CH2. NENSATO UNIVERSITY

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝒖𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰'𝒎 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇! 𝒊𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕, 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐. 𝒔𝒐, 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒈𝒐 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑!

"𝑴𝒊𝒛𝒖"𝒔𝒂𝒘𝒂~

"Hmmmm- yeah..yeah, this looks good! Add a little touch here."

Today's my first day of college! Naturally, just like doing anything new in this world, anyone would be pretty nervous. But currently, all that nervousness is being overshadowed by the fact that I'm being pampered by my best friend. I was slightly annoyed.

"Hey Arata, are we done yet?"

Arata was currently, as he puts it, 'dolling me up,' and so here I am, sitting on a very uncomfortable chair, getting my hair ready…

"Of course not! Things like this take time, and I mean, you don't wanna be a laughing stock on the first day, right?! Oh, the horror…"

"Are you crying?!"

Overacting, like always…

"Besides, if anyone makes fun of me for looks in college, who's the real loser then?"

"You just don't get it, Makoto! It's not about who's looking at who. It's about presentation, and how you carry yourself! No one's gonna listen to someone who doesn't even care about appearance. It just shows how lazy and unmotivated you are. Getting girls and people to notice you should just be a bonus!"

"Woooooow" I said, giving him a sly grin. "Who knew Arata had it in him? A full on therapy session."

"I also have this in me-"

It was then that I regretted my last statement…

"Ow!?" He pulled my hair hard.

"Heh heh, did you forget who's in control of your hair right now?"

His face was full of smugness, but damn, did he have to pull that hard?! Time passed, and…

"Finished! Man, I make amazing art work, if I do say so myself."

"I'm not your art piece, you know…"

I looked at the mirror in front of me and what I saw wasn't me. I saw a confident, dashing young man with amazing friends and a really hot girlfriend. But, sadly, that's not me. Changing my looks didn't help me at all. The outside may look hot and sexy, but the inside still looks ugly. For starters, I never really cared about how I dressed. I'd go to school with the same hair I slept in, and whenever I did clean it up, it was half-assed at best. It didn't help that I didn't care about people's opinions. Sure, what I did might be called running away, but that's just me.

"Sooooo, how do you like it?"

"I-its good!"

"Perfect! Okay. So we finished the hair. Now we have-"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT! We're gonna be late at this point! And I don't know about you, but being late on the first day of MY school year is something I'd rather not have!"

I got up and prepared to leave.

"I was just gonna say put your uniform on and let's go…"

After many interruptions, we finally left the apartment and headed for school…

𝘐𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯-𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮. 𝘐𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. N𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭. D𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘢, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. W𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

"Man, aren't you excited! Cause I am, oh yeah! I gotta show you my new friends!"

We started walking towards the station. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘩𝘶𝘩? I noticed while we were walking that a lot of students were actually staring at us? I mean, it's obvious why. Arata is walking with me, but still, this many people? And the way they're looking, too. The way they're staring, it can't just be his good looks, right?

"Hmmmm, you made new friends, huh?"

"Yep yep! Both are beauties, too!"

The way he responded in an over-confided tone was kinda funny. "Look man, just don't forget about the little people." I started putting my hands in my pockets.

Arata wrapped his arm around my shoulder "What, you jealous I'll forget about you or something? We're a team! I'm your Coke to your hamburger! You're the main course and I just spice things up!"

"Okay okay, I get it! Geez, why do you have to keep making outlandish metaphors for our relationship?!"

We entered the station, and as I figured, it was all students with some elderly and families. It was extremely packed. "Come on Arata, we'll miss the train if we don't hurry!" I proceeded to walk towards the train that'll take us into the city. However, why wasn't Arata moving?

"Where are you going, man? Our train's this way." Arata proceeds to walk in a different direction from the usual train.

"Our..?" I then realized where Arata was going, a lot of other students were gathered so I followed him.

We managed to get our spots on the train. I must have looked like a fool because I was the only one confused about the current situation. Arata and all the other students were completely fine, like they were used to all this.

"We actually got a seat this time!" Arata sat down looking stressed.

"This time? What's going on, why are all the students here?" It was only students on the train, nobody else.

"Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, huh?" He scratched the back of his head, hiding the fact he just didn't want to tell me. "Well, this is basically a train exclusively for us. It takes us straight to the school, no need to stop at the city.

I've been to the city a couple of times. It's pretty cool, with lots of street activities and restaurants. "I see. That's actually really convenient, with no charge? That's actually amazi-"

I stopped mid sentence, as I heard a thud coming from down the train car.

