At that moment, Kōenji Rokusuke had his legs propped up on the desk, one hand holding a mirror while the other idly played with his bangs. He gazed at his reflection with a self-satisfied expression.
In a class already filled with eccentric characters, Kōenji Rokusuke stood out as the most peculiar of them all.
No matter the situation, Kōenji always did things his way, completely out of sync with everyone else. He rarely interacted with others, but Saiki, with his telepathic abilities, knew that Kōenji, like Ayanokōji, possessed exceptional talents unmatched by anyone else in the class.
The difference was that Ayanokōji and Saiki went to great lengths to hide their abilities, while Kōenji didn't care about standing out—in fact, he seemed to enjoy it.
Kōenji consistently ranked among the top students in exams, though not always with perfect scores. This was because he often skipped questions or answered them based on whim rather than effort.
He was the epitome of self-centeredness, his behavior and actions far beyond the understanding of ordinary people. He could completely ignore others' existence, and within the first minute of the class getting to know each other, Kōenji had already earned the dislike of nearly everyone. Saiki had no desire to interact with someone like him.
"Someone as unattractive as you has no place here," Kōenji said in his peculiar tone, his gaze never leaving the mirror.
"What did you say? Repeat that!" Sudō Ken demanded.
"Repeating myself would be inefficient. Nonsense. If you think you're incompetent, I don't mind saying it again," Kōenji replied casually.
Sudō's anger boiled over. He slammed the desk with such force it nearly flipped, then lunged toward Kōenji.
Saiki didn't intervene. He knew someone else would stop it before it went too far.
"Enough! Both of you, stop this!" Hirata Yōsuke shouted, stepping in to restrain them.
"A fight breaking out in class is absolutely unacceptable," Saiki thought. "Hirata's truly an angel. If only there were more students like him in this class."
"Kōenji's the real problem here," one student thought.
"If someone's dropping out, it should be Kōenji," another added.
"Honestly, Kōenji's more annoying than Sudō," a third chimed in.
Most of the class had shifted their frustration toward Kōenji.
Though Sudō's anger was palpable, Hirata's intervention prevented the situation from escalating further. Meanwhile, Kōenji remained fixated on the mirror, adjusting his appearance as if Sudō didn't exist.
"In a week, the student council will mediate between you and Class D. Points will be deducted based on the outcome, and Sudō's punishment will be decided," Chabashira Sae announced, seemingly unbothered by the tension in the room—or perhaps even enjoying it.
After the morning classes ended, Chabashira took Sudō to the office to discuss the situation. Back in the classroom, the students chatter about Sudō.
"No points again this month... I just spent a lot thinking they were coming soon," one student complained.
"Honestly, Sudō should just drop out," another said.
"What are we going to do this month...?" a third worried.
With Sudō gone, the students no longer held back their opinions about him.
"What do you think, Horikita?" Ayanokōji asked, propping his cheek on his hand and turning slightly toward her.
"I'm not sure if a student dropping out affects class points, but it's best to avoid that for now," Horikita Suzune replied calmly.
"Sudō's temper aside, his words earlier didn't seem fake. I've also heard rumors about Class D, especially Ryūen Kakeru... He might be trouble," she thought.
"The old Horikita would've said, 'Someone like Sudō should just drop out,'" Ayanokōji observed silently.
"The atmosphere's off. I'm leaving for lunch," Saiki thought, preparing to exit the classroom.
Clearing Sudō's name wouldn't be difficult for Saiki, but he needed to avoid complicating things further. Acting alone would be easier.
"I need to leave before—"
Before Saiki could stand, Hirata was already at the front of the class.
"I trust our classmates. We should work together to find witnesses!" Hirata declared seriously.
"I agree! I believe in Sudō too," one student said.
"If Hirata says so..." another added.
"Me too," a third chimed in.
Most of the supporters were girls.
"Wait... weren't some of you just badmouthing Sudō? You changed your minds the moment Hirata spoke?" Saiki thought, knowing he wouldn't get the same response if he'd spoken up.
"I didn't agree to this, but leaving like Kōenji would make me a target. I'll wait for a better moment," Saiki decided.
But the next second, a bad feeling washed over him.
"Saiki, you'll help too, right?" Kushida Kikyō asked, smiling as she approached.