Unfortunately, things didn't go as hoped...
"Hey, hey, Mikage, what's your type?" someone asked from somewhere in the classroom.
Mikage Touji fell silent for a moment, then began rubbing his chin. "My type... My ideal partner... Hmm... All right, since you want to know..."
Some of the girls in the class instinctively perked up their ears.
"My ideal partner..."
Mikage Touji clapped his hands together, making the podium shake, and spoke with fervor:
"He has to be fifty meters tall!"
"His brain must be highly evolved!"
"He must have an incredibly strong body and a high level of moral integrity!"
"And he has to be able to fire a Specium Ray!"
"But not the one who likes boiling people into soup. He's too much of a womanizer. I'd prefer someone who can fuse with others, so I could enjoy several different experiences at once."
"If you know anyone like that, please introduce me."
"Thank you!"
His powerful declaration rang through the classroom. Everyone stared blankly at the figure on the podium.
In the dead-silent classroom, a crisp cracking sound seemed to ring out.
After a long while...
"He's handsome, and even his name sounds so aloof," a girl murmured dazedly from her seat. "How did he end up like..."
All right, that's done!
Mikage Touji wiped at the sweat that wasn't on his forehead and stepped down from the podium. He noticed Morishita Ran clutching her chest.
"What's wrong?"
"Please don't talk to me! You've put me in a terrible mood."
"What did I do to offend you this time?"
"You ruined the dazzling self-introduction I'd prepared so carefully. My dream has been shattered, and it's all your fault, Mikage Touji. You murderer!"
"Is there really any need to be this upset?"
"And I feel like..." Morishita Ran looked at her classmates' reactions and muttered, "You stole something that was supposed to be mine. You have to make it up to me!"
"Hey, hey, how am I supposed to make up for something so intangible?"
"So from now on, please don't talk to me. I'm going to mourn my lost dream."
In the end, Morishita Ran gave an exceptionally mundane self-introduction. After returning to her seat, she went back to playing with her poking toy, only this time she poked it a little harder and doodled all over his back.
But this feeling... Was she trying to draw a talisman on him and put a curse on him?
Mikage Touji had a bad feeling about this.
The last person to take the podium was the bald student. He seemed to have deliberately waited until the end.
"My name is Katsuragi Kōhei. I hope we can spend these three years together meaningfully..."
The shiny-headed student introduced himself in a steady voice.
"As for what kind of person I am, I won't go into that. I'm sure you'll find out over the course of our three years together. The last thing I want to say is..."
Katsuragi Kōhei paused briefly, his voice growing more serious.
"About the standard for receiving one hundred thousand points each month that Mr. Mashima mentioned earlier. I'm sure you heard him clearly: we won't necessarily receive one hundred thousand points every month."
"So until we understand the criteria for receiving points, I think it's best for everyone to maintain the status quo and avoid doing anything too out of line."
He hadn't jumped to conclusions about Mr. Mashima's words, nor had he rashly urged the class to take action. It was a cautious statement, and his personality seemed to match his sturdy build.
Mikage Touji had just finished assessing him when someone poked him in the back.
"Mikage Touji, aren't you going to say a few words? You could salvage your reputation before it sinks even deeper in their eyes." Morishita Ran rested her chin on her desk and spoke listlessly.
"I'm not interested in that kind of thing. You weren't planning to go up either, were you? Also, weren't you the one who told me not to talk to you? Aren't you supposed to be mourning your dream?"
"Three minutes ago, I found a new dream."
"You really are fickle."
"Says the guy who likes Ultraman fusions."
On the podium, after Katsuragi Kōhei finished sharing his thoughts, he looked toward Mikage Touji.
"Mikage, is there anything you'd like to add?"
"Even if you weren't interested, you can't escape now. Darkness is closing in on you." Morishita Ran spoke in a flat voice, her words dripping with schadenfreude.
So you knew, and you still said that!
"No." Mikage Touji shrugged. "Without any information, maintaining the status quo is the best option. The most urgent thing is to get information."
"I can try asking some of the upperclassmen. They should know something about this." Hashimoto Masayoshi volunteered, combing his bangs into place.
Katsuragi Kōhei nodded. "That does seem necessary. But considering Mr. Mashima's attitude just now, I don't think we'll be able to find out the answer that easily."
"If you need anything, I can help."
"Me too."
Before long, the class reached an agreement regarding the points.
At the same time, students in Class D were discussing the one hundred thousand points.
"Kushida, listen! Back in middle school, a Japanese youth baseball team actually came all the way to our school to recruit me. Too bad those guys at school were jealous of me and didn't even tell me about it, so I missed my chance. Otherwise, a number like one hundred thousand wouldn't even register with me!"
"Ahaha, r-really..."
"There's a figure I've wanted to buy for ages. Hehehe..."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I have absolutely no interest in making friends with people like you."
