Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In a dimly lit building, the air was filled with the stench of blood, multiple bodies laid on the ground, most knocked out while the others were awake but groaning in pain. In the main office was a boy who looked to be 16-17 years old, wearing a school uniform which consisted of a red blazer with a blue tie and sky-blue jeans. He had an indifferent expression which most people would find weird and creepy but for those who looked closer, they'd say that his expression complimented and even enhanced his charming features.  

The boy sat on top of a beaten and battered older man as he rained down punches to the face while his assaulter showed not the slightest of emotions. After making sure that the man was out cold, he stood up to grab a cloth to clean his bloody hands and any other excess blood that was on his person. "... I believe this is the last of the Crimson Cobras. Hopefully they won't start any trouble when I'm gone." the boy spoke in a monotone tone as he picked up his school bag and made his way out of the building, passing all the bodies that littered each floor. A buzzing in his inner blazer pocket caused him to pull out his phone as its screen flashed with a call alert, the caller ID reading Mastuo. 

The young man answered after a moment and put the device against his ear as he continued to walk down the city streets, "Young Master, I do hope you’re done with your business and are making your way to the boarding area. We wouldn't want you missing your first day because of trivial things." a soft and gentle, elderly voice spoke from the other end of the phone which caused the boy to look back at the receding building, his light brown hair flowing slightly from the gentle breeze. "Don't worry Mastuo, I'm on my way there." he answered plainly earning a chuckle from the older male. "I still can't believe that it's been a year since that day, although you’re still lacking, you've grown and learned a lot from the outside world." the man sounded like a proud grandfather as he spoke, making the boy pause mid-step as he felt the corner of his lips twitch a bit up before he continued on his way.  

"I have you to thank for that, if you hadn’t stuck your neck out for me, I would still be in  That  place, living my life in that endless void of white. Truthfully, thank you for taking the risk and helping me escape." the boy's voice was still as monotone as ever but if you listened closely, one would notice the twinge of emotions that was help behind his words. "It's fine Young Master; I was only doing my job as your caretaker. On other note, I would have never expected you to get yourself intertwined with those hoodlums in the conurbation, my heart nearly stopped when I first heard about it." the boy stayed silent as he listened to his caretaker, his mind briefly flashing back to his involvement in some rather interesting and unsavory things. 

"Even so, a part of me is glad that you somehow got entangled in those things because you ended up meeting people that were able to help you in your journey and self-improvement. I should show them my thanks when I see those younglings." Mastuo finished with a soft hum as the boy thought back to his acquaintances, well the people Mastuo proclaimed to be the boy's  friends  than acquaintances. "Yeah... they were a great help and a great headache." slight annoyance washed over the boy's voice which caused the older man to laugh softly.  

"Anyway, I'm about to arrive at the pickup spot so I have to bid you farewell. After this, take Eiichiro and go to Shihitori, he promised to use his family's power to protect you two from my father until the day I take him down... Stay safe out there Mastuo, I want to hear you alive and well when I regain contact with the world." the boy could sense the smile that the older man had over the phone. "I'll make sure that I'll be the first to call when you graduate. See you then Young Master, have fun at school and make sure to make friends that you can trust like the ones you have outside." with their last goodbyes, the call ended as the boy arrived at a bus stop and stood next to it as he waited for the bus that would take him to his school. 

The teen noticed someone already sitting within the bus stop and couldn't help but observe her. She had short blue hair that had a single strand sticking up, if he was being honest, the color complimented her purple eyes and tomboyish features. She had on a uniform similar to his which consisted of a red blazer with a blue bowtie and an orange shirt and a white short skirt. She had a rather athletic and fit body which gave the boy the impression that she had taken part in some sports or dabbled in some martial arts, the girl looked up from her book and finally noticed him staring causing her to scoff. "Do you have a staring problem or are you just a creep?" the girl glared which caused the young man to shrug as he leaned against one of the beams supporting the sitting area, "Not in particular, just noticed that you have the same uniform, so I got curious." the girl rolled her eyes on the explanation and went back to looking down on her book.  

"I'm Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, by the way." he extended his hand for a handshake making the girl glance at his hand, noticing that it was slightly bruised up, but she decided not to question it. "Do I have to give you my name?" she glanced up at the boy's blank face which earned her another shrug, "Not really but we might be seeing each other a lot when we get to school and I don't really want to go around calling you, You, Girl, Tomboy and other nicknames I can come up with that isn’t your name." Ayanokouji reasoned which made the girl grumble, begrudgingly, she grasped his hand, "...Mio Ibuki." 

A few minutes later the bus they were supposed to take stopped in front of them which they boarded, Ibuki being first to get on. When the boy got inside, he scanned around noticing that most of the bus was filled with other teens that had on the same uniform and some office workers. He walked along the aisle searching for a free seat when he noticed Ibuki sitting alone on a two-person seat on the far back of the bus and decided to sit next to her, "Don't you have anywhere else to sit either than here?" she groaned out which gave the boy a sense of amusement. "No, most seats are occupied and it's better to sit with some you’re at least acquainted with rather than a stranger." Ayanokouji reasoned as he placed his bag on his lap and leaned back on his seat.  

The girl muttered something under her breath as she decided to pass the time by reading her book, the boy glanced at the book cover and immediately recognized it, "Gakumon no Sume (An Encouragement of Learning)?" he blurted out without thinking making the girl look at him with slight surprise. "You know it?" "I'm familiar with Fukuzawa Yukichi's work. Though, I'm quite surprised that you’re reading such a book." the boy answered, earning himself a sharp glare and a jab to the side of the stomach, "Why is that, idiot?" Ibuki asked threateningly as her seatmate rubbed the spot she hit to ease the pain. "You take me as a sport type of person so I'm just surprised that you’re the opposite. Nothing more, nothing less." 

The girl murmured out some insults and decided to spare the boy's life for now, "Whatever, I bet you just skimmed through it to try and impress a girl or something." Ibuki commented as she rested her shoulder on the window panel. "No, I did read it a while back and a few more times after that. The book is quite intriguing since it speaks on Equality." Ayanokouji started as he noticed the girl paying attention to his words so he decided to continue, "As the beginning of the book says,  Heaven does not set one man above or below any other. Everyone is equal when they are born, so I ask, why do we see differences in position and status? Do you or do you not encourage learning to create a difference.  Meaning that education creates an imbalance, no? We are all humans so it isn't simple to say that we are unequal and then live our lives based on pure instinct.” 

“While equality is a complete lie, at the same time inequality cannot be accepted either. Let’s be honest, have you ever taken the time to think about the future? What is the true purpose of going to high school and college or university? Do you think you'll actually find a job someday in the future? Have you ever thought about what kind of influence school would have in our lives and future? I, myself, have been wondering about these questions and trying to come up with my own answers and have yet to find anything." he finished his slight ramble as he looked at his new companion who was staring back at him intensely before looking down at her lap, deep in thought about what he had said and trying to come up with her own answers. 

