The opening ceremony ended, and free time began.
Uesugi Hara spotted Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in the crowd and hurried over, patting him on the shoulder. "Hey, got a question for you—are you into that girl?"
Ayanokoji looked up, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Who?"
"The one who just jabbed you with a compass," Uesugi Hara said, nodding toward Class D. "The same one from the bus this morning."
"No." Ayanokoji's reply was brief and firm.
"No?" Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Then why'd you let her poke your shoulder with a compass? Anyone else would've blown up."
Ayanokoji was quiet for a few seconds before slowly replying, "Well...I didn't know how I was supposed to react. It did hurt, though."
Uesugi Hara clicked his tongue in disbelief, then thumped his chest and offered some advice. "Trust me, buddy. Next time she tries that, just slap her. I guarantee she'll behave herself right away. She definitely won't try it again."
Ayanokoji looked at him without saying a word. In his usually expressionless eyes, a flicker of confusion seemed to appear, as if to ask, Are you serious?
"..." Uesugi Hara felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and rubbed his nose. "What? It works. You've gotta be tough with people who don't know their limits."
Ayanokoji still didn't respond. He simply shook his head and turned toward the dorms.
"Hey, wait up! Wait for me!" Uesugi Hara hurried after him and fell into step beside him. "Why do you just walk off like that? I wasn't finished talking."
Ayanokoji glanced sideways at him, his expression unreadable, as if asking, "Is there something else?"
Uesugi Hara took that as an opening and asked with a grin, "Do you have any friends?"
Ayanokoji was silent for a moment, then said, "No."
"Exactly." Uesugi Hara clapped his hands and spoke as if they were already old friends. "Since neither of us has anyone to hang out with, let's walk together. We can chat on the way."
Ayanokoji didn't say anything or quicken his pace, which was as good as agreeing.
Inside the convenience store beneath the dormitory.
Holding a flashy bottle labeled "13-in-1," Uesugi Hara eagerly brought it over to Ayanokoji. "Ayanokoji, what do you think of this? Take my word for it, it works great! I've been using this stuff for years."
Ayanokoji glanced down at the densely packed list of ingredients on the bottle, then looked at Uesugi Hara. For once, his usually unruffled eyes showed something close to shock—as if to say, You've been using this and you're still alive?
"Don't look at me like that." Uesugi Hara shook the bottle, defending it earnestly. "I haven't seen a single bad review for this stuff. It's great value—one bottle does thirteen jobs. It's convenient!"
Ayanokoji didn't reply. He picked up a regular bottle of body wash and a bottle of shampoo from the shelf beside him and said calmly, "I'll just use these."
"Fine, suit yourself." Uesugi Hara pursed his lips and tossed the "13-in-1" into his basket. "You'll see how great it is eventually."
Ayanokoji didn't argue. He picked up his things and headed to another aisle.
"Hey, look over there." Uesugi Hara suddenly nudged him with his elbow and nodded toward a corner of the store.
Ayanokoji followed his gaze. His desk mate, Horikita Suzune, stood in the corner, looking down as she picked out toiletries.
"What was her name again?" Uesugi Hara asked, scratching his head.
"Horikita Suzune. She's my desk mate," Ayanokoji replied succinctly.
"Horikita?" Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow, remembering something. "I think the student council president who spoke at the opening ceremony also had the last name Horikita. Could they be siblings?"
"I don't know," Ayanokoji replied, just as curtly.
"Then go ask her. You're desk mates, aren't you? You're right there—you could easily find out a thing or two," Uesugi Hara urged.
Ayanokoji stayed silent, his expression suggesting it wasn't necessary.
"Forget it, forget it." Uesugi Hara understood from his reaction and waved a hand. "You don't exactly seem like the sociable type. But anyway, Horikita looks like a real snob, just like that student council president."
As they spoke, Horikita Suzune seemed to notice them looking at her. She glanced over, her expression cool and appraising. The moment their eyes met, she looked away, picked up a notebook, and headed for the checkout. She didn't spare them so much as another glance.
Uesugi Hara clicked his tongue. "See? What'd I tell you?"
"I'm heading out," Ayanokoji said calmly, carrying his shopping bag.
Only then did Uesugi Hara realize Ayanokoji had already finished shopping. He'd been so busy talking that he hadn't picked out anything yet. He quickly waved a hand. "Sure, go ahead. I'll look around a bit longer."
After Ayanokoji left, Uesugi Hara didn't linger. He quickly picked out a towel, a toothbrush, and a few other necessities. As he paid, he noticed a pile of simply packaged daily essentials beside the counter, marked "Free to take." He casually asked the clerk, "Can I take these?"
The clerk explained politely, "Sorry, these emergency supplies are for students whose Points balance is too low."
Uesugi Hara said, "Oh," and didn't give it much thought. He still had over eighty thousand Points in his account, enough to spend freely for a while.
He had just stepped out of the convenience store with his bag when he heard an argument nearby.
"You're from Class 1-D, right?" Three male students in upper-year uniforms had cornered a red-haired boy with a crew cut, their voices hostile.
Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow. The red-haired boy looked familiar; he'd seen him in Class D's lineup at the opening ceremony. He didn't look like the harmless sort.
Were they picking a fight on purpose?
He stopped and folded his arms, watching.
The upper-year student in the lead sneered. "Class D, huh... Tsk, tsk. You're in that class, so your life's pretty much over."
The red-haired boy clenched his fists, his face darkening. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing in particular." The other boy slapped him lightly on the cheek in a mocking way. "You'll find out soon enough what real hell is like. Hahaha..."
The three of them burst out laughing and walked away, leaving the red-haired boy standing there, trembling with anger but not pursuing them.
Instead, the red-haired boy abruptly turned around and kicked the garbage can beside him. The metal can crashed over with a loud clang, spilling trash all over the ground.
Then he stormed off, muttering curses.
Uesugi Hara stood there thoughtfully, stroking his chin.
What counted as hell?
Based on what he'd observed so far, Class D was full of problem students, Class C was packed with delinquents, Class B was a bunch of well-behaved students, and Class A had the air of an elite professional crowd.
The school had clearly sorted its students into ranks with Classes A, B, C, and D.
"Survival of the fittest."
The words suddenly popped into his head.
The school had gathered a group of students, divided them into classes, and set them against one another, with the best eventually coming out on top.
So the school's best resources probably went only to the winners.
In other words, only the winners got to enjoy the benefits the school had promised?
The winner took all, while the losers were left in the dust?
This system was a little like the "White Room," except here the classes were pitted against one another.
Considering what the upper-year students had just said about "hell," along with the Points system he already knew about, Uesugi Hara narrowed his eyes. It looked like things in Class D would get pretty interesting next month.
But what did any of that have to do with him?
Uesugi Hara scoffed and turned toward the dorms, paying no attention to the toppled garbage can behind him or the red-haired boy's furious glare.
He was in Class A, after all. He only had to mind his own business. What did he care what happened to the other classes?
Before you continue