If Sakayanagi Arisu's 10 could only be considered slightly abnormal, then the zero egg on this boy's head was downright astonishing.
Did he have none of the emotions a human being was supposed to have?
With that thought in mind, Toru Hasegawa took another look to make sure, then shifted his gaze away.
But just after he did, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka—the boy in question—showed the faintest flicker of emotion in his eyes.
Was he looking at me just now? For several seconds... Why?
The thought circled endlessly in his mind, and the plans he'd already made for the day quietly changed.
Meanwhile, Toru Hasegawa, completely unaware that he'd attracted anyone's attention, began to yawn.
Ugh, so boring. When is this endless, tedious entrance ceremony going to end?
He could hardly wait.
Not only did he want to test his theory about the numbers above people's heads, but his observations had also given him a bold idea.
Could this world... be abnormal?
Could it be the kind of world that only existed in fantasy?
After all, whether it was that boy or Sakayanagi Arisu beside him—the latter could just barely be explained as naturally aloof, but could the former really have been raised in a normal society?
Besides, the girls here were far too attractive.
Before coming here, Toru Hasegawa had never imagined that so many high-quality women could gather at the same school.
Especially... the girls in that boy's Class D... if none of them were only pretty from behind.
< src="https://e1.kuangxiangit./uplos/chaptersnew/964/264132/250325/1742880156-100434764-113151598.jpg" alt='Four Beauties of Class D'>
But without a doubt, the girl from Class B was still the one who drew his attention most.
Soon, the tedious entrance ceremony ended, and the crowd began to disperse.
Toru Hasegawa thought he'd finally been set free, but the words he heard made him freeze in place.
"Are you leaving before you've properly explained yourself to me?"
Sakayanagi Arisu wore a half-smile. Along with the [10/100] above her head—clearly visible even without looking up—it somehow sent a chill through Toru Hasegawa.
"I'm sorry you overheard what I said by accident in the classroom. But I also believe everyone is free to have their own preferences... Are you satisfied with that explanation?"
Drawing a deep breath, Toru Hasegawa gave Sakayanagi Arisu a brief explanation.
He hoped she'd be satisfied with his answer.
But when he saw the number above her head change, his optimism vanished at once.
[9/100]
It went down!
Even though 10 was already an abnormally low number, there was still room for it to drop?
Toru Hasegawa's heart sank. He had no idea what was wrong with his answer.
"...Everyone really is free to have their own preferences." Sakayanagi Arisu nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "What are your plans for later?"
"What plans?" Toru Hasegawa looked confused. Since when did he have plans?
"I mean, what are you going to do later?"
Sakayanagi Arisu sighed as if she were exasperated, then explained in simpler terms. She also wondered whether her choice of words really was hard to understand.
"Oh, that..." Toru Hasegawa suddenly understood. Then he asked, "What does what I do later have to do with you?"
If not for the number above her head, he might have fallen for one of the three great illusions of life.
But now? Hmph!
A wise man doesn't fall in love!
Then he saw the number above Sakayanagi Arisu's head change again.
[23/100]
"???"
Wait... what? I was only a little more forceful. How did your favorability jump so much?
Toru Hasegawa felt his original guess was already more or less confirmed. Sakayanagi Arisu was the perfect example.
"Would you really be willing to leave a helpless girl like me to go on alone? Besides, neither of us has found any friends yet."
"..."
You had the chance earlier.
Thinking of the girl who'd reached out to Sakayanagi Arisu, Toru Hasegawa shook his head inwardly. But at the same time, he couldn't help feeling that leaving the girl in front of him alone wouldn't be right.
Even if people in a vulnerable position wanted to be treated like everyone else, human beings were emotional creatures, after all.
This was a completely enclosed school, so the odds of anything dangerous happening should have been tiny... probably.
Thinking about the many different kinds of people in the world, Toru Hasegawa considered it for a while, then decided to agree to Sakayanagi Arisu's request.
So this is emotional blackmail? Well, I'm falling for it!
"Fine, then let's go together! I was thinking of checking out the convenience store later. What about you?"
Toru Hasegawa asked Sakayanagi Arisu what she thought.
"I'm interested in this school's convenience store too. Let's go together."
The number above the silver-haired girl's head now read [20/100].
Toru Hasegawa had gotten used to it by now. She seemed like the kind of girl who responded better to force than kindness. He got it, he got it~
Before long, after a casual conversation, the two arrived at the convenience store.
Along the way, Toru Hasegawa noticed a poker-faced boy following some distance behind them. After all, there was probably only one person in the school with a zero egg over his head. It was hard not to notice.
"Is there anything you want to buy?"
"Let's get some essentials first."
After casually answering Sakayanagi Arisu, Toru Hasegawa put his doubts about the poker-faced boy aside for the time being.
There were other students who'd headed straight to the convenience store after the ceremony, after all. It was very possible they'd simply come the same way.
"Toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, body wash, towels..."
