The Strange Kouenji

Itozawa sat on the bus, gazing out the window at the scenery rushing past as he lost himself in memories.

Three years ago, he had unexpectedly crossed over into this world.

Back then, he could never have known that his life would be turned upside down in an instant.

He had assumed he'd simply been reincarnated in some ordinary other world by chance. Ready to treasure this opportunity, he planned to start over properly, beginning in middle school.

So he'd earnestly asked his classmates which high school in Japan was the best.

After all, he really wasn't familiar with Japanese schools.

But to his surprise, that question had led to a revelation.

"Aze, what's wrong with you? You don't even know the answer to that? Obviously, it's the famous Kouiku!"

When he heard the answer, half his heart sank.

"Which Kouiku?"

"Obviously, the Kouiku founded by Lord Onijima! Aze, what's wrong with you? Did that illness make you stupid?"

"I'm telling you, we'll definitely have to try for it in three years. My cousin's a total loser, and even he got picked last year. We're bound to get picked too."

Itozawa gave an awkward smile, accepting the promise he'd made with his classmate.

But he knew full well that Kouiku's actual admissions process was invitation-only.

Without an invitation, even the most brilliant applicant would be rejected by the interviewers.

By contrast, if you had an invitation, even if you were an unlucky kid like Lu Mingfei, Kouiku would still accept you.

Still, Kouiku had one advantage over Cassell: at least it valued overall abilities that could be trained, rather than some ethereal bloodline.

So as long as he worked hard, he could use these three years to earn his way into Class A.

As for Ayanokoji's threat, he'd be more than capable of securing his place in Class A if he used his knowledge of the story to strike first and put the arrogant Sakayanagi in her place.

Itozawa, who would eventually enter Kouiku, never imagined that his plans would cost him the Class A admission ticket that should have been his for the taking.

But at the time, unaware of the consequences, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to studying and training.

First, he worked out to improve his fitness and coordination.

Every morning, he went running and did strength training. In the evenings, he practiced martial arts and trained his reflexes.

Next came his studies.

He read a vast number of books, ranging from literature to science, history to philosophy, constantly expanding his store of knowledge.

He knew that only with broad knowledge and a solid theoretical foundation could he stand out in Kouiku's fierce competition.

For three years, Itozawa never once slacked off. His goal was clear: get selected by Kouiku and enter Class A from the start.

After all, no matter how much people criticized the school, in this world it was still the fastest way for a talented person without connections to distinguish himself.

At last, his efforts paid off.

A month ago, he received an invitation from Kouiku. It was not only recognition of three years of tireless effort, but also his ticket to a higher stage.

In the written exam and interview, Itozawa passed every test thanks to his knowledge and abilities.

Now he was sitting on the bus bound for Kouiku, filled with anticipation and excitement.

He knew life at Kouiku would be full of challenges, but he was ready. He would prove his worth through his own abilities and make his dreams come true.

Itozawa came back to himself as Kushida Kikyo's voice reached his ears. She seemed to be questioning Kouenji Rokusuke.

It seemed the story's original plot had officially begun.

Itozawa wondered whether he should go over and help Kouenji out, hoping to win some of his favor.

But Kouenji's reply left him rooted to the spot.

"I'm truly disappointed. I never thought I'd be assigned the same danger rating as an idiot like this..."

Kouenji's voice was full of undisguised contempt.

"...You can't even recognize the examiner. What a disappointment."

Itozawa stood there, stunned, beginning to feel that something was wrong.

Kouenji's reaction was completely different from what Itozawa knew from the original story.

He seemed certain he'd be placed in Class D.

How was that possible?

Could that seemingly ordinary old woman really be an examiner?

He focused on her, trying to spot some telltale sign, but she was like a deep pool—he couldn't read anything from her.

Kouenji noticed Itozawa watching him. At first, he seemed to think Itozawa might have figured out the truth, and glanced over with interest.

But when he saw the confusion on Itozawa's face, he quickly realized that wasn't the case.

A trace of disappointment crossed Kouenji's face. Then he turned away coolly and paid Itozawa no more attention. Itozawa didn't see any of this.

He was still pondering Kouenji's words, trying to make sense of them.

If this examiner really existed, and Kouenji really knew her identity, then he knew far more than he did in the original story.

That wasn't a good sign.

It either meant that Kouenji, who might become his opponent in the future, was far more frightening than he'd thought.

Or it meant that this world had already become very different from the Classroom of the Elite world he knew.

Neither possibility was good news.

Itozawa took a deep breath, pushing the frightening thoughts from his mind, and decided to hold back for now.

He needed more information to understand this new situation.

So he began carefully observing the students around him, trying to find clues in their behavior and conversations.

But it didn't take long for him to notice something even more unsettling.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Horikita Suzune were nowhere to be seen on the bus.

In the original story, the four of them—Ayanokoji, Horikita, Kushida, and Kouenji—had met on the same bus.

But he couldn't see them now. His heart lurched as he realized events had already slipped beyond his control.

He knew perfectly well that he couldn't be mistaken. That meeting had been meant to let them observe one another; it was essential to the plot and couldn't possibly have been skipped.

Yet Itozawa couldn't see them on the bus, and he felt confused and uneasy.

Could his crossing over have caused such a huge ripple that two characters who were supposed to appear had been left out?

Itozawa took a deep breath and decided to stay calm and keep observing his surroundings and the people around him.

Now that things had changed, he needed an even clearer head and sharper eyes so he could adapt and respond quickly.

His gaze swept over everyone on the bus once more, searching for any possible clues, but so far he hadn't found anything useful.

The old woman was sitting quietly after the woman beside her had given up her seat. There was nothing unusual about her.

Then what had Kouenji meant by what he'd just said?

Was he bluffing, or was there something else Itozawa hadn't noticed?

As Itozawa continued turning it over in his mind, they arrived at Kouiku.