Reborn in a Gray Academy, I Became the Enemy of the World with a Smiling Girl - Brand of Miko Zero

A pure white ceiling. 　When I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar room. White walls, white sheets, the smell of disinfectant. My body felt strangely light, and my head was hazy, as if wrapped in fog. 　Where am I? 　I slowly sat up. My left wrist ached a little. An old scar stung where it rubbed against my sleeve. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out why I was here. "...Where the hell is this?" 　My voice was hoarse. My throat was dry. 　On the small table beside the bed, a single card had been placed. I picked it up. Printed on the front: "Seiren Academy Transfer Student — Souma Kazami." 　Seiren Academy. 　The moment I saw those words, a sharp pain shot through my chest. Why? I barely remembered anything. 　The door slid open with a clatter. A young woman in a white coat entered. A small badge embroidered with "Yurikago" was pinned to her chest. "Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?" 　The nurse spoke cheerfully and placed her hand on Souma's forehead. It was cool, and felt a little nice. "...I'm fine." 　The words wouldn't come out properly. "I see. You still don't seem quite yourself. But today is your first day as a transfer student. Once you're ready, let's head to the classroom." 　First day as a transfer student. 　Right. So I'm attending this academy starting today. 　An academy built on the outskirts of Kanami City, dedicated to raising the elite of the Miko. 　Miko. 　About two hundred years ago, a mysterious power that some humans suddenly awakened one day. Producing fire, manipulating water, levitating objects. The strength of one's Miko directly translates to one's value in this world. 　Those with strong Miko rise to the upper classes. Those with weak Miko, or those with nothing at all — the Hagure — are pushed to the margins of society. 　Seiren Academy is like the center of that entire system. 　Souma lowered his feet from the bed. The floor was cold. He ran his palm through his dull black hair, messing it up. A habit of his. The bedhead wouldn't go away. 　His face reflected in the built-in mirror. Deep brown eyes. A sharp gaze, people often said. Height: 172 centimeters. His build was on the thin side, and the standard uniform with its gray lines looked terribly unreliable on him. ( I really do have a face that looks like it's doubting everything. ) 　Souma let out a small sigh. "Please show me the way." 　The nurse nodded and opened the door. 　Out into the hallway. 　Seiren Academy's main building: Seiren Hall. A massive seven-story structure. Floors one through three held classrooms; the fourth floor housed the student council room and faculty offices. The fifth floor contained the Assessment Room — where Miko rankings were measured — and the sixth and seventh floors were exclusive to high-ranked students. 　As Souma walked, the students in the hallway all turned to look at him at once. 　Curious eyes. Appraising eyes. "Another transfer student?" "At this time of year? Weird." 　The voices were deliberately loud enough for him to hear. 　Souma kept his eyes forward and walked. ( I should be used to looks like this. ) 　He tried to tell himself that. But the stares piercing his back felt especially painful here. 　The nurse stopped at the end of the first-floor hallway, in front of a classroom labeled "Class 1-A." "This is it. I'll leave you here. Good luck." 　With that, she walked away. 　Souma closed his eyes once. Took a breath. 　Opened the door. 　The air in the classroom went taut. 　About thirty students turned to face him all at once. Beside the podium stood a bespectacled man in his forties — apparently the homeroom teacher. "Ah, there you are. Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Souma Kazami, who will be transferring into this class starting today." 　A restless murmur spread through the classroom. 　The teacher glanced at the tablet in his hand, then opened his mouth as if reluctant to speak. "...Well, so. Upon his transfer, Souma underwent the Miko Ranking Assessment immediately. I will now announce the results here." 　The classroom fell silent. 　Souma straightened his back. 　The Miko Ranking Assessment. A test that measures Miko strength on a seven-tier scale from C to SSS — an examination of extraordinary importance in this world. Your rank determines where you live, what you eat, your future — everything. 　It was a system established 120 years ago by the Waldstein Organization — the massive institution that controls elite Miko education. 　The teacher's expression clouded slightly. "The measurement results... No Miko reaction whatsoever was detected in Souma Kazami." 　A beat of silence. 　Then the classroom erupted in laughter, as if it had broken. "Huh? Seriously?" "He's got zero Miko." "Whoa, rock bottom. So he's below even Hagure?" "Trash just walked in." 　That last word rang out with startling clarity. 　Souma clenched his back teeth. ( I knew it. I knew this would happen. ) 　Miko strength determines a person's worth. That's just how it is in this country — the Hinomoto Archipelago. Those without Miko are called Hagure and despised, eventually quarantined underground. 　Seiren Academy is an elite school where C-rank or higher is the admission requirement. And into that place, a Miko-zero like me had walked in. ( Of course it'd turn out like this. ) 　The teacher clapped his hands. "Quiet! ...Souma, your seat is over there. How about the back row by the window?" 　Souma nodded silently. 　He crossed the classroom. Stares pierced him. Snickering laughter. Whispered voices. He sank all of it deep into his heart. 　He sat down. The wooden chair was cold. 　He looked outside. Beyond the window, a wind carrying the last traces of autumn swayed the trees in the schoolyard. 　In the distance, the cityscape of Kanami City. A small town of about sixty thousand people, spread out at the foot of the academy. 　There were shopping streets, a station, parks. People with Miko and people without, all living mixed together. 　