『 Prologue』

I rode the bus to school, bobbing and shaking in my seat.

While I looked idly out my window, watching the city's scenery change, the bus picked up more and more passengers. I was fortunate to have found a seat, contrary to the people that came after me. It quickly became crowded, to the point that I neglected the unfortunate standing elderly woman.

Ours eyes met for a moment as she made a gentle smile, which I eventually ignored and returned my gaze to the window.

I wasn't sure that this reaction was appropriate, but I had more pressing matters to worry about.

I couldn't care less about small things, even if I wanted to. At least, not when I was nearing a huge turning point in my life. Today was a very special day for me, because it marked the start of my new life, one with no obligations to do anything I didn't desire.

I was free, just like I always wanted to be.

Those were my honest thoughts as I observed the changing scenery. The weather was especially fine today, I couldn't find even a single cloud in the sky. It's been a while since I witnessed such a day. As a totally normal and average person, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to describe the term 'refreshing.'

However, just as I thought so, my gentle respite was promptly obliterated.

"Excuse me, but shouldn't you offer up your seat?"

A young female worker, probably in her last twenty, addressed one of the students sitting down in one of the priority seats. Her voice carried quite well throughout the quiet bus, attracting several people's attention. She seemed to ask a certain individual to offer up his seat for the old women.

Curious, I silently stared after I confirmed that others were staring, too. I was still unaware of how arguments were held up, nor had any idea of the unspoken rules of society, so I was glad that she didn't deliver that absurd question to me. Lest I would be labeled as a weirdo or a freak on my very first day of freedom. I would be forced to perform a silent retreat if that was the case.

It was also the perfect chance to upgrade my understanding in this unfamiliar area, which was by no means my field of expertise.

With that goal in mind, I carefully observed the situation unfolding in front of me from the sidelines. The office lady was talking to a striking young woman with almost entire white hair coupled with a peculiar pair of red eyes, and was covered in an air of royalty. If it weren't for her clothes, one wouldn't have guessed that she was a student. Both her posture and her aura indicated maturity beyond her age. She truly had a majestic presence.

She was deeply engrossed in a book, seemingly unaware of the commotion around her.

"Hey, I'm talk—"

"I heard you just fine the first time. No need to repeat that, Child," the girl replied without looking up. It was clear she was ignoring the office worker deliberately. The word 'child' dripped with condescension. The office women was momentarily speechless, and so were the rest of us. The whole bus was staring at the young woman, doubting what they just heard.

This doesn't seem to be how things ought to be going normally...

"W-what did you just call me?"

"A Child," she said calmly, flipping a page as if nothing had happened. I wondered if her book was more interesting than the unfolding drama.

The tension on the bus thickened as the office worker struggled to respond. The other passengers shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to react.

"How dare you?! You... You can't call me that! I'm your superior here!" she stammered, her cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and indignation.

"Why not? It's an accurate description, isn't it?" The girl's tone remained composed, her red eyes steady on the office worker. The office worker looked around, seeking support from the other passengers, but found only awkward glances and uneasy silence. "You seem to think your job title grants you authority over others, but you are merely older than me, which is hardly a thing to brag about for a women," the girl continued, her voice calm but firm. "And as a side note, respect is earned, not demanded."

The office worker clenched her fists, visibly flustered. Her crimson face indicated her indescribable wrath. Just as the confrontation seemed on the brink of escalation, a new voice took the side of female worker.

"Sorry, but can you debate on that later? Can't you see that this elderly woman is having trouble?" The individual asked politely, careful not to offend either parties. The appearance of a new ally brought hope to the elderly women, while also rising the moral of the fully defeated office lady.

Meanwhile, I noticed that the young girl made a reaction for the first time. She looked up from her book and directed her gaze at the new challenger, another attractive girl with chest-length yellow hair and seemingly kind attitude.

I instantly picked up a red flag this charming girl threw unknowingly. If she really wanted to help, she shouldn't have kept her silence until now. She also had other passengers to try to persuade, which only increased my doubts regarding her kind and thoughtful persona.

It also seemed that I wasn't the only one who noticed this. At the least, two more people picked up on that, too.

