After passing through the school gates, the view opened up completely.
Built on its own artificial island, the campus sprawled out before him. The roads were lined not just with academic buildings, but with a full commercial district—everyday supermarkets, cafés, sprawling shopping malls, and even luxury spa centers.
Any new student seeing this for the first time would likely be awestruck by the sheer wealth on display. It didn't feel like a simple educational institution; it felt like a self-contained city.
Ren Katsuragi felt nothing.
To him, the grander the cage, the greater the ambitions of the zookeeper.
"Excuse me, Senpai. Could you tell me where I can see the class assignments?"
Spotting an upperclassman wandering down the road, Ren approached her with a radiant, sunny smile.
"A freshman? Are you new here? Let me take you. I can tell you a bit about the school on the way," the Senpai replied.
The girl he had stopped was startled at first. Her instinct was to pull her hand away from the stranger. But the moment she got a clear look at Ren's face, her reaction flipped instantly. She not only stopped pulling away, but she also gripped his hand tighter, her tone softening as she eagerly offered to be his guide.
Ren didn't react to the contact, maintaining his cheerful and friendly facade. "Really? Thank you, Senpai!"
He hadn't chosen this Senpai at random.
Her posture was extremely confident, almost casual, and her complexion was healthy, suggesting she hadn't faced the resource scarcity or hardships that likely plagued the lower classes. From this, he deduced she was almost certainly in Class A or Class B.
Furthermore, she seemed to be well-connected. Most students they passed on the street greeted her, many with a posture that betrayed a subconscious deference. That made it highly likely she was a second-year student from Class A.
"Hey, let me tell you, this shop here... and that one over there..."
The Senpai chattered on, pointing out which shops were overpriced tourist traps and which ones offered the best value. She played the part of the kind, helpful older sister to perfection.
Inside, she couldn't believe her luck. To think such a handsome catch had walked right into her grasp! As a second-year in Class A, she was still single. This felt like a gift sent from heaven.
But just as Ren was sizing her up, she was sizing him up.
As she narrated the tour, she carefully observed his actions and micro-expressions. He showed no reaction when she mentioned expensive luxury stores. Even when she pointed out facilities that would be considered rare luxuries in the outside world, he remained unfazed.
Conclusion: His family is extremely wealthy.
From his natural air of refinement—something an ordinary family could never instill—she could tell he wasn't "new money."
From the way he spoke and carried himself, she became certain that he was the heir to some major conglomerate. Even if she couldn't date a person of his status, just getting on his good side would be enough to set her up for life after graduation.
Thinking this, the smile on the Senpai's face became even more sincere.
While chatting with the pretty upperclassman, Ren intentionally steered the conversation toward the school's rules. The Senpai would always deflect with vague terms to adhere to the restrictions, but she would occasionally "accidentally" let a keyword slip.
Combining the keywords she revealed with his own observations, Ren was able to piece together the framework of the rules.
The school did not volunteer information to new students. It went so far as to enforce a gag order on upperclassmen and staff. The loophole, it seemed, was that you wouldn't get in trouble as long as you weren't caught stating the rules explicitly.
His earlier guess was also correct. Since the school's founding, Third-Year Class A was almost exclusively composed of former First-Year Class A students. Only a very small fraction of Class B students ever managed to climb up. As for Classes C and D... they were merely entertainment for the elite classes.
There were security cameras everywhere. Some were placed in plain sight to deter behavior, while others were hidden in corners, silently monitoring everything. However, there were also blind spots—gray areas where there were no visible cameras.
This is interesting.
Were there truly no cameras in these gray areas, or... were there unacknowledged cameras?
Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. Ren didn't believe the school would be benevolent enough to spend a fortune and immense effort building a transparent glass vivarium that still had shadows.
"We're here. Go see which class you're in."
Leading Ren to the class assignment bulletin board, the Senpai finally let go of his hand. She waited with bated breath for the results.
He has to be in Class A, she thought. The more she talked with him, the more she felt they were a perfect match. No matter the topic, he could always keep up with her thoughts and discuss them with enthusiasm.
It gave her the illusion that they shared the same interests, as if they had read the same books and felt the same emotions.
But the truth was often cruel.
It wasn't a connection. Ren was simply adjusting his wavelength to match hers perfectly.
While the Senpai was lost in her fantasies, Ren began scanning the board for his name.
First Year, Class A: Arisu Sakayanagi, Kohei Katsuragi...
First Year, Class B: Honami Ichinose, Ryuji Kanzaki...
Wait a second.
Honami-chan is at this school too?
Seeing the name, Ren paused for a moment. A memory surfaced—a little crybaby in a maid outfit who used to follow him everywhere.
He shook off the memory and continued scanning the list, finding his own name at the very bottom of the Class B roster.
First Year, Class B — Ren Katsuragi.
His eyes moved to the other lists, searching for one specific name.
First Year, Class C: Kakeru Ryuen, Hiyori Shiina, Shiho Manabe...
First Year, Class D: Suzune Horikita, Yosuke Hirata... Rokusuke Koenji!
Pfft.
Ren laughed out loud. He couldn't help it.
The sole heir of the Koenji Group came to this school... only to be dumped into Class D, the class for trash?
Was this a joke? Did the teacher who made these placements want to get fired?
Ren had been slightly annoyed about being placed in Class B, but after seeing Rokusuke Koenji's name and class placement, his mood soared. In fact, he felt fantastic.
He decided then and there that the next time he saw Rokusuke Koenji, he would greet him properly.
"Well, if it isn't the great Koenji-sama from Class D."
It really was true.
Happiness, after all, is born from comparison.