The commotion inside the private room at the Fireworks House washed over everyone like a warm, viscous tide.
The aroma of grilled skewers, the chill of iced drinks, and the companions' uninhibited laughter—this should have been the most comfortable rest after a victory.
Yet Toudou Shizuka sat among them as though separated from everything by an invisible pane of glass. [Energy Recovery Novice]
The clarity it brought had become a burden at that moment, making all those overly exuberant emotions seem a little... grating.
It wasn't that he disliked their shared joy. Ichinose's encouragement, Kanzaki's relief, and the renewed confidence of Shibata Satou and the others were all genuine and precious.
It was just that the number 87 was like a stone dropped into a tranquil lake; the stifled disappointment in Sakura's text; and the cold scrutiny behind Kushida Kikyo's perfect smile beneath the setting sun...
Driven by [Information Synthesis B-rank], these fragments automatically pieced themselves into a troubling picture. Class D's crushing defeat had been no accident. The "actual exam questions" Kushida had gotten her hands on seemed more like a carefully laid trap—a poisoned candy that even a hungry person might want to swallow, despite knowing it could be poisonous.
"Sorry, I'm going to the restroom."
Toudou Shizuka quietly excused himself to Ichinose, who was beside him, playing around while Kobashi tugged at her. He picked up the oolong tea he had barely touched, then slipped out the back door, leaving the boisterous sea of warm colors behind.
The early autumn night air carried the salty chill of the sea breeze. It flooded his lungs at once, sweeping away the mixed scents of food and smoke from inside the izakaya.
The neon lights of Commercial Street blazed noisily behind him. He turned and headed straight in the opposite