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White Room. An educational facility with the goal of raising a perfect human being while excluding unnecessary weaknesses. It aimed to create a human that could excel in any field and be of use to any company. Be it the perfect athlete, engineer, soldier, politician. The main objective was to form a person rid of impurities that could be marketed and sold to the highest bidder.

Unfortunately, you could never facilitate perfect results while using the same methods every single time. That was why several different generations were formed from the ground, taught from birth everything that was needed.

Each generation that came after the first had something changed to its course. Some had a deeper focus on building one's body or cramming as much information into a human brain as possible.

Yet out of the hundreds of children that were raised through the first 4 generations only one succeeded where others failed.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was the only survivor of the so-called Demonic 4th Generation that according to his father, Professor Ayanokouji, was put under the most strenuous conditions. Especially the young brown-haired child that exceeded all expectations.

"Why bother with trying to recreate that effect now when we could simply harden our already perfect product." Kiyotaka's father said as he observed the pure white room his progeny was in. The young child was sitting on a plain white colored wooden chair as he moved his queen piece into an occupied spot, knocking over an enemy black horse. "He already exceeded all expectations, having the capability to outthink and put smart an adult chess master in a manner of 10 moves, defeat an adult bodyguard with a simple police baton as his weapon and write a thesis without any supervision."

A prodigy born under extreme circumstances. Most investors could only salivate at the thought of obtaining such a powerful pawn and stashing it away in a corner until it needed to be played.

Most investors, as one gazed down at the scene and could only frown in sadness at the cruelty of humanity. Sakayanagi Narumori was a wealthy businessman with an upon and coming government project that was slowly gaining speed and being constructed. His own goals weren't too far off from what the White Room desired. He wished to nurture new generations into better human beings that could further Japan and help their country grow.

Of course, every plan he made was put through a deep inspection by the government and only given a green light if it didn't violate any human right. Unlike the white hellscape that he was now walking through he wished to see people from all backgrounds, no matter how varied become better while retaining their true personality and sense of self. He didn't wish to create humans without emotions and manufactured like factory products like the young child below him. 'Any human should be able to live out their life however they wish to…'

The white-haired man gritted his teeth and stayed quiet while walking behind the main orchestrator of the whole experiment, momentarily forgetting about his own charge that the brought with him.

Sakayanagi Arisu stared with wide eyes and hand touching the large glass window as the mysterious boy beat grandmaster after grandmaster at the interesting game she took to observing. Her violet eyes carefully watched the unchanging expression on her new fascinations face as his every move was fluid and calculated, betraying nothing but overwhelming victory and might.

It was without a doubt that the 7-year-old was deeply attached to the game and the brown-haired player. Her young mind wondered of scenarios where she had the chance to fight against him. Yes, a truly spectacular battle that would be remembered for ages to come, one that would shake the very foundations of logic and she would come out on top!

Yes, Arisu was determined to master the beautiful game of strategy and crush her new best friend. (She was reassuring herself that that was how you made friends for life.)

The young girl walked over to her father, her cane lightly tapping the ground with each step as she neared his taller figure. As soon as she reached him her petite hand tugged at the hem of his shirt. "Father."

Her tone betrayed none of her inner storm of thoughts as she faced her maker with unwavering resolve.

Narumori turned around and kneeled down next to his daughter, a kind smile hidden his displeasure at watching the scene down below of children being subjected to further agony. "What is it darling?"

"Would you grant me the chance to learn that magnificent game and the opportunity to face my friend in battle in a months' time?"

The elder Sakayanagi could only stare in perplexed confusion at his daughter before losing any type of resistance to her idea as she pouted adorably.

That was how the next 31 days passed without a hitch and Arisu found herself face to face with her new opponent.

They were situated in a plain white guest room, only two chairs opposite of each other and a simple table with a chess board already painted onto it. 32 pieces were already taking up half the available positions as the excited girl was joined by Kiyotaka.

The boy glanced around the room for 2 seconds before joining the new face he hadn't seen before.

She could feel butterflies in her stomach as her best friend joined her for a game. His blank face betrayed nothing while she struggled to maintain composure. Her cane almost fell out of her lap as she fidgeted in her seat at his intensive gaze.

The young boy on his end simply walked up and took a seat before his new opponent. 'No camera's inside the room. Only one way inside and no visible windows. Chance of attack minimal as the only other breathing creature in the room has to use a cane for proper movement. Lack of wheelchair shows a sign that she might still be able to attack if given a proper opportunity and opening. Better to stay on guard.' "Are you my new opponent?"

The iliac haired girl smiled kindly and bowed her head at his question. "Fufufu, indeed. How about we first introduce ourselves and skip other pleasantries so that we might relish in our fated duel. I'm Sakayanagi Arisu."

Kiyotaka didn't understand what the girl was talking about. Relishing in their duel? He never felt anything while fighting others and wouldn't start now. "Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."

With that the former took control of the white pieces and the latter commanded the white ones.

2 weeks before the match that was now unfolding Arisu had proudly proclaimed to her father that a false genius born under extreme duress wouldn't be able to stand up to her. After all, greatness was in her blood and victory in her pocket. She would prove that she could soundly best the brown-haired boy and proclaim her superiority. 'I'll have him admit defeat after one match.'

10 matches later and Arisu was pouting adorably at her now definitely true best friend Kiyotaka and clutching her dress. "Can't you show at least a little bit of compassion to your best friend that you just defeated again?!"

"Sorry." Said Ayanokouji in the blandest tone possible. "You got better after the first match. You first admitted defeat after 8 moves before lasting for 15 on the next one." He started grabbing his pieces and putting them back in place. His hands worked in tandem as one placed his own back while the other, for some reason he couldn't understand, placed her white ones back.

"After that you steadily improved and got better at predicting my actions, setting up your own counters and even taking my queen in our 8th match. After that this fight had been your best, had you not blundered during your second counterattack you'd have had a higher number of my pieces knocked over." He explained and sat stoically in his seat without moving. While others would have taken his delivery as him mocking them Arisu preened and his words and leaned in to be closer.

She carefully hanged onto his every word and couldn't help herself but be lost in them. The young Sakayanagi wasn't at a proper age to realize what sort of concrete emotions were coursing through her body but of one thing, she was sure. From now one Kiyotaka and her share a special bond that will never be replicated by anyone else. She will forever be his only equal. "T-Thank you…"

This wasn't normal for her, she never stuttered like this. Arisu knew something was wrong the longer she sat with the boy before her. But… "C-Can we play another round? Please…" …She couldn't stop herself at this point.

"Sure." Was his short reply, and his partner gave him the most cheerful smile he had ever seen.

His brown eyes widened by the smallest length as he witnessed an expression he had only ever read about. A pure smile that hid nothing malicious behind it. It made him want to be able to bask in its light again. Kiyotaka wished to reach out and grab that warmth once more.

A neglected child that feels warmth for the first time will burn down his entire village to experience it once more.

——

Fast forward 8 years and Kiyotaka was trying his best to acclimate to his new environment, a high school.

He stared aimlessly at his student ID card that supposedly was the only way to actually pay for anything while inside the premise of the school. The prodigy had already wandered around the area after their first period and introductory class had ended and they were allowed to get acclimated with the new environment. "100000 points to use however we like."

Chabashira Sae explained everything to them about the system and structure of the school and his classmates took it at face value, accepting the 'free' money and going to town with it. They all seemed far too excited by the prospect of something being given with no strings attached that they stopped looking at the true meaning behind their teacher's words.

"It that what the books referred to as humanities greed for owning more than they should?" It very much so interested Ayanokouji that people could so quickly turn on a dime. His fascination with the wide array of human behavior that was being displayed almost had his stalk some of them to the nearest shopping mall and see what else they would do. He quickly slapped that idea out of his head and relocated himself to some small convenience store to buy supplies for himself.

While inside Kiyotaka noticed how almost every type of essential product, ranging from soaps, toothbrushes and cleaning supplies had a free variant. Even some deodorant to ensure classes wouldn't smell like a pigsty. "For people who ran out of points?"

That did make sense on a basic level. A guaranty that some people didn't suddenly have diseases breeding in their sink because they couldn't afford basic cleaning supplies. But that would only encourage patterns, he argued. Some morons would spend everything they had on unnecessary items before opting to take something from the free aisle.

The school boasted that it churned out perfect members of society each year that could enter any college they wanted and a great employment rate, no matter where or when. That sort of situation wouldn't be possible with students recklessly spending all they had knowing there's free items wherever they look. That's not how society works, at least from the books Ayanokouji had read. "That means there must be a reason why some people wouldn't be able to afford basic supplies."

Chabashira-sensei did hint at something while everyone was gushing about the amount of money. "Is there a reason as to why someone wouldn't have any points at the start of the next month?"

