Thud!
The bus stopped all of a sudden; the shock made me hit my head on the back. It practically snapped me back to reality.
...
...
...
'Why am I on a bus?'
I had no clue whatsoever. I looked down at myself. Apparently, I was wearing a high school uniform. Strange?
Whatever was going on went far beyond my comprehension. If I remember correctly, I was stabbed not too long ago.
'Am I dead? Is this the afterlife?'
Something tells me this is not.
Then, am I dreaming in a state of coma?
No. I could feel everything just fine. I hadn't gone comatose.
I looked around the bus, trying to figure out my situation. I was on a bus wearing a school uniform.
The bus stopped to pick up more passengers. Most of the passengers were young people wearing school uniforms. The same one I had on me.
But that's strange. I was a final-year university student, or at least I thought I was. That uniform shouldn't fit me at all. And even if it did, people should've been staring at me, given that a grown man wearing a school uniform is not a sight you'd normally see.
.....
After analyzing myself, I did feel like I was shorter and more slender than before.
The more I looked at everything, the more ridiculous it seemed. I subconsciously put my hands in my pockets. I felt something inside! When I pulled the contents out of my pants pocket, there was a cellphone and a money bag, and an outdated ticket to an aquarium, nothing more.
I grabbed the phone and powered it. When I tried to unlock it to my surprise, the phone opened after putting in the same lock combination as mine.
Is this a coincidence?
Therefore, I started scratching through the deepest folders of that phone, trying to find a single clue regarding my current situation.
But unfortunately, it was all for nothing. There was not a single clue there which could help me in any way. Even my contacts list was empty...
Defeated, I put the phone back in my pocket. I then picked up my money bag. Fortunately, there I found a student id card. I immediately took it out to check its contents.
"What the...?"
The card was from my middle school. Same name, same information, same everything. The only exception was my appearance.
Wait... I did not look like that before...
I pulled my phone out of my pocket again. After opening the camera app, I switched it to front camera mode. My face appeared on the screen shortly after.
"What the-?" Little needs to be said about how surprised I was.
"When did I start growing my bangs?"
I noticed that my facial features had drastically changed. I didn't have the face of a twenty-one-year-old me, rather I looked like how I was back in my high school freshman year. Normally I kept my hair short because it would be annoying every time the hair got in my way. As a matter of fact, I'd never grown my hair to that length. I looked different from my usual self. I even looked different relative to my middle school period.
The more information I consumed, the more confused I grew.
Putting it in my pocket, I started ravaging through the money bag. Unfortunately, the card was the only helpful thing.
Suddenly, it hit me. I managed to put the two and two together.
Waking up on a bus.
Wearing a school uniform.
Change of height and width.
Change of appearance.
Something's wrong. I could feel it. I calmly tried to reassess the situation.
"So basically, I got stabbed, fatally wounded... then I turned into a high school student?"
No matter how I looked at it, it was ridiculous. I tried looking at it logically only to reach dead ends. There was nothing rational about that situation.
'What happened after I got wounded?'
Ah! Right! Let's check if it works here!
"Licht und Schatten!"
Nothing happened. It doesn't work here. There's no doubt about it now!
I have been transmigrated!
But how? How in the world did this happen? Why is this happening in the first place? Who did this?
I started brainstorming for a logical conclusion. However, my train of thought was simply obstructed not too long after.
"Excuse me, but shouldn't you offer up your seat?"
A young, well-built blond man wearing the same school uniform was sitting down in one of the priority seats. An elderly woman stood right next to him, with another woman beside her.
"Hey, you there. Can't you see that this elderly woman is having trouble?" the office lady said.
Her voice carried quite well throughout the quiet bus, attracting several people's attention.
"That's a really crazy question, lady,"
The boy said as he grinned broadly and crossed his legs.
"Why should I offer up my seat? There's no reason for me to do so."
"You're sitting in a priority seat. It's natural to offer up those seats to the elderly."
"I don't understand. Priority seats are just that: priority seats. I have no legal obligation to move. Since I'm currently occupying this seat, I should be the one who determines whether or not I move. Am I supposed to give up my seat just because I'm young? Ha! That reasoning is nonsense."