But those without had no tomorrow. 　Souma exhaled quietly. ( What am I supposed to do here? ) 　Nothing came to mind. 　Lunch break. 　The moment the bell rang, Souma left the classroom. 　There was no place for him in that room. If he went to the cafeteria, he'd be laughed at again. The library building, Shizuka Tower, would be quiet, but being seen was a hassle too. 　His feet carried him to the rooftop. 　He climbed the stairs. No one was there. When he pushed open the iron door, cold wind rushed in. 　The sky was heavy with clouds. It looked ready to rain at any moment. 　Souma leaned against the fence and slid down to sit. ( I don't want to think about anything anymore. ) 　He hugged his knees. The only sound was his own breathing. 　How long had he been sitting there? 　He heard the door open with a clank. 　He reflexively looked up. 　Standing there was a girl. 　Her long chestnut hair was tied up high, with a blue ribbon on the side. Large blue eyes, clear as the sea, looked straight at him. "Oh, you were here? Whatcha doin' all alone?" 　A distinctive, soft dialect. 　Without any hesitation, she plopped down right next to Souma. 　Reflexively, Souma pulled his body away. 　When people approach me. When they're kind to me. 　There's almost always an ulterior motive. 　Souma glared at her. "...What do you want?" 　The girl tilted her head. "Want? Nothin' really. You're the transfer student, right? Thought you might be lonely eatin' lunch by yourself." "None of your business." 　Normally, the other person would get angry here, or give up and leave. 　But she was different. 　After blinking in surprise, she burst into laughter. 　It was a bright smile, like the sun peeking out from between the clouds. "Ahaha, you're a weird one. Well, whatever. I'm Nishizono Chigusa. And you?" 　Nishizono Chigusa. 　I'd heard that name in the classroom. 　Miko rank A. She had a dolphin-shaped Miko core and the power to manipulate water. Exceptional athletic ability, and popular throughout the academy. Someone in class had said, "That's Chigusa." 　Why would someone like that talk to a Miko-zero like me? 　Souma stayed silent. Then Chigusa patted her own knees and said: "If you don't tell me your name, we can't get anywhere." 　The way she said it was strangely natural. 　It didn't feel unpleasant. "...Souma." "Souma! Nice to meet ya, Souma." 　She nodded happily. 　What would people think if they saw someone as popular as her talking to a Miko-zero transfer student? 　She didn't seem to care about that in the slightest. 　Souma felt something stir deep in his chest. ( ...What is this? ) 　An emotion he couldn't quite identify. "I heard about you not havin' Miko too. But I don't think that matters at all." 　Chigusa said. 　Her sea-blue eyes looked straight at Souma. 　No averting. No evading. "Without Miko, this academy must be rough. But I wanna be friends with you." 　It wasn't the face of someone lying. 　But Souma couldn't nod honestly. ( "I want to be friends," she says. ) ( I've believed words like that so many times, and been betrayed every time. ) 　In this world, the presence or absence of Miko decides everything. People who approached a Miko-zero like me were always either scouting for bullies or hypocrites trying to score points with the teachers. 　So he reflexively thought it. "...There's got to be an ulterior motive." 　His voice was colder than even he expected. 　Chigusa's eyes widened for just a moment. 　Then she smiled softly. 　Not the bright smile from before, but something a little sad, yet warm. "There's no way. I hate lyin' more than anything." 　With that, she looked up at the sky. "...This academy's full of people who think strong Miko makes you better than everyone else. I've always hated that." 　Souma listened in silence. 　Chigusa continued. "People with strong Miko on top, people without on the bottom. It's messed up for a person's worth to be decided by somethin' like that." 　Those were words he hadn't expected. 　The academy's popular girl. Miko rank A. She should have been on the winning side of this world — and she called its rules "messed up." 　Souma swallowed hard. "...Do you really mean that?" "Of course I do. Obviously." 　Chigusa grinned, showing her teeth. 　Looking at that smile, Souma felt the ice deep in his chest melt just a little. ( I still can't bring myself to believe it. ) ( But... ) 　Souma looked her straight in the eyes for the first time. "...Souma Kazami. Nice to meet you." 　Earlier he'd only given his family name. This time, his full name. 　Chigusa's face lit up. "Yeah! Nice to meet ya, Souma!" 　And so, for a while, a strange time passed on the rooftop during lunch break, just the two of them. 　Afternoon classes. 　When he returned to the classroom, the laughter from earlier had at least died down. 　Everyone already seemed to know that Chigusa had been talking with the Miko-zero transfer student on the rooftop. 　Stares mixed with curiosity and contempt pricked at him. 　Souma kept his head down as much as possible and opened his notebook. 　That was when it happened. 　He noticed a gaze fixed on him through the window of the classroom's back door. 　Souma casually turned around. 　A student wearing an armband labeled "Enforcement Committee" stood there. 　A member of Seiren Academy's Student Council Enforcement Committee. 　The student council was the highest authority in this academy. Even the headmaster couldn't oppose its decisions. 　The enforcement officer was watching Souma with an expressionless face. ( ...What is this? ) 　Those eyes weren't the eyes of someone looking at an ordinary student. They were measuring something, appraising — or rather, like a snake eyeing its prey. 　Souma averted his gaze. 　Cold sweat seeped down his back. ( There's something hidden beneath this academy. ) 　He didn't know why. But he felt it. 　After school. 　Chigusa was at the classroom entra

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Name: Reborn in a Gray Academy, I Became the Enemy of the World with a Smiling Girl
Author: Novelia

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