Classroom of the Mediocre Supremacist

After thinking it over, he found that he didn't seem to have ever felt a particularly strong desire for anything specific—making friends with Horikita Suzune and the others in his class was because he wanted to make himself more like an "ordinary person"; even his desire for "victory" only seemed to surface when facing someone like Hoshino En.

As for his curiosity about certain other things, that was only because he hadn't learned about them in the White Room—the instructors there considered them "unnecessary," so they hadn't even left an impression on him.

Once he did understand them, he'd probably just say, "Ah, so that's how it is," and immediately lose interest.

But one thing was different.

When he thought about it, it was like it had taken root in his mind, impossible to shake—he wanted to make that man live in the White Room too, to taste what he had experienced for the past sixteen years.

He really wanted to know what kind of expression that man would make.

"Is that so? Good."

Hoshino En smiled. It seemed his "good son" had really been steered onto the right path. Excellent.

"By the way, do you still want to be friends with Horikita?"

They walked together to the floor lobby, ready to take the elevator.

"Of course. Since we're deskmates, it's better to have a good relationship."

This was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's genuine thought. That way, if anyone else came looking for trouble—like dragging him into helping with something—he could use Horikita Suzune as a shield to fend them off, saving himself a lot of unnecessary hassle.

"I see... Then you'll have to work hard."

Just then, the elevator arrived, and the doors slid open slowly.

"Horikita's no pushover. That set of Social Skills I taught you won't work on her."

With that, Hoshino En was about to step into the elevator, but—

"Who are you calling a pushover?!!"

Inside the elevator, Horikita Suzune, standing in the corner, glared at him.

Beside her, Kushida Kikyo was struggling to keep her lips pressed together, holding back a smile.

Hold it in, hold it in—I'm professionally trained, I can't laugh!

On Kushida Kikyo's other side, Wang Meiyu glanced at him, then quickly hid behind Kushida Kikyo as if she'd seen something terrifying.

"Hoshino-kun, it's very rude to badmouth someone to their face!"

On the other side, Ichinose Honami, who had been about to greet him first, immediately switched to a reminder of correction.

Standing beside her, Shiranami Chihiro continued to glare at him with anger.

Seriously, why are they all gathered again today? Does this elevator have a monthly reset or something?

Looking at the familiar faces and familiar positions in the elevator, Hoshino En grumbled inwardly.

Also, Ichinose, your wording sounds weird too—is it not rude to badmouth someone behind their back?

But for now, he had to shift Horikita's aggro first.

He stepped into the elevator and explained to Horikita Suzune with a sincere expression.

"Horikita, you don't like making friends, right? I just meant it's hard for others to become friends with you. No other meaning."

As he spoke, he pulled out Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had followed him in and returned to his usual expressionless face.

"See, because you rejected him for a whole month, Kiyotaka's been depressed."

Looking at her deskmate, whose expression was as unchanged as ever, Horikita Suzune had nothing to say.

Aside from the fact that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka always had a blank face, she couldn't find any fault with Hoshino En's words.

Undeniably, she snorted coldly and turned her gaze to the book in her hands, no longer looking at him.

Besides the familiar Elevator Five, Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi were also here today.

Finally stopped sneaking around, huh? Looks like Kamuro's life is getting better too.

"Oh my~ Hoshino-kun, good morning."

The petite girl, still wearing white thigh-high stockings today, performed a one-sided curtsey.

"Good morning, Sakayanagi. But since you have trouble moving, don't bother with that. What if you fall?"

When she curtsied, her center of gravity shifted left, and the cane in her right hand wobbled precariously, making Hoshino En's heart uneasy.

"If I fall, will Hoshino-kun catch me?"

The silver-haired witch winked playfully at Hoshino En.

"Of course, since I already promised."

Though right now it felt like a bad deal—1.3 million seemed like selling cheap.

"Well then..."

Sakayanagi Arisu extended her empty left hand, her bright eyes sparkling with expectant light.

She wants to be supported again?

Hoshino En sighed helplessly.

He reached out his right hand and accepted the girl's "request for support."

I always feel like I'm going to have to add another "escort the young lady to class" job to my workload. This guy is so hard to please!!

"But don't you have Kamuro with you? Why not have her help you walk?"

"She's too clumsy."

Sakayanagi's reply was concise and blunt.

"Besides, she's usually in charge of holding the umbrella—shading me from the sun when it's clear, and blocking the rain when it's wet."

"From that perspective, Kamuro is pretty useful."

It seemed that as long as Sakayanagi was around, Kamuro would never catch a break.

Kamuro Masumi, carrying her bag and two umbrellas for two people: "..."

Sakayanagi, you %#$%#$...

Leaning on Hoshino En's support, Sakayanagi Arisu slowly walked up beside him, locking eyes with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had been standing next to him.

"Long time no see, Ayanokoji-kun. It's been eight years and ninety days, hasn't it?"

She directly spoke his name, and Ichinose Honami, who recognized the name, immediately looked over.

So he's that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, the one Hoshino-kun... the one Hoshino-kun treats like a son.

He looks a lot like Hoshino-kun.

