Not long after Mashima Tomonari left, the students began to initiate self-introductions spontaneously.
‘Tsk…’
Mikage Touji clicked his tongue.
He noticed that the other students were all sitting properly in their seats; not a single one of them seemed to want to make a run for it like him.
No, maybe there was one.
Mikage Touji slowly shifted his gaze toward the back…
“Staring at my face all the time won’t do.
If you like what you see, please say it out loud.”
Mikage Touji closed his eyes, his heart full of regret.
‘I’m sorry, I was too naive to even attempt to keep up with this person’s train of thought.’
“Mikage-kun,” Shiraishi Asuka, sitting at the neighboring desk, struck up a conversation.
“Do you dislike self-introductions?”
Mikage Touji scratched his cheek.
“It’s not exactly that.
I just find this kind of atmosphere a bit hard to get used to.”
“In that case…” Shiraishi Asuka tapped her fingertips together, tilting her head in thought for a moment before smiling.
“How about I leave with Mikage-kun?”
‘An angel!’
At that moment, Shiraishi Asuka seemed to be coated in a layer of divine light.
“Let’s go!” a voice forcefully interjected.
Morishita Ai was sitting in her seat, one leg already swung out, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
Mikage Touji’s eyes widened.
‘I called you just now and you didn’t answer?’
‘Did you call me just now?’ Morishita Ai shot back a look.
“…”
Mikage Touji let out a long sigh.
“It would have been fine at the start, but not anymore.”
The self-introductions had already reached Mikage Touji’s vicinity.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, it would be rude to run away now.
“Yo, I’m Hashimoto Masayoshi…”
On the podium, a boy with a flashy blonde hairstyle, a ponytail, and earrings introduced himself in a flippant tone.
‘Hey, hey, is it really okay to have such a righteous name with a look like that?’ (Note: Masayoshi means “Justice” in Japanese).
Though he looked like a delinquent, one had to admit his stage presence was steady and his speech was clear.
When he stepped down, the applause was enthusiastic.
Next came another student: name, hobbies, goals, “please take care of me”…
‘Tacky!
Formulaic!
Zero creativity!’
Mikage Touji felt a stir in his heart, wondering if he should give his new classmates a “little shock.”
For example: He could walk onto the podium and suddenly clutch his right hand with all his might, veins popping, then stagger back several steps.
He’d look down to control his expression, and when people gathered around, he’d hiss: “Stay back!
The…
Force…
Black Dragon inside me…
Stop…
It’s not time yet!”
A second later, he magnificently abandoned that plan.
Kito Hayato.
This student was exactly as his name suggested: head down, hunched back, hooked nose, with long seaweed-like hair draped over both sides of his face—a man with the countenance of a demon.
When he took the stage, the temperature in the classroom seemed to drop several degrees; he carried his own “Domain” aura.
He was even better equipped than Mikage Touji; a pair of jet-black gloves radiated an aura of darkness.
The gap between Mikage Touji and this guy was roughly the difference between the “Three-Sword Style” Zoro and some cheap knock-off.
Kito Hayato’s voice was terrifyingly deep.
When he stepped down, there was only a smattering of sparse applause.
Mikage Touji clapped for him.
It was a reward earned by a winner, dedicated to the Chunibyo speech he had just let die in his head.
Most people kept their introductions brief.
Since everything had to be finished within an hour, the students consciously compressed their time to under a minute and a half.
However, Mikage Touji felt that twenty seconds would be plenty for him.
He stretched his neck and strode confidently toward the podium.
The eyes of some girls in the class suddenly lit up when they saw Mikage Touji walk up; they subconsciously straightened their appearance.
The other students’ gazes also gathered.
Mikage Touji’s earlier remarks during the briefing were obvious to everyone; it wouldn’t be a bad thing to get on good terms with such a classmate.
“I’m Mikage Touji.
My hobbies are watching TV dramas and movies.
I look forward to working with you for the next three years.” A perfectly ordinary speech—no highlights, no flaws.
In this Class A full of “heroes,” it shouldn’t have caused a single ripple.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans…
“Hey, hey, Mikage-kun, what type of person do you like?” a question drifted from somewhere in the classroom.
Mikage Touji fell silent for a moment, then began stroking his chin.
“The type I like…
my ideal partner…
Hmm…
Fine, since you want to know…”
Several girls in the class subconsciously pricked up their ears.
“My ideal partner…”
Mikage Touji clapped his hands together, making the podium vibrate.
He spoke with a rousing voice:
“They must be 50 meters tall!
A highly evolved brain!
Possess an incredibly robust physique and peak moral character!
And they must be able to fire a Specium Ray!
But not that one guy who likes to turn people into soup—he’s too much of a scumbag.
