Chapter cover made by "devilkouji." Thank you very much!
Let's get to the "real" first chapter of this story!
Victorique is perfect, and if you disagree, go eat shit!
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Glimpse into a possible future - Route 3
"Fufu, what do you plan to do about it, Ayanokouji-san?" Yumeko asked me.
"The answer should be pretty obvious, right?"
"Really?" She asked me with a smile.
We were currently on the streets of the school. It was already evening, and there was no one but us here. The reason for this was simple, after all this was where I planned to apply my plan.
And at the end of it all...
Jabami Yumeko will become my tool.
I moved close enough to her to look directly into her eyes. Her expression was one of animation. She probably had clues, but she couldn't say for sure, so she came to confront me. What she didn't know was that I had already foreseen this, after all it had been part of my plan from the beginning.
"I wonder what our colleagues would think if they saw this side of you, Ayanokouji-san," she said.
"I couldn't care less," I replied as I moved even closer. "But you know this game you're loving so much, Yumeko?"
"What about it?" She looked at me expectantly, her expression was unlike anything she showed in the classroom.
I knew something about her, and I used that to my own advantage.
She was a manic gamer.
A Kakegurui.
I looked at her showing my true face. There was no turning back.
"Know that I am the one in charge of it."
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"Death is nothing to us, for when we exist, there is no death, and when there is death, we no longer exist."
Ayanokouji's Pov:
April.
The entrance ceremony.
I, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, a totally normal student with no qualifications, was fixing the tie of my school uniform. I was standing in the middle of the street, waiting for the bus that would take me to the new school that I would start attending from today.
I couldn't help but look around a little anxiously, wishing that the bus would show up immediately.
It was a little strange that the school principal himself contacted me by e-mail. I didn't speak to him directly, he just sent this location that I was now at, saying that the bus that would take me to school would show up here.
Of course, I was initially a little suspicious of this. I should be able to catch a bus that would take me to school in another place full of people who would probably also catch the same bus, and who knows, I might meet another student who also goes to the same school. This could be my chance to make friends before I get to school. So why would I receive an e-mail saying that a specific bus was coming to pick me up? Matsuo assured me that this e-mail was really from the principal, so here I am, waiting for the bus in this rather quiet place.
Well, if he has prepared a special bus, that bus must be for students only, so I still had a chance to be able to talk to someone on it. And hopefully make a friend. It would be even better if the person was from my class, but I think that is very unlikely to happen since this school is the best in Japan. There will be many students.
But thinking about all this, I wonder...
Will I really be able to see someone as a real friend...?
Just as I had this thought, I hear a braking sound. A large bus has stopped in front of me. The front door opened, revealing the driver sitting in his seat with one hand on the steering wheel.
Curiously, the braking system basically works by converting mechanical pressure into hydraulic pressure, using a closed circuit of brake fluid from the master cylinder, connected to the brake servo and brake pedal, to the hydraulic cylinders or calipers connected to the wheels.
The driver looked at me with an appraising eye. He has short blond hair with bangs hanging on both sides, blue eyes, and his skin appears to be a very pale skin color. A hat was on his head. After a while, he finally spoke.
"Are you Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?" His voice was thin and angelic, it almost seemed unreal. He also showed a calm face that didn't seem to be altered by anything.
That was a little strange. For what reason would a driver know the name of his passenger? Maybe the school principal had told him? If that was indeed the case, why did he find it necessary to do that?
"Yes, I am Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, new student at ANHS, Class 1-E."
I replied a bit cautiously, watching the driver. He just nodded his head before speaking.
"Very well, you are the last one. Please get in," he said, his voice strangely calm.
"Okay." With that, I got on the bus as he closed the door.
The moment I stepped inside, I could feel several stares upon me.
As soon as I looked forward, I unconsciously stopped walking.
What the hell?
I looked in front of me in a strange way, and then confusion about this situation came. I am sure that I heard the driver saying that I was the last one, which clearly pointed out that I would be the last passenger. However, the bus was far from full, in fact, it was quite empty.