The young man waited patiently as he kept his eyes trained on Ibuki, finding her thoughtfulness on the topic interesting, maybe she would find an answer. Maybe she would be able to answer these questions that he himself couldn't. Maybe, thanks to her experience that she's gained throughout her life and the outside world, she'd be able to find something that could help her, that Ayanokouji lacked. After all, since a year ago all the boy knew was white, the whiteness of the place that confined him for most of his life, the whiteness of the people that stood and observed him for years, the whiteness that he had grown accustomed to, the whiteness that he believed would be the only thing that he would see for the rest of his life...  

The two teens were broken out of their thoughts as they heard a small commotion starting near them, they turned towards it to see a female office worker arguing with a young, well build blonde boy from his high school who was sitting in one of the priority seats, "Can't you see that this elderly woman is having trouble? Shouldn’t you, a young and healthy boy, offer your seat to her?" the office lady asked rather frustrated which also caught the attention of the other passengers. "That's a preposterous question, lady. Why would I offer my seat? I have no reason to do so." the boy grinned as he crossed his legs. 

"You're sitting in a priority seat. It's only natural that you offer it to an elderly person." the office lady tried to argue but the boy only laughed, "Priority seats are just seats, I have no legal obligation to move. Since I'm already sitting, I should be the one to decide whether I should move or not. Just because I'm young doesn’t mean I should give up my seat? Don't make me laugh." this caused the office lady to tighten her jaw more. "What kind of attitude is that? Is that how you speak to your superiors." "Superiors? Just because you are older or have a higher position than me, automatically makes you my superior? On another note, wouldn't you agree that you have an impertinent attitude and are being extremely rude?" the boy shot back making the older woman stutter as they continued their back and forth, with the elderly woman now trying to calm the office lady down.  

Ayanokouji noticed another girl from his school approached the three as she spoke, "Uh I think the lady is right. This woman seems to have been suffering for a while now, you know. Why not just offer your seat? While you might consider such courtesy unnecessary, I think it would contribute greatly to society." the young girl tried to reason with a smile. "Contribute to society you say? Well frankly, I have no interest in that, I only care for my own satisfaction. Though don't you find this weird, you’re asking me who is in a priority seat to give up his spot, but you have yet to ask anyone else in this crowded bus to give up theirs? If you actually cared for the elderly, you wouldn't be so hellbent on a silly priority seat, no?" 

This caused the office lady and the elderly woman to have bitter smiles while the schoolgirl turned to the rest of the passengers as she placed a hand on her chest as if pleading with whoever would listen, "Everyone, please listen to me for a moment. Won't someone give up their seat for this woman? It doesn't matter who, just please..." Ayanokouji had to give the girl some probs, the sincerity and passion that filled her voice was no easy feat to say the least. To anyone listening to her words, she sounded innocent and genuine, but the boy found her behavior slightly weird. The blond boy was right, out of every person there, why did she try and focus solely on the person in the priority seat? 

He was sure if the other boy also didn't point this out, the girl would have still continued with trying to get him to give up his seat. Another point of caution that he caught was when the girl was asking the other people around them to give up their seat, it wasn't the girl's words or voice that caught his attention, rather it was her eyes. At first glance they reflected the same sincerity that was in her voice but at a closer and more observant inspection, he noticed something out of place sitting within them, something dark and ugly which gave him the thought that she was after something else entirely. 

Ayanokoji was broken out of his thoughts as he felt a tug on his jacket's sleeve, he turned to look at Ibuki who stared at him as she spoke lowly so only he could hear her, "Don't you dare think about it. I don't want to sit next to a dusty old hag." she huffed which amused the boy as he responded in the same hushed tone, "Don't worry, I kinda agree with the blonde boy. The elderly may have undeniable worth to Japan but we the youth, will continue to support this land to the future. Also, considering that our society ages more and more every year, you could say that our youthful value only increases. So, if you examine both the elderly and the young and ask yourself which group is more valuable, the answer should be obvious." Ayanokouji reasoned which as his seatmate gave him a satisfied expression as she looked out the window, most likely going back to think about their earlier discussions.  

The boy decided to look around the bus and noticed that there were two types of people, those who pretend to be oblivious and those who looked hesitant. Although one girl caught his eye, she was sitting two rows behind him and her face remained expressionless, making it hard for a person to know what she was currently thinking about. The twos’ eyes unintentionally met for a moment, but the boy swiftly averted and continued to scan the bus before settling down. "U-uh sorry but you can have my seat." another working woman, who looked to be unable to bear the guilt finally spoke up as she stood and let the elderly woman sit, thus ending the small incident. 

10 minutes later the bus stopped as the high school students got off outside their school, Ayanokouji paused at the entrance as he looked towards the town sized institution. This was The Advanced Nurturing Highschool which was established by the Japanese government to nurture young graduates that will support the country, it has a 100% employment and college entry rate and has a state-directed teaching methods which spares no effort in pursuing the nation's desired future. The school itself was about 600 000 square meters which consisted of the School Complex, a mall called Keyaki Mall and some Public Spheres.  

The reason why the school had so many facilities was because, for the next 3 years, the students are prohibited from leaving the campus or interacting with outsiders except for some special occasions. "You done gawking yet? We’re going to be late for orientation." Ibuki said from the boy's side making him raise an eyebrow, "You're want to walk with me?" "Got a problem with it?" she glared ready to jab him in the stomach making him shield himself. "No no. Just thought you'd want to walk alone and I'd have to coincidentally walk the same way as you and you'd be forced to walk with me." Ayanokouji explained making the girl grumble as they started their walk to the school Gymnasium for their orientation. 

"Wait!" a few steps in the two stopped as a voice called out to them, they turned back to see the girl Ayanokouji had made eye contact with walking towards them with a stern look. The girl had long black hair with one braid tied with a pink bow with gradient red eyes, her school uniform hugged her body showing off her slim but well-endowed body which made her beauty stand out, "You were looking at me. Why?" she addressed the boy while ignoring his companion which ticked the blue haired girl off. "Oh sorry. It was because you, like me, didn't seem to want to give up your seat for that old lady." "I'm nothing like you; in my case I stayed silent as a matter of principle." the black-haired girl explained in a matter-of-fact tone.  

The companions blinked a few times as they glanced at each other, "... That makes you worse than me." the Ayanokouji blurted causing Ibuki to choke with sudden laughter while the other girl glared at him as she clicked her tongue. "Such a rude person. I don't want to keep wasting my time with people like you." she huffed as she flipped her hair and walked away, "The pot calling the kettle black." the boy couldn't help but sigh as he glanced at the receding back of the rude girl, "Oh God, it'd be even more funny if she were to sit next to you in your class." the blue haired girl continued to laugh causing the boy to groan, "Don't jinx it, please." 

