𝔐𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔡 ℭ𝔬𝔲𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔰, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔏𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔰.
In a realm consisting of nothing but a white expanse, I stood in line alongside other individuals my age, all of whom were convulsing with anguish at the bare notion of a torturous punishment.
"Kiyotaka," the man ruthlessly invoked, the sound of my name from his lips causing my core to shake.
In the corner of my eyes, I perceived the others releasing a low sigh of relief as my breathing deteriorated, growing ragged and labored.
"Yes," I answered, straightening my spine and establishing eye contact with his terrifying golden-brown orbs. His eyes were like a fiery pit, blazing with intensity and vigor.
"Love is a flaw, understand? It renders you vulnerable and powerless," he sneered, and his words cut through me like a knife.
The disdain in his voice was palpable, and it was clear he considered love a weakness in this world where only survival mattered.
...
...
...
1st April 7:55 AM
"You...wake up," a gentle angelic feminine voice whispered into my ear while my shoulder was nudged.
In accordance, my mind was jolted away from the previous remembrance and returned to reality as I blearily flattered my eyes open to detect a blurry female silhouette in front of me.
"What do you want?"
Scarcely after I had raised this question, the blurriness in my field of vision dissolved, and the short, dirty-blond beauty surfaced.
In the background, I sensed the mildly disgruntled expressions of the others due to the rude attitude I exhibited toward the girl in front of me. Nevertheless, she didn't seem to mind.
"I'm Kushida Kikyou. Do you mind introducing yourself to the others?" she innocently inquired, smiling at me with no contempt whatsoever.
Ah, that's right. We were introducing ourselves, and I must have fallen asleep.
I glanced around and noticed the student named "Yosuke Hirata" friendly simpering at me. This was the only information I perceived before falling into my slumber. In any case, he—just like Kushida—radiated an upbeat air.
In order not to be impolite any further, I rose from my chair with the intent of introducing myself.
But how should I do that?
It was while I pondered this very matter that the anticipative stares and awkward silences mounted, prompting me to commence.
"Uhm, my name is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. I'm ugh... pleased to meet you all," I uttered in my habitual flat tone, expressing no excitement like a robot.
Great.
The students were awkwardly staring at me, not knowing how to react to my miserable presentation.
Just when utter silence threatened to prevail once again, Hirata started applauding. Afterward, some girls did the same.
"Great, do you have any hobbies or something similar?" he asked, feigning ignorance to the others.
Hobby? Right, Hirata also mentioned he plays football. Well...
"Not really. I'm not good at anything except everything," I honestly stated, shrugging my shoulders.
Thereupon, a blonde student who had his feet on the table started laughing historically at my last remark. Before anyone else was able to react to my statement, the door swung open.
"Take your respective seat students," she ordered strictly, walking to the front desk and altering the atmosphere in the room within a fraction of a second.
The students in the room were captivated by the woman looming before them, her hickory-brown hair tied back in a sleek ponytail.
Her well-proportioned physique conveyed a sense of poise and confidence. Her stern scowl was unwavering, and her gaze was penetrating, instilling a hint of authority and gravitas.
"Bro, she's hot!" one of the boys loudly whispered, the guy with the flashy red hair and another one agreeing.
"Tch," the raven-black-haired girl clicked her tongue in annoyance.
First our encounter, now this, she really has an attitude, huh?
At any rate, thereafter, the final babblers hushed until we all ultimately stared ahead, where the woman slammed her hands on the table, creating a dull thud.
"I am your homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae. I will now tell you about the rules of this school," she announced, whereupon some students started to yawn, and others averted their attention.
The girl beside me—on the other hand—listened attentively to her every word. For a brief instant, my focus turned to the ceiling, only to return to Chabashira.
Since there were surveillance cameras in the area, I guess I'll pay attention, too, or at least pretend to...
As of yet, she had informed us of the existence of private points and how we could purchase anything. On top of that, we were presented with our own smartphones.
Mind you, that was not all. There is one piece of information Chabashira neglected to include, which can be considered the most vital piece of information.
𝔐𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔡 ℭ𝔬𝔲𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔰, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔏𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔰.