One was the young women with the royal aura, and the other was the self proclaimed perfect existence.

Coincidence? I didn't think so.

In all actuality, those kind of rare occurrences didn't exist.

"....Right, that's the thing I'm supposed to argue about...." Spoke the female worker to no one in particular. She was realizing now that she got sidetracked in their conversation. "You. Can't you see that this women is troubled? You are sitting on a priority seat. Stand up."

"I will," said the young woman after a prolonged silence. Everybody doubted that she was about to give up her seat. "After I reach my destination, that is." And they turned out to be correct after all.

"H-huh? Stop playing around!"

"I am not 'playing around,' I am 'not moving.' There is no legal obligation to force me."

"Wha— You're a high schooler, aren't you?! You should be quiet and listen to what adults tell you!"

"True, children should listen to adults. That's why you should probably listen to me."

Wow, that was a sharp comeback, even by my standards. While the worker was speechless once again, the newly arrived uninvited guest took action instead.

"But she seems to be struggling to stand up... Please, can't you help her? This poor woman appears to have been suffering for quite some time now. Won't you offer up your seat? While you might consider such courtesy unnecessary, I think it would contribute greatly to society," The yellow haired two faced girl replied.

Thud!

The young girl closed her book.

"Child, let me answer you once and for all. Firstly, I have no interest in contributing to society, not right now. Secondly, if you are really concerned about her health, note that there is no apparent difference between the seats. How about you go and ask the passengers other than myself? Surely someone would agree."

While everyone else gave up and lost hope, the T-girl had another opinion evident by her expressions. She still had the will to keep going.

I couldn't imagine how was she going to turn the tables. What was she thinking of doing?

"Everyone, please listen to me for just a moment. Won't someone give up their seat for this woman? It doesn't matter who. Please!"

How could someone pour so much courage, determination, and compassion into so few words? That was no simple feat. The T-girl might have seemed like a nuisance to those around her, but she appealed to the other passengers earnestly and without fear. Even with her red flags, I had to respect this act of hers. I was uncappable of anything remotely close to that.

But like anyone would imagine, there was no immediate response.

Observing, I was able to put everyone in one of these two categories; the hesitant type, and the indifferent type. Naturally, I and the white haired young female along with the yellow haired boy Kouenji and the dark haired girl next to me fell into the 2nd category.

Curious about the differences between us, I started a full-fledged comparison.

Of course, I was greatly in need of information, so my conclusions were entirely hypothetical and based on probable assumptions, but that didn't mean I would be that far off. I already knew of Kouenji, which couldn't be describe as a good thing per se. That only increased the chance of problems in the future. Honestly, I hoped we won't share the same class.

With him out of the picture, that left the two girls. Thanks to this mess, I could deduce a quite fair bit of intel regarding the majestic one. The only problem was the one sitting next to me. But no matter what assumptions I played with, she always came out short in compression.

In summary, she was incomparably inferior.

The girl sitting next to me, who was similarly reading a book without a care in the world, and who gave out the greatest ignorance vibe, came out the last even when I tried to support her. That was probably as ironic as things could get for the day. Interesting results were still interesting results, so that was that. While I unintentionally stared at her, our eyes met for an instant. I wondered what she was thinking about.

"E-excuse me. You can have mine." Shortly after the T-girl's appeal, a working woman stood, unable to bear the guilt any longer, and offered up her seat.

"Thank you very much!" the elderly woman said.

The working woman smiled, lowered her head, and guided the elderly woman to the now-vacant seat. The elderly woman expressed her gratitude repeatedly, and slowly sat. Watching the scene unfold from my peripheral vision, I crossed my arms and closed my eyes.

It was a good idea to ride the bus. Putting aside the hassle it brought, it provided me an easy way to begin my integration process. The hints I gathered so far weren't much, but they were still useful in their own way. For someone like me, everything was valuable.

Soon, we arrived at our destination, and all the high school students began to disembark. Naturally, I followed after my follow schoolmates and descended as well.

"Wait!"

The instant I tried to take my first step, someone called out to me. Looking behind, I saw a long black haired girl who'd sat next to me on the bus. What could she want from me when we barely knew each other? I was curious.

