"Moshi moshi!"
A hand waved in front of Aiden's face, pulling him from his thoughts. Startled, he looked up to see a strawberry blonde-haired girl standing in front of him, her bright smile almost blinding.
"Huh?" he muttered, blinking.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice cheerful and sweet. "You spaced out for a while there. Our stop is already here."
Who is this overly concerned girl? Aiden studied her carefully. Her polished uniform, bright smile, and vibrant hair all seemed too… perfect. Is this a fake display of concern? Is she one of those two-faced people?
Testing the waters, Aiden grinned lazily. "I'm fine. Just thinking. Happens to the best of us."
The girl giggled, but her sharp eyes didn't miss a beat. "Well, try not to get left behind, okay?"
He straightened his back, adjusting his cap, but before he could step off, he decided to test something.
"Actually, I'm the undercover examiner Tatsuya Shiba from Class 2-E and here to observe the reactions of freshmen this year," he announced, loud enough for those nearby to hear. "I'll get off at the next stop."
The strawberry blonde-haired girl tilted her head, her expression curious.
A ripple of confusion spread through the passengers. The strawberry blonde-haired girl tilted her head, her expression curious.
From where he stood, Aiden caught murmurs from the office workers seated nearby.
"New routine? I haven't heard of it… There's no notice from above," one muttered in hushed tones.
"Could it be part of the school's assessment process?" another whispered, their voice tinged with uncertainty.
Ha. Thank you for confirming my suspicions.
"The school will not make such a low-level mistake, and there is no such class as 2-E," the elderly woman said suddenly. Her voice, now cold and clipped, shattered the earlier image of frailty.
Aiden turned, startled to see her sitting upright, her eyes sharp and unwavering. What happened to the kind old lady? Did she just level up into her final boss form? Maybe Blondie should've punched her after all.
"Hahaha… You caught me," Aiden said, his grin widening as he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Just fooling around. You're pretty sharp, Sensei." Without waiting for a reply, he headed toward the exit, realizing only he and the strawberry blonde-haired girl were left apart from the old lady and the staff.
The girl stiffened, her beautiful blue eyes widening before bowing deeply. "Good morning, Sensei. My apologies for the trouble," she said, her voice formal.
She caught on immediately. Too sharp. Definitely dangerous.
Just as he was about to step off the bus, a voice—firm, commanding—called after him.
"Wait."
Aiden froze mid-step, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He turned slowly, masking the irritation and curiosity rising within him. "Yes, Grandma?" he asked, tilting his head with a playful innocence that hid his wariness.
The woman's sharp eyes bore into him. "Child, which class are you in? I grow vegetables and would like to send some to polite students like you."
Aiden's smile didn't waver, though his mind raced. Crap. Are they trying to confirm my identity? Did I overplay my hand? Ah, well... curiosity killed the cat. Might as well see where this goes. He weighed his options for a brief moment before deciding on his next move.
"Haha, Grandma," he said, his voice easy and casual. "No need for that. Your kind thoughts are already more than enough."
Her smile didn't falter, but there was an unmistakable edge to it now—a quiet menace beneath the surface. "I insist," she said, her voice smooth but unyielding. "You wouldn't deny an old lady her wish, would you?"
Aiden's grin shifted slightly, an almost imperceptible flicker of tension running through it. Ah, emotional blackmail. Classic.
"Grandma, I have a small question," he said suddenly, his tone light but with a deliberate edge of curiosity. "A child's curiosity, you could say. Could you please answer it?"
For the first time, the woman's expression faltered, just slightly. Behind her sharp gaze, Aiden could almost hear the gears turning. Oh, he's using his personal information as leverage to extract more info from me, her thoughts likely went. Clever. But unnecessary. I can extract his identity without him knowing. Still... let's play along. Her lips curved into a faint, calculated smile.
"Of course, child," she said sweetly, her tone betraying none of the cold precision behind her words. "Though I don't know much about the school, it's an elder's duty to satisfy a youngster's curiosity."
Aiden clapped his hands together, bowing slightly as if she had just granted him a boon. "Wonderfully said, Grandma." His eyes flicked toward gorgeous strawberry blonde haired girl out of the corner of his vision. From the subtle shift in her posture, she had caught on to his silent signal and adjusted her position, her body now angled to get a better view of the staff at the back of the bus.
