Hasebe Haruka

Once an atmosphere had formed, it became difficult to resist.

After Hirata and Hoshino got things started, the self-introductions naturally followed. Along the way, everyone even encouraged a shy girl to speak up, creating a scene thick with the saccharine scent of youth.

But two students were exceptions.

One was the red-haired boy. He seemed impatient with this sort of thing. While a girl named Shinohara was introducing herself, he stood up with an exaggerated motion and headed for the classroom door.

His every action made it clear he had no intention of cooperating.

"Could you wait a moment...?"

"What?"

Hirata called out to him. He stopped by the door and glared at Hirata with a fierce look.

"I think it's great for us to get to know each other and grow closer..."

"How annoying. I'm not interested in your childish little friendship games."

He spoke with disdain, yanked the classroom door open, and walked out.

Just then, a girl silently stood up and headed out as well.

Judging by her face alone, she was even more beautiful than Kushida. Her delicate features and composed air were striking. A cascade of glossy black hair fell over her slender back, smooth and sleek, while a carefully braided, thin plait hung behind her left ear, swaying in rhythm with her steps. Her skin was as fair as jade, seemingly soft enough to bruise at a touch. Her fine, slightly upturned brows looked like carefully drawn strokes of ink. Beneath them, her eyes were deep and cold as a still pool, her gaze calm and indifferent. Her cherry-colored lips were pressed tightly together, making her seem all the more unapproachable. She had a slender figure and graceful posture. As she walked out, Ike and a few of the other boys who had just introduced themselves stared shamelessly at her beautiful legs, wrapped in black stockings beneath her skirt.

"Um..."

This time, Hirata didn't even manage to call after her. The girl left the classroom without a word.

Hirata looked somewhat dejectedly toward the door. For someone who sincerely wanted to get along with everyone, it must have been quite a blow.

His reaction also aroused sympathy among some of the girls, who began criticizing the two who had left.

"What's with them? Acting so superior."

"Hirata was only trying to be nice... That was so mean."

Those comments rose one after another. If left unchecked, they would gradually coalesce into an atmosphere of what was "right."

"Please don't say that. Self-introductions are something people should choose to participate in. They didn't accept what I had to say."

Hirata must have noticed it too, because he promptly spoke up to interrupt them.

Kushida also stepped in. "I think they left because there was something they wanted to do. Anyway, why don't we keep going?"

As soon as she spoke, the atmosphere eased. That was a talent in itself.

The introductions continued. Hoshino sat quietly in his seat, committing each name and its accompanying details to memory.

The girl in the seat diagonally ahead and to his left was named Karuizawa Kei. She had dyed her hair blonde and tied it in a ponytail, giving her a forceful impression.

The girl in the seat ahead was named Onodera Kayano. She had short hair and looked athletic.

Kushida sat diagonally ahead and to his right. They had exchanged a few words earlier.

The girl to his left was named Matsushita Chiaki. She had long brown hair that fell over her shoulders and seemed like an intelligent girl.

The girl to his right was named Hasebe Haruka. She had strikingly light blue hair, but her self-introduction had been so brief that it came across as perfunctory.

The girl diagonally behind and to his left was Wang Meiyu, an exchange student from China.

The girl diagonally behind and to his right was named Sato Maya. She had a gyaru style.

This was a good opportunity to gather information. Even a very brief self-introduction was enough to catch a glimpse of someone's character. Even if it was only the side of them they had chosen to show, it could still serve as material for future plans.

The self-introductions continued, and at last it was the turn of the boy sitting in the corner by the window. Under Hoshino's gaze, he slowly stood up.

"Uh... Um... My name is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Um... There isn't anything I'm particularly good at, but I'll do my best to get along with everyone. That's it, uh... Nice to meet you."

He spoke with a nervousness that rivaled any girl's, and his speech faltered several times. Hoshino almost thought the class was about to start cheering him on together, just as they had earlier.

That would have been fine if the person in question had been a shy girl. With a boy, the scene would have been painful to watch. Hoshino wanted no part of it.

Judging only by his performance during the self-introduction, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was unquestionably unimpressive.

His halting, nervous introduction showed that he genuinely lacked social skills. Even if it was an act, it only meant his acting was poor.

But whichever the truth, it no longer mattered to Hoshino at that moment.

As soon as he heard the name—those words, "Ayanokoji Kiyotaka"—Hoshino could no longer pay attention to anything else.

It was something Arisu had told him several years ago, when he met her.

Arisu had accompanied her father, Mr. Naruse, to a place called the White Room. It was a secret facility deep in a remote mountain range, an educational institution whose goal was to cultivate perfect people.

More precisely, the institution explored the possibility of producing outstanding people through thorough, rigorous education alone, regardless of their innate talents.

The children were admitted when they were only a few months old. They had no contact with the outside world and spent all their time inside the facility.

Through education that pushed them beyond their limits, the children acquired an enormous amount of knowledge and skills, but at the same time, they lost the normal emotions of human beings.

Perhaps "lost" wasn't quite accurate. It would be more correct to say they had never acquired them.

They lacked ordinary common sense, and everything in their minds came from the institution's education.

Of all the children in the White Room, the one who completed every assignment and far outperformed everyone else was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

He was called the White Room's greatest masterpiece.

"To think we'd end up in the same class. What incredible luck."

Hoshino stared at the boy's expressionless face.

"Arisu would be jealous if she knew, wouldn't she? That girl's trying to measure up to you, too. Though her goal is a little different from mine."

As Hoshino saw him now, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was like an uncut gem.

He had already been instilled with far more knowledge and skills than anyone his age, but as a person, his growth had only just begun.

"Just how far will you grow? I'll stay right here and watch."