Class 1-D

The three walked side by side toward the school gates.

Ken Kaneki asked casually, "What class are you two in?"

Rokusuke Koenji took an exquisite little mirror from his pocket and carefully admired his beautiful face.

"A perfect being such as myself naturally wouldn't concern himself with trivialities like class assignments. But I believe my butler mentioned it this morning. Class 1-D."

"Class 1-D," Kiyotaka Ayanokoji said evenly.

Ken Kaneki stopped and turned to look at the two of them.

"I'm in Class 1-D too. Looks like we'll be spending three years in the same classroom."

Beautiful Guy burst out laughing, drawing repeated glances from the students passing by.

"Beautiful! It seems this school's assignment system has some taste after all. It knows to gather the most outstanding individuals together."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji said nothing. More like gathering the most dangerous problem children together.

Neither of these two fell within the bounds of a normal college student, no matter how he looked at them. Of course, neither did he.

As for Ken Kaneki, his lips twitched at those words. He wondered whether he should tell this guy that Class D was considered a collection of defective goods.

The three entered the academic building. The corridors were spacious and bright, and the floors were spotless.

Photographs of outstanding graduates from previous years hung on the walls, accompanied by the important positions they now held in politics and business.

This institution didn't care about the process of education, only the results.

Ken Kaneki walked in the middle, with Koenji on his left and Ayanokoji on his right.

Ken Kaneki stood 185 centimeters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back. Koenji was also over 180 centimeters tall, his muscles stretching his school uniform taut. At 176 centimeters, Ayanokoji looked somewhat ordinary beside them.

Feeling their intensely intimidating presence, the students along the way unconsciously moved aside.

They reached the door to Class 1-D. It was closed, and a jumble of conversation, laughter, and scraping desks and chairs came from inside.

Ken Kaneki reached out and pulled the sliding door open in one motion. It slid along its frame with a dull sound.

The three stepped into the open space beside the podium to check where their seats were.

The classroom instantly fell silent, and dozens of gazes turned toward the three of them in unison.

Several boys who had been fooling around in the front rows froze mid-motion, their mouths hanging open.

Several girls clustered in the back turned their eyes toward Ken Kaneki and Koenji, but none dared strike up a conversation.

The builds and presence of those two were simply too intimidating.

Ken Kaneki surveyed the class and caught sight of several familiar faces.

Ken Sudō, a sturdy boy with dyed red hair, sat in the back row, glaring in their direction.

Beside him were Kanji Ike and Haruki Yamauchi, huddled together and whispering about something.

Ken Kaneki withdrew his gaze. Ignoring those stares, he walked straight toward the back of the classroom.

Koenji brushed at his blond hair and followed with long strides, with Ayanokoji trailing behind them.

He had wanted to keep a low profile throughout college, but walking beside these two had ruined that plan on the very first day.

Names were attached to the seats. Ken Kaneki found his by the window in the second-to-last row.

He pulled out his chair and sat down. Koenji walked to the seat directly behind him.

"Looks like we're neighbors in the classroom too." Koenji sat down, propped both legs right on his desk, and leaned back.

Ayanokoji walked to the aisle on Ken Kaneki's right and saw a nameplate reading Kiyotaka Ayanokoji on the desk. He pulled out his chair, sat down, then turned to look behind him.

A black-haired girl sat upright there, holding the hardcover book from earlier.

It's her.

Ayanokoji was a little surprised. Why were almost all the people he had seen on the bus in this class?

He gave Horikita a slight nod in greeting.

Horikita Suzune gave him a cold look. She closed her book and placed it at the upper-right corner of her desk.

"What rotten luck today," she said quietly, making no attempt to hide the distaste in her voice.

Ayanokoji turned back toward the blackboard. He thought about how she disliked him, but didn't mind.

"You know her?" Ken Kaneki turned his head to look at Ayanokoji.

"We saw each other on the bus," Ayanokoji replied.

Koenji chimed in from behind them. "Oh, it seems she doesn't particularly want to talk to you."

Ayanokoji didn't argue. Ken Kaneki leaned back in his chair and turned to look at the sports field outside the window.

"This school claims to have a one hundred percent rate for further education and employment. What do you think they rely on to guarantee that?"

Ken Kaneki thought these two might already have noticed some of the things in the classroom.

