One-Up War: Tactics of an Annoying Girlfriend

Mounting . . . The ultimate power move, a dominance display as old as civilization itself. Example usage—Huh? What's mounting?

1

I was kissed. By an impossibly beautiful girl.

Why on my first day of high school, at the entrance ceremony?

Why right in front of the school building, with complete disregard for everyone watching?

Why would such a gorgeous girl kiss me?

I could ask questions forever. That's how completely out of nowhere our encounter was.

Let me lay out the facts about myself: ordinary looks, average height, always despised sports, and zero special talents. I have barely any friends, much less a girlfriend—I don't even have female friends. Girls laugh at how forgettable I am, and I've never once had a member of the opposite sex show romantic interest in me. That's exactly the kind of person I am, so if I told people a girl kissed me, they'd just scoff and write it off as a pathetic delusion.

In short, she and I were complete strangers.

I couldn't process this sudden turn of events and just froze, too stunned to react. Then she pulled her soft lips away and clung to my arm, her long platinum hair flowing in the breeze.

Let me introduce him. He's my boyfriend.

Huh?

Right, darling?

D-darling . . . ?

I had no idea what was happening.

As if responding to my confusion, the spring breeze scattered cherry blossoms around us.

When the shower of petals settled, I heard elegant laughter from a girl in the distance.

A boyfriend, you say . . . That gentleman looks quite troubled, doesn't he?

The self-assured girl had a striking presence. Despite being on school grounds, she wore a kimono. Our uniform is navy-based with white lines and gold trim as highlights, but hers was styled in traditional Japanese fashion.

With her long black hair tied up in a large ribbon and wearing a cherry blossom hair ornament, the petite girl was every bit as cute as the Platinum Beauty.

Well, it was rather sudden. Though he's used to it by now.

The Platinum Beauty smiled with an upward glance.

Without a doubt, it was one of the five most beautiful smiles I had ever seen in my life.

Right? We get along so well! We're totally lovey-dovey, aren't we?

Uh, no, I'm—aaaaah—

Suddenly, crack. A bone-twisting sound echoed in my head.

She twisted my arm against her side, locked it in place perfectly, and covered my mouth with her other hand.

We're lovey-dovey, right . . . ?

Had that threatening whisper really come from this beautiful girl? Her voice was so low I could barely make it out, but I found myself nodding involuntarily.

I didn't know anything about her, but if I refused, there would obviously be consequences. What should I do?

Just as I was at my wit's end . . .

The entrance ceremony will begin shortly. Please proceed to the assembly area before the designated time.

The announcement echoed across the school grounds.

Oh my, how dreadful. Is it that time already?

The Kimono Beauty glanced at her pocket watch, then turned back toward us with a smile.

You'll have to tell me all about him later. Though it's probably a lie anyway.

N-no, it's not a lie—

Even if it were true, I wouldn't choose such a weak person myself. However, considering your limited options, Senri, I suppose it's understandable.

Hey, that's pretty rude!

Stung by her unreasonable comment, I broke free from the restraining hand and shouted. The girl laughed.

Oh, my apologies. I spoke without thinking.

After offering her heartless apology, she turned her back on us, her long kimono sleeves fluttering.

Well then, you two, I shall take my leave now. I hope you both have a wonderful school life.

And with that, she walked away.

What was that all about?

I wouldn't call it a fight exactly, but those two clearly don't get along.

After watching the Kimono Beauty disappear, I turned to the Platinum Beauty beside me.

Her refined features remained unchanged, but she was muttering to herself with lifeless eyes.

Ugh . . . ah . . .

Um, we should probably get going or we'll be late—

Aaaaaah!

Aaaaah?!

Suddenly, the girl clutched her head and crouched down.

Since she was still clinging to my arm as she thrashed around, a sharp pain shot through me.

My arm's really going to break! I screamed and struggled mentally, but the girl's grip wouldn't loosen.

Hey, don't make fun of me! You don't have a boyfriend either!

U-um, wait a minute—

You should play along a little! If you had the chance to be the boyfriend of someone as cute as me, you'd say yes immediately, even if it's a lie!

Ow ow ow! I have a lot I want to say, but first let go of my arm, will you?

Your arm?

Unable to bear the pain in my twisted arm, I screamed and thrashed around.

The girl looked down.

Oh.

She stepped back and stared intently at my arm.

This is kind of awkward to point out, but . . . your arm is bent in a really weird direction, you know?

