"I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Pleasure meeting you."
Those are the words I decided to say to Kushida.
Judging from her behavior and my first impressions, she seems like someone who acts friendly to others no matter what, even if she has to hide her true self. If that's truly her way of life, she isn't the worst person to tell my identity to.
"A-A-Ayanokouji... K-Kiyotaka..." Kushida muttered, seemingly shocked, as a few people who eavesdropped also heard me.
"Oh so you're the Ayanokouji Kiyotaka? What a surprise! I hope we can get along!" she continued while putting her smile back on her face.
She certainly knows how to put on a mask, I'll give her that.
"Likewise," I felt as though this was a good enough answer.
Although Kushida reacted better than I thought she would, it was not long after that the bus became quiet. I heard whispers all around me. Seems like that's the end of my peaceful yet extremely short life. There was a suffocating atmosphere inside the bus. I suddenly became the center of everyone's attention. All eyes were on me, well, excluding those of a certain blonde boy who was looking at himself in a mirror.
"Hey... is that... Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?"
"He actually looks handsome..."
"What's up with those eyes? They look... empty..."
"What is someone like him doing here?"
"Idiot, can't you see he's wearing our school's uniform?"
Luckily, it wasn't long before we arrived at the school's entrance. As I got off the bus, I could feel the eyes of the other passengers staring at me. The young boys and girls dressed in school uniform hurriedly passed through the entrance gate as I stared at the entrance of my new high school.
"Well... I'll see you around, Ayanokouji-kun!"
Seems like I've made my first acquaintance. That went... well, I guess.
This is my new school, huh?
It certainly didn't look bad. In fact, once I passed through the gate, I could see how gigantic this school really was. The Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School was a school established by the Japanese government in hopes of nurturing young graduates that will lead Japan in the future. It is known as the most prestigious high school in Japan and one can see why once they step foot inside the campus. The area of the campus was about 600,000 square meters. The school could easily be compared to a small city. One can find anything and everything at this school. From clothing stores and karaoke bars to fancy restaurants and libraries, this school clearly had it all. For the average high school student, attending this school certainly is like living the dream.
But I'm not here as an average high school student.
Right now, rumors about Ayanokouji Kiyotaka attending this school haven't spread yet, but it's only a matter of time before my name becomes known to the entirety of the student body. I walked towards the gymnasium where the entrance ceremony will take place as I felt occasional glares towards my direction.
I wish I could say that my first impression is that the people here are like normal high school students, but the truth is, I don't know what it's like to be normal. The majority of students seem to be quite excited and happy, but then again, I can only guess how they feel based on the words' definitions.
What does it mean to be normal? Does being normal mean to be average? By definition, to be average is to have no outstanding qualities nor flaws. People might describe others as smart or dumb, beautiful or ugly, interesting or boring, tall or short, etc... Being average would mean being exactly in the middle of two opposing adjectives. Hence, someone average would be someone that's neither smart nor dumb, neither beautiful nor ugly, etc... That is the definition of being average. But being normal is another issue. Is it normal for someone to score perfect 50s in entrance exams? Is it normal for someone to be perfectly average? The answer is obviously no. If you're someone who's perfectly average, you are far from the norm. So, what is it truly like to be normal?
Over the course of these three years, I hope I can learn more about society and behavior, as well as answer some of my many questions. How do these students think? What are their goals? What are their motives for attending this school? Is what I read in books true in the world outside the White Room?
It seems I'm lost in my thoughts again.
I decided to quickly make my way to the school gymnasium, as the entrance ceremony was about to begin.
*********
Needless to say, the entrance ceremony was something I wouldn't want to experience twice. The principal decided to put us all to sleep by making his speech dull and boring. Many students started to feel irritated and tired. The student council president, who seemed quite intimidating for many first-years, also exchanged a few words. Very few students looked at me, meaning that not many knew of my presence. I'm guessing the news haven't spread yet due to the fact that talking during the ceremony would be seen as disrespectful. By the end of the day, my status will significantly change, for better or for worse.
It'd definitely be a pain if everyone becomes afraid of me on the first day.
For me, there are two possible outcomes once someone learns my identity.
Either they will fear me, and distance themselves from me because of my reputation as the Demon of the White Room and as a human with no emotions. They might even hate me and try to face off against me.