Something about this situation seemed oddly familiar to me.
Abnormal.
Blond hair.
Strong build.
Narcissistic personality.
"Wait, Koenji?" I whispered under my breath.
This can't be it. This must a lucid dream of some sort.
I pinched myself to reaffirm my doubt. It was not a dream. It was real. Only one sentence kept floating in my mind repeatedly.
"Welcome to the classroom of the elite..."
I remember picking up a book with that title years ago.
Wait.
Don't tell me....
Am I trapped inside a fiction?
Light novel? Anime? Which one is it?
....
I was rendered speechless. Everything seemed dreamy, unreal. But the more I wanted to deny it, the more apparent it became. For a second there, I had a lurking doubt if my insanity had fully taken over.
There were a few people I knew who believed that reincarnation is possible. Normally, the others would mock them, calling them "Chuunibyou" or "Eighth Grader Syndrome".
I, by no means, consider myself to be a chuunibyou. Reading books and watching anime is something I used to enjoy in the past. But I've never deluded myself to be thrown into one.
And here I am, inside a psychological-school fiction.
"Hah~"
I tried to calm down and reassess the situation. First, I glanced around my surroundings. I needed to gather more information. But after I did that, all of my doubts were trampled by four certain individuals.
Yes, I was indeed reincarnated into YouZitsu. Kushida Kikyo, Koenji Rokusuke, Horikita Suzune... And last but not least...
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
I closed by eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to adapt to my new reality. However...
"Wh-what kind of attitude is that to take with your superiors?" my meditation was again interrupted by a shout from the office lady.
"Superiors? Well, it's obvious that both you and the old woman there have been alive longer than I have. There can be no doubt about that. However, the word 'superior' implies that you're referring to someone of a higher position.
In addition, we have another problem. Even though our ages are different, wouldn't you agree that you have an impertinent attitude and are being extremely rude?"
"Wha- You're a high schooler, aren't you?! You should be quiet and listen to what adults tell you!"
"It's f-fine, whatever..." the elderly woman mumbled.
She didn't want any further commotion and tried to calm the office lady. But after being insulted by Koenji, the younger woman was very upset.
I sighed as I was about to do something uncomfortable.
"If I may, you can have my seat." I stood up. Instantly, everyone inside the bus looked toward me, except for Kouenji.
Something like this shouldn't bring any significant changes to the events, right?
"Are you sure, young man?" the elderly woman asked me with a polite and somewhat relieved voice.
"There should be no problem. Please take this seat."
"Thank you very much!" the elderly woman exclaimed.
The working woman smiled, lowered her head, and guided the elderly woman to the now-vacant seat. The elderly woman expressed her gratitude repeatedly and slowly sat. I bowed and went towards the front of the bus.
"!!!!"
Oh right! I messed up the original scene where Kushida was supposed to get all the attention. Great! Now, I wonder how things would continue to go...
I felt a malicious gaze from a corner of the bus.
There's no use crying over the spilled milk, huh?
I mean it wasn't guaranteed that I would end up in class D, right?
.....
That bus driver. Have I seen him somewhere?
╗🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁 ╚
We soon arrived at our destination, and all the high school students began to disembark.
As I got off the bus, I saw a gate formed from natural rock waiting just ahead. All the young boys and girls dressed in school uniforms were passing through this gate.
Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School was formed by the Japanese Government with the sole purpose of developing future leaders. Not to mention the exceptionally different rules and difficult special exams that pretty much ensure the mental and physical development of its students.
I think such methods would indeed be efficient if they were to be implemented in the real world...
"So this is where it begins, huh?" I thought to myself.
I was still unsure of what my next steps should be. Where do I go from here? What is my purpose in this world? It took a few moments for me to rearrange my thoughts.
Now that I think about it, this is like a second chance for me. A redo of my previous life. I had so many regrets from my past. But it is not the time to care about them. It was finally the time to leave everything behind and start anew. I don't distinctively remember 'word-to-word details' from the story, but I'm sure I know just about enough to survive. Maybe manipulate the events even.
"For now, let's check the water before experimenting..."
