Quarrel

"Huh?"

Hoshino Kanade had anticipated this, but the answer came rather abruptly; she really was "Ayanokoji," or rather, "Kiyona."

Should I introduce myself at a time like this?

The topic had shifted so quickly that the mental script Hoshino Kanade had prepared was rendered useless.

"It's sudden, I know, but this is our second time meeting, so it shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

My "hesitation" seemed to make Ayanokoji Kiyona look a bit "nervous."

If I react poorly, will I give Ayanokoji a lifelong complex about being an introvert?

"My name is Hoshino Kanade, nice to meet you."

Hoshino Kanade introduced himself while thinking about trivial matters.

"Then we're friends from now on, right? That's great, I was actually a little nervous just now."

Ayanokoji said, patting her small chest with her hand, looking as if she had "let out a sigh of relief."

How cute. She has a bit of a "Kushida vibe," though... she's smaller than Kushida.

"I get the feeling Hoshino-kun is thinking of something rude."

Ayanokoji Kiyona saying that without any emotion was genuinely terrifying, even though her voice never carried much emotion to begin with.

"I was just wondering, didn't you feel awkward when you were caught looking at me on the bus?"

Hoshino Kanade could only scramble for a topic.

"I was quite awkward at the time; I didn't know what I should have done."

Even though Hoshino Kanade felt that statement was just as unbelievable as Ayanokoji's claim of it being a "coincidence."

"Class 1-D, huh."

"I'm in Class D too. How lucky to be in the same class as Hoshino-kun."

Ayanokoji Kiyona seemed to feel a hint of joy. The first friend I've made is a classmate. If this friendship doesn't fall apart, I should be able to spend three years of school life peacefully with just one friend.

Hoshino Kanade had long expected to be placed in Class D. Although his academic ability was high due to his need for a scholarship, he had spent all his extracurricular time in middle school working part-time jobs and had zero interpersonal interaction; his evaluation by the interviewers was likely similar to that of Horikita Suzune.

Despite having memories of his past life, which essentially meant all the upcoming exams were open-book, leading the class to Class A would be simple, but maintaining that position would be difficult. After all, the original work hadn't even finished when he transmigrated, and Hoshino Kanade's combat prowess wasn't exactly impressive here.

It would be better to accumulate personal points through the early exams, then either transfer to Class A upon graduation, exchange them for money, or use them to get into a good university—all of which were excellent choices.

Still, he hadn't expected that in this world, Ayanokoji's X chromosome had beaten out the Y chromosome. Perhaps he should consider clinging to Kiyona's white legs.

As expected, by the time Hoshino Kanade and Ayanokoji Kiyona arrived at the classroom, most of the students were already there, immersed in conversations with their new classmates.

The combination of a handsome boy and a beautiful girl, coupled with their "stay away" expressions, only briefly attracted the attention of a few people.

The back row by the window—the home of the king. Hoshino Kanade's seat was in front of the king's, very close to the "protagonist's exclusive" seat.

"Hoshino-kun, what a coincidence."

Even the outwardly cold Ayanokoji Kiyona seemed somewhat surprised.

I'll just use "coincidence" to explain anything that's hard to justify from now on.

"Do you believe in fate?"

Although Hoshino Kanade didn't believe in fate, he only needed to make Ayanokoji Kiyona believe in it.

"Why would Hoshino-kun suddenly ask such a question?"

"I was just reflecting on it. It's such a coincidence; our meeting today feels like it was destined."

He felt this phrasing was a bit ambiguous, but it shouldn't be a problem for Ayanokoji Kiyona.

Ayanokoji Kiyona nodded feignedly, her tone slightly playful.

"Maybe it really was destiny, who knows."

Ayanokoji Kiyona was more of a believer in science, but considering Hoshino-kun was her only friend at the moment—perhaps even her only friend in the future—she had no choice but to humor him.

"Does Ayanokoji-san think so too? I hope we can be good friends for life."

Ayanokoji Kiyona felt a flicker of light in Hoshino-kun's eyes, but it vanished when she blinked; she must have seen it wrong.

"Mm, together."

Ayanokoji had responded to Hoshino Kanade's expectations only after careful consideration.

Hoshino Kanade's appearance matched her aesthetic, and he radiated the same kind of aura she did; it would be perfect for the two of them to huddle together for warmth and isolate themselves from the rest of the class.

