This world is full of noisy fools.
That is the conclusion I've reached over my 16 years of living as Matsushita Chiaki.
Fools love to show off. They love to shout about how amazing they are, or cry about how miserable their lives are. They don't realize that the more they stand out, the bigger the target they paint on their own backs.
I am different.
I am beautiful. I know that. I am wealthy. That is a fact. And I am smart—far smarter than the perfectly average scores I intentionally pull on every single exam.
However, I chose to be "ordinary." I chose to be the fashionable girl who hangs out with Karuizawa Kei, laughs at stupid jokes, and complains about difficult classes. Why? Because it's safe. Because being the elite is exhausting. I want to graduate from this prestigious school, enter a top-tier university, marry a wealthy man, and live comfortably.
A perfect life plan. Simple. Elegant.
Or at least, that's how it was supposed to be.
Until he showed up.
I was sitting in the Pallet Cafe, stirring my iced latte with a straw. Across the table, Satou Maya and Shinohara Satsuki were busy chattering about their plans to go swimsuit shopping for the upcoming island vacation.
"I definitely have to buy the latest model! We have so many points now!" Shinohara exclaimed.
"Right?! Over 100 thousand! It's absolutely insane!" Satou chimed in.
I smiled and nodded at the appropriate times. "Exactly, we have to look our absolute best."
But my eyes weren't looking at them. My eyes darted toward a table in the corner of the cafe.
Sitting there was a young man with somewhat messy hair, enjoying a giant strawberry parfait with a ridiculously blissful expression. Across from him, Hasebe Haruka was eating a similar parfait with a reluctant yet thoroughly satisfied face.
Koroizumi Seiji.
From day one, my instincts—the instincts of a woman who is constantly calculating social value—had been screaming that there was something wrong with this guy.
Let's rewind a bit.
The incident on the bus. I was there, sitting quietly and playing on my phone. I watched how Kouenji Rokusuke, that insane narcissist, refused to give up his seat. Kushida failed to persuade him. Horikita failed as well.
Then Koroizumi stepped in. He didn't get angry. He didn't shout. He just... babbled some nonsense about varicose veins and ego. And strangely enough, Kouenji complied.
Ah, he's a smooth-talking manipulator type, I thought at the time. Interesting, but dangerous.
Then, in the classroom. He introduced himself as someone who loved "teaching" and "studying human behavior." He sounded like a bizarre nerd. But his eyes... when he stared down a raging Sudou, those weren't the eyes of a student. Those were the eyes of someone looking at a rabid dog and thinking, 'How do I put a leash on this thing?'
I decided to keep my distance from him. My plan was to stick to Hirata Yosuke or Karuizawa Kei. They were the safe center of our social caste. Koroizumi was far too... unstable.
But I was wrong. I was completely wrong.
The events of last month were a harsh slap in the face to my logic.
When Horikita Suzune announced the formation of the study groups, I joined Hirata's group. It was my comfort zone. I could casually work on the problems, pretend to be thinking hard even though the answers were already in my head within five seconds, and let Hirata tutor me.
But my eyes kept darting to the corner of the room. To the "trash" group. Group 5.
Sudou Ken. Ike Kanji. Yamauchi Haruki.
They were the very definition of dead weight. Statistically speaking, they should have been expelled this month. I had even calculated the probability of our class's survival without them. It would be much more peaceful, I thought.
But Koroizumi performed black magic.
I watched Sudou learn Physics using a basketball. I watched Ike memorize history for the sake of meal vouchers. I watched Koroizumi move among them, not as a helpful friend, but as an orchestra conductor.
He didn't force them to become smart. He altered the very definition of studying to fit the limitations of their brains.
And the climax... the bulletin board.
Koroizumi Seiji — Total: 500/500
When I saw those numbers, the coffee cup in my hand almost slipped.
500 points. Perfect.
I knew the midterm exam questions were difficult. I myself had to be careful to hold back so my score would land squarely in the 80s—not high enough to stand out, but enough to be safe. There were several essay questions in History and Japanese that were highly subjective. Teachers could dock points as they pleased if your argument didn't suit their tastes.
But Koroizumi got a 100 there.
That meant he wasn't just smart. He could read the minds of the test makers. He provided the exact answers the teachers desired, not just the correct ones.
"What are you looking at, Chiaki-chan?" Satou asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Ah, nothing," I chuckled softly. "Just looking at Koroizumi-kun. He sure eats a lot of sweets."
