As the class erupted into discussion, dozens of conversations immediately began overlapping with one another.
Some students were excited.
Others were nervous.
A few were already arguing over who deserved a spot in the upcoming Mock-Battle Tournament.
After all, the tournament would decide who represented Class 1-A.
And if they wanted to participate at all, they first needed at least twenty volunteers.
Meanwhile—
The person who should have been paying the most attention to all of this was doing the exact opposite.
Shido casually leaned backward in his chair.
Then, to everyone's confusion, he reached into his pocket and pulled out something strange.
It was a sleeping eye mask women often used while resting.
But the one shido pulled out was completely plain, no drawings, no patterns.
Just a simple peach-colored eye mask.
Without a single word, he placed it over his eyes.
And then...
Silence.
His body relaxed.
His breathing steadied.
And within seconds, it genuinely looked like he had fallen asleep.
The entire classroom froze.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Everyone blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Just to make sure they weren't imagining things.
"He... went to sleep?"
"Seriously?"
"We just received information about the biggest school event in years!"
"Isn't he worried at all?"
The students exchanged bewildered looks.
Some pointed at Shido.
Others whispered among themselves.
A few looked genuinely offended by how carefree he appeared.
The class was currently trying to figure out who would participate in the tournament, who was strong enough to make the Top Fifty, and how they could increase their chances of winning.
Meanwhile, Shido looked like someone taking an afternoon nap.
Eventually, the students began looking at one another.
Nobody wanted to approach him.
Nobody wanted to be the first.
After all, Shido was still somewhat of an unknown variable.
Strong?
Definitely.
But beyond that?
Nobody knew.
And the recent rumors running around of shido defeating Ryuen was still not confirmed to be true.
And to add to his mysterious vibe his ability remained a mystery.
His true combat level also unknown.
And because he had only recently transferred into Douma High, he wasn't included in any of the informal rankings students had developed throughout the term.
That made him dangerous.
A black horse.
A hidden card.
Possibly even the strongest person in their class.
Which only made speaking to him feel more difficult.
The students silently exchanged glances.
One look.
Then another.
As if silently voting for someone to take responsibility.
Eventually, their gazes settled on a single person.
Chichi.
"..."
Chichi stared back at them.
The class stared harder.
"...You guys are unbelievable."
A few students awkwardly looked away.
Others coughed.
One even gave her a thumbs up.
Chichi released a long sigh.
Then she stood from her seat.
"Fine."
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear before looking toward the sleeping Shido.
"I'll go talk to him."
Several students visibly relaxed.
"Really?"
"Thank goodness."
"I thought I was going to have to do it."
Chichi rolled her eyes.
"You guys focus on figuring out the rest."
Her gaze swept across the classroom.
"We need at least twenty participants. More if possible."
"And if we want to actually compete against the other classes, then stop thinking about friendship and start thinking about who can actually win."
The room immediately became more serious.
Several students nodded.
They understood what she meant.
This wasn't just a friendly school event anymore.
The entire nation would be watching.
Nobody wanted Class 1-A to become a joke on a national broadcast.
Seeing everyone finally getting back on track, Chichi nodded in satisfaction.
Then she turned around.
Her eyes landed on the sleeping transfer student.
Or at least...
The transfer student pretending to sleep.
Something told her he wasn't actually asleep.
Unfortunately for her—
That only made her task harder.
Taking a deep breath, Chichi slowly began walking toward Shido's desk.
Chichi stopped beside Shido's desk.
The peach-colored eye mask still covered his eyes.
For a few seconds she simply stared at him.
"...Are you actually sleeping?"
"No."
His answer came instantly.
"..."
"..."
"Then why are you wearing that?"
"It helps me think."
Chichi's eyebrow twitched.
"Most people think with their eyes open."
"Most people also lose arguments they could have won."
"..."
For some reason, she felt like she had just been insulted.
"Anyway," Chichi said, crossing her arms. "You already know why I'm here."
"Because nobody else wanted to come."
"..."
"..."
"...How did you know that?"
Shido lifted a hand and pointed vaguely toward the classroom.
"Simple."
"The moment I put on the mask everyone became uncomfortable."
"They don't know my ability."
"They don't know my level."
