Kanzaki's Probe

Although it was a bit difficult to understand, Itozawa decided not to dwell on it and instead headed to Class B's classroom first.

This way, he could observe her movements upon returning to the classroom as soon as possible, and also see if any other classmates were acting strangely.

Itozawa walked into Class B's classroom, his gaze quickly sweeping over the layout, and he found the seat with his nameplate.

He sat down quietly and looked around. He was the first one to arrive. The classroom was empty.

He scanned the nameplates around him. Ichinose and Kanzaki's seats were both near his own, which meant it would be much easier for him to integrate into Class B's decision-making circle.

As he observed, the seats in the classroom were gradually filled by new classmates.

Everyone wore different expressions: some excited, some nervous, some brimming with confidence.

As usual, Itozawa subconsciously began to collect and analyze their situations, trying to glean useful information from their actions and expressions.

Soon, a boy sat down in the seat diagonally in front of him to his right.

Itozawa noticed that the boy was tall and slender, but the lines of his arms and neck revealed signs of frequent exercise.

His eyes were sharp, yet his expression was unusually calm, giving the impression of someone good at fighting but preferring to avoid trouble. Itozawa silently labeled him in his mind.

It's quite similar to Kanzaki's personality in the original work.

Or rather, I'm clearly shooting an arrow first and then drawing a target.

Just as Itozawa was lost in his analysis, the boy suddenly turned his head and asked directly, "Are you analyzing me?"

Itozawa was taken aback. He hadn't expected his observation to be noticed by the other person.

But he quickly regained his composure, feeling there was nothing to hide, and nodded in admission.

Itozawa felt the boy's gaze sharpen, as if an invisible pressure was bearing down on him.

His heart involuntarily sped up, and a sense of instinctive alertness rose within him.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his head, as if an invisible shockwave had pierced his mind.

Afterward, it was as if he had opened up a new channel of energy. His vision suddenly became exceptionally clear, and he could "see" the culprit behind his headache—it was the mental power of the male classmate.

The boy's voice rang out again, carrying an almost irresistible commanding force: "Forget your analysis of me."

Under this power, Itozawa felt his consciousness begin to blur, as if a gentle yet powerful current was trying to pull his mind into a vortex, making his memories hazy.

But just then, a force of resistance surged from the depths of Itozawa's heart. It was like a solid dam, blocking the intrusion of the current.

A strange scene unfolded before Itozawa's eyes. He seemed to be standing before a giant chessboard, with pieces scattered across it.

His mind raced at an unprecedented speed. Almost instinctively, in a way he couldn't even understand, he transformed the invading mental power into a gray, hazy chess piece and placed it on the board.

He felt his consciousness return to clarity. The blurriness and the forced forgetting disappeared. He even felt his mental power grow stronger as a result.

Itozawa blinked, feeling a bit confused. He didn't understand how he had done it, only that in that moment, his body and mind seemed to have reacted in the most correct way.

He blinked dazedly, unsure of what was happening.

The boy, on the other hand, showed a look of surprise. He quickly suppressed it and introduced himself with a cautious tone, "My name is Kanzaki Ryūji. May I ask who you are?"

Hearing the name, Itozawa felt even more settled. It seemed the character settings from the original work were indeed quite similar.

But what was that mental attack just now...?

Kanzaki frowned even tighter after hearing the name. He had never heard of the Itozawa family.

Then, how did he possess such powerful mental abilities? Furthermore, he had never heard of any mental ability that could be transformed after entering the Mind Sea.

Generally, such aggressive abilities would defend against external threats.

A family he had never heard of, a strange ability—this piqued his interest in Itozawa.

"Itozawa? I've noted it," Kanzaki said, his tone carrying a hint of re-evaluation. "In this class, we will soon know each other's value. I look forward to your performance, Itozawa."

With that, he turned away and said no more.

The atmosphere became stagnant, and the two of them awkwardly didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, at that moment, Ichinose and Shirakami entered hand in hand. The aura of friendliness she exuded instantly dispelled the stagnant atmosphere.

Ichinose sat down next to Itozawa, while Shirakami sat beside Kanzaki.

With the two core members of Class B surrounding me, it will be even easier to guide them in the future.

Kanzaki's gaze lingered on Ichinose for a moment. He decided to use his mental power again to probe the seemingly gentle girl.

His mental power extended towards Ichinose like a fine thread, silently.

However, something shocking happened: the moment his mental power touched Ichinose, it changed.

The power was no longer sharp and intrusive. Instead, it became as gentle as Ichinose's own mental power, eventually merging into her friendliness and becoming a part of it.

All of this happened silently. Ichinose was completely unaware. She was just smiling and chatting with Shirakami Chihiro, and introducing herself to her new deskmate, Itozawa.

Only Kanzaki's expression became even more shocked. He had never encountered such a situation before, where his mental power was assimilated and absorbed so easily.

Is it a Mind-Type ability? Or a Charm-Type ability?

An unprecedented wave of emotion surged through Kanzaki. He realized that the quality of students in this year's Kouiku far exceeded his expectations, with several individuals he couldn't fathom.

At this moment, he finally understood why his father, who held considerable influence in both politics and business, had chosen to send him to this school instead of the White Room, where Ayanokouji Atsutomi, who had closer ties to their family, was located.

It seems I need to re-evaluate everyone in this class, Kanzaki mused inwardly. His gaze became sharper, but also more cautious.

He knew that in this class, he might no longer be the sole powerhouse. He had to be more careful to establish himself in this new, unknown environment.