The next morning, the alarm-like chirping of brown-eared bulbuls echoed from the woods next to the dormitory, waking those in deep sleep.
Inside a dim room, a few rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, hitting a lump in the middle of the bed.
A hand struggled out from under the covers, groped around the bedside table for a moment, and pulled a phone back into the nest.
The next moment.
Mikage Touji practically launched himself off the bed, his blanket flying into mid-air.
“Holy crap!
I’m almost late!”
Using a god-speed five minutes to get himself ready, Mikage Touji grabbed his backpack, slammed the door shut with a bang, and sprinted toward the school building.
Question: What is the most joyful thing to encounter when you’re almost late?
Answer: Another classmate who is also almost late!
On the campus path, the death-sprinting Mikage Touji slammed on the brakes.
Seeing Morishita Ai walking normally with her two braids swaying against her chest, he breathed a silent sigh of relief.
He adjusted his breathing and walked past Morishita Ai from her left as if nothing were wrong.
Morishita Ai glanced at him sideways but ignored him.
After putting some distance between them, Mikage Touji smirked and silently accelerated his pace.
Not long after, the da-da-da sound of small leather shoes hitting the ground came from behind.
Mikage Touji thought to himself this isn’t good, but he continued walking forward with a neutral expression, increasing his stepping frequency to maintain the gap.
However, this move did not create distance; instead, the footsteps grew closer and closer.
‘My intention has been discovered!’
Mikage Touji realized that if things continued this way, he would soon be overtaken.
He couldn’t just sit and wait for death!
Mikage Touji took a deep breath, adjusted his backpack, and instantly exerted power in his thighs.
He began running outright on the path, attempting to pull away in one go and leave the “honor” of being the last person to enter the classroom to Morishita Ai.
Yet, before he could celebrate, he felt a figure behind him sprinting just as hard.
Since things had come to this, Mikage Touji no longer hid it.
Fighting the wind, he shouted to the person behind him: “Give up!
Morishita, the last person to reach the classroom will definitely be you!”
“Those words should be returned to you intact.
As Morishita Ai, who carries the bloodline of a grandfather who was a long-distance runner, it is impossible for me to lose to you.
Face reality and accept your tragic fate of being the last to arrive.”
“Wait, wasn’t your grandfather the Pirate King?
How did he become a long-distance runner?”
“None of your business…”
On the path leading from the Advanced Nurturing dormitory to the school building, a crowd of students rushing to make it on time looked on in confusion at a boy and girl sprinting wildly past them.
.
.
.
Outside the peaceful Class A classroom, a sudden chaotic and rapid set of footsteps echoed.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire class, Morishita Ai was the first to cross the line.
Ignoring the fine sweat appearing on her forehead, she raised her hand and cheered: “The first-place gold medalist is Morishita Ai!”
The trailing Mikage Touji collapsed unsteadily onto the floor, panting heavily with a face full of frustration: “To think…
I actually lost to a mere Morishita…”
“Mikage Touji, you’re no good,” Morishita Ai pressed down her skirt and squatted, looking at the gasping Mikage Touji while covering her mouth to laugh.
“I didn’t expect you to be such a physical weakling…”
‘If my body hadn’t been ravaged so badly by that Senpai yesterday, making me wake up sore all over and unable to move my legs, you would never have outrun me!’
Of course, Mikage Touji would never say such a stubborn excuse out loud; if he did, Morishita Ai would only mock him even more relentlessly.
“While there is still time, please go buy a bottle of water.”
Morishita Ai raised her chin slightly, exercising the privilege of a winner.
She pointed outside the door with one hand, naturally commanding the loser, Mikage Touji.
“Don’t you have any pity for me?” Mikage Touji struggled to his feet and walked toward the vending machine.
“Sorry, my mother told me that if there’s an advantage to be taken, take it,” Morishita Ai said righteously.
“Hurry back, I want mine cold!” This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
“Don’t drink cold beverages right after exercise.
Are you some kind of child?”
When Mikage Touji slammed a bottle of Pocari Sweat onto Morishita Ai’s desk, the school bell rang as scheduled.
The first period was an unknown, ordinary National Language teacher lecturing from a textbook.
As a transmigrator, Mikage Touji’s Japanese Language grades were not ideal.
For Mikage Touji, a curriculum that skipped straight to high school without a solid foundation was like listening to a book from heaven—the kind of thing that makes you drowsy the more you listen.
For instance, things like “The 12 usages of auxiliary verbs”…
‘You’re making things difficult for me!’
As for other subjects, they were fine.
Even if the curriculum in the textbooks was different, the essence was the same, and he could keep up with some effort.
Three periods flew by, and the next was Mashima Tomonari’s English class.
As the bell rang, Mashima Tomonari entered the classroom with his usual stiff face.
Curiously, he wasn’t carrying a lesson plan.
As if sensing the confusion of the students, Mashima Tomonari spoke up.
“At the request of Katsuragi-kun, this period has been temporarily changed to a homeroom session.” After saying this, he looked toward where Katsuragi Kohei was sitting.
Katsuragi Kohei nodded to him and walked onto the podium with steady steps.