Counting me, there were about eleven people in total. And all of them were wearing the same school uniform as mine, which meant that I was right in thinking that the bus would only take students with it, but...
Why are there so few students? I am sure that this school is highly coveted by people for the fact that it guarantees a 100% employment and college rate, shouldn't there be a lot more students on this bus? As I thought about the variants, most people already seemed to have lost interest in me and went back to doing their own thing.
I started walking. There was no point in continuing to think about things like this.
As I walked, the first two people I noticed were two girls sitting side by side in the front seats.
The first is a beautiful young girl with blond hair that was tied back on the left side of her head with a blue scrunchie and blue eyes. Like me, she was wearing the same black and gold uniform with a dark blue bow (for men it is a tie) in the chest area, a sweater wrapped around her waist.
The person next to her, sitting on the window side, is a beautiful fair-skinned young woman with long black hair that reaches to the middle of her back, large almond red eyes, looking closely her eyes seemed sharper, darker and lifeless, giving her the aura of a dark, cold, inaccessible and unattainable beauty, thin eyebrows and a slender but feminine build with a remarkably small chest.
I seemed to stare for a long time, as both girls looked at me. The blonde didn't say anything, but the red-eyed girl looked like she was going to kill me with that icy stare of hers. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Is there a problem?" She asked in a cold tone.
I shuddered a little at the tone of her voice.
Would this be the girl entitled "The Ice Princess"?
"None," I answered quickly, trying to avoid any insinuations she might have about me.
I can't blame her, really. I mean, what would you say if a person you've never seen before stared at you for a long period of time? I really hope I don't get the rap sheet of a perverted boy, after all, I was just curious. As I passed them, I could feel the cold stare of the red-eyed girl on my back, as if she were staring at me.
I hurried around looking for a place to sit while briefly glancing at the other people.
There was... a doll? A small girl has the size and appearance, almost doll-like, with long blonde hair and emerald-colored eyes, a black hair accessory was attached to her hair. She was holding a book in a somewhat awkward position. Her whole body was thrown back from the seat, while she made an expression with her face.
(Made by "devilkouji.")
It was as if she was trying to shake off a complete boredom.
I also noticed several other people. There was a brown-haired boy sitting next to a guy.
What's with this strange position he is "sitting" in?
And so I thought this.
"Hey, you, I told you to sit up straight." The driver said in the same calm voice as before looking at him. "Gee, what is it with these geniuses? Why are they all weird?"
Eh, geniuses?
Why do I get the impression that he spoke those sentences on purpose?
"Sorry," the boy sitting in the strange position said before sitting down in a normal way.
I just looked briefly at the other people. I decided to sit in the back, alone, what a tragedy. There were two students sitting a little way in the back. They were both fiddling with their cell phones, and as soon as I got close enough, I could hear their conversation.
"Come on, Shiro, I need your help. This Bot-lane is horrible," the boy with spiky auburn hair spoke up.
"Nii, I'm doing what I can. The ADC is coming up all the time to help Mid-lane," the girl replied, in a voice that was low and cute at the same time.
The girl was short and had extremely long, messy white hair. Interestingly, her hair had a light blue, purple, pink, green and yellow hue that covered it like a sheen. That can't be natural, right? Like the boy, she was quite thin and had passive eyes that, like her hair, were a strange color. They were a yellow-red color gradient with golden pupils.
"Fucking bot-lane..."
Huh, Bot-lane, Mid-lane, ADC?
What the hell were they talking about? Was it some kind of code? Were they speaking in code?
While I was thinking, they continued the discussion.
"Crap, what's up with our Support and ADC? How the hell do they manage to die to enemy Support alone? If only it was something that gave damage, I'd understand, but it's a Nami! How the hell is it possible for her to kill them both, without the help of her ADC?" The boy exclaimed.
Spying a little, I looked at their cell phone screen from afar. They seemed to be playing some kind of strange game. They both seemed to control some character with strange abilities. It seemed to be a team game, which led me to think that the boy was angry with the other members of his team, except for the girl next to him.
They seemed to be very close, and she called him Nii.
Could that be a strange way of speaking to refer to her boyfriend?
