Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's POV

It is now Friday, April 3rd, 2015. It's the third day of my stay here at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.

I was currently heating water in a pot. I had already finished making my bed after a good night's slumber. For breakfast, I decided to try a type of noodles called 'instant ramen,' which, according to Eichiiro, is surprisingly very simple to prepare.

Although it is a very inexpensive meal, according to Eichiiro, they actually taste very delicious and come in a variety of flavors, giving you a wide range of options to choose from. Despite the fact that it's extremely unhealthy and could harm my health, I was eager to give it a shot because I'd never had food like this in the White Room before.

I opened the lower cupboard and grabbed a cup of instant ramen while waiting for the water to come to the proper temperature. It looked like a regular flavored one from the cover. Since I don't want to eat anything too unhealthy for breakfast, I'll just stick with it.

I was also anticipating the arrival of a visitor to my dorm room. Even though it's 5:57 AM in the morning, I have some important matters that I would like to discuss with him. Furthermore, what we would discuss would most likely be beneficial for Class D's future.

I'm just hoping he's not too upset that I asked him to meet me so early in the morning.

Oh, I guess I should turn off the stovetop before I forget. I don't want the water to become too hot or to evaporate excessively.

I then grabbed a cup of instant ramen and halfway opened the lid. I took some of the instant noodles' ingredients and placed them in the cup. I then carefully took the pot of hot water and slowly poured it over the noodles, covering them by a few centimeters. Finally, I covered the lid and set it on the kitchen table to rest for a few minutes while allowing my breakfast to finish cooking.

Ah, it seems my guest has finally arrived. I walked over to my door and opened it, revealing Eichiiro in his pyjamas and a sleepy expression. His pyjamas had cute lamb patterns on them.

"You'd better have a compelling reason to text me in the middle of the night to come to your room in the first flush of the morning. I'm not sure what kind of person would ask someone to meet them when they should be getting ready for school, which starts in two hours." Eichiiro said, his tone slightly irritated.

"Perhaps you didn't get enough sleep? You seem to be a bit annoyed." I enquired.

It wasn't an absurd question either. Eichiiro has a habit of staying up late either owing to his studies or playing games, according to what I've learned during the period we were compelled to stay in that government institution. He also has what appears to be bed hair in his hair, which makes it look a little unkempt.

"Kiyo, I think anyone would be annoyed in being called first thing in the morning. Then again, you're not wrong. I stayed up all night and played a game called candy crush on my phone for hours. I ended up only sleeping for like, two or three hours maybe? I'm not really sure." He replied truthfully.

"You know, for an honor student, you can certainly sometimes be irresponsible with how you manage your time."

"Agh shut up, you sound just like my dad. Ah sorry, I meant OUR dad."

"You know I'm not legally adopted yet right? It's only a proposal that Matsuo came up with."

"Well, my father basically already treats you as if you were his own son. Plus, I think we're already close enough to call each other brothers without it sounding strange."

"I guess your right. I don't really have a problem with it."

Oh, my cup of noodles appears to have finished cooking. I went over to the kitchen table and took a cup of instant ramen. I completely opened the lid... It really is that simple to prepare a meal.

"Your eating instant ramen for breakfast?" Eichiiro looked at me with, puzzled.

"Yeah, I am. Is there an issue with that?"

"I mean, not really... But isn't it too early to be eating stuff like that?"

"I don't think so. Although it might be considered unhealthy, you should know more than anyone else that I'm very curious as to how this would taste."

"Ah, right. You grew up in that dreadful hell. Tch," Eichiiro scoffed, slightly enraged.

Whenever I brought up the topic of the White Room, he would usually look at me sympathetically or get frustrated and worked up about it. I'm guessing it's because, just like his father, he has a lot of empathy for others. So witnessing footage of children being harmed so casually would disgust him tremendously and stay with him for a long time.

