Classroom of the Elite, A Hypocritical Gray Life

The air compressor released a relaxed sigh, and I boarded the bus headed for school. Aside from the regular commuters, there was no one else on board, which was to be expected since my stop was the very first one on the route. Looking at the empty seats, I deliberated in my mind for a moment before choosing a spot by the window in the third-to-last row.

The reason I chose this seat was because the emergency hammer was right beside me. No one could predict what kind of accidents might occur while the vehicle was in motion.

After a low rumble, the bus started moving. I stared aimlessly at the scenery outside the window. If I remembered correctly, the journey from this stop was quite long; rather than waiting idly, I decided it would be better to take a nap.

And so, holding onto a sense of calm, I drifted off into a deep sleep amidst the bumpy ride.

Just kidding.

This slumber did not last very long; my vigilant consciousness urged me to wake up quickly. I had tried to force my long-standing habits to yield to this sudden desire for rest, but unfortunately, I failed.

In the end, I could only groggily open my eyes.

The number of passengers on the bus had increased, and the crowding inside was no different from the morning rush hour. The seat next to me was now occupied by a girl with pink hair, wearing a uniform. Regarding my first impression of her, I have to mention that chest, which would catch any man's eye.

That's a C-cup, at least; I wouldn't even be surprised if it were a D or an E.

"Ah, sorry, did I wake you?" The girl hurriedly stopped what she was doing; she had been tucking a book into her bag, which I observed carefully.

War and Peace

Come to think of it, this book is quite interesting; it primarily expresses humanitarianism and a spirit of universal love. But now is not the time to be thinking about that...

"No, I think I woke up naturally. I was very satisfied with the quality of my sleep last night, so I should be quite energetic; I wouldn't have fallen into a long sleep." I explained to her with a hint of pride in my tone, though there didn't seem to be anything to be proud of.

"That's good. Come to think of it, my sleep last night wasn't very good; because of the start of school, there was just something that made it impossible to fall asleep." She finished her task and continued chatting with me.

For a student, the start of school can indeed make one's nerves excited. For example, homework assigned by teachers before the break wasn't finished, or perhaps the prospect of starting a new life and planning to establish a brand-new persona, and so on.

"Do you not have any thoughts about the start of school?" She tilted her head and continued to ask me.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" I didn't immediately grasp her question; come to think of it, I felt like I had forgotten something.

"Aren't you a first-year student at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, just like me?"

"...How did you know?"

"Because you're wearing the same uniform as me, there shouldn't be any mistake, right?" She pointed to the attire on my body, and I followed her gaze.

Right, I am also a new student; I am going to spend the next three years of my academic life there.

"Sorry, I asked a stupid question; it was probably because I just woke up." I pretended to rub my temples to cover it up, trying to clear my head a little.

"That's true, I get a bit groggy when I wake up too." She didn't mock my conversation, but instead showed tolerance.

For a moment, I felt something like gentleness.

"If you're asking how I feel, I don't really have much of a feeling; it's just a very ordinary thing, I suppose." I returned to the previous question.

"Ordinary? Then it seems I was just overthinking things."

"These kinds of things vary from person to person; maybe it's just me."

"That's true... Since we're both new students, let me introduce myself first. My name is Ichinose Honami, a first-year student in Class B. Please take care of me."

Ichinose turned her face toward me and revealed a sweet smile, the kind of sweetness that would make anyone's heart skip a beat.

And it was at this moment that I saw her entire face clearly. Her pupils were a very clear sky blue, incapable of harboring any filth. At the same time, a desire to retreat sprouted in my heart; it wasn't that I hated purity, but rather that I hated the reflection of myself in her clear pupils.

That sin could never be erased, no matter what.

However, come to think of it, I feel like I've seen Ichinose somewhere before...

My inner thoughts were churning, though of course, I didn't show any of this on my face.

"My name is Luomu, please take care of me." I nodded while responding to her greeting.

"Luomu? Is Luomu-kun an international student?" Ichinose pressed her right index finger against her alluring lips, her eyes slightly dazed. This was a sign that she was thinking.