"... The bot-lanes that fell on our team when we were in silver were better, Nii." The girl said.
"I agree," the boy replied without hesitation while moving the fingers of his hand quickly. "These guys are Masters and Grand Masters? What's up with that level of shit from them? Can't they be carried efficiently, instead of killing themselves equal bots?"
As time passed, the bus began to move as I thought about various things.
Apparently, I had failed to make friends before arriving at school. Well, nothing is lost yet, I can try to socialize with the people who will be in my class when I get to school.
The bus kept going for a while before it stopped at a red light. At this moment, I could see with my peripheral vision the boy who was playing that strange game get up and speak to the girl who was with him in a low tone. Just then he walked to the middle of the bus.
"Hey, can I have everyone's attention for a moment?" He began in a tone loud enough for all the students on the bus to hear.
It didn't take long for all the people to look at him.
"I will be frank, I am sure you have all noticed the strange situation we find ourselves in right now."
He was probably talking about this bus only having 11 people, which was indeed a strange situation.
"Indeed, that is quite unusual. I didn't say anything because everyone didn't seem to care about it," a black-haired boy leaning against his seat spoke up. His eyes looked like amethyst - they had a bright purple color.
"Exactly," the auburn-haired boy formed a mischievous smile and continued. "I'll just ask to make sure, since we're all wearing the same uniform, it means we're going to the same school. What Class and Year are you in? Shiro and I are in 1st E." He asked.
His manner of speaking was informal. Some people might not like the way he talks, but apparently the students here didn't mind too much, and he didn't seem to want to irritate anyone either, it just seemed to be his way. Although he conveyed the feeling of someone polite and calm when speaking, he was quite direct.
"I'm in first year Class E," the black haired boy replied calmly.
"Oh what a coincidence, I'm also from 1-E," a very pretty light-skinned girl with long black hair and reddish eyes said with a smile.
"We are both the same," the brown haired boy who is sitting with the person who was sitting awkwardly replied for both of them with a polite smile.
"I am also from Class E. I hope I get along with all of you." The girl said politely as she bowed her head slightly.
Her skin has a white tint to it, however, it does not come to be considered pale, only light, in my view. She has long hair down to her waist, black and dark blue in color, honestly, charming. Her eyes are small, with a bluish tone, a bit dark. Her body has a fascinating structure, really surprising.
By the way, all the girls on this bus are really beautiful. And from what most of them have already answered, I can assume that we are all from the same class, which made me think of something.
Bizarre coincidences.
The bus started to move again.
"Me too," replied the girl with blonde hair that looked like a doll. She had stopped reading her book and was paying attention to the conversation. Her bored expression had completely disappeared.
"So are we both," the black-haired, red-eyed girl also answered for both of them.
Everyone's attention turned back to me. Although they surely already know, they probably want to hear from me.
"I am the same," I answered nonchalantly.
It seems that they are all going to be my new colleagues. However, there is still one point that no one has commented on. The fact that we are a class of only 11 people. The driver said that I was the last person, and we were currently going straight to school.
"Well, that is indeed interesting," commented the boy with black hair and amethyst eyes. "Maybe each Class has their own bus to take them to school?" He theorized.
"While it is an interesting theory, it is still vague," the reddish-brown haired boy said. "Shiro and I received an email from the principal himself showing us a location to wait for the bus. I'm going to assume that you guys also received a similar email, right?"
Ah, so he got the email too.
We all nodded at his question.
It seemed that everyone had also received a similar email.
"I see... Hey, mister driver!" He called out for the driver.
"Is there a problem, kid?" The driver still driving, replied.
"Could you tell me if you were hired specifically to pick us up? Before we all got in, you asked our name to confirm, which is quite strange for a simple normal driver to know."
This is true. No normal driver would know the name if his passengers, unless of course they know each other personally, which was certainly not the case here. In this case, there is only one answer to that...
We were all looking forward, waiting for the driver's answer. Although he was facing away from all of us, I could feel that he was very calm. There is also the strange feeling that I feel when I am looking at him.
My instincts tell me that this driver is far from normal...