"Please take a seat wherever you'd like; the topic we'll be discussing may take some time." I motioned for him to take a seat someplace. He nodded reluctantly and sat on my bed, while I sat across from him in the chair.

I snatched up a set of chopsticks and dug into my first serving of quick cup ramen.

...

It was delicious. The noodles were similar in texture and form to any other homemade or restaurant-served ramen. The broth was tasty, even if it was a little salty. I'd personally give it an eight out of ten for overall quality.

"Let's get right to it. You did hang out with Hirata, Karuizawa, and her group of friends yesterday, right?" I interrogated him.

"Yes, I did, though I only stayed with them until the club fair ended. Is this relevant to what we'll be discussing?" I simply nodded silently in response.

"First and foremost, I'd like to hear your thoughts on them. Their personalities to be exact."

"Do you mean like my impression of them?"

"Something along those lines," I answered vaguely.

Although I have an impression of them, I don't know them well enough to discern their personalities clearly. After all, you can't judge a book by its cover.

"I'm guessing it'll be significant, so I'll just tell you. Hirata honestly seems to be a genuinely good person. He can, however, be a touch too sweet at times. I'm going to be brutally honest here, but Karuizawa and several of her friends gave me impressions of the stereotypical cruel fashionist gyaru females that pick on others you usually see in anime or manga. Although I don't believe they're mean people, truthfully, they can sound like a bitch at times." Eichiiro conveyed his opinion bluntly.

"Does Matsuhita fall into that category as well?" I came up with the question.

Matsuhita didn't give the impression of the type of person to make disparaging remarks about others behind their backs. Perhaps she joined them owing to peer pressure and to blend in with her peers. I honestly felt pity for her because she had to deal with Karuizawa's bunch of gals.

"Oh, Matsuhita? Nah, she's cool. I can vouch for her because she was a friend of mine in middle school. When the girls began to gossip about the others, she just remained silent. She and Hirata should honestly be commended for being able to deal with them so patiently." Eichiiro threw in his two cents' worth.

"I see... My initial impressions of them weren't far off."

"Is that all you've summoned me here for?" Eichiiro inquired.

"No, there's still more to come. Would you mind if I asked you to do me a favor? I promise it won't be too difficult."

"I suppose I don't mind. It's probably for a good reason, right?" As a response, I simply nodded once more.

"Okay, then... I'd like you to investigate more about Kushida Kikyou." I stated my favor. He seemed a bit perplexed by what I had asked him to do, which was understandable.

"Pft, investigate? Who do you think I am? Sherlock Holmes? Phoenix Wright? Detective Conan?" Eichiiro cracked a joke.

It proved to be ineffective considering I only knew who Sherlock Holmes was and not the other two people he mentioned. Were they famous detectives I'd never heard of? I suppose the white room can't teach everything, can it? I guess I'll look into them more later.

"Anyway, enough of the jokes; why do you need me to look into Kushida? Don't tell me you're interested in her." With a smirk on his face, Eichiiro said teasingly.

"Please don't make any unsubstantiated assumptions about my relationship with her. She and I are merely just acquaintances." I quickly dismissed his conjecture.

"That's unfortunate, to say the least. Anyway, getting back to the point, why do you need me to look into Kushida? Is she guilty of something?" Eichiiro raised his eyebrows.

"She isn't, not at all. Well, not yet anyway. She just seems a little... Suspicious, in my opinion." I said something in response.

"Suspicious... In what way, exactly? She honestly just looks like any typical nice and attractive girl seen in every class." Eichiiro again raised a question.

"Yes, but I'm very skeptical of her. If you were paying attention to her over the last few days, which I assume you weren't, she's been acting strangely in ways that I don't think are just coincidences."

"Oh? Please do tell. You've piqued my interest a bit."

"To begin with, when I was explaining to everyone why people were placed in class D on the first day, I noticed Kushida visibly flinch at the mention of something we'd done in the past. I assume it was just a coincidence or that I was overthinking things, but yesterday she raised even more doubts in my mind about her." I elaborated. Eichiiro appeared to be paying close attention to me, so it's comforting to know I have his undivided attention.

