Lin Mu finished speaking and, without waiting for anyone to respond, picked up his still-unopened duffel bag, which held nothing but candy and entertainment supplies.
He turned and walked out of the classroom, gently closing the door behind him—a stark contrast to Ken Sudō's earth-shaking slam.
Behind him, Yosuke Hirata's voice drifted faintly from the Class D classroom as he tried to get the conversation back on track. Gradually, the other students joined in, discussing how to improve their grades.
But their voices soon faded away as Lin Mu reached the end of the school building's corridor.
He was going to enjoy his afternoon. Maybe he'd head back to the dorm and play some games, or perhaps stop by the dessert shop to see if they had anything new.
The next day, sunlight streamed through the swimming pool's enormous glass dome, casting rippling reflections across the clear water.
The pool was noisy and lively, with splashing water and laughter filling the air. It was brimming with the energy and restlessness unique to youth.
Still wearing his school uniform, Lin Mu sat alone in the spectator seats high above the pool, a green-apple-flavored lollipop in his mouth.
The view from up there was excellent, giving him a clear look at everything happening in the pool while keeping him far from the noise and humidity by the water.
(The pool was more or less like that. Get too close and your clothes really could get wet.)
He half-closed his eyes, lazily watching the "crowd" below.
Most of the Class D students were playing around in the water. The boys were racing to see who could swim fastest.
The girls had gathered to chat and splash one another. Kikyo Kushida was undoubtedly one of the centerpieces of the group; even from this far away, Lin Mu could just make out her cheerful laughter.
Of course, a few others had chosen to "observe from shore" like him. They sat scattered around the spectator seats, keeping their distance from one another.
There was a boy with glasses, his head lowered; a girl who seemed shy, curled up in a corner; and another person who had stayed silent the entire time, simply gazing at the pool.
They left one another alone, each forming an island of their own. They were worlds apart from the lively scene in the pool below.
Lin Mu was just another inconspicuous member of this "lone-wolf squad," quietly fulfilling his role as an observer.
At one point, Kikyo Kushida seemed to notice Lin Mu up above.
She stopped fooling around with her classmates and looked up. A radiant smile spread across her face as she waved enthusiastically. Her clear voice carried up through the humid air:
"Lin Mu! Why are you sitting up there? Come swim with us! The water's so refreshing!"
Looking at her boundless energy, Lin Mu gently shook his head and raised his voice a little. His tone was lazy but sincere.
"No, thanks. I don't want to get my clothes wet. It's a hassle."
He paused, then added, "And swimming back and forth is tiring. I don't feel like moving. You have fun, Kushida."
His refusal was firm, and his reasons were impossible to argue with: wet, tired, and bothered. It was a textbook "Lin Mu-style" answer.
A hint of perfectly measured disappointment crossed Kikyo Kushida's face, but a smile soon replaced it.
She knew what Lin Mu was like and realized there was no point trying to persuade him. She didn't press the matter, instead laughing, "All right~ Then get some rest!"
Then she turned and plunged back into the water fight with the girls, sending up an even bigger splash.
Lin Mu leaned back against the hard plastic seat and continued sucking on his lollipop. His fingertips tapped the armrest in a soft, unconscious rhythm.
Suddenly—
A sensation like a gaze sweeping over him brushed across the back of his neck, as light as a feather.
(Could being watched really make your sixth sense feel this uncomfortable?)
Thanks to the all-around enhancements brought by his superpower, Lin Mu's senses—especially his instinct for when he was being watched—were far sharper than an ordinary person's.
This feeling wasn't coming from the students below, whose glances were merely curious or casual.
It felt more like scrutiny and observation, and it was coming from somewhere higher up and to the side. Perhaps... the offices beside the pool?
Lin Mu's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
He kept his lazy posture and didn't even turn toward the direction his senses indicated. But with a slight shift of his thoughts, Clairvoyance quietly activated.
His gaze passed through the wall behind the spectator seats like an invisible beam, sweeping toward the offices.
He stuck to his principles and didn't peer beneath his classmates' clothes—that would have been pointless. Instead, he looked straight toward the source of that scrutinizing gaze.
(No getting lewd, okay? We can all be different kinds of people, but none of us can be lewd!)
(Because the author is the lewd one, not you... (*′???`*) idiot)
His vision passed through the wall, swept across the corridor, and settled on an office.
The blinds had been parted just enough to leave a narrow gap.
Two figures stood behind it, quietly watching everything happening in the pool below through the gap.
One had silver hair, violet eyes, a slender figure, and an air of nobility. It was Sakayanagi Arisu, whom he'd met briefly a long time ago.
The other stood tall, wearing rimless glasses and a stern expression. It was the Student Council President, Manabu Horikita, who had delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.
The corner of Lin Mu's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly in amusement.
The students' antics in the pool had suddenly become rather boring to him.
And now, it seemed there was something much more interesting he could go and check out.
After all, it was free time, and leaving the pool area wasn't against the rules.
A mischievous idea suddenly occurred to him: since someone liked secretly watching from the shadows, why not take the initiative and "pay these two voyeurs a visit"?
He could just picture their faces when someone they'd been "observing" suddenly appeared at their door.
Their shock, their bewilderment, and then their attempts to act calm would be very, very entertaining.
Heh heh heh... (A little figure in his mind let out a thoroughly shameless chuckle.)
With that thought, he stood up without hesitation and brushed off his pants, which hadn't gotten dusty in the first place.
The lollipop stick bobbed in his mouth as he set off toward the office at an unhurried pace.
The corridor was much quieter. Only his soft footsteps and the distant, muffled noise from the pool broke the silence.
When Lin Mu reached the office door with its nameplate, he stopped.
Voices came from inside. It was Manabu Horikita's steady, resonant voice. It was difficult to make out through the door, but Lin Mu's exceptional hearing picked out the key words.
"...First-year Class A, Sakayanagi, Katsuragi, congratulations. Scoring 940 points this month is certainly something to be proud of..."
Lin Mu raised an eyebrow. Oh? Looks like the Student Council President was giving Class A's elite students a summary and a word of encouragement.
Before you continue