(It's an unlucky day.)
On the way to school, he encountered a cursed spirit. Then, by some twist of fate, he called out to a girl who not only reminded him of his brother but gave off a slightly sinister aura. And now, she had ended up sitting right next to him.
A triple misfortune.
Homeroom had just ended, but Mamoru already felt mentally exhausted. He leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh.
(I should've just gone to the teacher after school by myself...)
To avoid the hassle, he'd asked his question during homeroom, but it only drew unnecessary attention from his classmates. Mamoru muttered under his breath, regretting the trouble he'd caused.
"Fufufu, that was quite the deduction earlier."
Whether she was aware of his mood or not, Sakayanagi Arisu smiled beside him, clearly amused. Mamoru was once again reminded of just how awful her personality could be.
"Just to be clear, did I say something strange?" he asked.
"No, I thought the same. I just wasn't as confident in saying it out loud."
"Yes… hmm, Mamoru-kun?"
He blinked. She had suddenly used his first name.
"Yeah, calling you Mamoru-kun feels more natural than Gojo-kun. Was that bad?"
"It's not... bad, but…"
(Oh no. I've been seriously locked on.)
Something from their homeroom discussion must have caught her interest, and now she was closing in fast. Mamoru had the gut feeling that Sakayanagi had firmly set her sights on him. It was honestly a little terrifying.
"You can call me by my name too, Mamoru-kun. It's easier, right?"
She was clearly enjoying herself, teasing him and watching his reactions. But Mamoru wasn't the type to get flustered just because someone used his name.
"Well then… Alice-san."
As the two exchanged words, a few students cautiously approached them.
"Um… excuse me, could we have a moment?"
Before they could speak further, a male student at the front of the classroom raised his voice. His physique was so solid that it was hard to believe he had only just graduated from middle school. His head was completely shaved—a distinctive, eye-catching feature. With a presence that made him seem older than he was, the student began to speak.
"I'm sure many of you want to talk with your seatmates, but before that, I think it's best if we all introduce ourselves. After all, we're going to be together for the next three years. Let's at least start building some basic friendships."
His tone wasn't overbearing, but combined with his intimidating appearance, it was hard to argue with him. His suggestion made sense, and voices of agreement quickly spread through the class.
"That's true."
"Good idea."
"Yeah, let's do it."
"Thank you," he continued. "Since I brought it up, I'll go first. I'm Katsuragi Kohei. I served on the student council in middle school, and I hope that experience will help in supporting this class. Let's work well together."
He might have looked stern, but his serious nature came through. The class responded warmly, with applause and greetings of "Nice to meet you."
Students began introducing themselves, starting with those seated nearby. When it was Mamoru's turn, he stood up.
"I'm Gojo Mamoru. Sorry for dragging out homeroom earlier.
If I had to name a hobby, it'd be eating sweets. My special skill is calligraphy. I look forward to getting along with all of you."
Mamoru didn't have anything interesting to say, so he stuck to the basics—just hobbies and skills. Incidentally, his skill in calligraphy was a side effect of regularly writing talismans.
After Mamoru sat down, it was Arisu's turn.
"My name is Sakayanagi Arisu. As you can probably see from my cane, I have a congenital condition and my health isn't the best. I was worried before enrollment, but there seem to be many kind people in this class. I feel more at ease now. I may cause some trouble, but I appreciate your support."
There wasn't a single student who found fault with that introduction. But Mamoru noticed something.
Arisu glanced toward him—clearly implying that he was one of those "kind people." Some students had likely noticed him helping carry her bag earlier that morning.
In other words, an image was being formed in the class: it was only natural that Mamoru would take care of Arisu.
A beautiful, frail girl relied on him. If he were to act cold toward her now, he'd likely become a target of blame.
Beside him, Arisu wore a faint, innocent smile. Mamoru's cheek twitched slightly.
The rest of the self-introductions continued, and when the final student finished, Katsuragi spoke again.
"Well, now that we've finished introducing ourselves, I'd like to bring up something right away. It's about Gojo's speculation earlier during homeroom."
The previously calm atmosphere turned tense.
"Do you think it's actually true?"
"Yeah, it made a lot of sense."
"But would a school really do something so shady?"
The classroom buzzed with conversation.
"Everyone, please settle down."
Katsuragi raised his voice to quiet the room.
"If everyone speaks at once, we'll get nowhere.
Let's organize the information first. If you have a point to raise, do so one at a time by raising your hand."
Mamoru let out a quiet sigh of relief. He didn't want to be caught in the mess that had started because of his earlier question.
Some students might have felt uneasy about Katsuragi taking charge, but they also understood that resisting now would only cause confusion. No one objected.
"First, the key point is that our points may change depending on academic performance and behavior.
It's possible that each class is being evaluated separately."
A girl raised her hand.
"But is that really certain? The teacher never confirmed it."
"If Gojo's theory were wrong, wouldn't the teacher have denied it outright?"
That statement caused a fresh wave of murmurs.
For students who had been excited by the 100,000 yen monthly stipend, hearing that next month's amount might change was a rude awakening.
"But that's not the real issue here," Katsuragi continued.
"What do you mean?"
"The role of a student is to study and behave appropriately. If we conduct ourselves properly, we shouldn't have to worry about point deductions."
"That might be true, but I still want to know the evaluation criteria in detail."
"That's fair. Then how about this—let's collect everyone's concerns and questions, and we'll bring them to the teacher after school. We don't have enough information right now to make any decisions. Even if they refuse to answer, at least they'll know we're paying attention."
At that, Arisu raised her hand gently.
"Excuse me, may I share my opinion?"
"Sakayanagi, was it? Go ahead."
"If we each go to the teacher separately, it'll be a hassle. How about assigning another representative—alongside Mamoru-kun—to ask on everyone's behalf?"
Mamoru shot her a subtle glare.
(She really volunteered me without asking...)
But he couldn't exactly refuse. He still had to ask how much vacation would cost—an important concern for his plans.
Mamoru wasn't fond of drawing attention, and now he'd been officially made a representative. Not ideal.
"Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Then I'll go with Gojo—" Katsuragi began.
"No, I'll go."
Katsuragi frowned. He clearly wanted to take the lead and solidify his image as the class's organizer.
"Hmm, but—"
"The truth is, Mamoru-kun has something to do after this, so I'd like to go with him," Arisu said sweetly.
Now Mamoru frowned.
(I was planning to go out after school to hunt cursed spirits…)
But there was no way he could say that. He considered making an excuse, but rejecting someone on the first day might draw even more attention. It was easier to just go along with it and move on.
(No idea what her goal is, but I'll get it over with quickly.)
"If that's the case, then let's leave it to Gojo and Sakayanagi."
"Hmm, yeah… leave it to me."
(Ahh... what an unlucky day.)
Once again, Mamoru leaned back in his chair and sighed—just like he had at the end of homeroom.
Power Stone!!!