Unfortunately for now his theory would remain a theory as he lacked concrete information and evidence to back up his claims.

Just for safe measures he grabbed one of each free product and went to the checkout. And to his surprise they were indeed free as had been marked. The cashier hadn't even flinched when he bought the supposedly inferior product, showing how used she was to the situation. That meant that there must be at least a substantial number of students in each year that had run out of points.

More pieces were put into place when he went outside and saw one of his classmates getting harassed by some seniors, calling him defective for being in class D. 'A hierarchy perhaps?'

Kiyotaka opted to interfere in the conflict and help out his classmates whose name he learned was Sudo. He defused the situation by stating that starting an argument in front of a camera wasn't a very good idea.

Pointing out the fact that there was a camera didn't seem to surprise the three seniors but the fact that it was a freshman pointing it out was what made them back away, muttering something about a Class A freak appearing.

After a short conversation with the red headed classmate Ayanokouji walked away quietly and left the premise to find his housing complex.

The night sky was already overtaking the light as he reached his building. In total he noted the existence of four major apartment blocks. He arrived at the conclusion that each one must be dedicated to a given year and the last one for the staff members.

He walked in through the front door and greeted the receptionist at the ground level and found out where his room is located at. Thanking her for her help and the key card, Kiyotaka walked up to the elevator and pressed the call button. He waited patiently for it to arrive and when it did, he stepped inside.

A sizable 2 meters by 2 meters square elevator with mind numbing music raised up into the air as it reached the fourth floor. The trip lasted less than 15 seconds as he arrived at his destination and searched for his designated room. "401…"

Thankfully the door with the appropriate name card was right next to the elevator so Ayanokouji entered through it before anyone could notice he was ever there.

The room had white walls and a light wooden floor. He noticed the lack of a carpet and wondered if that was something he needed to buy himself. "Providing only the basic necessities to sustain life."

Kiyotaka put down his plastic bag filled with essentials and took out one of the ramen cups be bought.

Following the instructions on the bottom of the flimsy plastic he started to boil water in an electrical kettle and went back to his bag. He pulled out a roll of bandages and antibiotics ointments. The teen quickly entered the bathroom and reapplied everything to his right arm, making sure to leave some space for his skin to breathe.

Finishing his business, Ayanokouji decided to browse the internet while on a school mandated cellphone and wait for the water to finish reaching 100 degrees.

Thankful only a minute later he was alerted that the kettle had finished its duty, and that he could ready his food. Opening the plastic cup was easy enough, not requiring any substantial amount of force and he poured the steaming water into the container and let it simmer.

As it cooked and the smell of soggy noodles filled the room Kiyotaka laid down in his bed and stared blankly at the white ceiling above his head. "Some things never change."

He ate his food quietly before changing into sleeping ware and turning off the lights in his room. As his head snuggled to the pillow, he began to dream of warmth that he oh so missed.

For the first time he truly felt like a free bird, soaring through the skies of opportunity. The chains that once bound him to the ground had vanished momentarily.

While most people chose to go to the Advanced Nurturing High School for the offer of a shinning future, he desired to live on his own terms. To finally stop being manipulated by others and live however he wants.

Kiyotaka turned in bed and faced the wall as sleep slowly took him. The school forbade any interaction with the outside world. Even information on the changes of the world were severely limited to what the schools' systems allowed to pass through. If he closed his eyes the entire school looked far too close to his previous place of living. "Trying to create better members of society by giving them a semblance of freedom…"

Everything went dark and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka completed the first day of his new life.

High school is boring.

Is what Ayanokouji Kiyotaka decided after spending his first 7 days in the Advanced Nurturing High School.

Out of the seven days that come together to for a week, only Monday had been interesting. He had entered with zero expectations, left the first day with a small nugget of hope and had them all dashed on Tuesday.

They teased him with a secret system for the students to discover only to suddenly start covering material that he already knew from the age of 6. At least give something more interesting that basic multiplications, derivatives would be enough to satisfy him.

Kiyotaka knew he was made to be beyond all his peers but even he hoped they wouldn't be this disappointing. It finally came to him why the White Room had been such an effective learning institution compared to any other one. Forcing someone to grow from the first day they could walk and make a coherent sentence had been perfect in crafting a man above all others. 'Then wouldn't it be better for our society to sacrifice the childhood of children to make Japan great again?'

Well, that was how the disappointing Tuesday went for him. On Wednesday he decided that sitting ducks and doing absolutely nothing would be counterproductive and he tried to find something to occupy his mind. And that thing ended up being the points in his account.

He stared blankly at the 99187 points in his account and wondered just he could increase the number. After all, wasn't it a normal student experience to desire for more money, or points in this scenario.

Then if he had his sight set on gathering more currency than he needed to be sure he understood its uses properly. Unfortunately, no matter where he searched online, he couldn't find any manual that explained its existence. The only hint was Chabashira-sensei's words that anything could be bought using them.

Anything could mean many things and almost nothing at the same time. Could he perhaps only buy things on school grounds. Was there a possibility to buy extra time during an exam. To have a student get expelled?

Kiyotaka didn't know why but the endless string of possibilities had him moderately interested. So many possibilities and so little ways to solve them. He could of course just go and ask his home room teacher but that would bring unwanted attention. If his guess of there indeed being a class hierarchy that him being in D class should immediately mean he was classified as the lowest of the low. So, in turn, figuring out that there's more to the system would mean exposing his true level of knowledge.

Should he wait? Sooner or later something that brings the system to light will happen. All that matters is waiting patiently to their next paycheck. If they get one. 'Maybe that's why they have all those cameras observing us.'

Is there someone on the other end checking if the rules are being broken? A sad, miserable employee sitting in a dark room and constantly watching teenagers… Disgusting. That was the only description Kiyotaka had for such a person. Even if he lacked emotions even he could understand that some actions shouldn't be done and couldn't be forgiven. "Would I get points if I got rid of them?"

After that he brainstormed ideas to get points without breaking any laws.

Then came Thursday as Ayanokouji was suddenly thrusted into a swimming class. He didn't understand the point of such an activity at this conjunction. Wasn't it obvious to teach a child how to swim as soon as they roll out of the womb? He did remember an instructor tossing him into an olympic sized pool and ordering him to make it out alive when he was 4. Unfortunately, half of the children drowned when also getting tossed into the water. Kiyotaka never saw that man again. Guess the White Room had some morals about how to raise the masterpiece.

To his credit he did manage to skim out of swimming on account of showing his bandages. A quick lie about not wanting to show off any scars and scaring anyone worked miracles and he was let off the hook.

That was how he found himself reading a book on one of the plastic chairs while others competed in a swimming contest.

"Hm, aren't you planning on joining the others in their competition. There is a reward of 5000 points for the winner."

Kiyotaka shut his book with a thump and rotated his head towards the voice. "Is there a problem with me sitting here?" He tried to not sound annoyed by the interruption but lack the knowledge if he did so.

His brown eyes didn't register any visible change on the speakers face, tension of muscles a frown that the books say indicates annoyance and anger. "Nope, just wondering why you aren't already wet and sweaty from swimming."

The girl speaking to him had waist length blue hair with bangs going on either side and orange eyes. She was somewhat close to his own height and also wore the school uniform instead of changing into swimwear. Ayanokouji raised his right arm into the air and showed the covered-up injuries. "As you can see, I had an accident before I entered this school, and the scars hadn't fully healed yet. I'd rather not scare anyone with a gruesome injury."

"That surprisingly considerate for someone who seems disinterested and apathetic towards everything in life. Hasabe Haruka by the way." She extended her hand towards him while sitting down on another chair.

In contrast to the smiling Haruka, Kiyotaka's dead expression didn't change as he took her hand and shook it. "Ayanokouji Kiyotaka as you already heard, do you usually greet people by insulting them first, because I don't think that'll be great for my self-esteem."

"Don't be too bothered by her words, I've known her since middle school, and this is how she usually operates." A boy with dark magenta hair came up from behind and put a hand on Haruka's shoulder. In opposition to both Kiyotaka and Haruka he was actually in his swimwear and had just finished his competition. In his hand was a dark red towel that he used to dry his hair.

"Miyatchi!" The blue haired girl threw off his wet hand and stuck out her tongue at him. "Did you have to get my jacket wet?"

"Oh, my bad." He quickly apologized and brought over a chair to sit on. "You're Ayanokouji, right? I'm Akito Miyake or as you heard from Haruka, Miyatchi."

"A nickname, you must be good friends." He wondered what his own nickname would be if someone ever decided to give him one. Graveyard-face perhaps? "Miyake, do you practice any sports?"

That got him a raised eyebrow from the two childhood friends. "I do, Archery in fact. How did you know?"