"One hundred thousand points every month? That's like a dream come true! New skirts, new bags, and more, more, more..."
"Hahaha! I'm simply too beautiful!"
In the corner of the classroom, Sakayanagi Arisu's composed smile had turned stiff.
The Two Supremes Battled Until the Great Dao Was Erased
No matter which world you were in, opening ceremonies were boring and long.
After yawning who knew how many times, the opening ceremony finally ended.
Mikage Touji politely declined Katsuragi Kōhei and the others' invitation to look into the matter together. By the time he left the gymnasium, the sun was already high overhead.
April in Tokyo wasn't hot. It was even a little chilly, and the sunlight felt pleasantly warm.
Did they have unlimited free mineral water here, too?
Mikage Touji stretched and stood beside a vending machine, pondering.
This vending machine was clearly different from the ones outside. There was an extra button labeled "Free" beside it, presumably added specifically to dispense free mineral water.
He pressed the free button, and a bottle of mineral water slid into the pickup slot. Mikage Touji bent down and picked it up.
It was an ordinary 500-milliliter bottle of mineral water, the kind commonly sold in stores. It probably cost around sixty yen.
Mikage Touji stared at the production date on the bottle, his eyes glinting.
It was quite recent. They must have restocked not long ago.
The school only had 480 students in total, and these vending machines were all over campus. In theory, there shouldn't have been much demand.
Yet quite a few students were still coming to get free mineral water.
Even though the school gave them points every month, did it still think some students would end up unable to spare even sixty yen?
Mikage Touji rhythmically tapped the bottle against his shoulder. He felt it was worth investigating for the sake of his next three years.
Carrying the bottle, Mikage Touji headed for the Student Cafeteria.
Ten minutes later, Mikage Touji stood at the entrance to the Student Cafeteria, surveying its various counters.
If there was free mineral water, then logically there should also be free meals... And there it was!
His gaze paused at a counter labeled "Mountain Vegetable Set Meal."
Vegetables, miso soup, meat that looked thoroughly unappetizing, and rice to top it off—a balanced meal with an indescribable combination of flavors...
Mikage Touji carried his tray with the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal and picked a seat at random.
Then he ran into Morishita Ran, who was eating in the cafeteria too.
Fried chicken, hamburger steak, salad, and a carbonated drink—a rather childish combination.
Morishita Ran, who was sitting nearby with her mouth clearly full, saw Mikage Touji and silently moved one seat farther away.
"..."
What was with that feeling of "I'm still having lunch, so please don't bother me for now"?
Still, that was fine. Mikage Touji sat down, gazed toward the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal counter, and put a bite of vegetables in his mouth.
So dry...
It had absolutely no flavor. It was pure torture, reminding him of his middle school cafeteria in his previous life. No! This was even worse!
One...
Two...
Three...
Mikage Touji slowly chewed a dry slice of meat while silently counting the students taking the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal.
"What number are you up to?"
"Six—"
Mikage Touji cut himself off. He didn't need to turn around to know that Morishita Ran was the only person who would suddenly speak up like that.
"How did you know I was counting?"
"..." Morishita Ran stayed silent.
Her reaction made Mikage Touji curious. What could make the eccentric Morishita Ran go quiet...
"Wait!" Mikage Touji recalled where Morishita Ran had been looking when he'd run into her. "Don't tell me you were also—"
"Correct." Morishita Ran cut him off. "I was planning to enjoy my lunch while searching for the school's hidden treasure, but then that dream-destroying Mikage Touji came into view.
"I was a little annoyed, so I thought about sneaking up behind him and getting my revenge. By the time I came to, I'd forgotten what number I was up to."
Mikage Touji stared blankly at Morishita Ran's expressionless face. Was she clever or straightforward?
"Then I noticed Mikage Touji was counting people too, so I decided to use him to make up for my loss. I even generously cleared a seat for him so I wouldn't distract him. Things went just as I expected." A flash of smugness crossed Morishita Ran's otherwise cool face.
All right, there was no way he could predict this girl.
"Then should we exchange information?"
"No." Morishita Ran refused sharply and without hesitation. "Treasure is meaningless if you don't find it yourself. That's the ancestral teaching passed down through the Morishita Family."
"...Were your ancestors from One Piece? And you really are a little strange."
"Yes, the Morishita Family carries the bloodline of the Pirate King." Morishita Ran completely ignored his comment and nodded with absolute certainty.
"..." What was with the way she said, "I'm lying, but don't you dare call me out on it"?
Mikage Touji decided to drop the subject. If they kept talking, he had no idea where she'd take the conversation. "So, what's your conclusion?"
"A significant number of students at this school are struggling financially. That suggests the points they receive individually may be very few, or even zero."
"Agreed. More than six students taking the free meal in just one lunch period is way too many, however you look at it."
"Seven. And that includes you, Mikage Touji, the guy with the strange food fetish who chews and savors every bite."
Before you continue