The Prodigy - Classroom Of The Elite

After spending some time tidying up my room, the second day of school arrived sooner than I thought.

I was on my way to school when I heard a cheerful voice behind me say, "Good morning, Hayashi-Kun."

I paused for a moment, trying to keep my cool despite the unexpected greeting.

When I turned around, I saw a girl I recognized from my class. During introductions, I remembered her helping another girl gather the courage to introduce herself.

What really caught me off guard was that she knew my name. How on earth did anyone at this school already know who I was?

Well, it's not surprising that people know my name since I introduced myself to the whole class.

"Uh, hi, do I know you?" I asked, unsure if I was being rude, but the question slipped out anyway.

She quickly walked over to me, her face lighting up with a bright smile as she stood beside me.

"No, we haven't talked before. But we're in the same class, so I figured I'd say hi," she explained. "I'm Kikyo Kushida. We should probably walk and talk, or we might end up late," she suggested cheerfully.

Honestly, I'd rather just walk alone and keep to myself, but I nodded along with her plan.

I just nodded and continued walking as she matched her pace with mine.

"I bet you're a bit surprised that I came up to you like this, huh, Hayashi-Kun?" she asked, tilting her head slightly toward me with the same cheerful smile she'd had since we met.

I didn't respond, just gave a small nod.

Kikyo Kushida's smile grew even brighter. "Well, actually, Hayashi-Kun, I want to be friends with everyone in our class. It's sort of my little mission! And, believe it or not, you've already become quite the topic among our classmates after the first day. Everyone's really curious about you!"

I understood her goal to make friends with everyone, but did she just say I was "the topic among classmates"? That couldn't be right, could it? Was she just making that up?

Anyway, whether it was true or not, I couldn't really care. Besides, I wasn't exactly warming up to her; that was my first impression.

Noticing my silence, she didn't give up and asked another question.

"I heard your introduction yesterday. Do you really enjoy reading?"

"Yeah, I love reading, a lot," I replied.

And it's true. Reading is something I'm really into. In fact, one of the things I planned for today was to sign up at the school library. Spending time lost in books is the best.

"I see," she said.

An awkward silence settled between us as we kept walking, and soon the school building came into view.

"The 'topic of talk' thing was a lie, right?" I asked.

Kikyo Kushida paused for a moment, her smile still in place as she thought about her answer. "Well, Hayashi-Kun, it's not entirely a lie," she said, choosing her words carefully. "You did get some attention, mostly because you seem quite different from the rest of us. But yeah, I might have stretched the truth a little."

I see. "A bit of a lie."

Kushida and I entered the school together, but she quickly spotted some friends she'd made in just one day and joined them. Before leaving, she even asked for my contact info, which felt like a bit of a hassle.

But hey, there's always a blacklist option, right? Just in case.

I headed to the classroom on my own and soon found myself at the door. On the second day, the buzz and chatter were just as loud, if not louder, than the first day. As everyone got more familiar with each other, it was no surprise that the noise level went up.

I settled into my seat in the middle of the last row and glanced to my right at Horikita, who was absorbed in her notebook. Next to her, Ayanokoji sat by the window, seemingly lost in his thoughts. The three of us were a quiet little group amid the lively classroom chaos.

The morning bell rang, and Chiyabashira-sensei started her announcements. I tried to focus on her words, hoping to catch anything useful. The classroom was a mix of students paying attention and those clearly distracted. Some were already dozing off, heads nodding as they fought sleep, while others sneakily checked their phones, fingers tapping away under their desks.

I wondered how this was allowed during class. Was this normal here? It seemed counterproductive, but most students didn't seem to care. I shrugged it off, deciding it wasn't my business to question it, and turned my focus back to the lesson.

When lunchtime arrived, students either left the classroom or prepared to head out, probably to the cafeteria.

Yosuke Hirata, the guy who took the lead in getting everyone to introduce themselves yesterday, was surrounded by girls, all eager for his attention.

He looked like the main character from one of those cliché light novels or mangas, where the handsome protagonist is pursued by all the girls.

You might say he's building his own harem, even though there are a few guys hanging around too.

"How pathetic!"

I didn't say that. It was Horikita, who was sitting next to me, throwing those words out. But it wasn't aimed at me. It seemed like she was directing it at Ayanokoji, who was sitting on her other side.

Maybe they're just bickering or having some sort of chat. I figured it was better not to get involved in whatever they were talking about. The smartest move for me was to just get up and leave the room.

With that in mind, I rose from my chair and started heading toward the door. But just as I was about to step out, someone called out to me unexpectedly.

"Hey, Hayashi-kun, I'm heading to the cafeteria. Want to come along?"

It was Hirata. When I turned around, I saw he wasn't surrounded by girls anymore and was standing there alone.

Even though I've said I don't want friends, I guess Hirata doesn't count right now. Plus, he seems to be taking on the role of the class leader.