I raised my legs and pushed forwards, preparing to take a step toward the dawn of my new peaceful life.
Until...
"You two, wait!" my step accidentally fell outside the gate as the sudden voice stuck me from behind.
Great! Another cliché fanfic scene.
This was supposed to be the scene where Horikita would call Ayanokouji regarding his side glance, which she certainly did. But...
I slowly turned to my side. And to my surprise, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was standing right beside me without making a single noise.
"What is it?" I asked indifferently.
"You two were looking at me. Why?" she pointed her finger at us. Her eyes were narrow while she spoke. I don't know how she managed to notice my glance. It was so brief that it shouldn't be considered as a stare.
...
"I genuinely don't recall staring at you specifically. Maybe it was just a random side glance, I don't know." I was being honest.
"It seemed more than just a glance to me." she glared.
Well judging by her character, I already knew she was going to say something like that. Her stubborn nature is what makes her different. Annoyingly so.
"I'm sure you're misunderstanding my intentions."
"In any case, I don't want to spend any time around people like you."
"Ehhh.... Why me?" Ayanokouji hummed.
She just rejected two of us in a single sentence.
"How unfortunate..." I muttered before continuing to walk toward the school. Thus began my new life... Both mine and Ayanokouji's.
"Can I ask you something?" Ayanokouji who was walking at the same pace as me, asked.
"Go ahead."
"Earlier, you gave up your seat. Why did you do that?"
.....
"I just wanted the argument to stop."
"I see," he said with a blank look.
I decided to let him be. We went inside the facilities silently.
The entrance ceremony for the first years had already begun...
╗🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁 ╚
About the entrance ceremony, well...
...Let's just be thankful that it was over.
The chairman, Mr. Sakayanagi, who gave the speech of gratitude at the beginning, was throwing glances toward Ayanokouji every now and then. It was so brief that without properly paying attention, no one would be able to guess.
On top of that, I had what I like to call "The vision of the future" which made me completely aware of his motives. Even Ayanokouji didn't notice that as he was unaware of their acquaintanceship.
Other than that, there was absolutely nothing worth highlighting about the event.
I slowly made my way toward the classroom.
On my way, I noticed a glass window that was reflecting everything like a mirror.
I closed in to see my reflection. There was no doubt about it. My body had completely reverted to how I was a few years ago. Not only was I short, but I was also skinnier than before. My eyes could not believe what it was looking at.
"Hah~" I sighed and left towards the classroom.
╗🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁 ╚
"....."
Who would've thought that we would end up in the same class?
Just when I thought things couldn't get any more interesting, I was met with another. While looking around the classroom as I walked towards the seat that bore my name, I realized that my seat was right in front of Ayanokouji.
"What a coincidence," I muttered in a monotonous voice.
"Indeed," Ayanokouji replied.
"Seems like we're seatmates. My back is in your care." I replied nonchalantly while taking my seat.
Immediately after, a certain black-haired devil sat beside Ayanokouji. After she took a gander at us, she sighed the heaviest of sighs.
"So, the three of us were placed in the same class, huh?" Ayanokouji mumbled.
I mean there were only four classes for the first year, so it wasn't completely impossible for me to end up here. But still, who would've thought?
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."
"You just went ahead and introduced yo-"
"My name is Levent. Nice to meet you."
.....
.....
"I think he was talking to me. But if you want to, then please go ahead."
I somehow finished my previous sentence. Horikita narrowed her eyes after that reaction. I'd already gone on her bad side, but oh well...
"Well, this is the second time that we've spoken. Isn't it fine for us to do so?" Ayanokouji came to my rescue.
"Do you mind if I refuse?" she said regaining her composure.
"I don't think sitting next to someone for an entire year without knowing their name would be comfortable."
"I disagree."
Well, that was to be expected.
"The least you can do is to share your name. I don't see any problem in that." I replied.
"What if I prefer not to do it anyway." She turned her gaze toward me.
"Of course, you're free to remain ambiguous. But I think it'd be troublesome to address you by 'Classmate One' instead of you family name." I replied.
My provocation certainly struck her nerves as her gaze turned into glare. But it seemed to work because she did end up introducing herself.