"Indeed, you are right. I received the documents containing some information and your name. I was hired by Principal Sakayanagi to take you to school. He informed me the location where I should pick up each of you," he informed me in his angelic voice.
The bus stopped again at a red light.
"It is very strange that a driver received our information like this. Am I to assume that you are an acquaintance of the school principal?" The black-haired boy asked.
"Not exactly, but you might think so," the driver replied.
"Well, we'll be able to find out more about things once we get to the school. There's also the fact that our class apparently has only 11 students, could you know something about that, driver?"
"Let's just say you guys are a little special, that's why you get this treatment. You will get your answers when you get to school, that I guarantee."
"I understand. But this is also a good opportunity!" The reddish-brown-haired boy said and turned his eyes to us. "Guys, it looks like we'll be known for the next three years. We have some time before the bus arrives at school, so what do you guys think about us using our time efficiently to get to know each other better, what do you say?"
"I don't see a problem with that. It will be better than wasting time introducing ourselves at school, so how about you go first, and we'll move on until everyone has introduced themselves." The black-haired boy suggested.
"I agree," commented the blue-haired girl.
"Of course. I am Sora and the girl sitting over there is my beautiful little sister, Shiro," he said, gesturing toward the white haired girl sitting there. She just raised her hand slightly as she said:
"...Hello."
Cute.
It seems that I was wrong in assuming that they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Apparently they were just sister and brother who got along very well.
"As you can see, she is a little shy. Shiro doesn't get along very well with other people, so I'll just introduce the two of us. We've been closeted our whole lives, this is the first school we've properly committed to attending. If you put the kanji for our names together, you get KÜHAKU or Blank as we progress. In all the thousands of games we have played before, Blank has never lost, and this school will not change that. I hope we can get along with all of you."
Never lost, eh? That's a pretty bold statement that they had never lost before while working together, despite playing thousands of games. They were similar to me in that this is the first school I will be attending.
"Games? Speaking of which, you guys were playing something when you arrived, right?" The brown haired boy asked, looking a little curious.
Sora cracked a mischievous smile at the question.
"Yes, the game we were playing is called Wild Rift. It's the mobile version of the game called League Of Legends. It is a strategy game in which two teams of five powerful Champions face off to destroy each other's base. There are more than 140 Champions to choose from. If you are interested, Shiro and I can teach you how to play later so we can play together, or maybe as enemies."
"I've never been much of a fan of games, but I won't reject this offer," the brown haired and brown eyed boy replied with a smile before realizing something. "Did you say your first names? I mean, don't you guys like your last names?" The boy asked a little curious.
With the corner of my eyes, I could see Shiro shudder a little, before Sora quickly answered his question.
"Shiro and I abandoned our last names a long time ago, so we just use our first names now. I would appreciate it if you guys didn't ask about that."
"I see, I'm sorry for being rude," he apologized.
"Don't worry, you didn't know. I should have told you sooner. Okay, we're losing focus here, I can help anyone who's interested in the game later, so how about you introduce yourself now?" He pointed to the same brown haired boy.
"Okay, before you begin, again excuse me," the boy bowed in Shiro's direction and received a nod from Sora, "My name is Light Yagami and I prefer you use my first name rather than my last name. I am quite proficient in tennis. Other than that, I have no particular interests - I think I'd like to become a detective in the future. I can be friends with just about anyone, as long as they're not a delinquent."
Light looked in the direction of his seatmate.
"My name is Rue Ryuzaki, feel free to call me Ryuzaki. If you asked me what I like, I would say candy and solving crimes. I'm also very good at tennis, I was a junior tennis champion in Great Britain, although I'm not sure how useful that particular talent will be at this school. Nice to meet you."
So he's good at tennis too. I also didn't fail to notice a few eyebrows rising when he mentioned that he likes to solve crimes. There is no way to tell if he was just joking, due to his somewhat monotone tone.
"So, the next one..."
"Here!" The black-haired girl raised her hand encouragingly as she stood.
Looking more closely at her, it was possible to see the nails of her hand painted red, as well as the lipstick on her mouth.