And whose fault is that?!

Don't ask me . . .

Don't play dumb!

Right after I said that, she forcibly twisted my arm again.

Augh!

A strange sound escaped my lips.

There. It should be fixed now, right?

There's no way that worked! I need to get to the hospital right away—

When I hurriedly rolled up my sleeve to check my arm, it was completely back to normal.

What the heck? How did you do that?

I needed someone to explain what had just happened.

This complicates things . . .

That's what I'm saying—what have you been going on about this whole time?

You two, the entrance ceremony is about to begin. Head to the gymnasium.

Before I could voice my questions, someone who looked like a teacher called out to us.

Looking at my phone, there were only five minutes left until the entrance ceremony.

Yes, s-sorry! Come on, let's go.

Wait.

What?! We need to hurry. I don't want to be late on my first day.

My name is Senri Tsukinami. What's yours?

My name? Rei Sato, but . . .

When she heard it, she repeated my name several times and nodded.

Rei Sato . . . got it. Let's meet here again after the orientation session. Make sure you come, okay? See you later.

Huh? Wait, who said you get to decide that—

You'll be late if you don't hurry!

She completely ignored what I was saying and took off like lightning.

This was my first taste of high school life.

What the heck is going on . . .

Well, with hundreds of people around, there are bound to be a few weirdos. If I run into her again, I need to be careful not to get mixed up with her.

Still overwhelmed by everything that had just happened, I hurried through the courtyard covered in cherry blossom petals toward the assembly area.

I barely made it in time . . .

When I reached the gymnasium entrance, many students were already in line.

Wow, this really is an incredible academy.

I'd moved in just a few days before and explored the grounds, but seeing all these students made me think it again.

They're high school students just like me, but they're from a completely different world.

Saginomiya Academy.

This was one of Japan's most elite high schools, where the upper class gathered—definitely not somewhere a commoner like me would normally get in.

People in politics, economics, entertainment, medicine, information, technology, academia—this academy was attended by the elite who would shape Japan's future in these fields, and had apparently produced numerous prime ministers.

There were historic buildings constructed about 150 years ago, yet many facilities were state-of-the-art. The campus boasted grounds as vast as a certain mouse-themed amusement park, complete with famous boutiques, cafés, entertainment facilities, and student dormitories that looked like luxury condominiums—everything needed for daily life was provided.

Even surrounded by all this incredible luxury, I was the only one who seemed to be amazed by it—the other students maintained their elegant composure, acting like this was all perfectly normal.

I had no idea why I'd been recruited to attend this academy. Apparently, a few years ago they started admitting promising students from ordinary backgrounds with full scholarships, and I was lucky enough to be selected for the program.

I never thought I had any special talents, but maybe I actually do have some incredible hidden ability . . . !

Hey. What are you doing standing out here?

Eeeek.

A guy making that kind of noise is seriously annoying, you bastard.

The man who had somehow appeared behind me spat out dismissively.

Get inside already. The entrance ceremony's about to start.

He was wearing a suit, so he must be a teacher. However, despite his crisp, wrinkle-free suit, his half-lidded eyes looked completely unmotivated. He didn't carry himself with any upper-class refinement, and his gray hair was disheveled.

He really didn't look much like a teacher at all.

Are you . . . maybe some kind of suspicious person?

Huh? What's that supposed to mean?

Ah, I'd said it out loud without thinking.

Geez . . . just get inside already. The principal will be here soon.

Oh, you really are a teacher.

You bastard, not even knowing who I am—what family are you from?

The teacher narrowed his eyes mid-sentence.

Ah . . . You're one of the scouted students.

Uh, yes, that's right . . .

The teacher stroked his chin and nodded, then sighed without pursuing it further.

Just get in line. Our school is different from other high schools. You'll be the one in trouble if you miss the system explanation.

System . . . Right. This academy apparently has some kind of unique evaluation system that's different from normal schools.

I'd love to enjoy a carefree school life, but since I was scouted here, I need to work hard and get good grades.

If you graduate with top marks in their evaluation system, they award you an incredible ten billion yen prize.

Since this is an academy for the wealthy, even their reward money is on a completely different level.

Free tuition and boarding as a scouted student drew me here, but I'll admit I'm also curious about that reward system.

Come on, let's go. You go over there.

Following the teacher's direction, I joined the line with the other students.

