Chapter 48: Shiina Hiyori, Changing
In his seat at the corner of the classroom, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka tilted his head slightly, observing Horikita Suzune without a word.
'Horikita is a bit different today.'
'Her appearance, expression, and demeanor are basically the same as usual, but the sense of alienation around her seems to have diminished significantly.'
'Did something happen last night?'
Ayanokouji keenly sensed the change in Horikita. He was almost certain that Katsuragi Keima had done something. To influence someone like Horikita Suzune in such a short amount of time... Keima's methods were undeniably sophisticated. Even in the White Room, no one could have achieved this.
"Our bet still stands, Katsuragi-kun," Horikita Suzune said to Keima, her eyes projecting an incredibly determined gaze. "If I win, I will definitely discipline that slack attitude of yours."
Keima, looking completely indifferent as he played his game, replied:
"Talk to me after you win."
Since yesterday, his "mission line" with Horikita Suzune had progressed.
[Name: Horikita Suzune] [Affection Level: 21%]
The rate of growth wasn't high—after all, Horikita's personality guaranteed she would be a troublesome case—but increasing from a negative starting point to the current level was already decent progress. The seed he had planted earlier was starting to sprout. Now, he just needed to patiently water it bit by bit.
"You're not going to play games during the second period this morning too, are you?"
"Of course I am. My agreement with Chabashira-sensei covers all classes," Keima answered matter-of-factly.
This shocked Horikita to the point where she glanced at the class schedule in self-doubt.
"You mean... even during swimming class, you're going to play games?
I... I have no words."
Horikita was actually a bit curious about how Keima intended to play games during a swimming lesson.
"I've made preparations in advance specifically for swimming class."
"Preparations?"
While Horikita was puzzled, Keima pulled something out.
"This is a waterproof case for the handheld."
"You are truly beyond saving."
.
.
.
Meanwhile, in the Class C classroom.
A long-haired boy was sitting in his seat in a slovenly manner, his legs resting directly on the desk. Beside him, several boys stood with utmost respect, including a brawny Black student. All of them bore bruises or scars on their faces to some degree.
Ryuen Kakeru. In the short few days since school started, he had already dominated the class and become the absolute authority.
"The class is basically stabilized now; the unstable factors have mostly been dealt with. It's about time to turn my attention toward the other classes."
Ryuen spoke as if to his classmates, yet also as if to himself. His gaze swept over the other students in the room; almost everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. In Ryuen's eyes, there were no special existences in this class.
Except for one person.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing his gaze on a silver-haired girl.
Shiina Hiyori.
Unlike the fear others showed him, Hiyori was simply doing her own thing. Ryuen had interacted with her before; he was certain that Hiyori possessed intelligence and academic ability that the others in the class lacked. If Class C wanted to keep moving up, Hiyori's abilities would be indispensable.
'Shiina Hiyori reads every morning before class starts. Nothing happening around her ever affects her. She's a truly unique individual.'
Ryuen saw Hiyori reach into her school bag and assumed she would pull out a novel as usual. Quickly, Hiyori's hand emerged from the bag. However, the object in her hand left Ryuen dumbfounded, nearly causing him to lose his balance on his desk.
Shiina Hiyori had pulled out a handheld game console.
"Ha?"
.
.
Before the second period, at the school swimming pool.
The students of first-year Class D had changed into the school-issued swimwear and gathered by the poolside. The boys wore standard swim trunks, while the girls wore relatively conservative one-piece swimsuits. Even so, the form-fitting material clearly outlined their curves.
Most of the girls were chatting and laughing, looking forward to the swimming lesson. In their experience, normal high schools didn't have swimming classes, let alone such a spacious facility.
However, among them, one girl seemed to have low spirits. She stood in a corner with an expressionless face, arms crossed over her chest. She possessed an impressive figure—no less than Sakura Airi's—and an exquisite face framed by long blue hair. A beauty mark under her left eye enhanced her looks, but her golden eyes projected a gaze of slight disdain toward the boys nearby.
Hasabe Haruka.
Because of her sweet looks, many classmates had remembered her shortly after enrollment. She was self-aware enough to know she was a beauty, but she hated the way boys stared at her. Her personality was also quite reclusive; she had no friends even now, as if she were drifting outside the class social circle.
If she had to say, there was indeed one boy in the class she didn't dislike.
Katsuragi Keima.
Due to her beauty, Hasabe easily attracted the attention of the opposite sex, but her sensitive nature made her feel that the gazes other boys directed at her were always laden with ulterior motives, which made her uncomfortable. Just like right now.
But she didn't feel that way at all regarding Keima's gaze—or rather, Keima hadn't seemed to look at her even once since the start of school. He put his heart and soul entirely into his games.
'He's an eccentric, but just like me, he's the type to drift outside the class,' Hasabe judged in her heart.
Shortly after school started, the class had already split into several small cliques, but Hasabe, like Keima, belonged to no circle. They were kindred spirits of a sort.
Today was their first swimming class.
"Hasabe-san! Are you feeling unwell?"
At that moment, Elsie walked over to Hasabe and asked curiously. She had noticed Hasabe standing alone in the corner looking somewhat gloomy and checked in out of concern.
"No, it's nothing, Katsuragi-san."
Hasabe responded politely.
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