"All right, go ahead."
"My name is Jabami Yumeko, I like to bet on games, the higher the stakes, the more exciting and fun the game is, in specific, my favorite type of game is games of chance. I am confident in my academic skills, but I'm also not bad at physical fitness, as long as I'm not too heavy. I originally intended to attend Hyakkaou Academy, but a few things happened that made me choose this school. I hope to become friends with all of you." She spoke with her hands together and with great animation.
I saw that most of them raised an eyebrow at the gambling part.
"Games of chance, huh?" Sora muttered. "Although I don't play much of them, it wouldn't be bad to play with you at some point." He told her with a mischievous smile.
Jabami flashed a big smile at Sora, "Sure, I'd love to play with you, Sora-san." ( I looked it up, and apparently, she uses the same honorific as Miyuki).
"Hyakkaou Academy, huh. Isn't that that school that evaluates students only by their gambling skills? I heard the stakes there are very high, it's a shame I can't meet," the black haired boy commented.
"Yes, I really wanted to go there, but as I said, some things have happened. I hope betting is allowed at this school," Jabami replied and sat down in his seat.
"Well, if it is allowed, it will certainly be interesting. Since I mentioned it, I guess I'd better introduce myself, right?" The black haired boy stood up.
"My name is Lamperouge Lelouch, I will ask everyone to call me Lelouch because it bothers me to be called Lamperouge. Before I enrolled here, I used to bet on chess games instead of attending physical education classes, effective way to make money and I really have no talent for anything that requires physical prowess so don't expect much from me in that area. Nice to meet you."
His presentation was normal if you take away the fact that he usually bets on chess games. So that was why he was interested in betting, huh.
I looked at this particular conversation with interest. If we talk about chess, I feel that I don't lose to anyone, but Lelouch, Sora and Shiro seem very good at chess as well. Apart from chess, I know some games of chance like poker and mahjong. But about the other games I know very little. A beginner like me in these areas would have no chance against them, I would probably be destroyed.
"See Shiro, another chess player," Sora commented.
"Do you guys play too?" Lelouch asked.
"Did you forget what I mentioned before?" He said with a mischievous smile.
"The fact that you guys have never lost in games before? Particularly, I don't believe that." Lelouch said.
Well, I don't blame him for not believing that, I mean, I don't believe it either. Not until I see their skills with my own eyes. Saying you don't lose in a specific game is one thing, now saying you never lose in "all games" is completely different.
"Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. We can work it out when we're at school."
"Chess game?"
"Sure, but Shiro and I will play together. We play as one person."
"Very well," Lelouch sat down again.
"So, who's going now?" Sora asked.
I quickly asked myself if I should try to introduce myself now. Just as I built up the courage to do so and was about to stand up, the blue haired girl beat me to it.
"Nice to meet you my name is Shiba Miyuki, I hope we can all be friends for the next three years. I came to this school because of my Oniisama, who is currently supposed to be in third grade. I'm confident in my academic skills, and I'm not bad at physical matters either." She bowed a little and sat down again.
"Oniisama...?" I heard the blond-haired girl who looks like a doll mumble this. She seemed a little confused by it.
She wasn't the only one, after all most of my classmates showed a strange face at this particular part.
The doll girl was the next to introduce herself. She seemed to be pushing herself to stand up.
"My name is Victorique de Blois, I like sweets, I hate very boring things, one of the reasons I came was to try to get rid of my dull and boring life. My hobby is just like the guy who sits awkwardly, in other words, I like mysteries and solving crimes. Like Lelouch, I am very bad at physical activities, seriously, my tolerance for possible pain is very low, so don't count on me for anything that requires me to move around a lot." As soon as she finished, she threw herself back in her seat.
This was one of the most interesting presentations that have happened so far, if you ignore her lack of animus, of course. Ryuzaki seemed to take an interest in her when she commented that she likes to solve crimes.
"Well, apparently we have two people who like to solve crimes and one who futures doing that," Sora commented looking at Light, who sent a smile in response. "Your name is not Japanese, could you be a foreigner?" Sora asked.
