"Chris-kun, when you're facing those terrifying monsters — how do you even steel yourself for it? Aren't you scared at all?!"
"I heard from Kushida that your swordsmanship is amazing — is Chinese martial arts actually real?! Do you know qinggong?"
"U-um, um! If I ever get drafted into the Black Sphere exam by bad luck... could I maybe ask you to keep an eye on me? I don't have much fighting ability, but I promise I'll listen and not run off on my own!"
Faced with the wave of Class D students surging toward him, Chris could only hold a smile that was polite in proportion to how uncomfortable it was.
He'd seen this coming the moment Hirata Yousuke chose to release the Black Sphere intel. That much had been obvious.
What he genuinely hadn't anticipated was Horikita Suzune voluntarily blowing her own cover and announcing she'd been riding his coattails.
And this very Japanese instinct — the moment someone confirms you're strong, to immediately crowd around them without a shred of self-consciousness, drawn like moths to a flame — was going to be a persistent headache if he let it go unchecked.
Fortunately, Class D had its own responsible babysitter.
"Everyone — let's head back to our seats."
Hirata Yousuke stepped up to the front and clapped his hands, attempting to corral the situation:
"Everyone has their own secrets, and everyone deserves their own space. If Chris wants to share something, he'll tell us — there's no need to dig and pry."
He glanced at the clock on the wall and raised his voice:
"Besides, class is about to start. Don't forget — our conduct in class has a direct impact on our class score. Even if one tardy mark isn't enough to get anyone flagged for expulsion or drafted into the exam, higher scores are still essential — whether for purchasing intelligence or as capital for our continued survival, right?"
Hirata always had a way of making people listen.
The noise died down almost immediately. The students who had crowded in read the room and drifted back to their seats.
Chris gave Hirata a grateful look. "Thanks. That was a real help."
"Don't mention it."
Hirata Yousuke shook his head. "If anything, it's you I'm concerned about. As a permanent fixed participant, you're being pulled into those brutal Black Sphere exams every time — carrying a weight none of the rest of us have to bear. The least we can do is not add to it."
"Pressure, huh..."
Chris let his gaze drop slightly, and exhaled a quiet breath:
"Can't be helped. You go where life takes you and you make it work."
"Accept the reality in front of you — imperfect as it is — lower your expectations, and then you can keep moving forward with a steady head. At the end of the day... you've got to find a way to stay alive, don't you?"
"You've got a remarkably healthy attitude about it."
Hirata blinked, then let out a small, rueful laugh:
"If everyone in class could think like you, I wouldn't have to be this anxious all the time..."
Before he could finish the thought, the classroom door swung open.
The two of them, who had been on the verge of continuing the conversation, wordlessly dropped it. Hirata gave a small nod and turned back to his seat.
The subject teacher walked in with lesson notes tucked under one arm and stepped up to the front.
They adjusted their glasses.
The classroom that was usually buzzing with noise was, for once, remarkably quiet. Even the usual troublemakers were sitting bolt upright, pens in hand, wearing the impeccable expression of students who were deeply, genuinely invested in taking notes.
"It seems everyone has rediscovered their enthusiasm for learning... very good."
The teacher spread open the lesson notes, voice carrying an unusual lightness. "Well then, today we'll be covering—"
Chris propped his chin on one hand and didn't collapse forward onto the desk for his usual mid-class nap.
He was the one who'd set all of this in motion, after all. Now that the mood had built itself to this point, playing his part properly wasn't optional.
Besides, with GANTZ keeping him company, boredom was never really a concern.
This was actually a good opportunity to quietly scan through the recent arrivals — see if there were any friendly faces among the guests who'd recently crossed over.
Never mind someone like Kirishima Touka, who had a soft spot for rabbits.
Even a random Koito Minami, or someone in that vein, would be a nice change of pace.
As Chris's attention wandered lazily across the full surveillance grid —
In the seat beside him.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka tilted his head, almost imperceptibly, letting his gaze rest on Chris for just a fraction of a second — then redirected his eyes back to the blackboard without a word.
——
After class.
Hirata's reminder had done its job — nobody swarmed Chris the way they had before the bell.
But curiosity hadn't gone away. A fair number of students still found themselves quietly drawn to him.
And honestly, it made sense. The quiet, good-looking kid who never really talked — who turned out to be the hidden guardian carrying the whole class on his back — that kind of contrast hit different for teenagers. The gap between what you expected and what was actually there? Devastating.
Whether nudged along by Karuizawa Kei, Matsushita Chiaki, and a few of the other girls, or acting purely on her own impulse — one particular girl worked up her nerve.
