In fact, after the information is refreshed, they always want to attack me!

Akira Shimizu couldn't help but laugh out loud: "How much remorse did you have when you said such an embarrassing line? Are you a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) sufferer?"

Chapter 8: 008 Horikita Suzune: Shimizu Akira is my brother's substitute, I can't hate him.

When Shimizu was young, she also went through a period of chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur).

Back then, he was always inexplicably confident, stubbornly believing that he was different from others and smarter than those around him.

It wasn't until I entered university and then graduated and entered the workforce that that naive sense of superiority gradually faded away.

Looking at the silver-haired girl in front of him, he suddenly had a strange sense of déjà vu.

(As expected... she's a pampered young lady who hasn't been taught a lesson by reality.)

He made a silent judgment in his mind.

This arrogant and condescending attitude mostly stems from a smooth-sailing upbringing—she has neither experienced real setbacks nor encountered an opponent who could completely defeat her.

His assessment was: giving her a big humiliation should teach her a lesson and hopefully correct her arrogant attitude to some extent.

"Okay, okay, you're absolutely right." Shimizu Akira waved his hand casually. "The opening ceremony is about to start, I'll be going now."

His retreating figure was swift and decisive, showing no intention of continuing the conversation.

(This guy!)

Sakayanagi Arisu unconsciously clenched her cane.

She certainly understood the meaning of "chuunibyou" (middle school syndrome) – could those childish delusions of teenagers be compared to her rigorously proven self-awareness?

(My classmates? They're just a bunch of mediocre people.)

These people were like inanimate pawns on a chessboard, not even worthy of her serious attention. And that boy who walked away...

(They really are high and mighty...)

What bothered her most was the almost pitying look on the other person's face as they left, as if they were looking at a child throwing a tantrum.

This feeling of being treated superior was something she had never experienced before.

If it were an ordinary person, she could easily make a note of it and slowly seek retribution later.

But it was precisely this person—this opponent she barely acknowledged—who acted as if he didn't take her seriously at all.

(The thought of defeating him fair and square in a battle of wits...)

(This only intensified the resentment.)

"What, you don't trust my judgment? Do you really think Masumi Kamuro wouldn't steal after the opening ceremony?"

Sakayanagi Arisu quickened her pace to catch up, and seeing the boy ahead gradually slow down, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief—if he really wanted to run, it would be difficult for her to catch up with his physical condition.

Her voice carried an air of confident composure, "How about we gamble on when Masumi will make her move? That will really test our observation and reasoning skills..."

However, Akira Shimizu simply took a deep breath, and his eyes suddenly became resolute.

Before she could finish speaking, the boy clenched his fists, dashed out, and disappeared in a dozen seconds.

"He...he ran away? He wouldn't even tell me his name?!"

Sakayanagi Arisu stood frozen in place, her cane tapping the ground with a crisp sound.

A rare look of surprise appeared on her delicate face, which quickly turned into an angry blush.

......

As Akira Shimizu pushed open the gymnasium door and strode towards the formation of Class D in the first grade, he could clearly feel the inquisitive gazes of the students around him.

His 39 classmates had already lined up and were now looking at him with different eyes—some curious, some mocking, and some even with a hint of schadenfreude.

(As expected, I became the center of attention...)

Akira Shimizu muttered to himself. Arriving late in front of everyone like that naturally attracts a lot of attention.

However, after experiencing the trials of society, Akira Shimizu had long since become accustomed to not caring about other people's opinions.

The homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, gave him a cold glance, casually clapping the attendance sheet in her hand. "Late on the first day of school? Shimizu-kun? Get in line."

"Ha ha--"

A chorus of snickers immediately rose from the class line.

Chabashira Sae's gaze swept over Shimizu Akira again: "Wait! Go stand in the very front of the first row." She paused, then added meaningfully, "At the very front of Class D's line."

Akira Shimizu walked calmly to the designated location.

He discreetly observed the homeroom teacher—she not only correctly called out his name but also specifically emphasized that he was in the "D class" formation.

(Has he been found out?)

Shimizu Akira pondered to himself. Just now, when he deliberately lied to Chabashira Saeko, even saying the probing words, "This arrogant student should be assigned to Class D," the matter-of-fact expression on Saeko's face said it all—Class D was indeed the lowest level in this school.

(So ​​is this a retaliatory arrangement?)

The thought had barely crossed my mind when the stadium doors were pushed open again.

Sakayanagi Arisu walked in slowly, leaning on her cane. After a brief conversation with the homeroom teacher of Class A, she surprisingly took the first position at the very front of the line.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

Sakayanagi Arisu's mouth widened slightly, a genuine surprise flashing across his face—he clearly hadn't expected him to be a student in Class D of the first year.

However, Shimizu Akira himself was not surprised—after all, his written test score was simply appalling.

If someone can't even solve the most basic equations, they'll only be placed in Class D.

Next up on stage was the student council president, Horikita Manabu, who began his speech.

The speech was mostly filled with clichés, but one piece of information stood out:

This school adheres to the educational philosophy of "both literary and martial arts".

In this era, apart from specialized sports colleges, probably no ordinary high school would openly proclaim such a retro educational philosophy as "both academic and martial arts."

......

Even after the lengthy entrance ceremony came to a close, the classes remained in neat rows.