"Yes, you are right, I am from Europe. I came to Japan in search of something interesting, and that's when I heard about this school. I hope I don't regret it."
"I see, that's interesting. Shiro and I also came to this school in search of a challenge. Well, now there are only a few people left. You two young ladies, would you mind introducing yourselves?" Sora asked the two girls sitting in the front seats.
The black haired girl looked at the blonde girl who nodded and stood up.
"Hello~ I'm Hayasaka Ai. I don't really have anything I can call a hobby, I'm pretty good at getting along with any kind of group. Although I'm not completely intelligent, I'm not bad either, I'm pretty confident in my physical abilities, I hope I can get along with all of you~" She finished
So she is good at fitting in with any group, huh. This also means that she is able to get information more easily than other people who have difficulty with this, such as myself.
The other girl stood up. Her long black hair swayed a little as she looked at all of us, but I could feel that she sent a different look at me.
What's with this creepy girl? Is she still mad that I looked at her too much?
"My name is Kaguya Shinomiya, I'm good with theater, music, various other subjects and I know a bit about martial arts, it's a pleasure to meet you all," she politely introduced herself with a small smile and bowed.
Of all the introductions, this was actually the simplest. However, I was a little surprised. From the little interaction I had with her, she seemed to be a very cold person. To think that the same girl who gave me those looks could smile like that surprised me a little.
She suddenly looked at me.
"It's only natural that I should be able to present myself properly to society," she said out of the blue.
"Huh?"
What the hell? This girl read my mind?
"Wait, Shinomiya?" Sora said quickly as if trying to remember something.
"...Shinomiya Conglomerate, the Shinomiya family's assets total about two hundred trillion yen. They easily own more than a thousand dispersed and better companies. The Shinomiya conglomerate is among the four largest conglomerates, along with the Kōenji conglomerate. We've seen some of their products before, right, Nii?" Shiro replied.
"Yes, exactly!" Sora exclaimed. "So we have the future leader of the Shinomiya conglomerate in our room, huh."
Shinomiya... have I heard that name before?
I wouldn't be surprised if her family has funded some things in the White Room, because of how much money they have. For some reason, Shinomiya seemed to wince a little at Sora's comment, but she quickly recovered. Probably no one had noticed, other than me and the blonde girl next to her.
"With that, that leaves only you, right?" Sora said, looking at me.
So it was finally my turn, huh.
I really should have thought about what to say, but my classmates' introductions seemed too interesting for me not to care. And thanks to that, I didn't know what to talk about in my presentation.
Well, remembering how they introduced themselves...
"My name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, like some here, I used to play chess. I don't consider myself excellent at anything, just average, however, I can at least guarantee that I won't hold any of you back. Oh, I also know a little piano and have studied calligraphy."
I think this presentation should be good enough.
My classmates just nodded.
"It's nice to meet you, Ayanokoji. Well, it looks like we have four people who play chess here. What do you think about us playing doubles sometime in high school? Shiro and I vs Ayanokouji and Lelouchi, how about that?" Sora proposes.
This was a very interesting offer. I was really curious if they were as good as they claimed.
"I don't mind, but first I want to challenge you two alone. I want to see if you're really as good as you say," Lelouch said.
"Very well, we will crush you and get your wish, right Shiro?"
"...Yes. We will crush you..." She spoke staring at Lelouch.
"..."
"..."
I could see some colleagues looking at this interaction with a certain interest. Lelouch just stood there, as if he didn't know what to say. He's probably thinking about how cute she was to say that, I don't judge, I'm also thinking about that right now.
"Okay..." He replied after a while.
"We're almost to the school." The driver's voice spoke.
Ah, apparently the bus had been moving for some time. I hadn't noticed because I was immersed in my classmates' presentation.
We all sat down and waited for the bus to arrive at the school.
However...
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, right?" The driver spoke to me. His voice sounding as calm as ever.
"Yes?" What did he want by talking to me like that?
"Tell me, what do you think about geniuses in society?"
What's with this strange question? I could feel several of my colleagues starting to pay attention to this interaction.
Geniuses in society, eh?
