On the third day after enrollment, interpersonal relationships in the class had gradually taken shape.
You could already vaguely see how the small groups were forming.
This group hung out together, that group stuck together, and the few unpopular students clustered among themselves.
…Compared to middle school, there was actually no difference.
After all, humans were social animals by nature. Forming groups was instinct.
Kushida Kikyo didn't think there was anything wrong with that.
Only when groups were clearly defined would there be gaps between people.
And only then could she insert herself into those gaps.
"Wow, a hundred thousand yen a month for allowance is amazing. Coming to this school was totally the right choice. I really love the feeling of having money."
"I've never had this kind of 'spend without thinking' life before. It's even better than I imagined!"
Nearby, the three idiots were loudly shouting about their feelings again.
Listening to their booming voices, Kushida Kikyo couldn't help recalling the harassment messages Ike had sent her late last night.
They were filled with suppressed desire disguised as restraint.
His inner thoughts were completely exposed, yet he thought he was hiding them well.
Between the lines was the childish urge to show off, to gain attention and praise.
He seemed to think that showing himself off at this level would attract girls.
That was the impression Ike Kanji's messages had given her.
Disgusting.
But she still had to keep up her cheerful façade and find ways to brush him off.
After all, becoming friends with "everyone" and gaining "everyone's" trust was the path she had chosen herself.
"Hey, Kikyo, have you heard?" A girl beside her suddenly spoke up. "Someone did something incredible at the club orientation yesterday."
"I heard they beat up the student council president on the spot."
"Wasn't it that he ran up there to sell something?" another girl asked.
"No, no, I heard he rushed up and grabbed the mic to confess loudly!"
"Wow, that's so romantic!"
They talked to her for a moment, but soon returned to their own discussion.
They weren't waiting for her to reply anyway.
"Tch, just a clown." From the back row, Yamauchi Haruki clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. "If it were me, I'd get way more attention."
"It's just that I'm still recovering, so I don't want to stand out too much."
…He's still sticking to that 'injured in high school league' story?
Kushida Kikyo was speechless inside, but she still smiled on the surface.
"Oh? Then you must be pretty amazing."
Ninety-nine percent of school chatter was meaningless.
But if you wanted to maintain relationships, you still had to respond to that meaningless talk.
Once someone felt ignored, the relationship would quietly fade.
Even perfunctory conversations needed responses most of the time.
…Of course, judging people and adjusting accordingly was also essential.
With people like Ike and Yamauchi, no matter how much she brushed them off, they would still shamelessly stick close.
Just like how she treated Horikita.
No matter how cold Horikita was, she still had to go over and cling to her.
Tch. Speaking of Horikita just made her annoyed.
Yesterday at the club orientation, she'd planned to follow her and get closer.
At worst, she could've learned which club that woman planned to join.
But right when the orientation ended and Asakusa Toru caused that commotion, Horikita left.
Fine, she could've just chased after her.
But—right then, those three idiots came over!
One was bragging about how amazing he was, regretting that he wasn't joining any club.
One kept pestering her about her relationship with Ayanokoji, insisting they had come together.
The last one was all muscles and couldn't say more than a few words.
Because of them, she got held up—and Horikita disappeared!
So annoying!
What on earth is going on in Horikita's head?
…Forget Horikita for now. The important thing was last night's diary.
Ignoring the weird rambling, it mentioned a person and some information.
The former had three titles: ALICE, little princess, and privileged kid.
It wasn't hard to guess that it referred to Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A.
A frail silver-haired princess, like a girl from a wonderland.
In just two days, she already looked like she might become Class A's leader.
If Katsuragi hadn't been standing against her, she'd probably already dominated the class.
A privileged kid?
…If Sakayanagi Arisu was one, Kushida would rather believe Yamauchi and Ike were privileged kids.
If they weren't, how the hell did they get into this school?!
And speaking of the school, that brought her to the other part of the diary.
Only Class A graduates getting employment privileges.
It surprised her at first, but then she realized it wasn't that shocking.
If just staying until graduation meant people like Yamauchi and Ike could get sent to major companies…
That was disgusting.
But she didn't really care about employment.
She hadn't come here for that.
So she could ignore the transfer condition too.
The key point was the second item.
"The first month's special exam has already begun."
She wanted to throw up.
Couldn't he speak clearly?!
Exam? What exam? What special exam?
Why did she know nothing about it?!
Her intuition told her it was connected.
Through exams, classes would be ranked.
The highest would probably end up in Class A.
That was why the diary mentioned the school's evaluation of the four classes and transfers.
But…
She hated people who only said half of what they meant.
How was she supposed to share this with her classmates?
And how was she supposed to pretend she hadn't seen it?
Either way was awkward!
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
Kushida Kikyo nearly ground her teeth to dust.
"Everyone, I have something to announce."
Just as she was feeling extremely frustrated, Horikita Suzune had unknowingly stepped up to the podium.
"The first month's special exam has already begun. We're already seriously behind!!!"
Enjoyed these chapters? Access advanced chapters and exclusive content by visiting my Patreon. https://patreon.com/WillOFD129?