To say orientation was boring would be an understatement, this was an experience Ayanokouji wouldn't want to do again. The gymnasium was packed full of first year students, all divided into four groups based on the class the teens were apart off, they went from Class A to Class D which the blank faced boy was in the latter. His eyes wondered around the other classes as some people had caught his attention, in Class A there was a petite girl with lilac colored, short hair and violet eyes and a black beret on her head that had a gray ribbon connected to it and unlike other female students, she had on a pair of white pair of stockings with garter belts and had a cane by her side. In Class B was a girl with back-length strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes, she also had an extremely well-endowed figure that shouldn't belong to a mere high school girl. In simple terms, she was Beautiful.  

In Class C he saw Ibuki standing which somewhat bummed him out since the first person he was acquainted with in the school wasn't in his class, standing next to her was a boy with shoulder-length magenta hair and sharp magenta-colored eyes, he wore the standard uniform with a black shirt and no tie. The boy seemed very familiar to Ayanokouji but he couldn't exactly figure out why at the moment. When everything was said and done, the boy walked to his classroom that was currently half full, he found his seat which had his name on it, that happened to be located at the back of the room, near the window. 

Most students in the class were already socializing with one another which frankly made the boy jealous at how his peers could easily talk and get along with one another, he rested his elbow on his table as he placed his chin on his palm, continuing to observe the students around him. At the corner of his eye, he noticed someone sitting next to him making turn his head towards them which caused him to freezes and cuss, "Ibuki, you just had to jinx me, didn't you?" Ayanokouji muttered with a sigh because the person sitting next to him was the rude girl from earlier.  

"You’re that rude boy from earlier. Meeting you again makes me want to sigh." she grumbled in annoyance as she pulled out a book to read, "... I'm Kiyotaka Ayanokouji." the boy introduced himself after a moment of silence. "I didn't ask for your name." "This is our second meeting and since were in the same class and are sitting next to each other, it's only natural that we know each other's names." he reasoned making the girl pause. "And if I refuse." "Then get used to me referring to you as seatmate, You, Girl and other names." "... Suzune Hirokita." she finally introduced herself making the boy do a little victory cheer in his mind. Not wanting to push his luck anymore, Ayanokouji left her alone and looked out the window, admiring the passing clouds that filled the blue sky. 

A couple minutes later the school bell rang as a woman walked into the class, she looked to be in her late 20's to early 30's with long brown hair that was tied in a ponytail with bangs swept to the left with matching brown eyes, she wore a suit that also hugged her voluptuous body. If anything, Ayanokouji had to admit that his school had its fair share of beautiful women. "Good morning, students. I'm Class D's instructor, Sae Chiyabashira and I usually teach Japanese history. For the next three years I will be acting as your homeroom teacher, so I do hope we get along. Firstly, I'll like to distribute the written materials with information about the school’s special rules and also the admissions guide. I'll also hand out your student ID cards; these cards help you access any of the facilities on campus and they also act as credit cards. Make sure you pay attention to the points you spend. At this school, you can use your points to buy anything, at any location, if it’s on the school premises then it can be purchased." Chiyabashira started as various pamphlets, cards and school issued phones were handed out throughout the class. "Points are automatically deposited into your account on the first day of every month, you should all already have 100 000 points in your accounts. Keep in mind that 1 point is worth 1 yen." hearing this the class erupted in cheer as they heard they would receive a 100 000 yen monthly allowance. 

"Shocked by the amount? This school evaluates its student's talents, everyone here passed the entrance examination, which itself speaks to your value and potential. You can use your points without restraints, after graduation however, all your points return to the school because it's impossible to exchange points for cash, there's no advantage to saving them. Students can transfer their points to another person if you don't have anything to use them for or anything like that, however extorting money from your peers is not allowed, we monitor bullying carefully so don't try anything." the teacher finished as she looked around the class to see if anyone had a question for her.  

"Well, if you don't have any question for me. Enjoy your stay here." she gathered her folder and started to walk out when she paused as her eyes drifted over to Ayanokouji, their eyes meeting as they stared at each other for a few seconds before she continued on her way. The boy hummed lowly as he stared back out of the window as his eyes wondered, he found his teacher’s words to be quite interesting. Some of the things she said hang in his mind, firstly was,  "Make sure you pay attention to the points you spend" , if they were really going to receive 100 000 points every month, why would the students have to pay attention to their points when it's just going to be refilled like nothing happened. It made him think that, it was possible that they weren't actually receive 100 000 points like promised. Also, mathematically it'd be a loss to the school, his class had about 25 students including him so if you added all their amounts together, it would come down to 2 500 000 Yen. Now if you multiped that by 12 months, it would be 30 000 000 Yen. Multiply that amount with 100, considering that it would be 25 students per the four classes, it would add up to 3 000 000 000 Yen. That’s only for the first years alone, if you added that amount to the second and third years, Japan would go bankrupt or close to it. 

Second thing that caught his attention was,  "you can use your points to buy anything" , why did she say it like that? Shouldn't it be,  "You can use your points to buy anything in the campus shops and businesses."  That made him wonder if there was something more about the points system that isn't known to them yet. "Everyone, can you please listen to me for a moment?" a male student with blonde hair and brown hair stood up and gathered everyone's attention, he was handsome hence why almost all the females in the class immediately looked at him and quieted down. "Since were all classmates from today onwards, why don't we introduce ourselves and become friends?" he suggested which got a lot of people agreeing with him, "Ok I'll start. My name is Yousuke Hirata, people from my high school called me Yousuke so feel free to also do so. My hobby is sports, but I mostly like soccer, I'm also planning to play soccer here. It's nice to meet you all." he swiftly introduced himself, showing off his extroverted nature for all to see.  

This caused a chain reaction of people introducing themselves, one of the people who Ayanokouji payed attention to was the kind girl from the bus, "My name is Kikyou Kushida, all of my friends from my middle school aren't here so I'm on my lonesome. I'd like to know everyone's name and faces and become friends with all of you. My ultimate goal is to become friends with as many people possible so after introductions, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to have everyone's contact information." Kushida finished her introduction with an innocent smile, most definitely making a lot of the boys in the room fall for her. 

To Ayanokouji however, his suspicion to her only increased because of the extra information the girl added in her introduction. No normal person would go out of their way to have a, to him, stupid goal of becoming friends with everyone. For one, that seemed like a tiresome thing to do because of the amount of people you would have to handle and deal with on a daily basis and two, that wouldn't be good on a person's sanity and mental health. The more the boy knew about Kushida, the more he convinced himself to keep a watchful eye on her. While picking another person to introduce themselves, someone interrupted the process, "What are we? A bunch of kids? If you want to do that shit, then count me out of it." a boy with dyed red hair and an rough look spoke out as with a scowl.  

