Kiyotaka POV
Ai and I got off from the bus, arriving at the entrance of the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. I couldn't help but note that the school grounds were massive, complete with its own facilities. This level of self-sufficiency was to be expected, school took isolation from the outside world very seriously. It led me to wonder whether ANHS had its own form of economy, a unique form of currency perhaps. I highly doubted they would allow the use of external cash, given their emphasis on isolation and without a form of currency shops and other facilities would have no purpose.
A noticeable divide among the senior students caught my attention, adding another layer of suspicion to the workings of ANHS. Some seniors confidently openly with the school facilities, conducting transactions. In stark contrast, there was a distinct group whose spending seemed to be more sparse. They were wearing worn and cheap clothing, their eyes betraying a sense of envy as they observed others. This stark contrast in appearances and behaviors further supported my theory that ANHS functioned as a system with varying levels of privilege and resources. However this was just a cursory look at ANHS from its entrance, my observation could indeed be false. Despite that possibilties, given the current information I'm more than certain that everything is not what it seems.
Trust was a luxury I couldn't afford, and I would have to constantly stay vigilant. As I stepped onto the grounds of ANHS, I knew that my I would enjoy my time here, or at the very least find interacting with normal people my age interesting. I thought back to the information that Matsuo had relayed to me before I was enrolled.
The rules of ANHS had been made clear: students were prohibited from having any contact with individuals from the outside world, be it their parents, friends, or anyone else. This was precisely why I had chosen to attend—a safe haven where the White Room would have a significantly harder time tacking me back. However, it would be naive to ignore the possibility of my father sending his agents to locate me and potentially having me expelled from the school.
?????: "Hey you."
Someone was making a commotion behind me, how troublesome. It would be best if I didn't interact with them, I don't want to stand out after a-
?????: "HEY I'M TALKING TO YOU!" Wait are they talking to me?
What would she want with me, I kept my head down and attempted to not draw attention to myself as much as possible. Aside from Ai, I didn't talk to anyone at all. Was talking to Ai perhaps a mistake? Did she know anything about me, is that why she's talking to me? Did I make a mistake and revealed something about myself?
Kiyotaka: "Are you by any chance talking to me?" I decided to respond with the hope that she was in fact talking to someone else.
?????: "Of course, who else would I be talking to." Sighing, I turn around to look directly at her, she seemed impassive, almost aggressive towards me. What a strange person, does she perchance have a superiority complex?
Ai: "Hey tha-"
Kiyotaka: "Ai its fine. What do you want?"
?????:"I wan't to know why you were looking at me on the bus."
For fucks sake. To think someone would so rudely call another in public like this. I thought I was socially inept, and I even I understood that social norms would find this action repulsive.
Kiyotaka: "I just noticed that you didn't seem intrested about the situation on the bus at all."
?????: "Yes, I found the whole ordeal rather redundent." I nodded in response to this, maybe she was someone I could get along with after all.
Kiyotaka: "That was what I thoguht. I dislike trouble after all. I guess you feel the same way?"
?????: "Don't try to compare yourself to me, I simply found it pointless."
There goes that thought. Also doesn't that make you worse than me?
?????: "If that all I'm leaving, I don't want to interact with people like you during my high school life." Without another word she walked past me and Ai, entering the school. I took a glance to my side and saw Ai with a stunned expression on her face.
Kiyotaka: "Feelings mututal."
Ai: "Well see you later then!" Ai managed to recover and called out to the black haired girl. I'm impressed how she manages to always maintain such a cheeful attitude. more so since from my observations its not entirely sincere. The girl simply kept walking and completly ignored Ai's attempt to be friendly. Ai's face faltered for a second, almost as having a crestfallen expression, but recovered almost immediately.
Ai: "Well Kiyotaka, I think we should be heading off to the entrance ceramony now right?" Impressive, she once again managed to regain her composure quickly. Her voice shows no signs of what just happend.
Kiyotaka: "Yeah you go ahead first, I want to look around the school."
Ai: "Ah well see you later in class Kiyotaka."
Time skip to after the entrance ceramony
Surrounded by a students outside the White Room, certainly felt strange. The thought of leaving the confinements of those white walls always seemed like an impossibility, as if it was my destiny to remain tool under my father's control. Freedom had held the promise of emotions and experiences that the White Room could never provide, but at present, I found myself feeling nothing. Nothing at all. Should I feel disappointment? That was a question yet to be answered.
I began to analyze the behaviors and reactions of the people surrounding me, I needed to gather as much information as possible. This was foriegn territory for me, despite the fact that I was the Masterpiece of the White Room I still had a flaw. I had no clue on how regular people my age would think or act, taking data in right now would be crucial for my path from now onwards. It quickly became evident that here were students that exhibited a general lack of interest in the president's speech. Whispers exchanged and stifled laughter revealed a casual indifference, as if the weight of this occasion held little significance to them. The contrast between their nonchalant attitudes and the more focused demeanor of other students also caught my attention.
