Seeing the world return to peace, Shiki pointed his spear back at Sudou.
He didn’t have any real complaints about being placed in Class D, but he also didn’t have much goodwill toward the absolute weirdos filling the room.
Class discipline was a complete joke, especially with Sudou Ken’s little group.
They practically made it a habit to stroll into the classroom halfway through the morning lectures.
Their loud, unrestrained talking constantly made Shiki—who actually wanted to listen to the teacher—frown in annoyance.
But since the teachers didn’t care, Shiki couldn’t be bothered to intervene.
However, that didn’t mean he had a good impression of them.
Since Sudou had basically begged to be roasted, Shiki was more than happy to oblige.
“I honestly think you should just let that red haired gorilla go.
Doesn’t he want to teach me a lesson?
Sure, I’ll even sit right here like a good boy and let him beat me up to his heart’s content.
I won’t even fight back.”
Shiki smiled a warm, honest smile.
“But the consequences of doing that…
Well, I’m really looking forward to seeing him get expelled for assaulting a student.
It’ll leave a beautiful, permanent stain on his permanent record.
With a history of violent outbursts, I doubt any other high school would accept a red haired gorilla like him.
Even his beloved basketball teams won’t want him.
After all, nobody wants a player with a criminal record.
The world never lacks natural talent, and honestly, I don’t think you have enough value for any coach to overlook your garbage past.”
“So, Hirata, let him go.
I really want to see if he’s just barking or if he actually has the guts to ruin his own life.”
Under Shiki’s intense, pressing gaze, Hirata subconsciously loosened his grip.
Catching Sudou completely off guard, he stumbled forward and looked back at a deeply confused Hirata in absolute shock.
(Wait, why did you actually let go?!)
Sudou’s delinquent looking face carried a look of pure, unadulterated stupidity.
Even though Shiki’s words had made him lose his mind earlier, the moment he heard the word ‘basketball,’ he completely sobered up.
He was quick to anger, but once he calmed down and actually processed what Shiki had said, he knew things could really end up exactly like that.
He hated studying, but basketball was everything to him.
Losing his chance to step onto the professional basketball stage over something like this was absolutely unacceptable.
Holding onto his dream of becoming a pro player, Sudou completely dropped the idea of using his fists.
But he needed an out—a way to step down without looking like a total coward in front of the entire class.
All he needed was for Hirata to hold onto him a little longer and say a few comforting words.
Then, he could smoothly say something like, “I’ll let you off the hook this time for Hirata’s sake,” and walk away looking cool.
(TL:Lmao~, I’m cringing here, idiot trio will forever be idiot trio huh?)
However, Sudou never expected Hirata to inexplicably let go at the very last second.
Question marks practically popped out of his empty head.
(Why did you let go?!) (TL:Lmao)
Reading the desperation in Sudou’s eyes, Hirata suddenly felt incredibly awkward.
Was he supposed to admit that he got subconsciously terrified the moment he looked into Shiki’s eyes?
Shiki’s performance had been so overwhelmingly dominant that Hirata felt entirely seen through, completely naked before him.
It was only natural to feel an instinctive sense of fear.
With things already at this stage, Hirata gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and bear hugged Sudou again to finish their little play.
“Sudou-kun, please, you need to calm down!”
Sudou’s usually barren brain finally sparked to life, instantly getting back into character.
“Calm down?!
How am I supposed to calm down?!”
“Tsugikuni-kun didn’t mean it!
He didn’t mean any harm, his words were just a bit harsh.
Please don’t take it to heart…”
“Let me go!
Just let me go first!”
“Alright, I’ll let you go.
But you have to promise not to cause any trouble for Tsugikuni-kun.
Please.”
“Fine!
I’ll let him off the hook just for you!”
With a loud, dramatic huff, Sudou glared at Shiki, grabbed his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out of the classroom, trying his best to look cool.
(TL:Lmaoooooooooooooo, I’m cringing so hard here XDDDD)
Hirata smiled bitterly as he watched Sudou walk out, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Watching their terrible acting, the Class D students found it incredibly hard not to cringe.
(Wait, after all that noise, you’re just running away with your tail between your legs?)
(Didn’t you just scream about beating him to a pulp?)
(You got completely destroyed by just a few sentences?
What a useless guy!)
A few bloodthirsty spectators felt deeply unsatisfied.
The thrilling, dramatic high school brawl they were expecting ended with a whimper.
It was incredibly disappointing.
Sudou Ken had talked a big game for absolutely nothing.
They thought they were about to witness a clash between two dragons, but it turned out to just be a shark swallowing a small fish0.
It was honestly embarrassing to watch.
Sudou skipping the rest of the morning classes didn’t really affect anyone else.
Since the guy usually arrived late and slept through class anyway, the room was actually much quieter without him.
Besides, the students of Class D somewhat understood his feelings.
After being completely verbally annihilated by Shiki in front of the entire class—especially since everything Shiki said was completely true—it was completely natural for him to feel entirely humiliated and want to hide.