"These are our seats, so get off!"

The three girls from the other day were harassing yet another student, or more like students, this time.

"What the hell? We were here first!"

The three of them were apparently picking on a group of girls for their seats, by the looks of it.

"Did I ask? Seriously, people like you are so annoying." One of the girls, probably the leader of the group, pulled out her phone "Look, do you see my points? Now hurry up and move!" Another one then proceeded to stomp on the sitting girl's foot"

"Ow!" The girl shouted, clearly in pain.

The girls were looking around frantically for help, and that's when I noticed nobody cared, some even scrolling on their phones or having conversations.

"It's a shame really."

Arata looked forward with disgust, but unlike the last time, he just stood there watching.

"Hey, Arata? Shouldn't we do something?" If no one was gonna do it then shouldn't we, or I say we, but shouldn't Arata at least do something?

"No." Arata said, with a cold expression, and he kept on observing the situation.

"Okay…" I was shot down. I wasn't gonna go in and try stopping this, I couldn't.

"That's enough!"

Almost like an action movie, the main hero arrived.

"Huh? Who..? Oh!?" The girl's turned around, dumbfounded at who was behind them. "Mazuto-kun?!"

A young man stood behind the girls. He had short brown hair, a toned body, and tall, all qualities of a perfect, handsome man. "This Mazuto guy must be a real piece of work if he can calm those three…"

"That's Mazu for ya."

Without realizing it, I said what I was thinking aloud, and Arata responded back.

"Geez if you guys were gonna bully at least do it where no one sees… or was it something else?" Mazuto pulled out his phone. "It was bragging about how many points you have huh?"

"What of course not?! Izu-"

"Yo, Mazu!"

Without realizing it, Arata entered the fray

"Yo Ari!"

At first glance, it might look like a friendly greeting, but there was obvious tension going on.

"So, Mazu, can you control your women?"

"I'm sorry Ari, I thought these were yours?"

They both look straight at each other with a cold expression.

"I'm sorry, we'll go! Let's go girls!" Obviously not being able to handle the pressure, the first girl left, with the other two following.

"Well that's settled, I suppose. See ya."

Arata came back to me and put his arm around my shoulder as we returned to our seats, but while going back I took the chance to glance behind us, and that Mazuto guy was looking straight at me, with a smile on his face.

"You have a lot of enemies, huh?"

"Let's not talk about it."

We eventually came to a stop and arrived at the school. The inside looked like the same train station as the one we left from, but slightly different. It seemed like it was stamped all over with events, logos, and a map detailing the school.

"We made it. Come on Maki, I wanna show you the front of the school!" Without time to process what I was even looking at, Arata grabbed my hand and we ran towards the exit of the station.

As we exited the station, it felt like the angels from above were blinding me with their light to unveil something holy. Once I got a good view of what I saw, I was awestruck. The first thing that caught my eye was a building so tall it made me shudder. It was surrounded by other large buildings, each one brown in color. The place was massive.

"Wow…" That's all I could say, really. It was breathtaking.

"I'll let you take it all in." Arata slapped me on the back and walked ahead.

"Ow?! Hey, where are you going?"

"I've got things to do! You're on your own."

"Hey, wait? Aren't you gonna escort me to the teacher's lounge?"

"There're maps for a reason! Besides, I'm sure little ole you can figure it out!"

And there he went, running off into the distance, without a care in the world. "Asshole…"

After I found the location of the teacher's lounge, thanks to a map near the front of the campus, I decided to have a look around. It was still pretty early, so not many people were walking around.

For a school that's supposed to be big and popular, I expected this place to be packed. "Huh…?" Without realizing it, I accidentally tripped someone.

"Agh!"

Grab her now! I pulled out my hand from my pocket and grabbed the lady's wrist-

"Oh, I'm fine!?"

Wow. Her hand is smooth. Definitely someone who takes care of her skin. Is that muscle I feel? Maybe she works out...yeah definitely must be-

"Umm. Guy?"

"Eek!?"

Seriously? Eek? I kept my eyes closed wondering about all the possibilities. When I opened them, I found a goddess looking dead at me. She had silky blonde hair with a nice figure. I instantly turn red….

"Ummmm..can you..uh let go…"

I let go and without instinct, I bow. "I'm sorry!"

Some people in the hallway were staring and probably laughing…

"No, no. You saved me, it's okay."

She gave me a warm smile. I could stare at that smile on repeat for ages...