Toru Hasegawa carefully picked out what he needed, though his ears perked up without him realizing it.
The poker-faced boy seemed to have run into a classmate, and they were talking. Maybe he could pick up some useful information.
From their brief conversation, Toru Hasegawa learned something that wasn't exactly useful, but was certainly juicy.
The girl talking to the poker-faced boy was named Horikita, though he didn't know her first name. She sounded like the type who disliked being around groups.
After all, Toru Hasegawa couldn't imagine someone who'd skipped even the initial self-introductions enjoying group activities... unless she wanted to live and die alone?
The poker-faced boy, whose name he still didn't know, had started discussing the relationship between "introducing yourself" and "making friends easily" with her.
...Was that really something to discuss? Were they taking part in some kind of debate?
Suppressing the urge to keep making sarcastic remarks in his mind, he continued eavesdropping.
You know what... it really was kind of exciting to eavesdrop like this!
Then he heard the boy ask the girl a very strange question—
"Hey, what do you think about the prices of the products? Are they expensive or cheap?"
Where did this alien come from?
Toru Hasegawa's urge to make snarky comments was burning fiercely.
The girl replied that they were "no different from the outside world." She also seemed to notice how strange his question was, but he quickly managed to distract her.
"Ayanokoji, you weren't thinking about anything weird just now, were you?"
"...No."
Using the words "G cup" written on the instant noodles, Horikita's attention had obviously taken a sharp turn.
Just as Toru Hasegawa was about to keep listening, he noticed that the silver-haired girl beside him seemed a little off.
"What's wrong?"
He was puzzled. He didn't understand why Sakayanagi Arisu had suddenly spaced out.
She didn't seem like the type to daydream.
"It's nothing. I've just become a little interested in the two students talking over there. Could we go take a look together?"
For some reason, Sakayanagi Arisu's voice carried a slight tremor, leaving Toru Hasegawa at a loss.
But all he had to do was accompany her, so he readily agreed.
"Sure."
The boy and girl went together to stand in front of the other boy and girl.
There was nothing secret about a conversation held openly in public, so it shouldn't be a big deal if someone overheard. Toru Hasegawa walked up to Horikita and Ayanokoji without hesitation.
Then he admired the beautiful girl with long, straight black hair who was practically his ideal type.
Her smooth black hair fell to her waist, with a cute ribbon and a long braid tied on the right. Foxlike eyes and black thigh-highs, with a strip of bare skin between them, completed the look.
< src="https://e1.kuangxiangit./uplos/chaptersnew/964/264132/250325/1742880434-100434764-113151598.jpg" alt='Suzune Horikita'>
What a shame. She was stunning, but her personality was terrible.
Toru Hasegawa didn't dare stare. After a fleeting glance, he looked away.
He didn't want to go through what had happened with Kamuro Masumi again.
"Why have you come to see Ayanokoji?"
Seeing Toru Hasegawa and Sakayanagi Arisu walk straight toward them, Suzune Horikita asked at once.
"Hey, why assume they came to see me right away? I don't even know them."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sounded as if he were pleading his case.
"It's simple. I don't know either of these students. Given that, it's only reasonable for me to assume they came to see you. I just didn't expect it to be like this."
Suzune Horikita sighed helplessly, then asked,
"What can we do for you two?"
Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze only brushed briefly over Suzune Horikita before she lost interest in looking at her.
Her eyes stayed fixed on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Toru Hasegawa noticed it too, and a suspicion naturally came to mind.
Could Sakayanagi Arisu and Ayanokoji have known each other before?
But judging by what she'd just said, Ayanokoji didn't seem to know Sakayanagi Arisu.
"We'll be attending the same school for the next three years, so we thought we'd come say hello."
Since she'd been the one to suggest it, Toru Hasegawa was only accompanying her. Sakayanagi Arisu took it upon herself to answer.
"I see..."
Suzune Horikita, who'd clearly noticed that the real reason didn't match the excuse, glanced at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, then tried to pay and leave.
But just then, something caught her eye.
"Free...?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to draw the attention of the other three.
Sakayanagi Arisu also snapped out of the overwhelming joy of their long-awaited reunion.
"Are you okay?"
At that moment, someone said something incredibly tactless.
"Why do you ask?"
Since she'd already picked him out as a useful tool, Sakayanagi Arisu decided to stop and hear what he wanted to say.
"Your face has looked a little... unusually rosy since earlier, so I wondered if something was wrong. Looks like I was worrying over nothing."
That was the look of a girl in love—
Of course, he couldn't say that out loud.
"...It's nothing serious."
Sakayanagi Arisu fell silent for a moment before replying. Toru Hasegawa saw the number above her head leap all the way to 30.
She was already almost as far along as a complete stranger. Operation: a great success!
For some reason, Toru Hasegawa felt like he was about to cry tears of joy. In less than a morning, he'd raised Sakayanagi Arisu's favorability from 10 to 30!
He was incredible!
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