Kaedehara Tetsu hadn’t gone far.
He handled the sparsely populated corridors of the Teaching Building, bypassing the direct route to the gymnasium.
Instead, he circled around to a secluded alcove housing a lone vending machine by a broad window.
It was a tactical vantage point—shielded from the main current of students flooding out of their classrooms, yet offering a clear line of sight over the mandatory path to the assembly.
He didn’t bother buying a drink.
He simply leaned against the cool plaster, hands shoved deep into his pockets, his dark gaze drifting over the manicured campus grounds outside.
Seconds ticked by.
The hallway remained wrapped in a heavy, expectant silence.
Tetsu exhibited zero impatience; his composure was absolute, a predator waiting for a specific prey to cross his territory.
Finally, a rhythmic tap, tap echoed from around the corner.
The cadence was deliberate, neither rushed nor sluggish, carrying a distinct, elegant weight.
Tetsu didn’t turn.
He maintained his lazy posture against the wall, eyes still fixed on the glass as if entirely deaf to the approaching footsteps.
The crisp strikes of wood against linoleum drew closer, halting just a few paces behind him.
“It seems Kaedehara-san possesses a rather unique taste in admiring the scenery.”
Sakayanagi Arisu’s voice drifted over, laced with a quiet, calculating scrutiny.
She stood bathed in the pale light filtering through the glass, her long, silver-white hair catching the sun like spun frost.
The tip of her cane rested lightly against the floor.
She looked less like a high school student and more like a pristine, classical portrait framed by the corridor.
“Even the most stunning view grows dull given enough time,” Tetsu replied, finally pushing off the wall.
He turned to meet her gaze, his expression unreadable.
“Occasionally shifting one’s perspective, or simply waiting for a more interesting piece of scenery to wander into frame, serves as an excellent change of pace.”
“Oh?
Special scenery?” Arisu’s lips curved into a shallow, aristocratic smile.
“I was under the impression you were in a rush to attend the Entrance Ceremony.”
“The ceremony doesn’t start for a while.
There’s no rush.” Tetsu’s eyes swept over her fragile, excessively slender frame before locking onto her lilac eyes.
“I’m far more concerned about you, Sakayanagi-san.”
“Concerned about me?” She tilted her head slightly.
“Your words are always so delightfully cryptic, Kaedehara-san.
Is there truly anything about me that warrants your concern?”
“You’re surprisingly slow on the uptake.
Or perhaps everyone else has just been too terrified to point it out…” A dry, cynical smirk touched his lips.
“After all, you are quite the cute maiden.”
Arisu’s reaction to the flippant remark was entirely composed.
There was no flush of embarrassment, no flash of indignation.
Her elegant smile remained perfectly fixed.
“Cute?
Now that is a fascinating assessment.” She gripped her cane a fraction tighter.
“Typically, when male creatures employ that word, it denotes harmlessness, obedience, or some fragile quality designed to provoke a protective instinct.
Tell me, Kaedehara-san, which of those traits do you believe I possess?”
“No, Sakayanagi-san.
You misunderstand completely.”
Tetsu shook his head.
He took a slow, deliberate step toward her.
“The ‘cuteness’ I’m referring to has absolutely nothing to do with being harmless, obedient, or fragile.” He took another step, bridging the gap.
“It’s the fact that you…
while masquerading as a quiet, porcelain doll in need of constant care, are secretly starving for a satisfying slaughter.”
He stopped directly in front of her.
The distance was entirely erased.
He was close enough to catch the faint, sophisticated scent clinging to the ends of her hair.
For a girl with a physical disability who fiercely guarded her personal space, this proximity was a blatant invasion—a heavy, physical manifestation of dominance.
Yet, Arisu did not retreat a single inch.
She stood her ground, tilting her chin up to meet the gaze of the much taller boy looming over her.
For a fleeting second, her heart rate spiked.
It wasn’t fear.
It certainly wasn’t some cliché romantic flutter.
It was the intoxicating thrill of encountering a genuine predator—a surge of unexpected, blood-pumping delight.
Just who was this man?
To possess such terrifying, surgical insight on the very first day of school, and from an unknown student in Class A no less.
A stray draft slipped through the open window, lifting a few strands of her silver hair to brush lightly against Tetsu’s knuckles.
“Kaedehara-san…” She took a slow, measured breath, forcing the sudden spike of adrenaline down beneath her polished exterior.
Her smile deepened.
“You truly are a surprising delight.
It appears I need to drastically re-evaluate your worth.”
“My worth is infinitely higher than whatever metric you’re currently using,” Tetsu replied smoothly.
“But let’s end the appetizers here.” He glanced down the length of the corridor.
A few scattered students were finally beginning their trek toward the gymnasium.
Stepping back to give her space, he extended a hand in a flawless, mocking gesture of chivalry.
“If you don’t mind, Sakayanagi-san, how about we attend the Entrance Ceremony together?
Having a ‘cute’ kindred spirit by my side might actually make listening to those droning speeches somewhat tolerable.”
Arisu studied him in silence for a long moment.
“Since you have so graciously invited me, I naturally have no reason to refuse.” She offered a slight, aristocratic nod.
“However, my pace is quite slow.
I may delay you.”
“Take all the time you need.
I have an abundance of patience.” Tetsu fell into step beside her, deliberately shortening his stride to match the rhythmic tap of her cane.
“The timing is perfect, anyway.
I have a few questions I’d like to ask you on the way.”
“Speaking of questions…” Arisu murmured casually, as if the thought had just drifted into her mind.
“What are your thoughts on the S-System and the one hundred thousand points we were so generously gifted, Kaedehara-san?”
The delivery was light, almost airy, but the intent was a heavy, calculated strike.
Tetsu cast a sidelong glance at her, his eyes narrowing in amusement.
“Oh?
Isn’t the Chairman your father?
You should already know the exact mechanics running this place.
Why bother testing me?”
Arisu didn’t miss a beat.
“I simply wish to hear your personal perspective.”
“Those one hundred thousand points aren’t a gift.
They’re a filter,” Tetsu said, his voice dropping into a cool, analytical register.
“An initial screening process designed to separate the fools from the genuinely intelligent.”
He looked forward, watching the oblivious students laughing down the hall.
“It’s the equivalent of throwing a pack of starving wolves into a warehouse overflowing with meat, without warning them that once the food is gone, the doors lock forever.
The idiots who recklessly splurge their allowance will wake up next month entirely incapable of maintaining even basic survival.
This academy has been executing a ruthless elimination game from the very second we stepped through the gates.”
Arisu felt a cold spike of validation.
He didn’t just suspect the trap; he saw the entire architecture of the S-System with crystal clarity.
Her estimation of him skyrocketed.
“In that case,” she asked, her tone shifting to one of genuine, guarded respect, “what do you believe is the true core of this system?”
“Exchange,” Tetsu answered instantly.
“Exchange?”
“Exactly.” Tetsu’s pace remained steady, his gaze cutting through the bustling crowd gathering near the gymnasium doors.
“Trading points for consumer goods is just the surface level.
What the school actually demands we learn is a much higher tier of transaction: buying information, trading favors, securing loyalty, purchasing betrayal…
and eventually, manipulating class rankings.
I guarantee there is a hidden conversion rate linking our Class Points directly to our Personal Points.”
Arisu fell completely silent.
She continued walking, the steady tap, tap of her cane the only sound she made, but beneath her placid expression, her mind was spinning at a dizzying speed.
This man…
just how deep did his knowledge go?