"Mix-in?"
"Wait a minute... this guy is a Mix-in? No wonder I don't remember him at all..."
"No, you've got to be kidding me. A Mix-in in A Class? What is the school doing?"
"No wonder he can pull off such ridiculous stunts. He's an outsider..."
Hearing Asagiri say he was a Mix-in (混院) student, the reactions of most students were quite subtle.
While Shuchiin Academy was the best high school in the Sakura Prefecture, it also had many flaws, such as the so-called Mix-in (混院) and Pure-System (純院) divide.
Pure-System (Pure-in) refers to students like Shinomiya Kaguya, who were promoted directly up from the Shuchiin Elementary School division.
Mix-in (Mix-in) refers to students like Utsunomiya Asagiri, who didn't attend Shuchiin's junior high and only entered Shuchiin for high school.
The school officially treated Pure-in and Mix-in students equally, but internally, the students were somewhat exclusive. Throughout Shuchiin Academy's history, only two Mix-in students had ever become Student Council Presidents.
One of those Student Council Presidents, due to being a Mix-in, was forced out before even completing one semester.
Noticing the subtle, strange shift in atmosphere among the students after they heard he was a Mix-in, Utsunomiya Asagiri seemed completely unconcerned. He even flashed a faint smile.
Shinomiya Kaguya thought his self-introduction was over, unaware that this was merely the wind-up before Asagiri activated his "skill."
"Looking at your expressions, you seem to have strong prejudices against Mix-in students, don't you?"
Asagiri leaned back against his chair, scanning the students in the classroom. He spoke in a tone laced with amusement.
"Of course, I can understand your feelings. After all, the number of spots in the Shuchiin high school division is limited. Every outsider Mix-in student who enters means one junior high student is squeezed out. I imagine quite a few of your friends weren't able to successfully move up to the high school division, right? But..."
At this point, Asagiri changed his tone, slowly speaking words that made the faces of the students present look displeased.
"Ultimately, isn't it because those people were simply too worthless?"
"You... what did you just say?"
A male student, clearly one of those whose friend had been cut, couldn't help but slam his hand on the desk and stand up.
"What, was I wrong?"
"Of course you were wrong!"
The male student was agitated.
"If it weren't for outsiders like you, how could—"
"Eh? Isn't the Shuchiin junior high division supposed to be the best?"
Asagiri didn't give the male student a chance to speak, merely smiling as he continued.
"They enjoy better educational resources, a more privileged environment, and even the seniority bonus from the junior high division. Despite all that, they still failed to meet the Shuchiin high school admissions standards. Doesn't that just prove they were eliminated because of their own worthlessness, that they were rotten wood that couldn't be carved?"
"This..."
Seeing the male student unable to refute his point, Asagiri twisted the knife further.
"Or are you suggesting that you don't think the Shuchiin Academy junior high division is the best? Oh, I see. So you're criticizing Shuchiin itself."
The male student quickly denied it.
"I... I didn't mean that at all!"
"Then what did you mean? What exactly are your intentions? Are you a spy sent by Hogwarts? Hmm?"
"I..."
Seeing that the male student's psychological defense had been completely shattered, Asagiri shifted from a single-target attack to a wide-area AOE attack.
"Ultimately, this so-called Mix-in and Pure-System divide is simply laughably childish. People who hold this mindset are merely clowns who are otherwise useless but desperately want to feel superior, so they huddle together for warmth."
"Why are you still talking about Mixed-Blood and Pure-Blood? What are you, Death Eaters?"
"Mix-in, Pure-System... I think what you people need is a check-up in a psychiatric ward, and fast."
Hearing Asagiri's highly aggressive speech, silence descended upon the classroom. Meanwhile, Shinomiya Kaguya, who was also a Pure-System student, found herself deeply agreeing with Asagiri's words.
Her logic was simple.
They were Pure-System students because they were excellent, not the other way around.
If one wasn't excellent enough and couldn't meet the requirements, then being eliminated by Shuchiin was only natural. Blaming Mix-in students for snatching up entrance spots was utterly infantile and foolish.
However...
While Utsunomiya Asagiri's words were logical, he used extremely aggressive language.
He was an arrogant person, and the fact that he achieved the top rank in the entrance exam as a Mix-in student proved that his ability matched his arrogance. However, his speech would inevitably cause many Pure-System students to resent or even loathe him.
Shuchiin Academy's school rules were strict, and physical fights rarely occurred, but there were many ways to bully a person.
The morning classes quickly concluded. The classes were essentially just self-introductions and voting for class representatives. Since it was the first day, the focus was on adaptation. There were no classes scheduled for the afternoon; it was free activity time.
The incoming freshmen could use this day to check out clubs they were interested in. Of course, not joining a club was also fine. Shuchiin did not have strict standards in this regard. With classes starting at nine in the morning and finishing at three in the afternoon, with an hour-long lunch break in between, the schedule was easier than most high schools. However, this was simply because Shuchiin's educational philosophy was different.
Students who wanted to study seriously could use the time after school to take elective courses of interest.
Students with special talents could join club activities and strive to win national competitions.
Although it was called high school, Shuchiin Academy's course structure was similar to that of a university.
Furthermore, he could not so easily reveal his Player identity to a complete stranger with zero basis for trust, someone he didn't even know.
So, had Shinomiya Kaguya already been selected as a Player, like him and Yūki Asuna?
Asagiri wasn't sure, primarily because he remembered...
Shinomiya Kaguya... didn't own her own smartphone.