This unapologetically arrogant introduction landed like a stone dropped into a still pond.
The classroom fell silent for several seconds. You could hear a pin drop.
Many students stared in astonishment, eyes wide, as if they couldn't believe what they'd just heard;
Some frowned, clearly displeased;
Others couldn't help lowering their heads, shoulders twitching as they tried to stifle their laughter.
Rokusuke Koenji himself, however, paid no attention to their reactions. Once he had finished speaking, he held his head high and strode back to his seat with complete confidence, like a peacock showing off its plumage.
Watching the two of them, Lin Mu understood what he was seeing.
The typical characters from a Japanese school story—one cold and taciturn, with a mysterious background (or perhaps simply that kind of personality), and one flamboyant narcissist, whose strength was unknown but whose confidence knew no bounds.
(Naruto, Sasuke.)
They were far more distinctive than the cookie-cutter introductions that had come before, and hard to forget.
But that was all. Lin Mu looked away.
As long as these two "characters" didn't go out of their way to bother him, their being cold or narcissistic had nothing to do with him.
He was just an ordinary (pseudo-)student who wanted to coast through school in peace.
As more students went up to introduce themselves, it soon became the back row's turn.
"Next student..." Hirata Yosuke's gentle gaze settled on the area where Lin Mu sat.
The eyes around him, especially those of the girls, immediately focused on him.
There was no helping it. Lin Mu had the looks and the presence: white hair, a finely sculpted, cool face, and a tall, straight figure.
Then there was the contrast of his languid, aloof demeanor and the lollipop in his mouth, which he'd maintained ever since entering the classroom.
Plenty of students—especially the girls—had been quietly keeping an eye on him for a while.
Now their anticipation was at its peak.
Lin Mu let out an almost inaudible sigh, knowing he couldn't avoid it.
He stood up without hurry, his movements a little languid and dragging.
The half-eaten lemon lollipop was still in his mouth, its plastic stick swaying lightly by his lips as he moved.
(He bit down on the plastic stick of the lollipop.)
He walked slowly to the podium. Unlike some students, he didn't make a point of standing up straight, nor did he try to draw attention to himself.
He simply stood there casually, then gave the class a brief, indifferent glance.
His gaze was calm and unruffled, like a breeze passing over a lake, never lingering.
"Linmu Fujimiya."
His voice was clear and cool, like a mountain spring, but his tone was unmistakably languid and perfunctory.
"There's nothing in particular I like, and I have an ordinary personality."
He paused, as if he thought he ought to add something, but couldn't be bothered to make anything up. So he simply told the truth. "For the next three years, I just want to coast along in peace and graduate without any trouble."
When he finished, he didn't even tack on a perfunctory "I look forward to getting along with you." He simply turned and walked back to his seat in the back row at the same unhurried pace.
The whole thing took less than fifteen seconds, making it one of the shortest introductions on record. He hadn't even bothered with an unnecessary expression.
The classroom fell briefly silent, then quiet whispers immediately began to ripple through it.
Most of the girls looked plainly disappointed, the light in their eyes dimming. Many of them thought to themselves:
"Ah... That's it? I thought we'd get to know him a little better..."
"Nothing he likes? An ordinary personality? That sounds so perfunctory..."
"Coast through school... He's so handsome, but he has no ambition?
"I wanted to find a chance to talk to him, but now I don't even know what to say..."
"Aw, what a shame. He's so good-looking..."
A few of the bolder, more outgoing girls couldn't help leaning over to whisper to their friends.
They murmured things like, "I really want to get to know Lin Mu better," "Even just chatting would be nice," and "He seems so hard to approach."
Some of the boys, meanwhile, wore undisguised looks of disdain. Their gazes followed Lin Mu's back with resentment and contempt as they silently grumbled:
"Tch, so what if he's good-looking? What a halfhearted introduction. What's he acting so smug for?"
"I bet his face is all he's got. He's just putting on an aloof act."
"He actually dared to say he planned to coast through school in front of the whole class. What a joke. He's obviously the sort who wants attention for his looks but has no ambition whatsoever."
All those whispered comments, the glances with their various implications, and the faint ripples of emotion in the air—
With Lin Mu's keen perception, he could read some of it from people's expressions, tone, and body language, even without using telepathy.
But he didn't care at all.
The girls' disappointment and the boys' disdain stirred not even the slightest ripple in him.
He had never intended to please anyone, nor had he wanted to form a deep connection with anyone.
In fact, he thought that blunt introduction, which had come close to "giving up on himself," had worked surprisingly well.
It should successfully discourage most people who might otherwise approach him out of "curiosity" or because of his "looks," hoping to strike up a conversation.
That would save him a lot of potential trouble down the line. It was exactly the result he wanted.
Back at his seat in the rear, Lin Mu slumped into the chair like a puddle of mud. He fished another grape-flavored lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.
The rich, sweet-and-sour fruit flavor burst across his tongue and spread to his nerve endings, driving away the last trace of irritation caused by the noise and the forced "performance."
Much better...
The girls on either side of him had remained nearly frozen ever since the introductions began.
On his right was the pink-haired girl—during her introduction, her voice had been so faint it was barely audible, and she'd nearly buried her head in her chest. Her name, he thought, had been "Airi Sakura."
She still held herself like an ostrich, clutching the hem of her skirt in her lap with both hands. The pale nape of her neck was faintly red, and she hadn't dared look up at him once. Her presence was so faint it was as if she might dissolve into the air.
For someone as painfully shy and bashful as her, Lin Mu found her a little... amusing?
Or perhaps she would be the easiest to get along with? Someone like her clearly wouldn't go out of her way to create any social pressure.
On his left was the black-haired, aloof girl. When she'd gone up, she'd only coldly given her name, "Suzune Horikita," then said, "I have nothing in particular to say," before returning to her seat.
Now she still had that keep-away expression, radiating a "don't bother me" gloom. She sat as straight as if measured with a ruler, her gaze fixed ahead, as though Lin Mu sitting beside her were nothing but an irrelevant patch of air.
Good. Lin Mu let the candy rest in his mouth, savoring the calm it brought.
(Activity period: May 1 to May 5)
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