"Why are you glaring at me like that?"
As Suzuki took his seat in the massive hall where the entrance ceremony was being held, he could practically feel the intense, burning jealousy radiating from his new roommate.
"Because you somehow managed to get close to a beautiful upperclassman on your first day!" Takeru hissed, looking like he might actually cry tears of blood.
Suzuki rolled his eyes, utterly exasperated. "Did you forget that you literally have a beautiful childhood friend who checks up on you?"
"...." Takeru froze.
Haruko Amaya. Did Takeru genuinely forget the kind of aggressively affectionate relationship he shared with her? If the other male students found out about his childhood friend, the sheer volume of jealousy directed at Takeru would probably get him assassinated before midterms.
Still, seeing Takeru's one-track mind, Suzuki couldn't help but ask, "Or... is she just not your type? Do you prefer small chests?"
"Of course not! I absolutely love big boobs!" Takeru proudly declared, thrusting his chest out.
"...." Suzuki massaged his temples.
It would have been fine if Takeru had passionately yelled that in the privacy of their dorm room. But they were sitting in the middle of a crowded, echoing auditorium filled with hundreds of students and faculty.
"Quiet down!" Suzuki hissed, grabbing Takeru's shoulder. "Do you want everyone to think you're a degenerate on day one?"
"Hahaha..." Takeru laughed awkwardly, shrinking back into his seat. But a moment later, he leaned over and whispered with fierce, unshakeable determination. "But I really am a boob guy! Smaller is fine, but if I have to choose, bigger is always better!"
"...I really wasn't asking for a detailed breakdown of your preferences. My point is, there's absolutely no reason for you to be jealous of me."
Takeru rolled his eyes playfully. "Then what about you, Suzuki? Big or small?"
"Anything is fine," Suzuki replied smoothly. "If I genuinely like her, it doesn't matter what her size is. Are you seriously discriminating based on measurements?"
"Of course not! I like small ones too!"
"...Again, I wasn't asking. And seriously, lower your voice. I don't want to be permanently labeled as the pervert's best friend."
"Don't be so cold, best friend!"
"....."
Suzuki was speechless. If the kind of hardcore, NTR-heavy scenarios that frequently happened in Hiromitsu Takeda's original works ever occurred between him and Haruko... would Takeru still call him a best friend?
Curious about Takeru's actual maturity, Suzuki asked, "But seriously, what if Amaya-senpai gets a boyfriend? What will you do?"
"Eh? Haru-nee getting a boyfriend?!" Takeru was visibly startled. He crossed his arms, falling into deep thought.
"...Would you hate it?" Suzuki asked, watching him closely.
"Well, I wouldn't feel great about it," Takeru admitted honestly. "But... if the guy is a good person and can take care of her, then it's fine. But if he treats her badly, I'll beat the absolute shit out of him!"
"Hmm...."
Suzuki looked at Takeru for a long moment before nodding approvingly. "You're a real man."
His image of Takeru improved slightly. At least the protagonist wasn't a spineless beta male who enjoyed being cucked.
"Haha..." Takeru scratched his head.
However, internally, Takeru was thinking something entirely different. How could a sadistic, violent tomboy like Haru-nee ever get a boyfriend? Whoever ends up with her is going to get beaten half to death every day. I genuinely pity the poor bastard.
"..."
Suzuki wasn't sure exactly what Takeru was thinking, but given the dopey look on his face, he figured it was better not to ask.
Baka-Takeru, Haruko sighed helplessly from the upper balconies, watching her childhood friend goof off in the freshman section.
Seeing him do one stupid thing after another made her incredibly grateful that Suzuki was sitting next to him. If Takeru had been left unsupervised, there was no telling what kind of trouble he would have caused before the ceremony even started.
It's good that he has a dependable friend, Haruko thought, feeling a wave of relief. She had only known Suzuki for a short time, but he exuded a calm, reliable aura that Takeru completely lacked.
