Enrollment

(Hoshino Akira's monologue)

People had all kinds of opinions about what made someone a genius.

For example, my lovely childhood friend believed that "geniuses are born, not made."

I didn't think genius was something so absolute.

Take me, for instance. Without both innate talent and the cultivation I received later, there was no way I could have reached where I was now.

Innate talent couldn't be changed, but with the right guidance and development, it could be made to flourish.

In other words, an ordinary person who received proper training could rival a genius who was left to their own devices.

Of course, even a genius could only truly rise to the top of society after receiving systematic education and training.

"I suppose I'll concede that you have a point."

Sakayanagi Arisu, my childhood friend, replied with her usual, effortless smile.

Looking back, that conversation had taken place about two months ago.

I wondered what expression she'd wear when we met again after all this time. I was starting to look forward to it.

"Master, we've arrived."

The voice of my driver, Miss Kawashima, roused Akira from his daze after the long drive.

He opened his eyes and looked out the window. A gate made of natural stone stood a short distance away, with a sign that read "Advanced Nurturing High School." Boys and girls in the same uniform as his were passing through the stone gate and entering the campus. They were probably his classmates.

After he got out of the car, he felt eyes on him from nearby. Perhaps few people came here in private cars—and their luxury car was especially conspicuous. Akira remembered that the enrollment guide had said, "Please take the designated bus to campus."

He'd originally wanted to take the designated bus, but his parents had firmly refused. His mother especially was overcome with sorrow at the thought of not seeing her son for the next three years. With tears in her eyes, she'd pleaded, "Please, Akira. At least let Miss Kawashima drive you safely to school."

It was a request he couldn't refuse.

Akira let out a quiet breath, glanced toward the stone gate, then turned back. "Sorry for the trouble, Miss Kawashima. Thanks for the effort."

"Not at all, Master. It's my pleasure to serve you."

"Then this is goodbye. Please let my family know I arrived safely."

Miss Kawashima bowed her head slightly. "I wish you success in all your endeavors."

Akira watched Miss Kawashima drive away, then turned and headed for the stone gate.

Just inside the entrance, Akira encountered a girl he hadn't expected to see.

"Arisu?"

At the sound of Akira's voice, the girl sitting on a bench by the road looked up and smiled at him. "It's been a long time, Akira."

Her hair was an unusual silver, and her skin was snow-white. Her petite, slender frame gave her a fragile, almost breakable air.

She picked up the cane leaning beside her and used it to stand. She barely reached Akira's chest. Tilting her head up, she looked at him with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"It's been two months, Arisu. You've gotten even prettier."

"Complimenting a lady's beauty is basic courtesy, but with our relationship, it only makes us seem distant."

"You're still as sharp-tongued as ever."

Akira shook his head and smiled wryly.

"Though I suppose there's no need to ask... Were you waiting here for me, Arisu?"

"Of course. Ever since I heard you planned to study at Advanced Nurturing High School, I've been looking forward to your arrival." Sakayanagi Arisu smiled faintly. "Father wanted to come welcome you, too, but things are busy during new student enrollment, so I came in his place."

"Thank you."

Akira thanked her, at least. Arisu's father was the current chairman of Advanced Nurturing High School. The school, which had government backing, had a strict admissions process, and the deadline had passed long ago. Akira had only decided to come here two months ago, and he had Sakayanagi's help to thank for getting in.

Thinking of Uncle Sakayanagi, Akira remembered the conversation they'd had the last time they met, two months earlier. Arisu must have been thinking of it, too. For a while, neither of them spoke, and an awkward atmosphere settled over them, making it hard to bring up the subject.

"...We should get going. First, we need to head to our classrooms and meet our classmates and teachers. After that, the entrance ceremony will begin."

Akira nodded and walked alongside Arisu. Unlike the hubbub around them, neither of them spoke. The only sound between them was the tap of Arisu's cane against the ground.

The silence stayed with them until they reached the school building. Arisu turned to Akira and smiled. "You really are mean, you know. Do I have to be the one to bring up something so embarrassing?"

"...I just wasn't sure what to say."

"Hmph. What a half-hearted answer."

Arisu wrinkled her nose cutely, showing her displeasure. Though she was shrewd and calculating, she sometimes let this charming, girlish side show. But it was best to understand that this, too, was one of the weapons she wielded with practiced ease.

"For the past two months, I've been conflicted, too. Honestly, I've never felt this way before. It's been a novel experience for me."

She turned to face Akira, lifting her chin. Her pale violet eyes met his without hesitation.

"I've continued to think and search for an answer, and now, at this very moment, I can say with certainty that I've found one. So please forgive my boldness as I ask you this: Hoshino Akira, tell me clearly—what do you think about the engagement between us that our parents discussed two months ago?"

She threw the question straight at Akira without the slightest hesitation.

It was exactly the sort of thing she would do.

So he ought to answer her just as directly.

"Arisu, whichever way you look at it, you're unquestionably the most suitable person for me to marry."

At his reply, Arisu's lips curled into a faint smile. "I see. Your choice of words tells me everything I need to know."

She stepped back slightly, her smile growing brighter.

"This is Advanced Nurturing High School, where ability reigns supreme. Here, students are allowed—even encouraged—to compete against one another. The school's exams cover all sorts of things, including academic ability and physical fitness."

She raised a finger and pointed at Akira.

"So why don't we settle things here, my dear fiancé?"

"As you wish, my beautiful lady."

Akira took her fingertips in his hand, bent down, and gently kissed the back of it.

A hand-kiss was a common Western greeting, but aside from one accidental encounter in the past, this was the most intimate contact the two of them had ever shared.

Still, there was no way he could expect such a small gesture to make Sakayanagi Arisu let her guard down.

"Well, let's part ways here. I'm in Class A, and Akira is taking Koenji's place. If I remember correctly, he was assigned to Class D."

She withdrew her hand calmly, a faint smile on her face.

"I hate to say it, but I've taken the initiative right from the start."

"The initiative? I'm not so sure."

There was a saying that the person who took the initiative in love was the loser.

If that was true, Akira had already won the first round.