"It was simple observation and guess work, you have quite the built-up muscles, you wouldn't have them unless you were working out frequently." It would have been easy to guess that he was into archery without him having to give any clues. Compared to his lower body he had more profuse muscles around his arms, specifically his right arm. 'He's much more used to pulling the string back with his right than his left.'

It was a normal occurrence that while training if you've shot one hundred times, you'd switch hands and do the same amount of pulls with your other arm to ensure there was an equal strain on both of them.

"Hm, so there is more to you than simple apathy and disinterest." Haruka giggled while hidden a faint smile behind her hands. "You did say during the introduction that you weren't really good at anything, but you've got quite the eye for detail."

"I'm an introvert, observing my surroundings is one of my usual activities." 'It's not like I'm lying to them already, the outside world is too fascinating that I almost always get lost in it.' Ayanokouji realized after escaping his previous lifestyle how much more majestic everything was. Seeing pictures didn't compare with the green scenery of forests and mountain sites. Even the night sky though polluted with light was mesmerizingly beautiful to him.

"It's not like I'm saying it's a bad thing Ayanokouji, I prefer spending time with quiet people instead of rowdy crowds like over there." Hasabe pointed with her thumbs at the gathering of X and Y chromosomes as they stared lecherously at the females swimming. "I hate those type of men."

Both Kiyotaka and Miyake hummed and nodded, picking to not say anything and be subjected to Haruka's wrath.

——

That Thursday had been surprising day for him.

Ayanokouji didn't expect for the two to stick around him after the swimming session had ended and even invited him to grab food from the cafeteria. He wondered if if he had any drop of emotions left in his soul would he have cried at the first act of kindness in this school.

Besides that, the free vegetable set was quite the interesting menu option.

Hanging out with people who weren't overly rambunctious wasn't as taxing on his energy supplies as he would have assumed. At the very least he wouldn't be left out and bullied after all the social groups had formed.

After that day came Friday were Kiyotaka decided to splurge a little bit. Classes weren't overly long, and he ended the school day with much light to burn. Eating in the cafeteria once more and choosing a heavier on the stomach food set, he searched for a way to burn the calories.

That was how he found himself right in front of the gym. Entering through the sliding glass doors Ayanokouji was greeted by an enthusiastic receptionist. He raised his eyebrow at the fact that her first question was if he was a first year. Confirming that he indeed was he was offered a one-month trial period for 2500 points and that after that he could apply for monthly payments.

"Thank you very much for your contribution." The staff lady said her part and gave him a plastic card with his name printed onto it and the words Trail Period engraved at the top.

'She never said this was a discount, is this the school making sure a student doesn't suddenly have debt if they reach zero points. Does that also mean that you can receive no points next month.' By now the fourth day was was slowly ending and Kiyotaka had theorized that he already possessed all the necessary information that showed how the secret system was constructed.

But that didn't really matter to him as he changed his clothes into more sporty ones and began to train. It had been over a year since he had put a serious strain on his body. Back then it was required of him to spend at least 3 hours of his day to train endurance and keep up his physique. But 365 days had gone past and doing this was far better than just sitting around aimlessly.

It took a second for him to get back into the swing of things. From running on a treadmill to lifting and climbing he excelled at any physical activity. It wasn't long before he found himself slamming his fists into a boxing bag and letting all his energy out. Each strike wasn't calculated or anything, he just wanted to feel what it was like to hit a bag full of sand instead of a concrete wall. He expected a small tingle of pain to rush through his nervous system but maybe they were all too destroyed and worn out already.

With a final punch Kiyotaka stepped away from the hovering cylindrical object and walked to the table full of water.

"That was an impressive display." Once more he had been interrupted by someone, that marked it the second day in the row. He glanced to his left while opening a free water bottle and taking a quick gulp.

"Is there a problem?"

"Nah, just here to introduce myself after seeing what you did to that bag." The person speaking to him had bright yellow hair that were tied into a ponytail and bright blue eyes. He extended his hand into a handshake that Kiyotaka took. "I'm Hashimoto Masayoshi from class 1-A."

"Ah, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from class 1-D, nice to make your acquaintance." Kiyotaka quickly noticed the strong grip his fellow school mate had as he put pressure on his hand. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Hashimoto had the decency to look embarrassed from a second as Ayanokouji's expression didn't change at the force of his grip. "Just testing you since you're the first person I've met from your class. Do you also have a low number of lessons on Thursday?"

"Kind off, some drunker teacher showed up and collapsed in her seat, some of my classmates left while I stayed behind and waited for the bell. Wouldn't want anything to get reported." Kiyotaka shrugged and took another swing of his drink, the cool H2O traveled down his throat and into the depths of his stomach.

"So, are you the studious type of student or a sport oriented one?" The class A teen snatched his own bottle and opened it with a quick tug.

"Hm, don't know." Answering as honestly as he could Kiyotaka thought about that himself. He wasn't a jack of all trades but master of only one he also wasn't.

Hashimoto registering the response lowered the raised bottle of water before any of it could even escape thanks to gravity. "Huh? How can you not know, what were you even doing in middle school? With a body built like yours I'd expect you to be some amazing junior star athlete."

"I was part of the Go Home club and only trained to stay in shape." A lie sprinkled with truth was the perfect way to obfuscate his past. While he was never a part of any really school, he was still practicing the go back home immediately plan by never leaving his technically house. 'Does that mean I'm a shut-in?'

"Fine, I'll lay off the topic." The blond boy relented and finally drank his water in one go. "Man, I needed that. Say, want to exchange information, training alone isn't really that interesting all the time."

Another unexpected offer from someone he just met. 'Is it normal for people to be so open with others?' "I have no objections, being alone all the time isn't that fun."

His response elicited a loud bark of laughter from his new… friend? "Did I relay something funny?"

Another short burst of laughter from Hashimoto ensued. "Haha-ha-h-a… Do you come from some high-class family or something to say stuff like I have no objections. You remind me of the princess right now." He clutched his stomach while doing his best Ayanokouji impression.

"Princess?" Was he talking about a class leader or an actual member of royalty? Someone perhaps acting like a member of some higher class or a nickname?

That got Hashimoto to stop his chuckling and calm down. "A member from our class that's gaining momentum and power."

"Eh? Do our classes need to elect some class president or something?

The taller teen shook his head negatively. "Nothing of the kind, just having some leader so everyone doesn't run around like a chicken missing its head."

Ayanokouji nodded in agreement; his class would probably need someone like that who could also defuse dangerous situations. Thankfully he was fully under qualified for such an annoying position. "Must be pretty interesting inside your class. Well, I'll be going now." He drank what was left of his water and threw the empty bottle into the recycling bin.

Hashimoto nodded and decided to join his class D acquaintance. "I'll go with you and exchange our contact details."

All in all, Kiyotaka saw Friday as a pretty interesting time well spent. Was his circle of contacts slowly expanding he thought to himself.

——

After that came Saturday, the day of no learning for the weekend had started and Ayanokouji began it with a bang, by getting up at 5am when the sun was barely up and going for a run.

The rules prohibited students from leaving their dorms past the 23 hour until 5 in the morning the next day so that was the perfect opportunity for him to sneak out without anyone noticing. There was certainly enough time to run around the boundaries of the campus and return for a quick shower before anyone would notice. 'Not having to pay either for electricity or water with points is a true gift from the heavens.'

He fortunately managed to find a decent pair of running shoes during his visit to the Keyaki Mall the previous day. A quick look around and Kiyotaka found the only shop that sold shoes in the whole complex. 'Probably so rivals wouldn't fight over customers.' Having more than one of each shop type would inevitably lead to fights over shoppers and prices getting lower and lower to attract more people.

But maybe Ayanokouji would have liked the prices to be a bit lower. Seriously, some pairs of shoes went for more that 20000 points. And he thought his childhood was a scam.

Thankfully there was a pair for 10 times less than the previous egregious price. 2000 points later and Kiyotaka was holding a grey box with equally grey boots inside.

He then spent his Friday night walking around his room in circles and doing jumping jacks to get his feet used to the new shoes. Blisters weren't a very nice occurrence and avoiding them at all costs was the status quo.

And that was how Ayanokouji found himself running at 5 in the morning and basking in the sun light that barely peaked over the horizon. Not only that but the warm April air was adding to the nice atmosphere. He could definitely get used to this.

As he ran, he tried his best to estimate how far he could get before hitting 7 o'clock.

The information available online about the school said that the size of the campus was a little over 600000 square meters. 'You can get the same size by creating a rectangle of 300 meters wide and 2000 meters along. Or by putting 111,31 football fields together side by side. If I were to run around the entire circuit of the place, I'll probably make around 4,6 km.'

