(Hello, it's been a while!
I never imagined that so many people would enjoy this fanfic. To be honest, if even just ten people liked it, I would have already been more than satisfied. Maybe I underestimated myself. But in the end, I'm just someone trying to create something cool – and learning in the process.
I'm very grateful to those who liked it, even with only one chapter available. I thought about giving up on this romance because I didn't think it was good enough, but I'll do my best to deliver something of quality for you all.
So, without further ado, here's the next chapter. I hope you like it!)
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"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."— Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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While Akira was in his contemplative state, all the students had already taken their seats. Looking around, Akira recognized some familiar faces.
'It looks like they're teasing each other... I guess that means they're getting along.'
First, the boy in front of him, with a stoic face, looking like a flesh-and-bone robot. He gives off the impression that if he tries to make an expression, it will sound like metal creaking.
'Yeah, it's decided. From now on, I'll call him Mr. Poker Face. I wonder if rubbing grease on his face would help?'
Unable to stop having these amusing thoughts, Akira froze.
'Wait… isn't it exactly the same with me? Damn, I'm making fun of others, but I'm no different...'
Shaking his head, Akira shifted his gaze to the right, looking at a girl reading a book. The same pain-in-the-neck girl he saw at the entrance, seeming cold and indifferent. A stuck-up madam, basically.
'This one? I'll call her Ice Potty. Thinks she's a queen, but in the end, she's just a cold toilet. Sounds fair enough.'
"What are you looking at? Your gaze disgusts me. I'd prefer if you didn't look at me—it's uncomfortable."
Surprised by the sudden verbal attack, Akira couldn't help but be at a loss for words.
"Ah, it's nothing... I just thought that, since we're neighbors, it would be nice to know your name and get to know you a little better. But, I don't know… whatever."
Sighing, Akira could already feel the headache coming, thinking it was going to be a pain living next to this Ice Queen.
"Hhmp, why would I waste my time on something so useless? No, thanks."
"Then, from today on, I'll call you Ice Potty. Nice to meet you. I'll be counting on you from now on, Ice Potty."
'Getting along? What a joke! I thought these two were understanding each other, but there's no way anyone could get along with this… thing.'
Sighing for the thousandth time, Akira couldn't help but pray for his academic survival...
"Huh? What do you mean by tha—"
The girl—now Ice Potty—quickly lifted her head, trying to say something, but before she could speak, the first bell rang, cutting her off.
Akira completely ignored the girl beside him and focused all his attention on the woman who had entered the classroom, letting her words fall on deaf ears.
She wore a suit and had delicate features. Her hair seemed long, tied up in a ponytail. She appeared to be in her thirties, looking quite cold and indifferent.
She seemed oddly familiar—reminded him of a certain annoying girl.
"Ahem, good morning, students. I am the instructor of Class D, Chabashira Sae. There are no class transfers in this school, so I will be responsible for you for the next three years until graduation."
Absorbing this information, Akira couldn't help but grow even paler, unconsciously glancing at the girl to his right.
'Wait, I have to put up with this Ice Queen for three whole years? One year, I could manage, but three? No way… they allow class changes… right?'
Sighing for the thousandth time, Akira couldn't help but pray for his luck during his time at this school...
"First, here is the rulebook. Take one and pass it to the next person."
Chabashira-sensei handed the books to the students in the front row, who passed them back until one finally reached my hands.
"We have special rules here. First, you will stay in dormitories, and while you are in school, leaving the campus and communicating with the outside world will be restricted."
At this school, all students, without exception, were required to live in the dormitories located within the school's premises.
Furthermore, except in special cases, students were prohibited from contacting anyone outside the school. Even communication with immediate family was forbidden without authorization.
Naturally, leaving the school without permission was also strictly prohibited.
"However, there's no need to worry. The campus has a variety of facilities within the school itself. Everything you need is here, including leisure options such as karaoke, a theater, a café, a boutique, and much more…"
Since students spent three consecutive years on campus, various entertainment options were made available to prevent boredom and allow them to relax.
Even Akira couldn't help but feel a little excited thinking about the variety of options. Deep down, he was still just a teenager who never really had the chance to unwind, let alone have fun.
As Chabashira-sensei continued her explanation, she began distributing the cell phones from the box she had brought. Holding one up in her right hand, she proceeded with her explanation.
"This is your student ID, so don't lose it. To make purchases, you will need points, which are stored in the S-System. With this card, you can access all campus facilities, shop at the store, and much more. It works like a credit card, but it's crucial to keep an eye on the points you spend. Here, your points can be used to purchase almost anything."
