After leaving the office, Ayanokoji's gaze wandered as he pondered.
His conversation with Chabashira had given him some extra information—or rather, he had forcibly pried it out of her.
At any rate, she hadn't noticed.
If even someone who scored zero could get into this prestigious high school, then written exam results clearly weren't the key factor in admission. Even the interview that came afterward might not matter much. The students' acceptance had probably been decided long in advance.
Ayanokoji's thoughts churned.
They brought together students with vastly different academic abilities but their own unique strengths, creating an environment like real society. Then they made them compete against one another and push each other to the limit, ultimately selecting the most outstanding elites to work in the country's most advanced fields and give back to the nation, promoting social development. The country then provided generous funding, and the cycle continued...
This was insane. What was this place, some kind of assembly-line weapons factory?
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed!
But now that he was caught up in it, he couldn't exactly expect to stay out of it.
He'd just have to crush anyone who stood in his way!
The school's admissions system was just one of his takeaways...
As Ayanokoji walked along, lost in thought, he happened to pass Class 1-C.
Curious, he glanced inside.
The atmosphere was stifling—oppressively so.
The entire class was silent, every gaze fixed on a purple-haired young man at the front of the room.
The young man sat on the teacher's desk with his legs propped up on the student desk in front of him. His sharp gaze swept over the class as if he ruled the world.
On his left stood a Black man who looked like a WWE wrestler. He was burly and towering, nothing like an ordinary high school student.
On his right stood a boy who didn't look particularly bright, though he was more robust than the average student.
I think he was called... Dragon Boy, or something...?
Ayanokoji muttered to himself. He didn't linger, taking one look before deciding it was too boring.
Running a class through threats of violence had clear pros and cons.
The advantage was that decisions and their implementation could be unified, making disagreements less likely.
The downside was that it stunted others' growth. The leader's abilities often determined the class's limits.
As a high school student who had read Five Thousand Years of Dragon Country History from cover to cover, he understood the principle well.
How many dynasties had fallen not because they lacked talent, but because power had been concentrated too heavily in the hands of an autocratic ruler? One person's strength was limited, after all.
Of course, this theory only applied to ordinary people~
Back in the classroom, Ayanokoji gathered his things and decided to go buy a few items at the mall first.
He opened the map on his phone and searched for Keyaki Mall. It was almost a kilometer away...
Once again, he marveled at how obscenely wealthy Advanced Nurturing High School was.
Keyaki Mall was a sprawling shopping complex within Advanced Nurturing High School. Nearly all the school's recreational facilities were clustered around it, making it a favorite among the students.
It was packed with students from every grade on weekends and after school, and during holidays, sales made it even more crowded.
But it was precisely because the mall existed that this corner of the campus felt as lively as the outside world.
Horikita had deliberately avoided the peak shopping hours. Her gaze moved over row after row of dazzling shelves before settling on an area that only a few people ever visited.
The free basic necessities section.
She made her way to the free goods at an unhurried pace, intending to take home only a few free daily essentials.
She had her own theories about why this slightly out-of-place section existed.
In any case, wasting money was surely a bad idea, and she could save her points for a rainy day.
With that in mind, she reached for a bottle of shampoo, only to grab the same one as someone else.
Horikita's eyebrow twitched. Her lovely eyes narrowed, and when she looked up, she saw a poker face just like her own staring back at her in the mirror.
"I got it first!"
The long-haired girl's gaze was sharp, and her tone resolute. She gave him no room to argue.
Ayanokoji reluctantly let go. "You can have it."
He thought, This woman really holds a grudge.
He also noticed that Horikita's shopping basket was filled almost entirely with items bearing free labels. Unable to help himself, he asked, "Horikita, I know they're free, but the quality is questionable. Aren't you worried you'll lose your hair if you keep washing it with stuff like this?"
The girl glanced sidelong at him. Even Ayanokoji could tell from her expression that she was disgusted.
But soon she seemed to sink into thought for a moment, realizing something that puzzled her.
She turned to Ayanokoji, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized his face with suspicion for quite a while. Then she spoke:
"How do you know my name, and how I'm related to President Horikita?"
"As new students, this should be the first time we've met, right?"
Earlier, she'd been so worked up by his provocation that she hadn't paid attention. Now that she thought about it, it was extremely strange!
How had this boy, with his middle-parted hair and half-lidded eyes, found out about her?
Horikita's self-introduction had been interrupted by their homeroom teacher, Chabashira, before she could even get to it. And yet he knew so much. Could it be...
"Were you investigating me?"
Horikita's gaze turned even colder as she stared into Ayanokoji's unfocused eyes.
Exactly the same... They were practically identical.
"Because... when I was in the office earlier, I accidentally saw your file on a teacher's computer." Ayanokoji pursed his lips slightly. "Uh... If you don't believe me, you can ask Chabashira-sensei."
At the mention of Chabashira, the girl's gaze finally softened.
Horikita Suzune was strangely stubborn, but she was also much smarter than most people. She knew Ayanokoji wouldn't invoke an authoritative third party from the school just to lie.
"I see..."
Horikita thought for two seconds, and her tone softened.
"Since you saw it by accident, I have no grounds to blame you. But I hope you won't spread other people's personal information without permission, or do anything that might affect their lives and how others see them..."
"Of course."
Ayanokoji replied calmly.
Still, he felt that Horikita Suzune's words hinted at something else. Was she once again telling him not to lump her together with her brother, Horikita Manabu?
She really was... I could cry.
After speaking, Horikita picked out a few more free items and put them in bags, filling two of them to the brim.
She carried the two full bags in her hands, turned her head, and coldly said, "Goodbye," before walking straight toward the checkout counter.
Watching Horikita carry everything by herself, Ayanokoji felt an urge to hurry over and help. But he firmly suppressed it.
Damn, had I really been that badly conditioned by the past life...
That inner simp of mine had better never awaken!
Before you continue