CHAPTER 1-1 (PART 1/3): Classroom of the S-lite

"Intelligence is invisible to the man who does not possess it." - Arthur Schopenhauer

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POV: Riku

Unhappy Girl: Ah, honestly! He's the heir to one of the four great conglomerates in Japan, and yet, he acts so unreasonably. It's irritating!!

Cold Girl: Come on, Kaguya-sama, calm down, it's over now... Let's focus on what lies ahead of us today, let's not let this ruin your day.

Unhappy Girl: *Grumbles*. Yes, you're probably right, Hayasaka. Anyway, it's unlikely that we'll be in the same class. And if that happens, I would simply ask to change classes!

Piercing Boy: He sighed deeply, as if trying to shake off a weight. Indeed, there are five classes, so the odds of ending up in the same room are slim... However, from a statistical point of view, it's likely that one of us ends up with him. Nevertheless, I imagine there are certainly measures to change classes if the situation demands it, I suppose.

Fujiwara: Oh, come on, that guy drove me crazy! If I end up in the same class as him, I'm out of there, no question! Did you see how he spoke to Kaguya? It's unforgivable!

Proper Girl: Yes, I agree with Fujiwara-san, I absolutely refuse to be in the same class as that arrogant and selfish individual! If by misfortune I find myself with him, I won't hesitate for a second to go see the principal to ask for a class change. It's absolutely out of the question that I share my learning space with someone so rude!

Hayasaka: Honestly, the odds that you end up in the same class as him are minimal. Don't worry, if it happens, I'll arrange for you to change classes. And if we need to swap students to balance the numbers, I'll take care of that too... To be honest, I don't mind being in his class, I don't need to interact with him anyway.

Unhappy Girl: Oh! Hayasaka, would you really do that for me? Thank you so much, you're my savior!

Hayasaka: *Sigh*. Yes, of course... As always.

It seems that this whole saga is finally over... That narcissist, the others, and even Kushida, everyone started getting off the bus... I really would have liked to talk a bit more with Kushida now that we've arrived and accompany her to the gym for the opening ceremony, but she seemed so eager that she ran off, haha... It was quite adorable to see. Well, here we are at last, free to leave this bus. Come on, it's time to leave behind everything that just happened! I'm not going to let these events dull my enthusiasm and my first day here!! With a big smile, let's go!

Moving forward with determination, my bag over my shoulder, I already felt the excitement building up, my eyes shining and my heart pounding... Just the sight of ANHS in front of me gave me chills, yes, it was both magnificent and awe-inspiring. ANHS is truly huge, and just at that moment, I'm overwhelmed by excitement, curious to find out what awaits me inside!!!

Dark Boy: Oi, it's huge, huh? It's even more impressive and majestic than Shuchiin, well, not so surprising, actually...

Huh?

As I lost myself in my thoughts, excited about stepping into this new adventure, a voice next to me pulled me out of my reverie... Turning my head, I was surprised to find the dark boy from the bus, who was still there... He didn't leave with the others? Is he not part of their group, after all? I wonder... Or did he just want to start a friendly conversation with me? Well, I'm not against it, after all... He might turn out to be a good guy!

Riku: Huh? Oh, it's you, the guy from earlier...

Dark Boy: Yo! Sorry to interrupt your monologue, I just saw you standing there doing nothing, so I thought I should check how you feel after the bus thing... I can take off if I'm intruding, huh.

Riku: No worries, but at least it's over. Now, we can enjoy this first day! I smile at him. If you want, we can go together to the gym, might as well go as a pair, right?

Dark Boy: He looked at me for a moment, with an expressionless face that betrayed no emotion, as if he was just absorbing my words. Ah, that's cool then! Then, he casually extended his hand. Nice to meet you, I'm Yu Ishigami.

Riku: I immediately take his hand and shake it while smiling at him. Yeah, nice to meet you, Ishigami. I'm Riku Nakamura. I hope we'll get along well.

Ishigami: He observed me silently again for a moment, and I just responded with an awkward smile... Then, I thought I saw a glint in his eyes, with a slight blush on his cheeks, as if he was happy that I accepted his greeting and introduced myself. It was quite strange and embarrassing, haha. Nakamura... san, right? Cool! Sorry again for the thing with my friends on the bus... Shinomiya-san can become really terrifying, you know. If you had really intervened, I wouldn't have bet on your survival, glad you finally listened to my advice. Saying that, he seemed to shudder with fright himself...