The world record for running 5 km was a little below 13 minutes. Of course, even a professional athlete would have a hard time keeping such a pace for 2 hours. But Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was built differently. 'If I go a little bit faster than the world record, I'll finish 50 kilometers before striking 7 am.'

And so, he ran. He took off from the school dormitories at exactly 5:05 and ran at a moderate speed by his standard.

He let most of his thoughts cut out and focused entirely on the task at hand. Kiyotaka didn't stop for anything and kept going, only looking up ahead to avoid crashing into anything.

The freshman honestly hadn't expected to run into anyone during his morning jog.

No, he really didn't expect to see another human being running at 5 am. Though by the surprised look on his senpai's face he also hadn't seen it coming.

After 30 minutes of jogging Ayanokouji came to a screeching halt as the road became an intersection and he almost collided with another person.

Said person also put the break on the gas and stopped running.

Both of stopped and stared at the glitch in the universe that appeared. Now that Kiyotaka could take a good look at the fellow morning runner, he recognized him. Standing a few centimeters higher than him with black hair swept to the side and square-rimmed glasses was Manabu Horikita, the president of the student council. "Hoh, I hadn't expected to see a first year of all people jogging at this hour."

Manabu began the conversation with his strong bartonian tone and stared Ayanokouji straight in the eyes. In response Kiyotaka also didn't break his gaze. "How did you know I'm a first year?"

The older teen grinned and pushed his glasses further up his nose. "I never forget a face and for the past 2 years I've been the only person to ever run at this time of day and I had expected my third year to be the same. First year, what's your name and class?"

"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from class 1-D." The White Room child decided that making an enemy of someone as well respected would be a mistake and chose to answer honestly. Plus, he had no idea how far the fingers of the student council could reach.

"From class D you say, how interesting. As I hope you remember I'm Manabu Horikita from class 3-A. Now tell me, would you mind accompanying me for the remainder of my run. Of course, if you can keep up." A bold challenge that Kiyotaka wouldn't back down from.

"Ditto, I hope you don't get left behind." And at the same time, they both got into running positions and set off side by side.

For a split-second Ayanokouji raised his eyes at the older teen keeping up with his speed. His changed expression quickly turned back to a bland neutral face and continued running. 'Let's see how long you can keep up.'

And to his immense surprise and shock Horikita did not break formation for the entirety of their morning run.

Each of their steps was evenly matched by the other one, like clockwork they continued at breakneck speed until an hour and a half passed any they finished before the dormitories.

Both of them were breathtaking slightly harder and sweat had accumulated on their foreheads.

They took in deep breaths and Manabu spoke up first. "That was quite the enjoyable morning run Ayanokouji. I do hope to see you running again tomorrow."

And like that he walked away to the third year's building, leaving Kiyotaka to his own thoughts.

'He was certainly impressed, a good enough physique to match my strides. I wonder if he's anything good in a fight?'

——

Unbeknownst to both Kiyotaka and Manabu someone saw the end of their morning run from behind a tree.

"I've located a person of interest from class 1-D princess." Hashimoto spoke through his phone as he observed the student council president walk away.

{Hm, are you telling me this as confirmation of you joining my faction?}

"I'm always on the winning side, I'd rather be with the smarter person in the room." The blond teenager slowly walked away from the scene and continued his conversation. "As I was saying before the person, I met yesterday shows a high level of physical prowess. Not only that but it seems he's caught the eye of Manabu Horikita, they've just finished running together."

The person on the other side of the phone hummed and stayed silent.

Hashimoto took that as his cue to continue talking. He stopped hiding behind the tree as he saw Kiyotaka leave as well. "He was also weary of leaving the classroom early when that drunken woman was teaching. Should we assume he's got an inkling as to what's going on inside the school?"

{Somebody from the lower classes gaining some insight into what is happening. Fufu, what a fascinating scenario. Did you learn his name?}

"Yeah, I've also exchanged numbers with him yesterday inside the gym."

{And?}

Hashimoto walked towards the school with slow steps as he watched the sun rise above the horizon. "His name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and—"

A loud crash could be heard from the other end of the call. As if someone fell off their bed in shock.

"Princess?" Hearing the commotion, he stopped moving and asked. "Is everything alright on your end?" Not knowing that the atmosphere had done a full 180-degree spin.

{Say his name again.} The tone that was spoke to him was completely different. In the place of a playful and amused voice now stood a cold and serious one. {Say. His. Name. One. More. Time.}

A shiver crawled down Hashimoto's spine as he felt the devil crawl out of hell and grab his legs. "A-Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Princess, do you know—"

He was cut off one more time.

{Get me the lesson plan of Class 1-D immediately before this hour ends. Or else.} The call ended abruptly with specific orders being given.

Hashimoto collapsed onto the ground and stared blankly at the ground. "I don't know who you are Ayanokouji, but I hope you hadn't angered her in a past life."

What was it? Once is a coincidence, twice is a happenstance, thrice is enemy action?

Well, whatever the quote was Ayanokouji was right now at the happenstance stage. He thought the student council president was joking about seeing him on his feet at 5 am once more, but to his immediate surprise the teen had been waiting by the entrance to the first-year dormitory building.

"So, you're here. I hope you have nothing against us running together again." Manabu's piercing eyes were gazing up ahead that the darkened path towards the school's mall.

"Not really." From what he could already tell his fellow student wasn't one for boisterous actions and pointless small talk. Dealing with loud and uncouth individuals truly grated on his nerves. Why couldn't society just learn how to simmer down?

Kiyotaka stretched a bit and let his body acclimate to the wind that slowly breezed through the area. "Do you want to run along the border again?"

The elder Horikita smirked and shook his head. "While that path does offer a very scenic look at Tokyo as the sun illuminates its grounds, it poses no challenge. The track if far too even and without much elevation. Therefore, I discovered a more adventurous and strenuous way back during my first year. I do believe you won't find it as boring as yesterday's jog." He ended with an accusatory glance and began walking slowly.

"Why do you think I was bored yesterday?" Kiyotaka caught up with Manabu in a few quick steps and slowly sped up.

Seeing the small increase in speed, the third year responded in kind, his legs picking up speed. "That dull expression on your face says more that you'd think. While most would think of you as a wallflower those with insight can see the calculating gleam behind them."

"That's creepy." It didn't shake Ayanokouji that someone managed to look past his countenance. What bothered him was that it wasn't an adult that did it but someone who had barely seen 18 winters at most. He'd expected his teacher with those piercing eyes of hers to do it but thankfully she was too apathetic to do it. 'I do wonder if the chairman could see who I really am.'

While the interview to the school was brief, he noticed the small smile that the man had as he talked with him. 'Does he perhaps know of my origin?'

"I believe a more accurate term would be perceptive. After all, that is needed most to survive in this facility." Manabu retorted while keeping up speed. Each sentence had been spaced with silence as to not run out of breath.

"Perception to see behind the veil of free money and find the class rankings as well as the possibility of not receiving all those points come next month." Ayanokouji's words didn't make Manabu react spontaneously in shock but give a subtle nod of recognition to the teen.

"I'm impressed you've already seen through all the sugar coating of the school. I'd be disappointed if the one person who could keep up with me had pink tinted glasses on his head." At that point the three had already ran far away from the dormitory grounds and were going uphill towards a large grassy section with trees peaking over the top. "What tipped you off?"

"Our teacher never specified that we'd receive the same amount of points next month. There's a number of students from the upper years eating the free meals that in my opinion aren't very tasty, more like astronaut food. Then there are the free products in the shops." Kiyotaka answered as they rounded a corner and entered a forest. Now their feet hit the ground with loud thuds as they avoided roots that were above the soil.

"But all of that can be simple coincidences. The school does cater towards its students to give them the best life possible. The number of facilities clearly show how well we have it here. Not only that but the free items ensure a way for the people who overspend to no become a walking disease."

"Then how can the school advertise itself as having a perfect employment rate and university acceptance after finishing if students can't even manage their finances and believe everything to be handed to them. It's a great strategy to break down everyone after the month is over and have them realize the sort of place they are in." The two runners jumped over a fallen log and gracefully landed before stepping over another root. By now the sunlight was shining through the tree line and illuminating their path.

"Yet most of your assumptions could still have been mere coincidences and came out false." Manabu rotated to the right and found himself once again on a solid concrete path, Kiyotaka hot on his heels as his path was longer on account of him being on the left.

"True, but it's better to be over prepared rather than to be sorry later." Once more running side by side the duo speeded forward and towards the school entrance.

"The I have nothing left to say but congratulations. As of now you are the only person to have figured out what happens behind the scenes."

Ayanokouji raised an eyebrow at the frank attitude and answer. "Should you be giving out that information so readily? What if I use it to help my class get further ahead."