"Well, I can't force you to do something you feel uncomfortable doing so I apologize." Hirata bowed his head which caused a small uproar with the female side of the class as they criticized the rough looking boy, he only scoffed as he grabbed his bag and kicked his table away, "Shut it, I'm not here to make friends." he grunted as he walked out of the class, some people who shared the same thought following after. Horikita glanced at Ayanokouji for a moment to see if he would also walk out, seeing him still seated and unmoving, she grabbed her bag and walked out. The people left in the class decided to finish up with their introductions until it was Ayanokouji's turn. 

The boy looked around at the room noticing all eyes on him as he sighed and stood up, "Hm my name is Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, though the people close to me call me Ayanon. I guess I'm above average when it comes to academics and I'm pretty good with sport related things. My hobbies are playing piano and chess, I also dabble in some calligraphy and tea ceremonies. I'm not the best with socializing and maybe a bit difficult to get along with but I hope to have a stable relationship with you all." his introduction wasn't the flashiest but it was a well-balanced one to give him some humility towards the other students, he bowed and sat down as his peers gave him a round of applause. He couldn't help but notice some female eyes lingering on his person more than normal, most giving him a soft smile. With introductions out of the way, the rest of the students gathered their things and walked out of the room. 

Since this was the first day, the principle decided to let the students off early and let them spend the day wondering and getting familiar with the campus. As Ayanokouji was walking out of the school building, he saw a mob of blue hair in front of him which made him picked up his pace to reach Ibuki's side, "Yo Ibuki, how was your first day?" he startled the girl a bit as she turns to him and huffed. "Oh, it's you. Guess it was manageable, got some annoying classmates and there's this one guy who's just dangerous and plain creepy. I can already tell that he's going to be a troublemaker." the girl sighed as she rubbed her forehead with clear annoyance. 

"How about you? Anything on your side?" she asked as the two continued to walk the same way which happened to be heading to a convenience store, "Nothing all that interesting. Although you owe me some ice cream as an apology." he put his hands in his pockets while the girl looked at him with a bewildered expression. "What!? The fuck I do that needs apologizing?" "Remember that rude girl who stopped us at the school entrance? Well turns out that she's in my class and so happens to be my seatmate." he grumbled as Ibuki paused before laughing, "Oh it sucks to be you. I'd take being in my annoying class any day than to be seated next to that chick." the two continued with some small talk as they entered the convenience store and started shopping for general items like toiletries, ingredients and other basic items.  

Ayanokouji noticed and made a comment about how little and cheap the things Ibuki was buying was which earned him a kick to the thigh, "Do I look like some girl who goes around caring about the cloths or brands she buys?" she huffed as they made their way to checkout. The boy paused as he noticed a section of the store with the label  "Free Items" , he approached it and looked at the items with interest, "You found something you like or something?" Ibuki asked as she looked over the boy's shoulder at the items in question. "No but I do find it weird that there are free items here, I mean were getting 100 000 points per month so why would this be here?" "Maybe it's for dumb people who decide to spend all their points on stupid stuff, people like you." she suggested, adding a jap directed at the boy who looked at her smug face with a blank expression. 

"That maybe so or there's something else in play." he said thoughtfully while inspected one of the free items, "What? You got something else that can explain this? If so, do share what you have if it isn't anything dumb." "And why would I do that? You’re from another class and I'm not going to just give away information that can possibly help my class in the future." he hummed as he put the item down and continued on his way to the register. They got held up in the cashier line because of a commotion that had started over in the front, it looked like someone had forgotten their ID so they couldn't pay for their items. "What kind of idiot forgets their ID at home when they go out to buy something?" Ibuki couldn't help but question as they looked over to see said idiot, the person in question making her companion sigh deeply, "The kind that's in my class." he said disappointingly which made the girl pat him on the shoulder in pity.  

The delinquent boy ended up letting out a storm of curses as he left the large amount of cup noodles behind and went back to the dorms, most likely going to get his student ID. When the companions finally managed to pay for their items they stood outside the store as Ibuki pulled out two popsicles and gave one to Ayanokouji, making him raise an eyebrow, "Don't even ask. Just eat or I'm taking it back." she quickly added before he could say anything. With a nod, the two stood there for a moment enjoying their cold snack while staring at the slightly darkening sky. 

"Oi, you guys must be first years. This is our spot." three older boys called out to the two making them raise a brow, "I don't remember seeing a sign that says this spot is taken, even more so, this is a public spot so you can't just go around claiming it." Ibuki voiced out making the three scoffs, "I see we got a smartass on our hand. You shouldn't be all that mouthy towards us second years, were your upperclassmen after all." Another boy said, ticking the girl off. "I bet you chumps are in Class D, man I feel sorry for you. Can't imagine being in a class full of a bunch of Defectives. Now run along before we make you." the leader said as his friends laughed along. Ibuki was ready to say or most likely do something when Ayanokouji placed a hand on her shoulder, when she looked at him confused, he shook his head and ushered her away from the upperclassmen who continued to taunt them. 

"What the hell, Ayanokouji? You want us to run away just like that?" she scoffed as she crossed her arms in annoyance, "It's not running away. If you didn't notice, they were trying to bait us to do something violent to them. As to why, I'm not sure but I had to get you out of there before something happened." Ayanokoji reasoning seemed to calm the girl down as she aggressively bites into her popsicle, "Whatever. What did they even mean when they called Class D defective. Since you’re in there, do you have some sort of learning disability or something?" "Not that I'm aware of. But that made things a lot more interesting, to say the least." "If you say so, weirdo." the two parted ways when they reached their dorms and went to their dorm, not before Ayanokouji made the girl exchange contact information with him. 

Chapter Text

"Talking and action" 
"Thinking or texting" 
"Different language" 

Ayanokouji's eyes fluttered open with a soft groan, he sat up to look around the dark room a bit dazed before he regained his bearings, he grabbed his phone and looked to see it reading 4:00 am. "Seems like it'll take a while for be to diverge from that sleeping schedule those people drilled into me." Turning his bedside lamp on, he changed into some running clothes and shoes that he had bought late, yesterday. Making sure that he had his phone, he went out of the dorms and took a jog around the campus, since it was still early, no one either than him were outside asides from a few people who worked around the school and businesses.  

The boy took his time as he looked around his surroundings, searching and taking note of abnormal things that would come in handy in the future. An hour into it, he took a break near the school's boarding docks and looked out at the vast ocean, mesmerized by the view and the gentle, salty winds that blew against him. "The view is quite amazing, isn't it." a voice said beside the boy making him glance at the source, he saw a tall and well-built man who had short black hair that swept to the left with violet eyes that were protected behind square-rimmed glasses. 

