Class 1-B.
"Looks like everyone's here…"
Walking lazily into the classroom, Class 1-B's homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie, was about to begin with her usual opening—introducing herself and going over information about Advanced Nurturing High School.
But her words stopped halfway.
Because a lively, well-endowed girl with very pretty strawberry-blonde long hair suddenly raised her hand high.
"Teacher… Asakusa Tōru hasn't arrived yet," she said.
"Eh? Eh? Someone's already late on the first day of school?" Hoshinomiya Chie looked genuinely surprised. "But there's nothing we can do about it. I'll have to trouble everyone to pass things along to the late student afterward."
After all, the entrance ceremony would be starting in about an hour. Considering that time might also be needed later for questions, she really couldn't have everyone wait for a single late student.
"Anyway, let's get started~"
Hoshinomiya Chie clapped her hands together and flashed an exceedingly sweet smile.
...
"This school doesn't reshuffle classes every year, which means Little Chie here will be spending the next three years together with all of you~"
"Unless there are special circumstances, any contact with the outside world is prohibited, and leaving school grounds without permission is also forbidden~"
"Everyone's received their personal terminals, right? You can check your personal points on them. Basically, within the school, one point equals one yen. Points are credited punctually on the first of every month. You should've all received 100,000 points by now, yes?"
"Within the school, there's nothing you can't buy with points. As long as it's something that exists on school grounds, anything can be purchased~"
In her very distinctive personal style, Hoshinomiya Chie went over both the information that had already been included in the pre-admission materials and some that hadn't.
"Alright~ If there's anything else you'd like to ask, feel free to ask your teacher," she said cheerfully, her gaze sweeping naturally across everyone in Class B.
Everyone looked… pretty normal.
Hopefully, they'd stay normal.
"Um, teacher…"
The first person to raise her hand again was the same strawberry-blonde girl.
If Hoshinomiya Chie remembered correctly, this child's name was Ichinose Honami.
"If Asakusa-kun doesn't come today…"
Something unexpected was asked.
She was asking about the absent student.
Without dragging it out, Hoshinomiya Chie answered cleanly, "Then the school will consider it a forfeiture of enrollment."
"Wow, that really is unexpected." She leaned forward onto the lectern, propping her cheek up with one hand. "This is actually the first time in all these years that I've seen a student miss the very first day."
"To think someone would really give up enrollment."
After all, although only Class A actually enjoyed the privilege of a 100% advancement and employment rate, students before enrollment shouldn't know that. Logically speaking, no one in this country should be able to refuse such treatment.
And yet, it had happened.
A Class B student, absent on the very first day.
"Give up enrollment…"
Ichinose Honami lowered her raised hand, her eyes filling with an emotion difficult to read.
Eh—was it someone she knew?
Seeing Ichinose Honami's reaction, a trace of surprise surfaced in Hoshinomiya Chie's heart.
Or was she simply saddened by the loss of a classmate on the very first day of school?
"Any other questions?"
Putting aside her extra thoughts, Hoshinomiya Chie straightened up. "If not, we'll end things here."
"I wish you all a wonderful school life ahead~"
...
While the students of Class 1-B received their homeroom teacher's blessing, the sole absent student—already regarded by the teacher as having abandoned enrollment—Asakusa Tōru was currently eavesdropping.
In truth, the soundproofing of Advanced Nurturing's classrooms wasn't bad. At the very least, it wasn't the sort where every sentence would casually leak outside.
But unfortunately, the recording quality of the recorder in Asakusa Tōru's hand was simply too good. Even though Ryūen Kakeru had closed both the front and back doors in advance, the recorder still captured every sound inside the classroom with perfect clarity.
Violence.
Intimidation.
And rule.
Under the watchful eye of homeroom teacher Sakagami Kazuma, Ryūen Kakeru had decisively taken control of Class 1-C.
Well… maybe not that decisively.
But in any case, aside from a small handful who couldn't be easily beaten into submission in a short time and would require "training," everyone else had chosen to submit to Ryūen Kakeru.
As for why he chose to establish violent rule on the very first day of school…
There were countless possible reasons.
Perhaps it was because he keenly sensed the hidden issues within the rules introduced by the homeroom teacher. Or perhaps his middle school experiences led him to choose domination within this completely closed-off school.
Either way—
Ryūen Kakeru did it.
Not only did he do it, he immediately began issuing orders.
"Hey, Ishizaki. Go invite the 'guest' outside to come in."
That voice rang out from inside the Class 1-C classroom.
"Hah? Why should I listen to you?"
A dissatisfied voice followed. The man Ryūen called Ishizaki clearly wasn't so easily tamed.
"I told you to go. So go."
An unquestionable tone accompanied by faint pressure and the gazes of the rest of the class. Unwilling though he was, Ishizaki still had no choice but to walk out of the Class C doorway—where he came face to face with Asakusa Tōru.
His eyes darted around, and he almost immediately spotted Asakusa Tōru, who clearly had no intention of going far.
"Whoa, there really is someone here." Ishizaki Daichi clicked his tongue.
Shaking his head, he waved. "Come on in."
And so, under the gaze of everyone in Class 1-C, Asakusa Tōru once again walked into the Class 1-C classroom.
Almost the instant he stepped through the door, a black shadow flew toward him like a hidden weapon—thrown from Ryūen Kakeru's hand not far away.
"Don't stuff your things into other people's drawers."
Catching the recorder Ryūen had thrown with perfect accuracy, Asakusa Tōru glanced down at the device—at the records that seemed to have been completely wiped—then smiled, before casually tossing it back in Ryūen's direction.
"Now it's yours," he said.
"You can take it as my greeting. Accept it—or throw it away."
"Either way, nice to meet you. I'm Asakusa Tōru, Class 1-B."
Watching Ryūen Kakeru grip the recorder tightly in his hand, a shadowy glint flashing in his eyes, the curve of Asakusa Tōru's smile lifted even higher.