"You won't. Not only would it bring you unwanted attention but also no one would believe the news even if you brought concrete evidence and presented it in the clearest way. I can tell that if there is nothing to gain from an action you won't react." Manabu said all of that with a straight face.

"Is this a form of psychoanalysis? Are you insinuating I'm only running right now because I can gain something from interacting with you?"

"Then you'd have to agree that I also have an ulterior motive to our conversation."

"Most people do." Usually humans wanted something, almost never acting altruistically because it wouldn't give them anything. "Nothing in life is every free and you have to work to keep what you have."

Manabu didn't say anything for a moment before he asked Kiyotaka something important. "Them, would you care to answer two simple questions of mine; do you believe that true equality exists?"

"What an egalitarian query. All humans deserve equal rights and opportunities in life. Every being is equal during their birth, but the lines get stretched further down the road."

"Alright, then as for my second question; what do you think of a system that ranks people based on their abilities and allows people to compare themselves to others?"

Ayanokouji thought about it for a second and opened his mouth. "What sort of idiot would make such a thing?"

A single response that had Manabu very riveting. "Would you mind expanding?"

Nodding, he explained further. "It's a dull way of living. Constantly comparing yourself to others and gathering large groups to try and put yourself above them, all the while being dragged down without ever noticing it. I can only pity the fools who want to live that way. If a person wants to be strong, they have to stand all on their own, toss away and stray thoughts and focus on themselves. Only then will they reach the point they desire."

Silence filled the area as they continued running.

Kiyotaka turned to Horikita and saw his stunned face. "Did I say something wrong?"

Recovering swiftly Manabu came to a stop as they reached the dormitory they started at. "I'm glad to see you can think clearly and rationally freshman. Would you…" He extended his hand forward only to close it just as fast. "For now, I'd recommend you familiarize yourself with the layout of the school and observe the student body. I believe it'll become a boon to you at another time."

With that he walked away, leaving Ayanokouji alone with his thoughts.

'Is he more socially awkward than me?'

——

It was Sunday and Hashimoto needed a break. He got up, turned off his phone fully and decided to get out of dodge before it was too late.

No, he wasn't in trouble for not delivering the plan of class D on Saturday morning, he managed to get it perfectly on his own. Lady luck totally didn't favor him and had it drop out of someones bag. It was all thanks to his own skill and sly tongue. The real problem came when the princess ordered him to follow Ayanokouji around.

After meeting up with her at the earliest convenience he delivered the lesson plan and got greeted by a pair of serious eyes that drilled holes in his head. From then on, he knew she wasn't playing around and that messing up would be the death of him. Hashimoto asked her what the fuss was about only to receive a cane to his foot and a glare so deadly he cowered behind a vending machine for two hours.

The only answer he managed to pry out of the short girl was that they apparently were childhood best friends and that nothing would stop their reunion. Now all he had to do was stalk her supposed best friend and make sure no one was trying anything.

Now how was he supposed to do that? Jump in front of him and stop anyone from speaking just so his now de facto boss wouldn't rip his head off?

Nope, too much for him. And so, the blond teen decided it was high time to get the hell out of his room and leave everything behind in hopes that she'd believe he was working diligently.

And then he accidentally met Kiyotaka in the reception area of the dormitory. He swore the world was conspiring against him.

The teen was standing right next to a stand of brochures that advertised the many summer facilities that get opened when the heat gets too unbearable.

Hashimoto barely got out of the elevator and stared at his target with wide eyes, believing that some kind of conspiracy was at play against him. 'Is this staged? Have they already established contact and are now messing with me?'

Paranoia seeped through his frame and down to his bones as he took a tentative step forward. 'I can just ignore him, right? Not like she'd ever know I had passed up and opportunity to strike up a conversation.' He laughed nervously and moved forward towards the exit doors, hoping his steps were as light as a feather.

The blond students plan almost worked out perfectly. He was about to reach for the door handle and froze, a nasty thought entering his mind. 'Wait, this place has cameras everywhere… and princess is the Chairman's daughter… does she have access to the camera feed?'

No. Nope. Not happening. On criminals got caught his way and Hashimoto knew he was too smart for that. No way was he going to die by having his fearless escape caught in 4K.

Resigned to his fate, he strode up next to Kiyotaka and greeted him. "Fancy seeing you here, Ayanokouji." He did his best to hide the muscle numbing fear that traveled through him moments ago.

"Hashimoto. I didn't expect to see you up at this hour." The class D member continued to stare at the summer offers and not even glancing at the male.

"Well, it's the end of the week and I would rather eat my breakfast in piece than get accosted by others." A reasonable response given that's what he'd assume Ayanokouji would also do, considering he's never seen him with anyone but the student council president.

"Hadn't you considered cooking for yourself then? It comes out far cheaper and you don't have to overpay and wait in line."

He considered that for a moment, grabbing his chin in thought. "And I'd always be able to eat whatever I like instead of forcing someone down my throat. Since you said that, are you also planning to make your own food?"

Kiyotaka nodded slowly and turned to face him. "Yes, I found that to be quite the enjoyable hobby and quite relaxing. Now I'm only waiting to see if the shops have any sales at some point."

"If you find any, would you be okay with sending the the information. I'd rather buy things that are on sale than spending much more points." He extended his hand forward which Ayanokouji stared at for a second and reciprocated the action.

"As long as you also send me a message if you find any low prices." They shook on it as a deal was made.

"Say, you'd mind if we both go get something to eat quickly before the cafeteria it is overrun?" That was how Hashimoto found himself sprinting up the stairs to get his phone back and send a quick text to his leader about successfully establishing contact.

Soon, the two were walking towards the school building that barely peaked over the horizon. While during the weekends many facilities that are connected to the main teaching institution were inaccessible to the students, the eatery was always open all week from 6am till 9pm.

It was a large frame of time thought Ayanokouji as he walked up to the register and ordered his meal. The entire building had to ensure it could effectively serve 480 students at minimum 3 times a day if everyone decided they weren't feeling like cooking. It was a testament to the chef's mentality that they could churn out enough food in the small span of time they had. He wondered just how early all of them had to arrive and begin their work.

"Have you considered joining any clubs yet?" Asked Hashimoto as he stabbed his steak with a fork and let the knife in his left arm dismantle the meat into tiny pieces.

"Not really." Kiyotaka said quietly as he swallowed another shrimp and began to tear of the tail of another one. "I'm planning on visiting the club fair that was announced on the first day, maybe I'll find something interesting."

"You must have at least an idea since you even remembered that it's happening next Friday." Light from the sun seeped through the windows and reflected of the shiny marble floor.

"As long as I can get something out of it, I'll try applying. Did you hear about there being a reward for joining any particular activity?"

"Not for just joining, no. All we've been told was that you can earn more points to spend by joining a sports team and winning some high positions in tournaments."

"What a bummer." Then he wasn't really interested. Ayanokouji never cared about materialistic things or desired much, but it was instilled in him to never do something for free. Whatever he did he was always driven by the fact that there was something to be gained from said activity. And ruining his chances at a peaceful school life by playing some sport, especially without any guaranteed reward, was insulting.

"I can see that you're that you're the type of guy who doesn't do much without an incentive." Commented Hashimoto as he pushed his plate away and took a quick sip of his ordered drink. "Well, it was nice talking with you in the meantime, but I still have a few things to do and finish my homework. Have a pleasant day," Ayanokouji."

"Likewise, Hashimoto."

After that nothing else interesting happened to Kiyotaka for the remainder of his Sunday. He returned to his dorm room and grabbed a bag of clothes before heading out to the gym and trying to break a sweat.

Unfortunately, one of the employees stopped him and said that training for more than four hours was dangerous and forced him to leave.

——

It was Monday morning when Ayanokouji slid inside the classroom unnoticed only to notice that it was fully empty. He stared at the barren wasteland that many students feared to enter on a daily basis.

It was only after he felt someone accidentally walk into his back that he stumbled into the class. He pivoted on the back of his feet when he regained his balance and glanced at the person who pushed him. "Ah, Hasabe, Miyake, sorry for not walking out of the way."

Haruka's blue hair was ruffled slightly by the impact but she pushed it out of the way and grinned at him. "It's no problem Ayanokouji, so what had you so befuddled that you couldn't even enter through the door properly. Don't tell me that someone's caught your eye?"

"That is impossible since no one is inside." He stared candidly and moved to the side, allowing the two childhood friends to enter.

"You weren't joking, there actually is no one here." Akito comments as he walked over to his desk and put his bag next to its silver legs. "Our teacher is also not present. Were classes canceled for today?"

Haruka swiftly took out her phone while making her way over to her seat and tapped the screen a few times. "Nothing new appeared on the school provided email. Since there was no notification that means that everyone else is a little bit late."