As expected from the upper class, everyone stayed perfectly silent without being told, yet something felt off. The gymnasium was thick with an unusual tension.

It didn't feel like an entrance ceremony: more like being on a battlefield.

After a while, a teacher who appeared to be acting as the master of ceremonies took the stage.

We will now begin the entrance ceremony for the 152nd class. Everyone, bow.

I hurriedly bowed along with everyone else. When I straightened up, the teacher continued.

Principal's address.

Ohh.

The moment they heard those words, all the students gasped in unison.

At the same time, a beautiful woman in a suit appeared from stage left.

Her every gesture was graceful, yet she commanded the podium with an authoritative presence.

Congratulations on your admission to Saginomiya Academy. I am the fifth principal and head of the Saginomiya Group that operates this academy—Yukari Saginomiya. On this wonderful day when cherry blossoms dance in the air, I am extremely pleased to witness your new beginning.

The Saginomiya Group is, of course, Japan's largest corporation. The family supported Japan through ironworks, beginning in the Meiji era—they even appear in history textbooks. Now, they've expanded far beyond manufacturing, making their mark in every industry imaginable: medicine, real estate, finance, and chemicals.

The woman who led such a powerful organization continued speaking, seemingly oblivious to our collective tension.

Before I tell you about our academy's initiatives, let me share our three educational principles.

She snapped her fingers, and a lavishly decorated banner descended onto the podium.

There, written in masterful calligraphy, were these bold words:

Heaven Above, Earth Below

None but Me Shall Reign

Hollow Vanity

What kind of cryptic motto is this?, I thought to myself.

Was I the only one who felt something was off? The other students were staring at the banner with serious expressions.

You are the elite. The chosen ones. Those of us who stand above others must always remain calm and noble. We need mental fortitude that doesn't yield to adversity, and the drive for self-improvement. Like forging steel into a sword, our academy has honorably dedicated itself to mounting.

Mounting?

I felt like an inappropriate word for an entrance ceremony had just come from the principal's mouth.

Whether I was imagining things or not, the principal continued calmly.

Indeed, when I attended this academy, I was an overwhelming presence as class representative with no rivals. But upon entering society, I came to understand anew the importance of mounting. I'll never forget it. When I was 27, I suffered a humiliating defeat at a class reunion—

* * *

My father was the former head of the Saginomiya Group, and my mother was a politician. Born into wealth, blessed with beauty and innate brilliance—looks, personality, even luck—I was perfect in every way.

Perhaps out of jealousy toward my natural gifts, some people disliked me. But they were just nobodies spouting nonsense. No matter what they said, it was just the howling of losers. Their words had never once hurt me.

But there was one thing I lacked.

Oh, Saginomiya. It's rare to see you at a class reunion.

When Akutsu—my classmate—called out to me, I smiled smugly to myself.

Yeah! I just felt like seeing everyone's faces again!

Huh, did you change your personality or something, Saginomiya? You used to be the type who could kill with a look and cut people down with words.

Oh, stop it! I was just a kid back then. I've matured since then, you know.

His jokes and my friendly tone gradually warmed up even those who had despised me in the past.

Fools.

Oh yes, I had certainly grown. Throughout my school years and beyond, I had never had a boyfriend.

But that was simply because I hadn't gotten serious about it—if I had put my mind to it, every last person, every demon and spirit, even the dust itself would have fallen in love with me. I had chosen to remain single by my own will. It certainly wasn't that no one was interested in me.

Well, I wasn't being unreasonable.

I myself was God's beloved child. I didn't ask much of a partner.

Just someone perfectly ordinary: over 180cm tall with perfect proportions who made twenty million yen a month after taxes, a graduate from a prestigious university with a GPA over 3.8, a multilingual half-Japanese who speaks at least five languages and lives on the Upper East Side. Just your typical, run-of-the-mill boyfriend.

If I could just find that, I'd become a socially perfect being—an absolutely invincible Alpha.

For that purpose, I had a perfect smile. I wore clothing that wasn't too flashy and a soft fragrance.

And the finishing touch: the adorable upward glances and cute tone I had been perfecting for some time.

So, Saginomiya, do you have a boyfriend right now or anything?

Nope. I don't have one!

Hehehe, of course. He must be dying to know about me.

My purpose in attending the reunion for the first time was to find a partner. To claim the man who had achieved three consecutive years of top sales performance at Japan's most demanding general trading company, then went independent and grew his company into a mega-venture in just two years.