"You were looking at me. Why?" she inquired.

"It's quite simple, really," I replied, approaching her. I then gestured to the book in her hand. "Firstly, the title caught my eye."

"And?" She prompted me to continue.

"It's considered a masterpiece in Russian literature, challenging to understand. Your choice reflects both your taste in books and, to some extent, your academic prowess." I explained. She nodded impatiently, as if saying, 'I understood that part already.'

Finding that further explanation is unneeded, I continued. "And then, there was your presence. You stood out in the crowd—in a good way of course." Noticing that she was about to respond aggressively, I quickly added the last part. She nodded. This time, accepting my statements.

"The indifference toward others, evident by the accident moments ago, coupled with the aura around you, suggested an aloof person exuding high confidence and self-esteem, which might be seen as arrogance, or even superiority complex, if not backed by the ability to uphold them. That's why I was staring."

I could feel that she wasn't expecting any of this just by observing her eyes. I refrained from delving into the drawbacks of deliberate isolation to avoid unnecessary troubles. I still plan to go around as a person who dislikes troubles.

"Who do you think you are to evaluate me? You are nowhere near my level. Don't even dare to look down on me." And with that, she proceeded to walk away in silence. Meanwhile, I just stood there, pondering my identity. That question made me think hard, I had to give her that. At the very least, she did something.

But back to her question. The answer was, I didn't know. I had received many names, acquired different titles, and yet, none of them represented the real me.

Ultimately, even I didn't know everything.

However, I certainly knew one thing—I was undeniably superior.

■■■

I disliked the entrance ceremony, and probably many first-year students felt the same.

Therefore, I didn't find any reason to go there. Well, it was probably no different than an ordinary school. It could be considered as an unexpected move coming from someone who just said he disliked trouble, but everyone should know that I lie sometimes, right?

Alright, I confess. It may be a bit more than "sometimes," but you get the idea.

Anyway, because I couldn't receive my keys at the moment, I explored the most important areas of the campus, which spread over more than 600,000 square meters. Thanks to my detailed exploration, I discovered a couple of interesting things. The campus came equipped with many excellent facilities. With its own karaoke spot, theatre, cafe, boutique, and more. You could easily compare this school to a small city.

However, the most interesting thing was the excessive number of cameras which were almost everywhere.

I explored various places on the campus, making sure not to miss anything of high significance. Looking at the clock on the wall, I decided that it was about the time. As I was about to return to class, a student on a public bench caught my attention. A beautiful girl sat with a proud and graceful posture, possessing red eyes and silver hair. She was the same young girl from before. There shouldn't be any students around, and because of the previous incident, she was probably a 1st year student and, just like me, she escaped the ceremony. A bit curious, I joined her on the bench.

I sat down next to her, without saying anything. She glanced at me briefly, then returned to her book. Maybe she didn't recognize me, which was a bit painful. Then again, she did pretend not to hear the worker before, so there is a chance she was doing this on purpose.

I was able to read the title of the book she held. She seemed to be reading something about quantum physics. I found myself wondering what kind of person she was, and why she was here.

"Hello," I said, breaking the silence. "What are you reading?"

She looked at me again, this time with a hint of annoyance. "None of your business," she said coldly.

"We're both students here, right? We should get along."

She snorted. "Speak for yourself. I don't need to get along with anyone. Especially not with someone like you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Someone like me? What do you mean by that?"

She closed her book and faced me. Her red eyes were piercing. "You think you're so smart, don't you? You think you can judge people by their appearance, their choices, and their actions. You think you know everything. But you don't. You're just a conceited, arrogant, ignorant fool."

I was taken aback by her harsh words. I didn't expect her to be so hostile. I wondered what I did to offend her. "Wow, that's quite a mouthful. Did I do something to upset you?"

She scoffed. "Don't play dumb. You know exactly what you did. You insulted me. You insulted my book. You insulted my intelligence."

"How did I do that? I was just curious about what you were reading. I didn't mean to insult you."