1st April 8:25 AM
"As you know now, this school is unlike any other school. And that's not all," she added, causing the boys, in particular, to get animated.
In fact, I recognized one of the three from earlier, rubbing his hands together in sheer excitement. The girls, witnessing their reaction, contorted their faces in disgust.
"Yeah, we're going to get rizzed up by the school!" he claimed, bewildering not only me but the teacher as well.
"Please don't interrupt, Yamauchi. You can ask questions later."
"All right, sensei."
Astonishingly, he no longer voiced a word and merely listened while virtually drooling.
"For the first month, you will be randomly assigned to the opposite gender you will live with."
What is love? Does it truly make you weak? Is it a flaw?
Beyond the fact that this was the sole school I could attend to elude my father, I was sincerely inquisitive about this because he was the one telling me to repudiate any consideration of "love."
This wasn't the only thing. I was also curious about the outside world, the world he viewed as so broken and unnecessary.
"In the apartment where you will live, there are separate rooms and a living room connected to the kitchen."
"What is your question, Horikita-san?"
So her name is Horikita, huh? Like the name of the student speaker.
"Are the separate rooms locked?"
"They are, don't worry. There's even a camera installed in the living room," Chabashira retorted, soothing Horikita and all the other girls.
In other words, every interaction between them is under surveillance, and if anyone violates the rules, the school will be alerted forthwith.
"In any case, you will behave like a married couple. In the second month, if you desire, you can alternate pairs. After that, only the top ten couples can change partners."
The students surrounding me, presumably, have notions of who they want to be with. In my case, I have no inkling. Although it would be helpful if I didn't stand out too much.
"Are there any questions?"
Despite having pending questions, I abstained from asking them and instead glanced around in anticipation of someone else throwing out a question. However, no one did so much as raise their hand.
How utterly disappointing.
Just as I was thinking that and sighing internally, a boy lifted his hand with a confident, almost narcissistic sneer.
"I don't believe anyone is worthy of living with me, so do I have to?" he quizzed, ogling his hair in the mirror he extracted from his pocket.
Judging by how he conducted himself, I was vaguely averse to whether he meant that question seriously or sarcastically. In contrast to me, the girls primarily were irked and irritated by his attitude alongside a red-haired man.
"There will be no exceptions," replied Chabashira, apathetic to his behavior.
Does the teacher allow such inconsiderate matters as putting one's feet on the table? Surely there must be something underlying this.
For several more seconds, Chabashira waited for another question, but since no other hand rose, she arranged her notes by tapping them on the desk.
"If that's all, the pairs will be revealed imminently, and you are dismissed for the day," she declared, striding out of the room and latching the door behind her.
Within a fraction of a second, the rabid tattle broke out anew, and people rose from their chairs to discuss everything Chabashira had related to us. Only Horikita and I were still sitting in our chairs, not talking to anyone.
"Man, I hope I get matched up with Sakura-chan..."
"Who...?"
My gaze strayed from the guys in malice to the girls, who were distinctly ambivalent about what to make of this situation.
"I want to be with Hirata. He's the only normal guy," grumbled one of the girls, who I think had also participated in the introductions.
Too bad I was asleep.
"But doesn't he have Karuizawa?"
"You're right..." she acknowledged, lowering her head as if reality had struck and shattered the final vestige of her hope.
"If I had known we had guys like that, I would have chosen a different school..."
Suddenly, a raucous, strident clang swept through the room and gouged into my eardrums. It was the sound of the speaker being turned on. The other students covered their ears and halted their conversation.
"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, please come to the office immediately."
The shrill sound gradually subsided, though I drew a myriad of wary glances. Even Horikita, who hitherto had heeded no one else, was gawking at me.
"What did you do?"
Good question. I don't know myself.
"Is it any of your business?"
Without giving her a commensurate answer, I rose as the chatter slowly ramped up again, and the eyeballs followed me outside.
"Wait, the couple list was just sent to us!"
Heading to the main office, I encountered students from various first-grade classes. Albeit I was not acquainted with them in the slightest, they stared at me strangely until I arrived at the designated door.
Unexpectedly, the door swung open, and a girl with strawberry-colored hair briskly passed me, causing me to freeze. Although I only managed to catch a glimpse of her, her beauty was beyond dispute.
