What does “Serial Killer” mean?! What would someone like that be doing here?!

He didn’t understand it at all. He turned back pleadingly to “Ace Striker” in front of him, realizing at the same time that he could do nothing to help.

“What’s with the gawking, huh? Trying to pick a fight with your homeroom teacher on your first day, are you?” Hanako’s drawl pulled Yuichi back to reality.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry. I just didn’t get a print-out.”

“Anyone have extra? Guess there’s not enough, then. Someone share with him.” The teacher sounded like she didn’t care the least bit how it turned out.

“You can look at mine,” Shota said, offering his own print-out helpfully.

“It’s up to you guys to read it for yourselves. Don’t come crying to me later saying that you weren’t aware of something. Now I guess we’ll use the rest of our time for introductions. Come up to the front in roll order and tell us who you are.”

Yuichi looked at the print-out Shota had given him. It had a seating chart, too.

“Serial Killer” was Natsuki Takeuchi. Her roll number was 37. Her seat was the second from the front on the right side.

Even with all those weird labels like “Zombie” and “Witch,” “Serial Killer” seemed the most extreme. How else to interpret it other than that she was a murderer?

For that matter, what do the labels even represent?

He had assumed they had something to do with the person’s role in society, but he didn’t have any solid proof of that. Still, given what he had seen so far, they did seem to relate to the person’s life somehow.

As Yuichi turned the problem over in his mind, the students began introducing themselves. Yuichi was #14, so he had a ways to go. He decided to listen to the introductions while he could. Maybe he’d gain some insight into the nature of the labels.

“Zombie” was Risa Ayanokoji. She was a girl with two ponytails mounted high on her head.

“Hello! I’m Risa Ayanokoji. I know my last name sounds pretty fancy, but we’re not rich, so don’t sponge off me, okay? I played volleyball in middle school, and I’ll probably do it in high school, too!”

She seemed a bit on the dense side, but she spoke energetically enough. Her complexion was healthy, too. There was nothing zombie-like about her.

I don’t get it... What does “Zombie” mean?

Did it mean she was dead? But how?

“Witch” was An Katagiri.

She had long black hair, with bangs long enough to hide her eyes, and an aura of gloom all around her. She certainly resembled his idea of a witch.

“I’m An Katagiri. I don’t have any hobbies, so I’ll keep it brief, but there is one thing I want to warn you about. I am in love with Takuro Oda, who sits in the seat next to mine. I will not let anyone take him from me. If you try to go after Oda, I’ll kill you.”

Huh? What the hell?!

Yuichi had never heard such an intense introduction in his life. The rest of his classmates seemed to feel the same way. The whole room burst into whispers.

Takuro, clearly feeling put on the spot, opened his eyes wide and flapped his mouth, dumbstruck.

It didn’t seem like they knew each other. Yuichi couldn’t recall ever seeing her before.

Above Takuro’s head, the label that had said “Friend” now changed to “Witch’s Beloved.”

Could certain events be changing the words? In this case, it must have been An Katagiri’s introduction. Yuichi’s confusion deepened.

“Hey, cut out the bad jokes. You’re scaring people. Besides, you’d just get sent to prison if you did that.” Shota’s joking voice rung out in the middle of the clamor.

“I don’t care if I’m caught. After they release me, I’ll find Oda again and we’ll be married for life. If he’s already married by then, then I’ll kill his wife and children, too. So, Oda. If you try to marry anyone else, you’ll just be forcing them into a tragic end. If that’s what you want, then go ahead and do it.” She spoke the words with absolute confidence.

Does “Witch” refer to her personality, maybe?

“Anthromorph” was Yuri Konishi.

The first thing he noticed was her glorious golden hair, which was bound up in a bizarre and complicated style. Her haughty bearing suggested that she was the daughter of a rich family.

Despite the blonde hair, though, her name and facial features were both Japanese. Maybe she was half-Japanese.

Whatever the reason, her eye-catching appearance sent whispers throughout the classroom, and her introduction only made it worse.

“Let me begin by making one thing clear. I come from a wealthy family. Japanese law forbids class segregation, but as high school students, I am sure that you are aware that money creates differences in status. A person’s worth is directly connected to their wealth. In that respect, I stand high above commoners such as yourselves. You may think this nothing more than the arrogance of the wealthy, but we are about to spend an entire year together as classmates, and I do not wish to see any misfortune befall you. Thus, I thought it best to make certain things clear, to prevent any misunderstandings in your interactions with me that might give you later cause for regret. I advise you all to take this information into account before attempting to approach me.”

Shota turned back to Yuichi. His gaze read “here’s another crazy chick.”

Maybe she was as rich and powerful as she claimed. No normal person would have such an arrogant view of their classmates.

But I don’t get how that makes her an Anthromorph...

Yuichi was just growing more and more baffled.

“Dating Sim Childhood Friend” was Yoko Sugimoto.

Dating Sim?!

“Witch” and “Anthromorph” were at least things he understood. But this label didn’t make any sense to him at all. Did that mean she acted like a stereotypical childhood friend you saw in dating games?

She seemed like a totally normal girl. Her appearance and her introduction were both utterly unremarkable. But as he was thinking that over, his eyes fell upon a male student. He was “Dating Sim Protagonist,” and judging from the seating chart, his name was Koichi Makise.

That’s right, they were talking to each other before, and I think she was teasing him...

Maybe “Childhood Friend” referred to her relationship to him. It couldn’t have anything to do with Yuichi.

“Vampire” was Aiko Noro. She was a petite, pretty girl with short bobbed hair.

But she’s standing right in the sunlight... I thought that killed vampires? It was a clear day, with sunlight streaming into the classroom.

“Um, I’m Aiko Noro! I chose this school ’cause it was the closest to my house, but I’m not too smart, so it was pretty hard to get in. I think I was right on the line. But I’m gonna work hard to study and have fun, too, so let’s do our best together, okay?”

She seemed like a ball of energy. There wasn’t a trace of anything vampiric in her. Though she does seem a little pale for a Japanese girl...

A little foreign, maybe? But that was the only remotely vampiric thing he could identify.

The introductions had only made the labels more confusing. The only one that made any sense was “Witch,” and even then, all he knew about her was that she was a little eccentric. Yuichi was about to give up, when his attention refocused on a single person.

“Serial Killer,” Natsuki Takeuchi.

Her cold, sharp eyes and neatly arranged, short-cropped hair did give the impression of a killer.

“I’m Natsuki Takeuchi. I just moved here from the country, and I’m feeling kind of overwhelmed by all the people here in the city. This school seems full of people, so I’ll do my best to learn from you all.” She seemed like a cold person, though it could be because of his preconceptions. There was something brusque and alienating about her.

Still, the contents of her introduction had been entirely inoffensive. There was nothing in them to suggest that she was a murderer. Even so, Yuichi couldn’t take his eyes off that terrible label above her head: “Serial Killer.”