Chapter 4

"The teacher can't answer either, huh?" "That's all right. The answer's already obvious. Thank you, teacher. Your smile cleared things up for me." Yuan Yuyuan didn't mind. The smile Hoshinomiya couldn't suppress was enough to make everyone else realize he was right. "Does anyone else have a question? If not, we'll move on to free time." The others were either thinking things over or waiting for Yuan Yuyuan to clear things up for them. No one rudely interrupted their homeroom teacher. "In that case, let's start our free time." Hoshinomiya, bound by the rules and unable to answer Yuan Yuyuan's question, could clearly feel the students' respect for her beginning to shift toward him. But she didn't really care. Yuyuan was a clever boy. If he could become a leader, then that Chabashira woman would never be able to make it into Class A. It was best if she stayed forever below her, struggling to get by. Hoshinomiya descended from the podium, thinking viciously. Little did she know, a pair of eyes below had been watching her the whole time. The one watching was Yuan Yuyuan. He stared at the beautiful teacher in confusion. She'd given off the same gentle, angelic feeling as Ichinose just a moment ago. How had she become so full of hostility as soon as she stepped down from the podium? First Semester: Chapter 5 Chapter Five: I Want to Be Miss Ichinose's Dog So Bad "Everyone, could I have your attention for a moment? Since we're going to be living together for three years, why don't we start with some introductions? It'll be pretty inconvenient if we don't know one another's names, right?" "That's right, that's right. Introductions will definitely make things a lot easier." Yuan Yuyuan, pulled from his thoughts, looked ahead. Ichinose had entered the scene! He could put Hoshinomiya and all that aside for now. Though, come to think of it, this student's ability to chime in could use some work. She'd just repeated what Ichinose had said. "Then I'll go first. My name is Ichinose Honami. You can call me Ichinose or Honami. I don't have any particular hobbies or interests. I just want us all to enjoy our three years of high school together. I look forward to getting along with everyone." "That was great, Ichinose!" "Honami is so kind!" "I want to be Miss Ichinose's dog so bad!" Only Yuan Yuyuan found those words familiar. Ichinose really was this kind to everyone. The first half of her introduction was exactly the same as what she'd said to him back when they were strangers. And she was almost too popular. So many people were already backing her up on the first day of school. Though it sounded like something weird had slipped in there. Gentle, pretty girls sure were popular. "Let's have Yuyuan go next. Your powers of observation really surprised me earlier." Yuan Yuyuan hadn't decided what sort of introduction to give, but this angel had already turned the spotlight on him—and said something that made the person in question feel a little embarrassed. Wasn't that too much praise? He'd simply worked backward from the answer to figure out the process, but being complimented like that by a pretty girl was enough to make even him blush. "My name is Yuan Yuyuan. My hobbies are working out and reading. Due to family circumstances, before coming to this school, I was taught by private tutors hired by my father. I'm not very good at socializing, so I hope you'll bear with me." Yuan Yuyuan did his best to pad out his introduction and thought that should be about enough. After all, if he wanted to move up a class, he couldn't be a lone wolf. But becoming the wolf king... With Ichinose so popular, his chances were basically zero. The other students started whispering among themselves after hearing Yuan Yuyuan's introduction. "I was so focused on hearing about the personal points that I didn't notice this guy's surname was Yuan." "Yeah, and private tutoring? He must be the son of some conglomerate. Kanzaki looks like one of his subordinates, too." "If you're curious, why don't you ask him? He doesn't seem like the arrogant rich kid you see on TV." "As if I'd dare! What if he's talented but held back by his family's reputation, and now he's left home to prove himself? He might get mad if we bring up his background." Yuan Yuyuan marveled at the rich imagination of today's high schoolers, while feeling a little embarrassed that he'd used this sort of tactic to gain more influence in the class. Couldn't they keep their voices down? It was awkward when the person they were whispering about could hear them! He didn't have much choice. Ichinose's radiance was just too dazzling. If he tried to compete with her in charisma, he'd be battered from head to toe—no, he'd be reduced to ashes. Yuan Yuyuan listened absentmindedly to the other students' unremarkable introductions, thinking to himself until... "Himeno Yuki. I don't have any hobbies, there's nothing I'm particularly good at, and there's nothing I'm completely incapable of doing." So she was a handy... talented weak link? Although most people were just Ichinose's cheer squad, this was still Class B, so there were a few capable students. Shibata Sou was good at sports, and Kanzaki Ryuji was meticulous. They seemed pretty good... no, they were good. Then there was Himeno Yuki, who everyone else thought was unremarkable. Was Class B made up of only them and people who just stood beside Ichinose agreeing with everything she said? As if he'd heard Yuan Yuyuan's thoughts, Shibata Sou stood up at that moment. "Ichinose, now that the introductions are over, what should we do next?" Yuan Yuyuan was speechless. He'd excluded Shibata without thinking, just because he had some ability. That was really rude of him. It wasn't hard to tell from Himeno's introduction that she was a girl who wanted a peaceful school life. It seemed the only one he could count on was Kanzaki. Yuan Yuyuan turned his gaze to him. As far as Yuan Yuyuan knew, his friend wasn't the sort to blindly follow the crowd. The class was a little short on talent. Looks like he'd have to turn his attention to the other classes. The noisy classroom interrupted Yuan Yuyuan's thoughts. He looked up and saw everyone staring at him. "Everyone, is something wrong?" Ichinose, the class's spiritual leader, stepped forward to answer. "Yuyuan, you were spacing out again. Everyone wants to hear you explain more about the personal points." "That? Then let me tell you what I've figured out." Yuan Yuyuan slowly walked up to the podium and began explaining to his classmates. "The number of points we get next month will probably decrease. Otherwise, Teacher Hoshinomiya would have had no reason not to tell us the exact amount we'd be given." "The cameras in the classrooms are there to see whether students are paying attention in class, things like arriving late, leaving early, or chatting during lessons." "And the cameras around the school are probably meant to catch fights, damage to public property, and maybe even littering. The school might lower our evaluation for that." "Since our points will decrease, and since Teacher Hoshinomiya said we wouldn't be changing classes over the next three years, and everyone got the same number of points on the first day, the rest isn't hard to guess." "We're all in this together. If one of us prospers, we all prosper; if one of us suffers, we all suffer. If even one person breaks the school rules, all of us will be punished. At best, our points will be reduced. At worst..." Yuan Yuyuan paused. "If the school's evaluation of us drops to zero, I'm afraid none of us will be able to survive at this school." Seeing the worried, even panicked looks on the faces of his classmates, Yuan Yuyuan reassured them at just the right moment, having achieved his goal. "But there's no need to worry too much. If there are punishments, there'll naturally be rewards, too. That must be the important announcement from the school that Teacher Hoshinomiya mentioned. It's probably something like exams, including but not limited to written tests." "That's basically it. This—