The Chosen Seat and the Left and Right Protectors

Manabu Horikita's voice continued, steady and possessing a certain persuasive power: "These achievements were not obtained out of thin air."

"They are the glory and capital accumulated bit by bit by the graduates of our school, as well as all the current students, through their own unremitting efforts, strength, and sweat. They are also the foundation upon which our school stands."

"I hope that every freshman present can understand the weight of this glory and have the sufficient determination and ability to pass it on, and even carry it forward."

He paused again, his gaze behind his lenses seeming to grow sharper, as he slowly uttered the words already engraved on the cornerstone of the school's philosophy:

"Because, what this school upholds is, precisely, absolute—"

"Meritocracy."

This sentence was like a stone cast into a calm lake, stirring up a slight, ambiguous commotion among the freshmen.

Some were lost in thought, some looked excited, and others appeared slightly bewildered.

Lin Mu, however, merely raised an eyebrow slightly. Meritocracy? It sounded like a very strict and cruel logic of competition.

However, regardless of whether this "merit" referred to academics, physical fitness, social skills, or anything else, it didn't seem to pose a real challenge to him.

After all, the dimension of his "strength" was simply not on the same level as that of ordinary people.

Thinking of this, he felt even more relaxed, even starting to boredly push the lollipop to his left cheek with the tip of his tongue, bulging it out into a small lump.

(I really like doing this when eating a lollipop, and also, it's necessary to bite the stick.)

What followed were the speeches from several school leaders in turn, the content being nothing more than school rules and discipline, well wishes, and future prospects—long-winded and boring.

Lin Mu's eyelids grew heavy as he listened, and he had to force himself to stay awake to avoid actually falling asleep.

Kikyo Kushida beside him, however, was listening very attentively. At some point, she had even taken out a palm-sized, cute notebook and would occasionally lower her head to record a few key points, her profile looking focused and well-behaved.

The state of the other Class D students was more realistic—the frequency of yawns increased significantly, their standing postures became more relaxed, and the sound of whispering grew slightly louder.

In contrast, in the areas for Class A, Class B, and Class C, although it was inevitable that a few individuals would be distracted, the overall group still maintained relatively proper posture and attention. By comparison, the "characteristics" of Class D seemed even more distinct.

After finally enduring until all the leaders finished their speeches and the host announced the official conclusion of the opening ceremony, the freshmen from each class left in order, heading toward their respective classrooms.

The crowd surged like a floodgate being opened.

Kikyo Kushida immediately put away her notebook, a bright smile returning to her face. Her eyes scanned the surroundings nimbly, and she quickly locked onto a few girls nearby who also appeared to be in Class D.

She walked over quickly, naturally inserting herself into the conversation they had just started, and introduced herself with a sweet smile: "Hi there! I'm Kikyo Kushida, and I'm in Class D too. I was standing right behind you just now! Please take care of me!"

Relying on her outstanding approachability and just the right amount of enthusiasm, it wasn't long before she was chatting heatedly with those girls.

Laughter erupted, and they successfully exchanged contact information. She was completely different from the way she had been earlier, sticking by Lin Mu's side as if she were relying on him to lead the way.

Lin Mu felt nothing about this, even feeling a sense of relief.

He wished that Kushida's social energy could be spread to more people so that he could better remain invisible and slack off.

To him, no matter which class he was in, whether he could graduate smoothly, or whether he could obtain the so-called "school points," he could live very well relying on his superpowers; he had no need to rely on the halo or resources of this school.

He chose this place, aside from that modified admission notice, simply because it had closed management and a good reputation from the outside, looking like a place where he could safely "stay at home" without being overly disturbed.

Making friends? Maintaining interpersonal relationships? That was even less necessary—his experience in the orphanage had long since allowed him to see through things, with his mind reading.

It was easy to cater to others and quickly establish superficial friendships, but the more easily obtained a relationship was, the more fragile and superficial it tended to be.

Moreover, if one could "hear" the real evaluations of others about him (whether good or bad) at all times, then the social game of wearing a mask would seem even more ridiculous and exhausting.

Rather than that, it was better to keep a distance from the beginning and minimize social consumption.

Being alone and at peace was the true essence of a slacker life.

As he followed the crowd slowly toward the Class 1-D classroom, Lin Mu deliberately slowed his pace, falling behind to avoid the crowded and noisy groups.

