The Entrance Ceremony: A Change in the Body

"Student Hoshinomiya, do you know the rules of this school?"

Sakayanagi Arisu held the coffee she had just received in one hand and supported herself with her cane in the other as she walked slowly down the corridor. Her voice was soft, yet every word reached Hoshinomiya's ears clearly.

Noisy voices drifted over from the auditorium in the distance. Many new students were entering one after another, their footsteps echoing through the long hallway.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu swept his gaze over the students passing on both sides and deliberately slowed his pace to accommodate hers.

"I only read the handbook on the table and learned what the points are used for. I haven't given much thought to anything else."

Hoshinomiya Rinyu was not lying. He did know the specific uses of the points and had finished reading the handbook the school had issued. He truly had not thought about it, because he had already known everything worth knowing before crossing over.

He understood perfectly well the games and schemes buried beneath this school, but that information had not come from anyone else. It had come from this world itself. For now, he would not reveal it to anyone. Faced with Sakayanagi Arisu's probing, he could only pretend to be an ordinary new student.

Still, his heart wavered slightly.

Sakayanagi Arisu looked at him as though trying to read something from the boy's expression, but the calm on Hoshinomiya's face did not change in the slightest. He merely returned her gaze evenly.

The tip of her cane tapped lightly against the floor with a soft click.

"Looks like seeing through you won't be easy, Hoshinomiya-kun." Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curled into a faint smile, and she did not press the matter further.

The preparatory bell from the auditorium grew clearer, and the two of them saw that quite a few Class A students had already arrived.

"Let's go in, Hoshinomiya-kun. It's about to begin."

Advanced Nurturing High School's entrance ceremony was no different from those at most schools: the school leaders gave some common-sense advice and lofty formalities.

That was what Hoshinomiya Rinyu thought as well.

Until—

A tall, slender boy stepped onto the auditorium stage. His sleek black hair and black-rimmed glasses could not conceal the sharp edge in his eyes.

"I am the Student Council President, Horikita Manabu."

He did not offer any stale congratulatory remarks. His voice rang clearly through the speakers and spread throughout the hall.

"First, on behalf of Advanced Nurturing High School's current students, I welcome you all. However, Advanced Nurturing High School recognizes only strength."

That simple statement caused the expressions of many freshmen below the stage to shift slightly.

He said no more and walked straight off the stage.

Yet his figure caused a girl seated in the back rows to tremble.

As usual, Hoshinomiya Rinyu observed everyone, only this time narrowing his focus to three people.

Standing at the back of Class C was a wine-red-haired boy—Ryuuen Kakeru. A faintly cynical smile hung on his lips, and his entire body radiated arrogance.

He seemed to notice the gaze from this direction. He glanced over from the corner of his eye without even turning his face.

At the center of the Class B students stood a girl with long pink-gold hair—Ichinose Honami.

She quietly listened to the words from the stage alongside the friends around her.

And standing at the back of Class D, drawing almost no attention at all, was a brown-haired boy—Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"Hoshinomiya-kun noticed him too, huh? I knew I wasn't wrong."

Sakayanagi Arisu had paid no attention to the speech at the entrance ceremony. Instead, she had spent the entire time observing Hoshinomiya Rinyu.

When she saw Hoshinomiya Rinyu look toward the back of Class D, the smile on her lips never faded.

"Yes. He clearly doesn't fit in with the rest of Class D." Hoshinomiya Rinyu stopped beating around the bush and pointed it out directly.

"Oh? I can't see it at all. There doesn't seem to be anything about him worth noticing." The mischief in Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes was impossible to hide, and the corners of her lips rose slightly.

"His movements are minimal, but his eyes have been quietly scanning his surroundings. My 2.0 vision noticed it without fail." Hoshinomiya Rinyu spoke softly.

Hearing that, Sakayanagi Arisu narrowed her silver-gray eyes slightly and chuckled.

"To notice that much, Hoshinomiya-kun, you're not simple either. I'm growing more and more curious about mysterious you~"

"Student Alice, I would also like to know more about you." Rather than maintaining his usual calm, Hoshinomiya Rinyu smiled at her as though he felt honored.

"A-Alice?" Sakayanagi Arisu was genuinely surprised this time. She had not expected Hoshinomiya to call her by that name so directly.

She lightly rested a fingertip against her lips. The curiosity in her violet eyes deepened as she lowered her voice so only Hoshinomiya Rinyu beside her could hear. "You actually called me Alice. Rinyu-kun, should I call you that too?"

The two had barely exchanged a few words when the principal's speech onstage finally ended, announcing the conclusion of the entrance ceremony.

"Well then, Rinyu-kun, Alice will excuse herself first. My body can't endure too much activity."

After parting ways with Alice, Hoshinomiya Rinyu had originally planned to explore the school by himself.

Along the way, a blond boy with a ponytail cheerfully threw an arm around his shoulders.

Hashimoto Masayoshi, one of Alice's key subordinates.

