"Mr Sakanayagi, are you sure you want to accept Ryusui Nanami? He has yet to take an entrance exam, we have the bare minimum amount of data on him, and his attitude in the media does not represent him in the best way," a man said. He sprinted down the long hallway, his shoes scraping against the marble floor, papers dropping behind him like fallen feathers. By the time he reached the chairman's office, his breath was short, and his voice trembled with urgency.
He inhaled sharply and pressed on. "You have got to reconsider this sir."
The chairman remained silent. He sat in his grand leather chair, framed by towering bookshelves and soft sunlight that seeped through the tall windows. He looked almost carved from stone, expression unreadable, eyes calm. Only after a long pause did he turn to face the desperate man.
"Usually that would be the case," he said, his voice steady, "but for this situation, I felt obliged to take him in."
The man slammed a folder onto the desk. "Sir, that can not be the only thing. You must surely know we are an elite school."
"Calm down," the chairman replied, lowering his gaze for a moment as if weighing invisible scales. "You are in the right, but I too have my own reasoning."
He placed both hands neatly on the table.
"From my own judgement, I have deemed him worthy to come to this school. You must know that under several challenges with his family, he has always somehow managed to come out on top. If you do not take my word on it, then you shall see the effect he has on the school this term."
The air seemed to tighten. The frantic man gritted his teeth.
"But sir, people like him, the elites, they always have it easy here. That is why we usually refrain from accepting them."
"Then we must simply put him under pressure," the chairman answered. "Like coal to become diamonds, we will limit the amount he can get."
He leaned back slightly, as if the outcome was already decided.
"I have already asked his family to freeze his bank account and used several other measures to make sure he does not just bail out the minute he is not interested."
The man stared at him, speechless. "But why do all this just for one student?"
The chairman turned his chair toward the window before asking calmly, "Do you know how much money he makes in a year?"
The man blinked. "How much money he makes? Why is that important? And even if it was, elites like him always have it easy."
"You misunderstand," the chairman said. "Independently. The amount is ridiculous."
A cold silence followed. Outside the window, the sunlight dimmed behind a drifting cloud.
"He shows the qualities of what a graduated ANHS student should have. Except from the media image, you will come to find he is very much interesting. I am very invested to see what he could do inside of here with even more limits."
His voice lowered slightly.
"While we say the school grounds are like the real world, I believe it is much harsher than the real world. I want to see whether he will break… or whether he will prevail."
.
.
I was going to school on the bus, which shook every time it passed over a bumpy area of the road.As I watched the landscape change from area to area, the passengers on the bus gradually increased.Most of the passengers were wearing school uniforms.
The lone frustrated salary worker who got on the bus remembered the time he accidentally groped someone in a crowded bus. An old woman standing in front of me balanced precariously on her unsteady feet, looking as if she would fall at any moment.
I made a mistake by taking the bus. Even though I was able to secure a good seat, the cold wind was blowing toward me, and the whole bus was crowded.That poor old woman would have to wait until the bus reached her destination.
The cloudless sky and clear weather were refreshing… I thought I might fall asleep. My tranquility was suddenly interrupted.
"Don't you think you should give up your seat?"
For a moment, I opened my eyes that were about to close. Eh, by any chance, was I being scolded.That was my first thought, but apparently the person in front of me was being warned.
A young, well-built blond-haired man was sitting in the priority seat. A high school student. The old woman was standing next to him. An office lady stood beside her.
"You there, can't you see the old woman having trouble?"
The office lady was asking him to hand over his seat. In the quiet bus, her voice grew louder and attracted everyone's attention.
"That's a really crazy question, lady."
He might have been angry, ignorant, or simply brutally honest, but he only smiled and crossed his legs again.
"Why should I give this seat to an old woman? There is absolutely no reason for me to give it up."
"Isn't it natural to hand over the priority seat to the elderly?"
"I don't understand. Priority seats are just priority seats, and there is no legal obligation for me to move. Whether or not I move should be decided by me, the one who is currently sitting here. Would you give up your seat because I'm a young man? Hahaha, that's a stupid way of thinking."
It was a manner of speaking one wouldn't expect from a high school student. His blond-dyed hair only added to the impression.
"I am a healthy young man. Certainly, standing up would not inconvenience me, but it's obvious that standing consumes more energy than sitting. I don't want to waste energy on something meaningless. Or are you telling me to be more lively and energetic?"
"What kind of attitude is that toward your superiors!?"
"Superior? It is true you and the old woman have lived longer than me. There's no doubt about that. However, that 'above' refers to height. Also, I have a problem with you. Even with a difference in age, isn't your attitude awfully rude?"
"Wha…! You're a high school student!? Honestly, just listen to what adults say!"
"It's fine, it's fine…"
The office lady was worked up, but the old woman tried to stop her with gentle hand gestures.
Even so, the office lady's anger only grew, her patience thinning.
"Apparently the older woman has better hearing than you. Oh dear, I guess Japanese society isn't completely useless yet. Enjoy the rest of your life to your heart's content."
