(PS: The image depicts Ichinose Honami.)
"Nice to meet you. I'm Amamiya Yuki from Class D, first year."
"Ichinose Honami, Class B, first year. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Standing on the steps, the two exchanged introductions. Faced with the sudden approach, Ichinose showed no displeasure at all. On the contrary, her bright smile gave off a naturally warm, approachable aura.
After the entrance examinations ended, someone had visited the Amamiya family and spoken with him at length.
In the end, Amamiya Yuki was assigned to Class D.
Having read the original story, Yuki naturally knew that Class D students were considered a group of "defective products."
But he didn't care.
How he lived his life was none of anyone else's business.
With the power of the Amamiya family—capable of influencing national policy to a certain extent—Amamiya Yuki certainly wouldn't care about a school's evaluation.
Hearing Ichinose's introduction, Yuki showed a hint of regret.
"I didn't expect my first friend to be from a different class. That's really a shame."
"How could that be?" Ichinose replied with a smile, unfazed by his blunt remark. "Whether we're in the same class or not doesn't change what friendship is, does it? Don't you think so, Amamiya?"
"Of course. I'm happy to become friends with someone like you too, Ichinose."
The two walked side by side, schoolbags in hand, chatting and laughing as they admired the campus scenery—looking almost like a couple.
Yuki's slightly overfamiliar and self-centered way of speaking didn't make Ichinose uncomfortable in the slightest.
If it had been anyone else, they might have thought, Who do you think you are? We just met—who said we're friends? or even, What's there to be 'regretful' about? You've got some nerve.
But kind and tolerant Ichinose was different. Instead, she came away with the impression that Yuki was her very first friend at this school.
That said, people who act overly familiar are often labeled as "frivolous," and that wasn't an image Yuki wanted.
Amamiya Yuki was constantly manipulating how others perceived him.
Whether he could shed that frivolous label depended on what came next.
"By the way," Yuki asked casually, "earlier at the school gate, were you looking at something interesting?"
The abrupt change of topic caught Ichinose off guard for a moment, but she quickly understood.
"Oh, that?" She smiled apologetically. "I was just a little curious. I didn't expect actual maids to still exist in this day and age. If that made you uncomfortable, I'm really sorry."
Yuki seemed to relax.
"Not at all. It's just because of my family circumstances. I studied at home growing up—this is my first time attending school. I was worried there was something odd about me. As for the maid, that's just another family-related matter. You really don't need to worry about it."
"High society?" Ichinose tilted her head in surprise, looking rather cute.
At the same time, she felt she understood why Yuki had approached her. She had simply happened to be someone who looked easy to talk to.
"You could say that," Yuki replied with a smile, then turned to look at her. "So, Ichinose—why did you choose to come to this school?"
"Well… a lot happened back in middle school," she said lightly. "This felt like the right place for a fresh start."
Ichinose clenched her small fist as if cheering herself on, brimming with energy. Before Yuki could respond, she turned back with a smile.
"What about you, Amamiya? Why did you enroll here?"
Impressive, Yuki evaluated silently.
She clearly didn't want to go into detail, yet her way of changing the subject didn't make anyone uncomfortable. That required exceptional social skill—likely aided by her natural tolerance and good looks.
But having read the original story, Yuki knew her past very well.
A single-parent household. Raised by her mother. A younger sister two years her junior. Ichinose had never considered herself unfortunate—she simply worked harder, hoping scholarships could ease her family's burden.
And then—
One day, her younger sister timidly asked for her very first birthday present: a hairpin that had been popular the previous year. Their mother, determined to fulfill that wish, worked overtime until she collapsed from exhaustion.
For the sake of her ten-year-old sister's first birthday, Ichinose chose to steal a hairpin.
Her mother handled it properly, bringing young Ichinose along to kneel and apologize, which earned them forgiveness and kept the police from getting involved.
But kind-hearted Ichinose came to understand the weight of crime. Ever since, she believed herself to be a criminal—never once thinking she was a good person.
Amamiya Yuki knew this clearly.
If he wanted to dig deeper, Ichinose—who was wary of no one—would hesitate briefly, then answer honestly.
He could easily use that to grasp her weakness and control her heart. But that would be a crude, last-resort method.
Talking with a confident, kind girl like Ichinose was genuinely comfortable, and Yuki wanted to leave her with the same feeling.
However—
Once a lie was exposed, it would only make him seem dishonest and untrustworthy.
As information about Ichinose surfaced in his mind, Yuki smiled faintly and said,
"I heard this school is dedicated to cultivating well-rounded talent for Sakurajima's future. I wanted to help my family as well—by recruiting some outstanding people."
"Helping your family?" Ichinose looked genuinely surprised. "That's amazing, Amamiya!"
A family wealthy enough to employ maids clearly had deep roots.
Ichinose had already guessed Yuki's background—the Amamiya conglomerate was simply too famous in Sakurajima—but it wasn't appropriate to pry too deeply on a first meeting.
With such a background—
And yet Yuki was still working so hard, thinking about his family's future at such a young age.
At the same time, his straightforwardness made Ichinose feel a bit ashamed.
He had been so open, while she had been evasive. Didn't that make her seem hypocritical?
But she couldn't bring herself to reveal her old wounds.
Very few people could face their own sins head-on—not even kind little angel Ichinose. That was also why, despite ranking first in the grade, she had been placed in Class B.
The two chatted and laughed as they reached the school building. Ichinose waved energetically.
"I'm really glad I met you today, Amamiya. I didn't expect to make a friend like you on the very first day. I'll be heading off now!"
"Alright. If you ever need anything, feel free to come find me," Yuki replied with a smile. "See you next time."
Taking their conversation as a whole—
Even polite, casual words could leave a deep impression on Ichinose at the right moment.
Since students had been informed not to bring any personal belongings upon enrollment, the two hadn't exchanged contact information yet.
Amamiya Yuki turned and headed toward Class D.