"Well, I guess it was my fault for not paying more attention. This was totally avoidable." I must have given a nervous expression without realizing, because she's looking at me funny.

"Hmmmm. You remind me of a friend of mine. She always over thinks things. She needs to learn how to live a little. So do you, guy!"

'Guy' isn't my name...but she's cute, so I'll let it slide. I left thinking the conversation was over.

"Oh yeah! Are you new here?"

"Yeah, it's technically my first day here."

"Oh? What's your name?"

If I were popular, what would I say in this situation? An image of Arata's stupid face popped up.

"I'm 'Guy'.."

"...."

"...."

Say something please?!?

"Was that a joke…?"

I heard her give out a chuckle.

"Yes, that was a joke! Remember how you kept calling me 'Guy' I thought I'd be funny if-"

"You really don't have to explain. I get the joke, I mean…"

God I'm so stupid!! "It's Makoto Suzuki.."

"Emilia Sasaki! Wow, our last names sound so alike. Freaky?!

She gave me a shocked, but playful expression. It was probably her way of telling me it's okay. Things don't have to be awkward. Easier said than done..

"Hey Emilia, we're gonna be late!"

I heard a few girls yell out her name.

"Sorry! I'll be right there!"

And that was it, my fateful encounter with a beautiful hot blonde was over before it started.

"Better get going.." let out a huge sigh and continued to the teacher's lounge.

"Here it is.." I stood in front of the teacher's lounge still thinking about the interaction I had not even 5 minutes ago "Maybe I should have approached the joke differently.." I opened the door into the lounge.

"Give me back my bra, Emi-chan!"

"Gotta reach Akane! Reach!"

The black haired teacher was messing with the short brown haired teacher in a way I can only describe as childish.

"You know how short I am, give it back!"

"Who's fault was it for taking it off? We have a school to run! What if the students saw?!"

"Please, we're all adults! And it's so fricking hot! Give me a break!"

They ended up running around the whole lounge, destroying it in the process.

Seriously, who are they..? "What the hell.."

"Hey you catch!"

"Huh?! Wait-" and before I knew it, I had a pink-laced bra in my hands. 𝘈 𝘤𝘶𝘱..

"Ahhh give that back! You perv!"

Perv?! How cliche can this get?! "No wait! Stop!" I threw the bra towards the teachers.

"I got it!" She said, falling face-first to the ground in the process.

"Nice catch!" Clapping was heard throughout the room.

"Geez, Emi, you're always doing this!" She looks at me flustered. "Who even is this kid anyway?! Ever heard of knocking?"

𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘶𝘩..

"Give this man a break Akane, it's the kid's first day. Makoto Suzuki, right?"

A tall handsome man stood in the back wearing a lab coat with black frizzy hair. Right off the bat, you can tell how toned he is. "Yes sir!" I bowed.

"Wait, were you here the whole time, Subaru?"

"Hm? Yeah, in the back."

"Eek?!" The girl's face turned even more red after hearing another person was watching.

"Even got a pretty great video out of it."

"You know that's technically sexual harassment?"

"Please, what would I gain from sexualizing you two?"

It seems the short haired teacher took offense to that because her flustered face turned to anger.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Delete that now, please. Or I will be forced to take action."

"Come on, we both know you won't. What I did applies to the school rules. Besides, if you do, I'll let this video get out. And I'm sure that's the last thing you need. I got blackmail on you, that's all." He pulls out a cigarette.

Whoever this guy is, he's pretty carefree, but also extremely smart. 𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦..

"Also, a pink bra? Aren't you overgrown for one of those?"

"I-" she got up quicker than she fell and went straight for an attack. "Shut up! Shut up!" She repeatedly hit the teacher named Subaru's chest, flustered.

"Cute."

"Um…" This has gone on long enough, and I don't have all day.

"Sorry kid. Akane! We have a guest."

"I'm not done yet! Ahhh, let me at him!" The black-haired female teacher grabbed the short-haired teacher. It was honestly kinda hilarious.

"I'm assuming he's here for you, Subaru? We didn't get any news on a kid being here today."

"Yep, but formalities are in order. Kid, listen good." He then pointed at the two other teachers. "The flat-chested one is Akane Ogawa and the big-boobed one is Emiko Hibiki."

