Advanced Nurturing High School in Tokyo—A government-funded school established to nurture the young minds that will shape the future.
This school is famous.
It boasts a 100% employment and college acceptance rate, offers free tuition, and even provides living expenses—an ideal place for many.
Now, a boy from a poor family has been drawn in by this promise.
His name is Shirogane Miyuki, 17 years old. He doesn't see himself as a genius, but he is incredibly hardworking. He sacrifices sleep and free time to study as much as possible, and his efforts have finally paid off.
He has received admission offers from two schools: the prestigious Shuchiin Academy and the more common ANHS High School.
His grades met the entrance requirements for Shuchiin Academy, which even granted him a tuition waiver.
But in the end, he chose ANHS.
The biggest reason? Shuchiin Academy didn't provide living expenses.
That's right.
His family was dirt poor.
When he was ten, his father's company went bankrupt, and their once-stable life crumbled. His mother abandoned the family and disappeared. Because of the bankruptcy, his father was labeled as someone with bad credit. Even with a good education, no reputable company would hire him. So he had no choice but to survive on temporary jobs.
Now, Shirogane Miyuki, his father, and his younger sister live in a tiny apartment that costs 50,000 yen a month.
Under these circumstances, the only thing Shirogane Miyuki could do as an older brother was to reduce the family's expenses as much as possible.
That's why he chose a school that offered free tuition and living expenses.
"Miyuki, to be honest, I was hoping you'd go to Shuchiin Academy. There are a lot of rich girls there. If you could win one over, you wouldn't have to work so hard!"
What an unreliable father.
But now, Shirogane Miyuki stood in front of ANHS High School.
The campus was huge. On his way here, he had already seen the school from the overpass, spreading across the land like an octopus, taking up a massive area.
This school was strange.
It had no back entrance, and it seemed there was only one road leading here. It was completely isolated from the outside world. On either side of the school gate, there were movable fences. Right now, they were wide open, but once all the students arrived, they would close in from both sides, sealing off the entrance.
A truly closed-off school.
But the campus itself was unexpectedly beautiful. Cherry blossom trees lined both sides of the entrance, and since it was April, they were in full bloom. The air carried a faint, refreshing fragrance, and pink petals occasionally drifted down, carried by the wind—like something out of a painting.
Thankfully, the school he had chosen didn't seem so bad.
Shirogane Miyuki took a deep breath, ready to begin his three years in this secluded school.
That was the plan.
[So, this is ANHS High School. Looks pretty nice.]
[But who would've thought this school is nothing like it seems? Free? Free is the most expensive price of all.]
Huh?
Just as Miyuki was about to step forward, he stopped in his tracks.
Because suddenly, he heard a strange voice in his head.
[Oh, look, it's Shirogane Miyuki. By the way, he looks pretty young.]
[Hmm? A girl up ahead just turned around. She looks a little plain, but you can tell she's definitely a beauty. Whoa, she's checking out Shirogane. Oh, but she looks startled. Yeah, Shirogane Miyuki has a great face, but those dark circles under his eyes make him look kinda scary.]
[Haha, she ran away. Guess she got scared of Shirogane Miyuki.]
There was no mistake.
He was hearing things.
He glanced around at the passing students, but they were just curiously looking at the school gate. Clearly, none of them had heard the voice.
So… was he the only one experiencing this?
[Huh? Why did Shirogane suddenly freeze? Wait… don't tell me he can hear me?]
"..."
And then, another voice spoke.
[Ding! Congratulations, Shirogane Miyuki. You have been chosen and successfully bound to the one and only Narration System, Version 1.0.]
[Identity verified. Binding complete.]
[The fact that you can hear my voice in your mind is no accident—it's fate. Keep that in mind.]
"..."
ANHS High School is a unique place. It offers free tuition and even provides living expenses. Before enrolling, all incoming students, including Miyuki, had to pass a written test and an interview. Those who passed were immediately given a school uniform and a phone.
They were also told to arrive at the school gym at 10 a.m. on April 1st for the entrance ceremony.
There was no need to bring any luggage—everything would be provided by the school.
The phones given to students were quite advanced.
The built-in map app even had a layout of the school.
So…
Since there was still time before the ceremony, Shirogane opened the map on his phone, found his current location, and started heading toward the school infirmary.
He needed to see a doctor to make sure nothing was wrong with him.
Getting into a school that not only offered free tuition but also covered living expenses was an incredible opportunity for someone in his situation.
He had to make sure he was okay.
If he was sick, that would be a huge problem.
[Huh? Why are you heading to the infirmary all of a sudden?]
[Normal freshmen should be going to the gym right now. At the very least, they'd go to their first-year classrooms.]
[Wait, you're going the wrong way! The gym isn't in that direction! I don't remember you being bad with directions.]
[Shirogane, say something!]
"..."
If he suddenly started talking now, that would be even weirder.
Ignoring the voice, Shirogane hurried toward the infirmary.
As he walked, his thoughts became clearer—he was now completely certain.
There really was a strange voice inside his head.
Moving quickly, he arrived at the infirmary in about five or six minutes.
Inside, there was only one person—a woman in her thirties wearing glasses. She was the school doctor.
Seeing the doctor, Shirogane let out a small sigh of relief.
"I'm a new student who just enrolled today," he said. "Um, Doctor, I'd like to get checked. I think I might be experiencing auditory hallucinations."
"Hallucinations?" The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Alright, come in."
"Oh my, I didn't think anyone would get here before me."
Just then, a soft, cute voice came from the doorway.