Boss, I'm Really a Law-Abiding Citizen!

Ayanokoji Yuefeng took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the Class C classroom.

In an instant, dozens of gazes "swished" and converged upon him.

Unlike the casual scanning at the school gate, the gazes here carried a more direct scrutiny, curiosity, and a trace of imperceptible... evaluation.

The atmosphere in the classroom was also slightly peculiar; it wasn't filled with the excited clamor typical of a new freshman class, but rather a subtle, suppressed sense of restlessness.

Yuefeng bit the bullet and walked in, feeling like a... uh, wolf in sheep's clothing wandering into a pack of wolves?

Or perhaps a husky in sheep's clothing? Either way, he couldn't quite figure it out himself.

"Excuse me, I'm a transfer student, Ayanokoji Yuefeng." He tried his best to keep his voice calm, his eyes sweeping quickly across the classroom.

He couldn't put a name to most of them, but soon, he locked onto his target.

In the back row by the window, a boy sat sprawled out, one foot resting on the empty chair beside him.

He was using his eyes, which were filled with obvious hostility and interest, to look Yuefeng up and down without any attempt at concealment.

He was sturdily built with a rebellious expression, his entire being practically screaming "I'm trouble," and he was surrounded by several other boys who also didn't look particularly "kind."

Ishizaki Daichi, distinct features, confirmed.

But Yuefeng's gaze brushed past Ishizaki and landed on the person next to him.

That person sat in a casual, almost lazy posture with a smirk on his face, but his eyes were like those of a viper—cold, sharp, and seemingly capable of piercing through skin to see the bones beneath.

He didn't have the overt aggression of Ishizaki, yet he made Yuefeng feel even more uncomfortable. It was the feeling of being targeted by an apex predator.

Ryuen Kakeru.

Yuefeng's palms were sweating slightly. In the original story, this guy was a ruthless character who didn't play by the rules and believed in violence and domination.

Would this face of his, which was extremely similar to Kiyotaka's, arouse his extra "interest"?

"Transfer student?" Ryuen spoke up, his voice not loud, yet the remaining buzzing in the classroom vanished instantly.

He leaned forward slightly, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk. "Transferring on the first day of school? And directly into Class C? Interesting."

Ishizaki grinned from the side: "Hey, newcomer, that outfit of yours is pretty nice. Which designer brand is it? Is your family rich?"

Yuefeng looked down at his "flashy" uniform and sighed inwardly.

Sure enough, in a place that prioritized ability above all else and was strictly stratified, anything that stood out could become a focal point.

"My family... runs a small business.

This clothing was... a gift from a relative. It doesn't quite meet the regulations, so I'll change into the school uniform as soon as possible." He had to get rid of this "target suit" quickly. Yuefeng spoke vaguely, deciding to blur the details.

"A small business?" The curve of Ryuen's mouth deepened; he clearly didn't believe it, but he didn't press the issue.

"Ayanokoji Yuefeng... the name sounds a bit familiar." He paused, his gaze locking onto Yuefeng's face like a searchlight.

"And, you look... a bit like a certain annoying guy."

Here it comes! Yuefeng's heart tightened. He was noticed after all.

"Is that so? Maybe I just have a common face." Yuefeng said dryly, trying to muddle through.

"A common face?" Ishizaki let out a strange laugh. "That guy in Class D named Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looks exactly like you, as if you were cut from the same mold!

If your surnames weren't different, I would've thought you were his brother!"

A wave of low murmurs erupted in the classroom.

It seemed that although Kiyotaka kept a low profile, his face had still left an impression on some people on the very first day of school.

Yuefeng felt Ryuen's gaze become even sharper, filled with a sense of inquiry.

He knew that denying it or being vague now would only make Ryuen more interested and more eager to dig something up.

Therefore, he raised his head, met Ryuen's gaze, and tried to make his expression look helpless yet sincere: "Actually... we are indeed brothers.

Twins. We were just separated from a young age." This was half-truth and half-lie, mixed together.

In any case, outsiders couldn't possibly know the details of his family's privacy or "Father's" strange arrangements.

"Oh?" Ryuen's eyebrows arched high, clearly very interested in this answer.

"Twin brothers, one in Class D and one transferring into Class C? This is too interesting." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "So, are you here for that brother of yours?"

"You could say that." Yuefeng followed his lead, but switched to a narrative that better fit his current "persona" and mission. "My family... hoped we could be at the same school.

As for why we're in different classes, it's probably the school's arrangement."

He shifted the blame to the school's system while implying that "family reasons" were the primary driver; this was reasonable and aligned with how most people imagined the "complicated situations of wealthy families."

"Hoped you'd be together?" Ryuen sneered. "Then you're really obedient. That dump called Class D—you're actually willing to come to this school?"

"The evaluation of a school isn't determined by the class, is it?" Yuefeng blurted out subconsciously, and immediately wanted to slap himself.

Damn it, why did he say his internal monologue out loud! Challenging Ryuen's class-discrimination rhetoric in front of him—wasn't he just asking for trouble?

Sure enough, Ryuen's eyes turned cold, but then they became playful again. "Heh, you've got a big mouth. It seems you have quite a bit of confidence in that brother of yours in Class D?"

He stood up slowly and walked over to Yuefeng. Although he wasn't necessarily much taller than Yuefeng, his oppressive aura made Yuefeng hold his breath involuntarily.

"Listen, newcomer, Ayanokoji Yuefeng."