At this institution, student ID cards functioned almost like currency. The absence of physical money helped prevent the financial issues many students faced.
"Your student cards can be used simply by scanning them on the machine. The method is easy, so you shouldn't get confused. Points are automatically deposited into your account on the first day of each month. You all should have already received 100,000 points. Keep in mind that one point is equivalent to one yen. No further explanation should be necessary."
"100.000?"
"Isso é sério?"
Houve comoção na sala de aula.
Faz sentido, 100.000 pontos é equivalente há 100.000 ienes, não é uma quantidade que um aluno do ensino médio normal deveria possuir. Sem considerar, que segundo as palavras da professora todo mês, no primeiro dia, receberam esta quantidade, o que era, sem dúvida, impressionante.
Upon opening the phone box, Akira accessed his student wallet, and as expected, the balance was clearly displayed:
100,000 points.
'A pretty generous amount, but why exactly 100,000? That's quite a lot for a high school student, especially in this institution, where there's no need to cover any of the expenses an adult would have. It almost feels like we're being encouraged to spend a lot…'
There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. The things that seem free are always the ones that cost the most in the end.
"Shocked by this amount? In this school, everything operates on merit. Here, we evaluate each student's talents. Everyone here passed the entrance exam, and that alone proves your worth. The number of points you received reflects your evaluated performance. You can use your points without restrictions. However, after graduation, all points return to the school. Since points cannot be exchanged for money, there is no advantage in saving them. Once the points are in your account, how you spend them is up to you. Do whatever you want. If you don't want to spend them, you can transfer them to someone else. However, extorting money from your classmates is not allowed. The school monitors bullying very closely."
'The school really seems to take bullying seriously—one of the reasons for all the security cameras around. But again, they're trying to encourage students to spend their points. Now, if the number of points reflects each student's performance… what happens if a student—or rather, the entire class—performs poorly?'
As confusion spread among the students, Chabashira-sensei scanned the room.
"It seems no one has any questions. I hope you all enjoy your time here as students."
With that, Chabashira-sensei left the classroom without bothering to check if the students truly had no questions.
'Great, an Ice Potty 2.0. Just what anyone would want.'
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The classroom immediately filled with excitement. The girls formed their groups, eager to spend their abundant points on clothes, accessories, and other things of interest.
Meanwhile, the boys were making plans to play sports or video games.
"Everyone, can I have your attention for a moment?"
A kind-looking student stood up, instantly drawing the attention of the entire class. He was definitely not a delinquent—if anything, everything about him screamed "popular."
"Starting today, we'll all be classmates. So, I hope we can introduce ourselves and get to know each other better."
"I agree! We don't know anything about each other yet, not even our names."
A beautiful girl of medium height spoke up. She had large crimson eyes and short beige-toned hair—not to mention, she was quite well-endowed in a certain area.
Once the ice was broken, the previously hesitant students started chatting.
"Good"
"Sounds cool"
"Yeah, I don't know what everyone's names are yet"
It only took one person to break the ice for almost everyone to follow suit, especially the female audience.
"Thank you! I'll go first. My name is Hirata Yosuke, or simply Yosuke. Feel free to call me by my first name! I play a variety of sports, but my favorite is soccer, so I plan on joining the club. Nice to meet you!"
Hirata effortlessly performed in front of the entire audience, which took a lot of courage. A classic stereotype of a popular student. Look, his popularity grew quite a bit, catching the attention of many girls in the class.
A girl sitting nearby literally had stars in her eyes...
'He'll definitely be the class leader if he keeps this up.'
Watching this unfold, Akira couldn't help but scoff, it seemed like there was a bright light emanating from Hirata, and the class couldn't help but be drawn to that light. A Drama Hero, in other words.
Someone like him would probably end up dating the prettiest girl in the class. That was how things usually went.
'I'll call him Skirt Poodle'
"Now it's my turn."
A beautiful student stood up with an angelic smile. The same girl who had broken the ice earlier—of average build, short hair, and well-endowed.
"Hi, everyone! I'm Kushida Kikyo, and my biggest wish is to make friends with everyone! I want to get to know all of you as quickly as possible and become friends with each one.
Once we're done with the introductions, I'd love to exchange contact information with you!
I want to make the most of every moment at this school, so after classes or during the holidays, it would be great to create amazing memories together. Call me whenever you want! Well, I think I've said enough, so I'll wrap up here!"