Ahhh, I feel like my heart is melting; this is cute enough to be considered a foul.

"Ah, I'm not an international student. Although I know this name does lean a bit toward other countries, I am indeed not an international student."

Though I don't actually know where I'm from either, I suppose it's China...

Ever since I had memories, I have always been alone, and I have always lived in places filled with bloodshed. So I don't know who I am at all, nor do I know where I truly belong.

"Hmm... then which class is Luomu in?"

"Also in first-year Class B." I recalled his reminder before I left and said.

"You're also in Class B? That's great! I didn't expect to meet a classmate I'll be spending the next three years with on the bus."

She looked very happy and reached out to grab my forearm. I was startled by this sudden movement; the moment she reached out, I felt an urge to pull away, but I forcibly held it back.

Reflexes are truly terrifying.

It seems she is very good at socializing. But come to think of it, that sentence she just said was a bit misleading. To put on such an endearing expression and say something like that—it almost felt like a confession to me.

Although I know such a thing is absolutely impossible, I still couldn't stop myself from fantasizing about it. If that were the case, would I feel happy?

I asked myself this question from the bottom of my heart.

"I didn't expect it either." To avoid an abrupt end and leaving a bad impression, I chimed in.

"Hey, hey, which middle school did Luomu attend before?"

"This..." I pretended to be embarrassed and scratched the back of my head.

"Is there something inconvenient? If so, then don't force it." She seemed to realize she might have touched on a taboo, her eyes revealing clear guilt.

Ah, she's so gentle, practically an angel.

This way, I just need to follow her lead and it'll resolve smoothly.

"It's not inconvenient..."

"Then what is it?"

Crap, looking into her eyes, I subconsciously blurted it out.

"It's just that... I actually don't know the name of the school I attended..." I had no choice but to push through.

"Huh? You don't know the name of your junior high school?"

"I know it's a bit weird, but I really don't. In our daily lives, we hardly ever mentioned the name of the school. Maybe I remembered it at first, but over time, without using it, I forgot. It's like with piano and tea ceremony."

"Is that so?" She looked at me with some curiosity.

"Yeah, that's it. Though I don't remember the junior high's name, if you dropped me in that area, I could at least find my way."

"Mm," she nodded in slight confusion, and I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

Though Ichinose suspected the truth of this, fortunately, she didn't dwell on it and shifted to the topic I'd used as a shield.

"Raku-kun, you've practiced piano and tea ceremony, right?"

"Yeah, I learned a little." I nodded, not denying it.

In today's society, whether children or adults, everyone learns extra skills, making those who don't seem extremely abnormal and inferior. I don't know the history of society's development, but no matter what, only those who follow the masses can be considered normal humans.

Once I realized this, I no longer held any joy toward this society.

"I wanted to learn piano before, but for certain reasons, I couldn't." After saying this, I noticed a flash of loneliness cross her face.

"If Ichinose wants to learn, she can in high school too—there are clubs, after all."

"Mm, there might be a chance." Her face lit up with kindness again as she nodded at me.

This appearance was truly so gentle, it could melt a person.

And the three years of my meager survival began their curtain raise on this public bus.

Sleep Pose Temptation

Ichinose was the very talkative type, and after that, our chat topics kept changing. It finally ended because she wasn't feeling well mentally and wanted to rest a bit.

Such conversation left me mentally and physically exhausted. Honestly, I'm not good at handling someone like Ichinose, and I don't understand her thoughts either. Not just because of her enthusiasm, but her kindness too. Perhaps from the start, they're harbingers of failure—unless they encounter a miraculous turnaround like meeting a benefactor, I truly can't believe they'll achieve victory.

As for the reason, I don't know. I'm just judging based on my gut feeling. At least, that's how I see it.

[She will definitely fail.]

At the same time, she will face her own suffering.

[The reason people can feel pain is that their good and evil are not pure enough.]

