Of course, even if Shinomiya Kaguya did have a smartphone and was selected as a Player, her castle-like mansion was riddled with watchful eyes monitoring her every move. Being selected as a Player in such an environment would be a Hell-difficulty start.
Asagiri could feel the classroom atmosphere becoming inexplicably heavy the moment Shinomiya Kaguya entered. The students, who had been chatting idly and were excited about the first day of high school, now fell into a careful silence, as if echoing the ancient poem:
"Dare not speak loud, lest one startle the heavenly person."
"This silence is truly irritating."
Just then, Utsunomiya Asagiri, sitting in the corner of the classroom, suddenly pulled out a small, mysterious object from the satchel hanging by his desk. It was only slightly longer than a ballpoint pen and had a ring-shaped circle on top.
"It's too quiet. Let me play a tune for everyone."
The gaze of every student in the classroom, including Shinomiya Kaguya, was irresistibly drawn to Asagiri where he sat.
"That instrument is..."
Seeing the oddly shaped object in Asagiri's hand, before Shinomiya Kaguya could recall the name of the instrument, a sound with tremendous impact echoed through the A Class classroom.
"Doo doo doo doo doo doo~"
Hearing the sound the instrument made, everyone was bewildered.
What kind of bizarre instrument is this?
To describe it in words, the timbre was muffled and constantly punctuated by random bursts. The sound produced by the instrument was simply... comical and absurd, making people want to laugh and emanating an abstract feeling.
The thing was, Asagiri was playing with a completely straight face. And putting the timbre aside, the melody of the song he was playing was extremely catchy. When combined with the sound of the instrument—which should have been a negative effect—it created a kind of brainwashing feeling that, once heard, you couldn't forget.
"A Kazoo?"
After hearing the sound, Shinomiya Kaguya finally recalled the name of the instrument.
The kazoo is a very old, simple instrument. As long as the player knows how to hum a song, they can play the kazoo without needing much practice time.
But... why?
Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't understand. She didn't know why the boy sitting in the corner of the classroom suddenly started playing the kazoo.
Is this... a performance art stunt?
Just at that moment, a middle-aged female teacher, wearing a business skirt suit and gold-rimmed glasses, who looked to be around forty years old, entered the classroom.
Shinomiya Kaguya assumed that the boy sitting in the corner would stop playing when he saw the teacher enter.
Unexpectedly, Asagiri instead played with even more gusto. It was as if he had pressed a 2x speed button; the speed of his playing increased.
"Doo doo doo doo~~~"
Shinomiya Kaguya felt somewhat speechless, wondering, Why is he getting so worked up while playing?
After almost a minute, Asagiri finally put down the kazoo. Facing the gazes of the students in the classroom, he remained perfectly composed. He stood up voluntarily, and like a true musician finishing a performance, he placed one hand on his chest and extended the other, making an extremely elegant bowing gesture.
"A kazoo version of 'Shape of You,' for all of you~"
The female teacher standing behind the podium, who hadn't spoken until now, saw Utsunomiya Asagiri perform his curtain call. She showed no signs of anger or displeasure. She merely adjusted her glasses and said in a calm tone:
"Utsunomiya-kun, are you finished playing?"
"Yes, I'm finished."
"Good."
The middle-aged female teacher nodded slightly, scanned the students in the classroom, and then slowly began to speak.
"My name is Ashikaga Miwa. I teach Japanese Language and will be the homeroom teacher for 1st Year A Class starting today. You may address me as Ashikaga-sensei or simply Sensei."
"Let me say the unpleasant things first."
"I have a very serious personality, and I am very strict in my teaching. I know that many of you come from prestigious families, but I want to make one thing clear: at Shuchiin Academy, in my class, I do not care what your parents' professions are, nor how deep your background is. I have only one criterion for judgment, and that is your ability as a student, as an independent individual."
Hearing the words of Ashikaga-sensei, all the students present had only one thought.
Wait... are we just jumping right into the official procedure?
Did the thing with that boy playing the kazoo just get glossed over so lightly?
What the heck is going on?
Does being handsome mean you can do whatever you want?
However, Shinomiya Kaguya's thoughts were completely different.
He publicly played the kazoo in the classroom and delayed class time, yet the seemingly strict homeroom teacher, Ashikaga-sensei, did not criticize the boy at all. She even specifically confirmed whether he had finished playing before starting her own self-introduction as the homeroom teacher.
Is it because he possesses a profound family background?
No. If there were such a person in the same grade, Hayasaka Ai would have reported it to her before the enrollment.
Moreover, the teacher's address to the boy...
Utsunomiya-kun? Could it be... Utsunomiya Asagiri?
Shinomiya Kaguya had an impression of that name. She would forever remember the complex feeling she had when she saw the entrance exam ranking for the Shuchiin high school division, seeing her name only ranked second, and the name above hers, occupying the absolute pinnacle of their grade, the name she could never forget.
Utsunomiya Asagiri.
"So it was him..."
Shinomiya Kaguya looked at Utsunomiya Asagiri, who was sitting in the corner of the classroom, staring blankly out the window, and felt a complex emotion rise in her heart.
She didn't actually mind losing, and sometimes, she would even deliberately lose to others.
In Shinomiya Kaguya's view, deliberately losing certain things was a social maneuver, and there was no dishonor in it.
But there was one exception.
That was academics.
Only in academics would Shinomiya Kaguya hold nothing back, giving her absolute all, and she refused to lose to anyone.
"Now, let's begin the self-introductions."
Ashikaga Miwa, standing behind the podium, scanned the room, her gaze stopping on Utsunomiya Asagiri. She said plainly:
"Utsunomiya-kun, please start with your self-introduction."
"Sure."
Utsunomiya Asagiri didn't decline, but he didn't stand up either. Facing the gazes of the other students in the classroom, he merely smiled and began:
"Utsunomiya Asagiri, sixteen years old, an Out-of-System (Mix-in) student."