"Hey, can you two be quiet?"

Horikita Suzune, who was reading a book nearby, couldn't take it anymore. Even though the other students in the class were much louder, the conversation between the two of them was what bothered Horikita Suzune the most.

Only then did Hoshino Kanade notice Horikita Suzune beside them—a beautiful girl with long black hair, but her personality was abstract. He felt... she wasn't as good as Kiyona.

"Who are you?"

If not for Horikita Suzune, Hoshino Kanade felt that he would already be holding hands with Kiyona, pouring his heart out to her.

That wretched Horikita brat, today I will...

"Before asking for someone's name, shouldn't you state your own first?"

Should I say it's just like Horikita Suzune to do that?

"There are 13 groups of people talking in the class right now, and the fan noise is at 52 decibels. Why are you only demanding silence from us?"

Of course, Hoshino Kanade was just saying that based on his intuition.

Many of his classmates' gazes gathered over, and the volume in the classroom dropped significantly.

It was likely that Hoshino Kanade and Horikita Suzune had already been labeled by many of their classmates.

"Whether others are disturbing me is something I will judge for myself, but your voices are the most annoying to my ears."

Hoshino Kanade felt that Horikita Suzune always possessed a mysterious sense of confidence; no matter the situation, she was always righteous and self-assured.

"Your subjective sensory defects shouldn't be something we have to pay for. It's not too late to drop out and go to a hospital now."

Horikita Suzune glared at Hoshino Kanade, her gaze sharp enough that it could have killed him.

"You..."

"The teacher is coming, the teacher is coming! Everyone, sit down quickly~"

The spell was interrupted, and Horikita Suzune felt a surge of frustration she couldn't release; it was agonizing, so she vented by stabbing her compass into an eraser.

"Tap, tap, tap." The sound of high heels approached from afar. As the bell rang, a woman wearing a suit walked into the classroom.

She projected a reliable image, appearing to be over 30 but not by much, with a professional high ponytail tied at the back of her head.

"Greetings, freshmen. I am the homeroom teacher for Class D, Chabashira Sae. I am usually responsible for teaching Japanese history. In this school, teachers do not change every academic year. Therefore, I will be your homeroom teacher and study alongside you for these three years. I look forward to working with you."

"The entrance ceremony will be held in the gymnasium in one hour. Before that, I will distribute materials regarding the special rules of this school."

Seeing that the class discipline was so good, Chabashira Sae thought that perhaps this year's Class D students might be able to retain more class points in their first month than previous batches.

Unfortunately, this was merely an illusion.

The distributed materials were an introduction to the school, which he had already seen in the school's brochure earlier—requirements such as living on campus for three years and the prohibition of outside contact.

Using the student ID card provided, one could make purchases within the school.

"Points will be automatically deposited on the first of every month, and everyone should have already been fairly distributed 100,000 points. Additionally, each point is worth one yen."

Before Chabashira Sae could finish, Class D had already become noisy, with students expressing their shock to the classmates they had just met.

If he hadn't known in advance, Hoshino Kanade might have lost his composure for a moment as well.

100,000 yen was equivalent to the purchasing power of 5,000 yuan back home. For someone like Hoshino Kanade, who came from a poor background, it was hard to imagine how one could spend all these points in a single month.

However, the class points would drop to zero next month, and Hoshino Kanade had no intention of changing that outcome.

Class D was inherently a lost cause; even if he told them the rules in advance, he doubted they would have many points left.

They would also become a target, forced to strive upward by the malicious homeroom teacher of Class D and pressure-monsters like Horikita Suzune.

With the time spent training Class D, he would rather trade information with other classes to earn personal points.

Although he felt a bit sorry for Class D, Hoshino Kanade had never intended to integrate into the class anyway.

"Are you surprised? This school measures students based on ability. Those of you who were able to enroll possess corresponding value and potential. In this regard, points represent the school's evaluation of you. Don't be shy, use them as much as you like. However, the school will reclaim these points after you graduate. Once the points are deposited, how you use them is entirely your freedom."

Everything Chabashira Sae said was true, yet her phrasing was deliberately misleading to the students.

Students only needed to enjoy their school life, while the homeroom teacher had to consider much more.

'Will they only make changes after falling into the abyss?'

For Hoshino Kanade, not having pocket money every month didn't seem like an abyss, though.

"Huh?"

