Chapter 1: The New Beginning

"They say even a monster has moments of kindness. I have never had a moment of kindness, so I am not a monster." – Emperor Nero

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Upon seeing the entrance of Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School for the first time, Akira felt a cold indifference. He acknowledged the weight of the elite surrounding him, but none of it managed to impress him. His gaze evaluated the school as just another arena for manipulation, a place where he could test his skills and strategies. The façade of prestige was nothing more than a mask, and Akira was there to tear it away, convinced that nothing truly mattered except the power he could seize.

'Just another theater disguised as excellence,' he thought to himself. 'I'll play their game, but I'll play it better. All these students and their masks... I'll dismantle everything, piece by piece.' He already knew that, unlike some, he wasn't there to be just another student—he was there to take control.

As he stepped off the bus, his gaze swept over the students around him—groups engrossed in their own conversations. His eyes quickly locked onto a familiar figure. A brief, emotionless glance was exchanged, and Akira felt the tension rise.

Akira took a deep breath, letting the air refresh his thoughts, and then stepped forward. Each movement carried the weight of expectations and possibilities, pulsing in his chest like a melody he had yet to master. Something within him—a restless, luminous spark—whispered that this moment might mark a turning point in his life. He felt an unusual, almost electric excitement coursing through him, as if the future were watching from some hidden corner, waiting to be unveiled.

As Akira took his first step, two figures came into view. The first was familiar, like a faint echo of something already known—the same boy with whom Akira had exchanged a brief glance moments earlier. The second, however, was entirely new a young woman seemingly forged steel and stubbornness. Even from a distance, her demeanor spoke volumes a nearly palpable determination paired with an arrogance sharp enough to cut. There was an undeniable air of detachment about her, as if she viewed the world as a game best played alone. Cold, distant, and—let's be honest—probably a monumental headache to deal with.

The boy, on the other hand, was a figure of silence and restraint, someone seemingly determined to erase his own presence from the world. He lingered on the edges, distant, like a shadow observing without daring to touch. His eyes carried a calculated neutrality, carefully avoiding the weight of any emotional entanglement, surrounding him with an aura of mystery. Yet, it was this very mystery that, uncomfortably, stirred something painfully familiar within Akira. Like an inverted mirror, the boy's presence opened cracks in his memory, allowing long-buried recollections to seep through and whisper in his mind.

Freeing himself from his thoughts—which didn't take long, as Akira had always been adept at mastering his emotions when the situation demanded—he refocused on the scene before him. The apathetic boy, so strangely familiar, appeared visibly uncomfortable in the sharp presence of the arrogant girl. The tension between them was almost comical, and as Akira observed, he couldn't help but feel a faint smile tug at his lips. It was subtle but carried a glimmer of amusement, shining in his eyes as if he were savoring a private little spectacle.

"I knew that girl would be a pain to deal with..." I murmured, letting a subtle, almost imperceptible smile play at the corners of my lips, like a mischievous spark ready to ignite.

Ignoring the pair, Akira walked through the school gates, each step charged with an almost palpable excitement. Within him, a vibrant anticipation mingled with eagerness, as if this moment marked the beginning of something monumental—a story yet to be written.

"Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School..." I murmured to myself. "Let's hope you don't disappoint. Boredom and I have never been the best of friends." The thought pulled a crooked smile onto my face, an expression that, in the shadows of its curve, held something deeper—a blend of anticipation and an almost restless longing for something that could truly challenge me.

The game was only just beginning.

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'Ugh, so boring,' I thought to myself, frustrated, wearing the most blank expression you could possibly imagine.

I've never been fond of the entrance ceremony. I'm sure many of the first-years feel the same way.

The principal and the students exchange forced thanks, irritatingly polite. We're left standing for what feels like an eternity, and the whole ordeal becomes a painful ordeal, full of unnecessary complications.

In the early days of an entrance ceremony, many students see it as an opportunity to form bonds, build connections, and secure a lighter, more enjoyable school life. However, for those who fail at this task, fate is often cruel: three long and lonely years await them.

"It would be such a shame for the lonely ones," I murmured, a mocking smile forming on my lips — 'Wait, am I one of those lonely ones? No one's approached me so far... It's like they're avoiding me as if I were the plague. Though a few girls keep giving me strange looks, are they judging me? Do they think I'm handsome? But what's with that pitying gaze?!'

Akira, however, didn't seem too concerned.

A faint trace of frustration crossed his mind, but he quickly brushed it aside. It wasn't in his nature to care about what those girls—or anyone else, for that matter—thought of him. In any case, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future for "friendships," should he ever find them necessary. After all, friendship had never been something he truly desired—it was, at best, a potential tool.

At least for now...

Despite his typically indifferent demeanor, Akira decided to approach the other students. Perhaps it was worth trying to blend in—or at the very least, find something to stave off the boredom. The result? A complete disaster.

He quickly realized that his presence made others uncomfortable. Whispers began to ripple around him, muffled voices making little effort to remain discreet:

"His eyes are beautiful, but... they look like a dead fish's."

"That guy... gives off a weird vibe. It's unsettling to be near him."

While such comments might have rattled others, Akira stored them away with a clinical interest. He knew they could prove useful in the future. If he ever needed to play the role of a counselor or a central figure, he would have to work on his ability to connect with people. On the other hand, that unsettling aura could become a powerful weapon in scenarios requiring intimidation or manipulation.

'What a shame. I was hoping for someone who could catch my attention, but… all I got was disappointment', I thought to myself, my expression as neutral as ever. 'But that guy at the entrance... he intrigued me. His eyes—there was something in them that felt familiar. They reminded me of my own. I have a few theories, but… better to dig deeper before jumping to conclusions.'

As his thoughts wandered, a small smile crept onto his face. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, yet undeniably there. That simple reaction caught him by surprise.

"Interesting… It seems that getting out of that place affected me more than I realized. I don't usually smile, not even these barely visible ones. What could this mean?" Akira mused, a mixture of curiosity and faint unease stirring within him. Although he felt emotions—and sometimes deeply—the positive ones remained a murky, almost uncharted territory.

'However...' he pondered, his brow furrowing slightly, 'there's something about these emotions that feels familiar, but… I can't seem to recall where from. It's frustrating.'

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The Next Day

Emerging from the labyrinth of his thoughts, Akira paused before a door bearing a simple, unassuming plaque:

1-D.

This was where he would spend much of his days for the next few years.

He stepped inside unhurriedly, making his way to a desk near the window. His name was etched upon it, but it was the name on the desk directly in front of him that caught his attention:

Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.

For a moment, he stared at the surname with a sharp, contemplative gaze, as though weighing the odds of it being mere coincidence. Yet, he set the theories aside—for now. In time, all answers would come to him—or, if necessary, he would extract them himself.

Akira surveyed the handful of students who had already arrived. None managed to catch his attention. They seemed dull, predictable. He turned his gaze elsewhere, unaffected. Still, a part of him remained restless, expectant. The pieces of a puzzle were beginning to align: the boy at the entrance, the name inscribed on the desk behind him.

Well, it seems I've found something to distract me from this endless monotony. Something tells me the answer to this riddle won't disappoint. He thought, his perpetually vacant, lifeless eyes glimmering faintly with amusement and a quiet thrill of anticipation.

"This is going to be very, very interesting."

To be continued

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Contains 1,500 words