If this statement is true, then Ichinose will definitely feel pain. Though she's kind and gentle, always considering my feelings in our talk, unfortunately, they're not purely so.

Can pure evil and good truly exist in humans?

That's obviously impossible...

I tried to answer this question based solely on my dozen-plus years of experience, but without supporting evidence, I wasted ten minutes of intense mental focus in vain.

With a hint of irritation, I tapped the armrest by the window, eyes gazing at the distant sky's blue. The next moment, heavy pressure landed on my left shoulder.

Ichinose had rested her head on my shoulder.

"..."

Already asleep...

I looked at the cute sleeping beauty with some headache. I didn't mind this behavior—in fact, I was a little happy—but isn't this too defenseless for a girl? Or did those few minutes of talk earn me a 'harmless' pass in her mind?

If so, then my disguise succeeded... No, I mean my heart is hurt.

I stayed perfectly still, afraid I'd wake her the next instant.

If only I had a phone, I could snap this adorably dazed sleeping face—but sadly, that's contraband.

"Hoo—hoo—"

At such close range, I could even hear her breathing. This was my first such wondrous experience. Her chubby baby-fat cheeks, long eyelashes, high nose bridge, and—her massive breasts.

I hurriedly shifted my gaze from the huge temptation. I'm just an ordinary guy without evolved resistance to physiological urges. To avoid pitching a tent, I emptied my mind and focused on my inner battle—this would be a tough challenge.

The bus I was on was a minibus with only sixteen seats, yet the number of people far exceeded that. Aside from me and Ichinose, the students, everyone around was office workers in suits rushing to work.

In one way, I really dislike crowded groups. This might be a side effect from reading a certain book; I vaguely remember the female protagonist's line.

[I hate humans.]

The first-person perspective immersed me perfectly in that character's mind—that's probably what they call reading aftereffects.

The scenery outside was clear skies, refreshing the mind. If the beauty beside me were my girlfriend or partner, I could be called a life winner.

A calm mood slowly rippled through my heart. Just when I thought I could easily win this war, I was wrong.

Ever since I felt that faint chill on my arm, I should have realized that things were not as simple as I had imagined.

At first, I thought it was just a chill triggered by my emotions, but later I slowly began to sense that something was wrong. It was a coldness in a specific area, and it was continuously spreading and persisting.

That's right, by the time I came to my senses, it was already too late.

It must have been due to her posture; her tilted head caused saliva to escape her control and flow from her alluring red lips, soaking a large patch of my sleeve.

Was she dreaming of delicious food?

"Ah—" I let out a soft sigh.

This is going to be troublesome.

While I guessed at the contents of her dream, I nervously took a handkerchief out of my pocket. My movements throughout the entire process were extremely slow; I didn't want any mishaps at this point that might cause her to wake up. If that were to happen, it would be awkward no matter how you look at it, and there would also be the possibility of being misunderstood.

The worst-case scenario is that I would be establishing myself as an irreconcilable enemy to a companion.

Moving slowly sounds very simple—you just have to break your movements down into an infinite number of infinitesimally slow steps to meet the standard. However, while the limbs may look separate, they are actually a single whole; the slightest tremor can affect the muscles of the entire body and trigger nerve excitement. To avoid this, I even used only two fingers to barely hook the handkerchief out.

After getting the handkerchief, I slowly wiped the corner of Ichinose's mouth, my cautious actions like drinking pure water from the rim of a cup while keeping the distance of a coin between them.

Her skin was fair, and her damp red lips were glistening. Furthermore, the curve outlined by her neck and head seemed to exude an indescribable charm.

I can't help but feel like I'm here to suffer.

I tended to the corner of her mouth as if I were caring for an infant. Suddenly, Ichinose's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Crap.

I quickly and calmly pulled my hands back, clutching the damp handkerchief tightly in my grip. At the same time, I pretended not to care and looked out at the scenery beyond the window.

"Hmm, hmm~" Ichinose murmured in her sleep, rubbing her chubby cheek against my shoulder.

"..."

Was I overthinking it...