"Oh, Koroizumi-kun, huh..." Satou cupped her cheeks, a faint blush appearing. "He's... pretty cool, isn't he? I mean, he's smart, he's tall, and he's super nice to his group. Do you think he has a girlfriend?"
Tch. Another victim falls, I thought cynically.
Koroizumi's charisma was deceptive. People saw him as a warm, fatherly figure. But I saw something else entirely.
I saw a Monster.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, the quiet boy sitting next to Horikita, was also suspicious. I noticed he scored a flat 50 or perfectly average marks across the board during the diagnostic test. That pattern was far too neat to be called a coincidence. He was likely hiding his abilities, just like me.
But Ayanokouji chose to become a shadow. That was a strategy I could understand. It was the exact strategy I was using.
Koroizumi was different. He didn't hide. He stood right under the spotlight, waved his hand, and shouted, "Look at me! I'm perfect!"
But strangely, even though he stood out so much, no one felt threatened by him (except perhaps the other classes). Our classmates adored him. Horikita, who was usually cold and arrogant, looked at him with respect. Kushida, who harbored a dark side (I had once caught her clicking her tongue in annoyance when she thought she was alone), looked completely comfortable around him.
Koroizumi Seiji was an anomaly disrupting the entire hierarchical order of this school.
And our class points... 1,040 points.
We overtook Class D (now C) and had almost caught up to Class B. We were even closing in on Class A.
This wasn't luck. This was a calculated coup d'état.
I sighed, taking a sip of the remainder of my latte.
If this class actually has the potential to reach Class A... I thought. Perhaps my strategy of 'sit back and be a passenger' needs some revising.
Being a passenger on a ship steered by Hirata was safe. But being a passenger on a ship steered by Koroizumi? That might be a crazy ride, but the final destination was far more promising.
I had to be certain. I needed to know if he was a "King" worthy of following, or just a madman who would eventually burn this ship to the ground.
"I'm going to run to the restroom for a bit," I told Satou and Shinohara.
I stood up, smoothed out my skirt, and walked—not toward the restroom, but toward the corner table.
As I approached, Hasebe Haruka had just finished eating. "Thanks for the treat, Koroizumi-kun. I'm gonna head out now, going to the bookstore with Akito."
"Yeah, be careful on the way back, Hasebe-san," Koroizumi replied with his wide smile.
Haruka left, leaving Koroizumi alone with his empty plate.
This was my chance.
I walked closer, putting on my best smile—the friendly, fashionable, and slightly flirtatious smile of Matsushita Chiaki.
"Koroizumi-kun?" I greeted him.
He looked up. His dark eyes met mine. There was a split-second pause where I felt as though I were being scanned by an X-ray.
"Ah, Matsushita-san," he greeted back amiably. "What a coincidence. Enjoying some tea time?"
"Yeah," I sat down in the chair Haruka had just vacated without asking for permission. "Do you mind if I sit for a bit?"
"Not at all. The seat is free."
I stared at him. He looked relaxed, but his posture was... incredibly stable. Not a single restless movement.
"Congratulations on your perfect 500 score," I began. "That was completely insane, you know. The whole school is buzzing about it."
"Just pure luck," he replied with a cliché answer. "The questions just happened to match what I've been reading."
"Don't be so humble," I tilted my head, twirling the ends of my hair. "You know, Koroizumi-kun... you're quite mysterious."
"Mysterious?" He chuckled. "I feel like I'm the most open person in the class. I like gelato, I love teaching, and I absolutely hate seeing my students fail."
"That's exactly it," I interjected. "You act like a teacher. Even though we're the exact same age. And the way you handle Horikita-san, Kushida-san, and Hirata-kun... that isn't something an ordinary student could do."
I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice.
"What exactly is your goal? Are you trying to carry us to Class A all by yourself?"
Koroizumi fell silent for a moment. The smile on his face slowly morphed. It didn't vanish, but it... shifted. It became something sharper. Something far more mature.
"Matsushita-san," he called out softly.
"Yes?"
"You yourself... why are you holding back?"
My heart skipped a beat.
"Eh? What do you mean?" I laughed nervously, desperately trying to maintain my mask. "Holding back? I studied like crazy for those exams, you know."
"On Math question number 4," Koroizumi said casually, as if discussing the weather. "You used a long, convoluted formula to arrive at the correct answer. But on your scratch paper—which I happened to glance at when you were handing in your test—I saw you scribble down a shortcut formula that was vastly more efficient."