"You're Hoshinomiya, right? Let's go to Keyaki Mall together."

He had not planned to, but after learning that the dormitory contained only bedding, he agreed to the suggestion.

Hashimoto and I arrived at Keyaki Mall. After agreeing to return to the dormitory together, we each began looking for the daily necessities we needed to buy.

After purchasing toiletries, cleaning supplies, pots, bowls, and utensils, Hoshinomiya Rinyu bought a small semi-automatic coffee machine as well. It cost a full 20,000 points. In total, he had spent roughly two-fifths of his points.

The shopping took around twenty-five minutes. The moment he finished checking out and stepped outside, he ran into Hashimoto, who had been waiting for a while.

"I say, Hoshinomiya, you... Huh?"

He seemed somewhat impatient, but within seconds, Hoshinomiya Rinyu's appearance left him stunned.

The scene before him was this: Hoshinomiya Rinyu carried a plastic bag containing pots, bowls, and utensils in his left hand, held a box containing toiletries and the coffee machine in his right arm, and even had a small pack of tissues clenched in his mouth.

"Are you an idiot? There are carts over there. Sigh~" Hashimoto Masayoshi rubbed his forehead and sighed as if Hoshinomiya's stupidity had defeated him.

As though resigned to his fate, he quickly went to the entrance and brought back a cart.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu did not move, merely glancing at this classmate of his.

Hashimoto had not bought much himself. He only carried a bag of toiletries.

He pushed the cart in front of him and reached out to lift the upper flap.

What does Sakayanagi see in this guy? Hashimoto Masayoshi wondered.

"They'll deduct 150 points if you keep it for over an hour. Remember to return it early."

With that, he turned and headed toward the dormitory.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu stuffed everything into the cart at once and followed after him.

The sun sank low, and dusk slowly spread across the campus corridors.

At Hoshinomiya Rinyu's side was not the white-haired girl with whom he had already become quite familiar. Standing beside him now was Class B's beloved angel.

"Did you need something from me, Hoshinomiya-kun?"

Ichinose wore her usual gentle smile, her gaze quietly meeting his as she patiently waited for his response.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu's gaze passed over the setting sun in the distance. After a brief silence, he slowly revealed his purpose.

"I possess important information about this school and every class. I'd like to ask whether you intend to purchase it."

Ichinose Honami's pupils contracted imperceptibly. Her kind expression remained unchanged, but her entire body tightened slightly as she looked at Hoshinomiya seriously.

"Information... what general area does it concern?"

"Personal points and future developments." Hoshinomiya Rinyu did not beat around the bush. He gave her a rough outline, but did not tell her everything.

"The price is...?"

"Not expensive. Five hundred thousand points."

"Sorry, but I need to contact my classmates and discuss it first."

Ichinose hurriedly took out her phone and contacted the important members of her class.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu did not grow impatient. He reclined sideways on the bench and stared blankly into space.

"Mm-hm~ Okay, I understand."

After ending the call, Ichinose had already made up her mind.

"Hoshinomiya-kun, our class has decided to buy this information."

Just as she was about to take out her terminal to make the payment, the boy before her raised a hand and stopped her.

"There's no need to rush. The results will become clear after the first month. Paying then won't be too late."

The following half hour was filled with a long explanation.

Ichinose looked at Hoshinomiya Rinyu with some confusion.

"Hoshinomiya-kun, if you tell me now, aren't you afraid I won't pay you the points later?"

Hoshinomiya's face remained as calm as ever. The corners of his mouth curved upward as he slowly smiled.

"Everyone knows what kind of person Ichinose is. The image of the great angel is deeply rooted in everyone's hearts."

"G-Great angel? What is that?" Ichinose became so embarrassed by the title that her face turned red enough to drip blood.

After returning to his room, Hoshinomiya Rinyu drew the curtains and lay down on the bed. He casually pulled something from inside his collar.

A tiny red dot continued to flicker on and off, its faint light flashing back and forth in the dim room.

He pressed it lightly with his thumb, and the red light went out.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.

The sky had only just begun to brighten. Most students in the dormitory building were still lost in dreams, but Hoshinomiya Rinyu had already changed into a running T-shirt.

He had retained his habit of morning runs from before crossing over, but while running, he noticed the enormous changes in his physical condition.

Compared to before crossing over, this body's stamina, explosive power, and endurance were all far greater, already approaching the limits of the human body.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu naturally increased his speed. Runs that once left him gasping for breath now failed to make him feel even a trace of fatigue. He had not even broken a sweat.

On his way upstairs, he encountered an unexpected figure.

It was Sakayanagi Arisu.

Leaning on her cane, the girl stood by the elevator on the floor.

She was already fully dressed. Her pretty figure was eye-catching, and the thigh-high stockings on her fair legs made it impossible to look away.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu's gaze lingered, falling directly onto those legs as he stared for a long while as if spellbound.

"Do they look good, Rinyu-kun?"