-18- Two different monsters

On the day the entrance exam began, as soon as Hori entered the exam room, he immediately sensed something amiss. It wasn't something visible on the surface, just a feeling of discordance. 

In that exam room, both the teachers invigilating the written test and the personnel conducting the interviews gave Hori a very formal, almost superficial impression.

Therefore, Hori had a thought.

That is...

"This school doesn't really value the entrance exam, does it?"

At that moment, Hori reached this conclusion.

"If they truly valued the entrance exam, the invigilators and interviewers wouldn't appear so lax, and the atmosphere wouldn't feel so discordant. Perhaps even they themselves hadn't realized it, they were just going through the motions."

Perhaps initially, these invigilators and interviewers were very diligent.

However, the school's lack of emphasis on the entrance exam caused these staff members to also slacken in their duties.

Therefore, in that setting, the feeling of discordance in the exam room couldn't be shaken off.

And Advanced Nurturing High School is a very special talent cultivation institution in this country.

The entrance exam of such a school should be rigorous and even strict.

Yet, the atmosphere in the exam room felt so relaxed and discordant.

How could Hori not notice?

"So, I conducted an experiment."

Hori said this astonishingly.

"I left the written test blank and skipped the interview."

And the result of doing so was that Hori was still admitted.

This was enough to prove that the school didn't really value the entrance exam.

Hori proved this with his actions.

This momentarily left Ayanokouji Kiyotaka speechless.

There's no way.

"Aren't you afraid that your feelings might be wrong, and because you left the test blank and skipped the interview, you might fail the entrance exam?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka couldn't help but ask.

Isn't it?

The atmosphere in the exam room being relaxed and discordant?

This kind of thing doesn't really have substantial evidence, does it?

If it was just Hori's personal illusion, then Hori would be playing with his own future.

This is something that anyone would find incomprehensible, right?

Just relying on a feeling to boldly leave the test blank, skip the interview, and give up the entire entrance exam, such absurd behavior, I believe, no one could do it.

But Hori did it.

"You have to know, Ayanokouji."

Hori glanced at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and spoke somewhat indifferently.

"At critical moments of life and death, rather than theoretical basis, your intuition may be what saves your life."

Such words made Ayanokouji Kiyotaka silent.

Inside, he began to tremble.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka finally began to understand the nature of the person in front of him.

The man named Nanaya Hori not only had courage and meticulousness but also an intuition that was beyond ordinary people's sensitivity.

Like a beast surviving in the jungle of survival of the fittest, it wouldn't consider theories and evidence but would thoroughly strengthen its instincts and feelings, escaping danger in time and decisively attacking prey, living in a world of natural selection.

For this reason, Hori's intuition can be considered superhuman.

If Ayanokouji Kiyotaka relies on meticulousness, rationality, and step-by-step planning as his weapons, then Hori is an existence that relies on sharpness, boldness, and going beyond the norm as his weapons.

Perhaps, in terms of intellect, Hori may not surpass Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, but in insight, initiative, and the ability to act decisively in critical moments, Hori far exceeds Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

In analogy, Hori is a warrior, while Ayanokouji Kiyotaka is a strategist.

A warrior can perceive crises and defeat enemies.

A strategist can see the bigger picture and strategize.

It can be said that Hori and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka are completely opposite types.

This is the slight essence that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka perceives.

Of course, just a slight essence.

(This man still hides more secrets and fearsome weapons...)

This is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's feeling.

He kept this feeling suppressed in his heart.

Because, compared to this question, another question caught Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's attention.

"Setting aside your bold actions, you left the test blank, skipped the interview, and still got admitted?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka furrowed his brows tightly, murmuring, "Doesn't that mean..."

"That's right." Hori nodded, affirming what Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had in mind, stating definitively, "The entrance exam at Advanced Nurturing High School is just for show; the actual 'exam' to determine admission had already begun long before that."

Perhaps, this school had already conducted surveys of junior high students nationwide beforehand?

For a talent cultivation institution established directly by the state, doing such a thing was simply trivial.

During the survey of junior high students nationwide, the school had already decided on the admission list.

In other words, only students judged to be "qualified to attend this school" during the survey would be allowed to enroll.

As a result, the entrance exam became a mere formality.

Whether joking around in the interview or scoring zero on the written test, whether a student could enroll was decided long before.

Similarly, even if a student scored 100 on the written test or aced the interview, as long as they weren't on the list, they would be rejected.

In this way, the question of whether Hori left the test blank, skipped the interview, and gave up the entire entrance exam and still got admitted could be explained.

In light of this, perhaps Horikita Manabu asked Hori this way?

Asking Hori — "How much do you really understand about the rules of this school?"

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka also understood.

"So, you realized the abnormality of this school even before the entrance exam began?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka looked at Hori with a profoundly astonished expression.

Hori smiled as if he hadn't noticed.

"Sort of."

Hori's succinct response deepened Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's understanding of Hori's terrifying nature.

This is definitely a monster that can rival himself.

No.

Hori might even surpass himself.

This is an extremely extraordinary matter.

(I received training to the extent that it could kill people in "that room"…)

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka could only think silently in his heart.

Unfortunately, if Hori knew what Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was thinking, he would surely respond with something like this:

"I've been through that kind of training since I was four."

Neither Hori nor Ayanokouji Kiyotaka knew about each other.

The only thing both of them could be certain of was that this school was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

When will this complexity be revealed?

Hori and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka already had the answer.

Next month.

When the new points are transferred, the true face of this school will be revealed to everyone.