I Really Want to Stab You to Death

"Next, it's my turn."

The introductions continued, and a golden-haired girl stood up.

She wore a white headband. The burgundy uniform stretched snugly across her upper body, showing off a figure far more impressive than one would expect at her age. Her white pleated skirt swayed as she rose.

With a radiant smile, she said gently, "My name is Kushida Kikyo. None of my middle school friends came to this school with me, so I'm all alone."

At that, Tenyo Yuyuki keenly noticed Kushida sneak a glance at Horikita.

Kushida Kikyo continued, "So my goal is to quickly become friends with everyone. After we've finished introducing ourselves, I hope you'll all exchange contact information with me!"

By the time Kushida Kikyo finished speaking, several girls had already gathered around her.

Tenyo Yuyuki watched her quietly. Kushida Kikyo's acting was practically worthy of an award.

If he hadn't read the Original Work, it would have been hard to imagine that a beautiful girl who seemed like an angel could have a double personality.

She maintained her sense of satisfaction by earning other people's trust. Anyone who might expose her past was expelled without hesitation.

As for Kushida Kikyo sneaking a glance at Horikita Suzune just now, the Little Angel, who was currently laughing and chatting with her classmates, was probably already thinking about how to get Horikita Suzune expelled.

"My turn. I'm Yamauchi Haruki. I was the ace pitcher on my middle school's Baseball Club, and I wore the number four jersey. But I got injured in the high school league, so I'm recovering now. Nice to meet you all."

The introductions continued, and a guy named Yamauchi Haruki introduced himself.

Tenyo Yuyuki was a little speechless.

The guy had probably meant that he was the cleanup hitter, and of course, there were only high school leagues in high school.

Tenyo Yuyuki still remembered.

In the Original Work, he was one of the Idiot Trio, the three worst students in class. He was easily manipulated by Itagaki, the leader of A Class, and then betrayed D Class, which led to his expulsion.

Even now, Yamauchi Haruki had made an impression that landed him at the very bottom of the class.

A half-baked lie only made someone seem "quick to speak" and "frivolous."

That was why introductions were an extremely important step. They affected the groups people would belong to in the future, as well as their standing in the class.

At last, after a long wait, it was Tenyo Yuyuki's turn to speak.

Tenyo Yuyuki stood up, the corners of his mouth lifting into a confident smile. "My name is Tenyo Yuyuki. I'm pretty good at Photography, so if anyone needs help taking pictures, feel free to ask me. I look forward to getting along with you all!"

"Does that mean we can leave all the class Photography work to you from now on, Tenyo?"

"Yeah, and I'm interested in Photography too. Could you teach me sometime, Tenyo?"

With Matsushita Chiaki's half-joking encouragement, several girls gathered around Tenyo Yuyuki as well.

That was the advantage of being sociable. With Matsushita Chiaki leading the way, Tenyo Yuyuki fit into the group with ease. Most importantly, Tenyo Yuyuki was really handsome.

Just then, an ill-timed scoff rang out.

"Tenyo Yuyuki, drop that fake smile. Your ugly soul is anything but beautiful."

Kouenji Rosuke, who had already introduced himself, casually propped his legs up on the desk.

Unlike the other students, Kouenji knew Tenyo Yuyuki's true nature: a self-serving guy who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Most importantly, both their families were part of Sakurajima's zaibatsu elite. Their relationship had always been harmonious on the surface, while they stabbed each other in the back. Tenyo Yuyuki had bullied him plenty when they were children.

The entire classroom fell silent. Everyone was too stunned by the sudden conflict to react.

Kouenji seemed a little narcissistic and was clearly an eccentric, but he didn't look like the kind of person who would lie for no reason.

Was Tenyo Yuyuki, standing there with his bright smile, really the hypocrite Kouenji claimed he was?

Seeing the class fall into a state of distrust, Hirata hurried forward to smooth things over, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. "Kouenji-kun, is there some misunderstanding between you and Tenyo? If there's a problem, you can talk to me about it. We're all going to be classmates for the next three years, so let's try to get along, okay?"

However, Kouenji paid no attention to what Hirata said.

