**"Can this person... read minds?!"**
Tsukishiro stared at Kûsuke in terror. The man had accurately guessed his thoughts.
"I'm not reading minds, you know? That's not a power I possess," Kûsuke replied casually, as if directly addressing Tsukishiro's inner monologue.
"Don't be too surprised. Just combine the environment with a quick read of your expression, and it's easy to guess what you're thinking. Isn't that what the White Room specializes in?"
"This...?" Tsukishiro was at a loss for words.
**Does he know about the White Room? Who is he...? And even if the White Room teaches such skills, not even Kiyotaka could pull this off, right?**
Tsukishiro's heart raced. This Kûsuke felt incredibly dangerous.
"Don't worry. I'm here for my own reasons. As long as it doesn't interfere with me, I won't bother you," Kûsuke assured him.
Just then, the sound of clicking heels echoed outside the door. Chabashira Sae entered.
"Acting Chairman Tsukishiro?" She was surprised to see him there.
She also noticed Tsukishiro's shocked expression and the sweat forming on his forehead. It wasn't hot enough for that.
For someone as cunning as Tsukishiro, this was the first time Chabashira had seen him look so flustered.
"Hello, Ms. Chabashira. We've met before," Kûsuke greeted her with a polite smile. "I'm the new physics teacher for the second-year students. My name is Kûsuke."
"Kûsuke...?" Chabashira was taken aback. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Wait, we have a student named Kusuo in our class..."
"I'm his older brother!" Kûsuke smiled.
"Oh, I see." Chabashira nodded in understanding.
**Kûsuke is a new teacher placed here by the school... It's not easy to become a teacher at this school. For someone so young to achieve this, his background must be formidable.**
**For Tsukishiro to look so shaken... he's no ordinary person.**
**So, is Kusuo here because of him?**
Kûsuke easily read Chabashira's thoughts but didn't comment. "Your class has my physics lesson next, right? I'll head to the classroom now."
"Right, right! Mr. Kûsuke!" Tsukishiro interjected with a forced smile. "We've prepared a private office for you, but some supplies aren't set up yet."
"It's fine. I brought my own."
"Oh?" Tsukishiro was puzzled but nodded. "Then I'll tell you—"
"I know where it is."
With that, Kûsuke left, leaving Tsukishiro and Chabashira staring at each other in silence.
---
Meanwhile, in the first-year A classroom, a girl with twin tails, peach-colored hair, and a delicate face was engrossed in her phone.
**Unknown: Bounty mission. Force second-year A's Kiyotaka Ayanokōji to drop out. Reward: 20 million personal points.**
"Kiyotaka-senpai, I finally get to meet you," she smirked, devilishly. "But I'm sure I'm not the only one who received this message."
Her phone buzzed again.
**Unknown: Absolutely avoid contact with Kusuo Saiki. Any attempt to interact with him will be considered treason against the White Room. Delete this message after reading.**
"Annoying. Doesn't Tsukishiro know about reverse psychology? The more you forbid something, the more I want to do it," she muttered.
Her phone displayed her stats:
**Amasawa Ichika**
**Academics: A (87)**
**Physical Ability: A- (83)**
**Critical Thinking: D+ (38)**
**Social Contribution: C+ (57)**
**Overall: B (68)**
"Kusuo-senpai, just who are you?"
---
Ten minutes later, Kûsuke entered the A classroom.
"Hello everyone! I'm your new physics teacher, Kûsuke. Nice to meet you!"
**He's so young, almost our age!**
**To become a teacher at this age, he must be incredible.**
**Wait, is his surname Saiki?**
"Teacher, are you related to our classmate Kusuo?" Ike Kanji blurted out.
"Yep, I'm his brother!" Kûsuke smiled, glancing meaningfully at Kusuo.
Kusuo responded with a cold stare.
*What are you doing here?* Kusuo telepathically demanded.
**Don't worry, Kusuo. You know this school is government-funded, and I technically work for them. This place is perfect for testing my inventions and systems.**
*I'm warning you, don't cause trouble here.*
**Got it, got it.**
Their conversation remained in their minds, unnoticed by others.
Ayanokōji, meanwhile, analyzed Kûsuke's words.
**So he's Kusuo's brother. Useful information. He's young but a teacher here, so he must be highly capable.**
**Why is he here now? Entering this school requires Tsukishiro's approval... Could Kusuo's backers be working with the White Room? If I oppose him, I'm in danger.**
**No, unlikely. Tsukishiro's reaction suggests they're not allies... Kûsuke probably bypassed his authority. That means Tsukishiro's power is limited compared to Kûsuke's backers.**
Kûsuke glanced at Ayanokōji, thinking, **So this is Ayanokōji, the White Room's masterpiece? To me, he's just another useless piece of trash. Though he's expressionless, I can guess he's analyzing me.**
*This guy...* Kusuo thought.
"Alright, let's begin," Kûsuke announced, snapping his fingers. The classroom screen transformed—glass shards rearranged like Transformers, forming a holographic projection of himself.
"Wow, so cool!" Ike and Sudō Ken were stunned.
*This is just a high school. Calm down.* Kusuo warned telepathically, but Kûsuke ignored him.
"Today's lesson is his!" Kûsuke waved and left.
"Huh? He just left? We're supposed to learn from... this hologram?" Ike was confused.
The hologram spoke, "This is part of the lesson!"
The screen shifted to a lab simulation, and the virtual Kûsuke began teaching.
*Is he actually teaching?* Kusuo squinted. *But this content... is it even for high schoolers?*
The lesson far exceeded high school level, even Horikita Suzune was baffled.
**Who am I? Where am I? What's happening?**
Even Ayanokōji looked confused. The knowledge surpassed the White Room's curriculum, bordering on professional science.
While Ayanokōji couldn't build an atomic bomb, Kûsuke could.
*Something's off about him,* Kusuo thought.
---
"Ah, high schoolers' brains are truly single-celled," Kûsuke muttered in his office, analyzing data on his computer.
The tablets in class were his design, tracking students' vitals, gaze, and expressions.
"Still, useful data. Time to lower the difficulty... but first..."
He smiled, opening a box. Spider-like robots emerged, transforming the room into a high-tech lab.
"Let's begin!"
---
Minutes later, the lesson ended. The screen returned to normal, leaving students bewildered.
What just happened?
Even Horikita's notes were indecipherable.
"Kusuo, what does your brother do?" she asked.
**Kusuo's strong, but his brother's knowledge is absurd. This isn't high school, college, or even grad school level. To him, advanced science is like basic math...**
**What's their family's background?**
"I don't know. He just does pointless stuff, like inventions." Kusuo recalled Kûsuke's past—losing competitions, studying abroad, and returning last year.
*Wait... did he arrange all this?* Kusuo thought, terrified.
"Why didn't you mention him?" Horikita asked.
"It doesn't matter. I didn't know he'd teach here."
Horikita paused, then changed the subject. "We need to interact with first-year students for the upcoming exam."
"Agreed."
They left for the first-year area, leaving the mystery of Kûsuke behind.