"Whether it's getting into Class A, passing the Black Sphere Exam, or even becoming Student Council President... I'll prove it to you, Brother!"
As she spoke, she turned and ran off without looking back, as if afraid she might regret it.
Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses, his tone betraying no emotion.
"What a disobedient little sister."
Sakayanagi Arisu was grinning from ear to ear.
She gently pinched Su Wei and couldn't help covering her mouth as she giggled.
"Looks like she doesn't appreciate your kindness, Su Wei."
"How does it feel to be rejected in public? I'm still better, aren't I? I'd never turn you down."
Su Wei ignored her and called out to Horikita Manabu, who was about to leave.
"Student Council President, huh... Since we're on the subject, can I ask how you managed to keep your losses at zero in the Black Sphere Exam before?"
"What makes you think the school had this kind of dangerous exam before?"
With that, Horikita Manabu strode away without lingering.
Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help laughing.
As someone with admin privileges, how could she not know that Su Wei had sent Kushida Kikyo to sell information to Miyabi Nagumo?
Su Wei glanced at her.
It should've been because my privileges are higher than yours.
You think I don't know, but I know you think I don't know, and you're secretly pleased about it.
But at that moment, he had no time to indulge her mischievous antics.
The reason was simple.
The Black Sphere had notified him.
New guests had appeared.
### Ignoring Sakayanagi Arisu's teasing gaze, Su Wei kept his expression calm while focusing his attention on the Black Sphere interface only he could see.
As the one giving the orders, he naturally kept GANTZ under constant watch.
It was for humanity's safety, of course. But when potential guests might be on their way, shouldn't he at least offer them proper hospitality?
As the map refreshed, several glaring red dots appeared across Tokyo.
On the screen,
there were Kabane from Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, their hearts encased in orange-red iron membranes, tireless and relentless; and the antisocial Ape-Man from Darwin's Incident, raised by humans for years but never granted a trace of humanity.
But what surprised Su Wei most were the humanoid creatures in black suits, with pale faces and indistinct features.
The Silence, from Doctor Who.
Terrifying creatures that were instantly forgotten the moment you looked away, capable of interfering with human perception.
Still, they only looked intimidating. Aside from their special ability to generate electricity, their physical defenses couldn't even withstand pistol fire.
Classic glass cannons.
What Su Wei was really worried about were the other monsters from Doctor Who.
For example... the Weeping Angels.
Quantum-locked into statues only while being observed, they would send their prey into the past the instant you blinked or looked away, feeding on the potential energy of time. Cosmic predators.
"If one of those things shows up, it'll be a bit of a problem..."
Su Wei rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
He had trap cards from Yu-Gi-Oh! that operated by similar rules, but who knew whether the Water Barrier could bounce these higher-dimensional beings back to the Doctor's world...
"Better safe than sorry. I'll take another precaution."
Against technology-based monsters like these, if a trap card didn't work, he could use a gadget of the same type to counter them.
Doraemon's gadget collection was bottomless, after all.
He could use the Shape-Solidifying Lamp to instantly solidify an object, making it even more thoroughly fixed than quantum lock; or use the Copy Mirror to create another Weeping Angel, so they could stare at each other and fall into permanent quantum entanglement...
As long as he kept his head down, there were always more solutions than problems.
And while he waited for the gadgets to refresh, he didn't mind showing these visitors from other worlds a little leniency.
As for Ghouls and the Evil Spirits who just wanted to live quietly in a corner, he was even willing to give them a chance to coexist.
As long as they behaved like law-abiding citizens, he'd be happy to let someone else handle the work.
As for the Kabane and the Silence, natural enemies of humanity through and through... they could be the stars of the next trial.
"Before then, let everyone rest and recover for a couple of days."
"After all, I'm not exactly a demon who has to wipe them all out."
The days passed peacefully for four or five days.
But in some people's eyes, a calm surface didn't mean things were truly calm.
Inside Class 1-D's classroom,
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka rested his chin on one hand. He seemed to be daydreaming, but in reality, he was taking in every shift in the class's social dynamics.