"I'm Horikita Suzune."
"Nice to meet you, Horikita Suzune-san. I'm Levent. Pleased to meet you." I said.
She nodded the most forced nod ever.
"Same to you too..." I gestured toward Ayanokouji.
"Hmm.." he nodded.
I was thinking about a topic related to our class but soon enough, the homeroom teacher entered the class.
Chabashira Sae. If I had to guess, I would place her age in her early thirties. The first impression I had of her was that she was a very disciplined, delicate, and mature woman.
"....."
"Ahem. Good morning to you, students. I'm the instructor for Class D. My name is Chabashira Sae. I usually teach Japanese history. At this school, we do not change classrooms for each grade. For the next three years, I will be acting as your homeroom teacher, so I hope to get to know all of you. It's a pleasure to meet you"
Chabashira took her stance at the podium.
"I will now hand out your student ID cards. By using your card, you can access any of the facilities on campus, purchase goods from the store, and so on. It acts like a credit card"

After receiving my ID card, I carefully examined it. There was a six-figure digit of 100,000 burning on the screen, which was without a doubt my allotted private points.
"However, it is imperative that you pay attention to the points that you spend. At this school, you can use your points to buy anything. Anything located on the school premises is available for purchase."
Chabashira continued.
"Your student cards can be used simply by swiping them through the machine scanner. The method is simple, so you shouldn't get confused. Points are automatically deposited into your account on the first of every month. You should all have received 100,000 points already. Keep in mind that one point is worth one yen. No further explanation should be necessary."
The classroom erupted.
It was a situation like when a child was given an entire candy store for free. Imagine being in high school and getting a hundred thousand yen at your disposal. You without a doubt, would want to spend everything purely on impulse.
But there's a catch.
It was really obvious if you paid attention to the contents of her words. She never said that we'd be receiving the same amount of points every month. That was the very first special exam the school had prepared for us, which was a trap. My classmates fell for it without a doubt.
"Shocked by the amount of points you've been given? This school evaluates its students' talents. Everyone here has passed the entrance examination, which itself speaks to your value and potential. The amount you've received reflects the evaluation of your worth. You can use your points without restraint. After graduation, however, all of your points return to the school. Because it's impossible to exchange your points for cash, there's no advantage to saving them. Once points have been deposited into your account, it's up to you how to spend them. Do as you like. If you don't want to spend your points, you may transfer them to someone else. However, extorting money from your peers is not allowed. This school monitors bullying very carefully."
Chabashira finally ended her long lecture on that subject.
As bewilderment spread among the students, Chabashira looked over the room.
"Well, it appears no one has any questions. I hope that you enjoy your time here as students."
Many of my classmates could not hide their surprise and excitement at the large amount of points.
"This school doesn't seem as strict as I thought," Ayanokouji muttered.
"This school is extremely lenient, isn't it?" Horikita replied.
"Hm, I'm not so sure about that." I hummed.
"What do you mean?" Both of them looked at me with questioning gazes.
Should I give my classmates a hint about the trap or should I play make-believe like Ayanokouji?
I chose the former.
"Sensei if I may, I want to ask you a few questions." I immediately caught the attention of everyone.
Chabashira looked at me, seemingly stoic on the outside. However, I could tell that she was looking at me with immense curiousity.
"Go ahead."
"You said that we're allowed to buy anything with points. Anything? No limitations?" I asked.
"Of course there are limitations. For example, you can't buy someone else's soul even if someone offers to do so. There are a handful of transactions the school strictly prohibits." she replied with disinterest in her words.
Well, it's not like I was interested in occult activities or dark magic in the first place.
"Anything else?" She asked.
"Are we going to receive the same amount next month?" I monotonously asked.
"Huh? What kind of question is that? Are you dumb?" it was Ike.
"She just explained it to us. Were you even listening?" Shinohara, if I remember.
"What an idiot!" Yamauchi.
I didn't pay any attention to their thoughtless insults. While they were busy belittling my intelligence, Chabashira on the other hand, seemed to be piqued by my words even though she didn't show it in her face.
"Unfortunately, I am not allowed to disclose that information to you."
"I see."