Ideally, the kind that can fuse together, so I can get multiple different experiences at once!
If there is such a being near you, please, by all means, introduce them to me.
Thank you!” (P.s he is talking about Ultraman)
The powerful declaration echoed through the classroom.
Everyone stared blankly at the “being” on the podium.
In the pin-drop silent classroom, there seemed to be a faint, crisp crack sound.
After a long silence.
“He’s clearly a handsome guy with a cool-sounding name,” a girl murmured, dazed, leaning back in her chair.
“How did he end up like…
that…”
Alright, done!
Mikage Touji wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead and walked down the podium, only to find Morishita Ai clutching her chest.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Please do not talk to me!
Because of you, I am currently in a very unpleasant mood.”
“How did I offend you this time?”
“My meticulously prepared, magnificent self-introduction was ruined by you.
My dreams have been shattered.
It’s all because of you, Mikage Touji, you murderer!”
“Is there really a need to be that upset?”
“Furthermore, I feel…” Morishita Ai muttered, watching the reactions of the classmates.
“That something which originally belonged to me was snatched away by you.
Pay me back!”
“Hey, hey, how am I supposed to pay you back for something so abstract?”
“Therefore, please do not talk to me starting from now.
I am going to mourn my departed dreams.”
In the end, Morishita Ai gave an exceptionally dull self-introduction.
After returning, she went back to her “poke-the-back” game, only with a bit more force and drawing random patterns on his back.
But this feeling…
‘She isn’t trying to draw a talisman to put a curse on me, is she?’
Mikage Touji felt a sense of foreboding.
The last one to take the stage was the bald student, who seemed to have waited for the final slot on purpose.
“My name is Katsuragi Kohei.
I hope to spend a fulfilling three years with all of you…”
The student with the gleaming bald head delivered his introduction in a steady tone.
“As for my character, I won’t mention it; I believe everyone will realize what kind of person I am during our three years together.
Finally, what I want to say is…”
Katsuragi Kohei paused slightly, his tone becoming heavier.
“Regarding the criteria for the 100,000 points Mashima-sensei mentioned earlier.
I believe you all heard it clearly: 100,000 points will not be distributed every single month.
Therefore, until we clarify the criteria for point distribution, I would like to ask everyone to best maintain the status quo and refrain from doing anything too out of line.”
He didn’t immediately jump to conclusions about Mashima-sensei’s words, nor did he rashly call the whole class to action.
It was a very prudent speech—a personality that matched his stoic physique.
Just as Mikage Touji was giving an internal evaluation, his back was poked.
“Mikage Touji, aren’t you going to say a few words?
You could try to salvage your image, which is currently sliding into an abyss in their minds,” Morishita Ai said listlessly, resting her chin on the desk.
“I’m not interested in that kind of thing.
You didn’t plan on going up either.
Also, weren’t you the one who said not to talk to you?
Are you done mourning your dreams?”
“I found a new dream three minutes ago.”
“You really are someone who moves on quickly, aren’t you?”
“A guy who likes fusing Ultramen has no right to talk about me.”
On the podium, after Katsuragi Kohei finished expressing his views, he looked toward Mikage Touji.
“Mikage-kun, do you have anything you’d like to add?”
“Looks like you have no choice despite your lack of interest.
Darkness is closing in on you,” Morishita Ai said behind him in a flat tone, sounding quite pleased with his misfortune.
‘You said it because you knew this would happen!’
“Nothing,” Mikage Touji shrugged.
“In a situation where information is lacking, maintaining the status quo is the best course of action.
The priority is gathering intelligence.”
“I can try asking the senpais; they should have information on this,” Hashimoto Masayoshi volunteered, brushing his bangs.
Katsuragi Kohei nodded.
“There is indeed a need for that.
However, considering Mashima-sensei’s attitude just now, I don’t actually think the answer will be obtained that easily.”
“If you need anything, feel free to ask for my help.”
“Me too.”
Before long, the students in the class reached a consensus on the points issue.
At the same time, the students of Class D were also discussing the 100,000 points.
“Kushida-chan, let me tell you, back in middle school, a Japanese youth baseball scout specifically came to our school to recruit me.
Unfortunately, those jealous guys at school didn’t tell me about it, so I missed the chance.
Otherwise, a number like 100,000 wouldn’t even be in my sights.”
“Ahaha, is…
is that so…”
“There’s a figure I’ve wanted to buy for a long time, hehehe…”
“Don’t misunderstand, I have zero interest in becoming friends with people like you.”
“100,000 points every month, this is just too dreamy.
New skirts, new bags, more, more…”
“Hmph, hahaha, I am simply too beautiful.”
Sakayanagi: “…”
In the corner of a classroom, Sakayanagi Arisu’s composed smile became strained.