Chatting with a confident, kindhearted beauty like Honami was an extremely pleasant experience.
Ryouma also wanted to leave Honami with an equally pleasant impression of himself.
However...
Once a lie was exposed, it would inevitably leave others with the impression that someone was dishonest and untrustworthy.
As information about Honami flashed through his mind, Ryouma revealed a faint smile and answered.
"I heard this school specializes in cultivating well-rounded talent for Japan's future. I also want to help my family by recruiting some outstanding people."
"Helping your family?"
Honami was visibly surprised.
"That's amazing, Amakawa-kun!"
A family capable of employing personal maids must undoubtedly possess an extraordinary background.
Honami had already guessed Ryouma's family circumstances.
After all, the Amakawa conglomerate was far too famous in Japan.
However, since they had only just met, it wouldn't be appropriate to pry too deeply into his private affairs.
Despite coming from such a prestigious family...
Ryouma was still working so hard.
At such a young age, he was already thinking about his family's future.
At the same time, Honami felt a little ashamed of herself when faced with Ryouma's straightforwardness.
'He's being so open and honest with me, yet I'm the one hiding things...'
'Doesn't that make me seem a little hypocritical?'
However, Honami couldn't bring herself to voluntarily expose the scars of her past.
Very few people could willingly confront their own sins.
Not even a kindhearted little angel like Honami was capable of doing so.
This was also the reason why, despite having the highest academic performance in her entire grade, she had been assigned to Class B.
The two continued chatting and laughing as they made their way into the school building.
Honami energetically waved goodbye.
"I'm really glad I met you today, Amakawa-kun! I never imagined I'd make a friend like you on my very first day here! Well then, I'll be going ahead!"
"Yeah! If you ever run into any problems, don't hesitate to come to me, Ichinose-san. See you next time!"
Ryouma responded with a smile.
Considering everything they had discussed earlier...
Even a seemingly polite, casual remark could leave a profound impression on Honami at a certain moment in the future.
Since students had been informed before enrollment that bringing personal belongings was prohibited, the two hadn't exchanged contact information for the time being.
Ryouma then turned around and headed toward Class D.
Since he had arrived relatively early, only a handful of students were present in Class D.
The moment Ryouma stepped through the door, everyone glanced in his direction.
A nameplate had been placed on every desk.
After briefly surveying the classroom, Ryouma quickly found his seat.
The nameplate on his left read Akito Miyake, while the one on his right read Kyosuke Okitani.
Behind him, however, was a desk bearing the name Suzune Horikita.
'So that's where one of the main heroines will be sitting, huh?'
Ryouma couldn't help thinking to himself.
And diagonally behind him was none other than the protagonist's seat—Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.
Unfortunately, neither of them had arrived yet.
There was only a girl sitting in front of him.
She had silky, shoulder-length brown hair and a beautifully proportioned figure.
Her elegant, subtle makeup gave her a somewhat mature appearance.
Seemingly sensing Ryouma's gaze, the girl shifted her body slightly, revealing the nameplate on her desk.
Chiaki Matsushita.
Ryouma smiled dismissively.
When humans found themselves in an unfamiliar environment, they would inevitably feel at least a little uneasy.
They naturally wanted to establish relationships with the people around them as quickly as possible, forming groups to face the unfamiliar environment together.
Extroverted people might hesitate briefly before taking the initiative.
Introverted people, on the other hand, often remained nervous and uncomfortable, eventually finding themselves at the bottom of the classroom's social hierarchy or becoming completely isolated.
Naturally, Chiaki's little gesture hadn't escaped Ryouma's notice.
She might as well have written the words across her forehead—
'Come on, hurry up and talk to me!'
Ryouma flashed a refreshing smile.
"Chiaki Matsushita. That's a really beautiful name!"
Chiaki immediately turned around.
After glancing at the nameplate on his desk, she smiled.
"Amakawa Ryouma? Your name has a really nice ring to it too. That surname sounds strangely familiar, though. You wouldn't happen to be from Kyoto, would you, Amakawa-kun?"
"That's right! Speaking of which, I'm really lucky to be in the same class as such a beautiful girl. Why did you decide to enroll at this school, Matsushita-san?"
Ryouma answered with a smile, and the two quickly struck up a conversation.
He already knew Chiaki extremely well.
As a result, their conversation was naturally very comfortable for her.
This beautiful girl came from a wealthy family and possessed excellent academic and physical abilities.
However, because she feared troublesome situations and didn't want others relying on her, she deliberately suppressed her true capabilities.
In a sense, she could be considered a downgraded version of Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.
She wanted to reach Class A.
But at the same time, she didn't want to put in too much effort.
She was the type who would quickly give up once she believed there was no hope of success.
And yet...
She also enjoyed steering conversations, subtly guiding topics in her preferred direction, and keeping everything under her control.
It gave her the satisfying feeling that everything was unfolding according to her calculations.
Simply put...
'All ambition, no ability.'