Ayanokoji, Has Anyone Ever Said You Resemble a Human-Machine?

With the intention of testing his new skill, Chihaya Rei focused his mind and activated [Presence Concealment].

Thus, transformed into a Grand Assassin, he carried his shopping bags back to the supermarket first, then strode toward the student dormitories with lightning speed.

At Advanced Nurturing High School, male and female students reside in the same building.

However, the boys are on the lower floors, while the girls are on the higher ones.

Furthermore, after ten o'clock at night, boys are strictly forbidden from remaining in the girls' dormitory area.

The School Handbook also contains a regulation stating: "Relationships inconsistent with a student's status are prohibited."

In other words, doesn't that just mean students are allowed to date?

As long as nothing life-altering happens, it's fine.

After all, whether at the supermarket or in the vending machines along the way, Chihaya Rei had seen "silencers" and "Smurfs" for sale...

As long as you take protective measures, it's all good!

Personal room cards are collected at the dormitory manager's office on the first floor.

After receiving his own room card, Chihaya Rei used the excuse that he needed a friend to wake him up every day to convince the staff to hand over the spare room card as well.

Only then did he head to the elevator, satisfied.

In the original story, these room keys were a point that really made one want to complain.

Yamauchi Haruki, the greatest masterpiece of the White Room, was actually able to get a replacement room card for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka from the staff simply by claiming he was Ayanokoji's friend and couldn't get into his room.

From then on, the Three Idiots of the Black Room could easily enter and exit Ayanokoji's room.

Even Ayanokoji couldn't defend against the offensive of Lord Yamauchi.

Chihaya Rei didn't want something similar to happen to him.

It must be prevented!

While waiting for the elevator, Chihaya Rei saw the very person he had just been thinking about.

"Isn't this Ayanokoji-kun, who sits in the back row by the window?"

If he didn't have the system, Chihaya Rei would have stayed as far away as possible from a monster like this, raised in a white gym and devoid of emotion; he would have been better off honestly starting a band.

But now that he had the system, it was different—initiating contact was perfectly fine.

"Mm, hello, Chihaya."

Ayanokoji nodded, shifting his calm, ripple-less eyes to look over, greeting him in a flat voice.

Chihaya Rei noticed that Ayanokoji was carrying shopping bags just like him; he must have also been out stocking up on supplies before returning to the dorms.

The air remained silent for two seconds before Chihaya Rei smiled and opened the conversation.

"Ayanokoji, are you naturally not fond of smiling?"

"Uh... I suppose so."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka responded softly.

It wasn't that he couldn't smile, but he felt there was no necessity to do so normally, and as long as he remained expressionless, it was difficult for others to speculate or analyze him.

"How cold."

Chihaya Rei retorted, then asked, "Ayanokoji, has anyone ever told you that your expressionless way of speaking makes you sound like a machine?"

Ayanokoji fell silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating how to answer.

"That's a rather harsh thing to say."

"But you don't seem angry, either."

"I'm not the type to get angry over such a small matter."

Ayanokoji replied, then added, "I've arrived."

"Alright, let's talk again next time."

After exiting the elevator area, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt that Chihaya Rei was suspicious of intentionally trying to make contact with him.

Whether it was observing him in the morning or this proactive conversation just now.

Of course, there was also the possibility that the other party was simply an extroverted, proactive person.

Ayanokoji couldn't help but wonder, Could he be someone sent by the White Room?

Before confirming that, it was necessary to learn a bit more about him.

And so, while walking toward his room, he recalled Chihaya Rei's self-introduction from earlier today.

Ayanokoji took his phone out of his pocket and searched for keywords like "Tokyo" and "band" on his social media app...

Chihaya Rei looked up at his room number, lost in slight thought—404, a somewhat subtle number.

The dormitory provided to students by the school is a standard single room, featuring a semi-open kitchen at the entrance, along with a private bathroom and a balcony.

Chihaya Rei felt that being able to live in a single room during his student days was truly a fantastic thing.

Before he transmigrated, the university dormitory he lived in was an eight-person room with bunk beds, lacking even the basic setup of a desk beneath the bed.

Here, however, there was air conditioning, a bed, a matching desk and chair, and basically all the necessary furniture, all of which looked brand new.

The floor looked smooth and tidy, free of dust, likely cleaned by the staff in advance.

Aside from the fact that students would be expelled through competition, Advanced Nurturing High School was a very comfortable place in terms of both living and learning conditions.

It took him over ten minutes to unpack his luggage and arrange his various belongings.

Only then did Chihaya Rei lie down comfortably on the bed and lift his phone to scroll through it.

That was when he noticed that Kamuro Masumi, whom he had added as a friend not long ago, had actually sent a message, and it had been half an hour ago.

[Kamuro Masumi: How many points did you spend on the beer? I'll pay you back.]

[Kamuro Masumi: Also, I owe you a favor for what happened this time. If there's anything you need me to do, you can come to me, and I will help—provided it's not too excessive, of course.]

After all, Chihaya Rei had solved her trouble, and in a way that left no lingering concerns.

Reasonably and sentimentally, Kamuro Masumi felt she had to return the points Chihaya Rei had lost.

Chihaya Rei began to reply.

[Chihaya Rei: No need for the points, it didn't cost much. I'll accept the favor, though.]

Chihaya Rei didn't intend to take the points, but a precious favor was something he could definitely keep.

The message turned to "read" in the blink of an eye, and he received a new reply from Kamuro Masumi.

[Kamuro Masumi: No, I have to return the points. I don't like owing people.]

[Chihaya Rei: You don't get to decide that.]

Chihaya Rei indicated that he liked it best when others owed him.

Little Kamuro, surely she would be easily manipulated by him.

How did it feel like, just from this one incident, he might be able to hold this over Kamuro Masumi for a lifetime?

[Kamuro Masumi has initiated a transfer of 50,000 points. Do you accept?]

Chihaya Rei was nine parts surprised; the little thief was quite generous.

But Chihaya Rei still chose to decline.

Kamuro Masumi transferred again, and Chihaya Rei declined again.

Transfer again, decline again.

After the two of them went back and forth for several rounds, Kamuro Masumi couldn't hold it together anymore.

Her way of speaking changed slightly, returning to her somewhat tsundere nature.

[Kamuro Masumi: You guy, why won't you take the points when I give them to you! Fine, forget it. Don't regret it later, and don't expect me to transfer them to you again.]

[Chihaya Rei: Instead of worrying about that, you should be careful not to let Sakayanagi catch you in a trap and turn you into her little puppy.]

[Kamuro Masumi: I would never be her dog. She just makes me listen to her orders.]

[Chihaya Rei: Is there a difference?]

[Kamuro Masumi: There's a huge difference, okay!]

Chihaya Rei could almost visualize Kamuro Masumi on the other side of the screen, wearing an expression of shame and anger, wishing she could stomp on him with her black-stockinged feet.

Truly delicious!

But you can't exactly crawl through the internet cable to stomp on me.

[Chihaya Rei: I think I've thought of something I need you to do.]

[Kamuro Masumi: So soon? What is it?]

[Chihaya Rei: Handwrite a reflection letter of no less than 3,000 words, reflecting on your mistakes today. Just show it to me by the end of the month.]

[Kamuro Masumi: Ha?!]

[Kamuro Masumi: Are you joking?]

[Kamuro Masumi: Hey, don't leave me on read!]

After teasing the little thief, Chihaya Rei rested for a while, waiting until after six in the evening to put on his shoes and head to the cafeteria to forage for food.