Observation of Class B

A life of slacking off is the best kind of life.

Over the next dozen days or so, Hoshino enjoyed a few days of peaceful living. He attended classes on time every day, and occasionally exchanged a few words with Ayanokoji, though most of it was trivial nonsense. Furthermore, based on his observations, Hoshino noticed that Ayanokoji seemed to have quite a deep rapport with the girl sitting next to him.

Sometimes, Hoshino would even see Kushida outside the classroom, seeking out Ayanokoji to discuss something.

Overall, life was quite plain, but it suited Hoshino's preferences perfectly.

Later on, Kushida also came to find Hoshino. The gifts she brought were just small snacks, which was well within Hoshino's comfort zone. If anything, this felt better; it meant he didn't have to carry such a heavy burden. Kushida was truly gifted in this regard! She always managed to offer just the right amount of kindness. Even if it was just something superficial, it was genuinely quite touching.

Come to think of it, humans are basically superficial creatures, aren't they? Because, fundamentally, not many people care about your inner self; most people care about external things like your appearance.

Just like that, two days before the end of the month arrived.

During these days, Hoshino continued his habit of not listening in class. He spent his time slacking off, and the frequency of his slacking was only increasing. After all, not many students in the class were actually listening to the lectures anyway. According to Hoshino's estimation, the points remaining for most would not be many. And for the sake of his plan, he couldn't let the class have any points left over.

Next, it was time to do what he had planned.

Which class should he choose? Hoshino was a bit conflicted. After all, he didn't have much of a concept of the entire grade level, and he still needed to screen them one by one. Hoshino wasn't quite sure what to do.

At the very least, Class A was hard to target; it would likely be difficult to spark any conflict there. After all, Hoshino and Sakayanagi were already barely acquainted, and through their exchanges, Hoshino had basically confirmed that Sakayanagi was the leader of Class A. Moreover, it was undeniable that most of Class A consisted of excellent students. It would be hard to clash with them, or it would require a cost greater than what Hoshino had anticipated.

It seemed he would have to look for targets in Class B or Class C, although there were plenty of potential targets in Class D as well. But right now, Class D was basically a scattered mess, and it was hard to find someone easy to manipulate. They might even backstab him later. It wasn't worth it. He still needed to scout Class B and Class C as soon as possible to find a suitable target.

Having decided on his course of action, Hoshino didn't dawdle. Since time was running out, as soon as class ended, he hurried out of the classroom.

As for scouting, how was he actually supposed to do it? Hoshino's only method of observing humans was to crouch in a corner; he never approached people to talk easily. As for Ayanokoji, that was an exception.

"Should I just stop someone and ask?" Hoshino leaned against the wall outside the Class B classroom, feeling a bit at a loss.

He thought better of it; asking wouldn't yield any results anyway.

Taking out his student ID, Hoshino pretended to look at his phone, while his peripheral vision scanned the people inside the classroom through the window.

Class B had a fairly absolute core. Many people were gathered around a very beautiful girl with long, pink-gold hair. Although there were many people, their discussions were orderly. This was likely the leader of Class B!

While there were small cliques, most consisted of only two or three people, all chatting and laughing in a harmonious atmosphere.

After ten minutes of observation, Hoshino felt that this class was, honestly, a bit too harmonious. It didn't look like the kind of class one needed to worry about at all. It felt like a group of "good people." At least, Hoshino didn't notice any intentional or unintentional exclusion, nor was there any awkward or oppressive atmosphere.

Class B was a bit hard to get a handle on! Hoshino felt a bit envious deep down.

Class D was completely different! He could feel that people who didn't know each other were in a state of "minding their own business," and there were severe hierarchies within the small cliques. Some people were even "loners." It was completely a "scattered mess"!

After observing Class B, Hoshino arrived outside the Class C classroom.

The situation in Class C was a world apart from Class B. Hoshino felt an oppressive atmosphere just looking at it, even though some people were still gathered together chatting.

Near a red-haired boy, several people who looked particularly sturdy were gathered, along with a dark-skinned "foreigner." It was strange; there was basically no one near this group. It seemed everyone was avoiding them.

"Hey, you peeping tom outside, get in here!" The fierce-looking red-haired student stared over, his tone aggressive.

The classroom went quiet instantly. Everyone's gaze turned toward him, and the people around the red-haired student looked hostile.

Hoshino ignored them and continued looking at his phone as if nothing had happened: Who would be stupid enough to admit it? Maybe they weren't talking about him!

"Hey, I'm talking to you. If you keep pretending, I don't mind dragging you in myself."

"Eh? Me?" Hoshino pretended to have just heard the voice, looking confused. After checking that no one else was around, he pointed at himself.

"Still pretending?"

"No, no, I was just looking at my phone at your door, not peeping." Hoshino put his phone away and met the red-haired student's gaze "defiantly."

"Hey, which class are you from?" A blue-haired girl beside the red-haired student stared at Hoshino with hostility, taking a defensive stance.

"Uh... I'm Hashimoto Masayoshi from Class A." Hoshino lied with a straight face.

"...Are you trying to die? Do you think I don't know that frivolous blond guy?" The blue-haired girl looked "gritting her teeth."

"...Uh, hahaha, just kidding. I'm Hoshino from Class D. I'll say it again, I, Hoshino, was not peeping." Having had his lie exposed, Hoshino felt a bit awkward, but he quickly recovered and emphasized his "innocence" once more.

"You..."

"Hey, kid, do you know that there's a price to pay for peeping?" The red-haired student waved his hand, stopping the blue-haired girl from saying anything more, a trace of a contemptuous smile on his face.

"...What price? I don't have points, and I'm not giving you my life." A frivolous smile hung on Hoshino's face.

Hoshino had plenty of experience dealing with people who felt like "demon kings." A bit of frivolous provocation was enough. It would be even better if they could get into a fight, even though it seemed he would only be on the receiving end!

He had basically figured out this class! This red-haired student must have become the leader of this class in the style of a "tyrant." There was a bandage on his face, and although it was faint, there were still traces of abrasions.

This was exactly the kind of target Hoshino had expected to find. Now, all that remained was how to spark a conflict. For the sake of safety, he would still need to control the intensity.