During class, the teacher droned on from the textbook at the front of the room. Resting her chin in one hand, Ayanokoji Kiyoha scanned her classmates listlessly, unable to stop herself from recalling her analyses and observations of these "companions" over the past few days.
Surrounded by girls in the middle of the classroom sat Hirata Yosuke, the all-around nice guy. He was always attuned to the emotions of those around him, a gentle smile perpetually on his face. If a tricky dispute broke out in class or an urgent matter needed coordinating, he was the one to turn to. He really was a dependable central figure.
Nearby, Kushida Kikyo was turned toward a classmate in the row behind her, chatting softly with an angelic, comforting smile. She seemed a little strange, always showering everyone with an excess of kindness, but she was probably an exceptionally skilled social butterfly. When it came to winning people over, she had a remarkable natural talent.
Ayanokoji's gaze drifted to the desk beside hers, where a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair sat: Horikita Suzune. She stared straight ahead at the blackboard, rapidly taking notes, an aura of "keep your distance" radiating from her. She was a chilly model student.
Thinking of the scathing assessment Wu Qiao had once given her, Ayanokoji couldn't help grumbling to herself: according to Wu Qiao, she gave people no sense of warmth whatsoever, like a human-shaped robot. At least Horikita Suzune could make people feel a little bone-deep cold. Compared to her, did that make Ayanokoji seem "warm" by a few degrees?
By contrast, Yukimura Teruhiko, who also sat in the front row, was an excellent student too, but his personality was much gentler and more approachable. At least he wasn't as prickly as Horikita.
Ayanokoji's gaze finally settled on the distinctive figure by the window: Koenji Rokusuke. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, admiring his fingernails in contentment and showing complete disdain for the lesson.
Although he usually seemed utterly careless, there was no denying that he followed the school rules and had never been late or left early. But... following the rules was all he did.
Beyond that, he didn't care at all about the class's honor or the group's interests, and he didn't take anyone seriously. Such an extreme individualist was probably the hardest variable to control in Class D.
As soon as the bell rang for break, the classroom's subdued atmosphere instantly came to life. Rather than sitting motionless as usual, Ayanokoji Kiyoha watched those around her with interest.
Over the past few days, she had gradually figured out the patterns behind her classmates' casual conversations. Thanks to her appearance and the advantages of her disguise, Ayanokoji Kiyoha could easily strike up conversations with some of the girls.
All she had to do was act like a curious girl who was interested in everything, then casually chime in with a comment or two from her seemingly bottomless store of knowledge whenever the conversation stalled. That let her fit right in and even become a fairly popular member of the girls' group.
She had to admit, the girls' social network was impressive. Their seemingly trivial chatter was often sprinkled with useful—or useless—bits of information. Some rumors about what was happening in other classes were news even to Ayanokoji Kiyoha, which she found quite interesting.
Of course, there were things in the class that even Ayanokoji Kiyoha couldn't fully figure out. For example, Wu Qiao was sitting at his desk right now, having an "encrypted conversation" in Chinese with Wang Meiyu.
Ayanokoji Kiyoha didn't understand Chinese—or, to be precise, she didn't understand spoken Chinese. Her exceptional memory let her recognize the words, but the two spoke so quickly, and with such strong accents, that their pronunciation differed considerably from the standard Chinese she had seen in reference materials. That made it even harder to analyze their conversation in real time.
All she could see was Wang Meiyu's initially timid expression gradually becoming more animated as she listened to Wu Qiao. Every now and then, she even covered her mouth and giggled at something he said. Being completely shut out of the conversation made Ayanokoji Kiyoha feel strangely bothered.
What are they talking about? Ayanokoji Kiyoha made a mental note.
It seemed Wu Qiao and Wang Meiyu shared some unspoken understanding and connection. Everyone at this school really did have plenty of secrets.
Wu Qiao and Wang Meiyu had their "encrypted conversations" now and then. They didn't seem particularly close, but in a way, could this kind of oblivious conversation count as a form of reverse bullying toward those around them?
Ayanokoji Kiyoha didn't actually know what the word "bullying" meant. At first, she had thought it referred only to rough behavior such as fighting and physical altercations. But over the past few days, she had discovered that many words weren't so simple when put into practice in real-life relationships.
Excluding people through words and cutting them off from information seemed to create invisible barriers, too.
After Wu Qiao and Wang Meiyu finished talking, Wu Qiao, as usual, fished a candy out of his pocket, unwrapped it, and tossed it into his mouth. He acted like he had a huge sweet tooth in class, his cheeks puffed out, making him look harmless.
Ayanokoji Kiyoha knew he didn't simply like candy; he just liked eating, period. But the question was, why didn't he gain any weight despite eating so much?
The cafeteria at Advanced Nurturing High School served all kinds of exquisite desserts and foods high in fat and salt. Wu Qiao consumed a huge amount of sugar almost every day, yet his figure remained upright and well-proportioned, with no sign of excess fat.
Ayanokoji Kiyoha silently considered the possibilities: Did he have an exceptionally high basal metabolic rate? Or did he secretly engage in some extremely intense exercise, burning off all the calories he took in? Or... was he naturally blessed with the kind of "skinny genes" everyone else envied?
At the thought, Ayanokoji Kiyoha couldn't help taking another couple of looks at Wu Qiao. There seemed to be even more mysteries about the boy than she had expected. He not only had unfathomable potential, but even his everyday eating habits were strange.
It seemed that she would need to observe him and interact with him more if she wanted to truly see through him.
Just then, Wu Qiao seemed to notice Ayanokoji's gaze. He turned toward her with a grin and offered her a piece of candy. "Ayanokoji, want one? It'll give you a little energy, so you'll have more pep for your afternoon classes."
Ayanokoji Kiyoha paused slightly, then calmly shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm not very fond of sweets."
Wu Qiao didn't press her. He shrugged, put the candy away, and continued chewing happily. Watching his profile, Ayanokoji felt her curiosity about him grow even stronger.