Chapter 6

School admissions were just fate, weren't they? The wise knew how to read the room. To achieve my goal, I didn't mind being a live-in companion at all. If it worked, the method didn't matter. Put simply, I was just a Libra, trying to balance my father's wishes against my own. But a certain young master seemed displeased...

"I told you, I don't need some companion boy! Kitazawa, you're way too nosy."

The guy beside us had his legs crossed with his feet on the desk, gazing into a mirror. Naturally, he was none other than that ungrateful, beauty-obsessed young master.

"Rokusuke, be polite to Mr. Kitazawa," Koenji's mother said, but her words clearly went in one ear and out the other.

"Madam, it's all right."

"Honestly, I wish this boy were as sensible as Minya... He never seems to learn how to get along with others. Now that he's going to that all-boarding school, I can't help worrying..."

A trace of concern flickered in the woman's eyes. She knew some of what went on behind the scenes, and she wasn't particularly optimistic about her son. My father had told me about it too: the school had an unusually high dropout rate. They must have had some kind of competitive system designed to weed students out.

"Minya's the same with kids his age, actually... Don't worry, it's just what they call a rebellious phase. Your son is so clever, I'm sure he'll give you an answer you'll be happy with. And Minya will be sure to look after Koenji at school."

That was assuming he didn't get himself kicked out. As I heard that, I glanced at Koenji—and, as luck would have it, he seemed to be watching me too.

"Please, Rokusuke! Help each other and get along with Minya over the next three years, okay? I have an appointment soon, so I can't stay any longer."

The woman pressed her cheek to her precious son's. The young master Koenji looked thoroughly disgusted.

"I'll see you out."

My father gave me a look that said, "You know what to do," and followed her out. That look probably meant what he'd told me last night: even if he had to drop out himself, he'd make sure the young master Koenji didn't. Besides, even if I got expelled, I could still land a great job at one of the Koenji family's companies later on.

I gave a wry smile and shook my head slightly.

For a while, the office held only two male high school students: Koenji and me. The atmosphere was painfully awkward.

"Koenji... young master?"

I wasn't experienced at talking to weirdos like him. I'd hardly ever seen him before, and my impression of Koenji Rokusuke was limited to the dinners and parties his family occasionally hosted.

"Just call me Koenji. I'm not some little kid who needs a babysitter."

Unexpectedly, this self-willed guy actually cared what other people thought of him.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I just don't want you doing this. It isn't beautiful at all."

As if he'd heard my unspoken thoughts, Koenji immediately added that.

His own unique sense of aesthetics, huh? Sure, having a babysitter accompany you to school when you were already in high school wasn't exactly beautiful... Wait, I was supposed to be his companion, not his babysitter.

"Then, Koenji, I look forward to working with you over the next three years."

"No need for that, is there? You worked so hard to get into this school. It wasn't entirely to help your father curry favor with my family, was it?"

Koenji's words hit the mark.

"True. I'm just an ordinary Japanese high school student, after all. There isn't much I can do."

"So how about we stay out of each other's way? Don't worry—even if I get expelled, I certainly won't blame you. You enjoy your high school life, and I'll live my beautiful life."

That was Koenji's proposal.

"I can't do that, Koenji. I promised my father."

After thinking it over, I still turned him down.

"What a shame. I thought too highly of you. A subordinate who doesn't listen to his superior isn't a good subordinate."

"That's because I'm not your subordinate yet."

"You're not my subordinate, but you're prepared to sacrifice yourself for me?"

Koenji seemed intrigued.

"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for my dad. I'm at least a man of my word," I told the self-satisfied guy.

I was helping him to repay my father. That was all.

"Hahahaha! I see, I see. I did you wrong... Well then, Minya boy, once we're on campus, I'll allow you to fight for me!"

Koenji quickly caught on. He looked as if he'd discovered something interesting, and even started calling me something strange.

"I'm glad you're willing to cooperate."

I knew he was up to no good, but at least he'd agreed to let me do my job in name. I was starting to understand this guy's way of playing his cards.

"Cooperate? Not a chance."

Heh... I knew it wouldn't be that simple. He'd play the carefree young master, and I'd clean up the mess afterward. I could already picture it: taking a deadweight along to match wits with the best high school students in all of Japan.

Yeah, my high school life was sure to be colorful.

Author's Note: I can't wait around while Kinugasa takes his sweet time! I'm starting a new book to have some fun first. I'll update the daily slacking-off one when I stop slacking off. This story doesn't follow Kinugasa's usual formula. The protagonist doesn't slack off either, so I figure he'll leave Kinugasa eight streets behind. The world line will change drastically. The only thing that might stay the same is that Ayanokoji ends up the winner, right? So, let's step into this school from another perspective! First-person point of view—motion sickness warning!

Volume One: Emerging Brilliance: 1. Confidence Is the First Secret of Success

Confidence is the first secret of success. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Koenji, where are you going? My father's driver will come pick us up."

We'd barely left my father's office when Koenji nearly slipped out of sight. I'd been hoping to get to know him better, so I couldn't help feeling exasperated.

"We've been sitting for ages. I'm going to stretch my legs."

Koenji only said half of what he meant. I couldn't tell if he was testing me or simply too lazy to explain.

"Taking the bus, then? Sounds good. It is the first day of school, after all. Arriving in a private car might seem a bit showy."

I hurried to catch up. He strode along without a care, as if he wasn't worried about pulling a muscle, and for some reason I couldn't help admiring him.

"Excellent! Letting the commoners experience my beauty up close once in a while is a fine idea..."

As he spoke, Koenji ran a hand through his proud blond hair, pleased with how well I understood him.

So that was it. Besides acting on impulse, his actions also had to follow the principle of "beauty"? What a guy, with his own unique worldview...

"What do you mean by beauty, Koenji?"

I couldn't help asking.

"Haha! Minya boy, you don't actually want to discuss whether beauty is objectively real, do you? Well, yes, you could call it a form of idealism. But I'm so outstanding that there's nothing wrong with idealism that takes me as its standard, is there?"

He'd seen right through my thoughts. Koenji must have been used to people wanting to discuss this sort of thing.

"Heh, Koenji, you certainly have the confidence to back it up...