Houtarou Oreki Classroom of the Elite

Library.

Beep!

After swiping his student ID, Houtarou passed through the gate.

At the free computer where he went to search the book catalog, he noticed someone watching him.

She was a beautiful girl with silver hair that cascaded like a waterfall and soft features.

She wore the standard girls' school uniform, paired unexpectedly with gray stockings.

Houtarou was used to seeing Suzune in black stockings and his desk neighbor Arisu in white ones, but he'd never seen anyone wear gray stockings so elegantly.

Could there really be such beautiful girls at this school?

Knowing it was impolite to stare, he gave her just a quick glance before looking away.

Yet he couldn't help but notice she was looking directly at him.

"Do you know me?" Houtarou asked.

"No." She replied, "I just think you're quite handsome, with beautiful dark green eyes."

Oh. Handsome, huh. Who just says things like that?

He realized he really wasn't good at interacting with girls.

Though this girl was quite polite.

"If you want to search for books, please go ahead."

"I just want to look at some school documents." The silver-haired girl said, "I can continue later."

Houtarou nodded at her.

Then he typed eleven letters into the library's search bar: [Fingerprint]

"Fingerprints?" The silver-haired girl seemed interested in conversation, "Someone just before you did the same search, though she searched for clothes+fingerprints. I remembered because I found it curious."

"..."

To search for such specific things, especially fingerprints on clothes — this must be that little demon.

"I asked a friend to come borrow books, but since she hasn't returned, I came myself. She has short blonde hair, is quite cute, and has an angelic smile." Houtarou described.

"Mm-hmm." The silver-haired girl nodded, "That's Kushida."

So she knows Kikyō.

Houtarou stared at the search history displayed on the computer:

[Clothes] [Fingerprint]

Looking at the text, it seemed Kikyō had realized it too. She must understand how unreliable her claims about handprints and fingerprints on clothes are.

Perhaps wearing the same uniform day after day had numbed her thinking.

Well, since she's noticed this point too, that's perfect. No need for further communication.

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Fourth floor of the library.

The library had five floors, though students typically only studied on the second or third floor.

But Kikyō went up to the fourth floor.

The first-floor lobby computer search had yielded 19 books related to fingerprints. She scanned the shelves, looking for call number J4568.

"Found it!" She raised her left hand toward the book, which sat on the highest shelf.

Being petite and cute, she couldn't reach it even on tiptoes, straining with effort.

Suddenly, the book J4568 shifted — someone had grabbed it and was holding it out to her.

"Ah, thank you~" Kikyō offered her sweetest smile.

But when she turned to face her helper, she froze.

Standing before her wasn't just any tall student, but a boy with striking features — slightly fluffy black hair and clear dark green eyes.

"Looks like we had the same idea." Said the handsome boy, "Could we talk somewhere else? Someone saw you searching about fingerprints earlier. It drew attention, which is how I found you."

"..."

Little Kikyō instantly realized she had made a tactical error.

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They moved to a new location — the girls' dormitory.

The first-year students' dormitory buildings shared the same level, with boys occupying floors 1-3 and girls on floors 4-7.

Kikyō lived in room 606.

While the number might seem lucky to some, for her it was anything but.

After leaving the library, they separated and met again at her room ten minutes later.

Houtarou surveyed Kikyō's living space. Though the dorm layout matched his own, the girls had personalized their rooms more extensively. The walls featured custom wallpaper, giving the space a distinctly feminine atmosphere.

Her room displayed various cute decorations, including a brown teddy bear perched on her bed.

Several pairs of guest slippers by the entrance indicated that Kikyō regularly hosted other girls — evidence of her social nature.

Yet despite her cute appearance, she now fixed him with an unsettlingly cold stare.

"Let's lay our cards on the table." Houtarou said, "You must have realized it too when researching — fingerprints on clothes aren't reliable evidence. They only show up on smooth surfaces. The gaps between uniform fibers are nearly the same size as fingerprint ridges. Simply put, Miss Kushida, leaving handprints and fingerprints on clothes is impossible."