Looking at the teachers, they were both 'unique.' While their clothing wasn't anything special, just basic teacher attire, they all had characteristics that set them apart. Ogawa Akane was a small person, and by the looks of it, she's at least 5'4 with short brown hair letting it go down, almost looking like a cute squirrel. If I didn't know she was a teache,r I would have mistook her for a student, honestly. And then we have the person next to her, Hibiki Emiko, who was the complete opposite of everything Ogawa was. She had long, blonde hair tied in a bun, and was beautiful, too. She was the perfect height for the type of woman she is. If being a teacher doesn't work out, then a model would surely fit her.

"Saving the best for last we have…" pointing at himself like it was some kind of game show, "the handdddsoooome looking! Yamashita Subaru!"

Yamashita definitely had the confidence to back up that extravagant statement. His physique was great, and matched with his frizzy hair, he's every woman's dream. I'm sure in his prime he had girls lining up.

"M-Makoto Suzuki"

"Let's go kid. An orientation is in order."

"Wait, we're not doing this here?" I expected I came to the teacher's lounge because of the orientation, but I guess not.

"You two get to class, yeah? Your students are eagerly waiting. And I don't think they wanna know why you were late."

"Yeahhh, yeahhh." Ogawa left with a gloomy expression. 𝘈𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵..

"See you again, Suzuki-san."

The way she passed me was like some kind of spell, like she knew she could have any guy she wanted without difficulty. I doubt she does what she does for fun, and whatever her reason may be, I might already be enchanted. "Y-yeah."

"Be careful with that one, she knows how to toy with a man. Anyways, we should get going ourselves."

"It was that obvious, huh."

"All over your face, man"

"..." With just the sound of his laughter, we both exited the room. 𝘏𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺..

On the way to the destination, it was really awkward. I had no idea if I should say something or stay quiet. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘥𝘰. Without a second thought, I asked- "Hey, Ogawa and Emiko both wore suits, so what's with the lab coat?" It wasn't something I was that invested in, but a conversation is a conversation, after all. 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴!

"Well, I get cold pretty easily, and the AC in the lounge actually works, so."

He could have worn a sweater? But wasn't Ogawa saying it was too hot, and that was why she took her bra off? 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘬… 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴, 𝘴𝘰, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 '𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵' 𝘩𝘰𝘵. M𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦.

"We're here."

The plate next to the door we stopped at read 'Visiting Room.' Yamashita went in, so I followed him. As I entered, the atmosphere felt heavy for some reason. The room was pretty bare minimum, with only trophies and achievements as decoration, and a table with two couches in the center of the room. The blinds were shut, making the lighting somewhat dim. It was also cold. Very cold.

"Let's get started, shall we?" He went and sat on the couch in the back and pulled out a cigarette. Naturally, I followed, and sat on the couch in the front.

𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?!

He dangles a cigarette in front of me. "Hm? You want one?"

"Huh..? What, no. I don't smoke."

"Good kid, huh?"

He let out a chuckle, meaning all that was just one big tease. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘦. "Sure, man."

He gave me a soft smile and put the cigarette away. "Anyways, I'm sure you have questions."

"How'd you know?" Of course I had questions, since day one of coming into this city. Everything just felt off, like I'm missing the bigger picture.

"I mean, given the circumstances, anyone would."

"Then I'm sure I can ask?"

"Nope. First, I have a question for you." He leans in and his facial expression which was usually carefree turned serious. "Do you believe everyone is equal?"

"No."

"Wow, not even gonna think about it?"

I leaned in and continued. "I'm not dumb. Obviously we aren't, I know full well what I can and can't do. All my life I've been on the less favorable side of luck." When it comes to looks and even interactions, they all fall flat. I get shy or nervous easily, and I have a hard time talking to girls especially. I literally got the worst traits imaginable, so yeah, I know the meaning of 'unfair.' People are just naturally better than me. But even so.. "I have a friend that I look up to, he's super amazing and he can do anything he puts his mind to. He's literally the opposite of me, so for someone like me to be best friends with a guy like that?" I suddenly realized something that Arata taught me. "I can care less about being equal or not. At the end of the day, we all end up doing the same things, and hanging out with those who aren't as fortunate. Like me and my best friend." I didn't realize until right now, but Arata taught me that no matter who you are or what you look like, we are all the same. It shouldn't matter what people think.

"Hmmmm. Okay. So what I'm getting at is that people who live high-end lives and people who are less fortunate end up, one way or another, doing the same things, as if different paths have the same destination?"

"Yeah, something like that. I'm not saying my way of thinking is smart. Hell, some people would call it stupid, even to the point of hating this world for it. But I'm living proof that a defect in life can stand tall with someone who's perfect. All you gotta do is make an effort to change." Sure, I hate myself, and I'm gonna be honest, I used to blame the world for me being who I am. Arata was the one who woke me up from all that. The whole idea that it's all the world's fault is stupid.