"Second, she said in her introduction yesterday that none of her middle school friends had made it here. But I observed Horikita, my seatmate, grimace a little when Kushida stated that. Third, when Kushida and her friends urged me to join out with them at Keyaki Mall, I rejected, citing that I had some important matters to discuss with Horikita. When I said that, Kushida flinched and became obviously hesitant when I mentioned Horikita's name. I don't know about you, but I don't believe all of this is just a coincidence." I explained further.

"So you're claiming that Horikita and Kushida are somehow linked? Maybe classmates from middle school?" As a reply, I nodded.

"I don't understand though. Why did Kushida say that no one from her middle school came to this school with her if they already knew each other from before? Maybe she didn't know that she and Horikita attended the same middle school?" Eichiiro speculated.

"No, I'm not convinced that's the case. Her reaction when I mentioned Horikita must indicate that she was aware of her In some way." I countered with a rejoinder.

"But then why..."

!!!

"Ah," it seems he has finally caught on. As expected of Eichiiro.

"Do you understand what I'm trying to imply now? She sounded pretty ecstatic for someone whose middle school buddies were not able to attend the same high school. If someone else were placed in Kushida's shoes, they would almost certainly be frustrated or upset."

"And having Horikita in the same class as her must've caught her off guard, which explains her reluctant reaction when you mentioned Horikita's name." Eichiiro posited a theory.

"Which leads me to believe that Kushida was relieved that none of her middle school mates had been accepted into the same school as her since she didn't want them to." I came up with a hypothesis.

"But why would she be against it? In most circumstances, finding out that someone you know went to the same school as you would alleviate some of the stress of attempting to adjust to a new environment among strangers. Then again, based on what I've heard about Kushida, she seems to be a social butterfly, so I doubt it would be an issue for her."

"I don't have a definitive answer to that question, but I do know that Kushida has already hinted at what the reasoning might be. When I stated that we might be assigned to class D because of things we've done in the past, she visibly flinched. It's got to be something to do with that statement. She'd probably done something in middle school that she doesn't want anyone to know about. For the time being, that's the only plausible explanation I can think of." I continued to ponder.

"Wait a minute, why are we talking about this? Sure, Kushida is behaving strangely, but shouldn't we make an effort to respect her privacy? Perhaps something traumatic happened to her back then, and she doesn't want others to know about it so they don't judge her differently." Eichiiro expressed his sympathy.

"That is something I cannot rule out. I'm simply attempting to determine whether Kushida will become a burden to our class or not." I gave a straightforward response.

"Burden? Kiyo, don't you think that's a bit too harsh?"

"Harsh? I'd like to believe otherwise. Given how influential she is in the class, Kushida will be a very valuable ally for us to have if we want to maintain unity and tranquillity among our classmates. But, no matter how much of a goody-two-shoes she appears to be, there's a reason she's placed in class D." I resisted the urge to call her a pawn because I didn't want Eichiiro to get the wrong idea... Even if it's true.

"But what might her flaw be? Maybe she has extremely poor grades scores and terrible physical abilities?"

"We won't know for sure unless an exam testing our academic or physical abilities is administered. But, based on her placement in Class D, we know that Kushida has a defect that's preventing her from reaching her full potential."

Kushida, on the other hand, did not give the impression of someone who was poor in academics or had a bad physique. She appears to be one of those well-liked smart students who were popular simply because they were pleasant to be around.

"By the way, What exactly do you mean by "investigating" her? You're not asking me to follow her around or anything like that, are you? I'm not sure about you, but I don't want to be labeled a pervert or creep for the rest of my high school career."

"Of course not, why in the world would I ask you to do something that would jeopardize your reputation? I'm only requesting that you try to get to know her better and spend time with her and her group of friends. We might learn more about Kushida from you, given how adept you are at mingling."