"Little bit?" Kiyotaka emptied his bag of all school supplies and placed them orderly on his desk. "We have about 10 minutes until classes start and it takes around 20 to 30 to reach the main entrance from our dormitories."

"I remember it being quite loud last night on my floor, so maybe they were all celebrating their acceptance into the school?" Miyake cringed at his memory of trying to fall asleep while loud music was on full blast a few walls down.

"Really? I hadn't heard anything from my room." Haruka always had problems falling asleep when there was too much noise as she easily picked up on it but last night she drifted off without any problems.

"You do live on the upper floors per segregation of female and male students so there's a chance that the sound just wouldn't reach you, but I also hadn't even heard anything so the sound proofing must be quite well done."

"Thanks for telling me, next time I'll go down to the reception area and sleep on a couch rather than up there with those monkeys." Akito looked positively pissed as he hadn't considered getting out of his room and escaping the nightmare.

"You could also splurge on noise canceling headphones—" Haruka was cut of as the door slid open and a fellow student was standing in the frame.

"Huh, why are there so few of you here?" A bespectacled grey haired young man walked into the classroom with his bag slung over his shoulder.

"That's what we've been wondering about since we got here a minute ago." Answered Miyake as he yawned loudly and stretched his arms in his seat.

"Then they're probably just waking up from the party they decided to throw without warning anyone beforehand. I couldn't even sleep properly and almost woke up too late to arrive on time." He grumbled under his breath and plopped down in his seat with a sour expression.

They all sat in silence for a few minutes and observed the door that remained closed for the entire time.

Fed up with the waiting, Haruka stood up energetically. "I know, since we're the only ones who decided to arrive on time, how about we all got somewhere after the school day ends?"

"Why would I do that and waste my time?" The grumpy one spoke.

"Well, four is the perfect amount of people that the crowds not too bothersome and none of us seem like the loud type of people. Come on, I'll even treat you to some store-bought coffee for your troubles." While Ayanokouji wasn't the glasses wearing teen he considered the offer to be quite appealing. Especially the free coffee part.

It wasn't long before their fourth members defenses crumbled and he agreed. "F-Fine, I'll go, but only after learning your names."

"Hasabe Haruka." Introduced herself and push her hair further to the side.

"Miyake Akito."

"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. And you are?"

"Yukimura Teruhiko."

——

If you ever told younger Ayanokouji that he would someday be sitting outside a convenience store drinking cheap manufactured coffee with three other people that didn't instantly get on his nerves he would have… stared at them blankly and ignored them.

After their initial introduction only 2 more students arrived on time, with one of them being Kiyotaka's seat neighbor.

It took some time before the rest of class showed up with bloodshot eyes as they filtered into the room and stared around for their teacher who happened to enter the room and the same time, smelling like a disinfectant.

She couldn't even properly teach them that day as each word was slurred slightly, and her head kept hitting her desk.

It was one of the most disgusting things he had seen in a long time.

But ignoring the happenings of morning he was now quietly drinking his coffee and listening to his acquaintances talk.

"I'm just saying that there should be some punishment for students who show up late for class. I mean it was normal for parents to get notified when someone was late back in middle school so why isn't something happening here, in the most elite high school in Toyko and all of Japan?" Yukimura didn't plan on staying for long but the combination of a free drink, a somewhat non-energetic group got him to stay a little longer. And the combination of Miyake and Haruka got him pulled into a conversation about other people arriving late. "Don't you agree Ayanokouji that some action must be taken by the school?"

Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow at being dragged into the conversation but still relented and spoke. "They probably have already acted upon it."

His words got the three of them to turn and look at him properly. "Could you expand on what you mean Ayanokouji?" Miyake, like the rest of them, got intrigued by those cryptic words.

"Haven't you noticed how every place except our own rooms are constantly monitored. There are at least 2 cameras in our classroom, and I'd expect 2 more to be hidden somewhere as well to get the perfect view of what everyone is doing at all time." A small nugget of information that lit a spark under Yukimura.

"Wait, are you saying they might be monitoring our activities and how we conduct ourselves? What would they do with that, punish us somehow!" The concept was almost foreign to him, not expecting any school to take such drastic measures.

"If you think about it this is the most elite high school in our country and if students weren't punished in some way, then the 100 percent acceptance rate into universities and jobs wouldn't make sense. Slackers who are constantly catered to would never succeed in life and the reputation of this institution would collapse. But besides that, just how would they punish us?" Haruka spun her drink around and watched as a vortex of coffee formed inside. Her eyes observed the contents sloshing around while racking her brain to figure out the answer.

But Akito beat her to the punch by striking while the iron was hot. "If they don't punish students immediately when they step out of line then it must have some long-term consequence, right? Not that I'm proud of my younger self but I did get in trouble sometimes back then and the punishment was immediate and heavy enough you'd never do it again. So, the only reason that might not be the case here is because they can get a far larger impact later."

"That just leaves us with the question of what exactly will occur if we wait?" Kiyotaka didn't want to give out all the answers right out of the gate, it would be more rewarding for those three to get to the truth with their own skill and knowledge.

"Then wouldn't it make sense if they did something to our private points?" Yukimura always knew he had a good head on his shoulders went it came to logical thinking. While he had spent more time in his house with books than outside and socializing, his mind was tempered to try and answer such questions. "I mean, not by ripping into our savings and taking them away but changing the set amount that we can receive. Chabashira-sensei did say that everything costs points on campus grounds and that without them we're left with nothing."

"That does make sense. Technically everything provided by the school is necessary for our schooling, only things we buy on our own aren't truly needed." Added Haruka.

"Then the one thing all students would miss the most…" Miyake continued the thought process and Ayanokouji finished it.

"Are the points assigned to us every month."

Silence once more reigned supreme throughout the group as they sat without any clear expression on their faces.

After minutes pass the first to speak up was Haruka. Her hair fluttered in the wind as she stood up and threw her empty coffee cup away. "Well, it hasn't happened yet so there's no need simmering over a possibility. I'd rather ignore that chance for now and enjoy the beginning of my high school days. And start valuing frugality and simplicity in life." She added quickly and turned on her phone, frantically checking the number of points and letting out a sigh of relief as the amount remained the same.

Miyake followed her example and stood up, no longer interested in the few milliliters left in his cup and tossed it away. "Yeah, I think that's enough thinking for me for today, I'll go back to my dorm room and rest."

His blue haired friend quickly joined him on his trip back and Yukimura told Ayanokouji that he still had some business in the library.

All three of them filtered out of the area and Kiyotaka was left all alone.

He remained seated and watched the clouds above move across the cerulean sky as his drink became cold. Seconds went by. Those seconds turned in minutes and those became a quarter of an hour.

No longer satisfied with his lonely situation the brown-haired teen stood up, like his acquaintances put his cup in the trash and began walking away, hands in his pockets.

"Excuse me."

A young female's voice was heard from behind him with a frequent sound of a cane hitting the ground.

Ayanokouji turned around to address the person and tell them he was busy only for his eyes to widen in disbelief. A girl with familiar lilac hair and violet eyes that he always saw in his dreams. A face that lost its baby fat and became much more prominent and beautiful. And a small smile that reminded him so much of that one he witnessed those 8 years ago. "You…"

The girl right before him did a small curtsy as much as her legs let her and took a few steps forward. "It has been over 8 years my dear friend. I hope I find you in good spirits Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."

"Sakayanagi Arisu…" Saying her name always left him with wishful thinking of seeing her one more time and having the chance to play against her.

"Aha, so you remember me after all this time. Then I hope I've left a good impression on your mind." She was much shorter than him, by a full head but that didn't matter much to him as he could feel something tugging at the corner of his lips.

Arisu strode up to him until her free hand could grab his and held it, trying her best to match her smaller hand to his own. Her fingers brushed against his and let the tips touch the other. She then pushed his own fingers apart and intertwined their hands together. "Would you grant me the chance of playing against you once more?"

There was only one correct answer to that question. "As you wish."

And the world suddenly looked so much brighter than ever before.

The school library was truly a work of art. A vast area dedicated solely for storing knowledge and sharing it with others. The whole complex could be likened to a semi-circular book colosseum. Built through the use of many Akita cedar trees giving students a calming sense of peace of mind.

And in a lone corner of the room was a simple table with a chess board ingrained onto it. 32 pieces were being carefully placed onto their designated spots as Kiyotaka stared into Arisu's eyes.

It was mere minutes ago when he laid his brown orbs upon her petite figure, and he couldn't get enough. There was something that instantly clicked the second he touched her hand and was led to the library. It felt… he truly couldn't understand what it was. He had read through thousands upon thousands of books, yet none were able to explain what the weird feeling in his stomach was.

