"Seriously, reading manga doesn't bother anyone else. Why do the teachers have a problem with me? They always throw chalk at me, and when one throw isn't enough, they throw the blackboard eraser at me. Does he want to kill me? Ah, it really hurts."

Ryuto walked down the school hallway, holding his head where he had been injured, reminiscing about the tragic encounter he had on the first day of school. At that moment, a voice, familiar yet unfamiliar, called out to Ryuto.

"Hey, you in front, you're Amagi Ryuto, right?"

Someone asked in a slightly confirming tone.

Ryuto turned around and saw a face that was both unfamiliar and familiar, causing him to hesitate in his tracks. However, the person didn't seem to mind and continued speaking.

"Maybe you don't remember me, because I didn't have any classes today. I'm Ishida Riki, the vice homeroom teacher of Class D, and also your teacher."

"Oh...Hello, teacher!"

While understanding, Ryuto hurriedly greeted the person and asked nervously.

"May I ask why the teacher is looking for me? I don't think I did anything wrong today."

"No, don't be nervous."

Ishida Riki comforted him.

"I just wanted to talk to you and gather some information, that's all."

"...?"

The location shifted to the teachers' office for first-year students.

Although it was the teachers' office for first-year teachers, besides Ryuto and Ishida Riki, there was no one else at that time. After Ishida Riki asked Ryuto to sit down, he started speaking.

"Because of certain reasons, I purposely chose a time when no other teachers are here to talk to you."

"Then, what is it?"

Ryuto asked again.

Ishida Riki seemed to understand Ryuto's question.

"It won't take much of your time, let's get straight to the point. Can you tell me your thoughts on the differentiated system of this school?"

Ishida Riki asked, although it was a bit vague, it should be because he thought Ryuto would understand. At this moment, Ryuto probably understood the reason that Ishida Riki mentioned earlier, the so-called fundamental that involved "something."

"Teacher, are you referring to the system of ranking students as high achievers and low achievers?"

Ryuto said, directly confirming it with the other person.

"Hmm..."

Ishida Riki only responded somewhat meaningful to that, his expression somewhat evasive. Ryuto just touched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Well, about that, I'm not really sure. But, may I ask why you are asking me?"

"Because I believe that Amagi-kun can give the most accurate perspective, and you also have the right to voice your opinion."

"The most influential, huh..."

Saying that, Ryuto changed his expression, his tone becoming calm. Then, he answered without hesitation.

"I can't answer that."

Upon hearing Ryuto's answer, Ishida Riki's expression changed, appearing somewhat agitated. Completely different from his previous attitude, his voice even changed, filled with anger, obviously unable to accept it.

"Why can't you answer? Although I've only been here for one day, I can still understand that the way students are treated differently in this school is more apparent than any other school, whether it's the educational facilities, cafeteria meals, or other aspects. Even if you've only attended classes for one day, Amagi-kun, you should be the most aware of these things."

Ishida Riki paused for a moment after saying this, but he didn't plan to stop speaking, instead taking a breath.

"Just because your grades are not good, people look down on you. Even though you didn't do anything wrong, you have to endure such unfair treatment. Students should be educated with care, but the school insists on dividing and treating them differently. Is there really such a big difference? Amagi-kun, do you not feel any resentment? Do you not have even a little bit of opinion about it?"

The last words were almost shouted out, and in the face of such a strong roar, anyone should feel overwhelmed by his momentum. Perhaps after venting, Ishida Riki finally stopped. The room returned to a brief tranquility, but it was quickly shattered.In the face of Shida Li's questioning, Ryuto did not answer, just stood up, and after bowing to Shida Li, he said, "I'm going back first" and left directly. Only Shida Li remained in the quiet classroom, with occasional sounds of books being blown by the wind.

******************************************************

Asuka had to stay at school due to student council matters, not knowing when she could go home. Well, since she had some free time, she decided to go to the bookstore and game store to see if there were any new goods. After all, there was no rush to go home. With that in mind, Ryuto headed towards the shopping street.

