"Senpaku, I am Sakamoto. What brings you here?"

The ripples in the depths of her purple eyes quickly subsided, as if they had never existed.

Shiina Hiyori tilted her head slightly, her silver hair falling over her shoulders, and a perfectly balanced, slightly confused, gentle expression appeared on her face:

"Sakamoto?"

Her voice remained soft, tinged with a barely perceptible hint of bewilderment.

"Sakamoto from Class A? Sorry, Ryuen-san, I don't know much about her."

She paused, then calmly gazed at Long Garden:

"Longyuan is looking for him...is there something you need?"

Ryuen stared intently at Shiina Hiyori's face, seemingly trying to catch a flaw in every subtle change in her expression.

That calm, that bewilderment, that perfectly timed confusion. It all seemed flawless.

But Long Yuanxiang never believed in appearances.

"Ryuen-san seems quite interested in this Sakamoto-san?"

Long Yuan stared at her for a few seconds, his sharp gaze undiminished, but finally, he straightened up, took his hands off the desk, and put them back in his pockets.

"interested?"

He chuckled, his tone carrying a deliberate hint of contempt.

"Just a pretentious bookworm from Class A."

He abruptly changed the subject, his voice becoming deep and commanding again:

"However, since we want to lead Class C to climb higher and surpass Class A, it is necessary to understand the elite members of Class A, especially those who seem a bit special."

He deliberately emphasized "surpassing Class A," packaging his goal as a collective interest.

"Hiyori,"

Long Yuan addressed her by her name again, with an undeniable air of control.

"You seem quite intelligent, and your observation skills must be quite good as well."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the novel on her desk.

"Starting today, I'm giving you a task."

Shiina Hiyori slightly raised her purple eyes, quietly looking at him, waiting for him to continue.

“Observe that Sakamoto.”

Long Yuan's voice carried a commanding tone.

“Observe his every move, his habits, his weaknesses, and his interactions with other students in Class A. In particular, does he have any secrets or shady dealings?”

He paused and added:

"Of course, this is for the sake of our Class C. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Understanding Class A's strongest 'pieces' is crucial to developing a better strategy and surpassing them. Understand?"

Hiyori Shiina remained silent for a few seconds.

Observe Sakamoto, searching for his weaknesses and vulnerabilities? In order to "surpass Class A"?

She nodded slightly, her movements gentle, her voice remaining calm and even.

"Understood, Ryuen."

She did not refuse or show any resistance, as if she had just accepted an ordinary class assignment.

"very good."

Long Yuan nodded in satisfaction, the oppressive force in his eyes lessening slightly, but still remaining sharp.

"Report to me anytime you find anything."

After speaking, he didn't linger, turned around, and strode towards the podium. The heavy footsteps echoed in the silent classroom, like drumbeats striking the hearts of everyone.

Shiina Hiyori watched Ryuen's departing figure until he stood back on the podium, his gaze sweeping over the entire class like a beast surveying its territory.

She slowly lowered her head, reopened the novel, and gently ran her fingertips over Philip Marlowe's monologue on the pages.

Beneath the calm surface of her violet eyes, a complex emotion was quietly stirring.

Observe Sakamoto...

Find weaknesses and leverage...

To surpass Class A?

She closed the book and turned her gaze to the trees outside the window, which were bathed in golden sunlight.

In the library, the elegant and composed demeanor of that black-haired boy, and his calm and profound eyes, resurfaced in my mind.

Longyuan, is your goal really just to "surpass Class A"?

Hiyori Shiina took a soft breath, her fingertips unconsciously curling slightly.

Sakamoto-san... It seems that our relationship might be more than just that of "book lovers".

First Year Enrollment: Chapter 022: Kamuro and Sakamoto

Early morning of the third day of school, in the classroom of Class A, Grade 1.

Sunlight streamed through the clean windowpane, casting bright spots of light on the desks.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of a new day, but this freshness could not dispel the heavy gloom in Masumi Kamuro's heart.

Kamuro Masumi sat in the back row, her purple hair falling over her shoulders, obscuring most of her indifferent face.

She rested her chin on her hand, her gaze seemingly fixed on the open textbook, but deep within her purple eyes lay a chaotic vortex of thoughts.

The conversation she overheard yesterday afternoon at the corner of the corridor lingered in her mind.

Sakayanagi Arisu, the silver-haired girl with a cane, is her classmate. She is secretly plotting to collude with Ryuen Sho from Class C to jointly deal with Sakamoto. She is also using the "S System" to sell information to Class C.