This girl seemed like the type who would open her heart to anyone. She looked like an angel who just wanted to make friends and help everyone best.
'Something about her seems... exaggerated. The smile, the way she talks, the way she behaves—everything sounds overly rehearsed, almost as if she's acting.'
Her smile, her behavior, her words… Everything about her seemed rehearsed, almost theatrical, as if she were playing the role of the "perfect girl." Genuine people don't act like that. Being friends with everyone isn't a life goal—and this forced kindness only made everything more artificial.
Akira wasn't a pessimist. He knew that some people genuinely tried to be friends with everyone. But in the end, it was impossible. There would always be someone who simply didn't like you, someone who wouldn't buy into that "good person" act. At best, you'd form fragile bonds, superficial relationships that would collapse at the first sign of conflict.
And it was exactly this kind of person that bothered him, because in the end, they always gained the support of the majority and ended up making friends—whether superficial or 'genuine'—and both could be dangerous.
People tend to open up more to strangers than to those close to them. This happens because, contrary to what many think, the real fear doesn't come from others' opinions, but from the judgment of those who truly matter. The opinion of a stranger carries no weight, while that of a friend can really hurt.
That's why it's easier to share certain things with someone distant. After all, if that person doesn't have a real impact on your life, there's nothing to lose. But this naive trust is dangerous.
Because, in the end, secrets don't have size—they have consequences.
Imagine a student who, in a casual conversation, mentions that they're afraid of the dark. For them, it's not a big secret, just an irrelevant detail about themselves.
But in the wrong hands, this information can become fuel for jokes and humiliation. In no time, that silly fear becomes a source of ridicule. What was just a simple conversation turns into a bitter regret.
Even an "insignificant" secret can be used against someone. Information has power—and trusting the wrong person can have unexpected consequences.
And if that's already a risk in a superficial friendship, what about a true friendship? The deeper the connection, the greater the risk. Trust can be comforting, but it's also an exposed vulnerability.
Here's the translation for this passage:
In the end, trusting someone always requires a sacrifice.
And maybe it's exactly this sacrifice that keeps us alert.
Ultimately, it's natural to be afraid, because that's part of human nature.
Anyway, after the applause for Kushida, who won the class's favor and admiration, especially from the boys—the next student prepared to introduce himself.
"I'm Yamauchi Haruki. I competed in table tennis during elementary school, and I was the best player on our team. And in baseball, I was number four. I got injured during the inter-school championships in elementary school, but I'm going through rehabilitation now. Nice to meet you."
'What is this idiot talking about? Doesn't he realize everyone knows he's lying?'
Akira couldn't help but find it amusing to listen to this nonsense coming from the guy, who seemed all proud and pleased with himself.
"Are you making a joke or are you a pathological liar? The inter-school championship was a national sports competition for high school students. There's no way an elementary school student would have been among them."
Muttering aloud, Akira expressed what everyone was thinking, but because of the long silence, his voice traveled across the entire class. It caused suppressed laughter and some, well, not so suppressed…
"W-what? Of course, it's true! It's because they recognized my talent that I got to play with the high schoolers! Yeah, that's right, you're jealous of me, so you're trying to attack me, huh?"
"Haaa..."
Watching this circus clown, Akira let out a tired sigh. Apparently, this idiot didn't know when to back down—he was just digging himself deeper into the hole.
No one could control themselves anymore, and the class once again erupted in hysterical laughter—truly pathetic.
Hirata, taking on his role as the "class mom," tried to calm things down with his kindness—and after a long while, he succeeded.
"Well then, the next one is..."
Hirata looked gently at a certain student with dyed red hair, who seemed to exude the air of a delinquent—a gorilla, in other words.
The student, feeling the weight of the gazes, didn't shrink back and stared firmly at Hirata, lightly kicking the table.
"What? Are we a bunch of kids now? I don't need to introduce myself. Anyone who wants to, go ahead, but leave me out of it."
Making a sour face towards the class, it looked like the face of someone who had sucked on a lemon too long.
"Of course, no one can force you to introduce yourself. But I also don't see any harm in getting along with your classmates. If I made you uncomfortable in any way, I apologize."
Hirata, feeling guilty and wanting to ease the mood, lowered his head, causing the delinquent to draw disapproving glances from the girls.
"Isn't it good to introduce yourself?" one of them exclaimed.
"Yeah, exactly!"
"Shut up. I don't care. I didn't come here to make friends."
'This guy acts like a monkey, is he trying to prove his masculinity or what? I'm going to start calling him Baboon.'