Like Ayanokouji, he was wearing running cloths and was panting a bit while wiping some sweat off his brow, "That it is. And good morning, I'm Kiyotaka Ayanokouji." the younger boy’s tone was flat but polite as he extended his hand for a handshake, "Ah yes, morning, I'm Manabu Hirokita. It's the first time seeing you around, I'm guessing that you’re a first year?" "Yep, and I'm presuming that you’re my senior from that statement." Manabu nodded in confirmation while he went and leaned against the railing with his underclassmen joining him as they enjoyed the sea breeze.  

"You're an interesting one, I was surprised to see someone else out here this early in the morning, especially a first year at that." "What can I say, I've gotten used to waking up early and exercising and I'm not planning to stop any time soon." "That's a good way of thinking." "Senior, if you wouldn't mind, I have a question." the upperclassmen raised a brow as he turned to the younger boy in interest. "Oh? Ask away." "Yesterday our homeroom teacher told us something interesting, you can imagine my surprise when I heard that we'd be getting a 100 000 yen monthly allowance." "That I can, people are always shocked when they hear about how lenient the school is." the older boy commented remembering his first day at the school, wondering where this conversation was going. 

"Although I find the whole ordeal strange to say the least. I mean 100 000 yen is not a small amount, so my question for you is, how much did you and your class earn during the second month of your first year?" the question caused Manabu to freeze for a few seconds before a small grin crept onto his face, looking at the first year with new found interest. "What a strange question there, Ayanokouji. Sadly, I don't have permission to tell you at the moment." the older boy hummed, receiving a small nod in return, "Not to worry, Manabu. I've already found the answer I was looking for. Anyway, do you want to continue the rest of our run together?" Ayanokouji pushed himself off the railing and started stretching, Manabu nodded and followed suit before they continued the rest of their run around the school campus.  

On their way back, they passed by the convenience store to buy a bottle of water with the older of the two paying, "Ayanokouji, you mind if we exchange contact information? I have a feeling that we're going to be seeing each other a lot in the future." Manabu said when they reached the crossroad that divided the first, second and third-year dorms. "Hm, I don't see the problem in that. Having connections is important after all." the first year said as they exchanged phone numbers and parted ways. 

After a pleasant shower and a hot coffee, Ayanokouji put on his uniform and grabbed his bag as he made his way to school. It was around 6am so he still had 2 hours before classes started so he decided to go and spend his time at the library, said facility was massive with the bookshelves and tables positioned in a half Concentric Zone Model. The boy went to the mystery section and started browsing when his ears picked out a soft grunt, going towards the source he found a girl trying and struggling to reach for a book which was out of her reach.  

The girl had mid-back length silver hair that had black ribbons tied behind it and light purplish eyes, weighing his decision, the boy walked closer and pulled out the book the girl was trying to get and handed it to her. "It looked like you needed some help." Ayanokouji added making the girl give him a faint smile, "Ah thank you. I'm Shiina Hiyori from Class C, nice to meet you." "Kiyotaka Ayanokouji from Class D, pleasure is all mine." the two students shared a gentle handshake as the boy looked down at the book Hiyori wanted, "Are you fond of Emily Bronte?" "Not in particular. Just that the book was in the wrong section, so I wanted to correct that." the girl hummed a bit while her eyes also wondered to the book the boy had in his hand, "Is that Raymond Chandler's Farewell My Lovely, by chance?" Hiyori asked, her voice filling with excitement. 

"It is, have you read it?" "Mhm. It's a classical masterpiece. Ah, have you read any piece from Dorothy L. Sayers?" before he could answer, the smaller girl crouched down and pulled out a book from the shelf then offered it to him, "If not, I do recommend this one for starters. The first installment of the Sir Peter's series." Ayanokouji raised an eyebrow at the girl's sudden change, but he accepted the book nonetheless, "It has been on my raider, just wasn't able to find a physical copy outside. Surprised that the school has it." he commented as he placed the book next to the ones he already had. "Well, since you’re here this early, I'm guessing you came here to read right? Ah if you don’t mind, would you like to read with me? That is if you want to, I don't want to be a bother." Hiyori chuckles a bit as she gently plays with her novel.  

"Sure, why not." he shrugged as he was led to the table the girl had her bag on and sat down beside her. As they read their respective books, the girl would often talk about the Sir Peter's books, explaining different characters, plots and all with the boy also giving his fair share about other books that he had read in the past. Time flew by fast, and it was already 8 and since they were already together, they decided to walk with each other to school, "If you want to talk about books again or want someone else to read with, you'll find me in the library." Hiyori smile and bid goodbye as they went to their separate classrooms. 

As the school day commenced, the students were blown away with how chill and friendly the teachers were, no matter what the students did during class like sleeping, using their phone, etc, the teachers always left them alone. In this calm and relaxed atmosphere, time went by fast and lunch time arrived, Ayanokouji looked around the class seeing the different friend groups talking or walking out together to get some food which frankly irked him because he still didn't have any friends in his class as of yet. "Pitiful." he heard his seatmate comment causing him to glance at her confused, "I want someone to invite me, I want to eat lunch with somebody. Your thoughts are really obvious." Horikita added with a smug sneer.  

"You're also by yourself. Don't you feel the same way? Or do you plan on staying alone for the next three years?" "Yes. Frankly, I like to be alone." the girl answered without skipping a beat, "... That's sad. Well, I may not have anybody to eat with in class, but I do have someone." the boy hummed as he pulled out his phone and texted Ibuki, "Hey, you want to have lunch together?" "And why would I want to do that, especially with a weirdo like you?" the blue haired girl responded a few seconds later, her message making Ayanokouji look at his screen blankly. "I'm paying..." "Come pick me up, I'll be waiting outside my class." she answered almost immediately making him blink a few times before sighing and standing up as he muttered to himself, "Troublesome woman." 

"And where are you off to?" his seatmate couldn't help but question, earning a shrug in return, "Lunch." he walked out of class and made his way to Class C's classroom. It didn't take him long to see the girl leaning against the wall opposite to her classroom, "Yo." he waved lazily as he approached, "Good to see you didn't chicken out. Plus, you got lucky because that idiot decided to drag a guy named Albert somewhere before you got here." Ibuki commented as she pushed herself off the wall and straightened her uniform, "Lucky you say? Why is that?" "If he saw you coming near our class, there's no telling what he'd do to you." the boy nodded slightly at her words and put his hands in his pockets thinking for a moment.  