Of course, the school didn't allow the teachers to give major hints like this to the freshmen year on their first. At least that should've been.
"If you don't have other questions then I'll be leaving," she added.
"I have one last question, sensei." I uttered.
I felt multiple weird gazes lining up on me. So, much for first impressions, huh?
"Then hurry up and ask." She asked.
Time to ask the real questions.
"You previously told us that the amount of points we received this month reflected on the evaluation of our worth, didn't you?"
"Hoh?" As if understanding my true intentions behind those words, she raised her eyebrows.
"I did say that earlier. What about it?" she said.
"Then... Care to explain what will be defined as our 'worth' in the school's eyes?"
Her poker face was now completely replaced with a slightly amused smile.
"That's an interesting question, Aozaki Levent, wasn't it?" she grinned. "But unfortunately, I can't answer that question either. Anything else?"
I've already exposed myself. I did it because I was hoping for everyone to get some hints from our exchange.
"That should be enough for me. Thank you, sensei." I sat down.
"Very well, I'll be leaving now. Be prepared for the next classes." Chabashira replied.
Before leaving the classroom, she was giving me a curious side glance. I was already under her radar. But that was part of my plan anyway.
Sigh~ I'd rather not do anything like that again!
After hearing her rejection to answer not one, but two of my question, everyone started mumbling amongst themselves.
"Hah~ As expected. No one is taking me seriously."
Welp. That was worth a shot.
I slumped down on my arms, using it as a makeshift pillow. But before I could take a nap, I was called out from behind. The same azure eyed girl told me something interesting..
"You're surprisingly observant, aren't you, Aozaki-kun?"
"Why?"
"I got what you were trying to point out," Horikita spoke.
As expected of Horikita. But still...
"Point out what exactly?" I feigned ignorance.
The others didn't take me seriously. Meaning that if I wanted to just 'go-by' as a typical John Doe, there was still a chance. So, I might as well take it before it's too late!
"Don't play dumb. I know that you've already noticed the point allotment system."
Ayanokouji was silently observing us the whole time. Those blank states of eyes were hungry for answers. However, I don't think getting answers from me would be easy. And quite frankly, I didn't care whether he knew about my situation or not.
He wanted 'Freedom'. He wanted to be 'Free'. Yet it turns out, his freedom was bound by words. His so-called 'Freedom' was nothing but an illusion. It's so ironic that I want to tell him right away.
"Everyone, could you please listen to me for a moment?"
Hirata Yousuke stood at the podium, grabbing the attention of all the students in the class.
"Starting today, we're all going to be classmates. Therefore, I think it'd be good for us to introduce ourselves and become friends as soon as possible. We still have some time until the entrance ceremony. What do you say?"
He truly was someone with incredible charisma. The majority of students were lost in thought, and unable to speak up.
"Agreed! After all, we still don't know a thing about each other, not even our names," someone shouted.
After the ice had broken, the previously hesitant students began to speak.
"My name's Hirata Yousuke. Back in junior high, lots of people called me Yousuke. Feel free to use my first name! I guess my hobby is sports in general, but I especially like soccer. I'm planning on playing soccer here, too. Nice to meet you!" thus ended his introduction.
Hirata was a natural leader. His popularity increased the moment he stepped up. It was inevitable that the girls would fall for his charms. To be honest, I really wish I had his personality trait.
Slowly everyone introduced themselves one by one. I revised all of their names and personality traits in my memory. I was slowly remembering all the events that was about to come. It wasn't possible for me to remember everything. But I was confident that I had memorized all the main and impactful events.
Knowing the future events and how to counter them was quite the cheat code, in my personal opinion.
"Well then, next up is..."
"What, are we a bunch of little kids or something? I don't need to introduce myself. People who want to do that can go ahead. Just leave me out of it."
It was none other than the hotheaded Sudou. His anger and annoyance were visible like an aura.
"I can't force you to introduce yourself, of course. However, I don't think that getting along with your classmates is a bad thing. If I've made you uncomfortable, I apologize."
When Hirata bowed his head, some of the girls glared at the guy with red hair.
"Isn't it fine to introduce yourself?" one of them snapped.
