So High and Mighty

April had arrived, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom once more.

It was also the start of a new term at Neon School.

Following the signs along the road, Chihaya Rei made his way steadily toward the school building.

The students walking around him all wore the same red uniform jackets. The girls paired theirs with white pleated skirts, while the boys wore green suit trousers.

This was Advanced Nurturing High School.

A school that publicly boasted a nearly 100 percent rate of advancement to higher education and employment.

In a society where young people were struggling to find work, that made the school even more sought-after.

But before a truck had sent him flying into this anime crossover world, Chihaya Rei had watched the original series, so he knew the truth:

Choosing which company to work for or which university to attend was a privilege enjoyed only by students who graduated from Class A.

And a few minutes ago, he had learned from the class assignment list that he'd been placed in Class D.

At this school, where ability came above all else, Class D students were called "defective products."

Anyone who found out they'd been assigned to the defective-products class probably wouldn't be in a very good mood.

But right now, Chihaya Rei didn't look surprised at all, nor was he downcast. Instead, the corners of his mouth lifted in a knowing smile.

He'd deliberately scored low to start in Class D.

Because only in Class D could the system he'd activated a few days earlier be put to its fullest use.

The system was called the Torture God-Person System.

It was easy to understand and just as easy to use.

All he had to do was torture god-tier weirdos to earn Torture Points. These points were like experience; they filled a progress bar, and once it reached a certain level, he could unlock a random reward.

Though the rewards were random, the system had guaranteed him one thing: Anything the system produced was bound to be top-quality.

So Chihaya Rei had decided to trust it.

Chihaya Rei opened the system panel that only he could see and glanced at it.

[Torture Points are awarded based on the target and the degree of torture.]

[Torture methods include, but are not limited to, verbal abuse, physical force, and punishment.]

[Current torture progress: 0%. A reward will unlock at 30%.]

[Skills owned: Explosive Drummer]

[Explosive Drummer: Strength and stamina far surpass those of ordinary people. Can easily use guitars and basses as drumsticks.]

He had a bit of talent, it seemed. He'd been born with a skill like this.

He'd developed it by playing in several bands before he came here.

Besides, Chihaya Rei thought torturing god-tier weirdos was fun in itself, never mind the rewards handed out by the system.

He couldn't think of a reason to turn it down.

As it happened, he'd received an invitation to enroll at Advanced Nurturing High School.

At the thought of all the god-tier weirdos in Class D during the same year as the original protagonist, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Chihaya Rei's eyes brightened.

Was there any place with more god-tier weirdos than this school?

It was worth mentioning that Advanced Nurturing High School was a closed campus, meaning students couldn't leave for three years.

Without a doubt, this school was the perfect stage for him to spread his wings and torture god-tier weirdos!

So Chihaya Rei had gladly accepted the invitation to enroll.

Then, during the written exam and interview, he'd deliberately scored low and successfully started in Class D.

Thinking back to the day of the interview, all he'd done was mention his middle-school track record to the interviewer:

"I stopped going to school before the high-school entrance exams, got involved with several girls' bands, and tried to build a harem in one of them."

It was such an ordinary thing, really...

It didn't take Chihaya Rei long to find the Class D classroom.

The desks were arranged in five columns and eight rows, with forty students in total. Both the desks and chairs were made of metal, and each desk had a nameplate bearing the student's name.

The nameplates helped him find his seat without trouble. It was in the middle of the back row.

Chihaya Rei was quite pleased with the spot. From there, he could keep an eye on practically everyone in the class.

It was also close to the god-tier weirdos.

After setting down his bag, he noticed that many of Class D's key figures had already arrived.

At the front of the classroom, there was Hirata Yousuke, known as Great Leaf Mountain, and Kushida Kikyo, the Little Green Tea Fake Angel Noodle Faction. The two of them were chatting enthusiastically with some of their classmates.

Then there was Kogenji Rokusuke, the handsome guy who had his legs propped up on the desk and his fingers interlaced behind his head as he admired his own beauty.

And then there were...the three greatest creations of the Black House.

And, more importantly...

Chihaya Rei tilted his head toward the two people sitting to his left.

By the window sat the "imposter," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

His expression was blank, and he looked like he was daydreaming, but Chihaya Rei knew perfectly well that Ayanokoji was assessing the safety of his surroundings.

Maybe he was wondering whether the White Room had sent assassins to capture him.

Ayanokoji had also keenly noticed that Chihaya Rei was looking at him.

He tilted his head toward Chihaya Rei, seemingly trying to look puzzled.

You're such a robot.

Chihaya Rei shifted his gaze to the person beside him. The girl sitting straight-backed and reading a book was Horikita Suzune.

Her expression was cold, and her whole demeanor said, Don't bother me.

Just as Chihaya Rei was looking away, a cool voice, edged with accusation, reached his ears first.

"You were looking at me just now. What was that supposed to mean?"

