The Government Clearance

“This is your residence.”

I stood in front of the mansion again.

Still in disbelief.

Still questioning reality.

“…I live here?”

“Yes.”

Nanami crossed her arms.

“Everything inside is provided for you. Food, clothing, study materials.”

She paused.

“And isolation.”

“…Isolation?”

“The less contact you have with the other students, the better. You will live alone in this mansion, and I’m positive you already know this, but there shouldn’t be any students in your house under any circumstances.”

“…So I’m rich… but imprisoned.”

“Yes.”

“…Nice.”

I stepped inside.

And immediately realized something.

I was way out of my league.

The floors were marble. It looked as if they were imported from Italy.

“Wow, these floors are insane already. They look very expensive.”

“Yes, they are imported from the Vatican in Italy, Ren.”

“Figures.”

We kept walking, and with every step, I felt poorer and poorer.

Paintings that looked ancient and probably worth more than my entire bloodline lined the walls. Spiral staircases with polished marble steps and gold railings curved upward like something out of a royal palace. I was already shocked at how big this place was…

…but then it just kept going.

And going.

And going.

“…How many rooms does this place even have?” I muttered.

Every hallway looked like it led to another mansion inside the mansion.

There were chandeliers hanging from ceilings so high I’m pretty sure clouds were forming up there. The floors were so shiny I could see my reflection judging my life choices. Even the rugs looked like they had their own bank accounts.

I passed what I thought was a living room—

Nope.

It was just a waiting room.

For what?

I don’t know.

Royal guests?

Foreign diplomats?

Other rich people who got lost on the way to their own mansions?

We walked past a dining hall that could easily seat fifty people.

Fifty.

Who is eating here?!

Is she hosting banquets every night?!

Do I need a reservation to eat dinner in my own house?!

I peeked into another room.

A library.

Not just a bookshelf.

A full-on library.

Shelves stacked to the ceiling, ladders on rails, and books that looked older than modern civilization.

“…Do you even read all of these?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“…Of course you do.”

We kept walking.

At this point, I was convinced I’d get lost if I turned around for more than three seconds.

“Is there a map?” I asked nervously.

“No.”

“…So if I get lost, I just die?”

“Then you should not get lost.”

“Very helpful.”

We passed another hallway.

Another staircase.

Another room.

Another chandelier.

Another reminder that I was, in fact, extremely poor.

“…Yeah,” I muttered under my breath. “I’m never going back to normal life after this.”

Although I was happy to be in this huge mansion, something crossed my mind.

This place was too quiet.

Too big.

Too empty.

“…This is kind of creepy.”

“It is efficient.”

“That’s not comforting.”

Nanami turned toward me.

“Now. The rules.”

Ah.

Here we go.

She walked toward the center of the room.

“You will not initiate unnecessary interaction with students.”

“Yes.”

“You will not enter female dormitories.”

“Sucks.”

“Silence! You will not create emotional attachments.”

“…Define emotional—”

“Silence.”

“Yes, President.”

She stepped closer.

“And most importantly…”

Her eyes narrowed.

“You will not form any romantic relationships.”

I sighed.

“…Still impossible.”

“It is mandatory.”

And right as she said that—

KNOCK.

We both turned toward the door.

Nanami frowned.

“…Unexpected.”

She walked over and opened it.

And standing there was—

Aoi.

Holding a notebook.

Eyes shining.

Excited.

“Good afternoon, President!”

She looked past her.

Straight at me.

“Hello, Ren.”

My heart dropped.

“…Why do I feel like I’m about to be experimented on? Is this it? Is this my romance in this hell of a school I’ve been waiting for? Finally, after all these demons with big breasts I’ve faced at this school, I find a big-boobie nerdy angel coming to my safety—”

“Ren! Silence!”

“But Prez, I didn’t say anything!”

“You didn’t have to say anything. I know what your filthy mind is thinking.”

She tilted her head slightly.

“Why are you here?”

“Hello, Ms. Student Council President. I’m Aoi, and I’m the president of the Science and Research Club at this school. I’m sorry to show up on such short notice.”

“I know who you are, Aoi. As this school’s student council president, I have to make sure I’m aware of all of our most important students. You’re also known as that clumsy girl with the huge utters.”

“She does have huge utters.”

“Ren, silence! Every time you speak, my blood boils.”

“I’m sorry, Prez. I’ll stay quiet like a good little puppy.”

“…I’m sorry again, Prez. That was out of line.”

“Back to our topic. I didn’t ask you to introduce yourself, Aoi Narizumi. I asked you what business you have here.”