In the original timeline, Takeru had been assigned a co-ed dorm room with three beautiful heroines—making him the immediate, burning target of every male student in the academy. Now, thanks to Suzuki's intervention, Takeru was safely rooming with a fellow guy.
Yet, as Haruko stared down at Suzuki's neat, scholarly appearance, she simply couldn't shake the memory of his immense... thing.
On the outside, he looked like a gentle, unassuming honor student who would never raise his voice or break a rule. But underneath those clothes? He was hiding an absolute, terrifying beast.
Hmm...
Haruko's face suddenly burned crimson as her imagination ran wild.
"Haruko-senpai? What's wrong? Are you okay? Your face is super red."
"N-No! I'm completely fine! Don't worry about me!"
Fortunately, the auditorium lights dimmed, and the headmaster stepped up to the podium, saving Haruko from any further questioning.
"Hello, everyone! I am the principal of this academy, Minori Rokujo! First, I would like to welcome all of our new students..."
The principal was a stunningly beautiful young woman.
Suzuki had no issue with female leadership, but he had to admit that the sheer concentration of high-quality women at Tenbi Academy was genuinely absurd. Even clad in a professional, tailored business suit, the massive bulge of Minori's chest was impossible to hide.
And she wasn't the only one. Looking around the hall, nearly every female student possessed an outrageously well-developed figure.
What exactly is this place?
The ratio of females to males was incredibly skewed. It made him wonder what the actual, hidden purpose of this academy was. Were the few male students here just meant to be cannon fodder? Or were they brought in for... other purposes?
Given the original author's degenerate tendencies, Suzuki knew absolutely anything was possible.
"Anyway, I'm not really good at these long, boring speeches!"
Minori was highly expressive and surprisingly casual. While she might not have been the most administratively capable leader, she possessed a unique, magnetic charm that instantly captivated the student body.
"Mentality, beauty, and physicality! That means you must strive to be both mentally and physically strong, without ever losing your inner and outer beauty! This motto will remain the absolute core of Tenbi Academy, even now that we have become co-ed! Originally, the concept of allowing boys in was to let our students work together—to either fall in love, or duel!"
"...Duel?"
While Takeru muttered in sheer confusion, Suzuki remained perfectly quiet, analyzing Minori's speech.
He didn't care about the romance or the flashy battles. He was listening for clues about the underlying power system of this world. Where did the 'Elements' originate? How were they manipulated? Why was this combat academy truly established?
By analyzing the geopolitical and societal structure of the world, Suzuki believed he could secure a much stronger position than the meatheads who only focused on physical training. The era where raw strength conquered all had long passed. Unless an individual possessed power on the scale of a walking nuclear weapon, they still had to operate within the bounds of modern society.
"Magical powers, spiritual arts, chi manipulation—these are all varied forms of supernatural abilities. Here, we simply label them all as 'Elements.' Don't you think you'll have a much brighter future if you master your Element and earn the right to wield one of the eight original Maken-Ki... maybe?"
Minori winked playfully at the crowd. "Anyway, I know I've talked way too much. So, instead of a boring lecture, we're just going to give you a live demonstration! That way, you'll perfectly understand exactly what you'll be spending your time doing at this academy!"
"Maken-Ki? Elements? What the heck is she talking about?" Takeru was completely lost. None of this had been mentioned at his previous normal middle school.
"You really don't know anything, do you, Takeru?"
"Was I supposed to know?!"
"I can't give you a detailed explanation right now either," Suzuki admitted quietly. He only remembered the basic lore from the manga—and it was mostly an excuse for ecchi battles anyway. In a universe like this, logic took a backseat. If you had enough 'spirit,' you could beat the logic out of anyone.
"Now, I will call three upperclassmen and one lucky newcomer! When I call your name, please come up to the stage!" Minori announced excitedly.
She unrolled a small scroll.
"Takeru Ooyama! Please come up to the stage!"
"...What?" Takeru pointed at himself in shock.
Suzuki just nodded wisely. The mysterious pull of the protagonist's aura was truly a powerful, undeniable force.