The Demon King Let Out an Ominous Laugh

Back in the dormitory.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka placed the items he had bought on the table.

He spread them out.

Free daily necessities, along with a small amount of discounted ingredients and kitchenware, lay scattered about, each claiming its own spot on the tabletop.

Among them, one square, orderly object that had absolutely nothing to do with the others in either purpose or category stood out in particular.

It was a copy of World Famous Drama Appreciation.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka silently stared at the culprit that had been forcefully promoted to him, its salesman nearly shattering social conventions by staging a forbidden man-on-man scene. His feelings were complicated.

"You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you don't buy it!"

"Ayanokoji-kun wouldn't want to miss these treasures of humanity either, right?"

"If you don't buy it, I'll tell Horikita right in front of you tomorrow that you like her!"

"Looking at Ayanokoji-kun now, I can see you still have quite a bit of charm left..."

The words that man had used to recommend the things he revered lingered in his ears like a demon's whispers. They were like a dying ghost clinging to his body—harmless, yet enough to send chills down his spine whenever he thought of them.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka swallowed with lingering fear.

He took out the newly purchased kettle, filled it with water, set it on the table, and turned it on to boil.

While waiting, he opened the drama anthology.

He had previously received instruction on drama in the White Room for exam purposes, but most of it had merely been the forced memorization of the ideas and meanings dramas were meant to convey.

The contents of the dramas themselves had never been taught to him. Thinking about it now, perhaps they had deemed them impractical and a waste of time.

It was like the video games some people had talked about in class earlier. Everything he heard had gone into his head in a blur. He could not tell what was what, nor did he know which category of knowledge to place it in.

The club president was different...

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's finger stopped on a page he had flipped to at random, and his thoughts drifted back to what had happened earlier.

The club president could almost casually flip to the corresponding page for any drama. He could recite a play's plot and the historical background of its creation without hesitation. Earlier in class, he had even offered sharp commentary on the games and manga some people had been discussing.

Although he had ultimately earned their annoyed and unfriendly looks, Ayanokoji could tell that the club president had his own unique insights and understanding... yes.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka poured himself a cup of hot water and placed it at the corner of the desk, then turned his gaze back to the drama anthology before him.

He felt it might be necessary to explore the world the club president inhabited. That man radiated an unfathomable, strange sort of mystery from head to toe.

If people were textbooks, then he would surely be the most complicated, hardest to understand, and richest in content.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka decided to begin studying him through his hobbies.

Bang!

The bedroom door was flung open boldly. Bai Yu set a bag of items on the table, then turned and threw himself into the embrace of the spacious single bed.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

An indescribably anguished cry rang out through the room.

After freely switching positions for a while—up, down, left, right—twisting his body repeatedly as though testing the bed's quality, Bai Yu suddenly sat up and began staring blankly at the slanting sunset beyond the door.

"Tomorrow's today is... yesterday?" the boy said.

His eyes brimmed with deep melancholy.

A moment later, it was as if lightning exploded through an empty void of chaos.

The man swiftly pulled a pen from between his shirt buttons, fished a notepad from his pocket, lowered his head, and began writing furiously... Gurgle gurgle gurgle, it's inspiration!

After a frenzied burst of recording so fast it was almost skipping frames, Bai Yu stopped writing and took a deep breath. At last, he had caught the flash of inspiration that had crossed his mind while he was shopping.

He had not let it vanish just like that.

What an unexpected and delightful gain.

Bai Yu revealed a thoroughly satisfied smile, then got up to do something serious.

Moving into a student dormitory for the first time was always troublesome. Some necessary cleaning had to be done.

Bai Yu stood at a wide angle and looked around, only to feel that the cleaning could be simplified a little.

As expected of a prestigious high school, it seemed staff were assigned to clean the student dormitories regularly.

Otherwise, even if upperclassmen had lived here before, the dust that had accumulated over an entire summer would have taken considerable effort to clean.

Bai Yu was glad he could leave himself more time to write stories.

He switched on the desk lamp, replacing the sunlight the sun had taken away.

Passion ignited the flames of creation, becoming a warm, bright bonfire that continued to burn as night descended.

What kind of person was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka?

Bai Yu kept tapping at the keyboard, his thoughts sprouting wildly like weeds...

He was a prince hailed as a genius, the heir to a fallen empire.

He had never left the palace walls since childhood, yet he knew the affairs of the world; nourished by gardeners, he bloomed in magnificent, astonishing colors; he gazed up at the high walls, never having seen the moon, and thus knew nothing of the people's suffering.

He grew up in a magnificent palace, receiving the very best of everything and the finest education.