Or they will be curious, want to learn more about me, and see for themselves if the rumors are true, and if I am who they think I am.
These are somewhat natural reactions, I'd say. Facing the unknown, one tends to either protect themselves by fleeing, or satisfy their curiosity by getting closer, and high school students are no exception.
Since the ceremony ended, I started making my way to my classroom. Everyone did the same. If you were to zoom out of the picture and look at the situation from an aerial point of view, it would look like a group of insects crawling towards the same destination. I was among a huge group of students, all the same age, all roughly the same height as me, all human, but I felt like I was the odd one out.
Some people already made friends, while others were still a bit shy. As for me, I was wondering how I should enter the classroom. Would people already know me by then? Should I introduce myself? Should I try and get to know other people?
I've already made up my mind.
Obviously, rumors started spreading like wildfire. The majority knew that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was a student attending the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. While that fact was already printed into the minds of the students, most of them still didn't know what I looked like. I guess only those who were on the same bus as me this morning knew my face, even then, some couldn't get a good look at my face.
The environment here was so different, it felt like I was in an anime where the main character had been reincarnated as someone from another world. As I got closer to my classroom, I saw most students excitedly talking to each other in their respective classrooms. My class, Class 1-D, was all the way at the end of the hallway, so I got a good glance at the three other classrooms and the people in them. None of them seemingly noticed me, expect for a petite girl with lilac colored hair, violet eyes and a cane who stared at me with curiosity and a smug face. I wonder who she is and how she immediately seemed to have recognized me.
Class 1-D... here it is.
As I entered the classroom, I immediately noticed Kushida looking at me. It seems like she already made a bunch of friends and was in the middle of a conversation with them. As expected of someone who puts up such an act in front of others.
"What's wrong Kushida?"
"Um... no it's nothing! So what were we talking about?"
She decided to not let anyone know of my identity yet, which was an interesting choice. I walked towards the seat that had my nameplate on it. It was in the back row, next to the window, the ideal seat if you ask me. As I looked around, I saw the classroom gradually filling up with new faces. Many of them were already having conversations with one another and having a good time. For them though, it seems like the topic of their conversations were revolving around me. Well, they don't know that I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka yet, but I guess that can wait.
"Hey have you heard about Ayanokouji Kiyotaka? Apparently he's attending this school like us!"
"No way!! I wonder what he's like... maybe he's actually handsome and cute! I wonder what class he's in..."
"Are you guys not scared of him... I mean have you seen the files about him on the internet?"
"Yeah... but I can't help but feel bad for him, you know... have you seen what he's been through?"
It certainly feels weird hearing people talk about you when they don't know you're listening to their conversations.
I heard the chair next to me moving, and, as I turn around, I see a girl with long black hair staring at me. I remember her, she was sitting next to me on the bus before I got up and gave up my seat for the elderly woman. She looked at me as if she can't believe her eyes. She awkwardly sat down next to me as she started minding her own business.
Seems like she'll just ignore me from the time being, huh? Wait, why is she taking out a compass?
"For safety measures," she suddenly said. It's as if she can read my mind. I guess she's not that afraid of me either, which was good to see.
"Understood," is what I decided to say.
"Horikita Suzune's the name. I guess you aren't as bad as what I thought you would be."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The wise move here is to not say anything unnecessary.
"You know what I mean. Anyways, if you're curious, I don't plan and telling your identity to others. I'd much rather not get involved in their shenanigans. I'll just pretend as if it's the first time I'm meeting you, I assume you're fine with that."
She's surprisingly bold. If I were to take a wild guess, she definitely has a superiority complex.
"Sure."
I sure suck at conversations.
It wasn't long before our homeroom teacher entered the classroom. If I had to guess her age, I'd say it was probably around thirty. She wore a suit and had delicate features. Her hair was long and tied into a ponytail. I looked around and saw a few familiar faces. Among them were Kushida, Horikita, and the blonde boy who were all on the same bus ride as me this morning.
"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'll be acting as your homeroom teacher, so I hope to get to know all of you. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
I can see her quickly looking at me. The teachers at this school definitely know who I am and what I look like, and Chabashira-sensei is surely no exception.
"I will now distribute written materials with information about this school's special rules. I will also hand out the admissions guide."