"I see. Well, Suzuki, that was a pretty basic response."

I know it was, I wasn't trying to say something I don't mean.

"But you obviously gave it some thought and gave me a somewhat decent answer. Other people would say they don't care. In saying that, though, most people mean they don't care to think about an answer. Everyone has different views on life, and this must be yours."

𝘔𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦..

"Well, that'll do." He put a document on the table in front of me "It's about time we finally begin."

"What about you? What do you think about equality?" Lately, I've been trying to be more talkative. The old me wouldn't have 'bothered' asking him about his thoughts. Even though I say 'bothered,' it's more like it would be too late and the conversation would have already moved forward before I could ask, but not this time. I figured what better chance than any.

"Well, I frankly don't care. It has nothing to do with me, anyways. I live my own life and don't need to compare other people. If I had a bad hand, then that's me, I'm not gonna complain about it."

His answer was so straightforward and he looked so dumbfounded, like I asked him something that seemed so obvious. "I see.." I legit had nothing else to say so I stood quite.

"Can we continue? Pick up the folder."

I picked it up and on top it read 'Nensato University Confidential' "What's this?" I opened it up. "It's the city?"

"Yep. Magnificent, is it not?"

"I mean, yeah, but why I'm I looking at it? I thought I'd be looking at the school's campus, if anything."

"You are?"

"Huh..?"

"That map is the school campus."

"Wait, what?!" This whole city..is the school? But how? Is that even legal? Who's funding this? I have so many questions.

"Judging by that look, I'm guessing you're wondering how all this is possible, right?"

"Of course I am, that's insane?!" What would a whole city for just a school even be used for?

"Nensato City was a project in-planning for twenty years by a man named Hajime Fujiki. His sole purpose was to do research on the limits of a human being, how far can one human go. He started funding pretty early in his career; he had people who funded it in a heartbeat. Eventually years passed and production began on the creation of the city. Just recently, production finished, and here we are."

"As 'recently,' you mean three years ago, right?" That would also explain why not many people know the whole city's just one big school. Also doesn't help that this is a great tourist spot. They all come and go without realizing what the city's really like.

"Yep, three years ago. Making you guys of grade one, 2nd generation."

"2nd generation..?" What does that even mean?

"This school is designed as a three year college, no matter what you came here for. Something that'll take you five years can be done in three here. The 'test' began three years ago, with a somewhat decent size of students, and after those students graduated, you guys came, making you the 2nd generation.

"And what about the other two grades above us? Would that be 1st generation or 2nd?"

"1st, because every three years is a new generation so once you graduate, the new people coming in from year one would be 3rd generation."

"I see." I wonder what the 1st generation of people are like.

"Do you know how this project got to this scale?"

"No… I mean, this has never been done before. I can't even imagine."

"Well, who do you think Fujiki was working for?"

Who was he working for? I'm sure it wasn't an independent project, but what? He had to be working under someone with power, I mean that someone probably has connections and was able to start working on this project. A company maybe? But then, something this big would need approval..from the government? That's it, the government! No matter who in the world you are, it has to get passed through the Japanese government. "The government?"

"Ding ding ding! Right on the mark." He started clapping and, I won't lie, it felt good. "Fujiki was working as a scientist for the government and came up with the idea and went straight to the top and the people at top liked the idea."

"This research see progress?" I'd imagine once they got what they wanted they'd shut this place down.

"It did, but Fujiki saw the potential in the project after the 1st generation. He wanted to surpass his own talent and make an even better human than what he already created. In a way, it's honestly insane.

𝘏𝘦 is 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦!

"Wait, does that technically mean I'm a test subject?" Arata as well?

"Nope, not you guys. If anything, you guys are 'stand-ins.' Very replaceable."

"Wait, what? That's a little harsh to say, isn't it?"

"Just the truth. Question: What's the most important thing for a school to have?"

Another question huh? Well that's.."An educational system?"

"Nope!" He makes an X shape with his arms and for some reason that really hurts. "Yes, an educational system is important, but there's one thing that's even more important. Can't have an educational system without anyone to teach that system to.

"Ooooh that makes sense, so students." Kinda felt dumb for not guessing that one.

