In the original story, the one sitting next to Taishi was Arima.
However, Byakuya needed to complete a system quest: join Taishi's gang of delinquents. So, he acted quickly and took that seat.
This left Arima with the only remaining chair, the one next to Minami.
As someone who had traveled to this world, Byakuya already knew that the A+ rated ghoul known as Lantern was actually Uruka Minami.
Minami wanted to live a human-like life and go to school as a regular girl.
Thus, in addition to being a ghoul, she was also an exemplary student with top-tier grades.
Before arriving in this world, Byakuya had always felt that the story between Arima and Minami was a tragic one. Now, he quietly resolved to bring them closer together.
"Nice to meet you" Byakuya said as he sat down next to Taishi.
"Ah, I'm Taishi" came the casual response as Taishi propped his chin in one hand, disinterested.
Taishi wasn't exactly enthusiastic about school and naturally wasn't inclined to interact much with the new students.
What caught him off guard, though, was Byakuya's decision to sit next to him—a guy who looked every bit the delinquent—instead of choosing the empty seat near Minami, who seemed like a much safer option.
With only one seat left, Arima had no choice but to sit next to Minami.
Arima had no clue about Byakuya's intentions and assumed his actions were random.
Furthermore, at that moment, Arima hadn't the faintest suspicion that Minami was the ghoul Lantern.
"Arima" Minami greeted him with a gentle smile.
She looked like a quiet and charming girl, with long, silky black hair.
Arima returned the gesture with a polite nod.
Everything seemed normal, and Arima hadn't noticed anything amiss.
Meanwhile, Taishi occasionally stole glances at Minami. Seeing her smile at Arima, he pressed his lips together, visibly annoyed.
Shortly afterward, the teacher handed out textbooks to Byakuya and Arima, and the lesson began as usual.
...
Even though it was Byakuya's first time studying in Japan, his advanced language skills and previous experience meant he found many of the subjects familiar, especially math and English.
Among Japanese school subjects was National Language, which included modern Japanese, classical Japanese, and classical Chinese.
There were also unique classes like cooking, which he hadn't encountered in his previous life.
However, his sharingan proved invaluable for learning. Byakuya could skim through pages and remember everything with clarity, a skill that made studying a breeze.
When the bell rang for the break, several students gathered around Byakuya, while others surrounded Arima.
"Byakuya, are you adjusting well? Do you want to borrow my class notes?"
"What's your connection with Arima? Did you both transfer here together?"
"Let me show you around the campus later. Our school is pretty big"
"…"
Seeing so many students flock to Byakuya, Taishi felt bored.
He had also noticed during class that both Byakuya and Arima were studious types, a stark contrast to himself. This only added to his disinterest.
Feeling out of place, Taishi decided to step out of the classroom.
"Taishi"
A voice called after him, belonging to a girl with reddish-orange hair.
It was Aki Sasada, his childhood friend.
"Aki, I don't think school's my thing. Let's go have some fun" Taishi said, pausing at the classroom door.
He had only come to school to see Minami. Otherwise, he would've continued his habit of skipping classes.
But now, Minami and the others were completely focused on the new transfers students, and he felt there was no point in sticking around.
"No matter how hard I try, I can't understand a thing" Aki said with a carefree smile. "So I might as well not try at all"
"You're right. Let's find Ryou and ditch this place" Taishi decided.
Taishi, Aki, and Ryou had been childhood friends who often skipped classes together. The trio also belonged to a biker gang and loved tearing up the streets on their motorcycles.
Just as they were about to leave, a voice called out from behind them.
"Taishi, mind if I join you?"
"Huh…?"
Taishi turned to find Byakuya standing there.
"Byakuya… You're kidding, right? We're delinquents. Are you sure you want to hang out with us?" Taishi asked, incredulous.
Though a delinquent himself, Taishi didn't want to drag others into his lifestyle, especially someone like Byakuya, who seemed like a good student.
"I'm sure" Byakuya replied confidently. "Don't judge by appearances. I was transferred here because I got expelled from my last school"
Byakuya didn't care about being labeled a delinquent. After all, he was here to complete a secret mission, and earning that label was just part of the job.
Once he completed the system's quests, he'd leave the school and move on. He also knew that if he missed this chance, there was no telling when Taishi would show up at school again.
"Well… Looks like you're not as innocent as you look" Taishi finally relented.
Although Taishi and his friends often skipped school, they'd never been expelled. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of trouble Byakuya had caused at his old school.
"Maybe the students who look all prim and proper are the real troublemakers" Taishi thought.
Now accepted into the group, Byakuya heard the system's voice echo in his mind.
[Ding! The host has successfully completed 'Quest 1: Become a student at Seishin High School and join Taishi Fura's gang' Reward: 10 Attribute Points.']
[Quest 1 complete. Quest 2 activated.]
[Quest 2: Protect Fura Taishi and his gang from being harmed by Uruka Minami.]
[Quest 2 Reward: 10 Attribute Points.]
Moments later, Arima appeared behind Byakuya.
"Count me in, too" Arima said.