"Ding-dong, clatter, ding-dong..."
As the bell rang, Ying entered Class B's classroom, panting. At least he hadn't been late on his first day. His was the only empty seat in the class, so he hurried over to it.
Back row, by the window. My home turf. Not bad.
"You should try to get to class earlier from now on. By the way, I'm Kanzaki Ryuji. Nice to meet you." The student in front turned around to strike up a conversation with Ying. He seemed like a very serious student. So this was Kanzaki.
Ying smiled awkwardly and scratched his head. "Hi, Kanzaki. I'm Baiye Ying. It's my first day, so I got a little turned around. It won't happen again. Ahaha..."
Just then, a cheerful, lively woman walked in. She was probably Class 1-B's homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie.
"Minna~ I'm your homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie! You can call me Hoshinomiya-sensei, or even Little Chie~. Wouldn't it be better to be friends than to stick to an ordinary teacher-student relationship? Oh dear, I've gone on a bit too long. All right, let me tell you about the school!"
What an approachable teacher, most of the students thought, listening attentively as she explained the school's various rules. Only one person's gaze wandered, and he kept making all sorts of strange faces. That's right: our boy Ying.
You're telling me to build a mysterious persona!?
[That's right. This is the only suggestion I can make within my capabilities. After fulfilling the host's wish, my system energy has run out, so I can't offer any more benefits. From now on, I'll just be an AI you can chat with at most.]
What? Then I... If I fail, nothing bad will happen, right?
[If I detect that the host has no intention of getting Ayanokoji expelled, I'll reclaim the beginner benefits immediately.]
*...*
[They'll also be reclaimed automatically if you fail.]
Wait! Why? I've been trying my best!
[Effort is no excuse. Results are what matter.]
Damn it!
[Therefore, the host should build a mysterious persona.]
Wait, isn't that just a suggestion? I don't have to listen, do I?
After ten years of life in the White Room, Ying didn't want to play someone else anymore.
[If the host fails to act in a manner befitting the persona, I'll reclaim them immediately as well.]
Huh!? You're abusing your power!
[This system is going to rest for a while. So, host, do your best. By the way, even while I'm resting, the automatic monitoring program will keep running. Please mind your words and actions.]
Wait! You haven't told me how to build a mysterious persona! Wait, hold on!
"Wait a minute!"
Ying shouted without thinking. As soon as he realized it, he hurriedly covered his mouth, but it was too late. The whole class turned to look at him, their eyes full of surprise.
"Does this student have a different opinion? Could you share it with everyone?"
The person standing at the lectern was no longer the teacher, but a beautiful girl with long, straight pink hair, an angelic smile, and gorgeous eyes. Even though Ying had no idea what had just happened, he recognized her as Ichinose Honami, the future leader of Class B.
"Um... classmate?" Ichinose tilted her head slightly, apparently wondering why Ying still hadn't shared his opinion.
"Oh... Ahem."
Ichinose was just too cute, and Ying had gotten distracted staring at her. So what had they been talking about? He immediately revved up his F36-engine brain and tried to figure out the likeliest topic.
"I think..." The whole class listened closely, wondering what outrageous thing the student who'd interrupted Ichinose was about to say.
"The whole class should introduce ourselves first!"
Everyone froze. Seeing their shocked expressions, Ying couldn't help grinning. That suggestion had worked brilliantly. His mysterious persona had taken a huge step forward.
"Isn't that what Ichinose just said?" one student couldn't help pointing out.
"Yeah. Was he not listening just now?"
"No way. Ichinose's so cute—once you've looked at her, you can't take your eyes off her. And if he wasn't listening, why would he interrupt her?"
"Um... classmate, I was just suggesting that the whole class introduce ourselves. I've already introduced myself. Let's start with the student in the first seat of the first row." Ichinose smiled.
What? Had I missed Ichinose introducing herself!? No. My mysterious persona had collapsed. From here on out, I'd be successfully building a clown persona!
"Um... I knew that, of course. I meant that we shouldn't start with the student in the first seat of the first row. The student in the last seat of the last row—me—should go first!" Ying could only try to cover up the fact that he hadn't been listening to Ichinose. Somehow, he managed to bluff his way through it.
"So you can't wait for everyone to get to know you? Go ahead, then." Ichinose chuckled, and the whole class looked at Ying as if they'd just figured it out.
Seriously? You all believe that?
"Ahem... My name is Baiye Ying, and I'm sixteen. I live in dorm room 402, and I'm unmarried. I used to go to White Middle School. I study until ten every night, when school lets out. I don't smoke or drink. I go to bed at eleven and get seven hours of sleep every night. Before bed, I always drink a cup of warm milk, then practice singing, dancing, and rapping for twenty-five minutes. Once I'm in bed, I fall asleep right away. I sleep soundly until morning and never carry fatigue or stress over to the next day. My doctor says I'm perfectly normal."
"That's that one, right? That one," a boy said to the boy in front of him.
"Yeah, that one. I didn't expect Baiye to be an otaku. I was going to introduce myself that way, too, but he beat me to it."
"Phew..."
After letting out a breath, Ying finally relaxed. He began listening to the other students introduce themselves while trying to figure out how to build his persona.
"Hey, Baiye. You were zoning out just now, weren't you? While Ichinose was talking."
Huh?
Kanzaki turned around and looked at Ying with an exasperated expression.
Had he still noticed?
"Ahaha... I was just so absorbed in what Hoshinomiya-sensei was saying." Ying scratched his head and gave an awkward explanation.
"You also think it's strange that the students get a hundred thousand points every month?" Kanzaki asked, suddenly excited, as though he'd found an ally.
"Uh... y-yes."
"Any idea why?"
"Um... Since the teacher told us, why not just ask her?"
!!!
It was as if a door to a whole new world had opened for Kanzaki. His eyes lit up, and he kept muttering about how he hadn't thought of that himself.
"Then after the entrance ceremony, let's go ask Hoshinomiya-sensei about it."
"Yeah... Sure."
On the way to the office, Kanzaki chatted with Ying. "I didn't expect Ichinose to be so enthusiastic. We should hurry up and confirm this, then go to the get-together. We can't keep the others waiting too long."
"Yeah... That's right."
Kanzaki looked at Ying, whose thoughts had wandered off somewhere, with an exasperated expression. This guy definitely had no idea Ichinose had invited the whole class to a get-together.
Meanwhile, our boy Ying was still thinking about how to build his persona:
Mysterious probably means being cryptic and secretly pulling strings. I remember the Riddler only says half of what he means and never explains things clearly. Yeah, I'll do that from now on.
In the office, Kanzaki greeted Hoshinomiya-sensei and explained why they'd come. Although she refused to reveal anything, that only made it seem like she was hiding something. As Kanzaki wondered how he could get the teacher to reveal more detailed information, Ying knew it was his time to shine.
"Hoshinomiya..."
"Please..."
"Sell yourself to me..."
"I'll use..." He held up one finger.
"To do it with you..."
Hoshinomiya and Kanzaki: !?
Before you continue