These students appeared to have a greater level of discipline and attentiveness, their unwavering focus suggesting a dedication to their studies. Why would a school such as ANHS allow these two different students to be accepted into their school? I understood accepting the second group of students, however the first group clearly were delinquents. They lacked discipline and seemed almost careless in their actions. Calling them the future of Japan was a joke, and considering that this school is known for its 100% employment rate there is an almost guarantee chance that crucial information is being left out.
As the presidents speech concluded, so did my observation. The school wasn't what it appeared to be from the outside. It didn't accept only the best because it wasn't for the best, well in some perviews it wasn't. ANHS was a way to train the very best Japan had to offer by putting them with defectives and inferior students. It was a simulation of the real world, rather than just a high school which provided extensive education.
Looking around I saw my peers begin to exit the room which is something I also began to do. The ceramony was interesting to say the least, although most of my peers seemed bored or disinterested in the speech made by the president. Most people didn't seem to pick up the small hints that he dropped in the carefully planned words he used. There must be a reason why the president appeared to have so much power. With the observation I made about the students and the president speech, I know my theory is correct.
Taking a look at the surroundings, I located the exit amidst the sea of students,. As I proceeded towards Classroom 1-D, I couldn't help but having something catch my attention—the school seemed oddly monitored. Having spent years in the White Room, I had grown accustomed to searching for hidden cameras and recording devices. While the level of surveillance here wasn't nearly as invasive, it ranked as the second most monitored environment I had ever been in.
Should I mention this to my classmates? Had they noticed what I did? Did they simply overlooked the subtle surveillance measures? It was a delicate matter, as bringing it up could potentially draw unwanted attention or even raise suspicions. For now, it seemed best to keep my observations to myself, maintaining a cautious approach to my school life was for the best.
Ai: "Oh Kiyotaka!" I must have lost track of where I was, I'm already at the classroom. I gave Ai a quick nod and headed to my seat. It was at the back of the class, right next to the window. Great I'm sure I could avoid attention here, all I have to do is stay quiet.
Ai: "Looks like we're seatmates."
Looking to my side I see that Ai indeed is my seatmate. Ai Hoshino, a girl that peaked my intrest when we met on the bus. I know she's hiding something, wearing a mask that is hiding how she really feels makes that certain. But that isn't what made me intrested in her, if that were the case I'd be intrested in Kushida significantly more. What intrested me was how she was looking at me when we met, almost as if she knew how I was feeling. That should have been impossible as I had carefully crafted everything about myself over years of practice. I thought it impossible for someone to see that but she did, and from the looks of it she did it pretty fast.
I looked around the classroom and saw that a large amount of the students I deemed inferior were in the same class as Ai and I. I saw quite a few of the boys ogling at some of the girls like perverts, while I saw that most of the girls quickly went to talking to each other. During my quick glance I also noticed the blonde boy, Koenji, was in our class too. I don't see that black haired girl talking to any of the other girls to I assume she's not in our class. Our class is definetly class D for a reason, its full of defectives.
Well it could have been worse, that girl from earlier could have been in my class. Thinking about sharing a class with her for three whole years was already giving me a headache.
?????: "What an unfortunate coincidence."
Shit.
Kiyotaka: "I guess we're in the same class."
?????: "Unfortunately."
Kiyotaka: "I'm Ayanakoji Kiyotaka."
?????: "What do you think you're doing?"
Kiyotaka: "Well if you must know, I'm introducing myself to a classmate." How desne is she?
?????: "Do I need to-"
Kiyotaka: "It would be prudent to do so."
?????: "Fine. My name is Horikita Suzune." Horikita, wait... Isn't that the presidents last name... Could that mean that she is perhaps his-
Ai: "Horikita-san, I hope we can get along with each other." Ai's attitude, was cheeful as ever, unfortunately for her it seems Horikita is completly unwilling to even acknowledge she's there.
Just then our homeroom teacher decided to enter the classroom, and walked to the center of the class. Many students didn't seem to notice and just continued to talk to each other, and suprisingly our homeroom teacher simply let it happen. No objections, no reprimanding, nothing. Eventually the class did die down as more and more people noticed she was there, but the fact remained that she made no effort to discipline us.
Chabashira Sae: "Good morning students, I am your homeroom teacher Chabashira Sae. As you must be aware of, I am also a teacher at ANHS. I usually teach Japanese history but I will also act as the instructor for Class D for the following three years. In this school we do not change classes, so it I hope to get to know all of you."
Her eyes scanned the room as she addressed our entire class. Oddly her eyes lingered on me, it was as if she was searching for me. The teachers and the school all know who I am, and I don't doubt that Chabashira doesn't. The information regarding each student that is disclosed to teachers is something that I don't know, but she definetly knows something about me.
Chabashira Sae: "I will now hand out the school rule book to everyone of you. Please take one and pass the remainding books to the person behind you."
Chabasira Sae: "I will now hand out the school rule book to everyone of you. Please take one and pass the remainding books to the person behind you. I will also be handing out your student ID cards, these will be essential to your stay at ANHS. Your student ID acts as a credit card and uses points instead of yen. In this school you can buy anything with points."
Bingo. My observations seemed to be correct, the school does have its own economy and currency.
Chabashira Sae: "You will be recieving 100,000 points this month. Keep in mind that one point is worth one yen."