“You should know very well, Ms. Narizumi, that all the girls at this school received a notice to maintain as much distance as possible from the new male student. And you have not only once broken that rule, but now twice—putting both yourself at risk and also putting the male student at risk of being expelled from this school.”

“Wow… Prez actually cares a bit about me. She was worried about the risk being caused to me! Don’t worry, Prez, I’ll make sure to follow the rules for our love—”

“We have spent way too much money on this experiment with filth like Ren Arakawa to have all that budget go to waste.”

Never mind.

The Prez just cares about her money.

And here I thought we were finally starting to get along.

But don’t worry, Ren… I’m sure you’ll find a beautiful, big-breasted girl at this school you can fondle and love… even if you have to hide it.

Who am I kidding?

This is basically a game on expert mode.

Aoi’s soft and gentle voice spoke.

“Well, Ms. President, as the president of the Science and Research Club, I have to be in charge of studying our male student specimen and record everything. And for that, I have to be as close as possible to the male student.”

“As close as possible doesn’t sound too bad to me.”

“Silence, Ren! And Aoi, you’ve actually lost your mind if you think I’d allow something like that.”

“Well, that’s the thing, Prez. This was ordered by the government. I asked them for clearance, and they allowed it.”

“This has to be a joke! What kind of connections does she have? I am this school’s top authority right after the principal and vice principal. You will show me these papers at once.”

Aoi nodded calmly and reached into her bag.

“Of course, President.”

She pulled out a neatly sealed envelope with an official government insignia stamped in gold across the front.

Even I could tell…

This wasn’t normal paperwork.

Nanami’s expression changed slightly as she took it.

“…This seal…”

For the first time since I met her—

She hesitated.

She carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the document inside.

Her eyes scanned the page.

Once.

Twice.

Then again.

Silence filled the room.

Her eyebrow twitched.

“…This is ridiculous.”

I leaned over slightly, trying to sneak a peek.

“…What does it say?”

“Silence.”

“Yes, President.”

Her grip on the paper tightened.

She began reading aloud, her voice colder than usual.

“By order of the national academic research board and affiliated government authorities…”

She paused.

Her jaw clenched.

“…student Aoi Narizumi of the Science and Research Division is hereby granted full clearance to conduct long-term observational study on the male subject, Ren Arakawa…”

My eyes widened.

“…Wait—what?”

Nanami continued.

“…In order to ensure accuracy and consistency of research, subject Aoi Narizumi is to be stationed within the same residential environment as the test subject…”

Silence.

Complete silence.

I slowly turned my head toward Aoi.

Then back to Nanami.

Then back to Aoi again.

“…You’re living here?”

Aoi nodded happily.

“Yes.”

Nanami’s hand trembled slightly.

“…Absolutely not.”

She slammed the paper onto the desk.

“This is a direct violation of academy protocol.”

Aoi tilted her head.

“It’s government-approved.”

“That does not matter.”

“It does, actually.”

Nanami’s eye twitched.

Again.

Stronger this time.

“…You cannot seriously expect me to allow a female student to live in the same residence as—”

She stopped.

Slowly turned her head.

And glared at me.

“…him.”

“Wow. I feel very included in this conversation.”

“Silence, insect.”

“Yes.”

Nanami turned back to Aoi.

“This is unacceptable.”

Aoi smiled gently.

“But it is required.”

Nanami’s aura shifted.

For the first time—

She looked genuinely angry.

Not annoyed.

Not cold.

Actually angry.

“…I will be reporting this to the principal immediately.”

“You’re free to do so.”

Aoi adjusted her glasses slightly.

“But the authorization has already been approved at the highest level.”

Nanami went quiet.

Completely still.

Then slowly…

She folded the paper.

“…Fine.”

Her voice was calm.

Too calm.

The dangerous kind of calm.

“You may stay.”

I blinked.

“…Wait, seriously?”

Her eyes snapped toward me.

“But understand this, Aoi Narizumi…”

Her voice dropped.

“If there is even the slightest indication of inappropriate behavior…”

She took a step forward.

“…I will personally ensure that both of you regret it.”

Aoi smiled softly.

“I understand.”

Nanami turned sharply and began walking away.

Then stopped.

Without looking back—

“Ren Arakawa.”

“…Yes?”

“If you even think about enjoying this situation…”

Her voice was ice cold.

“I will end you.”

“…Understood.”

And just like that—

She walked out.

Leaving me alone…

In a mansion…

With a beautiful, big-breasted scientist girl.

…

…

…

“…things might not be so bad this year. Maybe my love life is finally starting to turn around”