"Don't joke around. I don't remember knowing you."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka replied in his usual flat tone.

"Heh, I suppose so. It's just that I know you unilaterally."

The girl didn't show any disappointment at his denial; her face still carried that elusive smile.

"Ayanokoji-kun, you only need to understand one thing—"

Whether it was an illusion or not, Hoshino En felt that Sakayanagi Arisu had leaned a little closer to him, her entire arm pressing against his.

At that moment, the elevator arrived on the first floor.

The doors slid open slowly, and Sakayanagi Arisu's next words carried out without any restraint.

"Hoshino-kun is mine. Please keep your distance from him from now on."

In the first-floor lobby of the first-year student dormitory, Katsuragi Kohei and his loyal follower Totsuka Yahiko were facing off against Ryuen Kakeru, who had Yamada Albert with him.

Hearing such a bold statement delivered in that distinctive voice, they instinctively dropped their mutual guard and looked toward the elevator.

Sakayanagi / that little girl, what's she up to now?

What they saw was Sakayanagi Arisu clinging to Hoshino En's arm, staking her claim in front of a clean-featured boy.

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 51, Section 047: Clashing Blades, A Strange Misunderstanding

"Who I choose to be friends with has nothing to do with you, does it, Sakayanagi?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka maintained his calm expression, showing no sign of being shaken by Sakayanagi Arisu's interrogation.

"Besides, who En wants to be friends with is his own freedom. That's hardly something for others to meddle in, is it?"

But his second sentence was undoubtedly dancing on Sakayanagi's minefield.

"I wouldn't care about anyone else, but you're different, Ayanokoji-kun. You'll bring him trouble."

The smile on Sakayanagi Arisu's face didn't change at all, but she seemed to be deliberately stepping between Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Hoshino En, trying to separate them.

Ayanokoji-kun... he actually called Hoshino-kun by his first name, so intimately... And I haven't even called him that yet!!

Sakayanagi Arisu had heard Ayanokoji Kiyotaka call Hoshino En that way before, but her state of mind then was different from now. And she could feel it—Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's attitude toward Hoshino En had changed too. They had grown closer!

Damn it... Ayanokoji-kun, you really are an enemy I must bury!!

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka paid no attention to Sakayanagi's blazing fighting spirit. What concerned him more was what she had just said.

Claiming to have met him in the past, and now knowing the predicament he was facing... this person—could she be from the White Room?

Is En really from the White Room?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka glanced at Hoshino En and Sakayanagi Arisu's intertwined hands, speculating, his mood inexplicably sinking.

But he quickly dismissed that guess, because Hoshino En cut in at that moment.

"Kiyotaka, don't mind Sakayanagi. She has congenital heart disease. Her legs can't support her as it is, and if you piss her off to the point of fainting, then me and Kamuro will probably have to take the day off to look after her."

"Hey! Who said I'd need to—"

"Kamuro, shut up. Don't make this scene any more chaotic."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't pay attention to the argument between Hoshino En and Kamuro Masumi. His focus was entirely on what Hoshino En had just said.

Congenital heart disease... then she's probably not from the White Room.

The White Room wants all-around geniuses. A congenital defect like that wouldn't even be considered a candidate.

She's not from the White Room, so Hoshino definitely can't be from the White Room either!!

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's spirits lifted once more.

Hoshino said someone pulled strings for my enrollment—that person must know my current situation; if they're opposing the White Room, they definitely know the White Room's past as well.

This Sakayanagi... is she the child of one of the White Room's sponsors?

But why would a White Room sponsor help me?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka couldn't figure it out.

"Hoshino-kun, do you really think I'm fragile enough to faint from being talked down by Ayanokoji-kun?"

At that, Sakayanagi Arisu began her counterattack against Hoshino En's earlier remark.

Of course I'm not afraid—how could you, little demon king, possibly faint from someone's words? What I'm afraid of is Kiyotaka going into fight-or-flight mode and sending you flying with one punch; he's extremely sensitive to any White Room intel right now.

And from what I observed during swimming class, his physical abilities are excellent, almost on par with Koenji's. I estimate that even if A-Sho brought all of Class C's combat types together, they couldn't get the upper hand against him, let alone you with only Kamuro by your side.

—Of course, Hoshino En couldn't say any of that directly to Sakayanagi Arisu.

Besides, although he judged Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to be on par with Koenji Rokusuke, he didn't think he himself couldn't beat him—that kind of thing, like international chess, could only be determined by actually trying.

But he couldn't provoke Sakayanagi's fighting spirit here; instead, he had to soothe her. After all, he'd just sided with Kiyotaka, so he needed to keep things balanced.

"Oh, my dear lady, have you been spending too much time with Kamuro that your little brain's gone dull?!"

Hoshino En's free hand clenched into a fist and lightly tapped Sakayanagi Arisu's beret-covered head.

"Kiyotaka and I are just good friends, like Ichinose and that Shiranami Chihiro beside her—why are you so tense?"

His fist relaxed, and he rubbed her head through the beret.

"Oh... oh..."

Sakayanagi Arisu fell silent.

Hoshino-kun's hands are so big, and so warm... If only he'd touch my head directly, hehe~