Horikita Suzune had already looked up. Her delicate brows furrowed, and her red eyes studied the boy before her.

Chihaya Rei: "?"

Did you hear yourself just now?

Chihaya Rei couldn't help thinking that he hadn't even ridden the same bus as her.

How had he still triggered a scene like that?

No normal person would ask such a confrontational question just because someone had glanced at them, even if they had no interest in getting to know the person at the next desk.

Only Horikita Suzune, with her complete lack of social skills, would do something like that.

No wonder netizens had called her a budget Yukinoshita.

Chihaya Rei couldn't help shaking his head.

Fine, then. Horikita Suzune would be the first to draw blood after the Interrogation System had started up.

"I did look at you. It didn't mean anything at first, but your response made me think it was a little ridiculous."

Horikita Suzune's furrowed brows tightened further. She put her book on the desk, as if she'd be ready to hiss at him at the slightest provocation.

"You'd better give me a reasonable explanation."

"I'm not obligated to."

Chihaya Rei narrowed his eyes and met Horikita Suzune's gaze. He didn't bother to be polite, and replied without the slightest hesitation.

"But since you don't even know what you did wrong, I don't mind setting you straight."

"Hmph. You really are high and mighty!"

Horikita Suzune said coldly.

"Likewise. And you're full of yourself."

Chihaya Rei shot back immediately.

For a moment, they stared each other down, neither willing to give an inch.

Even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was curious enough to watch them in silence.

Horikita Suzune was the first to lose patience. Her lips parted slightly. "Don't waste my time."

"I was thinking the same thing."

Chihaya Rei went on to explain himself:

"You weren't the only person I looked at. I'm a new student in a new class, so I was curious and took a look around to see who was sitting nearby. I don't see anything wrong with that."

Horikita Suzune had still seemed somewhat annoyed.

But as she heard the rest, her expression stiffened slightly, as if she realized that Chihaya Rei had a point.

"Fine. I understand."

Her voice had softened somewhat. She then turned away, intending to end the conversation.

However, Chihaya Rei wasn't planning to let her off that easily.

"But what about you, Horikita? Were you really paying attention to your book?"

Chihaya Rei glanced at the book on Horikita Suzune's desk and began laying out his reasoning.

"Crime and Punishment is a literary classic. Shouldn't reading it require you to focus completely and understand the themes of the work?"

"How else could you have immediately noticed me looking at you?"

"That gives me even more reason to think you were the one who looked at me first."

Horikita Suzune stared at Chihaya Rei and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"That's none of your business. And I wasn't looking at you."

She wasn't particularly surprised that Chihaya Rei knew her surname. The nameplates on their desks had everyone's names on them.

"It wasn't my business before, but are you really going to leave it at that?" Chihaya Rei asked.

"What do you mean?"

A hint of confusion showed in Horikita Suzune's eyes.

"You should apologize to me."

Chihaya Rei folded his arms and gave Horikita Suzune a serious, slightly sidelong look, emphasizing the word "apologize."

"I was just looking around. You had no reason to question me. You clearly misunderstood something, then went back to your book as if nothing had happened."

"Is that any way to behave, Horikita?"

"So I don't think we should just brush this off and move on."

"..."

Horikita Suzune looked taken aback, then fell silent.

But Chihaya Rei didn't intend to give her more time to think. He pressed on:

"Do you go quiet whenever you're asked a hard question?"

Horikita Suzune's cool expression wavered.

Her gaze dropped to Chihaya Rei's desk, as if she intended to make sure she remembered his name.

Horikita Suzune could only think that Chihaya Rei was a real pain to deal with.

But deep down, she had to admit that he was right.

The truth was, she'd been distracted by the noise in the classroom. She'd appeared to be focused on her book, but her attention had already wandered, which was why she'd immediately noticed Chihaya Rei looking at her.

Thinking it over, Horikita Suzune drew a deep breath.

"I admit I was wrong just now. I'm sorry. Is that good enough?"

"That's fine. I forgive you."

At least Horikita Suzune had owned up to her mistake and apologized.

After replying, Chihaya Rei turned back to face the front of the classroom, showing Horikita Suzune his profile as if to say he didn't want to talk to her anymore.

But he was in a rather good mood.

Getting the better of Horikita Suzune was one reason.

More importantly, as he'd been torturing Horikita Suzune just now, a series of system notifications had rung in his mind.

[Successfully tortured Horikita Suzune. Gained 1,015 Torture Points.]

[Successfully tortured Horikita Suzune. Gained 2,233 Torture Points.]

[Successfully tortured Horikita Suzune. Gained 2,233 Torture Points.]

[Current torture progress: 10%. A reward will unlock at 30%.]

Just seeing his progress bar reach 10% was enough to put Chihaya Rei in a great mood. He even found Horikita Suzune much easier on the eyes.

He was looking forward to seeing what reward he'd get next.