Slowly, my feet started moving again, so I walked into the office but bumped into another teacher.
"Good morning, sensei," I greeted the teacher with brown curls, whose charisma was vastly different from Chabashira's.
"Oh, who do we have here?" she casually commented with a smile, her tone lifting towards the end of the phrase.
My gut intuition suggested that she was most likely popular among the boys in her class due to her personality.
"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Class 1-D."
While I hoped she would lose interest in me, the exact opposite was true. Her eyes dilated, and her inquisitiveness grew even stronger.
"So you're from Sae's class, huh?"
"That's correct."
"Why are you here?" she further probed, trying to look me in the eye.
"I have no clue."
Briefly, she granted me the peace I craved. It did not last long, though.
"You're quite attractive, Mr. Ayanokoji. I assume you're famous among the girls?"
After saying this, she grasped my hand and inched closer, so I could smell some of her dulcet cologne, which was a tad too strong for my palate.
"Not at all."
"Perhaps I can convince the chairman to pair you up with me. What do you say?" she purred, her voice oozing with ludicrous seduction as she pressed her ample curves against my chest while her delicate fingers traced a tantalizing trail across my features.
Mh...
Should I report her? It was crystal clear that she was flirting with me.
If it was for another male student, they probably would not be able to refuse her.
Or should I play along—
"Ouch!" she yelled after Chabashira punched her head with notes she was holding.
Somehow, I was relieved she arrived before I made my decision.
"What are you doing to my student?" prompted Chabashira in a demanding tone.
Her eyebrows furrowed into a stern frown, and her eyes narrowed as she registered the scenario.
"Nothing, nothing..."
From one second to the next, Hoshinomiya sported as innocent as an angel while stroking her head to banish the pain.
"Then go now," commanded Chabashira opening the door for her through which she rapidly exited while nictating me with one eye.
Once the door closed, the playfulness and lightheartedness dissipated and were replaced by a slightly more solemn atmosphere.
"Why did you summon me here?"
"Take it easy, Ayanokoji-kun. We have plenty of time," she declared, gliding toward the wooden desk with the stacks of papers.
"I'd like to leave as soon as possible."
Chabashira sat down on the chair, propped her hands on the desk, and sighed.
"You're a very special student, aren't you?"
"Nope. Just a mediocre student," I immediately negated.
What was she getting at?
"Are you sure?" she rejoined, leaning her cheek on the knuckles of her right hand.
"Absolutely sure," I affirmed, nodding my head in tandem.
"I happened to catch your grades on the entrance exams, just so you know," she relayed, flashing me a mischievous grin.
Without stirring, I just blinked at her and waited for her to elaborate until she retrieved my exam sheets.
"What do you want me to do with these?"
With her index finger, she tapped on the numbers circled in red on each sheet.
"Look at these, they're all fifties, exactly half of the maximum score."
Is she going to accuse me of cheating? No, that's out of the question, since they watched me take the test.
Maybe...
"I think I understand what you're saying."
Chabashira's grin broadened further on hearing my utterance.
"So?"
"From now on, I'll study harder to get better results," I remarked slyly, oblivious to her attempt to blackmail me.
A hint of bitterness blossomed in her expression as she gritted her teeth gently.
"Stop playing with me. There's no way this is just a coincidence."
She was definitely right in her observation.
"How else would you explain it?" I countered, tilting my head to the side.
"You've been manipulating your results, haven't you?"
"I might have, I might have not," I dismissed, shrugging my shoulders.
Chabashira started frowning at me, her forehead wrinkling, slightly annoyed. Just as she opened her mouth to resume our chat, her phone began to buzz, and it didn't seem to stop. Thus, she checked her phone and eventually released a profound sigh.
"It seems like I'll have to postpone our meeting."
"If this means I can leave now, I'll accept it," I countered, pivoting around with my hand on the doorknob, anticipating her signal for me to be able to leave.
"You're dismissed."
Out of my pocket, I pulled forth my new smartphone and opened the list, a ripple of anticipation surging within me.
My partner for the first month is...
Kushida Kikyou.