The Class A students realized what was happening; the intel purchased last night had arrived in full, and Katsuragi Kohei was going to announce it to the class.
After confirming all students were present, Katsuragi Kohei looked outside the door.
A green-haired boy was already guarding the hallway outside; it seemed he was there to ensure no students from other classes passed by.
If Touji remembered correctly, his name was Totsuka Yahiko, and he had been acting as Katsuragi’s shadow these past few days.
However, for Mikage Touji, who already knew the answers, this was a class where he could slack off.
He pulled a book from his bag titled The Long Goodbye by the American author Raymond Chandler.
Mikage Touji had borrowed it from the school library to kill time.
Meanwhile, Katsuragi Kohei began his performance.
“The main content of this homeroom is about…”
As Katsuragi spoke, the originally relaxed atmosphere of the class became serious and heavy…
many students unconsciously furrowed their brows, and silence enveloped the Class A classroom.
In contrast…
Mikage Touji’s fingertips slid steadily across the slightly rough edges of the paper, making a very faint, rhythmic sh-sh sound.
Then, a small, plain white hand pressed down on the page he was about to turn.
“Wait a second, I haven’t finished reading.”
Morishita Ai was staring intently at the small print on the page while firmly holding down the edge of the paper.
“Morishita-san, don’t you have your own things to do?” Mikage Touji asked with half-closed eyes.
“I originally planned to use my extra pens to make a pen-gun, but halfway through I found Mikage Touji reading.
I felt it was more interesting over here, so I decided to share your joy,” Morishita Ai said without looking up from the page.
“…”
Fine, he had no way of dealing with this woman.
“We’ll read together.
I’ll only flip when you say so, okay?” Removing Morishita Ai’s hand, Mikage Touji said crossly.
He stole a glance at the fully concentrated Morishita Ai.
Despite her cold and aloof aura, her personality was quite childish; her palms were fair and tender, and she was quite small.
After a while, Mikage Touji looked back at the page.
The story was simple: Detective Marlowe meets the abandoned drunkard Terry in a bar and sends him home, and the two become friends because of it.
Except…
Mikage Touji flipped back to look at the cover.
Isn’t this a detective novel?
Where was the reasoning?
Why was the killer dead? Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
Unfortunately, before Mikage Touji could find an answer, he felt a sharp pain as if someone were pulling him.
No!
It wasn’t just a feeling, someone was actually yanking his hair!
Morishita Ai!
“They’re calling you…” Morishita Ai lowered her voice.
Mikage Touji snapped back to reality and found the entire class staring at him.
“Ahem,” Mikage Touji closed the novel, cleared his throat, and looked at the class with a straight face.
“Is there a problem?”
“Katsuragi-kun has finished explaining the rules and has made some arrangements.
Does Mikage-san have anything to add?” Hashimoto Masayoshi said from the other side of the classroom.
“They feel that Mikage-kun, who was the first to notice something was wrong with the school, might have unique insights into this,” Shiraishi Asuka whispered a reminder from beside him.
On the podium, Katsuragi Kohei also looked at Mikage Touji in a friendly manner, waiting for him to speak.
Mikage Touji put down the novel and, as if he had truly listened to Katsuragi Kohei’s entire speech, nodded seriously and said: “I believe Katsuragi-san’s arrangements are already quite detailed.
There is nothing particular I need to add.”
After receiving Mikage Touji’s answer, the students withdrew their gazes and began free discussions.
“Then let’s proceed according to Katsuragi-kun’s plan.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for intel on the other classes.”
“I’ve added Class B’s Ichinose as a friend; I should be able to get a lot out of that.”
“I suggest you don’t.
That woman is quite capable; it wouldn’t be good if she noticed something.
Incidentally, I have her as a friend too.”
“That Kushida Kikyo from Class D seems easy to trick.
I’ll go give it a try.”
“…”
“Compared to Katsuragi-kun, it seems the classmates trust Mikage-kun more,” Shiraishi Asuka from next door struck up a conversation with a smile.
“Does Mikage-kun not intend to lead this class?”
Just now, when Katsuragi Kohei proposed the plan, some students were completely unmoved.
Only after seeing Mikage Touji nod did they officially begin to mobilize.
“Katsuragi is fine.
At least better than me.
Leaving the class to him is the best choice,” Mikage Touji said, shaking his head.
“If that’s what Mikage-kun likes.”
A soft voice came as Shiraishi Asuka clasped her hands together, leaning her body forward slightly.
“I’m a bit curious how Mikage-kun discovered the school rules.
Can you take me with you next time?”
“It was just a coincidence.
The next time will probably be a long way off; I don’t even know if there will be a next time.”
“Then…
I will be waiting for news from Mikage-kun.”
“Sure—”
“Mikage Touji, hurry up, hurry up!”
Morishita Ai grabbed his collar and pulled Mikage Touji back to her desk.
“I got it, wait a second.
Why are you in such a rush?”
“I bet that Terry guy faked his death.
We haven’t even seen a body!”
“Maybe it was suicide?”
“How is that possible?
A person like him would never commit suicide.”
“…”
Seeing this scene, a glimmer flashed through Shiraishi Asuka’s eyes.