After listening to Chairman Sakayanagi's lengthy speech, the opening ceremony finally came to a successful conclusion.
With that, the morning of the first day of school was officially over.
The students would have the afternoon off.
Most students chose to return to their dormitories, while others headed to Keyaki Mall to purchase daily necessities or squander their enormous fortune of one hundred thousand private points.
Chiaki Matsushita had also extended an invitation to Ryouma.
School had only just begun, and everyone was still in the process of getting acquainted, building relationships, and forming their respective social circles.
Therefore, the first gathering was particularly important.
However, Ryouma politely declined with a smile.
Once someone became associated with a particular social circle, integrating into another group would become considerably more difficult.
Even if they managed to get along, their relationships would likely remain superficial.
After all, differences in how warmly people treated one another were very real.
Within Class D, only Yosuke Hirata and Kikyo Kushida were exceptions.
Aside from their exceptional social skills and attractive appearances, they also shared a willingness to sacrifice their own interests for the sake of their classmates.
Ryouma had no intention of wasting too much time trying to reach Class A.
And he certainly wasn't willing to sacrifice his personal time for those defective students.
Nevertheless, he had exchanged contact information with most of his classmates, maintaining a reasonable degree of familiarity with everyone.
...
Keyaki Mall.
The school's facilities were remarkably comprehensive.
Cafés, karaoke establishments, movie theaters, restaurants, clothing stores...
Practically everything a student could need was available here.
Even if someone wanted something particularly unusual, they could submit a purchasing request to the school.
As long as they possessed enough private points, almost anything could be obtained.
Inside a convenience store, Ryouma was browsing through various daily necessities.
Ever since the opening ceremony ended, Horikita had been quietly following him around without saying a single word.
Naturally, Ryouma understood exactly what was going on.
Horikita was undoubtedly desperate to learn more about the school's hidden rules.
She simply didn't know how to bring up the subject.
Of course, he wasn't in any hurry.
'After all, she's the one who needs something from me.'
Therefore, Ryouma made no attempt to start a conversation.
"What an unpleasant coincidence."
Horikita suddenly spoke in her usual indifferent tone.
Ryouma turned his head and glanced over.
At some point, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji had appeared nearby.
"There's no need to be so wary."
Holding a shopping bag, Ayanokoji glanced sideways at Ryouma, his voice completely devoid of emotion.
"You two seem pretty close."
Although Horikita was merely following behind Ryouma, they were still close enough that anyone could immediately tell they were together.
It wasn't particularly strange for Ayanokoji to make such an observation.
Although he'd appeared rather awkward during his self-introduction, his extraordinary abilities were already helping him adapt rapidly to life as an ordinary high school student.
Or perhaps...
'High school students seem to come in all kinds of personalities.'
'Apparently, almost any behavior is acceptable.'
Unfortunately, despite his desire to live a peaceful life, the thought patterns instilled in him by the White Room were deeply ingrained.
Ayanokoji instinctively gathered information about everything around him.
Only by continuously collecting information could he ensure that he remained in a position of absolute safety and ultimately emerge victorious.
However, actively socializing with others didn't quite fit the trouble-avoiding persona he'd established for himself.
Therefore, he'd decided to approach Horikita, someone he'd already encountered twice.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have initiated conversations with him in the first place.
As long as someone provided a sufficiently convincing reason, a person like Horikita generally wouldn't refuse to help.
"My relationship with Suzune isn't nearly as simple as you're imagining, Ayanokoji."
Ryouma spread his hands and sighed dramatically.
"Honestly, these are the kinds of troubles popular guys have to deal with."
"That certainly sounds like an enviable problem."
'Flirtatious. Self-centered.'
Those were the first impressions that surfaced in Ayanokoji's mind.
'Is he mocking himself, or is he showing off?'
However, Ayanokoji quickly rejected his initial assessment.
During the class introductions, Ryouma had given off a much more straightforward and cheerful impression.
Although flirtatiousness and straightforwardness could appear somewhat similar, the impressions they left on others were completely different.
The former would generally make girls dislike someone.
The latter, however, could actually be considered an attractive quality under certain circumstances.
A strange feeling of incongruity lingered in Ayanokoji's mind.
'Or perhaps...'
'Has the relationship between Horikita and Amakawa already developed to the point where they can casually joke around like this?'
That alone would demonstrate Ryouma's remarkable social abilities.
Establishing such a close relationship with Horikita in only half a day was something Ayanokoji didn't believe he could accomplish himself.
However, everything depended on how Horikita responded.
Her reaction would allow him to determine Ryouma's true personality.
After all, Ayanokoji employed different approaches when dealing with different people.
Unfortunately...
Horikita showed absolutely no intention of responding.
She simply continued examining the inexpensive products on the shelves.