By the time he arrived at the Class D classroom on the second floor of the teaching building, about two-thirds of the people were already seated, and the sound of conversation was buzzing.

The classroom was spacious and bright, and the desks and chairs were brand new, light wood in color.

Lin Mu scanned the entire space with a calm gaze and walked straight to the back row.

He chose an empty seat in the back of the middle row that was neither by the window (to avoid direct sunlight and interference from the view outside) nor by the door (to avoid frequent traffic and hallway noise), pulled out the chair, and sat down.

(Truly a god-tier spot; being by the door is noisy and easy to be spotted by the teacher, and by the window, once the sun is out, you might as well be cosplaying Tiga.)

This position could be called a "golden slacker spot"—quiet, with a good view to observe the whole class, and not easy to become the focus.

Just as he sat steady and stuffed his schoolbag into the desk, he keenly sensed gazes of different natures from his left and right sides.

He first turned to the right.

The neighbor was a girl with soft pink hair, the ends slightly curled inward.

Her skin was so fair it was almost transparent, and her features were delicate and small, like a doll.

At this moment, she was looking down slightly, her hands placed uneasily on her folded knees.

Noticing Lin Mu turning to look at her, she shuddered violently like a startled little animal, and her fair cheeks flushed a visible red, with even her earlobes and neck stained pink.

She looked away in a panic, her fingers twisting together unconsciously, and her whole person exuded an extremely strong aura of shyness, as if she wanted to shrink into a crack in the floor.

She had a very shy, introverted, and timid personality.

Lin Mu could almost imagine the barrage of thoughts currently flashing through her mind: "What do I do, he's looking over," "So awkward," "Don't look at me, don't look at me."

(Quick Q&A: Is this talking about you?)

Lin Mu's face remained expressionless, though he found the situation somewhat interesting.

A girl this shy would likely have a difficult time in an environment that emphasized such intense competition.

Next, he turned to his left.

The girl on the left had neat, shoulder-length black hair that fell in straight strands.

She sat with perfect posture, her back straight, her brows and eyes cold, and her lips slightly pursed. An aura of aloofness surrounded her, as if she were keeping everyone at a distance, seemingly possessing a natural cooling effect.

Noticing Lin Mu's gaze, she immediately looked over.

Unlike the shy, evasive girl on his right, her eyes were sharp and carried a clear sense of scrutiny, lingering on Lin Mu's face for more than a second.

Her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly before she coldly shifted her gaze away. Her expression clearly spelled out "rude," "frivolous," and "don't bother me," as if Lin Mu looking at her for even a moment was some kind of offense.

(She is a powerhouse who breathes like Shimume Yanagi; the author hasn't played the game, just saw it in a video.)

Lin Mu: "..."

He more or less understood.

His face, combined with the act of taking the initiative to look at her (even if it was just out of polite observation of his surroundings), had likely led this cold-tempered girl to mistake him for a lecherous person trying to hit on her or harboring ulterior motives.

After all, given his appearance, he had encountered similar misunderstandings since he was a child—there were always people who assumed that a handsome guy looking at a girl twice must have some hidden agenda.

Someone else might have been eager to explain or felt embarrassed.

But Lin Mu just raised an eyebrow indifferently, even finding it a bit amusing.

Explaining was too much trouble, and it was debatable whether she would even believe him; he might just make things worse.

Why bother sticking his hot face against a cold butt and wasting his breath and energy?

One of his core principles of slacking off: don't go looking for trouble, but if trouble comes from a misunderstanding, as long as it doesn't substantively affect him, he couldn't be bothered to waste energy clarifying it.

He shrugged, withdrew his gaze with extreme naturalness, and leaned back against his chair, using his tongue to push the milk-flavored lollipop, now half its original size, to the other side of his mouth.

His cheek bulged slightly as a result.

Then, he closed his eyes with peace of mind and began to rest.

After all, as long as he wasn't embarrassed, the person who was embarrassed would be someone else.

Staying quiet and waiting for the yet-to-appear homeroom teacher to arrange things was the only thing he should be doing right now.

As for the shy pink-haired girl on the right and the cold black-haired girl on the left, they were nothing more than classmates for the next three years.

Keeping his distance and minding his own business was his ideal way of interacting with others.

The noise in the classroom seemed to drift away, leaving only the lingering sweetness in his mouth and a deliberate, self-maintained sense of peace and laziness.

(Event duration: May 1st to May 5th)