During school, despite being a general admission student, he had worked as class vice representative under me. Even then he was excellent—someone who treated everyone equally and was a natural leader. He didn't seem to care that I was from the Saginomiya family either.

Let me clarify so the idiots don't get the wrong idea—I was definitely not head-over-heels for Akutsu. It's not like I was staring at him throughout school, and I definitely wasn't in love with him at all.

Uh, Akutsu, you're still not married? That's so weird!

You think so?

Of course! You were so popular in school! I thought you would've gotten married right away!

Well, work keeps me busy. Things are going smoothly now, but who knows what'll happen next. I want to focus on work for about five more years, so by then I'll be a proper old man. Hopefully I can find someone nice.

Oh, well then—

?!

Suddenly, I realized every single woman there was glaring daggers at me.

But it was too late. I had claimed the seat next to him from the moment the reunion started—victory was mine!

Maybe I should volunteer myself?

Huh, why? No way, that's gross. Five years from now you'd be a 32-year-old hag. I'm not gonna deliberately pick someone my own age—I'll find someone young and cute.

. . .

I mean, you're still as amazing as ever though. At this age you're already running one of Japan's major corporations. It's exactly what I'd expect. Like you're married to your work, or you're just the serious career type—

* * *

I will never forget that humiliation!

Huh?

After Akutsu rejected me, the reunion conversation shifted from work to marriage, and everyone started mounting me with comments like "My husband's so busy he won't pay attention to me, tee-hee" and "Marriage makes you so busy with childcare, being single is actually easier and better, hahaha . . ." They were all mounting me!

Principal Saginomiya burst into tears with no regard for onlookers, sniffling as she shouted.

Listen well, new students! I don't want you to experience such humiliation in the future! What rules this world is neither law nor violence—it's mounting! No matter how much you can study, no matter how good-looking you are, there are countless situations where none of that matters! In our world, becoming a loser is absolutely unacceptable. To win, find your own unique strength—just one unbreakable pillar to support your heart. That's all I wanted to tell you . . .

The principal broke down completely.

AAAAAAAHHHH!

She screamed as she fled.

What the heck is this . . .

As I sat there in stunned silence, the unmotivated-looking teacher from earlier took the stage and picked up the microphone the principal had abandoned.

Uh, I'm Hyogo Himuro, first-year Japanese literature instructor . . . Now that you've witnessed our famous "Escaping Principal" routine, I'll take over the guidance session.

It's famous?

Did the principal tell that story and break down crying every year? The secondhand embarrassment was killing me. Besides, wasn't this whole mess the conceited principal's own fault to begin with?

Saginomiya Academy is a prestigious elite institution. We strive to rise above everyone else and prove our superiority—whether through grades, appearance, or even the accessories we wear. People constantly compare themselves to others, locked in fierce competition to demonstrate who's the superior being. Status is everything. What embodies this philosophy is our academy's unique evaluation system: the Superiority Comparison Duel Battle, or as we call it, the Duel of Superiority.

Seriously? "Duel of Superiority"?

Mounting is a competition method bestowed by God that even dogs and monkeys practice naturally. They prove superiority by mounting and subjugating their opponents, but we humans demonstrate dominance through words and actions. While human mounting has existed since the Stone Age, the non-violent mounting we recognize today is said to have originated in the world's oldest civilization—Mesopotamia. Well, you should have learned this much in your middle school history classes.

We definitely never learned that!

The upper-class world began embracing mounting shortly after the war, triggered mainly by the dissolution of the seven major zaibatsu. Having lost their strong government connections, the zaibatsu found themselves clashing with the rising middle class who sought to seize dominant positions. To settle these conflicts, the Saginomiya family—designated as a special government clan—established formal status indicators. They defined the Duel of Superiority as a competition to measure status, encompassing social position, trust, reputation, contribution, and various other factors. Since then, those who achieve excellent results in battles are recognized in our world and can build solid positions for themselves.

There's something deeply wrong with how grandiose this all sounds.

Teacher Himuro pulled a black bracelet from his chest pocket, strapped it to his right arm, and held it high above his head.

It was the same device that had been delivered to our homes before enrollment, with instructions to wear it at all times.

It was proof of being a Saginomiya Academy student, with an embedded IC chip that apparently also served as our dormitory room key.

