(In this world, medical technology had advanced tremendously, greatly increasing the average life expectancy.
Children started elementary school at seven, attended for seven years, then went to middle school for four. That meant they were eighteen when they entered high school.
All characters who appeared were at least eighteen years old and adults.)
April 1. The sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze carried a hint of chill.
On a bus bearing the Advanced Nurturing emblem, Shiomiya Yōha sat staring blankly out the window.
"Tch! Not again!"
He immediately closed his eyes and focused on regulating his breathing, relaxing his body.
The reason Shiomiya Yōha had to do this was that he was having an episode.
The world looked different to him than it did to everyone else.
While others saw a vibrant world full of color, all he saw was black, white, and gray. It was an old problem of his.
Shiomiya Yōha had grown used to living this way. He just had to get a hold of himself in time.
Just as Shiomiya Yōha was nearly done composing himself, someone called out from up ahead.
"Could you please give up your seat?"
"That's a priority seat for the elderly. It'd be better to let the old lady sit there, wouldn't it?"
Shiomiya Yōha looked toward the voices.
A beautiful blonde girl in a red uniform and a white pleated skirt was speaking to a tall man in a uniform as well.
Is that Kikyo? Shiomiya Yōha wondered.
"Well, well~. My beautiful young lady."
"Though it's a priority seat, there's no law requiring anyone to give it up."
"Young people have to give up their seats? Ha! Ridiculous."
The man crossed his arms and sat with one leg crossed over the other, replying calmly.
The moment he heard that infuriating voice, Shiomiya Yōha knew who it was.
Koenji Rokusuke, an arrogant narcissist who thought the universe revolved around him.
Shiomiya Yōha had just managed to calm down, but now his composure was shattered. Irritation welled up inside him.
That was right. Shiomiya Yōha knew him very well. They had practically grown up together.
The guy was such a pain that Shiomiya Yōha had transferred to another school in middle school.
Inhale...
Exhale...
Shiomiya Yōha struggled to regulate his breathing and calm down. Otherwise, he'd have another episode.
Before he could settle himself, Koenji spoke again.
"Young or not, standing still uses up energy."
"Why would I do something that offers me nothing in return?"
Kushida Kikyo smiled warmly, radiating the kind of warmth one felt from the sun.
"But that way, you can contribute something to society."
"And the old lady looks tired."
Koenji immediately replied with his eyes closed. "I have no interest in contributing to society."
The more Shiomiya Yōha listened, the more irritated he became. Seeing that the two were about to keep arguing, he finally snapped.
"Shut up!!"
"Both of you, be quiet!"
"It's just a seat, isn't it? I'll give it up!"
The instant he erupted, the world in Shiomiya Yōha's eyes rapidly lost its color. Only one person remained vivid, standing out brilliantly in the gray-and-white world.
At Shiomiya Yōha's roar, Koenji turned to look at him.
A flicker of delight crossed his usually calm face.
"Shiomiya Yōha, you're not dead yet!"
Hearing that, Shiomiya Yōha laughed in exasperation.
"Koenji Rokusuke, you're the man!"
Shiomiya Yōha gave him a thumbs-up.
Koenji didn't care about the sarcasm at all. He got up, came over, and threw his arms around him.
"Long time no see, Yōha. You can still get angry now!"
"Looks like your condition has improved."
Koenji laughed.
"No! It's gotten worse!" Shiomiya Yōha retorted. "Before, I never lost control of my emotions."
Koenji smiled, looking a little helpless.
As long as Shiomiya Yōha composed himself in time, he could return to normal. But if someone interrupted him while he was trying to calm down, he was prone to getting worked up.
Kushida Kikyo had also spotted Shiomiya Yōha, and the smile on her face froze for a moment.
But she quickly recovered and led the old lady beside her to an empty seat.
With Shiomiya Yōha and Koenji both standing, two seats had opened up.
"Grandma, please sit here."
After helping the old lady settle in, Kushida Kikyo stayed standing instead of taking a seat herself.
Koenji stood beside Shiomiya Yōha and watched him regulate his breathing again.
Kushida Kikyo watched too, her expression somewhat complicated as she wondered, Is he having another episode? He wasn't like this before.
As Shiomiya Yōha composed himself, he brought up the system interface.
That was right. Shiomiya Yōha had a system, but it was still dormant.
He'd received the system when he was three. It had given him a beginner's gift pack, then fallen asleep. Only recently had its progress bar finally reached 99%.
The [Wise Puppet] talent from the beginner's gift pack had given him extraordinary learning abilities, but it had also brought serious side effects.
He was gradually losing interest in everything around him. Only his identity and responsibilities drove him to act.
But as a child from a branch of the Shinomiya Family, there was very little he was needed for. That was especially true after his parents died unexpectedly; there was even less reason for Shiomiya Yōha to exist.
Then, in middle school, he met the first person who interested him. But things hadn't ended well, and now the only thing he cared about was the system he'd unexpectedly acquired.
Soon, Shiomiya Yōha had regained his composure.
The gray-and-white view gradually warmed up, returning to its normal colors.
"I'm fine now."
He glanced at Koenji beside him, feeling a little helpless.
How did I run into this guy again? Shiomiya Yōha wondered.
"You look a lot better than you used to."
"When you transferred schools, I thought you'd finally decided to find a grave and rot away by yourself. How unbeautiful!"
Koenji said that, but it was clear he was happy to see him.
"Rot away by myself? That's still better than a certain self-centered troublemaker."
Koenji smiled with a little pout. "Still so sarcastic!"
Just then, Kushida Kikyo joined their conversation.
"Thank you for that, classmate!" Kushida Kikyo said with a smile, as if the two of them had never met before.
Shiomiya Yōha nodded without saying much. They were just exchanging a polite greeting.
Shiomiya Yōha and Koenji chatted for a little while, then soon reached their stop and went their separate ways.
Just as Shiomiya Yōha stepped through the school gate, the system chimed!
[Welcome to the Hope's Peak Academy System]
[Complete missions to earn points. Points can be used for draws.]
"It finally activated! Do you know how many years I've been waiting?!" Shiomiya Yōha felt refreshed.
Let's see what interesting things it had!
After taking a look, Shiomiya Yōha was a little disappointed. It only had talents belonging to former Hope's Peak Academy students.
But Shiomiya Yōha believed there wasn't a skill he couldn't learn. His physical abilities were the only thing holding him back; otherwise, he could do anything.
The system seemed a little boring to him now, too.
"So what am I supposed to do from now on? Boring~"
"My life... is already over~"
Perhaps the system didn't want him to end his life just like that, because a mission popped up.
[Long-Term Mission: Observe and record humanoid life-forms. Points will be awarded based on the completeness of the records.]
Shiomiya Yōha: Humanoid life-forms?
He looked at his reflection in the glass beside him.
Before you continue