『Arlecchino's First Day』

April. The school entrance ceremony.

Receiving funding from the government to nurture the next generation's hopefuls, Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, commonly referred to as ANHS, brings together the brightest youth of Japan onto a single campus. Despite that, the entrance ceremony itself was like any other institution, it remained modestly boring. I found no specific reason to spend my precious time attending a standard speech.

I was sitting on a public bench, fully immersed in reading a book about quantum physics. A book that I couldn't finish in the bus due to a certain two-faced, yellow-haired child. That pitiful woman was disgusting. Playing the role of an angle just so she could make people admire her-that was the kind of individuals I detested the most.

I disliked those attention seekers.

People should live for their own sake, yet they normally throw that life away just to get others' attention. They supposedly find happiness and joy in doing such meaningless things, but I was certain they grew to regret that decision.

I knew how absurd that statement was, I knew that more than anyone else. One cannot prove that kind of prepositions with 'certainty.'

It was a logical dilemma. A "Devil's Proof."

The fact was, while evidence will prove the existence of something, the lack of evidence fails to disprove it. And when facing against a claim such as 'aliens do exist,' one simply cannot prove that such statement is false. That will require the us to fully explore the Outerspace, which was unfeasible for humans.

But even when facing that trial, I firmly believed that they would regret it.

That was my unwavering conviction.

Just then, another person joined me on the bench and sat beside me. From my peripheral vision, I saw a young man with a short brown hair who possessed a rare shade of golden eyes. Objectively speaking, he was reasonably handsome. But that wasn't what made me look at his face-it was his cold, apathetic expression.

If wasn't mistaken, we rode the same bus, and he also kept that poker face of his during the entire confrontation.

The sky was clear, and the weather was nice. The perfect environment for a comfortable reading session. But even so, my sixth sense strongly warned me that there was something wrong. It didn't take a genius to notice that my source of discomfort was this person.

I was highly confident in my senses, I was never wrong about anything when it came to them. They enabled me to see through people's lies, masks, acts, strategies and schemes. No matter the circumstances, I was never deceived by anyone.

Yet this individual was a first. I couldn't detect anything from him. It was almost as if he wasn't sitting beside me. My impression said that this man wouldn't care if someone lost his life before his very eyes.

I quickly realized that he was dangerous, and that I had to adjust the order in my list.

I hated wolfs in sheep's clothes, way more than those attention seekers.

"Hello," he said, breaking the silence. His monotone voice cut through pleasant peace. "What are you reading?" he asked, even though he most likely read the title.

"None of your business," I said coldly.

He was a student here as well. It seemed like I wasn't the only one out for a stroll, as he must also be a first-year student.

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

"Speak for yourself. I find it unnecessary to get along with anybody," I replied coldly, "Especially not with someone like you."

He raised his eyebrow. "Someone like me?" he asked. "What do you mean by that?"

How dull, feigning obliviousness.

As I flipped the page, my eyes fell on the first word at the start of the paragraph. 'Quantum Entanglement.' According to the latest data, it is when two distance particles' states depend on each other's. It can force the wave function of one of the particles to collapse into a single, certain and known point.

How boring.

Even thought it was such an interesting chapter, I found myself extra curious about this young man. I closed my book and faced him.

"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." He better not think he was fooling me one bit, even if he tricked the entire student's body.

Seeing that he missed the entrance ceremony, he must have realized that he won't face any problem in the future. In that sense, he should think that he was pretty clever, even if it wasn't a conscious thought. His intense gaze that didn't fail to notice every detail accompanied with his calmness and apathetic expressions both gave a sense of selfishness and high awareness when evaluating people. It was possible to argue that first impressions fall under judgments. So naturally, what he was doing could be considered as a form of judging people.

As for the last sentence, it was an attempt to mess with his temper, which, as expected, didn't work at all. How interesting.

Ever heard of Cold reading?

It's a technique used a lot by fortune tellers to give the impression that they possess paranormal abilities or insights about a person without prior knowledge, by making generalized statements, asking leading questions, and observing non-verbal cues to gather information about a certain individual. By using this information, it's possible to give deductions or provide seemingly accurate descriptions about the person's personality, past experiences, or future prospects.

Mixed with a few exaggerated educated guesses, in a way, what I just performed was an extension of that.

But calling it just an 'extension' is an understatement.

It was something I was born with, an endowment from the gods. If I were to compare my sixth sense to cold reading, then my sense would end up on top.