Although Hoshino Kanade had anticipated it, the answer came a bit suddenly. She really was "Ayanokoji," or rather, "Kiyona."

'Should I introduce myself at a time like this?'

The topic shifted a bit too quickly, rendering the mental draft Hoshino Kanade had prepared useless.

"Although it's sudden, this is our second time meeting, so it shouldn't matter, right?"

My "hesitation" made Ayanokoji Kiyona look a bit "nervous."

'If I react poorly, will I cause Ayanokoji to become introverted for life?'

"My name is Hoshino Kanade. Please treat me well."

Hoshino Kanade thought about trivial matters in his head while still managing to introduce himself.

"Then we're friends from now on, right? That's great, I was actually a bit nervous just now."

Ayanokoji said, gently patting her small chest with her hand, looking as if she had "breathed a sigh of relief."

'How cute. It feels like there's a "Kushida vibe," though... she's smaller than Kushida.'

"I have a feeling Hoshino-kun is thinking of something rude."

Ayanokoji Kiyona saying this without any emotion truly felt terrifying, even though her voice never carried any emotion to begin with.

"I was just thinking, after you saw me on the bus, didn't you feel awkward?"

Hoshino Kanade could only find some random topic to talk about.

"I felt quite awkward at the time; I didn't know what would be best to do."

Although Hoshino Kanade felt this statement was just as unbelievable as the "coincidence" Ayanokoji had mentioned.

"Class 1-D."

"I'm in Class D too. It's so lucky to be in the same class as Hoshino-kun."

Ayanokoji Kiyona felt a hint of joy, The first friend I've made is a classmate. If this friendship doesn't break, I should be able to spend three years of school life peacefully with just one friend.

Hoshino Kanade had long expected to be assigned to Class D. Although his academic ability was high due to his need for scholarships, he had spent all his extracurricular time in middle school working part-time jobs, leaving him with zero interpersonal experience. His evaluation by the interviewers was likely similar to that of Horikita Suzune.

Despite having memories of his past life, barring any surprises, the upcoming exams were essentially open-book tests for him. Leading the class to Class A would be simple, but maintaining Class A would be difficult. After all, the original work hadn't even finished updating when he transmigrated, and Hoshino Kanade's combat prowess wasn't exactly impressive here.

It would be better to accumulate private points through the early exams. Later, when he wanted to graduate, he could either transfer to Class A or exchange them for money; either way, getting into a good university after graduation was a solid choice.

However, he hadn't expected that in this world, Ayanokoji's X chromosome had beaten the Y chromosome. Perhaps he could consider clinging to Kiyona's white legs.

As expected, when Hoshino Kanade and Ayanokoji Kiyona arrived at the classroom, most of the students had already arrived, immersed in conversations with their new classmates.

The combination of a handsome man and a beautiful woman, coupled with their "stay away" expressions, only briefly attracted the attention of a few people.

The back row by the window, the home of the king; Hoshino Kanade's seat was in front of the king's, very close to the "protagonist's exclusive" seat.

"Hoshino-kun, what a coincidence."

Even the outwardly cold Ayanokoji Kiyona appeared somewhat surprised.

I'll just use "coincidence" to explain anything that's hard to explain in the future.

"Do you believe in fate?"

Although Hoshino Kanade didn't believe in fate, he just needed to make Ayanokoji Kiyona believe in it.

"Why did Hoshino-kun suddenly ask such a question?"

"I was just feeling sentimental. It's such a coincidence; our meeting today feels like it was destined."

He felt this statement was a bit ambiguous, but it shouldn't be a problem to say it to Ayanokoji Kiyona.

Ayanokoji Kiyona nodded feignedly, her tone slightly playful.

"Perhaps it really is destiny, who knows."

Ayanokoji Kiyona believed more in science, but considering Hoshino-kun was her only friend at the moment—and perhaps her only friend in the future—she had no choice but to humor him.

"Does Ayanokoji-san think so too? I hope we can be good friends for life."

Ayanokoji Kiyona felt a flicker of light in Hoshino-kun's eyes, but it vanished when she blinked; she must have seen it wrong.

"Mm, together."

Ayanokoji had responded to Hoshino Kanade's expectations only after careful consideration.

Hoshino Kanade's appearance matched her aesthetic, and he radiated the same kind of aura as her. It would be perfect for the two of them to huddle together for warmth and isolate the rest of the class.

"Hey, can you two be quiet?"