This is a Mounter. It's a device recently developed by the Saginomiya Group that can measure emotional flow. You might be familiar with smartwatches—this is a further advancement that we're able to test here at our academy first. It measures perspiration, heart rate, and other biological factors, inputting them into a proprietary formula to calculate psychological damage.

I was exasperated by the ridiculous name, but the teacher continued with complete seriousness.

Mounting is a battle of minds. Competitors face off, and we measure changes in their mental state with the Mounter to calculate damage and determine the victor.

The teacher raised his voice.

Starting today, first-year students will engage in three days of class placement battles. The lights that glow on the Mounter are called badges. You'll compete to collect badges, starting with three and aiming to reach ten by the deadline. Only those who achieve this goal can participate in the tournament to determine upper-class rankings. The tournament winner will be recognized as the first-year S-Class representative and gain tremendous status and honor.

Having delivered his speech, the teacher lowered his arm.

Alright, that wraps up the battle explanation. Good luck, everyone.

Huh?

That's it? Apparently I wasn't the only one confused—other students exchanged glances and started to murmur restlessly.

Finally, one male student spoke up.

We haven't heard about the actual battle format yet.

Huh?

The teacher looked annoyed by the student's question and let out an exasperated sigh.

Seriously, are there actually people at this academy who can't figure out something this basic?

But starting without explaining the rules seems pretty irresponsible.

Irresponsible? God, today's kids are absolutely hopeless. Always looking for someone else to hold their hand. Back in my day, I figured everything out myself—if I didn't understand something, I'd research it and work it out on my own. But you people just expect to be spoon-fed while making those pitiful faces. This is exactly what's wrong with your lazy generation.

But . . .

The gymnasium fell dead silent, heavy with an uncomfortable tension as if the student had committed some terrible offense.

There was no need to go that far.

As I watched the boy looking like he might cry, the teacher spoke quietly.

There. I win.

Huh . . . ?

I just dominated you completely. "Can't figure out something this basic," "Back in my day," "Your lazy generation"—those are classic dominance tactics used by Self-Centered Alpha Boss types who exploit differences in position and age.

Seeing that the student still didn't seem to understand, the teacher looked exasperated.

Then he gestured toward the other faculty members.

The usual demonstration, please.

One of them raised his hand.

The lights in the gymnasium dimmed, and a massive screen lowered from the ceiling.

I'm going to show you a video. Scouted students, general admission students, recommendation students—anyone who didn't understand my explanation had better pay close attention.

A grand opening sequence played like the start of a movie, featuring two girls who looked like high school students.

* * *

Being short is such a pain because guys always treat me like a little kid! Just the other day, this handsome guy I met at a party was like, "Aww, you're adorable, like a little sister," and kept patting my head. He was totally patronizing me!

Well, you do look really young, so I guess it makes sense.

But get this—after making fun of me like that, he actually tried to ask me out! I wasn't even interested, but he kept texting me nonstop. It's seriously annoying.

That does sound exhausting.

I mean, trying to hit on some plain girl who doesn't even wear makeup, and is 148cm and 38kg—maybe he's into chubby, ugly girls?

You're not chubby or ugly though.

I totally am! It's so unfair! I want to be tall and gorgeous too! Give me your height and your looks!

You're plenty cute already—you're just fishing for compliments!

* * *

The video ended and the lights came back on. Mr. Himuro turned to face us.

Can anyone tell me what part of that conversation involved dominance behavior?

What was he getting at? I couldn't understand the point of the question.

There's no way anyone could figure out something like this . . .

Yes!

Almost everyone shot their hands up at once. They stared at the podium with intense focus, each hoping to be called on.

Someone please tell me this is a bad dream.

Very good. It seems most students have done their homework.

The teacher observed his students with satisfaction.

Excellent work.

He nodded approvingly, then calmly pointed to a student right in front of him.

Alright. You there, explain it.

Oh no . . .

The one who took the stage was that dangerous person who'd introduced herself as Senri Tsukinami.

She stepped forward with her brilliant platinum flowing hair, then grabbed the microphone with complete confidence, puffing out her chest.