Several homeroom teachers stepped forward, ready to give a brief address to their classes.

Chabashira Sae slowly walked to the front of Class D's line and scanned the group of new students.

"Classes officially begin tomorrow." She paused. "You can have free time for the rest of today—I suggest you familiarize yourself with the campus."

After saying that, Chazhu turned and left.

Some of the new students had already left the stadium with the crowd.

Akira Shimizu keenly sensed a sharp gaze. He turned slightly to the side, his eyes meeting those of Suzune Horikita, whose eyes were as cold as a deep pool.

"You were late on the first day of school; it seems you don't really care about being a student."

"I was trying to gather some necessary intelligence, but I got held up by a troublesome person," Shimizu Akira replied calmly.

"...People with a poor sense of time often fail to achieve great things."

"You're right. Speaking of which, I'm quite interested in the student council. How about we go check it out together now?"

His tone was so casual, as if he were just discussing the weather.

—It's always like this.

Horikita Suzune muttered to herself.

Every time she spoke with a sharp edge, he would casually respond, and even steer the conversation in a direction that interested her.

She had to admit that the other person's emotional intelligence was far superior to hers.

This time, however, he directly mentioned the student council.

"You..." Her voice faltered slightly, and her brows furrowed involuntarily. "You know the student council president is my brother? Is that why you brought up the student council on purpose? Did you think I'd be interested?"

Akira Shimizu tilted his head slightly. "After all, you share the same surname, and... the way you looked at him at the opening ceremony was quite complicated, wasn't it?"

Horikita Suzune's breath hitched.

—I've been seen through again.

This realization caused her fingertips to tighten unconsciously.

She always prided herself on her intelligence and never believed that anyone could surpass her in insight.

But ever since he met Shimizu Akira, it seems that every time they clashed, he could easily see through her thoughts.

It gave her the illusion of being in front of her own brother.

Even her secret plan to secretly visit her brother at the student council was discovered by him...

So, that's why they extended the invitation.

She pursed her lips, a strange restlessness rising in her chest.

If you were to date him, he would probably deliberately arrive ten minutes late, hide in the shadows to watch his girlfriend fidget, and then show up with an apologetic smile.

But strangely, this feeling of being suppressed... inexplicably reminded her of her brother.

—The same keenness, the same intelligence, and the same irrefutable argument.

Although their personalities are different, she feels strangely similar to him.

She hated the feeling of being seen through, yet she couldn't bring herself to be cold to him.

I just can't bring myself to dislike her.

"...Don't look back at me again." She ultimately just turned her face away, her voice a few decibels lower than usual, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible wavering. "I'm leaving."

That figure looked less like a composed departure and more like a hasty escape.

Chapter 9: 009 Not Being Bullied? / He and Horikita Suzune are on good terms?

Akira Shimizu slowly withdrew his gaze from Suzune Horikita's retreating figure, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"Don't look back at me too often from now on?"

He was certain he hadn't misheard.

This doesn't seem like her.

Given her personality, she should have given him a cold glare and then used her textbook-perfect, sharp tongue to tear him to shreds.

"You must be Shimizu-kun!" Before Shimizu Akira could react, a boy approached him familiarly.

Akira Shimizu turned his head and saw three boys from his class standing beside him.

They introduced themselves one by one: the bright-eyed Kanji Ike, the ordinary-looking Haruki Yamauchi, and the red-haired Ken Sudo with the air of a delinquent.

Since Akira Shimizu missed the class's self-introduction segment, Kanji Ike enthusiastically acted as the introducer, introducing him to the classmates.

However, during the introduction, Haruki Yamauchi, who was standing next to the female students, would occasionally make conclusions about what it meant to be a man.

Haruka Hasebe has an amazing figure, and Airi Sakura, though shy, also has great curves.

As for Kei Karuizawa, her face is undeniably beautiful, but her bust size is a real shame—

Because Haruki Yamauchi didn't lower his voice at all when he spoke, many female students in the audience were already giving him disapproving looks.

However, he himself seemed completely unconcerned, and instead continued to comment with great interest: "Hmm! As expected, Kikyo Kushida is the best! Great personality, great figure, and her face perfectly matches my ideal! I've decided, I'm going to pursue her!"

"I'm so envious of you, Shimizu! Horikita seems to only want to talk to you today, looks like you have a good chance! After all, she's really pretty." He winked and lowered his voice, "Although she's a bit thin, maybe she'll develop further—"

Akira Shimizu looked around and saw that many girls already had obvious expressions of disgust on their faces.

As a man, he wasn't unaware of the other person's feelings...

But this is a gymnasium, and some of my classmates are here too.

You can just think these words in your head, why say them out loud?

If this continues, he might also be labeled a "male scoundrel".

She completely lost her spousal rights on the first day of school.

"Yamachi," Shimizu Akira interrupted him, "I suggest you be mindful of the occasion, if you still want to find a girlfriend." He then nodded to Ike Kanji, "Thanks for the introduction, I'll be going now."

"Stop pretending to be so high and mighty!" Yamauchi said angrily, reaching out to grab Shimizu Akira's collar. "Aren't you a man—"

Before he could finish speaking, Shimizu Akira had already grabbed his wrist with lightning speed.

Yamauchi was horrified to discover that this seemingly herbivorous person had him firmly restrained with one hand, and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't move an inch.