The situation ended in a very weird, awkward silence.
The only exception was Koenji Rokusuke, who burst into loud, booming laughter shortly after Sudou left.
He highly praised Shiki for putting on an excellent show and even started clapping as if he hadn’t gotten enough.
Shiki felt that Koenji had the true potential to be a pure spectator of chaos.
But considering he claimed to be the heir to the massive Koenji Conglomerate, calling his life ‘Developer Mode’ was definitely accurate.
To put it bluntly, he was probably the one person in this entire school who absolutely did not need to graduate from Class A.
For someone with his background, even if a student graduated from Class A with flying colors, the best outcome for them would be working for him.
Maybe even just at one of his subsidiary companies.
(TL:My goat)
Simply put, Koenji Rokusuke existed in a completely different social class from everyone else.
If they hadn’t been placed in the same classroom, they probably never would have spoken a single word to him in their entire lives.
The invisible hand of capitalism truly is terrifying!
As Shiki was lightly sighing at the realization, Ayanokoji’s slow voice drifted over from behind him.
“Tsugikuni, if Sudou had actually charged at you, were you really not going to fight back?”
“Of course not.
Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Shiki turned his head, giving him a look reserved for pure morons.
“I’m not a masochist.
Why would I just sit there and let myself get beat up?
I would just saw his weak spot and attacked it.
For a guy like him, if he loses the one single thing he can actually be proud of, he truly becomes nothing.”
Ayanokoji silently updated his mental file on Tsugikuni Shiki.
After a moment of silence, he asked, “Speaking of which, during swimming class, I noticed you had a very good physique.
If it actually came down to a fight, could you beat Sudou?”
“Who knows?
I’ve never learned how to fight.
A normal student should just study properly.
Why would I need to learn martial arts?” Shiki replied lazily.
Ayanokoji didn’t say anything more.
“Learning martial arts is a good way to strengthen your body, and it allows you to protect yourself when necessary.” Horikita glanced at Shiki while packing up her books.
Her eyes carried a mix of caution and novelty, as if she was re-evaluating him from scratch.
Then, perhaps realizing that she was showing a hint of fear and looking a bit cowardly, Horikita widened her beautiful eyes, glared at him fiercely, slung her bag over her shoulder, and confidently marched out of the room.
Shiki wasn’t surprised by Horikita’s attitude at all.
Nobody likes being around someone who can read them like an open book.
Standing in front of someone like that feels exactly like standing completely naked—there is zero sense of security.
The fact that Horikita could even hold a normal conversation with him and Ayanokoji was already pretty impressive.
Looking around at the fearful, assessing glances occasionally thrown his way by the rest of the class, every time he made eye contact with someone, they would instantly look away, clearly deeply repulsed by him.
Thinking about Horikita’s words, Shiki recalled the chaotic scenes of Class C brawling on the rooftop.
He couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
“Makes sense.”
Even though Chabashira-sensei claimed the school didn’t encourage fighting, he knew better than to take her words seriously.
Every word out of the teachers’s mouths in this school was practically a lie.
Not a single sentence was fully honest.
But finding someone to teach him martial arts was going to be a massive pain.
Ayanokoji was definitely out of the question.
That guy felt exactly like a superhuman bred by some dark, underground syndicate.
He seemed to know how to do literally everything, but Shiki seriously doubted if he knew any safe, non-lethal combat skills.
The unnatural, almost inhuman aura he gave off made him feel like a highly advanced killer robot even from a distance.
Shiki was genuinely worried that if he asked Ayanokoji to teach him, the guy wouldn’t hold back.
He might end up failing to learn how to defend himself, but instead mastering highly advanced assassination techniques.
That would be a massive problem.
Everyone here goes to the same school.
How big of a grudge could anyone really have?
It’s not like we’re fighting to the death.
The absolute worst it gets is stalking, secret recording, and extortion…
Wait, what?
(Hold on!
Aren’t I supposed to be going to school?
Why am I casually running through a list of actual crimes in my head?!) (TL:You only noticed it now?)
Thinking about it, a very complicated expression appeared on Shiki’s face.
He began to deeply reflect on himself.
How did he go from being an upright, honest, and kind hearted person to…
this?
(TL: The MyGo girl really broke our boy!!!
Curse you Arknight girls)
Sigh.
Advanced Nurturing High School really is corrupting the youth!
Just then, the school broadcast speaker in the top left corner of the ceiling crackled to life.
“Ayanokoji-kun and Tsugikuni-kun from Class D please report to the faculty office, Chabashira-sensei is looking for you.
I repeat, Ayanokoji-kun and Tsugikuni-kun…”
Hearing the announcement, Shiki and Ayanokoji looked at each other with completely blank faces, though both could see the deep resignation in the other’s eyes.
“Sigh…”
As the two of them walked down the hallway toward the faculty office, Ayanokoji stared straight ahead and asked, “Do you know what Chabashira-sensei wants with us?”
