Chapter 1: Saiki Kusuo's Meritocratic Classroom
‘for a high school, there are too many surveillance cameras placed around.’
At this moment, a boy stands in front of the school gate, thinking this to himself.
He looks rather handsome, with a pair of green glasses on his nose and pink hair adorned with lollipop-like hair accessories.
Saiki Kusuo, a psychic, possesses various abilities that continue to evolve. To avoid unnecessary trouble, he has always hidden his identity, pretending to be an ordinary, unremarkable person.
Today is his first day of high school.
His gaze shifts slightly, landing on the prominently displayed sign at the school entrance.
Advanced Nurturing High School.
Originally, he just wanted to attend a regular high school and lead a normal life, avoiding others’ attention as much as possible. Unexpectedly, his brother Saiki Kusuke assisted their parents in sending him to this high school using connections and resources, with the incentive of ‘no tuition and no need to worry about living expenses’.
Saiki Kusuo doesn’t have a good impression of his brother, who possesses high intelligence but a twisted personality. He knew there was no good reason for being sent to this special school by his brother. He even planned to deliberately fail the entrance exam, but after learning through telepathy about the school’s luxurious cafeteria, he decided to control his performance to an average level and successfully got admitted.
Although today is his first day, Saiki Kusuo, using his psychic abilities, had already observed the school’s environment and knew it was extraordinary.
…
The opening ceremony, class assignment, self-introductions among classmates— these were somewhat troublesome for Saiki Kusuo, especially the self-introduction part.
He doesn’t care who his classmates are. For him, this school was just a transit point to disguise himself as an ordinary person and live a quiet life. There was no need to establish many connections with others. However, to keep his identity hidden and remain inconspicuous, Saiki Kusuo couldn’t refuse these activities.
Moreover, using his telepathy, he had already gained some understanding of his classmates before introducing himself.
He could easily hear their thoughts. Even with limiters preventing him from using his full power, he could still hear nearly all the thoughts of living beings within two hundred meters. This psychic ability was always active, one of the troubles of being a psychic.
【These people are just a burden. I have to catch up to my brother on my own.】
【I want to make friends with everyone!】
【I need to find a suitable host to protect myself.】
Just by listening to their thoughts, Saiki Kusuo knew that there were few normal people in this class.
Some wanted to surpass their brothers, others wanted to stand out in the new environment, and a few, like Saiki Kusuo, wanted to hide themselves as much as possible in school.
Saiki Kusuo didn’t care about these thoughts or want to interact much with these people. He just wanted to spend a relatively calm high school life, trying not to attract too much attention.
But the mental activities of these people were quite noisy.
After going through these tedious but necessary procedures, Saiki Kusuo and the others finally began their first lesson at this school.
…
“I am the homeroom teacher of Class D, Chabashira Sae.”
“This school doesn’t change classes.”
“For the next three years until graduation, I will be your homeroom teacher.”
On the classroom podium, the young woman who introduced herself as Chabashira Sae spoke slowly.
She wore a black shirt that barely concealed her impressive upper body curves, and her slender legs were wrapped in black stockings under a short black skirt.
Chabashira Sae had a rather exquisite appearance, but her eyes held a sharpness not typically seen in a teacher, and her voice had a hint of coldness and negativity.
“First, I’ll distribute some materials about our school. Pass them from the front to the back. Our school has a special rule: during the school term, leaving the campus and all external communications are restricted.”
As Chabashira Sae spoke, the students under the podium showed surprised expressions.
At this moment, the voices of other classmates echoed in Saiki Kusuo’s ears.
【We can’t leave the school?】
【I didn’t bring any change of clothes!】
【What kind of rule is this? It’s inhumane!】
None of these classmates made any sound. After all, Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher, was speaking on the podium, and Saiki Kusuo could clearly hear their thoughts.
‘Can’t go home?’
Hearing Chabashira Sae’s words, Saiki Kusuo’s expression remained unchanged. With his ability to teleport instantly, he wasn’t restricted by such rules.
Even if the school was far from his home, he could teleport back in an instant.
Therefore, no matter how absurd the rules of Advanced Nurturing High School were, they didn’t affect Saiki Kusuo.
Moreover, this school was also a good place for him.
“…But don’t worry, the school is equipped with various facilities. You can buy all the necessities of life, including entertainment.”
Chabashira Sae continued.
Hearing this, Saiki Kusuo’s lips curled slightly upward. This was exactly why he had come to the school early to investigate.
He used telekinesis and teleportation to arrive at the school early, then used his invisibility to avoid surveillance and closely observed the entire school’s structure.
Cinemas, karaoke, libraries… The entertainment facilities in this school were comprehensive, unlike regular high schools, almost like a mini-city.
Although Saiki Kusuo didn’t have many hobbies, watching TV and reading novels, especially detective stories, were among the few he enjoyed.
His powerful psychic abilities meant that Saiki Kusuo hardly encountered ‘unexpected’ situations in daily life, making it somewhat boring. But telepathy was useless in fictional worlds, and the unpredictable nature of stories was why he enjoyed detective novels.