"They don't know my limits."
"So naturally nobody wanted to approach me."
His finger shifted slightly.
"Meanwhile you're one of the few people in class who isn't intimidated by me."
"...So congratulations."
"You were elected."
Several nearby students immediately looked away.
Chichi narrowed her eyes.
"You were listening this whole time?"
"I was thinking."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer you're getting."
A vein appeared on Chichi's forehead.
Somehow talking to him was exhausting.
"So I'll get straight to the point."
She pulled a chair over and sat opposite him.
"We need twenty participants."
"I know."
"We want you in the tournament."
"I know."
"..."
"..."
"Could you stop saying that?"
"No."
Chichi took a deep breath.
Patience, patience, patience.
Then she finally asked the question.
"Then are you joining or not?"
Shido remained silent.
A few seconds passed.
Then he spoke "Tell me something first."
Chichi frowned "What?"
"Where's Ryuen?"
The question caught her completely off guard.
"Ryuen?"
"Yeah."
"You seem surprised."
"I thought he'd be the first person trying to challenge me after what happened."
"Wait something happened between you two? When?" Chichi asked blinking.
"Oh that don't worry about it," casually waved shido.
"Ahh okay, he's absent today."
"Apparently he's sick."
"Sick?" Asked shido.
"That's what the school said."
Shido hummed softly.
A strange smile appeared beneath the eye mask.
"Sick, huh..."
For some reason Chichi felt like he didn't believe that at all.
"Why?"
Shido lowered his hand.
"Nothing."
"But if I had to guess..."
His smile widened slightly.
"He's probably reporting to his boss."
"...William?"
"Ohhh so that's this big bosses name?!"
The classroom became quieter.
Several nearby students accidentally overheard.
"He already knew this tournament was going to happen."
Shido continued casually.
"So it'd be stranger if Ryuen stayed home sleeping."
"His boss just started a war involving three schools."
"There's no way his right-hand man isn't helping with preparations."
Chichi stared.
When he put it like that...
It actually made sense.
Too much sense.
"...You're surprisingly good at reading people."
Shido shrugged.
"People aren't that complicated."
"No."
Chichi shook her head.
"They really are."
"Then maybe you're looking too hard."
For a brief moment Chichi found herself speechless.
Then she clicked her tongue.
"You know what?"
"What?"
"You're annoying."
"I've heard that before."
"But?"
"But?"
"Usually people say it while smiling."
"..."
This time Chichi genuinely didn't know how to respond.
After a few seconds she finally sighed.
"Fine."
"Enough talking."
"Are you joining the tournament?"
For the first time since the conversation began, Shido removed the eye mask.
His eyes opened, but his lazy eyebrows remained the same.
The moment his eyes opened, Chichi immediately understood something.
He had already decided.
Everything until now had simply been him amusing himself.
"Sure."
He stood up.
The chair scraped lightly against the floor.
"I'll join."
The answer came so easily that Chichi nearly lost her balance.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"You made me talk all this time for nothing?"
"No."
Shido picked up his bag.
"I wanted to see if Class 1-A actually cared about winning."
"And?"
"And now I know."
A small grin appeared on his face.
"That makes things more interesting."
Behind them, several students immediately cheered.
"YES!"
"We got him!"
"Now we're definitely qualifying!"
"Class 1-A is winning this thing!"
Shido simply sat back down while the classroom exploded into discussion once more.
Twenty names were eventually chosen.
Some were obvious choices.
Others sparked arguments.
But after nearly an hour of debate, the final list was completed.
And among those names...
Shido Urazaki.
---
The final bell eventually rang.
School was over.
Students slowly began leaving the classroom.
At the teacher's desk, Chichi handed over the completed participant list.
The homeroom teacher began reading the names.
One name after another.
Then—
His eyes paused at a single name.
Shido Urazaki.
The teacher's eyebrow rose slightly.
"...Interesting."
He looked toward the now-empty seat near the back of the classroom.
Then folded the paper.
"Very interesting."
The teacher stood.
"Alright."
"I'll submit the registration."
With that, he left the classroom carrying the list that would decide who represented Class 1-A.
And somewhere else inside Douma High...
Several people were already waiting to see that exact name appear.