She shook her head. "You don't get it, do you? You think you're being polite, but you're actually being rude. You think you're being curious, but you're being nosy. You think you're being friendly, but you're being intrusive. You don't respect my privacy, my boundaries, my preferences. You don't respect me."

I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry if I came off as disrespectful. I didn't intend to. I just wanted to talk to you. Is that so wrong?"

She nodded. "Yes, it is. Because you don't have any right to talk to me. You don't have any reason to talk to me. You don't have any interest in talking to me. You're just bored. You're just looking for some entertainment. You're just using me as a distraction."

I shook my head. "That's not true. I'm not bored. I'm not looking for entertainment. I'm not using you as a distraction. I'm genuinely interested."

She snickered. "You're lying. You're not interested in me. You're interested in yourself. You want to know more about me, so you can feel superior to me. You want to understand me, so you can manipulate me. You want to connect with me, so you can control me. You're not looking for a conversation. You're looking for a conquest."

I was speechless. She had completely, single-handedly twisted both my words, intentions, and my feelings. She had made me out to be a monster and rejected me before I even had a chance to show her who I really was.

I wanted to argue with her, to defend myself, to prove her wrong—even though she wasn't that far off. But I knew it was useless.

She had already made up her mind about me. Her heart was closed, and no amount of efforts can change that. I stood up and looked at her one last time. All I saw was indifference, contempt, and disdain. I turned around and walked away. I left her alone; reading her book on that bench.

I was headed towards my class.

After I few minutes of walking, I arrived at the school building. I pushed open the door of Class 1-D, and stepped into the unfamiliar atmosphere of the classroom—except, it was empty. It appeared that I arrived earlier than I intended to.

Despite my efforts, I couldn't help but notice the cameras hidden in the corners. Were such monitoring methods really necessary? My doubts increased exponentially.

"Hmm... What now?" I said out loud as I looked for my seat, which was in the far corner of the room. The last chair, the perfect seat for the protagonist of any story, and the perfect seat for someone like me. I could observe all my classmates without any difficulties. How fortunate.

I wouldn't have said that if I knew who my neighbors were, though.

Noting that I still had time left, I decided to take a look at the nameplates around. After all, those will be my future classmates. It was probably a good idea to have everyone's names in mind before they remove the stickers. Though, as I was checking, a certain question rose up: Do names have an effect on human beings? Do they affect their figure development? Or mental state? Maybe both?

Just like trying to imagine what would the sound of someone be like, I found myself generating an image, a voice, and a personality for every name. How much accurate would I be? Will any guesses turn out to be even remotely close? Curiosity soon filled me, and I was overwhelmed by anticipation.

However, that can wait. Curiosity wasn't the main reason for my action.

In my search, I came across potentially the rarest thing I will ever see—with a 1 to 55,000,000 ratio—the existence of my neighbors.

But that will be a story for another time.

At any rate, everything after that went as typical as one might expect. There were no more surprises until I arrived at a disk labeled "Kouenji Rokusuke," a name that I recognized. He was the sole male heir to the Kouenji conglomerate group, and one of the people I met today.

Really, my luck couldn't get any worse.

If this school provided everyone a guaranteed successful career after college, I wondered what benefits would he get by enrolling here. If it did, that is. I was positive that the 100% rate was a trap.

Anyway, finishing with the nameplates there, I decided that it was a good idea to memorize the names of the students from the other classes as well; just in case, it will never hurt.

Thus, I took a look on all the 3 other classes from my year. Although I didn't find what I was looking for, I still came up with a handful of things.

Class 1-C had a foreign name, Yamada Albert, just like us. The only difference is that ours appeared to be a Chinese girl.

Class 1-B didn't have anything noteworthy, they sounded like a bunch of good, kindhearted people, though. Class 1-A on the other hand, had a very unpleasant surprise—the daughter of the Chairman was enrolled there, too. I made a mental note to stay away from her for the time being. I also wished she didn't know me, but with my luck, that seemed unlikely.

In summary, all the classes had 40 students; 20 boys and 20 girls. Making it 160 students in total. It was easy for me to memorize the information, but whether it was useful or not remains to be seen, however.

Because it didn't seem like anything was going to happen soon, I went towards the upper classes, starting with the 2nd year.