The students in the front row passed back the familiar documents I'd received after being accepted.
Chabashira-sensei then told us about the school's unique system: 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."
She emphasized on the word anything, which was interesting. I assume even ridiculous things such as transferring classes and test points can be bought using points. Seems like having a large amount of points can really give you the advantage here. Good to know.
"Your student cards can be used simply by swiping them through the machine scanner. The method is simple, so you shouldn't get confused. Points are automatically deposited into your account on the first of every month. You should all have received 100,000 points already. Keep in mind that one point is worth one yen. No further explanation should be necessary."
After everyone took a few seconds to process what she just said, the classroom erupted. However, the way Chabashira-sensei explained the S System leaves plenty of room for misunderstanding. One might easily think that we would get 100,000 points every month, but that's not what she said. Based on her wording, I assume the amount of points we get every month may vary.
"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 restrain-"
Now that is the missing piece of the puzzle. Our points are based on our worth, meaning that if we were to mess around in class, for example, we would probably get less points the following month. I looked around the class, but it seems like everyone is still shocked by the amount of points we're getting, not understanding that next month won't necessarily be the same. Many students couldn't hide their surprise and excitement as they talked about what they should spend their points on, but nobody had a clue about the hidden meaning of her explanation.
These are the students that are supposed to lead Japan in the future?
For anyone who would take a step back and ponder on the situation, a 100,000 yen monthly allowance is too good to be true. However, most students couldn't be bothered. For them, they were living in paradise.
"I'm so glad I enrolled in this school!"
"I know right, this school is just the best!"
Before I arrived here, Matsuo told me about the hierarchy of the classes that was based on points. Of course, I believed him, as there is no denying Matsuo's reliability when it comes to these things. Since we're in Class D, I assume we're the lowest of the bunch. If I were to describe these students, I would call them defects. Combining this piece of information with our homeroom teacher's explanation, I assume that there is another type of points, class points, that is different from the private points every individual has. Based on our behavior over the course of the month, our class points may decrease. It's unlikely they can increase based on behavior alone, so there must be another to gain class points. All four classes probably have 1000 class points right now, and that number will change each month. Why 1000 class points? It seems unlikely that we're currently all at 100 class points, as that number seems too low for such a system. On the other hand, 10000 class points seems like too much as that'd make each class points way less valuable. Therefore, I assume classes A, B, C, and D all have 1000 class points, and starting next month, the classes will be ordered based on their number of class points. For each class point we have at the beginning of the month, we'll all get 100 private points each, which is why we all received 100,000 points.
The thought of letting everyone know about this crossed my mind, but I decided against it. After all, I really couldn't be bothered. A side of me wanted to see how they'd react if they ever figure this out. Truth is, we'll probably have 0 class points come May 1st, and hopefully those idiots will finally snap out of their fantasies.
After our homeroom teacher finished talking, she left the classroom and let us talk to each other.
"Everyone, can you please listen to me for a moment?"
A young man with blonde hair and brown eyes who looked like an honors student suddenly spoke up.
"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. What do you say?"
"Agreed! After all, we still don't know a thing about each other, not even our names," someone shouted.
I knew this moment would come soon enough.
"My name's Hirata Yousuke. Back in junior high, lots of people called me Yousuke, so feel free to use my first name! I guess my hobby is sports in general, but I especially like soccer. I'm planning on playing soccer here, too. Nice to meet you!"
And with that, Hirata ended his introduction. He seemed exceptionally brave and open minded. He'll definitely be one of the most popular first-years judging from the reactions around the classroom, especially the girls'. He's definitely going to be one of the class leaders.
Soon after, people started introducing themselves one by one. Hirata decided to start from the front, which was fine by me, as I was sitting in the back. Now it was Kushida's turn to introduce herself.
"My name is Kushida Kikyou. None of my friends from junior high made it to this school, so I'm alone here. I'd like to get to know all of your names and faces right away and become friends as soon as possible!"
I wonder why she had to mention the fact that none of her friends from junior high are at this school. She's probably hiding something from her past, I should definitely keep an eye on her behavior. As Kushida finished her introduction, the next person started to prepare.
"I'm Ike Kanji. I love girls, and I hate pretty boys. I'm currently in the market for a new girlfriend. It's nice to meet you! All the better if you're a cutie or a beauty!"