"Ayanokouji? Is that you?" a soft voice said besides the two, the source being Hiyori who had just walked out of the classroom, "Oh Hiyori, didn't expect to see you again so soon." he hummed as the short girl walked closer to the two acquaintances. "You know her?" Ibuki asked with a raised eyebrow, "Yeah, we met earlier in the morning in the library." he explained before an idea came to him, "Hiyori, do you want to go get lunch together? That is if you don't already have an appointment with someone." "Oh uh sure, I was planning on eating in the library anyway. You don't mind my intrusion, do you... uh Ibuki, right?" the soft-spoken girl played with her fingers as she glanced at the other girl. "Eh it's whatever, the creep is paying anyway." Ibuki shrugged making her classmate sigh in relief before the three started making their way to the cafeteria. 

"Pick anything you want." "Anything?" Ibuki's eyes filled with mischief, "Anything but nothing expensive. It's not like I'm rich." the boy responded quickly making his acquaintance huff. "You can also pick out something Hiyori." he added as he looked at the smaller girl who smiled and nodded while blushing a bit in some embarrassment. Ayanokouji got Katsudon, Ibuki chose some spicy ramen with boiled eggs and tofu and Hiyori decided on Donburi. They were lucky enough to find an empty table a bit away from the other students, "I didn't think the school’s cafeteria food would be this good." Ibuki commented as she slurped up some noodles, her cheeks reddening almost immediately from the spiciness of her food, "Yeah, it's better than what I had back in middle school." Hiyori nodded along as she also enjoyed her food.  

"It's the best high school out there, its to be expected." the boy thought as his eyes wondered around the cafeteria, "Hm, have you guys noticed the free food that some of our upperclassmen are eating?" Ayanokouji pointed out making the girls pause and look at the student who were going to the free food section and picking something up. "It’s the same as in the convenience store." the tomboy commented suspiciously, "Huh, convenience store?" the smaller girl asked with a tilt of her head, "There's a free item section in the store, though a person can only get a total of three items every month." 

"That's... weird. Seems like there's more to this school then it seems." Hiyori muttered as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully, seemingly connecting the dots to something with Ibuki nodding, "Yeah..." "Hm, looks like these two are quite sharp. I'll have to refrain from speaking my thoughts about the school with them for the moment. Whatever I find might be a big advantage to Class D, that is until the other classes also find it out." The boy narrowed his eyes a bit at the two thoughtful girls before he decided to change the subject and talk about other trivial things as they eat.  

"Ayanokouji?" a few minutes later someone called out to the boy, looking to his side he saw Hirata who was surrounded by girls from his class, "Oh your Hirata, right? And I believe the others are Kei Karuizawa, Satsuki Shinohara, Maya Satō, Chiaki Matsushita and Mei-Yu Wang." "Yeah, was wondering where you were since I didn't see in class." the soccer player commented with his friends, more like fangirls, agreeing. "S-sorry Ayanokoji, hope we aren't bothering you or anything." Wang said noting the two girls that the boy was seemingly having lunch with, said boy noticed the half Chinese half Japanese girl looking a bit uncomfortable and waved his hand in dismissal, "Don't worry about it. Although, I'm surprised that you can speak Japanese so well." Ayanokouji responded in perfect Mandarin, surprising the surrounding people 

Wang's eyes widened before a small smile crept onto her face, "Well, I practiced it a lot before I came to Japan with my family, so I got pretty good with it. I'm also surprised you speak Mandarin so well, Ayanokouji. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were born and raised in China." Wang responded in interest. "Eh, you can blame my father for that. He wanted me to know and be fluent in at least one or two other languages, he was pretty strict on it too." the indifferent boy came up with a believable lie that didn't put too much suspicion onto why he knew how to speak in another language. "Even though he seems strict, I'm sure he was just doing what was best for you." "Yeah... Maybe."  

"Hello? Non-Mandarin speaking people with you here. If you’re going to flirt, at least flirt in a language we all know and understand." Ibuki grumbled as she aggressively slurped her ramen, this caused Ayanokouji to scratch his cheek a bit confused while Wang looked away with a blush as she played with her fingers. "Excuse my lateness, this is Mio Ibuki and Shiina Hiyori, both from Class C." Ayanokouji introduced his acquaintances with Hirata also introducing his fangirls to them, "I would invite you to have lunch with us but a certain someone will surely not agree considering her rather... aggressive personality." the boy added before flinching as someone kicked him in the shin, "The fuck did you just say?" Ibuki glared at her companion who raised his hands in defense, "See what I mean." 

"Oh that's it. Hiyori, how about we go and get ourselves some of those luxurious meals that the school has to offer. After all, Ayanokouji is so generous to pay for everything." Ibuki's eyes filled with glee as she turned to her classmate and pointed to the more expensive food meals in the cafeteria, "H-hey now, Ibuki let's calm down. You don’t have to do that; my wallet is not that big." Ayanokouji panicked as he tried to calm the tomboy down. "Hm, I wonder- oh that 20 000-point meal looks good, and that 10 000-point dessert looks even better." the girl ignored him and continued to ponder, the poor boy looked at Hiyori for help causing her to sweat drop as she convinced her classmate to spare their companion.  

"Haha well at least it looks like you're having fun with your friends. We won't keep intruding any longer, our food is ready anyway." Hirate chuckled and waved as he and his fangirls started walking away, Wang paused and looked at Ayanokouji as she pulled out her phone with a blush, "Uh Ayanokouji? Do you mind if we exchange contact information? I would really like to know someone in school who I can talk with in Mandarin." "Sure." the boy shrugged as he also pulled out his phone. "By the way, you can call me Mii-chan like everyone else." after the exchange, the girl squealed a bit as she rushed off to her friends to continue to simp over the class Ikeman. 

"Oh, look at this playboy, I bet your contacts are filled with girls’ numbers." Ibuki grunted as she crossed her arms looking annoyed for some reason, confusing the other two a bit, "Eh kinda, I only have three people on my phone for the moment, including you Ibuki." he flipped his phone and showed his companions his contacts. "Why the hell do you have the frowning devil and dumbbell emoji on my name? And who's Horikita-senpai, it's only been a day." the tomboy raised an eyebrow as she looked the boy in the eyes, "We met today in the morning while I was on my run around the school. In his words, he found me interesting, so he wanted my number, so I gave it to him and visa vasa." Ayanokouji explained while the girl kept looking at him suspiciously.  

"By the way, Hiyori, do you want to exchange numbers? I kinda forgot to ask earlier." Hiyori smiled and nodded. By the end, all three had each other’s numbers, although Ibuki being a bit reluctant to give the shorter girl her number, only crumbling from the sad and innocent smile Hiyori gave her. Suddenly, everyone heard some music playing from the speakers in the cafeteria before a girl with a cute voice spoke made an announcement, "Today at 5pm in gymnasium 1, there will be a club fair. For those of you with an interest in clubs, please come to gymnasium 1. I repeat, today-" the announcement ended a few seconds later. 

