We reached our destination not long afterward.
After we got off, a gate made from natural rock stood waiting for us.
The uniformed boys and girls stepped off the bus and passed through the fan-shaped gate, and Ju Ji finally escaped the painful yet pleasurable scene.
Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School was established by the Japanese government to cultivate young people who would support the future. It was also where Ju Ji and the others would be studying.
His adoptive grandfather had recommended the school to him. He'd heard that students were assigned to classes based on their overall abilities, so he was deeply unhappy about being placed in Class D.
"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
The sight of the gate had suddenly brought the line to Ju Ji's mind, and he'd found himself saying it aloud.
"Ju Ji, what's wrong?"
He'd been talking to himself so quietly that Kikyo hadn't heard what he said. But when she saw how tense he looked, she came over and bent down to ask him.
The clothes stretched around her slime-like breasts as though they could barely contain them. For a moment, he couldn't tear his eyes away. Now he understood why the men on the bus had looked at him so enviously.
"I was just wondering whether I'd be able to make friends. I'm a little nervous. Let's go in."
What exactly was a friend? How far did a relationship have to progress before someone counted as a friend? Was it eating together, or going to the bathroom together? The more he thought about what friendship meant, the more his head hurt.
Making friends really was a difficult problem for him. He'd never figured it out in his previous life, either. That was right—Shinomiya Ju Fan wasn't entirely from this world. Or rather, he didn't even know whether he'd been born and raised in this world.
He had no memories of his life in this world before he turned twelve, and his memories of his previous life were hazy, too. According to the grandfather who'd adopted him, he'd been in a car accident when he was twelve and lost his memory.
But recently, his memories of his previous life had become clearer and clearer, and by now they'd nearly all returned. His memories from before he was twelve still showed no signs of coming back. That was also why his Friend System had activated.
With Kikyo leading the way, Ju Ji passed through the gate and entered the school. Incidentally, the dark-gold-eyed boy behind him seemed to have been stopped by the arrogant girl who'd picked a fight with him.
Kikyo had to leave partway through, so he went back to the classroom by himself and looked around for the seat with his nameplate.
Unfortunately, he hadn't hit the jackpot. His seat was by the window, but in the second-to-last row. Still, it might be a good spot; he'd be able to see the sports field clearly.
To his right sat a cute girl with purple twin tails. She looked like she was from China. He'd caught a glimpse of her nameplate earlier; she seemed to be called Wang Meiyu.
Thanks to their shared regional background, Ju Ji already felt quite favorably toward her. But she seemed too nervous to strike up a conversation, and approaching a cute girl he didn't know was honestly far too difficult.
Perhaps because his parents in this world had good genes, Ju Ji wasn't bad-looking. In fact, he was rather handsome, putting him somewhere above average in Class D. But he'd waited a long time, and no one had come to talk to him. That didn't seem right.
"Um, you're Shinomiya, right? I'm Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Nice to meet you."
Just then, the student behind him spoke up. He had short brown hair and dark-gold eyes. He seemed to be the same boy who'd been stopped by the domineering girl earlier.
"That's right. I'm Shinomiya Ju Fan. Nice to meet you."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka? Ayanokoji? Bro!
The moment he heard a name that felt as if it were etched into his DNA, Ju Ji's memories burst from the depths of his mind, like a membrane being pierced.
That explained the sense of incongruity he'd felt earlier. No wonder Kikyo Kushida had seemed familiar. Had he crossed over into this world after dying? If so, things had just gotten interesting.
"Just so you know, I'll tell you what kind of person I am. I don't have any particular hobbies, but I'm interested in a little bit of everything. I don't need a lot of friends, but I'd still like to maintain a certain number of friendships. Anyway, that's the kind of person I am."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka introduced himself awkwardly, as though this were his first time talking to someone. Honestly, Ju Ji agreed with his approach to making friends. But given his goal, he'd definitely need to make a lot of friends.
"Hobbies? I like reading, and I exercise now and then. I hope to make lots of friends."
Well, when it came to introductions, Ju Ji had even less to say than he'd expected. He'd planned out what to say in his head, but the moment he opened his mouth, his mind went completely blank.
He could tell from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression that the boy was thinking, This guy definitely won't manage it. He felt as though he was being looked down on.
"Let's both do our best."
No wonder neither of them had any friends. The conversation ended quickly, and they didn't even exchange contact information. How pathetic. No, Ju Ji still had Kikyo Kushida as a friend, even if he hadn't exactly made her acquaintance through the most skillful means.
"Pfft!"
See? The girl who'd seemed to pick a fight with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka before sitting down beside him couldn't help laughing when she heard their conversation.
But she didn't seem inclined to join in. After a single laugh, she went back to reading. The book was called Crime and Punishment, and it explored whether people had the right to kill in the name of justice.
Speaking of hypnosis, Ju Ji remembered that he had a Hypnosis Lv1 skill. It had a suggestive effect, with a 10% chance of making the target follow his advice.
Well, no time like the present.
"If you think that's so funny, then how about introducing yourself, Miss Popular, who looks like she has lots of friends?"
"Horikita Suzune. My hobby is reading."
Perhaps Ju Ji's taunt—or suggestion—had worked. Horikita Suzune set her book on the desk, sighed, glared at him with sharp eyes, and spoke slowly.
Her answer was very short, but in a way, it was still progress. Though the three of them were about as bad as one another, so none of them had room to judge.
By then, most of the people around them had gotten along with their neighbors. All sorts of little groups were gradually forming in the classroom. Maybe the three of them looked like one of those groups to outsiders.
But only the three of them knew they were just strangers who'd spoken to one another. Their measly 21-point affinity made that clear. Oh, right—20 was the starting affinity, and the extra point had just been added...
Before you continue