Deep within her violet eyes, the ripple swiftly subsided, as if it had never appeared.
Shiina Hiyori tilted her head slightly, her silver hair falling over her shoulders, a perfectly appropriate, gentle expression of slight confusion on her face:
"Sakamoto-kun?"
Her voice remained soft, with a subtle hint of bewilderment.
"Class 1-A's Sakamoto-kun? I apologize, Student Ryuuen, I'm not very familiar with him."
She paused, gazing calmly at Ryuuen.
"Student Ryuuen, is there something you need him for?"
Ryuuen stared intently at Shiina Hiyori's face, as if trying to catch a flaw in every subtle change of her expression.
That calmness, that bewilderment, that perfectly appropriate confusion. It seemed flawless.
But Ryuuen Kakeru never trusted appearances.
"Student Ryuuen seems quite interested in this Sakamoto-kun?"
Ryuuen watched her for a few seconds, the sharpness in his eyes not diminishing in the slightest, but eventually, he straightened up, withdrew his hands from the desk, and put them back in his pockets.
"Interested?"
He scoffed, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate disdain.
"Just a pretentious Class 1-A bookworm."
He changed the subject, his voice becoming low and commanding once more.
"However, if we are to lead Class C to climb higher and surpass Class 1-A, then understanding the elites of Class 1-A, especially those who seem a bit special, is very necessary."
He deliberately emphasized "surpass Class 1-A," framing his goal as a collective benefit.
"Hiyori,"
Ryuuen called her by her first name again, with an undeniable sense of control.
"You seem quite intelligent, and your observational skills should be good too."
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the novel on her desk.
"Starting today, I'm giving you a task."
Shiina Hiyori's violet eyes lifted slightly, and she watched him quietly, waiting for him to continue.
"Observe that Sakamoto-kun."
Ryuuen's voice carried a commanding tone.
"Observe his every move, his habits, his weaknesses, his interactions with other Class 1-A students. Especially, if he has any unknown secrets or any compromising information."
He paused, then added:
"Of course, this is for our Class C. Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Understanding Class 1-A's strongest 'pawn' will allow us to better formulate strategies and surpass them. Understand?"
Shiina Hiyori was silent for a few seconds.
Observe Sakamoto-kun, find his weaknesses and compromising information? For the sake of "surpassing Class 1-A"?
She nodded slightly, her movement gentle, her voice still calm and unwavering:
"Understood, Student Ryuuen."
She did not refuse, nor did she show any resistance, as if she had simply accepted an ordinary class assignment.
"Very good."
Ryuuen nodded with satisfaction, the oppressive feeling in his eyes receding slightly but remaining sharp.
"Report any findings to me at any time."
With that, he did not linger, turning and walking towards the podium. His heavy footsteps echoed in the silent classroom, like drumbeats on everyone's hearts.
Shiina Hiyori watched Ryuuen's retreating figure until he stood on the podium again, his gaze sweeping across the class like a beast surveying its territory.
She slowly lowered her head, reopened the novel, and her fingertips gently brushed over Philip Marlowe's monologue on the page.
Deep within her violet eyes, beneath that calm icy surface, an extremely complex emotion quietly surged.
Observe Sakamoto-kun... find weaknesses and compromising information... for the sake of surpassing Class 1-A?
She closed the book, her gaze drifting out the window to the garden trees bathed in golden sunlight.
In the library, the black-haired boy's elegant and composed demeanor, his serene and profound eyes, reappeared in her mind.
Student Ryuuen, is your goal really just to "surpass Class 1-A"?
Shiina Hiyori took a soft breath, her fingertips unconsciously curling.
Sakamoto-kun... it seems our relationship might be more than just "book friends."
first year o enrollment: Chapter 022: Kamuro and Sakamoto
On the morning of the third day of school, in Class 1-A's classroom.
Sunlight streamed through the clean window glass, casting bright spots of light on the desks.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of a new day beginning, but this freshness could not dispel the heavy gloom in Kamuro Masumi's heart.
Kamuro Masumi sat in a back-row seat, her purple hair falling over her shoulders, covering most of her indifferent face.
She rested her chin on one hand, her gaze seemingly on the open textbook, but deep within her violet eyes was a swirling vortex of confused thoughts.
The conversation she had unintentionally overheard at the corridor corner yesterday afternoon lingered in her mind.
Sakayanagi Arisu, the silver-haired girl with a cane, her classmate. She was actually conspiring with Class C's Ryuuen Kakeru, preparing to jointly deal with Sakamoto-kun, and she was even using information from the s system to sell to Class C.
Sakamoto-kun—the black-haired boy who, outside the convenience store, made her cheeks flush and heart race with a can of juice. He was still completely unaware of this.
A strong impulse surged within her heart—
Tell him.
Tell him everything.
But the next second, cold rationality engulfed her like a tide.
Tell him?
On what grounds?
What was her relationship with Sakamoto-kun?
It was just one awkward encounter at a convenience store.
He might not even remember her name.
Why should she get involved in this dangerous vortex?
Sakayanagi and Ryuuen's target was only Sakamoto-kun; Class 1-A as a whole had control of the class points information and should not be significantly affected.
Why should she provoke Sakayanagi and Ryuuen for someone she didn't even know well? What if she brought trouble upon herself, and they targeted her... Kamuro instinctively clenched her fingers.
It's better to mind her own business... She forced herself to calm down, her gaze refocusing on the textbook.
However, her thoughts uncontrollably drifted to the small mini-fridge in her dorm room—a can of white juice lay quietly inside.
That was the can Sakamoto-kun had "swapped" at the convenience store, which she had paid for.
She had never drunk it, and by some strange impulse, she had put it in the mini-fridge.
Why keep it? Kamuro herself couldn't say.
Perhaps, that can of juice carried too many complex emotions.
Class time was approaching step by step.
Just a moment before the bell sliced through the air!
The classroom door was gently pushed open.
A tall figure appeared at the doorway, precisely silhouetted against the morning light streaming in from the corridor, his outline momentarily a bit blurry.
He took a step forward, entering the bright light of the classroom—black-rimmed glasses, a clear dark brown tear mole under his left eye, an handsome and serene face, and a wine-red school uniform that perfectly outlined his tall and straight figure.
It was Sakamoto-kun.
He began to walk, as all eyes in the class instantly focused on him.
His steps were still steady and fluid, each one as if measured, his arm swing moderate, his shoulders and back straight as a pine.
His destination was clearly the empty seat by the window.
Just as he reached the empty seat by the window, his left hand very naturally brushed the air above the chair back, his body smoothly turning towards the seat, his center of gravity lowering, his posture graceful, his hips perfectly settling onto the chair surface at that very instant—
"RING—!!!!"
The preparatory bell, announcing the official start of class, rang out loudly and without warning, as if precisely calculated!
Time froze for a moment. The previous second was absolute silence and the last frame of Sakamoto-kun sitting down, the next was a deafening announcement.
Only the boy who had just taken his seat by the window, amidst the surging sound waves, merely adjusted his sitting posture very naturally, turning his gaze calmly towards the direction of the podium entrance.
His movements were unhurried, as if the deafening noise was merely background sound effect ringing for his precise seating.
The entire classroom was silent.
The elites of Class 1-A were already accustomed to this shock, merely exchanging silent exclamations and a hint of accustomed understanding with their eyes.
Kamuro Masumi looked at Sakamoto-kun's still composed demeanor, a complex emotion flashing in her violet eyes.
It's like this again, not a second off. This guy's control over time is simply terrifying.
She subconsciously glanced at the position against the wall on the other side of the classroom.
Sakayanagi Arisu sat there quietly, her cane leaning against her chair.
She rested her chin on one hand, her gaze calmly fixed on Sakamoto-kun, a faint, playful curve at the corner of her mouth.
That smile was enigmatic, as if she were appreciating an interesting collectible, or perhaps plotting something.
Kamuro was completely unable to glean any useful information from that calm face.
Sakayanagi, what exactly was she thinking?
Would she really, as planned yesterday, team up with Ryuuen to deal with Sakamoto-kun?
Kamuro's thoughts became even more chaotic.
She forced herself to avert her gaze, looking towards the podium, trying to concentrate on the teacher's lecture.
However, throughout the entire morning's lessons, Kamuro was in a state of distraction.
The teacher's explanations were like background noise, while Sakamoto-kun's tall back and Sakayanagi's mysterious smile flashed alternately in her mind.
The dismissal bell rang, signaling a short break.
Kamuro noticed that fewer people seemed to be gathered around Sakamoto-kun's desk than the previous two days.
Perhaps everyone had grown accustomed to the elegant atmosphere around Sakamoto-kun.
But Morishita Ai, with her shoulder-length purple hair tied in two pigtails, still persistently clung to Sakamoto-kun, chattering about something, her face beaming with smiles.
Sakamoto-kun's expression was calm, occasionally nodding in response, his demeanor elegant and composed.
Kamuro sat in her seat, watching from afar, her fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of her textbook.
She wanted to walk over, like Morishita Ai, to naturally strike up a conversation, or even to warn him about something?
But she ultimately just sat there, her violet eyes lowered, allowing the entanglement and hesitation to churn within her heart.
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