don't you think that an existence capable of devouring everything is the most dangerous and the most interesting kind of 'special'?"

"...You hold him in high regard."

After a long silence, Sakayanagi Arisu finally spoke slowly. "Perhaps he is exactly what he appears to be on the surface: a talentless slacker with no drive? The school's admissions system occasionally lets a few fish slip through the net; it's not impossible."

"Classmate Sakayanagi, are you deceiving yourself?"

His voice was not loud, but it struck like a heavy hammer against Sakayanagi Arisu's heart.

"The very fact that you're discussing him with me here, that you're interested in this seemingly absurd theory of mine—isn't that precisely because... deep down, you've also sensed his 'abnormality'?"

Kazehara Tetsu offered no further evidence and made no further explanation.

Sakayanagi Arisu fell completely silent.

In the gymnasium, Horikita Manabu's speech continued, with students around them either drowsy or distracted.

But around these two people, the air seemed to freeze, and time itself slowed.

A long, long moment passed.

A smile suddenly bloomed on Sakayanagi Arisu's face.

It was a smile unlike any before. No longer a mask of elegance.

"Kazehara Tetsu..."

She softly uttered his name, as if carving it into the depths of her memory.

"You are... someone worth taking seriously."

Just then, the lengthy entrance ceremony finally ended, and students began to rise and file out.

"I'm not well-suited to such crowded environments, so I'll take my leave now."

Sakayanagi Arisu gave a slight nod, a gesture of farewell.

She did not press further about Ayanokoji.

For her, today's harvest was already sufficient.

Watching Sakayanagi Arisu's retreating figure, Kazehara Tetsu let out a sigh.

Having been a corporate slave for so long, even a verbal probing exchange with Sakayanagi Arisu had drained his mental energy.

He had to weigh every word, casting bait enticing enough to pique her interest without revealing his trump card of "knowing the plot in advance."