Establishing the class Public Fund had acted like a weak adhesive, temporarily easing the tension within Class D. Hirata Yousuke and Kushida Kikyo had put a great deal of effort into managing the modest sum and planning how to use it to "boost morale" as much as possible. But Fūki Ran's gaze had already moved beyond this temporary calm, reaching deeper.
He had noticed Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
The boy was so ordinary he was almost transparent. His grades were average, he belonged to no club, had no close friends, and never joined class debates. He was like the air in the classroom: present, yet unnoticed. But Fūki's extraordinary perceptiveness had picked up on something incongruous. Ayanokoji's "ordinariness" seemed too deliberate, his gaze too calm, as if he were a precisely functioning machine rather than a living high school student. Especially during the class's minor conflicts, he always happened to be in the least conspicuous spot, as though he could predict in advance where tensions would erupt.
"Perfect concealment..." Fūki wrote in his notebook in Dorm 129, making his initial assessment of Ayanokoji. "...But too much of a good thing." He crossed out the word "ordinary" and replaced it with "disguise." There was a secret about this boy. Perhaps he, too, was not as simple as he appeared, just like Fūki himself. Fūki added Ayanokoji to the list of people he would need to observe cautiously over the long term.
Meanwhile, another change had also caught his interest—Horikita Suzune.
This aloof queen still stood apart from everyone, refusing to take part in any "boring" group activities. But Fūki keenly sensed that something about her had shifted, however subtly. She remained cold as ice, yet occasionally, when Hirata or Kushida worked to maintain order in the class, her sharp gaze seemed to hold something beyond its usual disdain—a faint, deeply concealed hint of... scrutiny? She no longer treated the class as entirely filthy and irrelevant to her, as she had at first. Instead, she had begun observing how the group functioned, as if analyzing a difficult problem.
This was especially apparent during a group discussion about a challenging math problem. When Yukimura Teruhiko reached an impasse, Horikita, in an unprecedented move, pointed out the crux of the matter in her usual blunt, inconsiderate manner. Her attitude was still unpleasant, but that brief, involuntary "intervention" let Fūki glimpse a crack in her icy shell. She wasn't entirely indifferent to having her "ability" proven, even among a group she looked down on.
It was an interesting sign. Horikita Suzune, that block of ice, might not be entirely incapable of thawing. And her abilities and pride, if put to use, would be immensely valuable.
That evening, when Kushida Kikyo once again slipped into Dorm 129 like a nocturnal creature and began her usual complaints about Hirata's "naivety" in managing the Public Fund and how "petty" certain classmates were about its distribution, Fūki interrupted her.
"Starting tomorrow," he said calmly, but with unmistakable authority, "your primary subject of observation will be Horikita Suzune."
Kushida had just picked up a cookie and was about to put it in her mouth. She froze, surprise flashing across her face, along with... a barely perceptible resistance. Observe Horikita? That arrogant woman who made her so deeply uncomfortable?
"Wh-why her?" Kushida couldn't help asking, a hint of resentment in her voice that she didn't even notice herself. "She's always on her own. What's there to observe?"
"Because she keeps to herself, her behavioral patterns are purer and easier to analyze." Fūki ignored her little fit of pique and calmly explained, "I want you to record her movements each day, who she interacts with, how she reacts in class, and especially any subtle changes in her attitude toward class matters. Pay attention to every change."
He looked at Kushida, his gaze deep and penetrating. "For example, has she started paying attention to class discussions? Does she look at certain people—Hirata or Ayanokoji, for instance—any differently than before? And has she ever shown any emotion besides indifference, such as... confusion or barely perceptible anxiety?"
The more Kushida listened to his long list of demands, the tighter her brows drew together. This would be far more difficult than gathering ordinary information, and far more irritating. Observe Horikita? Just imagining having to pay attention to that woman's every move made her feel sick.
"I... I'm not very good at dealing with people like her..." Kushida tried to refuse as tactfully as possible, instinctively wanting to use helplessness to get out of a task she disliked.
"This isn't up for discussion, Kikyo." Fūki's tone remained even, but cold pressure lay beneath it. "This is a task you need to complete. Your value depends on the depth and accuracy of the information you provide. Horikita Suzune is a highly promising 'variable.' Understanding her may affect our plans for future Special Exams and even the more distant future."
"Our"? The word made Kushida's heart skip a beat. This was the first time he had said "our." She knew it might have been an unconscious slip, or perhaps a deliberate way of winning her over, but it still stirred a strange ripple inside her. She and he were "us"? In this world full of lies and disguises, she was real only in front of this man, and he was the only one who entrusted her with "secret missions" like this.
A twisted sense of purpose and of being needed began to outweigh her disgust toward Horikita.
"...I understand." She lowered her head, her voice muffled. "I'll find a way to get close to her and observe her."
"You don't need to approach her deliberately. That would make her suspicious," Fūki instructed. "Just act as you normally do. Use the convenience of being at the 'center of the class' to observe her naturally. Remember, I want details—the subtle things that are easy to overlook."
"Yes," Kushida answered, already considering how to carry out this unpleasant task without arousing suspicion.
Fūki watched Kushida accept the assignment despite her reluctance and knew he had made the right move once again. Having Kushida observe Horikita would not only provide him with valuable information about Horikita, but also further wear Kushida down and deepen her dependence on him. Meanwhile, observing the potential interactions between two women with wildly different personalities, but equally distinctive characters, was an interesting social experiment in its own right.
He turned his gaze toward the darkness beyond the window. Ayanokoji's secret, Horikita's changes, Kushida's compliance... More and more interesting fish were appearing in Class D's little pond. All he had to do was keep casting his net, wait patiently, and, when the time was right, draw the most valuable fish into it one by one.
Before you continue