She wore her hair in twin tails, and there was something a little shy in the way she carried herself. She made her way over to Chris's desk with careful, deliberate steps.
"Um... Chris-kun. Hi."
She fidgeted with the hem of her uniform, visibly nervous. "My name is Wang Meiyu. Going by the name alone, you can probably guess — I'm also an exchange student from China."
"If it's alright with you... I was hoping we could be friends?"
Looking at this fellow Chinese national, Chris didn't refuse.
He actually remembered her quite well. A Chinese student, ranked first in an English exam held in Japan — there was something genuinely funny about that, in a way he couldn't quite explain.
"Sure," he said.
He pulled out his phone and brought up his friend QR code — but as he held it out, he added the caveat upfront:
"Just don't take it personally if I go quiet sometimes. You've seen it yourself — I'm not a total recluse like Horikita, but I'm genuinely not someone who's into socializing. I don't keep message notifications on as a rule."
"That's totally fine, totally fine!"
Wang Meiyu waved her hands quickly, and once she'd added him and taken a breath, a shy smile spread across her face:
"I only came to Japan in middle school, so even though my Japanese is decent, some of the inside jokes and cultural habits still slip past me sometimes. Having someone I can speak Chinese with — that alone makes me really happy. Don't worry, I won't bother you at random!"
Screech —
Horikita Suzune, sitting in the row ahead of Chris, suddenly stood up. The sharp drag of her chair legs against the floor cut clean through the girl's soft words.
She didn't spare Wang Meiyu so much as a glance. She simply turned her face to the side, expression completely flat:
"I have no interest in putting on a show for people who have nothing to do with me."
"And I have even less patience for the kind of shallow 'let's be close' games that mediocre people play over drinks. If the only goal is warmth through numbers — that just makes everyone weaker."
Wang Meiyu hastily stepped aside, standing in the aisle looking thoroughly at a loss.
Chris watched Horikita's utterly unimpressed face, leaned back in his chair, and said:
"Mediocre, huh..."
"But you're currently sitting in this mediocre Class D yourself, aren't you?"
Horikita Suzune stopped mid-step.
She turned around. Those sharp, fox-like eyes trained directly on Chris.
"That is precisely what puzzles me. But it's not something I intend to complain about."
"Since this is how things are — I'll simply bring Class D up to Class A."
With that, she tossed her long hair and walked out of the classroom without looking back.
Watching her go, Chris couldn't help but smile.
The way she said that...
Anyone who didn't know her might think she was the reincarnated sovereign of the heavens — proud above all, Horikita reigns, let the world tremble. Peak web novel protagonist energy.
A little over-the-top, sure. But that spirit of refusing to bow to anyone? It actually suited her perfectly.
He supposed that was the quiet privilege of being genuinely attractive. Anyone else delivering that line would've gotten clocked. She just got to walk away looking cool.
"Hey... Meiyu, don't worry about it."
Kushida Kikyo, who had been watching quietly from the side, stepped forward and gave Wang Meiyu a gentle pat on the shoulder:
"That's just how Horikita-san is. Her words are sharp, but she doesn't actually mean anything malicious by them. Don't take it to heart."
"Mm... thank you, Kushida-san."
Once she saw Wang Meiyu's expression settle, Kushida Kikyo smoothly shifted her attention to Chris.
"So, Chris-kun."
"If I remember right, you're on pretty good terms with Sakayanagi-san from Class A, aren't you? And I happen to know Ichinose-san quite well."
Kushida leaned in slightly, lowering her voice:
"I've been thinking — why don't we make a thing of it this weekend? Invite Shiina-san from Class C too, and the whole group gets together for a casual chat?"
She held up one finger and laid out her reasoning:
"The way things stand right now, even Class A's graduation prize is basically just a good job and a stable future. When you put it up against life and death — none of that qualifies as a real conflict of interest."
"When you look at it honestly, there's no reason any of us needs to be at each other's throats."
"Just like Ichinose-san always says — we can absolutely cooperate, can't we?"
Chris glanced at Kushida.
He had to give her credit.
Compared to the original timeline's Kushida — who was consumed entirely by protecting her own image — this version, having been baptized by the Black Sphere, holding an early-mover advantage, and sitting on more extra lives than most of her classmates — was noticeably more confident.
She was already thinking in terms of alliances, actively maneuvering, pulling threads across class lines.
Which, honestly, made sense.
With a head start and a buffer of extra chances that most people didn't have, a little confidence was entirely reasonable.
"Cooperate, huh..."
Chris didn't refuse. He didn't agree outright either.
He just smiled and gave an answer that committed to nothing:
"Not a bad idea. I'll mention it to Sakayanagi Arisu."
"Whether she's on board — that I can't promise."
____
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