Sakayanagi wasted no time. She quickly secured Kamuro as someone who could assist her.
But as Shiina had pointed out, their relationship was far from that of equals. It wasn't even a simple employer-employee dynamic—it really did resemble a master and pet.
That said, if the master was strong enough and could provide protection, maybe that kind of relationship wasn't such a bad deal.
Because this wasn't an ordinary school, and you couldn't look at things with an ordinary perspective.
Sakayanagi was the boss of Class A. By staying with her, Kamuro would be safer and less likely to get expelled.
At the same time, if Sakayanagi could correct Kamuro's habit of stealing, it would actually be a good thing for Kamuro herself.
Still, as he watched, Shirogane couldn't help but feel a little envious of Sakayanagi.
She got a loyal assistant so easily.
Well…
Shirogane wasn't that kind of person.
[Actually, if you want to keep a pet, you could do that too, Shirogane.]
A voice echoed in his mind.
A pet? Keeping one?
"A kitten or a puppy?"
[At this school, you can buy almost anything with points, so getting a pet is possible. But I'm talking about a person.]
"..."
Shirogane fell silent.
You do realize you're talking about a person, right?
If Sakayanagi were asked about this, she'd probably throw around words like "free labor," "no payment," "conquering," or "keeping."
But what's with this narrator system?
Why are you treating people like pets?
Have you been influenced by someone?
Shirogane didn't respond immediately, but the voice continued.
[There are a few potential candidates with a high success rate.]
[First-year Class B: Ichinose Honami. Hmm… Easy to tame, but not recommended. She's a genuinely good person.]
[First-year Class C: Shiina Hiyori. Medium difficulty. She doesn't have any secrets but seems to be looking for a real friend.]
"..."
Hearing this, Shirogane glanced at Shiina Hiyori.
??
Hiyori was quite sensitive. She suddenly felt that Shirogane was looking at her in a way that didn't seem… normal.
Just as she was about to ask, Shirogane quickly looked away.
[First-year Class D students are actually the easiest to tame.]
[First-year Class D: Horikita Suzune. You already know she's the student council president's younger sister. Their relationship is bad—she both respects and fears him. If you take advantage of that, taming her would be highly efficient.]
[First-year Class D: Kushida Kikyo. Extremely good at socializing, well-connected, and seems to be friends with everyone. But she has a secret. If you can uncover it, taming her would be easy.]
[First-year Class D: Sakura Airi. She looks plain and timid, but in middle school, she was a magazine model. Her real appearance is that of a cute idol. She's extremely shy, though. Easiest to tame. Look—she's staring at you.]
Hmm…
As Shirogane listened to the voice, he casually glanced around.
Before long, he noticed a girl with a plain-looking style—purple-red hair tied into two large pigtails, wearing pink-rimmed glasses—who seemed to be looking in his direction.
That must be Sakura Airi.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
And then—
"Eh?"
"!"
But Sakura shrank back quickly, as if startled.
She seemed really shy and afraid of strangers.
Seeing this, Shirogane looked away.
He had originally agreed with the narrator's claim that Class D students were the easiest to win over. After all, he understood the school's system—Class D had the lowest ranking, meaning they would likely receive the least allowance starting next month.
In other words, they'd be short on money, and people without money were easy to tempt.
But...
As he kept listening, something felt off.
Because...
Why did the narrator keep mentioning their weaknesses, their secrets, and how to use those secrets to control them? Even Horikita—apparently, all he had to do was bring up her relationship with her brother, and she'd be easy to handle.
So, what kind of people were actually in Class D?
Thinking that, he listened on.
[First-year Class D, Matsushita Chiaki. Seems to have hidden her true abilities during the entrance exams. Placed in Class D as a result. Moderate difficulty to win over.]
[First-year Class D, Karuizawa Kei. Leader of the Class D girls. Has a secret—once discovered, difficulty drops to almost zero. Before discovering it, she's extremely hard to win over.]
"..."
"Why are they all girls? Are there no guys?" Shirogane finally couldn't help but ask.
He had already felt like something was off about this narrator system, like it was trying to push him toward Sakayanagi.
And now, all the recommendations were girls too.
[For guys, I don't recommend it. The boys in this school are pretty dangerous.]
The narrator quickly responded.
[For example, first-year Class C, Ryuen. Very difficult to win over. However, if successful, he'll become a loyal friend and provide major support if you're ever at risk of expulsion.]
"..."
That actually sounded like a pretty reliable person.
[First-year Class D, Kōenji Rokusuke. Heir to the Kōenji financial group. A genius with maxed-out talent in all areas. Extremely difficult to win over because he believes he has nothing in common with ordinary people. Sees everyone else as mere mortals while he is a genius. If you want to catch his attention, you'll have to become a genius yourself.]
Oh.
This was the first time Shirogane had heard someone described as a "genius" like that.
So...
Why was someone like that in Class D? Not only was he a financial heir, but also a genius—shouldn't he be attending Shuchiin Academy instead? Why was he here competing with ordinary students?
"If Class D already has this many weird people, are there any others?" Shirogane jotted notes in his small notebook.
The narrator responded quickly.
[First-year Class D, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka. Absolute genius. Impossible to win over—he has no emotions.]
"..."
So.
What exactly was going on with Class D?
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