"Yep. Obviously, making five hundred talented geniuses is a crazy task, but if we have, say, at least a hundred students, and out of those hundred, 25 students are a success, that's much more manageable. A new problem comes with that solution, however. We can't exactly have a school with just one hundred students, and especially with it being the whole city. Not exactly profitable. The government doesn't have that kind of money. But Fujiki thought of an excellent idea. What if we fill the school with 'regular' students and have them pay to live in the city and those funds go back into the project."

"So, what I'm getting at is we're basically tools?" Though it disappoints me, as long as it doesn't ruin my college experience, it shouldn't be a problem.

"Pretty much."

"Then with these "talented geniuses" chosen for the project, how do you find them?"

"Well, multiple ways actually. Some people get chosen on recommendation and raw talent, but most of the subjects come from the school itself."

"The school itself? Like what, we get tested?"

"Sorta, this is where the point system comes in."

"Points..?" That word again. I remember those girls saying something about how many points they have and then that guy as well. He also said something about having more points.

"Yep, the point system basically keeps track of your 'record' at this school. Between working a part time job all the way to doing school activities, you get points, and they add up. Obviously, the points aren't for show, you do get value in them. You can practically use these points as currency all around the city."

"I think I'm starting to understand a little, but where do the test subjects come in?"

"These points are converted into personal class rankings. Speaking of it, let's talk about the class ranking system. Remember how I asked if you think everyone's equal or not? This is where that part comes in. You guys are essentially fighting for the top spot. Each student has a rank, and using you as an example, your year has 180 students, so the lowest rank would be #180 with #1 being the highest." He points at the document. "Pull out your phone and scan that QR code on the document."

"Hmmm, okay." I scanned the code and took me to a website that looks like it was for the school. On the center of the page says 'Neni.' Was that supposed to be cute? It had a download option, so I clicked it.

"While that's downloading, I'll continue. One thing I highly recommend is that you remember the rankings well. If you're a higher rank, you can essentially tell someone lower than you to do whatever you want. Obviously, there's a limit on what you can tell that person to do, anything that has to do with violence and sexual acts is a no."

Everything started to make sense. That's where the whole equality thing came in. The higher rank you are, the more benefits you have. The event on the train makes a whole lot more sense too. The girls making the fuss must've been a higher rank than the girls sitting down, and why nobody got up to help. This rank system gives students the motivation to give everything they do at this school the best they've got.

I felt my phone vibrate and checked the download, seeing it was finished. "It's done, now what?"

"Great. Now put this password and username into the login info." He handed me a small piece of paper with the information on it.

"Wow I'm in!" I was greeted with a cute AI robot, after the greeting message I saw my rank. #152 "Oh, I'm 152." I know I'm below average, but not gonna lie, part of me hoped I was at least a little bit higher.

"152? Not bad."

"Not bad? Last time I checked, 152 is close to 180."

"Well yeah, but like it could have been worse. Makoto, you entered school late, remember? You were originally #139 but as the school started, more opportunities arose for the students making your rank go lower. In saying that though it's still early so I'm sure you'll catch up pretty soon."

"Yikes, that sucks… but still how did I even get that number? Seems random."

"That's because it is random. Every student's starting rank is random, so technically you could have gotten rank 1 if you were lucky."

What?! They based a super important part of the school's system on luck?! "Sir, that sounds like a flawed system."

"It does, doesn't it? But going by your views of life, it shouldn't matter right? Suck it up and get to the place you want to, right?"

Yikes. It's like he already knows me. If I wanna be #1, then I'll just go up the ranks, simple as that. "I guess so."

"Honestly, for someone like you to get into the top spots is something the higher ups would love to see."

"Oh yeah? Let me guess, is it because if someone was able to make it to the top with everything against him, that'll mean this project was a success?" In its own way, this is also "surpassing the human limits."

"That's another way, yes. But in saying that, though, being in the top spot isn't easy, you constantly have to maintain that position. If you were one of the 'lucky' ones to start off on the top, it's extremely difficult to maintain it, so is that really lucky in the end? If they do manage to keep that spot, however, they do get a chance in the next school year to start as an 'Elite' by taking a test."

Yeah, it would suck to be constantly having to keep the position. "As for the natural way to become 'elites?'"

"Raw talent is subjective, and so even though they had potential, they went through some pretty intense tests."

"What do you mean 'intense'?

"Sorry can't say, even I don't know. Some stuff at this school stays confidential even to us teachers."

"I see." So even these teachers have limits on what they can or can't do. I wonder if they had to do some testing to be our teachers?

"That's pretty much it though. I told you all I can, the rest is up to you. Everything I told you is in the documents I gave you. Any final questions?"