For the sake of growth, he discarded precious things, believing them to be obstacles in his pursuit of truth.

Slowly, he became the most learned person in the world, just as he wished.

The king began flaunting the prince's existence before other nations, enjoying the admiration and praise of his citizens and neighboring countries.

Vanity consumed him. His desires and ambition swelled by the day, until they devoured even himself completely.

The king launched war against the nations, using the prince's power and the empire's future prosperity as deterrence.

After years of lying low and building his strength, he finally began pursuing his ambition to dominate the world, preparing to fight for the throne of the strongest kingdom.

The prince did not approve of his actions.

Having been instilled with competition and utilitarianism since childhood, he believed that only victory represented everything.

The victors entered the palace. The victors received praise. The victors stood atop the pyramid, enjoying the gazes and worship of all.

He regarded the citizens he had never interacted with as worthless grass, treating them as sacrifices of war and tools to achieve his goals.

And so, the prince and king joined in slaughter against the various nations, leaving the world in misery...

Did that seem a little too heavy?

Bai Yu raised an eyebrow and leaned back slightly from the screen.

Perhaps he should change it to this.

One day, in celebration of the prince's birthday, the prince's birth mother invited a folk musician from outside the palace.

The folk musician had traveled through many nations for years, deeply understanding the hardships of their people. He had tasted the smoke and fire of mortal life, yet still held half an acre of poetry in his heart.

He told the prince of his experiences over the years, allowing him to encounter and understand the world beyond the high walls.

The prince developed a strong interest in it.

The folk musician was gratified. After returning home, he turned their story into a ballad and spread it among the people. When the citizens learned that their future king was not a cold and heartless ruler, they worked hard and gave their full support.

In the end, under the governance of the former prince, who had gained a human touch and gradually begun to care for the people, the kingdom slowly moved toward a glory even more prosperous than before...

Hmm. This version had a beginning and an ending, and it was much friendlier to the audience.

He might as well make it the final version and submit it directly to a theater troupe.

Bai Yu stopped tapping at the keyboard, clasped his head, leaned back, and took a deep breath.

Advanced Nurturing prohibited contact with the outside world, but it did not seem to prevent students from connecting to the internet.

Many blogs and social networking sites could still be accessed normally.

The handbook explicitly prohibited revealing any information about the school. Once someone did so, they would be expelled without any room for negotiation.

Although he did not know how the school detected whether students had committed such violations, it was better not to tempt fate just in case.

Bai Yu occasionally poured himself a cup of hot water, holding it in his hands while looking at the patches of sunlight cast by the setting sun near the door to ease the dryness and fatigue in his eyes.

His thoughts drifted to the far side of cotton-candy-colored clouds, and Bai Yu recalled some things from that morning.

Their chance meeting at the school gate had been like the opening of a play. When he had reached out and pulled Ayanokoji Kiyotaka over, he had inadvertently sensed the other man's extraordinary core strength, the steady and solid lower body like a millstone, every step planted with calm stability...

It felt as though the other party was always ready to exert force at any time and explode with astonishing power in an instant.

That was clearly not a quality an ordinary high school student possessed.

Bai Yu had immediately been drawn to that overwhelming power. His heart had leapt with excitement, and he gradually became so engrossed that he forgot food and sleep, determined to glimpse the full extent of that strength no matter what.

Besides, Ayanokoji himself was interesting.

Perhaps someday in the future, he might be fortunate enough to perform a truly exhilarating scene opposite him.

Thinking of that.

Based on his brief understanding of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and the flash of inspiration he had while shopping, Bai Yu created a play using him as the prototype.

This story was entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons was purely coincidental.

Bai Yu's thoughts skipped to copyright matters. Perhaps there would not be such an improbable coincidence in the world after all.

Bai Yu reined in his thoughts, stopping them from continuing into unrealistic fantasies.

Being hired by a theater troupe as its exclusive writer, signing a lifelong secure contract, then being picked up from school tomorrow in a luxurious, gleaming black car as a young and naturally gifted winner—he should just think about it and leave it at that.

Dreams were better saved for nighttime.

For now, he should prioritize what was right in front of him!

After stretching, Bai Yu walked to the entrance and closed the door, then returned to the desk to begin thinking about establishing the club.

Kushida's request was a bit thorny.

Leaving aside Horikita's issues, Kikyo Kushida herself had plenty of issues too.

But commanders always stayed in the rear. Would it not be better to send the soldiers to the front lines first?

"Hehehe..."

An ominous laugh rang out in the room.

Be grateful, Ayanokoji-kun.

As repayment for joining my club, I shall personally place a crown upon your head and assist you in becoming a wise ruler beloved by the people!