Sakamoto—the black-haired boy who made her cheeks flush and her heart race with a can of juice outside the convenience store. He was completely unaware of this.

A powerful impulse surged within her—

tell him.

Tell him everything.

But the next second, cold rationality overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

Tell him?

Why?

What is her relationship with Sakamoto?

It was just an awkward encounter at the convenience store.

He might not even remember her name.

Why should I get involved in this dangerous vortex?

Sakayanagi and Ryuen's target is only Sakamoto. Class A as a whole has information on the "class points" and should not be greatly affected.

Why should I provoke Sakayanagi and Ryuen for someone I barely know? What if I get myself into trouble and they become my targets...?

Kamuro subconsciously clenched his fingers.

It's better to avoid trouble...

She forced herself to calm down and refocused her gaze on the textbook.

However, my thoughts drifted uncontrollably to the small freezer in the dormitory—inside lay a bottle of white juice lying quietly.

That was the can that Sakamoto had "switched" at the convenience store, and that's the one she bought at the checkout.

She hadn't drunk it, but somehow she put it in the freezer.

Why keep it? Even Kamuro himself couldn't explain it.

Perhaps, that can of juice carried too many complex emotions.

Class time is fast approaching.

Just moments before the ringtone ripped through the air!

The classroom door was gently pushed open.

A tall figure appeared in the doorway, his silhouette momentarily blurred by the morning light streaming in from the corridor.

He stepped forward into the bright classroom light—black-rimmed glasses, a clear dark brown beauty mark under his left eye, a handsome and calm face, and a neatly pressed burgundy school uniform that accentuated his tall and straight figure.

It's Sakamoto.

He strode forward amidst the instantaneous focus of the entire class's attention.

His steps remained steady and fluid, each step seemingly measured in distance, his arm swings were moderate, and his shoulders and back were straight as a pine tree.

My goal was clearly the empty seat by the window.

Just as he reached the empty seat by the window, his left hand casually brushed the air above the back of the chair, his body naturally turned towards the seat, his center of gravity lowered, his posture relaxed, and his buttocks perfectly aligned with the seat—

"bell--!!!!!"

The preparatory bell, signaling the start of the formal class, rang out loudly and without warning, as if it had been precisely calculated!

Time froze for a moment. One moment was absolute silence and the last frame of Sakamoto taking his seat; the next was a deafening announcement.

Only the boy who had just sat down by the window, amidst the sweeping waves of sound, simply adjusted his posture very naturally and calmly turned his gaze toward the doorway of the podium.

His movements were unhurried, as if the deafening noise was merely background noise for his precise sitting down.

The whole classroom was silent.

The elites of Class A were already used to this shock, exchanging silent glances of amazement and a tacit understanding of commonplace.

As Kamuro Masumi looked at Sakamoto's composed demeanor, a complex emotion flashed in her purple eyes.

It happened again, precisely to the second. This guy's control over time is simply terrifying.

Subconsciously, her gaze drifted to the other side of the classroom, against the wall.

Sakayanagi Arisu sat there quietly, her cane leaning against the chair.

She rested her chin on her hand, her gaze calmly fixed on Sakamoto, a faint, playful smile playing at the corners of her lips.

That smile was enigmatic, as if he were admiring an interesting collectible, or perhaps plotting something.

Kamuro couldn't glean any useful information from that calm face.

What is Sakayanagi thinking?

Will she really join forces with Ryuen to deal with Sakamoto, just as she planned yesterday?

Kamuroku's mind became even more chaotic.

She forced herself to look away from the podium, trying to focus her attention on the teacher's lecture.

However, Kamuro was in a distracted state throughout the morning's classes.

The teacher's explanation was like background noise, while Sakamoto's tall figure and Sakayanagi's mysterious smile flashed alternately in her mind.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class and a short break.

Kamuro noticed that there seemed to be fewer people gathered around Sakamoto's desk than in the previous two days.

Perhaps it's because everyone is used to the elegant atmosphere surrounding Sakamoto.

But Morishita Ai, with her shoulder-length purple hair tied in two small braids, still persistently clung to Sakamoto, chattering away with a smile on her face.

Sakamoto remained calm, occasionally nodding in response, his demeanor elegant and composed.

Kamuro sat in his seat, watching from afar, his fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of the textbook.

She wanted to walk over and, like Morishita Ai, naturally strike up a conversation, or even remind him of something.

But she simply sat there, her purple eyes lowered, letting the entanglement and hesitation churn in her heart.