"If that's all you want from me, I suppose I'll gladly comply. Is that all you had in mind to say?"

"That's everything. You are free to leave at any time." I walked over to the trash can to dispose of my empty cup of ramen. He sat up from my bed and prepared to leave.

"Oh, by the way, Karuizawa and her friends wanted to invite you to lunch if you're available," Eichiiro said.

"Will you be there with them?"

"Nah, I'm going to have lunch with some of the boys of our class. Don't worry, you won't be the only boy there because Hirata will probably also be there."

So I don't see why I shouldn't accept their offer. After all, since I don't know them well, I could use this as an opportunity to learn more about their personalities.

Eichiiro then left my dorm room and returned to his, leaving me to get ready for school.

———————————————————

I was currently waiting for the elevator to reach the lobby floor. Because I didn't feel like going to the gym today, I opted to go to school early for today. When the elevator doors opened, I took a step out and was surprised to see who was standing alone in the foyer of the guys' dormitories.

It was Kushida Kikyou, the person that I and Eichiiro had discussed earlier in the day. Normally, I'd ask her to accompany me to school, but she looked like she was waiting for someone. I didn't want to bother her, so I tried to walk past by her. But before I could, she suddenly ran up to me and tugged my arm.

"Ayanokouji-Kun! I was waiting for you!" She exclaimed cheerfully. So she was waiting for me huh... It was a small gesture but a welcome one.

"Well, I was just on my way to class. Can I know why you were waiting for me?" I asked.

"Well you see... I actually wanted to talk to you about something. Is that ok?" What would she want to talk about with me first thing in the morning?

"Um... Sure, I guess." I replied listlessly.

"Eh? Really! Am I not being a bother to you?" She asked, worriedly, with puppy eyes fixed on me.

Crap, please don't look at me like that. With our faces close to each other, she looked quite pretty and adorable. I can see why she was so popular among the boys in our class.

"I was a bit shocked to see you in the boys' dormitory lobby, but I wouldn't call a nuisance of any sort."

"I'm glad then!" Kushida then leaned in at a close range. Yikes... I could see of the boys present in the dormitory were glaring at me with eyes full of murderous intent. Kushida didn't seem to mind the unnecessary attention we were getting, as expected of a social elite.

"Ayanokouji-Kun, you seem to be quite close with Horikita-San, don't you?" This question caught me off guard a bit.

"No, I wouldn't say that. We're just neighbors who are acquainted with each other."

"Really? But from what I've heard from Karuizawa-San, she acted a little rude to the others and was only willing to have a normal chat with you."

"Maybe she's attracted to me?" I tried to make a sarcastic remark. It earned a giggle from Kushida but I felt that it was out of pity rather than it being genuine.

"You see... My goal is to be friends with everyone in school, so when I approached Horikita at the club fair and asked for her contact information, but... She turned me down quickly and stated that she has no intention of becoming friends with anyone." Horikita is still as stubborn I see...

"Yeah, I think that's just how she is."

"But I still want to be friends with Horikita too, in spite of all of that!" She stated, determined, while suddenly clasping my hands with hers.

"Won't you please help me Ayanokouji-Kun!" She said with even more resolve while tightening her grip a bit.

"You mean you want me to be some sort of middleman between you guys?" At least, that's what I think she's trying to imply.

"Yeah! Exactly! Please Ayanokouji-Kun!" Horikita would probably be disgusted if I attempted to do something like that.

"Well..."

"You mean... You Won't?" She tilted her head while looking at me with a pained and melancholic expression.

Sigh

Well, I guess Horikita would benefit by interacting with someone she already knows, as this would allow her to open up more to her peers. I should give Kushida a response quickly as she was already waiting patiently for my answer.

"Fine... I'll try my best Kushida. Don't expect much from me though." I said reluctantly. She quickly reverted to an ecstatic and euphoric expression.