"Sure...!"

I said it with a small smile, but I immediately regretted it just moments later.

"Anyone else want to join?"

With that, my interest in going with him faded. I mean, I couldn't really expect him to hang out with just me, but all the responses from the girls around were... annoying.

"I think I..."

I tried to back out, but my voice got lost in the excitement surrounding him. Suddenly, the girls chimed in with even more enthusiasm.

"Hayashi-kun and Hirata-kun are going, so I'll join too!"

And just like that, my chance to back out vanished.

Looks like I've got no choice but to tag along now.

After that, Hirata, the other girls who decided to come, and I left the school and walked over to the cafeteria together.

The whole way there, I tried my best to stay quiet, but just like my attempt to be alone, this one didn't work out either.

Questions started coming at both me and Hirata. They asked me if I actually enjoyed studying. I mean, can you believe it? A student asking another student if they like studying? I guess not everyone is into it.

Even after we arrived at the cafeteria and got our food, we all sat down at a big table. There were ten of us in total, with Hirata and me being the only two guys among eight girls. Talk about an imbalanced group!

Throughout our time in the cafeteria, I kept trying to stay silent and not get too involved in conversations, but the questions just kept coming. Some I answered, others I tossed over to Hirata to dodge them. Honestly, this was, without a doubt, the worst day of my life.

Only two good things came out of this whole experience. First, Hirata and I became almost like friends, or at least that's how it felt to me. Although, with all the friends he already has, I'm not sure he'd see it that way. Second, I finally learned a bunch of my classmates' names, ones I missed on the first day because I completely zoned out during introductions. But honestly, I'm not sure if that's really a good thing or not. Plus , I don't think I will remember them anyway.

Soon enough, our time in the cafeteria came to an end, and we headed back to class. Not everyone returned right away since there was still some lunch break left, but with nothing else to do, I decided to go back myself.

Once back in the classroom, I made a beeline for my seat. I sat down and rested my head on the desk. Yeah, that lunch in the cafeteria really did a number on me.

After a few moments of wallowing in my exhaustion, I straightened up in my chair.

"Are you interested in joining any clubs, Hayashi-kun?"

The question snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to see who was speaking. It was Ayanokoji, sitting beside me, not Horikita.

Apparently, there had been an announcement over the loudspeaker that anyone interested in checking out the club fair should head to the gymnasium today at 5 p.m. But, I've been spacing out so much lately, haven't I?

"So, are you planning to join any club?" Ayanokoji asked again.

"No, I think it'll be too much with the already tiring class schedule and all the studying. What about you?"

I tossed the question back at him. For some reason, he piqued my interest.

"I'm not planning to join, but I thought about going to the gymnasium today just to check it out," he replied.

"Good. What about you, Horikita-san?" I asked, trying to pull her back into the conversation since she had gone quiet after I joined in.

"No," she replied, simple and to the point. I really like her straightforward attitude.

"We were thinking about going to the gymnasium," Ayanokoji said.

"We?" Horikita echoed, turning slightly towards Ayanokoji. Even though I couldn't see her face from where I was sitting, I could almost feel her eyes glaring at him.

Ayanokoji's demeanor remained neutral, his eyes meeting mine briefly before looking away. Horikita, on the other hand, seemed intent on maintaining her distance.

"So, are you two friends?" I asked, trying to break the ice with a casual tone.

Ayanokoji gave a slight shrug. "Not really. We just sit next to each other."

Horikita added, her voice flat, "I'm not here to make friends."

I nodded, understanding the boundaries they both seemed comfortable with. "Fair enough. I was just curious."

There was a moment of comfortable silence before Ayanokoji spoke again. "About the clubs, are you planning to check them out?"

I paused to consider. "I haven't decided yet. I'm not really into group activities."

Ayanokoji nodded, his expression unchanged. "Same here. But I'll probably take a look, just to see what's available."

Horikita, still focused on her notebook, chimed in, "Clubs are optional. If you're not interested, there's no need to join."

"Yeah, that's true," I said, noting that it was the first time Horikita had spoken more than a word or two to me—or at least, that's how it felt.

After that, I opted for silence. When Ayanokoji asked if I'd be heading to the gymnasium for the club fair, I simply declined.

Soon, lunch was over, and the students returned to the classroom, filling it with the usual, if not more chaotic, noise. But it subsided once the teacher arrived and class resumed.

Before long, the school day came to an end. With that, I wrapped up my second day—or maybe it was more like my first real day—of school. The first day felt more like an introduction, akin to Chapter 0 in a light novel.

After school, I received a few invitations to join some groups, particularly from Hirata, who was heading to the club fair. It was expected since he had mentioned during lunch and even in his introduction that he wanted to participate in every sport or something similar. Naturally, he was eager to join the club activities, but I declined his offer.

I was simply too tired. I needed sleep. Social interactions can be quite exhausting.