Tenyo Yuyuki kept smiling, though he looked a little helpless. "Kouenji, it'd be better if we didn't bring our families' issues to school. No matter what, we'll be in the same class for three years. Even if we can't get along, we can at least leave each other alone. What do you think?"

After hearing Tenyo Yuyuki's explanation, Matsushita Chiaki and the others understood.

If it was a matter between their families, then the behavior made sense. By contrast, Kouenji seemed a little inconsiderate of the bigger picture—though, given Kouenji's extreme narcissism, he probably wouldn't care.

Once Matsushita Chiaki and the others had accepted what they considered a reasonable explanation, any further arguments would sound feeble.

Even if Kouenji exposed Tenyo Yuyuki's past right there, he would only seem aggressive, and might even look like he was making things up.

Though Tenyo Yuyuki's words sounded like a concession, they left Kouenji no choice. Whatever he said now would be wrong, while a decent-sized group had already gathered around Tenyo.

Kouenji understood that perfectly well.

"Leave each other alone? Tenyo Yuyuki, your credibility with me is zero."

He gave a cold snort. Whether he tried to explain himself or sought anyone else's approval, it would all look ugly. It wasn't beautiful. He knew how capable Tenyo Yuyuki was, but he wasn't afraid of him.

After speaking, Kouenji didn't leave the classroom. Instead, he continued gazing at his stunning reflection in the mirror he held.

After all, if he wasn't embarrassed, then everyone else was.

Tenyo Yuyuki didn't respond. After Kouenji's interruption, the classroom fell quiet again.

Matsushita Chiaki leaned forward slightly, looking up and down at Tenyo Yuyuki in a rather cute way.

She smoothly changed the subject and asked, puzzled, "Kouenji-kun is the heir to the Kouenji Zaibatsu. Does that mean you're rich too, Tenyo? Don't tell me you're the heir to the Tenmyouin Zaibatsu. I'm just kidding~"

At the end, Matsushita Chiaki waved her hand downward, lightly brushing the subject aside as if it were a joke.

After all, the Tenyo Family was terrifyingly powerful. Their zaibatsu had a hand in every industry in Sakurajima. If Tenyo Yuyuki was the heir to that family, he would be the perfect choice—exactly the kind of person Matsushita Chiaki would want to date.

"Well..." Tenyo Yuyuki awkwardly pressed his index finger to his lips. "Keep it a secret from the other classes, okay?"

There was no way to keep something like that a secret. It was simply a way of socializing; sharing a secret could quickly bring him closer to these girls.

"Really?"

"The Tenmyouin Zaibatsu? That's amazing."

The girls who had gathered around Tenyo Yuyuki edged closer, nearly pressing themselves against him. They looked at him as if he were their prey.

The mood in the class improved again, and Hirata instantly relaxed. He turned his attention to a boy with dyed red hair.

"Then, next up—"

"Give me a break. Do you think we're children? Anyone who wants to introduce themselves can do it on their own."

With that, the Red-haired Youth slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and left the classroom, taking a group of students who didn't want to introduce themselves with him.

Tenyo Yuyuki remembered that the guy was probably called Sudo, a short-tempered fellow.

"What's with him?"

"No, it's not his fault. I was wrong to ask everyone to introduce themselves without asking first."

In response to his classmates' support, Hirata smiled casually and took all the blame upon himself.

"Of course not, Hirata-kun. You did nothing wrong. Forget about that kind of guy. Shall we keep going?"

"Yeah. Then—!"

At his classmates' urging, Hirata turned his attention to the next student.

Just as Hirata was about to speak, Tenyo Yuyuki said apologetically, "Hirata, I have something to take care of, so I'm going to leave now. Is that okay?"

"Of course. Personal matters are important too. If you need help with anything, you can always talk to us. What do you all think?"

"Of course. Tenyo, if you're having any trouble, just let us know."

Hirata replied with a smile. The girls in class chimed in, and Tenyo Yuyuki smiled, nodded, and turned to leave the classroom.

However,

Perhaps it was the Butterfly Effect, but Horikita Suzune, who was supposed to have left, was still in the classroom.

Horikita gripped the Compass in her hand. A cold white glint shone from its sharp point.

Watching Tenyo Yuyuki's back, Horikita followed after him.

She had to stab him once to feel better...