Classroom of the Mediocre Supremacist Chapter 2

Hirata Yosuke, Karuizawa Kei, Matsushita Chiaki...

Yamauchi Haruki, Sakura Airi, Ike Kanji...

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Horikita Suzune, Sudo Ken...

Inogashira Kokoro, Kushida Kikyo, Hoshino En... Ah, there it is!

It was the seat by the door in the last row, the position students who liked to slack off and daydream during class feared most.

But for Hoshino En, it was the best possible seat—no one would pay attention to him sitting in this corner, and no one would have the chance to analyze his every move. It was the ideal position for information security.

Since everyone had arrived around the same time, the forty students in the class quickly gathered.

After assembling, it was time for the entrance ceremony. The boys and girls stood in separate lines and were led to the gymnasium to listen to the school leaders drone on.

But once they arrived at the gym, Hoshino En realized that not a single school leader had appeared at this school's entrance ceremony. The ones maintaining order were all members of the Student Council.

The Student Council at this school seems to hold quite a lot of power.

"I am the Student Council President, Horikita Manabu."

The only person giving a speech was Student Council President Horikita Manabu, a serious-looking upperclassman with a tall, straight figure and glasses.

"On behalf of the current students, I warmly welcome this year's incoming class..."

But there seemed to be someone in Class D with the surname Horikita.

Matching the names to the seating chart, Hoshino En quickly found the [Horikita] he had met once before.

She had her head lowered, her expression strange as her body trembled slightly.

She looks a little strange. Is she nervous?

But she isn't the one going onstage, so what is she nervous about?

Her reaction was strange, but it confirmed that she was indeed related by blood to the [Horikita] onstage. Most likely, they were siblings.

Other than her, Hoshino En swept his gaze through the Class D lineup and found quite a few familiar faces.

The expressionless boy who had sat beside him on the bus seemed to be called Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

According to the seating chart, the girl with short brown hair was called Kushida Kikyo.

The man occupying the [priority seat] was Koenji Rokusuke.

It would have been one thing if they had simply taken the same bus, but he had not expected them to be in the same class too.

No, perhaps the school had assigned students from the same class to the same bus route. That would explain the coincidence.

Because it was all so strange, Hoshino En paid close attention to every detail around him.

"This school practices complete meritocracy. I hope all new students will carry on that tradition..."

The Student Council President's speech ended quickly. After that, each class was led back to its classroom, and there seemed to be a homeroom session afterward.

"Hello, I'm Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."

But on the way back, that expressionless boy suddenly spoke to Hoshino En.

"Hoshino En. Thanks for earlier, on the bus."

Since they were in the same class and would be seeing each other every day, Hoshino En decided to have a proper conversation with him.

"No problem."

The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka did not bring up anything that could keep it going.

But seeing him continue to stare, Hoshino En felt that he might have something else to say.

"Is there something wrong? You keep looking at me."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: "..."

"Um, are we friends now?"

Wow, that was a very direct statement.

It was Hoshino En's first time seeing such a straightforward declaration of friendship.

"Since we're classmates, ordinary friends are probably about as far as that goes."

"But if you want to make true friends, I'd suggest opening up your heart first and exchanging sincerity for sincerity."

Hoshino En poked Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in the chest, right over his heart.

Since the other boy seemed to lack common sense, Hoshino En added another unnecessary sentence.

"Only by offering sincerity can you gain sincerity in return. Otherwise, everyone can only be superficial friends."

Hoshino En patted Ayanokoji Kiyotaka on the shoulder, then stepped forward to catch up with the class, ending the conversation unilaterally.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: "..."

True feelings... huh?

He touched his chest, his face still expressionless.

That's a little hard to understand.

Back in the classroom, since the homeroom teacher had not arrived yet, the students were chatting among themselves.

But it was obvious that circles and class divisions had already formed within the class.

Lonely shut-in youths like Hoshino En had always been at the very bottom of the class hierarchy.

Oh, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka seemed to belong to that group too.