Horikita Suzune, who was reading a book nearby, couldn't take it anymore. Even though the other students in the class were much noisier, the conversation between the two of them made Horikita Suzune feel even more agitated.

Hoshino Kanade only then noticed Horikita Suzune beside them—a super beautiful girl with long black hair, but her personality was abstract. He felt... she wasn't as good as Kiyona.

"Who are you?"

If it weren't for Horikita Suzune, Hoshino Kanade felt he would already be holding hands with Kiyona, pouring their hearts out to each other.

That wretched Horikita brat, this old man today...

"Before asking for someone's name, shouldn't you state your own first?"

Should he say that's just like Horikita Suzune?

"There are currently 13 groups of people talking in the class, and the fan noise is at 52 decibels. Why only ask us to be quiet?"

Of course, Hoshino Kanade was just saying this based on his intuition.

Many students in the class also gathered their attention here, and the noise in the classroom quieted down significantly.

He estimated that Hoshino Kanade and Horikita Suzune had already been labeled by many of their classmates.

"Whether others interfere with me, I will naturally judge, but your voices are the most annoying to my ears."

Hoshino Kanade felt that Horikita Suzune always had a mysterious sense of confidence; no matter what happened, she was always righteous and self-assured.

"Your subjective perception is flawed, and we shouldn't have to pay the price for it. It's not too late to drop out and go to the hospital now."

Horikita Suzune glared at Hoshino Kanade, her gaze sharp enough to kill him.

"You..."

"The teacher is here, the teacher is here, everyone sit down quickly~"

With her spellcasting interrupted, Horikita Suzune felt a surge of frustration stuck in her chest, agonizingly uncomfortable, so she could only vent by stabbing her compass into an eraser.

"Click, clack, click." The sound of high heels approached from afar, and as the bell rang, a woman dressed in a suit walked into the classroom.

She projected an image of reliability, appearing to be somewhere just over thirty years old, with a sharp, professional ponytail tied at the back of her head.

"Greetings, freshmen. I am the homeroom teacher for Class D, Chabashira Sae. I am responsible for teaching Japanese History. In this school, teachers do not change every academic year. Therefore, I will be your homeroom teacher for the next three years. I look forward to working with you."

"The entrance ceremony will be held in the gymnasium in one hour. Before that, I am going to distribute materials regarding the special rules of this school."

Seeing that the discipline in the classroom was so good, Chabashira Sae thought that perhaps this year's Class D students might be able to retain more class points in their first month than previous batches.

Unfortunately, this was merely an illusion.

The distributed materials were an introduction to the school, which they had already seen in the previous brochure, along with some requirements, such as living on campus for three years and the prohibition of outside contact.

By using the issued student ID card, one could make purchases within the school.

"Points will be automatically deposited on the first of every month, and everyone should have already been fairly issued one hundred thousand points. Additionally, each point is worth one Japanese yen."

Before Chabashira Sae had even finished speaking, Class D had already become noisy and chaotic, with students expressing their shock to the classmates they had just met.

If he hadn't known in advance, Hoshino Kanade might have lost his composure for a moment as well.

One hundred thousand yen was equivalent to the purchasing power of five thousand yuan back home; for a pauper like Hoshino Kanade, it was hard to imagine how one could spend all these points in a single month.

However, they would become a zero-point class by next month, and Hoshino Kanade had no intention of changing that outcome.

Class D was essentially a lost cause; even if he told them the rules in advance, he doubted they would have many points left.

He would only become a target of public criticism, forced to lead the class upward by the malicious homeroom teacher of Class D and pressure-monsters like Horikita Suzune.

With the time it would take to whip Class D into shape, he would be better off trading information with other classes to earn personal points.

Although he felt a bit sorry for Class D, Hoshino Kanade had never intended to integrate into the class anyway.

"Are you surprised? This school measures students based on ability, and those of you who were able to enroll possess corresponding value and potential. In this regard, points represent the school's evaluation of you. Don't be shy; use them as you please. However, the school will reclaim these points after you graduate. Once the points are deposited, how you use them is entirely your freedom."

Everything Chabashira Sae said was a fact, yet her phrasing was deliberately misleading to the students.

Students only needed to enjoy their school life, but a homeroom teacher had many more things to consider.

Will they only make changes after falling into the abyss?

For Hoshino Kanade, not having pocket money every month didn't seem like an abyss, anyway.