“Probably,” Shiki said casually.
“She seems to have a very strange obsession with reaching Class A.”
“I see.”
A flash of understanding crossed Ayanokoji’s eyes.
With Shiki saying that much, he had a pretty good idea of what this meeting was going to be about.
As the two deeply annoyed guys made their way to the faculty office, they unexpectedly ran into Horikita Suzune, who had left the classroom just before them.
Her direction…
seemed to be the faculty office too, right? This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
Shiki recalled how Horikita Suzune had reacted when she saw Horikita Manabu at the club recruitment fair, and then remembered her deathly pale face when Chabashira-sensei called Class D “defective rejects.” He basically figured out the whole picture.
Hearing footsteps approaching from behind, Horikita turned around.
Seeing two weirdos walking slowly toward her, both looking like someone had just shot their dog, she instantly frowned and asked defensively, “Why are you following me?”
“…”
Shiki was completely speechless.
This girl really isn’t human.
Ayanokoji was silent for a second.
“…Chabashira-sensei called for us.
She told us to come to the office.”
“Is that so…”
Horikita looked slightly embarrassed but forced herself to keep a straight face to maintain her dignity.
She cleared her throat and said, “Well, the two of you walking together with absolutely blank expressions looks incredibly suspicious to anyone else.”
Shiki rolled his eyes.
“I really don’t want to hear that from you of all people.”
Does this girl have absolutely zero self-awareness?
Has she ever looked in a mirror?
She constantly walks around looking like everyone owes her a million bucks, yet she has the nerve to judge other people…
Being treated like a creep made Shiki bare his teeth.
What an arrogant girl, total buzzkill!
The three of them walked to the faculty office in complete silence.
Unsurprisingly, they ran into a familiar face—the Class B homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie.
Her eyes instantly lit up.
“Ara, if it isn’t Tsugikuni-kun!
Did you come here to play with Honami-chan?
Unfortunately, she’s not here right now, so you’ll have to wait a bit…
Do you want to join our Class B?
That way, you could see Ichinose every single day!”
Horikita and Ayanokoji turned to look at Shiki, slightly surprised that he seemed to be on such good terms with the Class B homeroom teacher—and that he was actually being invited to transfer!
Shiki’s eye twitched violently.
“There are so many things wrong with what you just said, I don’t even know where to start.
First of all, my relationship with Ichinose is completely average.
We aren’t close at all.”
“Secondly, I already made my stance very clear last time.
I’m not changing my mind.”
“Lastly, Hoshinomiya-sensei, do you seriously not have any actual work to do?
You always look like you have all the free time in the world.
It makes Advanced Nurturing High School look like a great place to retire.”
Shiki sighed, briefly considering becoming a teacher here in the future.
But the moment he remembered the absolute demon spawns in Class D, he instantly killed the thought.
Never mind.
Not worth it.
Absolutely not worth it.
“Ehh, Tsugikuni-kun is so mean!”
Hoshinomiya pouted, acting exactly like a little girl.
“I work super hard!
I have to stay in the nurse’s office all day long, and nobody ever comes to talk to me.
And when the faculty office is empty, I even have to come here to cover the shift!”
“Ah, I see.”
Shiki nodded in understanding.
“So you really do have way too much free time.”
Hoshinomiya gave him a fake angry glare, then turned to look at Ayanokoji and Horikita.
Deep within her smiling eyes, a sharp, assessing gleam flashed.
She smiled warmly.
“You two are Sae-chan’s students too, right?
I’m her very best friend!
We were even in the same class back in high school…”
Heh.
Your ‘friendship’ looks about as genuine as plastic.
Temporarily freed from her harassment, Shiki secretly rolled his eyes.
Fortunately, Hoshinomiya didn’t notice, or maybe she did and just didn’t care.
After all, this guy from Class D was incredibly difficult to deal with.
“My name is Hoshinomiya Chie.
And you two are…?”
“Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.”
“Horikita Suzune.”
“Oh, what a cute pair!
A handsome boy and a beautiful girl…
Do either of you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?”
Hearing Hoshinomiya-sensei completely disregard all boundaries, Ayanokoji and Horikita once again turned questioning looks toward Shiki.
(Aren’t you going to stop her?
Aren’t you super close with the Class B homeroom teacher?)
Mentally exhausted, Shiki waved his hand dismissively, like he was shooing away a fly, signaling Hoshinomiya-sensei to dial it back.
“Please restrain yourself and stop casually harassing the students.
If Chabashira-sensei gets tired of waiting for us, she might just come out here and demonstrate her ‘Skull Crushing Demon Grip’ on you.
And if that happens, I can only offer my deepest condolences at your funeral.”
“We have important business to attend to.
Excuse us.”
With that, Shiki completely ignored the pouting Hoshinomiya and familiarly led the way toward the counseling room.
Ayanokoji and Horikita let out sighs of relief and quickly hurried after him.