After flashing a uselessly refreshing smile, he put his headphones in and began listening to loud music.The office lady clenched her teeth in frustration.
Personally, I did not get involved because I agreed, at least partially, with the boy.
Once the moral obligation is questioned, the obligation to give up a seat disappears.
"Sorry…"
The office lady apologized to the old woman, trying to hold back her tears.
A small incident had occurred on the bus. I was relieved that I wasn't part of it. I don't care for things like giving up my seat to the elderly or stubbornly refusing to move from my seat.
The disturbance ended with the boy's overwhelming confidence.
At least, everyone believed it was over.
"Um… I also think the lady is right."
An unexpected voice joined in. A girl standing beside the office lady spoke bravely.
She wore the same school uniform as mine.
"This time it's a pretty girl. Apparently, I have luck with women today."
"Grandmother, it looks like it's been hot for a while now. Won't you give up your seat? It may be none of your concern, but I think it will contribute to society."
With a sharp snap of his fingers, the boy said:
"Social contribution? I see, that is an interesting way to put it. Giving seats to the elderly may indeed contribute to society. Unfortunately, I am not interested in contributing to society. I only think about my own satisfaction. Oh, and also. In this crowded bus, you ask me, who is sitting in the priority seat, to give up my seat, yet you ignore everyone else who remains silent. If someone truly cared for the elderly, then 'priority seat here, priority seat there' would be meaningless."
The girl's intentions did not reach him. His brazen attitude did not change.Both the office lady and the old woman remained silent.
But the girl did not back down.
"Everyone. Please listen to me for at least a little bit. Can anyone give their seat to the old woman? Please, anyone."
How could someone hold so much compassion and determination in such few words? It was rare to see such sincerity.
Her plea might have made her seem like an annoyance, yet she appealed to the passengers earnestly and without fear.I was not in a priority seat, but I was sitting near the old woman. If I raised my hand and said "here you go," the situation would end peacefully.
But like everyone else, I did not move. The boy's attitude had influenced others; some convinced themselves he was right.
Of course, the elderly are undeniably important contributors and supporters of Japan. But we, the youth, are the ones who will support Japan from now on. With the aging population increasing, our value grows as well.
So, if you compare youth and the elderly, it is obvious which is more important now. Well, that is also a perfect argument, isn't it. I started to wonder what others would do. Most pretended not to notice.But the girl sitting next to me was different.
Amid the confusion, her face was entirely expressionless. When I stared at her because of her odd calmness, our eyes met for a moment. I could tell we shared the same thoughts. Neither of us intended to give up our seats.
"Oh, here you go!"
Soon after the girl's appeal, another woman stood up. Unable to endure the guilt, she gave up her seat.
"Thank you!"
The girl bowed with a full smile and guided the old woman through the crowd. The old woman thanked her repeatedly before sitting down.
Watching the two of them, I folded my arms and closed my eyes.The bus soon arrived at its destination and stopped at the school.
As the bus approached the school gates, I noticed something unusual. A man—no, a student—was falling from the sky. Most people would be concerned, but the human mind works in strange ways. Instead of calling an ambulance, several students instinctively reached for their phones.
He had long blond hair. Even though his blazer covered most of his body, it was clear he was well-built. His face was relatively round, and faint blue markings wrapped around his hands. Tattoos? But if he was a student, wasn't he too young for that? Now that was certainly not something you see every day.
Some students stared in awe, others in fear. But at the final moment, he opened his parachute and landed safely. A flashy entrance, to say the least. This school really was something.
"Ryusui Nanami. I never thought he would show up here. What a showoff," the blond student from the bus muttered.
As Ryusui touched down, a crowd immediately formed around him. But the spectacle didn't stop there. Another student arrived shortly after, stepping out of a luxurious limousine. They wore the school uniform and had blond hair curled like corkscrews.
And then, unbelievably, they bowed deeply toward Ryusui and addressed him as "sir." That was some serious main-character energy. He was either going to gain a swarm of friends or none at all, judging by first impressions.
After the commotion settled, teachers rushed over and scolded Ryusui for his reckless arrival. Soon after, we were instructed to head to the entrance ceremony.
I don't like entrance ceremonies. A lot of first-years probably feel the same way. The principal and student representatives exchange overly polite greetings, there is far too much standing, and the whole event involves more unnecessary formalities than anyone actually wants.
But that isn't the real issue.
The entrance ceremony marks the beginning of one major trial for students. During the first few days, everyone is expected to make friends in order to survive the rest of their school life. Fail at that task, and they say the next three years will be miserable.
Following my principle of avoiding trouble, I figured it would be best to make friends early and build some kind of stable human relationships.
Yesterday, I even practiced social interactions because I was entirely inexperienced.First scenario: bursting into the classroom and talking enthusiastically. Second scenario: secretly passing a note with my email address on it, hoping it led to friendship.
For me, practicing was necessary. This environment was completely different from anything I had ever known. I entered this fierce battlefield entirely alone.
Scanning the classroom, I walked to the seat with my nameplate on it.