It was a divine talent, the real deal.

"Wow, that's quite a mouthful. Did I do something to upset you?"

Of course, treating me as fool was not something I enjoyed. But I wasn't really upset. Rather, I had hoped he would stop pretending to be an idiot, at least in front of me. He even had the face to ask about his error. Then again, his poker face was quite exceptional.

"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."

I shook my head. It was true that he didn't do anything, but just thinking that he can fool me was no different than saying that I wasn't intelligent. Usually, I wouldn't care about other's opinion. People are free to think whatever they want. Yet somehow, that wasn't the case right now.

For some reason, there was a slight feeling of irritation when he underestimated me. I found myself having a sentiment of respect towards this mysterious individual.

At first it was just an unconscious thought, but I may have realized that this person was truly on a totally different level compared to the ordinary teenagers I meet everyday.

Maybe he wasn't just a wolf... Maybe he was the king of the forest I was looking for.

But unfortunately, he was planning to keep his act. I had nothing to gain by interacting with this 'seemingly' idiot student anymore.

"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."

He 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?"

I 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."

He shook His 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."

I almost laughed. "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." He kept quiet, and after a few seconds, he stood up to leave.

Yes, of course, what I said was overly exaggerated, but that didn't mean it was incorrect either. And until he changes his playing-dumb hobby, things will stay as they were.

I had no doubt that we will meet again. And until that time comes, I will eagerly wait for his turning point.

I've uttered it once before, and I'll proclaim it once more.

I despised the wolves lurking in sheep's clothing.

Because in the end, wolves were meant to feast on sheep.

■■■

It was soon the end of the entrance ceremony. Checking the time on my watch, I decided that I still had a few minutes left before the start of the school day. I continued reading until I reached a page I could stop at, marked it with an imaginary bookmark, and quickly stood up and headed to the class I was assigned to.

Arriving at the door with the words "Class 1-B" written above, I quickly slide it open. Almost all the seats were occupied, excluding one near the back of the classroom which I assumed was my own. It seemed like I was the last person to arrive.

Sitting down, I noticed that all of the students had already removed their nameplates. That only left mine on my disk, which read "Arlecchino Peruere." Following what everybody else did, I removed my nameplate, and resumed reading my book. Just then, a young woman with a friendly and approachable demeanor, a youthful appearance, with shoulder-length hair and a warm smile entered the room. She was probably our teacher.

"Hi, everyone! I'm Chie Hoshinomiya, your homeroom teacher for the next 3 years. I hope we can get along!" She handed us a few documents that were mostly about the school's rules as well as the dormitory's. And then, she talked about the thing that made this school different than any other-the S system.

In short, we received 100,000 private points this month which pretty much acted as a substitution for money, and we were allowed to buy 'anything' using it. It made the teacher receive a couple of doubting eyes and raised the suspicious atmosphere even more. I didn't fail to notice that she didn't promise that was a monthly amount.

All in all, it was convenient for me. Way better than carrying all of that in cash. Even though I considered that no one would be able to touch me even if they wanted to, it was reassuring that bullying and violence as well as blackmail were also heavily monitored, and the punishments were not to be taken lightly. I figured that every class got the same explanation more or less.

My classmates appeared to have different thoughts on the matter. Some were surprised, some were confused, while others believed it was too good to be true. As soon as the teacher finished her speech, the class began to voice their opinions. The teacher quietly watched as the students conversed with each other.

For some reasons, I couldn't accept it as it was. Normally, if a person reasoned that a person X didn't lie because he didn't feel like X did, then I would say that was the peak of arrogance. A fool's move.

But I was special. I was confident in my ability to detect lies.

No matter who they are, no matter the circumstances, no one can lie in my presence without my knowledge. Well, that used to be the case until recently. Now, I'm not sure anymore.

"Everyone, can I get your attention for a sec?" The teacher said. We quickly put a stop to our chat and focused our attention on her. "Due to this being your first day, this period is over. You are free to do whatever you want, but I forgot to inform you that the entrance ceremony will be in the gymnasium one hour from now. I hope you enjoy your time here as students."

The woman named Hoshinomia left the classroom, which gave another opportunity for the students to share their thoughts. After a few minutes, it was decided that we will start by introducing ourselves.