What a pervert, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's the only one. So much for the future of Japan.
Needless to say, the girls were disgusted by his introduction. Anyways, the person next to him introduced themselves.
"I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, masterpiece of the White Room. I'm a genius! I hope I get along with all of you, especially with you girls! I'm smart, athletic, handsome, I'm the perfect boyfriend!"
What the hell?
The classroom was quiet. A few seconds went by before Ike spoke up.
"Pssst... that's not something to joke about Yamauchi."
With that, the atmosphere in the classroom felt much lighter.
"Come on, dude! Couldn't you let me have my moment of glory?" Yamauchi said.
"That was too far man, you shouldn't joke about that. You know that he's in our school right?"
Some girls started taking to each other.
"How pathetic, using someone else's name just to get some attention from girls, what a loser."
"Yeah seems like we have our second pervert."
"That's enough, Yamauchi. How about you give us a real introduction?" Hirata interrupted.
"Fine... well, I'm Yamauchi Haruki. I competed in table tennis during elementary school, and in junior high I was the ace player on our baseball team. I got hurt during the inter-high school championships, though, and I'm undergoing rehab now. Nice to meet you!"
That doesn't sound any more real nor believable, Yamauchi.
Anyways, as introductions continued. I started to memorize all the faces and names of my classmates. The names I remembered include Hirata Yousuke, Kushida Kikyou, Horikita Suzune, Karuizawa Kei, Hasebe Haruka, Miyake Akito, Sudou Ken, Maya Satou, and, of course, the two perverts. On a side note, the blonde guy who refused to give up his seat on the bus is apparently called Kouenji Rokusuke. I don't know how my classmates got that information, since he left as soon as we all started to introduce ourselves.
After Horikita's turn, it was my turn to introduce myself. I saw her and Kushida looking at me curiously, wondering how the class will react.
Should I try to loosen up the atmosphere? Should I assert my dominance? For now, I think it's best to keep things simple so that I don't mess up my introduction.
"I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. It's nice to meet you. I hope we can all get along."
"..."
The room was filled with silence once again.
"Hahaha... what the heck dude! That joke's boring now!" Ike shouted.
"Yeah! You couldn't come up with a more original joke than me! You're lame!" Yamauchi followed.
Sigh. Not only are they perverts, they're also idiots.
"Um... guys... he's not joking..." Kushida told everyone. Suddenly, Ike and Yamauchi turned dead silent.
"You see, I met Ayanokouji-kun on the bus this morning... and he was actually really nice! I mean... he even gave up his seat for an elderly woman! So yeah... I hope we can all get along with him and be friends with him since, as you all know, he had a rather rough childhood..."
I knew giving up my seat was the right choice. Thank you, Kushida.
"... He's Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?" someone whispered.
"I didn't expect him to look like this... he's kind of... handsome..." a girl muttered.
"Damn I messed up making that joke... I hope he doesn't kill me..." I wonder who said that.
My classmates all started muttering and whispering, but Hirata decided to break the awkward atmosphere.
"Are you really Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?" Hirata asked me.
A boring question deserves a boring answer.
"Affirmative."
"Hahahaha... this guy is actually so funny what the hell! Who knew Ayanokouji would be a guy like him!"
"Well, he does seem like some sort of robot... like what are these answers hahaha!"
Apparently I'm now Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, comedian of the White Room.
On a serious note, just like that, my new classmates changed their opinions about me. Thanks to Kushida's intervention, they'll see me more or less as someone who's had a rough childhood. Perhaps I'll even get special treatment from some of them, who knows?
Seems like everything's going exactly according to plan.
"Let's exchange contact information, Ayanokouji-kun!"
"Yeah! I want to have the artificial genius in my contacts too!"
"Let's be friends, Ayanokouji-kun!"
"Can I have your autograph, Ayanokouji?!"
This class is filled with a bunch of weird people.
With that, the series of introductions ended.
After we all finished talking, we decided to all leave the classroom. I looked at my phone, I already had 10 people in my contacts, including Hirata, Kushida, Horikita, Karuisawa, Hasebe, Sudou, Miyake, and others.
Everything went rather well, to say the least.
It's amusing how people are so naive.
********