"Yeah, yeah!"
"Shut it. I don't care. I didn't come here to make friends." said the guy as he got up from his seat.
Several other students followed suit and left the classroom together, which also included Horikita.
"They're not a bad bunch. It's my fault. I was being selfish and made people do this." I think that statement was both true and false.
Normally, when you start a chain reaction of introduction, the others cannot but feel the necessity of going along the flow, regardless of how uncomfortable they were. After all, no one wants to stick out of the crowd. No wonder why some people left.
"No way. You didn't do anything wrong, Hirata-kun. Let's just leave those guys be, okay?"
"Okay! My turn now!" Ike enthusiastically stood up. "I'm Ike Kanji. I love girls, and I hate pretty boys. I'm currently in the market for a new girlfriend. It's nice to meet you! All the better if you're a cutie or a beauty!" Ike stood up trying to switch the subject and well...
He had already turned himself into the enemy of all girls.
"Wow. You are so cool, Ike-kun," said Shinohara in a completely emotionless voice. Of course, her statement was a hundred percent false.
"Seriously? Seriously? Oh, man. I mean, I thought that I wasn't bad or anything, but...heh heh." he was terrifyingly hopeless.
Instantly, the girls started to laugh.
"Oh, wow. He's cute, huh, everyone? He's looking for a girlfriend." I sighed.
Ike was being teased by everyone, but he would continue to go along with the teasing. He replaced the tense air from the previous event with a cheerful one.
He was never a bad guy, to begin with.
╗🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁 ╚
Time flew by in an instant. I got bored from listening to the same information that I already knew.
I peered outside the window, pondering about my life from the previous world.
What was the aftermath? What happened after I died?
I didn't really have anyone who I can call family, or at least I don't acknowledge '[RED]' as one. My friends... I'm not sure if they were even my allies.
That's not true... What happened that naive girl?
"Miyamura Teruko, huh?" I muttered to myself.
"----an you please introduce yourself?"
"Hmm?" I was practically dragged back into the world by Hirata.
Ah, myy turn I guess?
Everyone was looking at me with anticipation. Well then... I guess I'll go with whatever comes to mind.
"My name is Aozaki Levent. Just Levent would be enough. Personally, I don't think there's anything remarkable about me. I usually like to read books or go for a walk when I have free time. Pleased to meet you, and I hope we all have a great time together."
Simple and bland... Perfection!
"I hope we can get along too, Levent-kun."
After finishing my introduction, I bowed and sat down. It was now Ayanokouji's turn.
"Um. Well, my name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. And, uh, I don't really have any special skills or anything. I'll do my best to get along with all of you. It's, uh, nice to meet you."
.....
.....
...
It was an emotional moment! Words cannot describe the majesty of the situation. The absolute epitome of perfectness reciting the Hamlet of a speech. Everyone was so astounded by his great words of epiphany that they forgot to speak-
He was exactly as hopeless as I imagined.
What can I say? I was kind of on the edge before. But after hearing the actual sentences from the big man himself, I can clearly see why he's socially awkward. But it wasn't like I didn't understand why. After all, the lack of human interaction is bound to create problems in his communication skills.
"It's nice to meet you, Ayanokouji-kun. I always want to be friends with everyone, just like you. Let's both do our best, okay?" Hirata responded with a refreshing smile.
Everyone clapped, and I joined too. Even though it was a pity clap, I still felt proud of him. However...
Who in the world am I to feel proud of someone else?
The students talked around until the bell rang and a teacher came inside the class.
╗🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁 ╚
In end, I realized something remarkable.
The original headcount of the students in the light novel was forty. And the current headcount was still forty, including me.
How is it possible?
A simple conclusion. I replaced someone who was supposed to be in my place.
Ijjuin Wataru, the student who was supposed to be here on my seat, disappeared from existence. He vanished because of me.
"....."
It wasn't a particularly good feeling.
But it's not like I could do anything about it.
After all, whether it's this world or my original world, everything is the same. "Survival for the fittest." Life is like a battlefield where only the strongest survive. If that someone were easily replaced by me, then that could only mean one thing.
He just wasn't strong enough to stop me.

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