There, I finally found what I was looking for.

Just like our year, there were 4 total classes—from A to D. But there was one big difference.

It was the order.

What should be Class 2-B according to the position, was Class 2-A. And it wasn't just that.

After checking 3 classes—Class 2-D, Class 2-C, the out of place Class 2-A—I found that more than 20 students' chairs were missing.

That wasn't a mere coincidence. If it was 1 or 2 than yes, maybe. But more than 20? In a school backed by the government that can guarantee a student life? If that wasn't suspicious, I didn't know what would.

Opening the door to the last class on the floor, Class 2-B, I stepped in to realize that someone else was there. It was another red eyed girl, but this time, her hair was entirely white. The picture of the previous person briefly crossed my mind, as I found that she was already making eye contact with me.

The moment her eyes spotted me, her expressions turned into something I couldn't quite put my hand on.

"My, my, what are you doing here, kohai?" She asked in an arousing tone and an alluring stance. Her hands that were holding her phone slowly made their way to support her face.

"Well, it's my class—oh, it seems I missed by a whole year." She smiled in response, easily seeing through my obvious lie. In a last attempt, I pretended to be stupid and tried to dodge her question. "Wait, how did you know I wasn't an upper classmate?"

"That's because, my dear kohai, I know every student here, and even if I didn't, the 2nd and 3rd year students don't have any classes today. I am sure you already figured that out, though." She finished with a beaming smile that I can almost guarantee most people would kill to see, and I almost understood that. Was this much beauty even allowed? "So, my dear kohai, what are you doing here?" Again, I couldn't explain her expressions. It was as if this was the most interesting moment in her entire life. What did she see in me in this short exchange?

Deep in my mind, I already knew the answer.

She probably saw through me; at least to some extent, so lying further will be useless. What other options did I have? Only a few, that's for sure. After a fraction of a second, I decided on my next move. I knew I would regret it later, but I did it anyway.

"I am sorry, but I have a class right now. We can talk later." I said as I closed the door and made my way to my class faster than she could flinch.

Yep, I would surely regret this.

■■■

As I entered the classroom, I found out that most of my classmates were chatting with each other, thus, I lost my chance to make my first friend. Feeling defeated, I walked to my seat in depression. On my way, I walked passed the girl who had sat next to me on the bus. Her name was Horikita Suzune, and she was 2 seats away from me. I was about to rejoice until I remembered that I was surrounded by girls on all sides.

I sighed internally. I truly lost all hopes.

Just a few minutes after I sat down, the first bell rang. At that precise moment, a woman entered the classroom. When I first saw her, my initial impression was that she firmly believed in discipline. If I had to guess, I would have placed her age at thirty. She wore a suit and had delicate features. Her hair seemed long, and she'd tied it into a ponytail.

"Ahem. Good morning to you, students. I'm the instructor for Class D. My name is Chabashira Sae. I usually teach Japanese history. However, at this school, we do not change classrooms for each grade. For the next three years, I will be acting as your homeroom teacher, so I hope to get to know all of you. It's a pleasure to meet you. The entrance ceremony will be in the gymnasium one hour from now, but first, I will distribute written materials with information about this school's special rules. I will also hand out the admissions guide."

The students in the front seats passed back the familiar documents I'd received after being accepted. It featured the things I had explored previously, in addition to the mentioning of the S system.

"I will now hand out your student ID cards. By using your card, you can access any of the facilities on campus, purchase goods from the store, and so on. It acts like a credit card. However, it is imperative that you pay attention to the points that you spend. At this school, you can use your points to buy anything. Anything located on the school premises is available for purchase. Points are automatically deposited into your account on the first of every month. You should all have received 100,000 points already. 1 point is equal to 1 Yen."

The classroom erupted.

If you asked a blind person where he was, he would say anything but a classroom. Worst case, he would even run a way.

It was truly hard to see what exactly in those students was classified as elite.