"I don't care whose brother you are, and I don't care why you transferred here. In Class C, you follow Class C's rules. My rules." Ryuen leaned in closer, speaking in a slow, measured tone that only the two of them could hear.

He patted Yuefeng on the shoulder, the force neither too light nor too heavy, yet carrying a distinct sense of warning.

"If you're a dragon, you coil up for me; if you're a tiger, you lie down for me."

"Of course, if you're a useful dog, I don't mind tossing you a bone."

"Now, tell me, what 'value' can you bring to Class C? Besides that... rather unpleasant face of yours." He stared into Yuefeng's eyes, his smile icy.

The pressure hit like a mountain. Yuefeng felt his back grow slightly damp.

He knew Ryuen was putting him in his place, as well as making an initial assessment of his "utility" and "threat level."

If he answered poorly, his days in Class C would likely be miserable, and it might even affect his "mission" to observe Kiyotaka.

Value? What value did he have? As a former ordinary high school student and current unlucky transmigrator, his greatest value was perhaps knowing a bit about the plot?

But could he say that? He'd likely be branded a lunatic.

In a flash, Yuefeng recalled some of the operations in Class C from the original story, as well as Ryuen's style of conduct.

He needed to show some "usefulness," but not the kind of "great usefulness" that would immediately trigger Ryuen's intense desire for control or suspicion.

"I..." Yuefeng swallowed, his mind racing. "My observation skills are decent, and I'm quite... good at organizing information."

"If the class needs to gather intelligence or analyze a situation, I might be able to help out."

This wasn't a lie; as a reader, he did know quite a bit of "intelligence." As for his analytical ability... well, did having read the script count?

"Oh? Intelligence?" Ryuen narrowed his eyes, seemingly unsatisfied with the answer, though he didn't outright dismiss it.

"Doesn't sound like much. However..." He stepped back, his gaze sweeping once more over Yuefeng's expensive attire and his body, which was slightly tense from nervousness.

"You, you look soft and pampered, not like someone who can fight."

"Your brain... I hope it's not as empty as those idiots in Class D." He waved his hand, as if dismissing something inconsequential. "Go find a seat for now."

"Remember, in Class C, unnecessary curiosity and acting on your own will be punished. Especially regarding matters involving Class D."

That last sentence carried a heavy warning.

Clearly, Ryuen had already linked "Ayanokoji Yuefeng" with "Class D's Kiyotaka Ayanokoji" and viewed them as a connection that required vigilance.

Feeling as if he had been granted a reprieve, Yuefeng quickly found a seat near the back, in an inconspicuous spot.

He could feel many gazes in the classroom still lingering on him, especially those of Ishizaki and his group, their eyes filled with undisguised scrutiny and a hint of itching-for-a-fight provocation.

The teacher for the first period entered and began explaining the special system of Advanced Nurturing High School and S Points.

Yuefeng forced himself to focus, even though he already "knew" all of this.

But as he listened, his thoughts drifted to Kiyotaka.

"That guy Kiyotaka... what is he doing in Class D right now?"

"He must have that same indifferent look on his face, not caring about anything." Yuefeng muttered to himself. "He saw me earlier; he definitely saw me."

"But he had absolutely no reaction... tch, this feeling of being completely ignored is really annoying."

"The old man wants me to 'guide' him back? What a joke. With that CPU-on-steroids brain of his, it's not even certain who would be guiding whom."

"I can barely look after myself right now, sitting next to a 'Tyrant' who could explode at any moment..."

He glanced quietly in Ryuen's direction.

The other boy was leaning lazily against his chair, seemingly listening to the lecture, but his eyes were unfocused, as if he were calculating something.

"However..." Yuefeng thought back to Ryuen's final warning. "'Especially regarding matters involving Class D'?"

"Is this a hint for me not to contact Kiyotaka, or... is he testing whether I'll take the initiative to do so?"

"The mission is to approach and guide Kiyotaka, but Ryuen clearly doesn't want me to have any ties to Class D, especially to Kiyotaka. I'm stuck in the middle."

Yuefeng sighed, feeling his future grow even bleaker.

"This school life is way more intense than reading a novel."

"At least when I read, I could hold a bag of snacks and complain. Now? I just want to curl up in my blanket and shiver."

"Kiyotaka, oh Kiyotaka, please don't cause any big news in Class D, at least... until your big brother here figures out the survival rules of Class C, can you just keep a low profile?"

"Oh, right, and my 'value'... looks like it's time to really recall what other 'intelligence' I can dig up besides the main cast, Class C, and Class D."

"For example, who has a crush on whom, who has a grudge against whom, who might fail their exams..."

Thinking of this, Yuefeng suddenly felt that his identity as a "transmigrator" might, possibly, maybe... not be entirely useless?

At the very least, when it came to "gossip" and "spoilers," he might be slightly more "capable" than everyone else present?

Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to find a way to survive under the "rule" of Ryuen Kakeru.

He had to preserve this meager "strength" of his, and in the process of trying to "guide" his inhuman younger brother, avoid getting himself "guided" into expulsion first.

The bell for the end of class rang, and Yuefeng watched his classmates begin to move around and talk, once again feeling a deep sense of isolation.

"Survival challenge, officially starting now."

"Level one: How to safely... go to the bathroom without attracting the 'Tyrant's' attention?"

This was truly a serious question.

After all, in a world where strength is everything, even basic physiological needs could become a point where one's weaknesses are exposed.