This is a common mounting method used by the Self-Deprecating Type, specifically called Anti-Snow White. The battle winner is the shorter girl. Being short is something every girl dreams of at least once. She's mounting the taller girl by self-deprecating with comments like "It's so hard being treated like a child by men, haha" while actually height-mounting her. Then there's "He keeps contacting me even though I'm not interested." Translation: Unlike you, I'm popular. And "A plain girl who doesn't even wear makeup." Translation: I'm super cute even without makeup. Plus using the female weak point of weight as a weapon with "I'm so fat and ugly it's painful." Translation: Come on, tell me that's not true, come on. Her friend responds with evasive comments like "That's rough" and "You're plenty cute." The fact that she doesn't fight back despite being internally irritated makes the tall girl the loser . . . However, the winning girl's level isn't particularly high either. To increase her mount's power, she deliberately includes the obvious word "handsome" in the mixer story. Despite already picking a fight by not inviting the tall girl to the mixer, using repetitive suggestion here is a poor move. It worked out this time because her opponent was an amateur, but if she'd been facing a veteran Alpha who was also Central Type or No-Nonsense Type, they would have quickly realized a Duel of Superiority was being initiated and delivered a harsh counterattack. Well, if she was deliberately applying buffs based on her opponent's level, that's a different story.

Yikes.

What the heck was she even saying with that serious expression on her face?

It was like the long, snide commentary you'd find in anime review sections. Her eloquent critique was dense and concentrated, her flowing speech carrying the seasoned authority of someone who seemed to consider herself the founder of the field. Her brilliant, commanding presence was so viscerally disgusting that even battle-hardened knights would instinctively reach for their swords.

I was confused and couldn't make sense of it, but if I had to sum it up in one word, it would be "gross."

Perfect!

Huh?

In my ten years at this academy, I've seen many students, but none have been able to answer so comprehensively from the start . . . I see, that face looks familiar. You're from the Tsukinami family, aren't you? What an interesting student we have here!

What is this?

All right, you can go back to your seat. Everyone, give Senri a round of applause!

Incredible . . . so this is the level of skill the Tsukinami Group heiress possesses . . .

I don't think I could ever beat her . . .

She's super cute too, isn't she?

Maybe I was the crazy one here. Waves of applause and envious stares washed over her. And there was Senri, soaking it all up with that effortless expression on her face.

That's what I was thinking.

Maybe I'd gotten myself into an incredibly dangerous school.

There are five classes from S to D. S-Class is the top tier, while D-Class is the bottom. There's no difference in how you're treated, but naturally, being placed in a lower class puts you at a serious disadvantage for the rest of your school life. For your own futures, give it everything you've got and aim for the top.

School runs from 9 AM to 4 PM. For the next three days starting today, we'll have Freestyle battles where you can act however you want, followed by a prep day on the fourth day, then tournament battles begin on the fifth day.

Well, everything else is as I explained. You challenge opponents of your choice to a Duel of Superiority and deal psychological damage. Battles start when the Mounter detects fighting intent from either party. The Mounter tracks your mental state, and when you completely drain your opponent's Mental Points—MP for short—superiority is decided and the winner's badge count goes up. Collect ten of these within three days, and you can enter the tournament to decide the upper-tier classes.

And with that explanation, the entrance ceremony wrapped up.

According to the teacher, mounting wasn't just about words—it was in your clothes, your expressions, the perfume you wore, how you talked, what music you listened to, your hobbies. In other words, it was everything in this world.

Apparently, even the strongest fighters had weaknesses, and Duels of Superiority were deep strategic contests where you could turn the tables with a single move, no matter how outmatched you were.

Strategic contest. What a joke.

All I could do was laugh.

What kind of twisted fate was this? When I heard that someone with no talent like me had been scouted by an elite academy, my parents and I were thrilled. Who could have imagined it would turn out to be some kind of cult school . . .

Since free time had started, I left the gymnasium and wandered around the campus.

Looking out at the sprawling courtyard, I let out a sigh.

Everyone walking around here was wealthy, gathered from all across Japan.

There's no way someone like me could compete with them and win.

I was guaranteed to end up in a lower class since I was just a commoner.

For the next three years, I'd be constantly dominated by the upper-class students.

This is going to be rough . . .

Hey there, you.

Huh?

When I turned around, I saw a cute girl with semi-long black hair flowing in the breeze.

Uh, um . . . what is it?

I wondered if this girl was wealthy too. Her beautiful features and gentle smile made my voice crack involuntarily.

She laughed.

You don't need to be so formal. We're the same year, aren't we?

She had a red ribbon at her collar indicating the same grade as mine.

Y-yeah, that's right.

She tilted her head at my awkward response.

Are you maybe one of the scouted students?