His whole body was acting all jittery as he spoke more and more with his childhood friend. They were friends right? "Sakayanagi?"

"Yes?" She spoke in her soft as velvet tone that lit a spark under him.

"Are we friends?"

Hearing that Arisu interrupted the placing of the chess pieces by grabbing his hand with both of her own. She was careful to avoid damaging the bandages that covered up his injuries. "I know how difficult your life had been up to this point. I can tell how difficult it is for you to understand how relationships work and how emotions are properly conveyed. But…"

She squeezed his hand and and caressed the palm with her thumbs. "I want you to know that as your childhood best friend I'll do my best to help you recover your memories. I hope that after spending enough time with me you'll understand that throughout heaven and earth none care for you as much as I."

A bold declaration that did not seems at all like boasting or lying at all. What Kiyotaka could see was pure sincerity in those violet eyes of his one and only friend. He didn't know what he could possibly say to such kind words spoken out of pure kindness that he'd never felt before. "How did you know it was me?" He prayed that his emotionless face was displaying a semblance of happiness for a change as his own tongue failed to convey the thoughts that were running rampant inside his head.

"How could I not after those eleven matches we had all those years ago. You were a truly magnificent opponent that disarmed me at every opportunity, leaving me with naught but the option to tip the king over. Even thousands of days later each time I picked up a chess piece my mind wandered to how you were doing." Yes, she wasn't a moron that wouldn't realize how obsessed her words sounded but they were the truth. Sakayanagi could keep up a façade against every person on the planet, her father included.

Yet when faced with Ayanokouji, reunited like long lost lovers she was stuck in a pickle. Her face flushed each time she dared to stare at his face and when her hands boldly touched his in a comforting way her maiden heart tried to explode in her chest.

She was indeed a girl in love with the only person she'd ever call her equal. "I knew we were fated to meet again but when I saw you sitting there next to the convenience store, I was sure."

"Was that when you realized who I was or from the descriptions of your right-hand man that was following me around?" Straight and to the point, but his expression didn't show any sign of anger, just genuine curiosity.

"Aha, so you notice Hashimoto trailing you. My apologies but after hearing him describe you after your encounter at the gym I already knew that you were here. And so, I ordered him to ensure there aren't any obstructions during our reunion. This is after all, a time just for us Ayanokouji." She then asked if it was alright for her to begin just like all those years ago and her dainty hand grabbed a white pawn piece and moved it 2 spots forward.

"So, what brought you to the Advanced Nurturing High School? I do not believe it to be necessary for you to sit through such boring and obtuse classes instead of excelling in the outside world." Kiyotaka grabbed one of his own pawn pieces and started his advance. His mind a whirlwind of tactics and plans as he devised the best strategy to achieve victory.

Yet this time Arisu wasn't far behind. No, in actuality, she was matching him evenly at every step. Unlike the previous 11 duels they had this one wasn't a one sides slaughter as both came at each other on an even playing field. "Unfortunately, no matter how intelligent one is, without proper credentials and certifications not much can be done against those who sit at the top of the food chain. Thankfully this school is the perfect playground for me to mess with and uproot until I graduate. But unfortunately, at first glance there isn't much to this place. No substance or flavor at all, a bland meal made with cheap ingredients on a plastic plate."

"Truly? I find the spices to be quite exquisite and revolutionary though not as effective as other practices." The board became a true battlefield as the wooden figures started getting struck down with deadly traps.

"Of course, one cannot forget them, but on their efforts alone a good meal cannot be made. Throwing numerous items into a pot and expecting a magnificent dish to form is a fool's dream. Only once an experienced cook takes control can there be a true breakthrough." Sakayanagi moved her rook forward and eliminated one of Ayanokouji's horses.

In retaliation he pushed on with his queen and ripped right through her front line of pawn and obliterated her bishop. "Was that your plan once you arrived here? To stir the pot and change the tides until something pierced through the surface and soared into the sky?"

"Maybe. At the beginning I order my right-hand man to observe all the classes and find out who the interesting people are. Unfortunately, all I received in return were reports of either friendship seeking idealists and dogs that bark too loudly. I believed that nothing would entertain me for the remainder of my time here. That was until I hear your name and sought you out." Focusing on the danger on her side Arisu forced the enemy queen to retreat back to safety and reinforced her flank that was lacking in numbers.

Seeing the beginning of a violent counterattack Kiyotaka redoubled his efforts and pushed onwards to keep her off balance. "And now that you've found me, what will you do? Challenge me to a battle for the ages or proceed to vanish all other obstacles before taking me on?"

Hearing that she giggled openly, not even bothering to hide the smile on her face. Her hands went from the board and down to grip the hems of her white skirt. "Neither my friend. Why would I bother with such mundane tasks as eliminating monkeys while I could fully focus on you and stand by you until the very end. I knew that our paths would eventually intersect but it happening so soon opened many paths forward. And I'd like to explore the only true road I could ever take."

Her heart was beating even harder as she said those words. No matter how though her exterior shell was the inner love-struck girl inside of her was shouting loudly and cheering Arisu on as she interacted with Kiyotaka.

"Then were does your chosen road lead Sakayanagi, and will it be worth it for me to join you down its asphalt track?" Caution was thrown to the wind as Ayanokouji pushed through and began to trade pieces back and forth with his opponent.

"Fufu, why wouldn't it be. It is best to stand together with the only person who truly understands you than the rabble at can't even appreciate your value. Having you in D class and not in A sitting right next to me is such a loss and bummer." Her hands blurred above the table as the fight continued in earnest. Arisu's heart soared as she slowly became even closer to victor, and by proxy, her friend and crush.

"I suppose even the daughter of the chairman isn't favored inside of these walls. But wouldn't you agree that a situation like this is even better for us?" The field of black and white tiles became barren as Kiyotaka knocked another one of her pieces, only to have his own line protecting the king be destroyed.

"Are you saying that you will be agreeing with me? A union of the devil and an angel to rule both heaven and earth is such an interesting concept." And like that only three pieces remained on the board. A white and black king and a black rook remained standing. Like that Arisu was at a loss and conceded. "It was a marvelous battle, Ayanokouji. I only wished it could have gone on a little longer."

"Why are you saying it like this is the last time we will be playing together. Instead of calling it a union why can't we refer to our connection as friendship between two childhood friends."

"Then you aren't opposed to spending more time with me?"

"Why would I be? I had never experienced such a rush of excitement during a match in my life. When it comes to chess, you're easily my equal. If we had another 9 matches, we'd both end with 5 victories under our belts. I…" Ayanokouji couldn't exactly say what was on his mind. The more he returned to the duel that just concluded the more wishful he became. He didn't want this to end. Something awoke inside of him at that moment, and he wasn't willing to let it be stifled out right now.

Carefully observing the changing expression on his face, Sakayanagi moved in and grabbed both of his hands in her own this time. "It's fine if you can't put it into words now, even I find it hard to say what I'm feeling right now."

"Then Sakayanagi—" Ayanokouji was shushed as the girl in question put her index finger to his lips.

"Shh, call me Arisu, only you can ever call me by my name."

"Only if you will call me Kiyotaka, Arisu."

If there was anyone else standing near them at that moment, they would be able to clearly tell just what was going on between them, but Ayanokouji being his emotionless self wasn't able to see just what effect his words truly had on her.

"A-Alright then K-K-Kiyotaka." His name came out more like a whimper, but she couldn't help herself, this was too much for the young girl. "T-Then would you be agreeable to walking with me back to the dormitories?"

"I have nothing else in my plan for the day." Like that the two collected the chess pieces and walked away.

——

Accompanying Ayanokouji was the sound of Sakayanagi's cane touching the ground every second was he gently held her free hand. He hadn't even expected his body to react that way.

A minute after they exited the library a strong wind blew past them and almost toppled Arisu. Almost, as her knight in shining armor moved behind her and caught her mid fall. After helping her stand up straight she basically ordered him to hold her hand and take responsibility. Not knowing exactly what he was taking responsibility for he grabbed her hand in his and let their feet carry them back to the dormitories.

At the same time the brown-haired teen was questioning his decisions. In less than 2 hours he had been discovered by someone who knew his past, found out it was the same girl he had played against 8 years ago and made a friend? He glanced at Arisu and saw the smiling girl enjoy their contact more than he realized.

It more felt like an entirely different person from the previous composed girl had taken her place. From a mature, composed and eloquent chess player to a quiet and blushing schoolgirl. "Is everything alright?" Such a massive change in character worried him.