"Everyone, may I have your attention for a moment?"

Just as the classroom gradually grew noisy with the chatter of various groups, a clear voice suddenly rang out, cutting through the chaos.

It belonged to a very handsome boy.

Judging from the name on the seating chart, he was Hirata Yosuke.

"Let's all introduce ourselves. I hope we can get along quickly and become friends."

"The teacher doesn't seem to be here yet. What do you all think?"

He asked the entire class as though seeking their opinions.

But from Hoshino En's experience, questions asked by popular people like him usually ended up becoming the group's final decision.

Sure enough, the moment he spoke, the girls around him immediately voiced their agreement.

It seemed he had already reached the top of the class hierarchy.

Once most people agreed to the request, there was no need to care about the opinions of the minority.

And so, starting with him, the self-introductions began.

Hirata Yosuke, Kushida Kikyo, Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki...

"All right, next, you in the corner."

Because of the introductions, the students sitting farther away had gathered around Hirata Yosuke, making Hoshino En, who sat alone in the corner, stand out conspicuously.

And because Hirata had called on him, everyone in the class turned to look at him, making him stand out even more.

But with no way out, no matter how unwilling Hoshino En was, he had to stand up.

"My name is Hoshino En. I enjoy playing all kinds of board games and reading. I also exercise regularly. I look forward to getting along with everyone."

A perfectly ordinary introduction—not too passionate, not too cold.

His classmates also offered friendly applause.

But wait, had there been an intensely burning gaze mixed in with the looks directed at him just now?

Does someone here know me?

Hoshino En swept his gaze through the class again, but everyone had already looked away, so he failed to find the culprit behind that strange stare.

Did they blend back into the crowd?

Yet as he looked at most of the classmates' backs or profiles, he had no memory of any of them.

No, it was probably just his imagination.

At that moment, a girl wearing loose socks, her hair tied in a high ponytail and dressed like a gyaru, quickly lowered her head, her cheeks flushed red.

I never expected... to meet him here.

Coming to this school was definitely the right choice!

"Next, how about you over there?"

After Hoshino En sat down, the next victim took the stage.

It was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, seated symmetrically across from him in the corner by the window.

He had paid attention to the gloomy corner seats in the class. It seemed that Hirata Yosuke genuinely wanted everyone to get along.

"Me?"

The person called on looked a little confused, but encouraged by the popular guy's smile, he stood up anyway.

"Uh... I'm Ayanokoji Kiyotaka... Nice to meet you..."

"Um... I'm not particularly good at anything... I'll do my best to get along with everyone..."

His self-introduction, so perfunctory it was practically monotone recitation, came to an end.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: "..."

Ah, I failed.

Hoshino En: "..."

Everyone present who heard it felt a chill.

Even so, Hirata Yosuke still took the lead in giving Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had bravely charged forward, an encouraging round of applause.

"Nice to meet you, Ayanokoji. Let's get along."

"Next..."

With the Ayanokoji incident behind them, Hirata Yosuke was about to call on the next person when—

Bang!!

The classmate sitting to Hoshino En's left suddenly kicked his desk, producing a loud noise.

That sound also interrupted Hirata Yosuke's execution-style roll call.

"What's the point of introducing ourselves? Do you take us for little kids?"

He curled his lips into a cocky smirk.

"Just let whoever wants to talk, talk."

He seemed angry.

That made sense. Hoshino En had seen him sleeping with his head on the desk earlier. He had probably been woken by the noise from Hirata's organized self-introductions and was cranky after waking up.

According to the seating chart he had seen earlier, this person was Sudo Ken.

Judging by his build, he seemed athletically gifted. He had probably been sleeping earlier to restore his energy.

Seeing how angry he was, Hirata Yosuke seemed about to say something comforting, but a mature voice interrupted him again.

"You three, get back to your seats."

The homeroom teacher had arrived.

Currently available information:
[Name: Hoshino En]

[Class: Class 1-D]

[Birthday: July 20]

[Academic Ability: B+]

[Intelligence: A]