After entering the school gates, the view opened up completely.
A school built on its own small island spread out before him, with all sorts of shops lining the roads. This included not just everyday supermarkets and cafes, but even large shopping malls and spa centers.
Any new student seeing this for the first time would likely be amazed at the school's wealth. It didn't feel like a simple school, but more like a small town.
Katsuragi Ren felt nothing. The better the school was built, the greater its ambitions must be.
"Excuse me, senior, could you tell me where I can see the class assignments?"
Finding an upperclassman who was wandering down the road, Ren approached her with a sunny smile.
"A new junior? Are you new here? Let me take you. I can tell you a bit about the school on the way," the senior said.
The girl he had stopped was startled at first and instinctively tried to pull her hand away. But just as she was about to struggle, she got a good look at Ren's face. She not only stopped pulling away but gripped his hand tighter, her tone softening as she offered to guide him.
Ren didn't react to her holding his hand, maintaining his cheerful and friendly appearance. "Really? Thank you, senior!"
He hadn't chosen this senior student at random.
Her posture was extremely confident and casual, and she looked healthy, suggesting she hadn't faced many hardships. From this, he deduced she was likely in Class A or Class B.
Furthermore, she seemed to be well-connected. Most students they passed on the street greeted her, many of them with a posture that unconsciously showed deference. That made it highly likely she was a third-year from Class A.
"Junior, let me tell you, this shop here... and that one over there..."
The senior chattered on, pointing out which shops were overpriced and which offered the best value. She played the part of a kind, older sister perfectly.
She couldn't believe this delicious little lamb had walked right into her grasp. As a third-year in Class A, she was still single. This felt like a chance sent from heaven.
But just as Ren was sizing her up, she was also sizing him up.
As she told him about the school, she carefully observed his actions and expressions. He showed no major reaction when she mentioned expensive stores. Even when she pointed out facilities that would be considered rare in the outside world, he remained unfazed. From this, she concluded that his family was extremely wealthy.
From his natural air of refinement, which an ordinary family could never have taught him, she could tell that he didn't come from a newly wealthy background.
From the way he spoke and carried himself, she became even more certain that he was the heir to some major family. Even if she couldn't date a person like that, just getting on his good side would be enough to set her up for life.
Thinking this, the smile on the senior's face became even more sincere.
While talking with the pretty upperclassman, Ren intentionally steered the conversation toward the school's rules. The senior would always deflect with vague terms, but she would occasionally pretend to let something slip.
Combining the keywords she "accidentally" revealed with his own observations, Ren was able to piece together some of the rules.
The school did not proactively inform new students of the rules. It went so far as to enforce a gag order on upperclassmen and staff. The loophole was that you wouldn't get in trouble as long as you weren't caught stating the rules directly.
His earlier guess was also correct. Since the school's founding, the third-year Class A was almost always composed of former first-year Class A students. Only a very small number of Class B students ever managed to climb up. As for Classes C and D... they were just entertainment for the other two classes.
There were security cameras everywhere. Some were placed in plain sight, while others were hidden in corners, secretly monitoring everything. However, there were also blind spots, or "gray areas," where there were no cameras.
This was also interesting. Were there truly no cameras in these gray areas, or... were there unacknowledged cameras?
Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. Ren didn't believe the school would be so kind as to spend a fortune and immense effort to build a transparent observation jar that still had shadows.
"We're here, junior. Go see which class you're in."
Leading Ren to the class assignment bulletin board, the senior finally let go of his hand. She waited with excitement for the "results."
He has to be in Class A, she thought. The more she had talked with him, the more she felt they were a perfect match. No matter the topic, he could always keep up with her thoughts and discuss them with enthusiasm.
It gave her the feeling that they shared the same interests, as if they had read the same books and felt the same emotions.
But the truth was often cruel.
It was simply Ren matching her wavelength.
While the senior was lost in her thoughts, Ren began searching for his name on the board.
First Year, Class A: Arisu Sakayanagi, Kōhei Katsuragi... First Year, Class B: Honami Ichinose, Ryūji Kanzaki...
Wait a second.
Little Honami is at this school too? Seeing the name, Ren paused for a moment, remembering a little crybaby in a maid outfit who used to follow him everywhere.
He shook off the memory and continued scanning the list, finding his own name at the very end of the Class B roster.
First Year, Class B — Katsuragi Ren.
His eyes continued to scan the board, searching for another name.
First Year, Class C: Kakeru Ryūen, Hiyori Shiina, Shiho Manabe... First Year, Class D: Suzune Horikita, Yousuke Hirata... Kōenji Rokusuke!
Pfft.
After finding the name he was looking for, Ren laughed out loud. He couldn't help it.
The sole heir of the Kōenji Conglomerate came to this school... only to be placed in Class D, the class for rejects?
Was this a joke? Did the teacher who made these assignments want to get fired?
Ren had been slightly annoyed about being placed in Class B, but after seeing Kōenji's name and class, he felt great. In fact, he felt fantastic.
He decided then and there that the next time he saw Kōenji, he would greet him by saying, "Well, if it isn't the great young master from Class D."
It really was true.
Happiness comes from comparison.
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