At that I saw my peers eyes widen, they probably never had this type of money in their life. I however wasn't focused on the amount given, in fact I'm certain that 100,000 points will be for this month alone. Giving the equivelent of 100,000 yen a month to all high school students simply wouldn't be a sustainable investment for the government. Furthermore, why would there be such an economic disparity in the upper years. This obviously was a test for students, a test that my classmates seems to have unfortunately failed. What I really was intrested in was what you could buy with points. Could you perhaps buy an explution of another student? A favor from a teacher? Chabashira did say that you could buy anything with points and seemed to put a lot of focus on the word anything. I glance at Ai to see her reaction, I expected to see a similar reaction to my classmate but instead I saw a suprising revelation. She didn't react at all.
Chabashira Sae: "Suprised at the amount? The school values its students very highly, think of it as a reward for being accepted to ANHS in the first place. ANHS focuses on its students becoming the leading class of Japan, it has specifically designed its enviroment so it suits that purpose. The school has all the facilities you might need, from shops, gyms, libraries, and even entertainment. I hope you all enjoy and value your time at ANHS as I'm sure you all will come to grow over the next three years."
After Chabashira finished talking, she took her belongings and left the room. The second the door closed the room was filled with loud excited talking. I couldn't help but notice the slight distain that was present in her expression and tone as she spoke to us, but of course none of my classmates were listening close enough to notice.
Random Class D Student 1: "I can't believe how much money we're getting, I'm for sure going to buy lots of things today."
Random Class D Student 2: "To think we'll be getting 100,000 yen a month."
Random Class D Student 3: "I'm so glad I got enrolled into this school."
AN: I realised how much of a pain it is having names not be shown until the charecter is introduced. I'll go back and change that later but from now you'll see their names from the beginning.
Hirata: "Everyone could I please have your attention for moment?
A student with blonde hair and brown eyes was calling for everyones attention in the room. From outward appearance he obviously was someone who valued their academics. From his figure it also was apparent how he must partake in some for of sport or physical activity on a regular basis. Looking around I also noticed how girls were being particulairly attentively listening what he was saying, it seems that whoever he is, he would most likely become one of the leading figures of Class D.
Hirata: "From today, we're going to be classmates for the rest of our time in high school. So I think it would be good to have everybody introduce themselves." I could hear the agreement within our classmates at his words.
Random Class D Student 1: "Yeah thats a great idea. I think it would be best if we at least knew the names of everyone. "
Hirata: "Well if everyone is in agreement, I'll start. My name is Hirata Yousuke, my hobbies are are sports in general, however I mainly focus on soccer! I hope to enjoy these next few years with you all."
Hirata is definetly a brave person, I'm sure no one else would have even thought of attempting what he just did.
Kushida: "I'll go next, I'm Kushida Kikyo! I don't really have any friends yet and I'd love to meet all of you. I hope I can be a helpful and supportive person for everyone in the class!"
Kushida, the girl from the bus, obviously was trying to be a perfect girls in the eyes of everyone. Even now I can hear the other boys in the class talking in hushed whispers following her introduction.
Now how should I approach this situation? First impressions are often the most important experience when interacting with new people. Right now I have been given the perfect opportunities to present myself in any way I want to. I could become an outgoing student, or I could become a nobody just as easily.
Ike: "I'm Ike Kanji, the smartest person in class D. I accel in everything, from academics to sports. If you girls have any issues you can come to talk to me personally! As you can see I'm also the most attractive person in this room, so if anyone wants to be in a relationship with me you'd have to be exacly my type. Soft thig-"
Hirata: "Thank you Ike." Good save Hirata, but it probably was too late I already see several girls giving Ike the death stare.
Well, that certainly was a pointer on what not to do. Ike is obviously a pervert, and given my assesment during the opening ceramony, he most likely won't be the last. The amount of people oggling at the girls in our class certainly didn't give me much hope.
Hirata: "Ah, its your turn next." I guess its my turn to go.
I still haven't decided what I wanted to say, should I be like Hirata and Kushida? Saying nothing at all is also an option, I have no real obligation to do so. However that would also draw unessary attention to my charecter, the exact opposite of what I want. Glancing at Ai I noticed that she seemed to be deep in thought. Well, there's no point in dragging this out.
I still haven't decided what I wanted to say, I consider following what Kushida and Hirata did, silence is also an option I could choose to take. After all, I have no real obligation to talk to my classmates, this entire exercise was voluntary. Yet, remaining silent may attract attention I didn't want and go against my desire to blend in. Observing Ai, deep in her own thoughts, I realize that prolonging this a pointless act.
Kiyotaka: H-hi, I'm Ayanakoji Kiyotaka. I enjoy piano and calligraphy. Uhhhh I hope I can get along with all of you." Perfect.
Hirata: "Thank you Ayanakoji-kun!" Hirata turns his focus onto Ai, he clearly wants her to go next. I wonder what she will say for her introduction, she obviously can be really outgoing and social so I imagine she'll also introduce herself in a similar way Hirata and Kushida did. She also has an advantage of being an amazing actor. Her mask is even more impressive than Kushida's.
Ai: "Ummm could I pass?" Hmmm?