"Perhaps some sort of rule we don't know about yet." Ayanokoji looked at the surveillance camera above the blackboard.

"Whatever the rules may be, they're insignificant in the face of absolute ability. All I need to do is enjoy Campus Life."

Ken Kaneki looked away from the window and turned to Koenji.

"Koenji, this isn't your house. Rein it in a little. Don't get expelled on the first day."

"Expelled? They couldn't bear to throw out a student as perfect as me."

The three chatted on and off. Their voices weren't particularly loud, but Horikita Suzune nearby heard every word.

Horikita rolled her eyes, inwardly looking down on all three of them.

The classroom grew more crowded, and the short-haired girl who had asked someone to give up their seat on the bus came in too.

The moment she entered, she greeted the people around her with a sweet smile.

"Good morning! I'm Kikyo Kushida. It's nice to meet you all!"

Before long, she had hit it off with the boys and girls in the classroom.

Ayanokoji was a little surprised as he watched. This girl had excellent social skills. She and Horikita were complete opposites.

Just then, a handsome boy with dyed blond hair walked to the center of the classroom.

"Could everyone quiet down? Since we're going to spend the next three years in the same class, why don't we introduce ourselves first?

"My name is Yosuke Hirata. I was in the soccer club in middle school, and I hope we can all get along."

His sunny smile immediately won over quite a few of the girls.

Kikyo Kushida was the first to respond. "Great idea! I'll go first..."

The students began introducing themselves in turn. Soon, it was the second-to-last row's turn, and everyone's attention shifted toward them.

"Ken Kaneki." Ken Kaneki stood, gave his name, and immediately sat back down. For a moment, the whole class fell silent.

Yosuke Hirata gave a couple of awkward laughs and hurried to smooth things over. "That was very concise, Kaneki. Next, then."

Ayanokoji stood up and said calmly, "Um, I'm Kiyotaka Ayanokoji. I don't have any particular interests."

His introduction lacked enthusiasm, making him seem like an imitation of a person, and there was no applause or cheering around him.

He sighed and sat back down. He had actually intended to amaze everyone with his introduction.

Yosuke Hirata looked toward Koenji. Koenji still had both legs on his desk and showed no intention of standing.

"Rokusuke Koenji. I have no interest in remembering your names. All you need to know is that I am the most perfect being."

The atmosphere in the classroom immediately grew somewhat awkward.

Ken Sudō abruptly kicked his desk aside and said angrily, "Hey! Aren't you getting a little too full of yourself?!"

Koenji ignored him and continued tending to his nails. Ken Kaneki turned his head, his gaze settling lightly on Ken Sudō.

His index finger, resting on the edge of his desk, casually tapped its surface once.

Tap. Ken Sudō stopped dead in his tracks.

For that instant, he felt like prey caught in the gaze of some large beast. Cold sweat immediately broke out across his back.

His instincts screamed a warning. One more step, and I'll really die.

Gritting his teeth, Ken Sudō forced himself back into his seat. Yosuke Hirata breathed a sigh of relief and continued keeping order.

Next came Horikita Suzune's turn. She also remained seated without getting up.

"My name is Horikita Suzune. I don't need friends."

The smile on Yosuke Hirata's face froze completely. With these conversation killers killing the mood, the introductions came to a hasty end.

The classroom's atmosphere split into several distinct zones.

There was the lively area centered around Yosuke Hirata and Kikyo Kushida, the back corner where Ken Sudō and several other delinquents gathered, and the keep-your-distance zone occupied by Ken Kaneki's trio.

The bell rang, its shrill electronic tone echoing down the corridor.

The noise in the classroom subsided a little, but Ken Sudō's group was still talking loudly.

Click, click, click.

High heels struck the wooden floor with crisp clicks, approaching from a distance before finally stopping outside Class 1-D.

The sliding door opened, and a foot in a black high heel stepped into the classroom.

A woman in a black office suit followed.

Her long hair was pinned up, her face beautiful and cold, and she held a stack of documents.

She walked to the front and tossed the documents onto the teacher's desk with a smack. The classroom fell completely silent.

The woman braced both hands against the edge of the desk and swept her gaze over the entire class.

"I'm your homeroom teacher, Sae Chabashira." Her voice was cool, her expression stern.

Ken Kaneki looked at the woman at the front of the classroom and smiled faintly.

Well then, that means the game has begun.