First of all, there is something I must mention. A genius is different from someone who is merely very intelligent. This was quite simple, while intelligent people exist in their numbers, geniuses are few. What is the most common trait in all geniuses? Their abnormal intelligence of intelligent people? Their incredible memory? Not at all.
What really makes a person a genius?
The answer to this question is creativity. That would be creativity, the ability to apply imagination to almost any situation in life.
"Do you speak in today's society or the society of yesteryear?" I asked.
"Why not both?"
Both, hein.
"Let's see. In the society of yesteryear, geniuses were seen as crazy people," I replied.
"Why do you think that?"
"Simply because evolution scares dumb people," I replied without hesitation, feeling the stares on me intensify.
Seriously, what's with this interaction? What was he getting at with all this?
"An interesting answer. What about in society today?"
"In society today... I'm not so sure about that," I admitted. "Even if it's not like it used to be, there are still people who will be afraid of you if you show a monstrous talent in something that is beyond their comprehension. Many of them simply fear what they are not capable of doing. So when someone comes along who can perform such a feat with extreme ease, they can't see that person as a normal human."
I looked into the mirror above the driver, showing the reflection of his face. He was completely calm while driving, his expression didn't change at any time. I continued my answer.
"All they see is a monster in a human's body."
I slightly glanced back, watching my colleagues a little. Some of them seemed to be thinking deeply about my words. But the ones who showed the most reactions were Sora and Shiro.
They were looking at me with slightly wide eyes.
Damn, did I say too much?
"Tell me, that's a question for all of you," the driver said suddenly, causing all attention to turn to him. "Do you know what is the one thing that makes all human beings equal?"
Something that makes all human beings equal? No person is equal, that's something I believed with all my might, but he mentioned the "one thing," which meant that there was at least one thing in which all human beings were equal. However, what was that?
That question really piqued my interest.
The whole bus was strangely silent. My colleagues seemed to be thinking about the answer to the question the driver asked.
Something that makes all human beings the same...
While thinking, I quickly arrived at the answer. It was something very obvious. However, it was not me who answered.
"It's death."
We all turned our attention to the person who spoke this. It had been none other than Victorique de Blois. However, I quickly noticed something different about her. And I was not the only one.
"Victorique-san... is that a pipe...?" Miyuki asked with a surprised face.
A white and blue ceramic pipe was in Victorique's mouth.
Several of my classmates looked surprised, after all it is hard to imagine a little girl like her smoking. Wait, is this even allowed? However, looking more closely, it was not possible to see any smoke coming out of it. And I was not sensing any unusual smells either, so for the time being, she just has her pipe in her mouth. The others also seemed to notice this and sighed with a little relief.
"Yes. However, don't worry. I will not smoke in anyone's presence." Victorique replied to Miyuki.
Wait, does that mean she actually smokes?
"So, am I right?" Victorique said, looking forward. "Humans can be very different, yet there is only one thing they are all equal in. And that is death. Regardless of which human it is, they all die in the end," she explained.
This was also the conclusion I came to after some thought.
"Yes, you are right," the driver commented calmly. "Being born is not something so exceptional. Almost everything in this world is destined to die," the way he said it with a calm tone was really disturbing.
Lelouch, Ryuzaki and Light seemed to be watching him intently as he continued.
"In this world, a new life is nothing but a grain of sand... and should not be taken into account as an existence. Death is natural."
I could see some of my classmates shuddering as he spoke. The girls seemed the most disturbed. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with this driver?
"Taking that line of reasoning into account, if an unfortunate accident happened to this bus and everyone died, it would just be a normal thing, after all, accidents happen every day, don't you think?" He commented with the same calm tone as always.
No one answered his question. Actually, I think they were afraid of this driver.
I was starting to get a little scared too...
"Well, it looks like we have arrived," the driver commented as he stopped the bus.
Everyone got off quickly, as if they wanted to get out of that place as fast as possible. Looks like the driver really scared most of us, huh. When I got off the bus, I noticed something and then stopped.
"Ayanokouji?" Sora's voice called out to me, probably confused as to why I stopped.