"I think it's best if I start with the introductions first. After all, I was the one who suggested the idea," said a lively girl with a somewhat blond long hair and piercing blue eyes. "My name is Ichinose Honami. In middle school, I was the Student Council's president for my last two years. And I plan on applying for a position this time, too. Pleasure to meet you all!"

The child was beaming with a mysterious charm, one that worked on both genders spectacularly. Her smile and humble attitude successfully restored the calm and comfortable atmosphere that vanished moments ago. I could clearly see a great leader's qualities being concealed within her. But only time can tell if she is really up for the task.

Next up was another student. He had a serious and confident expressions. "It's my turn. I'm Kanzaki Ryuuji. I prefer quiet and peaceful environments. I also enjoy reading mystery books, especially those that follow Knox's rules. Finding the culprits before they are announced is something I am quite good at. My goal is to be a detective in the future. Nice to make your acquaintance."

A detective, huh? That's certainly a difficult thing to accomplish in this day and age, more so without some connections. If we weren't deceived, then he would greatly benefit from this school promises.

In contrast to the young woman earlier, this man seemed to put his brain before his heart. His voice was colder and more direct, but that wasn't a bad attribute to have. On the contrary, this will keep the class from making too much irrational decisions. If Ichinose Honami is the sound of sympathy, then Kanzaki Ryuuji will be the sound of logic. An interesting combination.

After a few claps, just like a chain reaction, everyone followed their lead without hesitation. While I was busy reading my book, the introductions continued until all what entered my ears was the sound of flying white birds. Checking my surroundings, my strategical position quickly allowed me to realize that I was the center of attention, and I was receiving the stares of all my classmates.

Everyone present had finished introducing themselves.

"Ahm... Would you mind?" Asked the automatically appointed class representative. Due the absence of any other candidate, I found myself obliged to agree that this child was likely the best person for the position. Of course, that is if I excluded myself.

"Very well," I said, closing my book once more. I wonder how many times I was interrupted today. Maybe fate prevented me from finishing today. It began to annoy me somewhat.

Standing up, I faced the class. "I'm Arlecchino Peruere. Please do note that I will not allow anyone to address me with my first name. Failing to understand that will most certainly turn out badly for you. I highly recommend you keep this in your mind: I absolutely will never forgive anyone who call me anything other than Arlecchino without my permission. I won't show mercy to any who overstep that line."

I made that clear to every person there. I was not playing around.

I wouldn't hesitate to use violence if I desired to. Though, it would be the last thing they should care about. I considered not telling them my name, but it wasn't as effective. It was high likely that they will come to know as time goes, and it may lead to unnecessary troubles. I decided that warning them before hand was much a better alternative.

"I do not have any particular hobbies. Nor do I dislike anything specific. If I have to share something about myself, then I shall say that I like spending my time reading alone. It's your honor to make my acquaintance."

■■■

After the introduction, we were asked to regroup in the gymnasium for the entrance ceremony.

Naturally, I didn't accompany them. I think I already established that I hated wasting my time unnecessarily. Instead of that boring standard speech, I decided to head to the dormitory. There, I received the keys to room № 601, along with handbook containing the dorm's rules.

There were 3 buildings, each had 14 floors. The first 7 for men, and the last for women. Keeping both genders in the same apartment was unsafe, but it was strictly forbidden for men to go to our floors past 8 p.m. The teachers and stuff also had their place located elsewhere for that reason.

It seemed like our rooms won't change during the upcoming 3 years. That meant that the school adopted a 3-years rotation principle. Meaning our dorm was the same dorm last year 3rd years students had.

I entered the elevator and clicked on the 14th floor button. Knowing that my room was on the last floor, I wasn't surprised that the ride took a couple of minutes. It may seem insignificant at first, but over a long period of time, things would be different. I was starting to wonder about the possibility to "buy" another room.

Disregarding these thoughts for time being, I silently made my way to room number 877, which would be my new home from today forwards. Opening the door, I entered and observed.

The inside was less than 15 meters square. Even though it was tiny compared to my old place, I found myself oddly comfortable. The carpets were read, the sides were white-everything was exactly as I wanted it to be.

"The chairman outdid himself, minus the 14th floor part." I said in a soft tone.

It really felt like home.

Passing by the door to the bedroom, the first thing I noticed was the very out of place royal chair that was pridefully standing in the center of the bedroom. Unconsciously, I may have made a smile.

With gentle steps, I took my place on the throne that none deserved.

That's right.

I am Arlecchino Peruere.

3434 words.

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