"Shocked by the amount of points you've been given? This school evaluates its students' talents. Everyone here has passed the entrance examination, which itself speaks to your value and potential. The amount you've received reflects the evaluation of your worth. You can use your points without restraint. After graduation, however, all of your points return to the school. Because it's impossible to exchange your points for cash, there's no advantage to saving them. Once points have been deposited into your account, it's up to you how to spend them. Do as you like. In the event that you don't want to spend your points, you may transfer them to someone else. However, extorting money from your peers is not allowed. This school monitors bullying very carefully."

With this final speech, I collected all the pieces of the puzzle, and very quickly, they all fell into place. Eventually, I saw the full picture, and all my questions were answered.

A bit curious, I turned around to observe my fellow elite future companions. Most of my classmates could not hide their surprise at the large amount of points. And it seemed no one ever truly noticed the hints she threw at us—of course, no one but Kouenji.

He didn't know as much as I did, but he understood the hidden meanings behind her words. At least, there was someone with a working brain. He briefly looked in my direction, and gave me his all-knowing smile. That confirms it, he knows me.

"Are there any questions?" The teacher asked.

Seeing no one willing to act, I stood up from my seat. Now that that 2nd year girl knew about me, I had to change my approach.

"I do, Sensei."

It was but a fraction of a second, but I clearly saw something returning to her eyes. Could it be....

"Yes. Ayanokouji, I suppose? Go and ask." I could feel the stares of my neighbors burning holes in me, but I ignored them.

"We won't receive 100,000 points next month, would we?" Upon hearing my question, many questioned my hearing ability, saying that she clearly told them they would.

"I can't answer that." However, the teacher surprised them with her answer, and the creepy smile she had on her face. I liked it though.

"Huh? But didn't you just say we will get 100,000 every month?" Asked a student.

"That's right! Hey, sensei, stop joking with us!" Said one of his friends.

"I don't remember hearing that, do you, sensei?" For the first time, Kouenji intervened.

"That's correct. I didn't say such thing." Her response silenced the once loud room, making almost everyone rethink everything they just heard. One look at Sae and you could tell that she was enjoying this a bit too much. In the end, they were her students.

"Any more questions? Ayanokouji, are you done?" She addressed me. I nodded, "That's all I needed." I said.

"Very well then. I hope that you enjoy your time here as students." She left.

I could almost hear the gears turning in my neighbors heads, and they weren't alone. Most of the students here didn't understand—even the almighty Horikita wasn't any better either. Just after Sae left the classroom, Hirata stood up. "Everyone, can you please listen to me for a moment?" He walked towards the front of the class.

"Starting today, we're all going to be classmates. Therefore, I think it'd be good for us to introduce ourselves and become friends as soon as possible. We still have some time until the entrance ceremony. What do you say? We can also discuss what just happened, as it will effect our life here at the school."

While many voiced their thoughts regarding the problem at hand, I was completely uninterested. That's because from the corner of my eye, I saw the silhouette of a girl behind the door. I immediately realized that my death was coming soon. Fortunately, the door didn't open yet, which left me a little room to think.

For a couple of seconds, I truly considered jumping of the window. But alas, my executioner had come. Fate sometimes was merciless. The door was unlocked.

Maybe I should have jumped...

Upon the appearance of a 3rd party in an unexpected time, the room was covered in silence. Taking her chance, she quickly navigated through the crow and in just a nanosecond, locked her gaze with mine. For a microsecond, enough for me to notice, her expressions darkened, but they returned to the confident smile shortly after. Why was that? I didn't know.

"Finally found you." She approached me. "My, my, you made me check all the classes, you know?" She once again threw another hint, just like Sae did. Even though the methods may be similar, the intentions were not. In fact, they were opposite.

I sighed. "Yes, it seems so. And?" I replied in my monotonic voice.

"Come on, don't be like that. How about a drink for my efforts?" She suggested. A drink? Right now? I didn't understand how her checking all the classes has anything to do with me, but she provided me an easy way out.

"Alright," I said as I stood up. "Where should we go?"

"I have a place in mind, follow me." And with that, we left the classroom. Of course, Hirata and Kushida tried to stop me, saying that I can help them and stuff, but the girl next to me immediately shut them up with an excuse I was still in the middle of processing.

"We are going on a date, don't interrupt us."

Dec 31, 2023 / 5344 words.

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