"What do you want then?" Kikyō asked in her dark state, "What are your demands?"

Having been exposed, she seemed ready to negotiate a new compromise.

But Houtarou wasn't finished.

"Don't try anything excessive." He warned, "And don't think about recording anything incriminating against me."

He promptly opened his contacts and called her number.

A telltale beep sounded — the interruption of an active recording.

Kikyō had indeed been trying to record him.

So she had switched to recording as a backup plan after realizing the fingerprint scheme wouldn't work.

After a few days, her judgment seemed to have improved somewhat.

"Since you came looking for me, what unreasonable demands do you have?" She asked, her tone growing icier.

"You understand the situation well. Though I'm not actually being unreasonable."

"Oh?" Kikyō waited to hear more.

"I just want to press my hand against yours again." Houtarou said frankly.

"Impossible!" She shot back, "I was mortified enough the first time. I won't do anything like that again."

This was her way of protecting herself — preventing him from making even more demands.

"But you helped me realize my weakness — I'm not good at interacting with girls."

Oh. So he wanted to use her to get better with girls?

How could such a handsome guy say something so shameless with a straight face!

And he was blaming her for making him realize this weakness!?

"No way. Absolutely not." Kikyō refused immediately.

Though risky, she sensed that even without mutual constraints, Houtarou probably wouldn't expose her secret.

His eyes showed no disgust — he didn't seem to truly dislike her real self.

This realization left her feeling strangely conflicted.

"Then keep living in fear that your true nature might be exposed." Houtarou said coldly, "Remember, someone already noticed your fingerprint research earlier. What if she gets curious and starts watching you?"

"Soon it won't just be me — many people will be paying attention to you. With all that pressure and no way to release it, the chances of someone catching you kicking the railing again rise to 70%."

"..."

She cursed herself. She should have waited until Hiyori finished with the computer.

Now she'd created her own problems.

The situation was clear. She wanted to be everyone's friend and create wonderful memories. But if they discovered her true self... she would probably again—

"..."

Kikyō closed her eyes, appearing to accept her fate.

Then Houtarou made his demand.

"How about seven times a week?"

Given how one handprint had led to four nights of dreams and overthinking, he figured a single session wouldn't be enough to build his resistance to girls.

Since there were seven days in a week, he figured he could spare 10-20 minutes each day to adapt.

"Impossible!" Kikyō immediately refused, "Having to press hands every day would be mortifying. At most once a week."

Oh. Once a week, huh.

Houtarou had originally planned for seven sessions in a week, believing his efficiency would let him complete the training quickly.

But meeting once a week — and with no specified end date — might actually give him more time to prepare mentally.

"Alright. Then—" He trailed off, embarrassed.

His awkward demeanor confirmed exactly what Kikyō had noticed from their first meeting — his complete inability to handle interactions with girls.

They sat together on the edge of her bed.

"So..." Kikyō placed a hand on her chest, "Oreki, do you want to know about my past? About why I've always wanted to get close to Suzune Horikita?"

She suddenly dropped her dark demeanor, becoming vulnerable and pitiable again.

"I don't want to know." Houtarou quickly refused, "That would be troublesome. I just want help fixing my weakness — I'm not here to deal with your problems or get caught up in your troubles."

"..."

So he's saying he only wants the physical contact, damn it, without caring about feelings at all?

She felt the pressure building inside her. With kicking the railing no longer an option, she considered keeping a diary — but friends might visit her dorm unexpectedly.

She could buy a locked cabinet for the diary, but having her thoughts written down still posed a risk of discovery.

Neither option seemed like a good solution.

But she refused to give up her current lifestyle.

Resigned to paying this price, she thought perhaps she could make use of Houtarou.

Since he knew her true self, she could occasionally confide in him and release some inner pressure. At least then she'd get something in return for their arrangement.

Instead, he rejected her instantly and dismissed her as troublesome.

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Kikyō fixed him with an icy stare, as if looking at something beneath contempt, as Houtarou left her dorm ten minutes later.

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