First, there was Horikita Suzune.
Ever since the last Special Exam ended, she seemed to have taken on some kind of invisible, heavy burden.
She no longer bristled at everyone around her as she used to. Instead, she had grown quieter and more withdrawn.
Even when her classmates praised her, she could only manage a stiff response. Her eagerness to prove something was practically bursting out of her.
Next was Su Wei.
Ayanokoji's gaze shifted to the boy beside him, who was currently napping with his head on the desk.
Lately, Su Wei and Kushida Kikyo had grown visibly closer.
They still kept their distance in class and didn't openly form a little clique.
But Ayanokoji had noticed the unspoken understanding in the way they exchanged glances, and how Kushida would sometimes lean toward Su Wei when she spoke to him.
That so-called Special Exam last week...
Was what Kushida said when she first approached Su Wei really just a coincidence?
Ayanokoji looked away.
He wasn't the type to seek the spotlight or meddle in other people's business.
Even though his instincts told him there was a huge secret behind all this, he had no intention of getting involved.
Unfortunately, things didn't always go as planned.
There were some things in this world you couldn't just refuse and stay out of.
That afternoon, during class meeting,
Chabashira Sae once again announced with an infuriating smirk that another "Special Exam" would begin that evening.
And under the frenzied gaze of the whole class, Horikita Suzune barely hesitated before claiming the sole spot on the grounds that she had won the previous exam.
Ayanokoji merely watched in silence, saying nothing.
Only after school,
when most of the students had headed for their clubs or dorms, Ayanokoji was preparing to head back and lounge around when the woman who always smelled of tobacco blocked his way at the stairwell.
"Is there something you need, Chabashira-sensei?"
Ayanokoji's tone was flat.
Chabashira Sae leaned against the wall, lit a long, slender cigarette, and blew out a smoke ring before speaking casually.
"A few days ago, a man contacted the school."
"Through some channel, he pressured the school to expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka unconditionally."
Ayanokoji turned around.
He looked at Chabashira Sae without expression.
"That's ridiculous."
"I don't know who that man is, but the school wouldn't just listen to such an unreasonable demand and expel a student on a whim, would it?"
"Heh."
Chabashira Sae chuckled and flicked away the ash.
"Of course not."
"No one can override the school's will now."
"Now?"
Ayanokoji picked up on the subtle implication in that word.
Before he could think it over, Chabashira Sae changed tack.
"But if you cause trouble, that's another matter. And besides..."
She paused, her expression growing complicated.
There was a hint of amusement, as if she were enjoying the show, but also a trace of pity that was hard to detect.
"Never mind. I'll be blunt."
"As long as you're a student at Advanced Nurturing, and as long as you don't want to leave, no one can force you out. Of course, even if you did want to leave... heh."
Chabashira Sae stubbed out her cigarette and turned away.
"One last word of advice, Ayanokoji."
"It'd be best if you didn't stay in the school building tonight."
Watching his homeroom teacher walk away, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood where he was, his brow furrowed slightly.
He could guess that she wanted to extract some value from him, but he didn't understand the warning she'd given before leaving.
A ploy to provoke me? Or some kind of hint?
Though he had a feeling something was up, Ayanokoji didn't leave right away.
He had to admit, Chabashira Sae had sparked a curiosity he hadn't felt in a long time.
And so he stood in the hallway, watching the sun sink toward the horizon.
About ten minutes later,
"Ayanokoji-kun?"
Hirata Yosuke happened to pass by. Seeing Ayanokoji alone, he looked a little surprised.
"It's pretty late. You haven't gone back yet? Are you waiting for someone?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gathered his thoughts, raised his phone, and waved it, lying with an impassive face.
"No, I just thought the view was nice today and wanted to take a picture."
Hirata Yosuke followed his gaze to the brilliant sunset clouds outside and agreed.
"It really is a beautiful sunset."
"Then I won't keep you. I'll be..."
Just as the two of them nodded in farewell and were about to go their separate ways,
Before you continue