Koushu Kudou greeted Masaki Ichijo calmly, despite the wary looks from the Third High School students standing beside him.
Masaki Ichijo gave him a hearty smile.
"Just call me Masaki. It really has been a long time."
"All right, Masaki. The person standing beside you should be George Shion, right?"
"Nice to meet you!"
Koushu Kudou shifted his gaze to Kichijoji Shinkuro, who stood nearby with his hair parted down the middle and a rather undersized frame.
"Hello, Mr. Kudou."
After greeting him, Kichijoji Shinkuro fell silent. He quietly led the other Third High School students a few steps back, clearly giving the two of them room to talk.
"I didn't expect you to go to First High School, Koushu."
"I thought you'd definitely be attending Second High School this year. With you joining First High, they're getting harder and harder to deal with."
Masaki Ichijo spoke with a hint of gravity. He was confident in his abilities and believed that, among his peers in the Ten Master Clans, he was second to none.
But in his eyes, Koushu Kudou was one of the few who could match him.
"Well, sometimes you want a change of scenery when you've been in the same place for too long. So I decided to attend First High."
"But from the sound of it, you're pretty confident about Third High's chances this year, Masaki!"
Koushu Kudou narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
"I'm bound to have some confidence. And even with you joining them, I don't think we're completely out of the running this year."
The confidence in Masaki Ichijo's words showed that he truly believed what he was saying.
"Is that so!"
Koushu Kudou did his best to keep any trace of sympathy from showing in his eyes, lest Masaki Ichijo notice.
Forget