With that, he stood up and left the room, followed by a few students doing the same, even our dear Ice Queen, who glanced briefly at me and Mr. Poker Face before heading toward the door and leaving the room.
Hirata, visibly upset, attracted the attention of the girls, who quickly rushed to console him. It must be nice to be popular.
After composing himself, Hirata resumed introducing the remaining students.
The next one to introduce himself was Ike Kanji, a student looking for a girlfriend who, in his own words, hates good-looking guys and loves pretty girls.
He attracted the disgust and contempt of the girls, filling the room with sarcastic comments, and the best part? He didn't even notice, just smiling like an idiot and looking flattered.
'Something tells me this guy is going to get along with Yamauchi. They'll form the class's duo of fools.'
Next was Kōenji Rokusuke's turn, a playboy heir and narcissist, who claimed he would lead Japan and punish everything he considered ugly.
The class clapped, even though they thought Kōenji's introduction was strange—it was even better than Yamauchi and Ike's.
'A free spirit... He seems like a really fun person. But from his behavior, it's clear he's not bluffing.'
As Akira assessed Kōenji's strength and personality, the class shifted their gaze toward him. No... more specifically, toward the stoic student in front of him.
Mr. Poker Face, previously lost in his own thoughts, felt the class's gaze on him. Regaining his composure, he introduced himself.
"Hm. Well, my name is Ayanokōji Kiyotaka. And, uh, I really don't have any special skills or anything. I'll do my best to get along with all of you. Uh, nice to meet you."
He completely failed, and the class remained silent for a while before clapping with "contagious" enthusiasm.
Pity applause is the most painful.
'Looks like Poker Face is also a disaster in social interaction, we have a lot in common. There's no way I can end up worse, right?'
While Akira was lost in his own thoughts, the class directed all their attention to him, the last one to introduce himself.
Akira stood up with a sigh, as if he were being forced to do something completely irrelevant. With a calm, drawn-out voice and an expression as if he had just woken up from a coma, he introduced himself.
Here's the translation for this passage:
"Takashima Akira, or simply Akira. I'm not a fan of sports. Chess, on the other hand, interests me—if anyone wants a challenge, I'm available. Oh, and martial arts are the only kind of sport that attracts me. Nice to meet you, or not. It doesn't make a difference."
Akira decided to be a bit more honest, even trying to give a friendly and kind smile. Needless to say, he failed miserably.
Look, everyone is staring at me with a strange expression, in silence, for just a few minutes. A few students clapped, but in a slow and awkward way, as if they were trying to process what just happened.
'Pity applause, huh. I completely failed.'
Indeed, Akira is the only worthy opponent to the greatest masterpiece, no one can deny that.
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After the introductions, the students went off to do whatever they wanted. The girls went shopping—clothes, makeup—while the boys had fun playing or practicing sports.
Walking calmly to the dormitory, Akira observed his surroundings, familiarizing himself with the place where he would spend much of his academic life.
Upon entering the dormitory, Akira checked in at the reception desk. The attendant handed him a key card with his room number and a manual with the dormitory rules.
He entered the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor.
Apparently, despite the rules discouraging inappropriate relationships, the school opted for a co-ed dormitory, placing the girls on the upper floors and the boys on the lower ones.
1st to 4th floors for the boys.
5th to 8th floors for the girls.
Arriving on his floor, the elevator doors opened, and Akira walked down the hallway, scanning the door numbers until he found his dorm room.
Standing in front of the door, Akira stared at the place that would be his home for the next three long years:
402
As he entered the room, Akira found a simple space: a bed, a small dining table, a nightstand, a bathroom, a small kitchen, and an empty wardrobe. It seemed that it was the student's responsibility to furnish the dorm and buy whatever was necessary.
Akira put a set of clothes in the wardrobe, provided by the school. Each student received two sets, for emergency situations like rips or dirt, when there wasn't time to wash them.
'What an interesting institution, full of unique and charismatic individuals in their own way.'
Lying down on the bed still in his uniform, as he didn't have pajamas and was too lazy to change, Akira slowly drifted off to sleep.
Indeed, a very interesting place, full of emotions.
To be continued...
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(I think I got confused in the previous chapter, all of this happened on the same day, contrary to what the previous chapter says.
The sequence was: Akira's entrance into the school, the entrance ceremony, the teacher's explanation, the introductions, and finally, the dormitory, where the school provided the rest of the day for students to familiarize themselves and adapt to the dorms and the unknown territory, as well as buy their basic necessities, etc.
I apologize for the confusion.)