Yeah, but . . .

She tilted her head at my weak reply.

Is something wrong?

Well, I'm just really confused about everything . . . Like the dominance system and Duel of Superiority and stuff . . .

She flashed a bright smile at my words.

I see. Let me explain it to you.

She gave me a brief explanation about the academy.

Apparently, just before the zaibatsu were dissolved, wealthy families used Duels of Superiority to compete for pride.

They would attack their opponent's mental state with arguments, and whoever couldn't respond would lose.

However, since determining victory under those rules was too subjective, they kept developing new rules for a long time until they settled on the current format.

Saginomiya Academy is a historic high school, so the main building is old, but it has connections in every field you can imagine—finance, politics, entertainment, you name it. The facilities and equipment are cutting-edge, and the education is top-notch. I think you'll find it really stimulating.

That's amazing . . . Thanks for explaining it so thoroughly.

Not at all! My older brother went here before me, so I happened to pick up some information.

The conversation died down, and I wasn't sure what to say next.

S-so, did you need something from me?

That's harsh. Isn't it okay to talk to someone without needing something?

Ah! No, that's not what I meant . . . !

When I rushed to correct myself, she smiled forgivingly.

I'm just kidding. But you're right—sorry for suddenly talking to you like this. It must seem weird. Since we're both first-years, I was wondering if we could be friends.

Friends?

Yeah, friends. Is that bad?

I-it's not bad at all . . . !

This was the first time a girl had ever said something like that to me out of the blue, so I couldn't help sounding flustered.

I'd never had any female friends before, and here was this cute girl approaching me first—on the very first day of school, no less. What incredible luck!

You know, your reactions are really funny and cute. Let's get along, okay?

U-uh, sure. If someone like me is good enough . . .

I answered, flustered.

Hehe . . . "Someone like me"? Why are you being so humble?

Ahaha . . .

Her laugh made me give an awkward laugh in return.

But scouted students really do have it tough, don't they? No outstanding talents to speak of, and poor on top of that. I wonder how you'll manage to survive in this academy.

Huh . . .

Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to put you down or anything. I'm just genuinely curious about what you'll do.

N-no, it's fine. I actually think the same thing myself.

I was surprised by her blunt mention of me being poor, but her apologetic gesture made me feel a bit better.

Rich people probably don't understand commoners.

But that thought didn't last long, as she continued with an innocent smile.

That's right.

From our brief conversation, you seem to have really low self-confidence, and I think you'll struggle if you stay like that. Even someone like me—just the daughter of a company that only makes about fifteen billion in profits—this academy is crawling with people who have way more impressive backgrounds than that.

F-fifteen billion?!

Huh? Oh right. I guess ordinary people aren't used to hearing numbers like that? Sorry, sorry.

Her tone rubbed me the wrong way, but wouldn't it be wrong to argue back?

The gap between my understanding of money and that of wealthy people was just too vast.

But are you really going to be okay? I heard scouted students have some kind of potential, but your face is ordinary, you seem timid, and you don't look particularly smart either.

. . .

As your first friend, let me give you some advice—if you want to survive at this academy, you'd better put in some effort. There's already a huge gap between you and us recommendation students, and the general admission students are elites who made it through incredibly competitive exams despite being poor like you scouted students, so I don't think many people will want to be friends with you . . . Oh, but I'm different! I'm kind of weird that way, aren't I? Hahaha.

Would it be rude to say "I don't care?"

But what was this feeling? This didn't seem like something I could just brush off as a difference in values.

While I didn't have many friends, I did have some confidence in reading people's personalities from all the time I'd spent observing them from a distance.

Based on that experience, I thought it would be wise not to get involved with this person.

Wait, but how do I naturally leave this situation after saying we'd be friends?

Damn. My poor social skills are getting in the way.

I needed to say something and make my exit.

W-well then, I should probably get going.

Huh, why? Let's go check out the school building together.

Sorry. At this time of day, my religious beliefs require me to sauté and eat one game strategy guide daily. If I don't eat it, I'll get a game over in the brutal game called life.

Huh?

See ya!

Even I have no idea what I just said. But if it gets me out of here, I don't care.

First I need to distance myself from this girl and understand these insane battles.

Just as I thought that and turned on my heel . . .

Beep.

An electronic sound rang out.

WINNER: Rika Sotome—LOSER: Rei Sato.

Looking down, I saw my Mounter displaying that exact message.