Ayanokouji hummed as he thought for a moment, "Hey, do you-" "Don't even finish that sentence. I'm not interested in any stupid clubs." "Sorry Ayanokouji but I have to agree with Ibuki. Clubs would keep me away from my books." the girls shot down the boy's invitation, making his shoulders slump, "You could've at least let me finish. Alright, guess I'll go alone." he sighed. After they finished their food and lunch was about to end, he walked the two back to their class before going back to his own, as he sat down, he looked over to his seatmate, "Hey, Horikita-" "I have no interest in clubs." "... Again, with the not letting me finish my sentences." the boy sighed while the girl raised her eyebrow a bit.  

"You really don't have any friends, I see." "No, I do, I think. Either way, I believe I can count you as one." "Don't count me as one of your friends. Since you want to go see the clubs, do you intend to join one?" "Eh, not in particular. If I find one that I'm interested in, then I might join it." "Then why are you going? Is it a pathetic attempt to make friends?" "... Who knows. Do you have any experience in any clubs?" "No, I don't." "Then do you have experience with things outside of clubs?" "What are you trying to say?" "Don't know, I mean I didn't even tell you what I was referring to." that got the boy a chop to the side making him wince a bit. "Really? I already get enough abuse from Ibuki and now I have to worry about you too?" "Then you shouldn't have said anything stupid." "Can women not solve anything without violence? There's better ways to solve things." 

"Really? Ever since the beginning of time, violence has existed because it is the most efficient way of resolving problems. It is the fastest way of either getting your point across to the other party or ignoring the other party's desires. After all, even countries employ police who use weapons and violence to arrest people, right?" Hirokita gave a long speech to say that she did nothing wrong. "From now on, I will use violence in order to fix the errors of your ways. How about it?" she added making the boy look at her with a blanker look than his usual indifferent expression, "If I were to say that I'd be condemned and labelled as a scumbag." It was true, in this day and age, there's a rising of double standards towards the two genders.  

While he agrees that a man hitting a woman should be scorned upon in a sense, he wonders why if a woman abuses her lover, she doesn't get the same treatment like how a man does, someone is always there to make excuses like, 'He might have done something to deserve it.' 'Men go through harder things so things like this shouldn't do anything to them.' 'Since he didn't fight back, it must mean he enjoyed it, or he didn't even care about it.' In addition, if a girl were to find a guy or a group of guys looking at pictures or looking at a girl whose partially naked, they'd be labelled a pervert however if the same thing were to happen but this time visa vasa, the girls aren't labelled as perverts what's so ever? They can sexualize and talk about guy's bodies and the size of his Johnson out in public without a care in the world but the moment a guy talks about a girl's breasts or ass, they're a PERVERT.... Society has gotten unfair, hasn't it? 

"Fine, I guess. Forget I said anything, I'll go by myself." he sighed and rested his chin on his palm as he looked out the window, although noticing his seatmate pondering on the idea before she focused on class as the teacher walked in. Hours later it was time for the club fair, so the boy grabbed his bag and walked over to the gymnasium on his own, they were about 100 first years waiting outside the large gymnasium, waiting for the fair to start. As they started to enter, pamphlets with details about the club activities were handed out to everyone as they went in. Ayanokouji looked over the information impressed, the school had a wide variety of nationally known clubs which each one being at a high level, he went around the gymnasium, looking at all the clubs and what they had to offer.  

As he was walking, he accidentally bumped into someone, looking over surprised he saw the delinquent boy from his class, "Oh sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I'm Kiyotaka Ayanokouji from your class, by the way." he bowed and apologized before extending his hand. The delinquent boy looked agitated but after he heard the apology and the non-hostile approach, he calmed down and give his classmate a firm handshake, "Nah, it's alright. I'm Ken Sudo." Ayanokouji noticed his classmate had rather rough hands and his fit and a muscular frame, "You look pretty fit, do you do any sports?" "Hm, am I that obvious? Well, I play basketball. I'm actually here to apply for the basketball club." 

"Oh, what position do you play?" the two boys indulged in a basketball-based conversation which switched to a more carefree, friendly talk as they went over to the basketball stand before walking around the gymnasium for a few minutes. "Thank you for waiting, first year students. A representative from each club will explain their activities and how to join. I am Tachibana, the secretary of the student council and the chairman responsible for this club fair. Nice to meet you all." Tachibana started before one by one, the line of club representatives started introducing themselves, explain about their clubs and how people could join. As this was happening, Ayanokouji looked around the students, he noticed Horikita standing further back in an area that didn't have a lot of people.  

After a while, the boy noticed Manabu stepping towards the mic to talk, he looked over the first years with a calm look as he stayed silent. "Do your best." "Did you forget to bring your note cards?" some first years started mocking the older boy but he stayed unchanged, his sharp eyes still scanning the crowd, as this continued, the mocking and laughter started to die down as the once calm and relaxed atmosphere started shifting to a more tense and silent one. A lot of the students started getting nervous and start fidgeting, "My name is Manabu Hirokita and I'm the student council president." the upperclassman finally opened his mouth. The Class D student was surprised to find out that his senpai was the president, he might be able to use him well. 

Now that Ayanokouji thought about it, were Suzune and Manabu related? They had the same surname and look alike, so it was possible. He looked over to Horikita to see her very tense and fidgety as she stared intensely at the president, "The student council is also looking for first years to replace the graduating third years. There are no strict requirements to apply for the position but those who are interested should not be affiliated with any other clubs. Generally, we do not accept any candidate involved in other clubs." Manabu's voice was gentle but firm, the aura around him screaming of the authority he had.  

"Also, we aren't looking for anyone that has a naive way of thinking. Not only will that kind of person fail to get elected, they will inevitably become a stain to this school. The student council is only responsible for regulating the students, but the school expects much more. Those of you that understand can become potential candidates." the president finished his speech as his eyes finally met Ayanokouji's, the two stared at each other for a few seconds, having an unspoken conversation between them. Manabu gave a small smile as he moved away from the mic and went over to the student council application stand, "Everyone, thank you for coming. With that, the club fair is over. We will now open the reception area for anyone interested in joining. The reception area will only be open until the end of April, so anyone interested after then can bring applications directly to the club." The chairman helped simmer down the atmosphere as he dismissed the students. 

Ayanokouji stood still as he thought back to that silent exchange he had with his upperclassmen, "So you want me to join the council, huh Manabu-senpai? I have to think about this for a moment. While it may seem troublesome getting such a position, this can actually help me. For one, I would be able to get information that isn't all that available to normal students. Two, the council can give me a range of connections. Since it consists of students from all years, if I can play my cards right, I'll be able to have someone that can feed me information of what's happening and the type of conflicts that goes on in every year. Furthermore, the council deals with other students like club and class representatives so if I'm able to be a help to them, I can gain favors that  I can cash in later on." the first year continued to weight his options as he exchanged numbers with Sudo before the delinquent went off to apply for the basketball club.  