"Come to think of it, we never ask your name, right? Could you tell me?" I asked the driver's name.
Sora was looking at me like I was a crazy person for wanting to talk to him.
"Oh, right, I never really introduced myself," the driver commented calmly. "My name is Johan Liebert, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Johan Liebert, huh. It was a different name from any I had ever heard.
"I understand... well, goodbye," I said goodbye to him.
"Good luck in your new high school lives," he said as he closed the bus door and started the bus.
With that, I walked over to my classmates.
"Man, are you crazy? That driver is scary as hell," Sora commented as she shuddered.
"I hope I never see him again..." Shiro commented as he hugged Sora.
"He was interesting," Jabami commented.
"Indeed," I agreed.
I can see some of them looking at us like we were crazy.
"Well, I suppose we'll have other things to worry about now," Lelouch's voice made everyone turn to him.
"What do you mean, Lelouch-san?" Miyuki asked.
"They're looking at us," Ryuzaki commented, making the whole group look to the sides.
There were many students looking at us, and the reason was quite clear.
Our uniform.
Unlike the reddish pink color of their uniform, our uniform consisted of a black one with gold details. And we were the only ones with these different uniforms, resulting in the curiosity and confusion of the students who were looking at us right now. There were a few people whispering.
"Hey, why are their uniforms different?"
"I don't know, maybe they are rich people who ordered before?"
"Why is the color of their uniform different from ours?"
"Those uniforms look way cooler than ours..."
"What the fuck? Besides the fact that apparently our class has only 11 students, our uniform is different too? There's something really weird going on here," Sora commented.
"I agree, however, I think we'd better move quickly in search of our Class. I don't like all this attention we're getting," Lelouch replied.
"I think Lelouch is right. Let's move quickly before more people show up," Light commented.
Kaguya and Hayasaka simply walked into the school, indifferent to the looks the other students were sending their way. We just followed their example and moved on.
The whole time people were whispering about us.
I turned off from what was going on around me.
I focused my attention only on what was important, which was the school in front of me.
The whispering didn't matter.
Just like a bird, I just want to fly freely.
The important thing was the short time in which I would enjoy my freedom for the first time in my life.
But I could not forget my promise.
I planned to fulfill this promise while I was in this school, so...
It didn't matter what methods I would use.
As long as I fulfill the promise I made to my mother, that's all that matters in the end.
...
...
"I see life, like a chessboard, where the subtle movement of one piece can change the destiny of all the others."
Art made by "devilkouji". Thanks for the illustrations used in this chapter :)
Narrator Ayanokouji is in no way reliable, I repeat, Narrator Ayanokouji is not reliable!
Holy shit, they were in the same bus where Johan was the driver. If you were in the place of the Class E students, would you be scared?
The beginning of this chapter is something I had an idea to do. What if I showed a bit of alternative futures that may be possible due to Ayanokouji's choices? Comment what you thought about this, I plan to show more in future chapters of other possible routes.
About this route 3... What do you think Ayanokouji is like in it? A maniacal player? Someone who doesn't mind showing his real face at the right moments due to some events...? Well, tell me your theories. It's nice to debate about something.
If you haven't noticed, Kaguya Shinomiya is as she was before she met Shirogane. Since her age was changed to be in 1st grade, she ended up coming to study at this school and not the one she studied at in the original. I will try to make a nice development for her so that we can have the Kaguya that we all like.
About the plans I have for this story. I will not try to develop the characters in something like 3/5 volumes. They will all develop in their own time, some may take longer than others, but I will do my best to develop them. So I ask you to be patient.
As you have seen, here the E class was more prominent because of their different uniform. Will the plan of hiding until May continue?
And this ending? Yes, I will still work with the "mother" character of Ayanokouji. I honestly enjoyed writing him in my other version. The difference is that I will not rush things too much here, I will go more smoothly.
So, finally, let's go to which girls you like the most.
Kaguya Shinomiya:
Hayasaka Ai:
Jabami Yumeko:
Shiro.
Shiba Miyuki:
Victorique de Blois.
Ayame-sensei: