"The man who has anticipated the coming of troubles takes away their power when they arrive."
— Seneca
--𝕽𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙--
May 1st.
At 5:00 AM, Kiyotaka exited his dorm room for his now-routine early morning jogging. By this point, he didn't really need to anymore. His physique was already maintenance-free for the most part. But the rhythm of sneakers on pavement helped organize his thoughts while being productive.
It came to show that while you could take a person out of the White Room, you couldn't take the White Room out of the person.
What a grim thought, he noted.
As he ran past the convenience store, he slowed his pace just enough to glance through the glass doors. The shelves were stocked. Onigiri, sandwiches, limited-edition drinks, magazines.
These were things that became part of everyday life for his classmates who assumed they were going to live three years of luxury in the paradise that was Advanced Nurturing High School.
Not that onigiri or sandwiches were luxurious by any means.
But they would be expensive for his classmates moving forward.
After all, most of them have already spent all of the 100,000 points the school graciously gifted them on the first day of class.
And like in his memories, Class D would end up receiving no points for the month of May.
Kiyotaka resumed his pace, turning toward a large roundabout where he would jog for a few laps.
After three laps, he brought his mind back to his class.
He could have done something to ensure they won't end up with no points this month. He could have easily convinced Hirata to do something – they were already close enough for the boy to heed his advice. It could have been oh so easy.
But he didn't.
Guiding them from the start would only delay the inevitable. Class D had a cracked foundation that could only hold for so long. If he patched the cracks now, nobody in his class would truly change.
People like Yamauchi would actively believe they were so much better compared to their peers – if they already didn't think so already. People like Hirata or Horikita wouldn't reach the breakthroughs they've reached in the original timeline.
Of course, a moral argument could be made that his active interference would lead these people to better outcomes. That a "Hero" would save them from their own ignorance.
But he wasn't cut from the same cloth as someone like Horikita Manabu or Ichinose Honami.
He had no interest in carrying the world on his shoulders.
Kiyotaka's interests lay in selfishly chasing the freedom that eluded him all his life.
"Ayanokōji-kun!"
A familiar voice cut through the early morning silence.
Kiyotaka slowed his pace, glancing over his shoulder. Hirata Yōsuke was jogging toward him, waving his left hand.
This had become part of his morning routine.
A few days after their conversation about Hirata's arrangement with Karuizawa, Kiyotaka ran into him while jogging.
It was the first time Hirata jogged at the same route he took. And after finding out Kiyotaka actually spends his early morning jogging, he asked if they could jog together moving forward.
Of course, Kiyotaka accepted. Hirata was good company.
"Good morning, Hirata. You're earlier than usual," Kiyotaka commented as the boy fell into step beside him.
They usually jog together at around 6 AM. It was still 5:30 in the morning.
"You're also earlier than usual," Hirata retorted, amused.
"Which means I'm already many laps ahead of you," Kiyotaka replied, keeping his voice flat. "You should catch up."
At the taunt, Hirata doubled his speed.
Kiyotaka stared at the speeding boy blankly.
"That's sprinting, not jogging," he muttered to the empty air.
Then, he caught up to Hirata.
--𝕽𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙--
Kiyotaka entered Class D's homeroom at 7:30 AM.
Only a handful of students were inside, but the whispers had already begun. By the time the rest filtered in, those murmurs had turned into small, anxious eddies swirling in every corner of the room.
Their phones, just like his, had shown no deposits for the month. They've been looking forward to the assumed 100,000 deposit, and yet, it didn't come.
And predictably, the first theory students reached for was the one that hurt least.
"Maybe Chabashira-sensei would give it to us later."
"That's stupid. The system probably bugged out. We should tell sensei about it later, so she could help us get our points."
Kiyotaka rested his chin on his palm, watching the panic unfold with the detached interest of a scientist observing a control group.
'I wonder if this was how the instructors from the White Room felt,' he mused, before quickly erasing the thought.
That said, he couldn't blame his classmates for grasping at straws. If you didn't know the rules, you filled the gaps with hope – even if hope made you blind.
Soon, the first bell rang, and just as they've been accustomed to, Chabashira Sae emerged from the door. She carried with her a poster tube, while her face carried their usual frosty expression.
... Actually, it was even icier than usual. To the point that even an inattentive idiot like Ike could notice it.
Kiyotaka watched Ike's mouth open and sighed.
He mentally recited the script. 'Hey, sensei, did you start menopause?'
... And there it was. Right on cue. It was almost disappointing.
He was hoping Ike would say something different this time. If the timeline didn't perfectly align with his memories, he'd actually be slightly relieved.
"You shouldn't be surprised anymore, Ayanokōji-kun," Horikita remarked.
"Yeah... I guess so."
Horikita was clearly referring to Ike's idiocy, but it applied just as neatly to his experiences stubbornly aligning itself with his memories from the future.
He had long since come to terms with it, but he would have loved some minor deviations. That wasn't too much to ask, was it?
Chabashira's voice cut through Kiyotaka's reverie.
"All right, your morning homeroom is about to begin. Before we get started, does anyone have any questions? If so, now is the time to speak."
As expected, she ignored Ike's remarks. Instead, she invited the class to ask questions.
And Hondō's hand was the one chosen among the many raised hands.
"Um, I checked my point balance this morning, but I didn't see any deposits. Points are given on the first day of every month, aren't they? I couldn't buy juice this morning."
Although Chabashira's face stayed the same, Kiyotaka noticed the slightest shift in her demeanor at Hondō's concern.
"Hondō, I already explained this before, didn't I? Points are deposited on the first day of the month. I've confirmed that points were wired this month without any issues."
Hondō, alongside his friends, looked puzzled.
"But nothing was deposited to my account, though..."
Chabashira's eyes narrowed further.
"Are you kids really that dumb?"
"Dumb? Wha?"
As Hondō stupidly repeated her words, Chabashira looked at him sharply.
"Sit down, Hondō. I'll explain once more."
With the boy slumping in his seat, she repeated herself.
"Points were deposited. That much I know for certain. There is absolutely no chance that we forgot about anyone in this class. To think so is ludicrous. Understood?"
Hondō still didn't understand.
"Well, even if I tell you that we understand, we haven't received any points..."
"Ha ha ha! I see. So, it's like that then, teacher? I think I've solved the mystery," Kōenji boomed, laughing.
He propped his feet up on his desk and smugly pointed toward Hondō.
"It's simple. We're in Class D, so we didn't receive a single point."
"Huh? What are you talking about? They said that we'd get 100,000 points every month—"
"I don't remember hearing that, though. Do you?" Chuckling, Kōenji boldly pointed at Chabashira-sensei.
"While he certainly has an attitude problem, Kouenji is exactly right. For crying out loud, barely anyone seems to have noticed the hint I gave you. How deplorable."
Then, she began to shatter the image of paradise that Class 1-D had implanted into their heads into pieces.
The school, just like every institution, does not reward trash. Because why would a school designed for nurturing the future of Japan reward good-for-nothing failures? That was the gist of it.
And most of the class couldn't grasp that reality. At the sudden turn of events, confused voices drowned out the room, and gloom took over.
Nobody but Kōenji truly got her point.
"I'm sure that in nine years of compulsory education, you learned that being late and talking in class are bad things. And now you say that you can't understand this because I haven't explained it to you?"
Nobody could refute all of her arguments, but nobody also wanted to claim accountability.
Well, except Hirata.
"Sensei, could you at least explain in detail how points are added or deducted? We can keep that in mind for future reference."
He knew there was no use crying over spilled milk, so he wanted to look to the future.
"I cannot tell you. We cannot disclose the methods behind our student evaluation. It's the same as any other organization. When you enter a company, it is the company's choice whether or not to tell you how it evaluates its employees. However, I'm not cruel, and I'm not trying to be cold. In fact, this situation is so pathetic that I will give you one bit of guidance."
But instead of guidance, Chabashira twisted the knife again.
"Let's say that you stop being late to class and have no more absences. Even though zero points will be deducted from you this month, that doesn't mean that your points will increase, either. That means next month you will still receive zero points. From another perspective, you could say no matter how times you're late or absent to class, it doesn't matter. So, you're not really at a loss, are you?"
With that, she effortlessly killed whatever hopes the class had.
The bell signaling the end of homeroom seemed louder than usual.
"It looks like we spent too much time yammering. I hope that you understood the gist of it. Well, it's about time that we switch to our main topic."
From the tube she carried, she removed a white rolled-up poster and spread it out. She stuck the poster to the blackboard with some magnets. The still-confused students stared blankly at the poster.
The scores were still the same as it had been in the 'original timeline.' Class A ended up with 940, Class B with 650, and Class C with 490.
And Class D ended up with the astounding score of 0.
"You've all been doing whatever you pleased this past month. The school has no intention of preventing you from doing what you want. Your actions, such as being late or talking during class, only affect the points you receive. The same goes for how you use your points. How you choose to spend is entirely up to you. We have not put any restrictions on point usage."
"This isn't fair, though! We can't enjoy our student lives like this!" Ike shouted.
His brother-in-arms, Yamauchi wailed in agony. Like many in class, he had already spent all 100,000 starting points believing it'll be replenished the next month.
Such was the folly of man – believing the world would be so merciful.
But the world would never bend to trash. And their Class D, which was the first in school history to lose all their points in their month, was even worse than trash. They were hopeless with no light in sight.
Kiyotaka observed his classmates impassively. This should be around the time where they'd slowly realize their unenviable reality.
They began to mutter their worries – from how everyone would perceive them to how they would survive with no points to spend. But what was most damning was how nobody truly claimed accountability for their own actions. They seemed to think they didn't deserve this outcome, that they should have been informed from the start.
'But what would that even do?' Kiyotaka thought.
Even with information, he believed this group of idiots would still find a way to nosedive into zero points.
Neither Hirata nor Kushida could steer the whole ship at this point. They only controlled parts of the class. And even if they worked together, they'd still end up with zero.
"Ninety-eight absences and late arrivals. Three hundred ninety-one incidences of talking or using a cell phone in class," were what Chabashira said when asked why they ended up penniless. But those only made up parts of the whole list of infractions their class committed over the month.
Kiyotaka's 'future self' actually hypothesized that if going below zero was possible, their class would have been evaluated deep into the negatives. That was how dire the situation was.
It was a class filled with children who lacked common sense, himself included.
But it wasn't the end of the world. There was still hope, a carrot that Chabashira would soon dangle before them.
"Work toward turning your class into the best one."
If their class scored above Class C, they would become the new Class C. It sounds simple enough... if their class got their shit together.
Unfortunately, Class D was also completely hopeless when it came to academics. As Chabashira's revelation of their scores during their test last month would show.
She said that seven students would have been expelled had it been a normal test.
As for Kiyotaka, he actually scored higher than he did in the 'original timeline.' He scored a respectable 81, only failing to answer the hard questions and other questions that 'above average' students could realistically answer incorrectly.
With his 'memories,' he now had the sense on what's easy or difficult. That was a big boon for him.
"Not bad, Ayanokōji-kun," Horikita remarked.
She probably looked for his name to gauge how good he was academically. For people like her, that was one of the indicators if a person was worth listening to.
Rather shallow, but that was Horikita.
"I tried. Maybe you could tutor me so I'll get close to your score," Kiyotaka replied.
The dark-haired girl tied for the highest score in the test, alongside Yukimura and Kōenji, with the score of 90.
"I prefer studying on my own," she declined.
As the conversation ended, Kiyotaka turned his attention to Yukimura Teruhiko, who stood up after Chabashira told the class that only Class A graduates gets the benefits the school advertised.
"Th-that's... absurd! We didn't hear anything about that!"
Just like in his memories, Kōenji took this chance to enter the conversation.
"How disgraceful. There's nothing more pitiful than men losing their cool."
"Don't you feel dissatisfied being in Class D, Kouenji?" Yukimura asked.
"Dissatisfied? Why would I feel dissatisfied? I don't understand."
"Because the school says we're so low that we're basically delinquents and failures. We've been told that there's no guarantee whatsoever that we'll advance into higher education or get a job!"
"Pah. Utter nonsense. That's so marvelously stupid that I can't even find the words." Kōenji didn't even stop polishing his nails or turn to face Yukimura as he spoke. "The school simply hasn't seen my potential yet. I pride myself on being great, and I value, respect, and regard myself more highly than anyone. So, the school arbitrarily placing me into Class D means nothing. Say, for instance, that I dropped out of school—I would be perfectly fine. After all, I am 100 percent positive that the school would come crying to take me back."
Yukimura thought, that as a fellow high scorer, the blonde-haired boy would be dissatisfied with his Class D placement. But Kōenji reacted differently.
"I don't care in the slightest if the school does or doesn't assist me to higher education or the workforce. It's been decided that I will lead the Kōenji conglomerate group. Whether I'm in Class D or Class A is a trivial matter."
Then, the blonde closed his eyes, no longer interested in the conversation. The ever-present grin remained, however.
As the stunned Yukimura sat back down, Chabashira left a parting message.
"It looks like your bubbles have been burst. If you had simply understood the harsh reality of the situation from the start, then this long homeroom period might have meant something. Your midterm exams are in three weeks. Please think things over, and be careful not to drop out. I have confidence that you can find a way to avoid getting red marks on your report cards. If at all possible, challenge yourself to act in a way befitting a skilled individual."
With a parting glance to the students, she exited the room, closing the door with some force for added emphasis.
--𝕽𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙--
"If we don't get any more points, what I am gonna do?"
"I used up all my points yesterday!"
Kiyotaka tuned out the noise. Since things transpired as they did in his unfortunately reliable memories, he already knew what would happen next.
In a few moments, Hirata would make an attempt to calm everyone down... which backfired when Yukimura reacted and became confrontational. Kushida would pacify things between the two, and that was that.
His time would be better served thinking about his steps moving forward.
Now that his anticipation of their predicament had come to life, how would he approach things this time around?
Naturally, his goal was to satisfy a few regrets his future self had, but he had to do a few things before he could get to that point.
And just as Hirata and Yukimura's stand-off got predictably pacified by Kushida, Kiyotaka was able to finish his introspection.
That was one productive way to waste time, if he said so himself.
As Kushida continued to talk to both boys, Kiyotaka took out his phone and snapped a picture of the paper with the class point totals. That was something his future self also did, which ended up being necessary to trigger another conversation with Horikita.
"What are you doing?" she asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"I haven't been able to figure out how points are calculated yet, but this should be an early indicator of the gap between classes."
In the original timeline, Kiyotaka let Horikita assume he was calculating points for the purpose of getting some points the next month. But since he had shown her a few cards already, he wanted her to think he was interested in the bigger picture.
"Figuring out how the points are calculated would be a pointless endeavor," she remarked. "If the scoring remains behavior-based, the only hope is in reining in everyone's behavior. But Chabashira-sensei had hinted earlier that it wouldn't be the case."
"Right, she did say that it might not matter... but still... Class D, huh? Some things are not adding up," Kiyotaka replied.
At that, Horikita's eyebrows raised a little.
"Do you perhaps believe you do not belong in Class D, like Yukimura-kun?"
"I wouldn't say that. The school might have a reason why they placed me in Class D. How about you?"
Horikita stared at Kiyotaka for a while before turning her gaze back to her notes. "I don't think I belong in this class. There must have been a mistake."
"I see."
On the surface, she had a point.
Horikita Suzune had what it took to be a model student. She had intelligence and athleticism that only a few girls in the school could match. She also had other useful skills like her culinary skills, which would be useful in a few exams.
She wasn't like Yukimura who could only rely on his academic ability.
But just like Kōenji, her own attitude would end up being her undoing.
"You should still have enough points to last the month, right?" Horikita asked after hearing another classmate wail about their situation.
"Yeah. Even with the furniture and the laptop, I still have enough to last me two months."
"That's good. Although, I still think you shouldn't have splurged on furniture so early," she replied.
"I can stomach the free food just fine, if that's what you were worried about."
Horikita's eyes narrowed. "Don't be too full of yourself. I'm not worried about that."
"My bad."
At that moment, Hirata claimed everyone's attention when he stood at the teacher's podium.
"Attention, everyone. Before class begins, I want you to listen seriously for a moment. Especially you, Sudō-kun."
"Tch. What is it?" Sudō grumbled.
Hirata faced the class with a solemn look in his face.
"We didn't get any points this month. This is a serious problem, and one that will have an enormous impact on our daily lives moving forward. It's impossible for us to make it to graduation with zero points, right?"
"You're absolutely right!" One of the girls wailed.
Hirata looked at her empathetically.
"Therefore, we must earn points next month. To do that, we all need to cooperate with each other. So, please, take care not to be late to class or to talk during the lecture. Also, the use of cell phones during class is prohibited, of course."
"Huh? And why do you get to tell us what to do? Besides, that's supposing our points will increase. If they don't change at all, then it's useless," Sudō retorted.
Kiyotaka decided to tune the conversation out again, knowing how it'd turn out.
Hirata definitely could have handled it better, and it would start by not singling out Sudō. By doing so, he killed whatever interest the redhead might have had in hearing him out.
Of course, Sudō was being completely unreasonable himself. But Hirata, being the de facto leader of the class, should have considered the redhead's volatility before unknowingly triggering his aggression.
Eventually, the disgruntled redhead left the room. Even though Hirata showed him humility, the redhead didn't appreciate being brought into the center of discussion.
And since he slighted Saint Hirata, a few of the girls voiced out their disdain of him.
"Sudō-kun really can't read the room. He's the one who was late to class the most. Couldn't we still get some points even without Sudō-kun?"
"Yeah! He really is the worst. Why is he in our class?"
The atmosphere shifted from panic to scapegoating. It was the path of least resistance: blame the outlier to protect the herd.
Kiyotaka sighed internally.
If he stayed silent, Sudō would become the class pariah again. And while things still worked out in the original timeline, it would be better if the redhead wasn't treated like an outsider.
Furthermore, Hirata looked saddened at the turn of events. Even though the girls fully supported him, he realized his attempts brought him even farther from the boys in class.
... Not that any of the boys would bravely voice out their opposition of Hirata.
'I suppose I have to clean this up.'
As he observed his classmates, Kiyotaka came to an unlikely decision.
"Blaming him won't put points in our accounts."
He spoke clearly enough to cut through the chatter.
The murmurs died down. Eyes shifted to him. He remained seated, spinning his pen idly.
"Hirata is right about needing to change," Kiyotaka continued, his tone flat. "But ostracizing Sudō is illogical. Even if he's the worst offender out of us, the school didn't say we'd get points for insulting classmates. If anything, it'd lose us points."
He looked at the girls who had spoken. "Chabashira-sensei had implied earlier that next month might not be based on behavior, so even if Sudō stays the way he is, there might still be a way for us to gain points."
Hirata looked at him, relief flooding his face.
"Ayanokōji-kun is right, everyone," Hirata jumped back in, seizing the lifeline. The room quieted enough for him to regain control. "We can't turn on each other. We need everyone, including Sudō-kun."
Kushida, ever attentive to the room's emotional temperature, stepped forward with a bright smile.
"Um, everyone, why don't we settle down for now?" she said, her voice honey-sweet but firm. "We can't do anything about May's points anymore, but we can fix June together. Fighting won't help."
Some of the girls exchanged looks, their indignation tapering off now that both Kushida and Hirata spoke in favor of Kiyotaka's sentiments.
And as one would expect from shallow high schoolers, they were incapable of individual thought. Which worked out just fine for Kiyotaka.
Horikita, meanwhile, regarded Kiyotaka silently. Despite the surprising layers that the boy had shown her, she didn't expect him to actually speak up and occupy a space.
Noticing her gaze, Kiyotaka spoke. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
"No. I'm just surprised you'd bother speaking out. I thought you disliked trouble," the ever-sharp tongued girl replied.
"It's exactly because I dislike trouble that I spoke out. What do you think would happen if we allowed Sudō and the other underperforming boys to be treated as outcasts?"
"While unfortunate, they've simply reaped what they've sown," she replied.
Of course, at this stage, Horikita was still incapable of seeing the bigger picture. But Kiyotaka didn't see the need to lecture her just yet.
"I guess you couldn't see it yet," he muttered.
"I see it pretty clearly. If they fail to keep up, the school will naturally remove them. It wouldn't matter how they were treated," Horikita retorted, frowning.
Kiyotaka recognized her point, but saw no point to continuing the conversation. Instead, he unlocked his phone and sent Sudō a text.
--𝕽𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙--
As class ended for the day, Hirata stood at the podium once more for Class D's meeting regarding the plan to gain more points. His popularity in class compelled almost everyone to stay in class, with the exception of a few like Kōenji, Horikita, and Sudō.
Kiyotaka would soon be part of that group as well, having notified Hirata that he had a plan to bring Sudō into the fold.
Of course, Hirata easily accepted his excuse. He had no reason to doubt his only male friend in class.
And time was of the essence. Because in a few seconds, Yamauchi would come crawling under his desk, begging him to buy his handheld console.
Subtly nodding at Hirata, Kiyotaka made his swift escape to the lockers, where he was planning to change into his PE attire.
This was because in his text to Sudō, he had actually asked the redhead to help him out in the gym since he had no club for the day.
Due to their good relationship, Sudō immediately accepted. And of course, this did not come without his gleeful warning that Kiyotaka would feel 'wonderful pain' the next day.
However, before he could jog all the way to the gym, loudspeaker came alive with a soothing sound effect, and a robotic voice issued an announcement.
"Ayanokōji-kun, from first-year Class D. Please come see Chabashira-sensei in the faculty office."
This gave Kiyotaka two options.
A: follow the announcement like a good student, or
B: ignore Chabashira and head to the gym.
Ignoring Chabashira's early attempts at manipulating him like she did in the original timeline was tempting, but he eventually concluded he needed to see this one through to get what he wanted.
Sighing at the 'hard' choice, Kiyotaka sent Sudō a text, informing him of Chabashira's summons.
Sudō should probably still be within the school grounds at this point, so he should be able to reply immediately.
And a few seconds later, the text came.
[Sudō Ken : Yeah I heard lets have that workout tomorrow instead]
Kiyotaka idly thought that had the text been in English, Sudō would have probably sent it without punctuation marks.
[Sounds good. But don't you have basketball practice tomorrow afternoon? Let's work out in the morning.]
[Sudō Ken : Oh yeah thats right]
[Sudō Ken: How does 6 AM sound]
[Sounds good.]
Sliding his phone back into his pockets, Kiyotaka made his way to the faculty office.
--𝕽𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙--
Entering the faculty office, Kiyotaka wasn't able to find Chabashira anywhere. Expecting this, he decided to follow the script and called out to a teacher inspecting her appearance in a mirror.
"Excuse me, is Chabashira-sensei here?"
"Hmm? Sae-chan? Oh, she was just here a while ago."
"I see. I'll just wait for her in the hall."
Kiyotaka decided to cut the conversation earlier than it did in the original timeline. But he expected things to still unfold as it did there.
And as expected, the teacher followed him outside.
"I'm Hoshinomiya Chie, in charge of Class B. Sae and I have been best friends since high school. That's why we call each other Sae-chan and Chie-chan"
"I see."
"Hey, why did Sae-chan call you? Huh? Huh? Why?" she badgered.
"I have no idea."
"I don't understand. You were called to the office without a reason? Hmm? What's your name?"
Hoshinomiya scanned Kiyotaka from top to bottom, like a predator stalking a prey. Although, this time, the predator was hidden under the guise of an overly friendly teacher.
"My name's Ayanokōji."
"Ayanokōji-kun, huh? Oh wow, that's a cool name! You should be pretty popular, right?"
And she didn't stop there.
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
Fortunately, his future self already trained in the art of indifferent to this side of Hoshinomiya.
"That's not something a teacher should ask a student," he smoothly replied.
Hoshinomiya pouted, stepping into his personal space. Her hand reached up, fingers brushing his cheek.
"You know I didn't mean it like that! But if we were in the same class, I'd never leave you alone..."
Although annoying, Kiyotaka still let this happen. Simply because Chabashira would save him before the foxy Hoshinomiya gets another weird idea.
"What are you doing, Hoshinomiya?"
Right on cue.
With a loud thud, she smacked Hoshinomiya on the head with her clipboard. Hoshinomiya crouched and gripped her skull in apparent pain.
"Ouch! What was that for?" Hoshinomiya 'complained.'
"For getting involved with one of my students."
"I was only keeping him company while he waited for you, Sae-chan."
"It would have been better if you just left him alone. Thanks for waiting, Ayanokōji. Let's go into the guidance office."
"The guidance office? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, but you should still come with me."
Turning on her heel, Chabashira headed inside the office. Kiyotaka followed her, with Hoshinomiya remaining by his side. The Class B teacher had a cheery smile on her face.
Chabashira turned around, and coldly ordered Hoshinomiya to stay back.
"Come on, don't be so cold! It won't be the end of the world if I listen, right? Besides Sae-chan, you're definitely not the type to give one-on-one guidance. Pulling a new student like Ayanokouji-kun into the guidance room out of nowhere... Are you after something, I wonder?"
Grinning, Hoshinomiya scooted behind Kiyotaka and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"So, Sae-chan, are you looking to be dominated by a younger man?"
"Don't say such stupid things. That wouldn't be possible."
"Hee, you're certainly right. It wouldn't be possible for you, Sae-chan," Hoshinomiya muttered, her words laced with a double meaning.
Chabashira ignored her. "Why are you still following us? This is a Class D matter."
"Huh? I can't go to the guidance room? That's not okay? Come on, I can give advice, too."
As Hoshinomiya continued to follow Kiyotaka and Chabashira, a female student came up to them, a beautiful girl with light-pink hair – Ichinose Honami.
Then, like a barrage of bombs, memories flashed in Kiyotaka's mind. He tried to resist, but they kept on coming.
The girl's familiar, yet unfamiliar voice. The scent of citrus and rain. The pounding of flesh against flesh. The pink hair spilling over his chest in the quiet hours of the night. The tears she shed when the end finally came.
He felt a phantom pain. A ghost of a life he had lived, superimposed over the stranger standing before him.
Kiyotaka knew the feeling was irrational. This Ichinose didn't know him. Not yet. Not in this timeline.
And yet his mind continued to impose the weight of a future she had carried beside him – a future this version of her had never lived.
... What was happening?
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, do you have a moment? The student council wishes to discuss something with you."
"All right, you have someone who needs you. Get to it."
Slap!
Chabashira slapped Hoshinomiya on the butt with her clipboard.
And while this was going on, Kiyotaka's eyes stayed on the pink haired girl. To her credit, Ichinose didn't react negatively at his gaze.
Instead, she offered him a soft smile before turning her attention back to her homeroom teacher. As expected of someone of her nature.
"Aw! She'll get mad at me if I hang around any longer. See you later, Ayanokōji-kun! All right, Ichinose-san. Let's go to the faculty office."
It took Ichinose entering into the faculty office before Kiyotaka began to regain his bearings.
That was quite the shock. He never expected he would react like that upon seeing her.
Holding the door to the guidance room open, Chabashira called out for Kiyotaka.
"What are you waiting for? Get inside."
He blinked once, twice – clearing the remnants of the intrusive wave – and followed her inside.
"Why did you call me here, sensei?" he asked, slipping back into the familiar script.
"Well, about that... Before we begin, please come here."
She briefly glanced at a clock hanging on the wall, and opened the door. Inside was a small office kitchenette. She placed a kettle on top of a stove.
"I'm going to make tea. Is roasted green okay?" she asked.
"Uh, sure."
But just as the teacher was about to prepare tea, both heard footsteps approaching the guidance room.
"Don't make any unnecessary moves. Shut up and get in here. Understand? Don't make a sound and stay until I tell you it's okay to come out. If you don't do as I say, you'll be expelled."
All of a sudden, Chabashira left him with a command without explanation. She closed the door to the kitchenette, leaving Kiyotaka by himself.
He did not even have the thought to try and resist. He was still reeling at the sudden feedback he got from finally meeting Ichinose.
With nothing else to do, he sat on a chair close to the walls separating the kitchenette from the guidance room.
Soon after, the outer door to the guidance room opened.
"Ah, come in. So, what did you want to talk to me about, Horikita?" Chabashira asked the newcomer.
Kiyotaka decided to listen to the conversation his future self was forced to overhear.
Then, tuned it out when it went just as expected.
Horikita confronted Chabashira about her class placement, arguing her abilities didn't belong in Class D. Then, Chabashira provided her with sound counter-arguments that Horikita wouldn't accept.
And of course, she wouldn't. As a person who evaluated herself to be better than her peers, she'd view her sorting into Class D as a mistake by the school's administration.
"Oh, and that reminds me. I've summoned another person to the guidance room. It's someone relevant to you."
"Relevant to me? No, you can't mean... bro—"
"Come on out, Ayanokōji," Chabashira called out.
But, like his future self, Kiyotaka didn't immediately make a move toward the main guidance room.
Since he tuned out the noise from Horikita and Chabashira's conversation, his mind drifted back to his reaction when he saw Ichinose.
It wasn't the girl herself. He barely knew this version of her.
It was the jolt. That sudden tightening in his chest and brain, as if something inside him recognized her before he had time to think.
As he continued his introspection, Chabashira's threat reached his ears. "If you don't come out, I'll have you expelled."
He ignored her for a while. He wanted to settle his thoughts first.
Up until now, everything about this "regression" had been clean, and it made things very easy for him. His future memories worked like reference points he could pull from whenever he needed them.
But this afternoon showed everything weren't what they seemed to be.
He had a few theories, but none fit neatly. Memory bleeding into instinct? A leftover reflex from a future that no longer existed? He wasn't sure.
"How long do you intend to keep me waiting?"
Kiyotaka sighed, but not at Chabashira's insistence.
Because just as he thought he understood the rules of this new life, a curveball was hurled his way.
I suppose I shouldn't keep them waiting anymore, he thought, reluctantly leaving the kitchenette to face his classmate and teacher.
He'd try making sense of the incident later.
And as he emerged, Horikita formed a perplexed expression foreign on her face.
"Were you listening to our conversation?" she asked.
"I had no choice. Sensei made me stay in the kitchenette. Maybe she wanted me to cook you a meal?" he joked.
Unfortunately, the room was devoid of people with sense of humor.
Horikita ignored the quip, and angrily turned her attention to Chabashira. She realized Kiyotaka's presence was planned by her.
"Sensei, why would you do this?"
"Because I deemed it necessary. Now then, Ayanokōji, I'll explain why I called you here," the teacher dismissed her concerns and shifted her attention to Kiyotaka.
"Well then... if you'll excuse me," Horikita muttered.
"Wait, Horikita. It would be in your best interest to stay and listen. It may provide you with a hint on how to reach Class A."
Horikita stopped dead in her tracks and sat back down.
"Please keep it brief," she said.
Chabashira chuckled as she picked up her clipboard. "You're an interesting student, Ayanokōji."
"I am? I don't think I've done anything particularly interesting."
The teacher didn't find his deflection amusing and went straight to the point. She slammed the answer sheet onto the table. Horikita leaned in, her eyes slightly widening as she scanned the impossible consistency.
"Well, when I read over the entrance exam's results, your scores piqued my interest. I was shocked," Chabashira began.
"Fifty points in Japanese. Fifty points in mathematics. Fifty points in English. Fifty points in social studies. Fifty points in science. Do you know what this means?"
"What a frightening coincidence," Horikita muttered.
"Oh? You believe that getting 50s all across the board was a coincidence? He did it intentionally," Chabashira replied.
"It is pure coincidence, sensei," Kiyotaka said evenly. "There's no evidence that it's not. Besides, if you look at my recent scores, you can see I've been taking schoolwork more seriously."
Feigning ignorance was the natural opening move. It bought him time – but not because he needed to lie better, rather, because a prolonged conversation helped smooth out the residual static still lingering from earlier.
And despite the intention, it probably worked out better because this time, he actually 'tried' academically after getting into ANHS. His entrance exam was the only instance where he'd scored in the fifties across the board, which made his claim plausible.
Still, Chabashira did not look convinced.
"Only three percent of students solved the fifth math problem correctly. You not only solved it, you used an advanced method. Meanwhile, the tenth problem — which seventy-six percent of students answered correctly — you got wrong," she revealed.
She leaned forward slightly. "Did you actually make a mistake on it? Is that normal?"
"Looking at it now, I should have been able to answer it," Kiyotaka admitted.
"And why weren't you able to answer it?"
"I got careless," he said simply. "It happens. Even to people who know better."
Chabashira clicked her tongue in annoyance. "What an odious student. I respect your frank attitude, but it'll cause problems for you in the future."
"I'll think about your advice when trouble reaches me."
The teacher paid him no mind and turned her gaze to Horikita, as if asking the younger girl for her thoughts.
"I don't get it. If you had answered the fifth problem, you wouldn't be so careless as to answer the tenth incorrectly," the younger girl said.
"That's if the student is someone meticulous like you, Horikita. Normal people do get careless."
Horikita seemed to buy the argument a little, having observed their classmates over the past month.
Then, she remembered the boy's detailed notes when he allowed her to look into them. That told her that Ayanokōji Kiyotaka did not seem the type to be careless.
But she saw no point in calling him a liar in front of their teacher.
"And how about the other subjects?" Chabashira challenged. "You scored 50 across the board. Logic dictates that's intentional rather than coincidence."
Kiyotaka met her stare, unblinking. "Then why ask me at all, sensei? It sounds like you already decided on the answer."
Chabashira, meanwhile, returned her attention to Horikita. "Hmph. A bad liar he may be, but I believe he may be even more intelligent than you, Horikita."
Kiyotaka suppressed a sigh. With how stubborn his teacher was, he already knew she was going to insist in steering the conversation in this direction. Even with the changes in how he presented his side.
"I highly doubt that, sensei. Horikita does well in all subjects, while I'm probably only better at mathematics. And while I won't deny my own intelligence, it's insulting to Horikita for you to claim I'm smarter. If I'm that smart, I should probably be in another class," Kiyotaka continued to deflect.
Horikita didn't know how to feel about the praise, but she agreed with him.
Chabashira smirked. "And yet, what this is telling me is that you don't seem to mind being in Class D."
"The school is aware how some students may have different reasons for getting in. You, for example, and Kōenji as well. I think you're fine with being in either D or A," she continued.
Horikita turned her gaze to Kiyotaka. "What other reasons do you have?"
"I have no idea what sensei is trying to imply, Horikita," he told her.
Then, he stared at Chabashira with his ever-blank gaze.
In the 'original timeline,' this encounter was Chabashira's first attempt in implying that she knew where he came from and why he decided to come to ANHS.
But unfortunately for her, that trigger button wouldn't work as it did in the original timeline because Kiyotaka's future memories gifted him with the knowledge that Chabashira had no real connections to his father.
So, while Chabashira could make that bluff anytime, he certainly wouldn't believe her.
And now, he decided it was time to land the first major ripple in this conversation.
"On the contrary, I would like to reach Class A myself," Kiyotaka claimed.
The sudden admittance immediately got him his teacher's interest.
"Like Horikita, I have no interest in being labeled as trash. But unlike her, I see no point in arguing with the school about where I'm sorted. If you want to assume I'm content in Class D, that's your choice," he continued.
Then, he turned his gaze to Horikita.
He resolved himself to say things more bluntly with her. Because she'd get other ideas otherwise... like treating him like a pawn.
"Chabashira-sensei planned this conversation because she wants us to work together to reach Class A. She showed you my scores to nudge you toward a conclusion. Whether that conclusion is correct is another matter. I don't quite agree with the approach, however."
Horikita narrowed her eyes at his words. That actually made sense.
"What frightening deduction," the teacher replied. But despite her words, she seemed more amused than rattled.
"Why go to such lengths, sensei?" he asked.
The teacher chuckled. "A teacher's job is to guide her students. You best remember that, Ayanokōji."
"Right," he said, unbothered. "Guidance."
"Still," she continued, tapping her clipboard lightly against her arm, "if you intend to reach Class A, then I expect results. Empty statements won't earn you anything here."
Kiyotaka simply observed Chabashira. This change in behavior was made possible with the changes he created in this conversation.
Of course, Chabashira still distrusts him. The experienced woman knew words barely held weight in a school like ANHS. But she saw him reveal his hand to Horikita, and she would likely interpret it as him being not totally opposed to her methods.
Despite that distrust, however, Kiyotaka predicted that she would stop trying to drag him toward her own agenda, and that was enough.
"Well, I suppose this was productive enough," Chabashira spoke once more. "I'll leave now. It's almost time for the faculty meeting."
Then, she led both students out of the guidance room and made her way back to the faculty office.
--𝕽𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙--
While Chabashira made her way back to the faculty office, Kiyotaka and Horikita opted to remain in the hallways, staring at their teacher's back.
"So, should we head back?" Kiyotaka asked.
"I'd like to discuss things with you, if that's possible," Horikita replied.
Contrary to the original timeline, the girl's evaluation of Kiyotaka was somewhat high. And that evaluation increased with this afternoon's 'meeting' with their homeroom teacher.
Thus, she willingly initiated the conversation.
"Alright. We can talk as we head back to the dorms," the brown-haired boy agreed.
"I don't quite believe your scores in the entrance exams were just coincidental. The probability is astronomically low, especially with what you have shown over the past month," she told him.
"So why did you keep insisting that was the case?"
That was a minor change that didn't happen in the 'original timeline.' But Kiyotaka both expected and welcomed it.
After all, he did do things differently this time around, however subtle. And it saved him from the monotony of reliving another memory of his future self.
"I didn't appreciate Chabashira-sensei suddenly flinging attention my way. So, I acted a little rebellious," he replied. "Besides, don't you agree she was rather roundabout with her intentions?"
"I agree... but I still don't understand why would someone sabotage their own scores, then try to improve them when they finally got in the school," Horikita responded. "It's like you woke up one day and decided you approached things wrong, Ayanokōji-kun."
The brown-haired boy was quickly reminded that beneath the tunnel vision, Horikita Suzune was a competent student whose capable of putting pieces together.
But as brilliant as she may be, future memories was the last thing that anyone – even people smarter than her – would conclude.
"Then, what are you going to do with that information, Horikita?" Kiyotaka probed.
The girl had a thoughtful look on her face. "There are too many missing variables for me to conclude anything," she conceded.
"So, why are you so fixated on reaching Class A?" Kiyotaka figured it was the time to recycle his future self's script.
"Should I not? I'm simply striving to improve my future prospects," she replied.
"Oh, you absolutely should. It's perfectly natural. But you seem extraordinarily fixated on reaching Class A. That's the odd part," he clarified.
"What's so odd about being ambitious? Perhaps you weren't completely lying when you claimed you dislike trouble."
Horikita didn't appreciate Kiyotaka's probing and showed her fangs once more.
"What sane person chases trouble?"
That silenced Horikita for a while. Although, Kiyotaka could feel her icy glare.
"Well, what are you gonna do next?"
A few moments later, she replied. "First, I want to ascertain this school's true motives. Why was I put into Class D? Chabashira-sensei said I'd been deemed a Class D student, but why? When I discover the answer, I'll aim for A. No, I will definitely make it to A."
"That's going to be difficult. I told sensei earlier I also wanted to make it to Class A, but I don't think it's possible with our classmates. We're 940 points away from Class A, and if they are as exceptional as they seem, that gap would widen."
"I know that. Still, I believe I've been placed in Class D incorrectly."
"Right, because the most reputed and coveted high school in the country could make such a stupid mistake," he 'accidentally' said.
Then, he quickly side stepped Horikita's attempt in chopping him.
"You're irritating," she said.
"Reality tends to be irritating," he said. "Eventually, you'll have to accept the outcome. Even if the school made a mistake, they won't move you to another class. The only path to Class A is dragging Class D along with you."
Or... twenty million private points.
"You have a point, but I can't say I like it," the girl frowned.
"So, what are you gonna do, Horikita? Will you try to take care of this situation yourself?"
"Naturally."
"That's dumb."
Kiyotaka slipped past another chop Horikita sent his way.
"I understand how you feel, Horikita. But you cannot solve this on your own. Even if you improve, even if five people improves, the rest would still drag the class down."
"... You're right that no lone individual can solve this problem. We won't even make it to the starting line without everyone's help," she agreed.
"And even Hirata is having a hard time with that," Kiyotaka pointed out.
If Hirata, the class' de facto leader, was struggling with holding the class together... what chance would Horikita have?
"We have three major, immediate issues. Tardiness and talking during class are the first two. Third, we must make sure no one fails the midterm exam," she said, ignoring his comment.
"I wouldn't be worried about the first two. The last one? Hirata and I had talked about it over lunch," Kiyotaka revealed.
That was another deviation just from this day alone.
With his close friendship with Hirata, he thought it'd be nice if he gave him some suggestions on the things to do moving forward.
Not something that'd stir the pot, but just enough to make Hirata feel he didn't have to carry the world on his shoulders.
"You did?"
Kiyotaka briefly glanced at the girl. It seemed like his words cut her train of thought.
In the original timeline, she was supposed to 'ask' for his help after she listed down the biggest problems their class faced. But with the revelation that he was working with Hirata, that ship would now probably sail in another direction.
"Yeah. Is that really surprising? I did say I want to reach Class A. Helping Hirata should be a good first step," he replied.
"I see. So you're going to follow his instructions," she muttered. "What a waste."
To Kiyotaka, it seemed like she was about to drop the idea of asking – more like demand – him to help her.
But he knew better.
"You should help me instead."
... Typical Horikita.
"Why couldn't I work with both of you?" Kiyotaka countered.
"Because Hirata isn't going to bring our class to Class A. If you follow my instructions, I promise you we'll see a point increase. I would never lie," she attempted to persuade him.
"Underestimating Hirata is a mistake. He is supported by more than half the class, while you control nothing," he replied, indirectly rejecting her offer. "Besides, what gave you the idea I was simply going to follow everything he says?"
The girl halted in her steps, eyes narrowing as she stared at Kiyotaka.
She acknowledged Hirata's usefulness, but the boy was useless to the things she had in mind. The kind Hirata would never accept anything that would offend a few classmates.
She needed someone capable who could do her bidding. And Chabashira had guided her to that very person.
"Well, if you truly want my help, you should accept how I wouldn't let myself be your pawn. Hirata knows that, which is why I'm cooperating with him," Kiyotaka continued.
Horikita stared at him for a few moments.
"I guess... I can work with that," she eventually conceded.
In the end, she had no choice but to renegotiate. While she saw herself as still superior to Kiyotaka, the boy had more leverage than her.
If she truly wanted to reach Class A, she was going to need some help. Not an ideal outcome, but also not something she was unwilling to do.
"Cool. Let's exchange numbers. It'd be easier to plan that way," Kiyotaka suggested.
Horikita saw no problem with that and exchanged numbers with him.
"By the way, I'm surprised you didn't call in the favor I owed you for teaching me how to cook," Kiyotaka remarked.
The girl looked at him with a frown. "You think I would be so foolish as to waste that card so easily?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it foolish. But it's something you'd do," he replied.
Horikita didn't bother refuting his words. He did have a point. Normally, she would have called in that favor.
"You'd be right normally. However, I realized I don't need to use coercion to have you help me," she answered.
"I guess you can have common sense sometimes."
The girl stared at him icily, which Kiyotaka felt was worth of applause. He had been preparing to dodge another chop, but it didn't come.
"Coming from you?"
"Hey, my common sense is that of a normal person," he denied. "Well... while we're at it, I suppose I should let you in on what I had in mind regarding our points."
With that, the conversation shifted to the several suggestions he sent Horikita's way.
End of Chapter
Closing Note: Children, I'm back. I finally bought milk.
This might be a rather weak chapter, but I felt like there wasn't much I can do without stretching reality too much (a regression premise IS already stretching reality too much, but you get the point).
And for those who wanted major divergence early in the story... I had to build a few conditions first before he could do just that.
I'm sure that Kiyotaka, if given the power of this one, wouldn't try the same simulation all over again. He'll try to change a few things here and there... but he would try and check certain conditions first before triggering any change.
Anyway... I won't promise consistent updates, but I'd be thankful for everyone's continued support.
Special shoutout to my boys (or gays): Queasy, Geto, 401, HBG, HolyEmperor