After a few minutes of serious thinking, deducing and more, Ayanokouji sighed as he walked over to the student council reception. "I thought you'd never show up, Ayanokouji." Manabu chuckled when the boy finally arrived in front of the reception, "It's a big decision so I had to think hard about it, you know. By the way, you didn't tell me that you were the student council president." "You didn't ask." "Seems like a position that most people would want to show off." "Well, I'm not most people." the two boys continued their back and forth as Tachibana, who was standing next to the president, looked at the two confused. "President, do you happen to know this first year?" she asked confused causing the boys to stop their banter, "Yes, I met him during my morning run. We had a talk, and it had some things that caused me to have an interest in him. If my hunch is right, he might burn down the school, figuratively of course." "I'm not that great." Ayanokoji shrugged as the president shook his head amused before giving his underclassman an application form, it had the normal questions like 'Why do you want to join' 'Why do you think your qualified and so one.  

"Can I fill it out right here?" getting a nod, he grabbed a mechanical pencil and started filling out the form, although he tackled the answers differently than most, ensuring that his form was more interesting and would most likely catch the eyes of his upperclassmen. After a few minutes, he handed the form back to the president who skimmed through it before grinning, "Well, isn't this interesting. Quite selfish don't you think?" "True but what I said is plausible, while the student council maybe the for-front of the school concerning its policies and other things. You do have to admit that it's the central network that connects any and everything here." Ayanokouji explained as his form was placed next to the other two forms that were already there. "You do have me there. But I have to say, what you had to say on the last question is shocking to say the least. Well, I won't hold you for any longer, I'll see you tomorrow on our run." with a nod and wave, the first year left his upperclassmen to their own thoughts, Tachibana being curious of what the president said grabbed Ayanokouji's form and went over to the last question. 

Question 10: What are your thoughts about the school? 

The next morning, the first year walked into class a bit late-ish, "Oh, morning Ayanokouji." Mii-chan walked up to the boy with a cheerful smile, "Morning, Mii-chan." he waved lazily as he stopped to talk to the girl, noting how the class went quiet for a moment as everyone stared at the two with interest. "You almost didn't make it for class on time, did you oversleep?" "Nah, I just took longer than usual in my morning workout." the boy explained getting a nod, "Huh, you work out?" another girl joined in on the conversation, making the two look at her slightly surprised. She was a petite girl with short brown hair, her bangs hanged on the left side and had yellow gradient-violet eyes, "Hm? Yeah, I do, just that my clothes hide my physic I guess." Ayanokouji shrugged, "I'm Koyano Onodera, by the way. Nice to meet you." she smiled as she gave the two a handshake.  

"Kiyotaka Ayanokouji and that's Mei-Yu Wang. If I'm not mistaken, I saw you yesterday at the club fair. You were over at the swimming club reception, right? I also remember you saying something about swimming in your introduction." the boy rubbed his chin, thinking back. Onodera's smile widened as she went into her interest in swimming, the other two teens putting in their fair share of interests. The class door opened loudly as Sudo walked in with a yawn, "Yo, Ayanokouji." "Morning, Sudo." Ayanokouji greeted the rough looking boy back; he noticed the two girls giving Sudo rather hesitant and reluctant looks. "Hey, Ayanokouji. I don't think you should hang around with someone like him, he seems like bad news." Onodera said with Mii-chan nodding which seemed to tick off the delinquent as he glared and stepped towards them, "What did you-" he was cut off as Ayanokouji put his hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that told him to relax. 

"Well, it's true that Sudo has a rather intimidating look and an aggressive attitude but he's actually a good guy if you get to know him. Would you have guessed that he played basketball? Onodera, since you're in a sports-based club, do you have any exercise tips that can help him improve?" the indifferent boy decided to take the lead in the conversation, making the four talk about their mutual interests, their different experiences and other things of the matter. This helped humanize Sudo to the girls and create a friendly atmosphere which surprised the on lookers and make them wonder how Ayanokoji kept the delinquent in check, the talk stopped when they noticed the bell ring and their teacher walking in causing them to go to their seats. Lunch time came by rather quickly as people went to their respected friend groups and went to have their lunch, Ayanokouji noticed Mii-chan, Onodera and Sudo walk over to his desk making him raise an eyebrow, "Ayanokouji, do you want to have lunch with us?" the other boy of the group asked as he placed his hands behind his head, the girls nodding in agreement.  

"Sure, I don't mind. Let's go." said boy stood up and stretched as the group walked to the door, "Uh excuse me, do you mind if we join you?" a soft voice called out to the group making them turn to see Kokoro Inogashira and Nene Mori looking at them nervously. "I don't see why not. The more the marrier I guess." Ayanokouji shrugged after seeing his group nod making the girls sigh in relief. "Hm, you mind if I add in one more person?" he added before he walked over to another girl sitting at the back, "Hey, your Sakura, right?" "O-oh uh yes. Do you need s-something?" the girl asked nervously as she avoided eye contact, "I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with us. Seeing you, I can somewhat understand how you’re feeling since I was the same during middle school. If you don't want to that's fine." the boy explained making Sakura's eyes widen as she blushed a bit and gave a soft nod as the two went over to the group, "Well, let's go before all the seats in the cafeteria are taken. 

Two weeks went by in a blink of an eye; Ayanokouji was in class acting as if he was paying attention to the teacher when he decided to look around the class. Half of the students in the room were either sleeping, playing with their phones or talking with each other while the other half were listening to the teacher, or pretending to listen like how he was. In simple terms, Ayanokouji already had some control over half of the class. You see, throughout the two weeks, the boy had been growing his influence in the class and gathering people that trusted him as a sort of leader. It was a fairly simple process for him, the human mind works in an interesting way.  

First, he became acquainted with someone unexpected such as Mii-chan and Sudo which helped him gain a certain element to his stature in class, since he sometimes spoke with Mii-chan in Mandarin, it had made his classmates wonder about it as to how he knew another language, giving him a certain air of mystery that some people found intriguing. Then with Sudo was the fact that he managed to get the class delinquent to be civil and friendly, this also added a spot of interest to the people who already had him on their raider. One of these people was Kikyo Kushida who had to be the most popular girl in the class and the whole first year, if two people become friends or closely acquainted, at some point they would have to be introduced to the respective person's friend group and Kushida happen to have quite the group.  

From there, Ayanokouji just had to play the waiting game, gaining the people's trusts, giving and receiving favors from them and most importantly, plant a seed of doubt about the school within them. During his various hangouts with the different people in class, he would often point out the weird things around the school like free items, the cameras around the campus and in the classrooms and subtlety telling them that they may not get 100 000 points the next month and to save their money. It was a hard process since the boy had to do some socializing which he had yet to get used to but he made it work. Added, he felt as if he was getting close to knowing what the school was actually about.