My eyes widened. He saw my scratch paper? When? I sit three rows ahead of him!
"And in English," he continued. "You intentionally made mistakes on the complex grammar sections, yet in your daily conversations with Mii-chan (Wang Mei-Yu), your pronunciation and grammar are on par with a native speaker."
He looked at me dead on.
"You are smart, Matsushita-san. Probably on the same level as Yukimura, or perhaps even approaching Horikita. But you choose to score an 85. A safe score. A score that makes you look 'smart enough' without being 'burdened by expectations'."
I fell silent. My mask cracked. There was no point in playing dumb in front of someone who could see right through walls.
I let out a long sigh, discarded my fake smile, and replaced it with a flat expression I rarely ever showed.
"You're terrifying, you know that?" I said coldly.
"I get that a lot," he answered cheerfully.
"So you know I'm hiding my abilities. So what? That's my right. I don't want the hassle. I just want to live peacefully."
"A valid choice," Koroizumi nodded. "Many people choose to be passengers. It's efficient."
He picked up his small spoon, playing with the leftover cream in his glass.
"But Matsushita-san... on a ship navigating through a storm, the passenger who merely sits quietly in their cabin runs the exact same risk of drowning as the crew."
"What are you getting at?"
"This school," Koroizumi pointed toward the window, at the towering school building. "This isn't a luxury cruise ship. This is a battleship. Class A, Class B... they have fully staffed crews. Ichinose has her entire class. Sakayanagi and Katsuragi have their elite troops."
He looked back at me.
"Class C has me, Horikita, and a few others. But this burden is heavy. If you truly want to live comfortably and reach Class A—the ultimate destination of that 'peaceful life' you dream of—you cannot sit in the spectator seats forever."
"Are you telling me to work?" I asked skeptically. "I thought you were the hero type who wanted to save everyone."
"I am a teacher, not a hero," he corrected. "A good teacher does not carry their students forever. A good teacher teaches their students how to walk on their own."
"Besides..." He smirked, and for a split second, I swore I saw the shadow of something utterly inhuman behind him. Something massive, yellow, and waving about.
"...having an ace up your sleeve is useful. But an ace that is never played until the game is already over is nothing more than a useless piece of paper."
He stood up and picked up his tray.
"This upcoming island vacation will be a different kind of exam. Not a written one. It will be an exam of survival, observation, and social strategy. A battlefield perfectly suited for someone who loves to observe like you, Matsushita-san."
He leaned down slightly, polite yet overwhelmingly dominant.
"I am not asking you to be a leader. I am not asking you to stand out. Continue hiding if it makes you comfortable. But..."
He leaned his face closer to my ear.
"...if you see an opening to help the class win, and you choose to stay silent out of laziness... then you are no longer a 'passenger'. You are 'dead weight'. And I am exceptionally strict when it comes to educating dead weight into becoming an asset."
He pulled back, his friendly smile returning as if that subtle threat had never happened.
"See you on the ship, Matsushita-san."
He walked away, leaving me frozen in my seat at the cafe.
My hands were trembling slightly. Not out of fear. But out of... sheer excitement.
All this time, I had been searching for a strong "leader." I thought Hirata was the best choice. I had even briefly considered Ayanokouji.
But this person... Koroizumi Seiji.
He wasn't just strong. He knew exactly who I was, and he didn't force me to change into a hero. He merely asked me to be useful.
I watched his retreating back.
"He truly is a monster," I murmured, a small, genuine smile carving itself onto my lips.
I pulled out my phone and opened the notes app where I stored my observational data on my classmates.
I typed a new line right below Koroizumi Seiji's name.
Status: King.Potential: Limitless.Action: Follow the current, but be ready to row when he gives the signal.
Class 1-C had 1,040 points. And with a monster like him at the helm, alongside people hiding their fangs in the shadows like me and Ayanokouji...
Maybe, just maybe... my dream of graduating from Class A while still looking effortlessly beautiful wasn't impossible after all.
"Alright, Koroizumi," I whispered to the empty air. "Show me what kind of vacation you have in mind."
I stood up, feeling lighter than I ever had before. My mask was still firmly in place, but now, the eyes behind that mask were far sharper.
This game had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.
End of Arc 2: The Academic Verdict Arc
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(Ryuuen Kakeru VS Seiji Koroizumi)
P - Gem_Blanks
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