Riku: Yeah, I didn't catch all of it either, but someone else told me the same, so I figured with the bus arriving, just let it slide for now. I sigh. And, I was wondering... You wouldn't happen to be in class D, by chance? That would mean we're in the same class!

Ishigami: Ah, you're also in D? Nice, that means we'll be in the same courses then-

Contemptuous Girl: Hey, you over there!

As Ishigami was starting to tell me we were going to be in the same class, suddenly, our conversation was cut off by a firm and imposing female voice. We both turned towards the source of the voice and saw a woman with a rather angry and stern expression, her arms firmly crossed, her long black hair swaying with the wind. It was the beautiful woman I had noticed on the bus, the one who was engrossed in her reading.

I wonder what she wants from us... Is she angry with us? Or rather with me, it seems? Her gaze appears to be fixed on me... Did I do something to anger her?

Riku: Huh? Uh, are you talking to me?

Contemptuous Girl: Yes, I'm talking to you! I want to know why you were looking at me on the bus, earlier!

Uh, what does she think? That I'm the type to do shady things? Or maybe she took it the wrong way that I was watching her on the bus? I think that's it, she seems really upset and seems to be waiting for me to explain... I could just tell her what really happened, there's no harm in that, right? After all, I didn't do anything wrong, really.

Next to me, I feel Ishigami's hair brush against me. Glancing in his direction, I see him leaning slightly towards me, his hand near his mouth, discreetly whispering something to me, all while not taking his eyes off the girl who seems not to be in a good mood with us.

Ishigami: Be careful, she really has the vibe of a chick who's going to nag you for ages over nothing, making up bullshit... I bet you just glanced around you on the bus, and straight away she must have thought you were staring at her non-stop. It's typical of arrogant and narcissistic chicks like her, be careful! We should really get out of here.

Riku: Uh... Don't you think you're exaggerating a bit? I mean, we don't really know her, maybe once we clear up the misunderstanding, she'll apologize, and that'll be that.

Ishigami: She really seems annoying and irritating, the kind of unbearable girl who thinks she's above everything and looks down on you... We'd better sneak away quietly and ignore her, trust me on this!

It seems Ishigami has already formed a rather negative idea of her... Isn't that a bit hasty? We don't even know her, haha.

But before I had time to respond to him, the young girl showed impatience, raising her voice even more as she addressed us.

Contemptuous Girl: I don't have time to waste, so are you going to answer me? Why were you looking at me on the bus?

Riku: Huh? Oh yeah, well... I was just observing the people around, and then, you caught my eye. It's just that you were among the few who weren't at all absorbed by what was happening on the bus, so it surprised me.

Contemptuous Girl: I see... She seemed to ponder for a moment, displaying a look of doubt and perplexity, before becoming a bit more intense and continuing. Is that really all you wanted to know? And you, why did you decide to give up your seat, huh?

Riku: Huh? Oh, for me, it was just natural... I mean, it seemed like the right thing to do, you know? Helping that old lady, and all. And you, how come you seemed not to care at all about what was happening?

Contemptuous Girl: Humph, natural, you say? That's just stupid. What did it get you to play the good Samaritan? She gave me a haughty look as she pushed her hair back. There was no point in giving up your seat as you did to an old lady. It's not that I wasn't concerned, but rather that I WASN'T concerned, see the difference?

Huh, excuse me? But what is she talking about... She wasn't even involved, it doesn't make any sense? It seems she's even worse than the narcissist on the bus... She really puts on airs of superiority, don't you think? I get the feeling that no matter what I could have said, she would have found a way to look down on me the same way she's doing right now.

Before I even had time to respond to her words, I felt Ishigami whisper in my ear once more, his tone seemed even more annoyed, as if he really had enough of her.

Ishigami: You see, she's just a bitch! If we stay here, she's going to ruin our lives for hours, thinking she's superior and whatever you say, she'll just look for ways to bring you down! We'd better get out of here while we can, otherwise, it's going to be a real nightmare!

Riku: Uh, it's just a misunderstanding! I mean, she's upset just because I was looking at her on the bus, right? I guess it's normal to be a bit on guard in those situations, isn't it? We shouldn't judge people like that, you know...

Ishigami: Trust me! Just by observing their eyes and gaze, I can capture 5 to 6% of people's true nature! She seems almost as intimidating and scary as Shinomiya-san, if we stay here, the longer we linger, the more we put ourselves in danger!