I got basically all the answers I wanted, plus more. If I forget anything I can always ask Arata. "Nope, I think I'm good."

"Guess we're done here."

"Yep." I got off my seat and proceeded to leave.

"One last question though!"

"Huh…?" This caught me off guard.

"What will you do, Makoto? Obviously you can stay where you are and live a pretty above average college life, or do you want to strive for greatness and try becoming one of the top students?"

Everything I heard today isn't normal. Even this college isn't 'normal,' so I knew the answer to this question before I even applied here. "I don't care about all that, I just wanna live a normal college life."

"I see… Not gonna lie, I am a little disappointed, especially since he's your best friend. Be warned, however, if you continue hanging out with him, this school will find ways for you to make sure you want to reach the top."

Huh? Him? Arata…? "I see. Thank you sir." With that lingering question, I left the room.

Geez… is everyone here so intense? Anyways, what now? That's really all I came here for today. My phone started vibrating and a message popped up from Arata.

Arata: Hey come to the cafeteria ASAP! It's important!

Makoto: OMW!

Looks like I do have plans after all. Weird that he texted me right as I left the lounget, but I'll let it slide.

I went to the cafeteria like Arata asked me. Quite a few people were already inside. I started my search for Arata. 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭. While I was looking, I heard a voice shout across the room.

"Makoto! Over here!"

It was Arata… He was waving at me and now everyone was staring at me… I put my hands in my pockets and turned my head down as I hurried my way across the cafeteria. All eyes were on me.

"Dude, what the hell?" I was angry and flustered at the situation I was put in.

"What? I thought I'd help you since you seem soooo lost without me!"

"You have green hair! You're not that hard to find!"

"Oh, it's you?!"

Two lovely ladies sitting down on the lunch table blurted out their thoughts on cue.

"Oooh. Seems you two already met this guy?"

"You could say that? I met him earlier today though in the hallway. But what about you, Hina? I didn't know you also knew him?"

"Like you, I also met him in passing. It was during a run.

Why do I sound like an object?

"Um… My name's Makoto Suzuki" I introduced myself and bowed.

The blonde haired girl stood up. "Guess we're doing introductions again! I'm Emilia Sasaki! Nice to meet you!" I was greeted with a smile that can melt all my troubles away.

"Likewise…"

"Guess it's my turn?" The redheaded girl started to stand. "My name is Hina Hinata! Nice to meet 'cha."

Wow, did my heart just skip a beat? Still it's amazing that I actually got to see that girl from that day again. Maybe God was listening!

"Alright, alright. Sit down already!"

Arata forcefully shoved me onto a seat "H..hey?!"

"But like he said. This is Makoto, my best friend and partner in crime!"

"You're stretching it there, buddy…"

"Hahaha. You know, you two don't seem to get along, do you?"

"Oh come on, Emilia. We so do!"

He proceeds to pat me on the head.

"Don't encourage this!"

I heard Hinata laughing in the distance quietly. 𝘚𝘰 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦!

"Say, Suzuki-"

"Call him Makoto! It's better that way, trust me."

What does that dumbass think he's doing?!

"Sasaki, don't listen to this idiot!"

"I'm fine with calling you Makoto! You can call me Emilia, and of course you can call Hina by her first name too!"

"Huh?!" Hinata let out a gasp.

"You're our friend now, and we reallllyyy needed new faces in this group!"

"What do you mean!? My good old face isn't enough for you?!"

"God, you're so full of yourself! Makoto! Definitely don't be like Arata!"

"Okay…" Why do I get so tense whenever I talk to a beautiful girl?

"So! How'd you two even meet anyway?"

She's extremely close right now! How'd we meet.. "The way we met wasn't anything special. I was a lonely kid, and I guess Arata took a liking to me, so we started talking. Over time, he'd protect me and I'd help him ace tests. It was a win-win, you could say. My parents were always busy, so the only other person who I had interaction with was Arata. I could easily say he's my best friend, but no, he's more than that. He's honestly like a brother to me." I kept looking away trying to distract myself from how pretty she looked right now, my heart kept raising.

"Wooow. I see, I see."

Arata grabbed Sasaki and pulled her away. "Okay, that's enough poking information out of my partner!"

𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳!

"Still, though, the relationship you and Arata have is amazing, I kinda wish I had that going for myself…"

"Oh come on Hina! You have meeee." Sasaki gave Hinata a big hug. It was honestly kinda sweet.

"Okay it's about that time! Come on Emi, the food is calling!"