Sakayanagi rotated her hand and stared into his eyes with her own. "Why would there be?" For her everything was perfect. Her next three years no longer looked so bleak and bland. Her one and only best friend was holding her hand and guiding them back to the dormitories. The only thing left to do was return, make him stay in her room for a little while and initiate plan Make Kiyotaka Fall In Love With Me By The End Of The First Semester And Confess. Name still pending.

"You're acting differently then when we were having our match." The wind blew once more as they sun was illuminating the world. Leaves rustled in the direction of the air currents as Kiyotaka tried his best to give his voice some emotion. It didn't work.

"Why of course I did. In a game of such high stakes and stress keeping a poker face is keen if one wishes to achieve victory. While I can always manage to keep it up while conversing with the boring crowd that inhabits this place, it seems the closer I get to you the harder it becomes. You just might have some special charm around you…" Her words trailed off as she ended her sentence with a light laugh at his questioning gaze.

"What charm?" It was the first time someone attributed such a thing to his typically dull countenance.

Instead of expanding on what she meant Sakayanagi's laughter became stronger as she leaned into his side. "You don't have to think too deeply about it, no one else but me will ever be able to witness your true strength and beauty."

Her lower frame made it such that when she put herself closer to him her entire body engulfed by his own. "Though I'm convinced one day you'll finally understand what I'm talking about as long as you stand by me."

"You're talking a lot about uncertain events in the future. What makes you so sure I'm going to continue being here."

"Fu fu, I know you far to well. I can take an educated guess that you came to this school to achieve true freedom and scheme for 3 years about how to overthrow that person, am I right?"

If he hadn't been trained against openly showing shock he'd be reeling back at the accuracy of her statement. "You'll excel at whatever career you decide to pursue if you put your mind to it."

"Heh, you're going to have to try much harder if you want to make me blush." She raised her hand and wiggled a finger right before his eyes. "Saying such obvious things don't have much of an effect on me."

Ayanokouji bobbed his head forward and sighed. "And I thought I didn't know how to take a compliment. Alright, I'll try my best next time."

The remainder of their walk was spent in silence as they basked in the light of the sun and returned to the first year's dormitory.

The duo entered through the front entrance and made their way to the elevator. By happenstance one was already stationed at the bottom floor and instantly opened its doors for them.

Like a gentleman, Kiyotaka let her enter first and followed immediately after her. Just as he cleared the distance the metal doors shit behind him and began to ascend up to the floor Arisu chose.

Knowing that it would be higher than his own he moved to press a button on the control panel only for her to stop his attempt with her slender hand. "Ah, I believe your mission of accompanying me ends once we reach my room, not the elevator."

Not seeing any harm, he acquiesced and returned to her side. "Fine then."

A few meters up later and they stepped out and Sakayanagi immediately pivoted left and pulled out her keycard. A low pitch beep noise entered their ears, and the lock was unfastened.

"Then, I suppose it's time we part ways—" Ayanokouji couldn't even finish his sentence as he was pulled inside without any explanation. Well, it's not like he could break out of her grip but that'd just look bad on him. Hurting an innocent maiden like her would be a sin and only get him suspended and thrown out. 'Conversing with another person is just too taxing.'

Arisu pulled her friend into her room and quickly shut the door behind them, the automatic locking system activated and shut them in. At last, they were alone without any prying eyes surrounding them, a space only for them to enjoy. "Does this make it the first time you've ever been in a girl's room before? What do you think."

"It's very spartan." The entire room was basically just as empty and devoid of any activity as his own. Nothing of substance had been bought or expended. He glanced around and spotted an almost empty trashcan as guess that she had bought some basic necessities to survive. "And in the White Room we had all been living in the same room at all times. Though I guess you could call it my room in the end since everyone else is dead."

Sakayanagi opted to ignore the heavy-handed topic for now but appreciate that he opened up to her without any initiative. They both took off their shoes and she continued the conversation. "That's because I couldn't trust anyone to help me but anything to decorate and out it up. How is a frail and handicapped girl supposed to carry all her items without struggling?"

"Then I'll help you. When are you free?" Those two sentences came out far too quickly to his liking, he had been very surprised that he'd gotten so comfortable so fast.

Sakayanagi's head spun around and gazed straight at him. She was a little but shocked that he initiated the idea instead of having her push it onto him. 'Maybe no matter how hard the White Room tried to wipe out his humanity some parts couldn't have been discovered and shredded to pieces.'

Arisu was happy. Despite this only being their second face to face meeting, a joyful emotion was running deep through her body that she enjoyed all too much. Looking and seeing a faint glimmer of something deeply hidden underneath Kiyotaka's brown eyes sent shivers down her spine. This reunion of theirs was everything she had ever wished for. "Then you'd have no problem if we make it a date, right? I'll expect you to greet me outside the school entrance after my lessons end tomorrow morning. My lesson plan is on my desk, so you'd best engrave it in your mind as I have already done to yours."

Ayanokouji gracefully walked over to the wooden structure and picked up the white piece of paper between his index and middle fingers. Less than 2 seconds later and the contents were already safely filled away for later use. He turned back to face Sakayanagi only to be greeted by a sight of her laying down on her bed, head directly on a pillow as she stared at him. "You have a guest in your room and you're getting this comfortable right now?"

"I see this as rather me spending some quality time with my friend, I don't see any reason as to why we can't let our guard down for now." She did her best to pull her legs into a fetal position but unfortunately, she didn't possess the ability to do so. To her help came her short stature that made more than enough space for Ayanokouji to sit on.

"Then do you at least have some tea hidden somewhere?" Kiyotaka lowered himself and was now sitting on her bed, his legs still dangling over the edge.

"No, the school lacks a dedicated delivery service to assist those in need." She wondered how far she could take this possibility. They were all alone and on the same bed.

"So that's another thing to add to our shopping list for tomorrow." He already had a faint outline of a few products Arisu could benefit from having in her room. Ayanokouji also wondered if him buying it all for her would look like a nice gesture? His position was giving him a great view of her thighs, so a gift was appropriate at least in his eyes.

"Our shopping list? Are you already planning to also buy things for me?"

Kiyotaka nodded and got up from the bed, making sure his sudden movement didn't cause her any discomfort. "I can't trust anyone else with your well-being so I shall take care of the heavy lifting myself. You don't need to concern yourself with being picky about whatever you'd like to choose as I'll be taking care of it."

"Then I will be eagerly awaiting you come tomorrow after school." And that was a sentiment they both shared as Ayanokouji opened the door to leave. "Have a pleasant evening, Kiyotaka."

"The same to you Arisu." He walked out of her room and shut the door behind him, waiting to hear it get locked before moving on.

'Should I also buy something for myself?'

——

Earlier that day Hashimoto had been ordered to survey the area and carefully observed if any unidentifiable creatures would dare to ruin Sakayanagi's plan.

That being said his specific orders consisted off; shadow us and don't be scene or else, take care of unwanted children and don't mess up. Who would have expected that his second week of high school would consist of becoming a wingman for his classrooms soon to be powerhouse and leader. "Does that mean I should change her nickname from princess to queen? And does that make Ayanokouji king?"

He did witness their chess match from afar and saw how good the both of them were. What was more shocking than that was the brown-haired one's victory at the end. Sakayanagi had already showcased her own intelligence and cunning in his class in the very first week. That was one of the reasons as to why he opted to join her faction rather than Katsuragi's.

What he hadn't banked on was seeing her get outplayed and beaten only to blush like a schoolgirl and give Ayanokouji a thousand-watt smile.

By now Hashimoto was deadly scared for his own safety. "With those two together it looks like everything is already over for everybody else at school." He hoped his contribution would give him a holy shroud of protection once they begin to turn things on their head.

——

Manabu Horikita knew he had a fatal problem. A ravenous cancer cell had been spreading throughout the school and he, as the doctor, failed to identify the disease before it grew too large to manage properly. Now it had infected other organs and was steadily working its way to eat away at the brain.

Killing it at this stage would cripple the rest of the body, taking with it some of the most important parts. The only salvation left for the body was a full transplant of organs. Fresh ones that could work towards destroying the vile monster before it killed the body with its foolish existence.

Unfortunately, Manabu was thoroughly disappointed by the candidates for the positions. He had personally observed each member of the new classes that stood out amongst their peers. While it was too early to give out proper judgment his first assessment of them was low. A naïve idealistic girl. A mongrel that took itself for a dragon and his foolish sister who took herself for being superior to others.

Wasted potential all of them.

Well, not all.

As the older Horikita stood up from his seat at his desk, he wandered to the window that overlooked the school entrance he saw a curious sight. His fellow morning jog acquaintance and the daughter of the chairman walking together back to the dormitories hand in hand.

Manabu's eyes widened as he saw them happily chatting like old friends. "Well, well, well, Sakayanagi and Ayanokouji. You two might just be the salvation this school needs to weather the oncoming storm."