Smart girl, Aiden thought. Gorgeous and quick-witted. Nice combo.
He turned his attention back to the elderly woman, his easy grin still plastered across his face, though his mind remained hyper-alert. "Grandma," he began, his voice taking on an almost conversational tone, "I was just wondering… will all the students enrolled today be granted the employment privileges promised by this school at the end of their third year?" He let the word "all" hang deliberately in the air, drawing it out just enough to emphasize its weight.
The atmosphere in the bus seemed to freeze, tension crackling in the silence that followed his question. The elderly woman's lips twitched faintly, but her expression remained calm. Aiden's sharp eyes caught the faintest shift in the staff members' posture behind her. Gotcha. Something's definitely off.
The woman's smile widened fractionally, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I don't know, child," she said smoothly. "I'm afraid I don't have enough knowledge about the school's internal policies."
Aiden chuckled softly, waving his hand as though brushing off the question entirely. "Hahaha… No issues, Grandma. Just me thinking about useless stuff, as always." He scratched the back of his head, his grin taking on a sheepish quality that masked the sharpness in his gaze. "Anyway," he continued, shifting the focus, "I'm from Class D." His tone was light, almost deliberately dismissive. "Aiden Takahashi. I appreciate the vegetables, Grandma—my sister would probably be thrilled I'm eating something healthy on my first day away from home. But please," he added, sticking out his tongue playfully, "no bitter gourd. We don't get along."
That drew a faint chuckle from the strawberry-blonde-haired girl, who was still observing the room out of the corner of her eye. The elderly woman's eyes narrowed briefly before her smile returned, now tinged with something sharper, more calculating.
"Hahaha… No issues, child," she replied, her tone returning to that saccharine sweetness. "Even I hate that stuff. And what about you, young lady?" She turned her attention toward the strawberry-blonde-haired girl, her sharp gaze softening just enough to appear friendly. "What's your name?"
Ichinose straightened, her movements graceful and deliberate. She bowed politely, her voice clear and formal. "Ichinose Honami, Class B."
The elderly woman's eyes flicked briefly between the two of them, her smile unwavering. "Do you two know each other?" Her question was casual, but there was an undeniable edge to it.
Before Ichinose could respond, Aiden interjected smoothly, his grin widening into something mischievous. "You jest, Grandma. If I had a friend as gorgeous as her, I might already have all my dreams fulfilled."
Ichinose's cheeks flushed faintly at the compliment, though she quickly composed herself. The elderly woman chuckled softly, though her eyes remained calculating. "Hahaha… young children these days," she said, her laughter echoing faintly in the tense silence.
As Aiden and Ichinose stepped off the bus, Aiden felt the weight of the elderly woman's gaze lingering on his back. He didn't need to look to know that her demeanor had shifted once again. The warmth she had feigned earlier had evaporated, leaving behind a cold, steely precision that felt almost palpable.
Inside the bus, the elderly woman turned to the office lady seated nearby. Her voice, now devoid of any sweetness, cut through the quiet like a blade. "Class D?" she repeated, her tone laced with subtle amusement. "Why isn't he in Class A? What's he doing in that dump?"
The office lady, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, pulled a sleek tablet from her bag. Her fingers moved swiftly over the screen as she accessed a file. After a few moments, she handed the device to the elderly woman, her expression carefully neutral.
The elderly woman's lips curled into a faint smirk as she scanned the document. Her eyes gleamed with intrigue as she read, her sharp gaze absorbing every detail. "Ah…" she murmured, her tone now carrying a note of dry humor. "So he's the one behind that scandal."
She tapped the tablet lightly with one manicured finger, the smirk deepening. "Still," she added, almost to herself, "he's more dangerous than he lets on. Sharp, observant, and clearly unafraid to test boundaries. Let's see how long he lasts in Class D."
And the girl—Ichinose Honami, Class B. Their little exchange of eye signals didn't escape my notice. She's sharp in her own right, with an intelligence that complements her natural charm, but perhaps she's a touch too naive for her own good. What's intriguing is how effortlessly she and Aiden coordinated, almost as if they'd been working together for years, despite having just met. That kind of instinctive synchronization isn't common—and it makes them both worth watching.
Turning to the driver, she gave a curt order. "Take me to the administrative block. I need to meet the chairman."