"Huhhh? Why do I have to go with you?!"

If she was gonna complain, then why is she going with him?! With that, those two were gone, leaving me alone… with a girl… just me and her… I took a peek to see what Hinata was up to and I saw her face looking down flustered. She's probably thinking the same thing as me. I have to do something and break the ice.

"Hey Makoto?"

"Hm?" That's surprising, she took the initiative.

"Just wanted to say thanks."

Wow… her blushing is adorable! But thanks for what? "Why?"

"Remember the dress?"

Ooooh I totally didn't forget about that! "Oh, you told her then?"

"Mhm! And guess what? She liked it!"

"That's great!" I don't know why but seeing her smile like that makes me happy. This is a smile worth protecting.

"Also, one more thing.."

"Huh?" She kept on avoiding my direction.

"We sorta knew about you… but we didn't know it was you specifically. Arata did say his long time friend was joining, and me and Emi were curious. I mean, who would a long time friend of Aratas even be like? So today we sorta followed you guys… all the way to the school."

"Wait, seriously?!" Did I look stupid? What was I doing around the time we got on the train?! Damn it! I probably was doing something stupid, knowing me!

"Please don't tell Arata about this! He told me not to tell you!"

"I won't, don't worry." I let out a sigh of relief from the fact it could have been way worse.

"You know Makoto, you're pretty normal. Like, I thought Arata's 'long time friend' would pretty much be Arata 2.0, but you're easy to talk to and pretty funny!"

"Hahaha… thanks."

We just stood quietly and looked at each other for a little bit but Hinata must have noticed something, because she broke the silence.

"I'm not trying to hit on you, okay?"

"Huh, what?!" We kept looking at each other but this time we were both blushing.

"Oooh, what's going on here?!"

"Ah?!" Arata kicked me on my leg in surprise. I was so in the moment I didn't even realize he came back.

"You good Hina?"

"Y-yeah."

She obviously wasn't. I mean, I wasn't. How was I even supposed to process what just happened?

"Say Makoto, aren't you hungry?"

I took another glance at Hinata and saw her furiously typing on her phone. 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦!

"Oh, well, I'm not really hungry! You know, diet things."

I actually was hungry, but I just don't like eating in front of people.

"Ehhhhh, but you're so thin! If anything, you need muscle!"

"Right?! That's what I've been saying!"

"You shut it!"

I don't need to hear this coming from Arata.

Arata and Sasaki continued eating while me and Hinata were silently listening in, answering questions here and there.

"Man, I'm stuffed. Might go for seconds!"

"Oh no you don't!" Sasaki looks at Arata angrily "We have plans today and you promised to help out at the shelter! Speaking of which, we should get going!"

"Fineeeeee."

"Emi is right. I don't wanna be late."

"No way!? Not you too, Hina!"

"Oh hey, Makoto, how about you come with?"

"Huh-?"

"Oh! That would be fun! Makoto, come on! We're going!"

Don't I have a say in this?!

"Thanks for the offer, but you see, I have things I need to do. School stuff…and I don't want to get behind." Of course I lied. There were no school assignments, but it just didn't feel right going with them, especially when it feels like I forced my way in.

"Awww. That is a shame. Maybe next time then."

I gave her a nod.

"Well, let's go gang!"

They proceed to clear off the table and grab their stuff and so did I. At that moment, Arata came close to me and whispered

"I'll let this slide this time, but next time you will go with us."

𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦…

"Hahahaha…"

"Arata, come on!"

"Coming! Geez."

Well I should get going too-

"Makoto!"

"Huh?" It was Hinata. She ran towards me.

"Thanks again! Um… I'll see you later!"

She ran back towards the others and all I could do was embarrassingly wave goodbye while Arata gave me a sly grin. 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦.

"I should head home.."

"Makabe, sir, did you get all the information you needed?"

"Yeah, nothing special, at least from afar. I expected more from Arata. Soon, we'll move to the 2nd phase and I'll have my revenge. Let's go, Erika." I will take down Arata. This will be the last time you'll make a fool out of me, and I'll use your own friend to do so.

Hey, Mizu here! Man, two chapters done! I don't know why but this chapter took a minute to complete, hopefully it'll be a smoother process. This chapter we finally get into the plot of things, and some of you may know where I got the inspiration for the whole school plot line. I figured if I'm doing a romance I'll at least have something entertaining for the people who want more than just the romance, but it's not all copy and paste. I figured I'll put my own spin on things! That's really all for now see you in chapter three!