The location was a game store. Today was the first day of work for the young KawaMura, so he couldn't help but feel a bit excited. The boss, in order to help him get used to the job, smartly handed over the counter to him. The reason why KawaMura took this job was mainly because he liked playing video games, so he was quite satisfied with the job. He did a great job with the tasks assigned by the boss.

At this moment, the automatic glass door at the entrance of the store opened and a sixteen-year-old student came in. He should be a high school student, KawaMura speculated. However, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the boss who was walking towards him.

"KawaMura, you can go down first. I'll take care of this."

KawaMura was a little confused about the boss's behavior and naturally asked why.

But the boss's answer confused KawaMura even more.

"It's too early for you."

This sentence was quite baffling.

"What's wrong?"

"It's that person."

The boss said and showed a cautious expression, pointing at someone. KawaMura followed the direction pointed by the boss and found that it was the high school student who had just come in.

This made KawaMura even more puzzled.

"What's wrong with that person?"

"It's too difficult for you to handle."

How could that be? Isn't he just a normal high school student? While KawaMura was wondering, he quickly realized the problem, perhaps because he liked to play video games a lot. KawaMura noticed that the high school student was clearly different from other customers, as if he was from another dimension.

"Ugh..."

KawaMura couldn't help but sigh.

The boss did not blame KawaMura for his reaction, but rather spoke in a cheerful tone.

"You still have a promising future!"

"...?"

KawaMura didn't understand the boss's words, looking quite puzzled.

"If you can't see through the essence of that person, you have no hope of developing here. Of course, I can't completely leave the counter to you in the future."

While speaking, the boss stared at the high school student with a serious gaze. Not only the boss, but several customers also noticed it. That person was not an ordinary gamer.

The experienced gamers on the side couldn't help but be amazed by the scene before them. Who is this boy? What is his background? They couldn't help but make inexplicable expressions.

And the high school student in the center of everyone's attention chose games with an inscrutable expression, occasionally talking to himself.

"This one is different in real life."

"Is this one on sale again?"

"Is there a new version of this?"

As he said that, he moved smoothly between the shelves. Usually, once you reach a certain level, you can do things that ordinary people can't. However, the person involved is often unaware of this. Even unintentional actions can reveal a person's hidden strength.

In the eyes of the high school student, he was just choosing games like anyone else. But in the eyes of others, he was an incredibly powerful gamer! Even if they weren't experienced gamers, they could roughly guess from his every move that almost everyone in the store had the same feeling.

In short, this boy is unfathomable.

"I can't handle this."

After realizing this once again, KawaMura couldn't help but shout in frustration, putting his head in his hands. I simply can't keep up. KawaMura thought helplessly. The boss didn't mind too much and just smiled.

"Don't give up. From what I see now, you still have a promising future. Let me handle it for now. You go down first."The boss paused for a moment and said, "To be honest, it's a bit of a stretch for me too, but someone has to take over. If not me, then who?" The boss added with a slightly helpless tone, putting on a somewhat heroic expression. At that moment, Ryuto, who had chosen the game, placed the loot on the counter.

"......"

"......"

Both sides remained silent. The surrounding area, including the whole arcade, fell into silence. Everyone watched silently at the two people at the counter, as if they had completely forgotten why they had come here. Only the occasional sound of "beep" and "beep" from the machines could be heard.

Afterwards, the boss quickly packed the game into a bag and recited the rehearsed phrase.

"Thank you for your patronage, 6840 Bett."

The counter staff broke the silence first.

Before Ryuto could react, the boss packed the peripherals and figurines, which seemed to have appeared out of thin air, into the bag as well.

"Oh...not bad at all. The items here have always been complete, attracting knowledgeable people too."

"......"

The boss still didn't say a word. He just silently placed a hand on his chest and bowed, as if feeling immense glory.

"I will come again."

Leaving behind these words, Ryuto turned around with a happy expression and left. The boss remained in the same position, while Haruhara watched Ryuto leave with the same longing expression as the other customers.