Huh? Where does he get that statistic... And... doesn't that seem a bit exaggerated? I mean, I'm convinced anyone could do that!! Well, I notice that Ishigami doesn't seem comfortable with her at all, that's obvious... And well, I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable too. He must be right about one thing: we'd better wrap up this story quickly, or I fear our dignity won't survive her judgment.

Contemptuous Girl: I'd prefer if you stopped whispering behind my back, it's irritating. If you have something to say, say it outright! Is there something that bothers you about my way of thinking or acting? Obviously not, right? After all, what could a person like you possibly have to say to someone like me?

Riku: Oh, no, it's just that... Well, anyway, it seems a bit... immoral, don't you think? I mean, you seem to be bragging about rather dubious reasoning. I mean, you could have done like me and tried to calm things down... There's nothing wrong with being a bit nice and giving up your seat to an old lady, is there?

Contemptuous Girl: Immoral, you think? I don't see how it's immoral to simply not stand up in that situation, it simply didn't concern me, I wasn't sitting in a priority seat! And don't compare me to an idiot like you, you're probably the kind of naive and stupid boy I find most annoying. I could never get along with someone like you!

That's... pretty direct, and frankly hurtful. But what is she talking about? Now, she's seriously starting to annoy me... Why is she insulting me like this? I didn't do anything to deserve such disrespect, did I? "An idiot like me"? It seems she has a real problem... She thinks she's as superior as that narcissist on the bus, but in a completely different way. We'd better get out of here as quickly as possible.

In the end, before I even had time to reply, Ishigami took the initiative. He addressed the contemptuous girl directly, raising his voice a bit, his tone still as dark.

Ishigami: Hey, what's wrong with you?! Why are you breaking him down for no reason, you're the one completely off the rails!! You should apologize, seriously, for confusing him without him having done anything... Chicks like you, who just strut around because they think they're not bad looking and imagine themselves at the center of the universe, it's pathetic. It's because of this kind of attitude that guys are scared to just talk to a girl, and it makes things even harder for guys like me who aren't in the loop!!

Ishigami didn't hold back, pouring out his words quickly, as if the situation really got to him... It seems it hit him personally, doesn't it? Well, I'm still grateful that he's defending me, haha.

But his reaction seemed to annoy and anger the contemptuous girl even more, who clicked her tongue. Her expression hardened under the effect of an even more intense anger, as she now directed her increased attention and fury towards Ishigami, raising her voice even more against him.

Contemptuous Girl: And who told you I was talking to you? You seem even more idiotic than the other one!! You're exactly the type of people I could never get along with!! Humph!! Her irritation seemed to escalate. From what you're saying, I suppose you don't have any friends and you're all alone? Have you ever considered that the problem might be you? Tch, unlike you, I choose to be alone, and it's not comparable!! This guy was just staring at me without my consent on the bus for a stupid reason that wasted my time, if you don't like it, too bad.

W-What? That's... really too much, isn't it? She's seriously starting to make me angry!! Ah, maybe Ishigami went a bit strong, but that doesn't justify her talking to him that way!!

Contemptuous Girl: It just seems like you're the type of dark, IQ-deprived idiot!

Uh... This is really going too far... I haven't even entered the school gates yet, and here's the second drama of the day!! What's going on, do I just have incredible bad luck?! She's really exaggerating, it seems like she's suffering from a serious superiority complex, she's crossing the line with her words...

But just as I was about to retort, I turned my head to cast another look at Ishigami, and there, I saw that he was looking at me too. I caught sight of a tear rolling down his cheek, where his hair doesn't hide his eye. Huh, what? Did all this really affect him that much?! Grrr, even though I've only known him for a short while... I can't just let this happen!

Ishigami: But I just wanted to...

After whispering something, bowing slightly, he started walking, head down, towards the school, moving away ahead.

Huh, what? What's happening? Is he really going to walk away like that?

Ishigami: Nakamura-san... I'm going to head on ahead, we'll see each other later, if I'm not already dead...

Riku: Huh, uh, wait, what?

Puzzled, I cast a glance at Ishigami, then fixed the contemptuous girl with a look of reproach, making it clear that I totally disapproved of her attitude and what she had done was really not okay. She responded with a look just as hard and cold, and I could almost feel the sparks flying between us... Then, my attention shifted back to Ishigami, and I started running after him.

Riku: Ah, wait, Ishigami!