NOVEL WEB #7 Class 1C
Humans are born with adaptable interpersonal skills, grown and hardened, sometimes malformed through the constant pressure of today's society. In your studies, your work, love, and career, you can never avoid communication with others.
Of course, there are also those who have been defeated by such a pressure, and resign to reclusiveness. If life was a galge, then that must've been the equivalent of a "Bad End" route.
That is why I hold a stronger belief in what I do. Love is a universal language that can be learnt quickly and through guidance, they will surely grow to have a more positive outlook in life.
But what about those that haven't had the chance to experience true love? A student once told me before, that life is a constant cycle of stress and effort. Through the course of one's life, a person is able to ascend the stairs of society properly with the common awareness of the collective whole. But that is merely a pretty way to describe it. If I were to be more direct, humans are more insidious in nature, even if they act on an unconscious level. Like a herd of hyenas, humans cluster together to avoid getting picked on alone by stronger predators. And if they need to, they would 'eat' the weaker ones in their own packs to survive.
That collective unconscious is known as "atmosphere".
Most high schoolers perceive and conform to this atmosphere on varying levels. During their years in high school, whether it's for a hope of creating a new image in a new environment, or to excel and erase the mistakes in middle school, they do them by playing to the "rules".
It may seem silly, overanalyzing even. However, the minds of youths are constantly changing, constantly thinking, constantly evolving. They have the potential to become the greatest in their fields, or become someone who festers negativity within their minds, unable to move on from a single setback; they can absorb any information they find to their liking, whether it's the newest game release or the phone numbers of their crushes. But similarly, they filter out information like math equations and homework deadlines just as easily.
My point is, that being grouped together with a bunch of strangers is considerably taxing for those who've not completely grown out their interpersonal skills.
Some people are born divers, deep into the water as soon as they find a chance to submerge themselves in the limelight. But it doesn't seem like our class had such exceptions. Many were already adhering to the unspoken rules of an atmosphere. After the brilliant opening address for the first day of high school by Sukuoka-san, the first years looked all hyped up, eager to take first dibs as leaders of their respective classes. As for us who were in Class 1C, which, by the way was a group of students who scored average during the entrance exams, we were told to go to our classrooms for our first homeroom. The human waves slowly trickled out of the hall gradually.
Hm...?
Although I thought I felt a dangerous gaze licking my back. It felt like one of those looks I've experienced before when I was younger.
When I turned around, that discomfort disappeared almost immediately.
...Weird.
Was it just my imagination?
In any case, I noticed that I was walking a little behind in the line, so I quickly rejoined the line stealthily. Making extra sure that I didn't move too front forward and not too far near the back, I followed the shuffling footsteps right in the center. I haven't thought of solidifying any position I wanted yet, so this was the best position to adjust myself to any abrupt changes while I monitored the class subtly. It was clear that many of them wasn't the studious type, from the way they moved their feet, and even how their eyes moved. All of those information filtered through my mind, and I began to realize that the boys in this class were not really ideal for my plans.
Although I was secretly in control of the school, the sheer size of enrollment data simply cannot be handled by me alone.
Well, if we're stretching things, then I technically could since I'm a genius.
But there were time constraints this time. As a result, I didn't really pay any attention to the less outstanding individuals in this school.
Well, not being in total control bothers me a little, but I think it's not going to deviate too far from the other schools that I've blessed in the past.
As I began to assess my classmates, I began to get a sense of what personality I needed to adopt this time. Even during the small incident from earlier, I had kept an eye out on their instinctive reactions to sudden events. I wasn't absolutely certain, however, thus I had decided to keep a safe position for the first day.
In any case, I was surely not the only one who thought of staying consciously neutral. The few guys wary of this subtle atmosphere in the air was making sure they didn't stay out of place until they found a good opportunity to introduce themselves.
We entered our classroom, a normal classroom with a blackboard at the front and an empty bulletin board at the back. The windows were open at the side, and rows of grey tables and chairs were up for grabs.
Knowing that the seats would change later anyway (to my liking), I took a seat near the side window without any hesitation, and settled down quietly.
There was some chatter before everyone became seated. Without drawing too much attention, I surveyed the seats around me. My neighbors seemed to all be girls, which was quite the coincidence. The gender ratio of guys to girls was 5 to 2, so this arrangement felt a little skewed. Eh, the seating will change, I convinced myself.
A girl with a gyaru tan and flashy accessories on her arms seemed to have noticed my glance, and winked at me suggestively. I smiled at her in return, which seemed to have illicited a look of surprise on her face. Her eyes fluttered away from mine in a pinkish fluster, almost as if she was unprepared for that kind of response.
...Well now. This girl, she's probably not really a true gyaru huh. Is this it? The type of girl that tries too hard to make an impression on the first day?
Fufu, in a way, it's endearing. I glanced at my hidden smartwatch and looked for her profile amidst the files the principal had sent me beforehand. It gave me all kinds of convenient information, which basically meant I had knowledge, and sometimes control over the class schedule.
...Togayama Ruika, hm.
I guess I'll add her to the candidates for now too. Although she's skipping a few steps with that kind of overblown demeanor, with some grooming she too, can develop quite the personality in the near future.
Since I'm already in this class, I'll take it as my responsibility to manage Togayama Ruika's personal development from now on. I did have some prior experience to idol grooming, so it's probably going to be similar. Speaking of which, I wonder if that lass is getting along well with her boyfriend (which I coupled her together with). I guess I'll check if things are progressing well with them when I have some time.
As everyone gradually became seated, I took notice of a new presence who had been leading the class at the front.
Wait... Where did that bald underpaid homeroom guy go to? My smartwatch just vibrated, but I didn't have time to check it.
"Alright, quiet down," the woman tapped on the blackboard with a stoic expression on her face. Her eyes darted towards me for a split moment, and it almost seemed like they were smiling.
"Welcome to Yandere High, everyone,"
Standing before the blackboard was a woman dressed in tight black office wear. A borderline provocative wear which was seemingly unfit for a proper educator's attire. The guys were clearly a little excited by the beauty that would accompany them for the rest of their school years, but I couldn't feel the same enthusiasm as them.
After all, she was someone I already know. And I realized then, that the arrangement for this class must've already been fixed by that lass.
Tap tap tap, the sound of chalk clicked on the blackboard mechanically for a few seconds. On the blackboard was the kanji for her name.
"My name is Erica Lindholm. You can call me Erica-sensei. As you can all tell, I am from overseas, and will be teaching mainly English in this school. Starting from today, I will be your homeroom teacher. Any questions?"
The class remained quiet for only a brief second, before it erupted with excitement.
...Really, Erica, I thought you said you'd tend to the company. Why are you here?
Erica's eyes turned to me again, and her finger slowly traced her lips which returned to that smile once more.
Nice to see you again, my cute little student~