After the Rain's Faint Light

After Kushida left, Fūki Ran stood by the window for a long time. The campus looked especially fresh after the rain, with crystal-clear droplets hanging from the tips of the leaves and glimmering in the brightening sunlight. He remembered the pain and hope in Kushida's eyes as she confided in him, and realized that the girl who always wore a perfect mask was going through a difficult Soul Transformation.

Monday morning dawned bright and sunny, with no sign of the gloom from the day before. On his way to class, Feng Qi ran into Kushida. To his surprise, she seemed a little different today. Her smile was still sweet, but it was less deliberately perfect and had a little more genuine warmth.

"Good morning, Feng Qi." Her greeting was natural and easy, and there was a hint of relief in her eyes.

"Good morning," Feng Qi replied. He noticed that, unlike usual, she wasn't making a point of greeting every classmate who passed by. Instead, she was keeping a polite but measured distance.

In the classroom, Hirata and Karuizawa were standing together, discussing something. Normally, Kushida would have immediately joined them, deftly keeping the conversation harmonious. But today, she simply smiled and nodded to them before heading to her seat.

The subtle change didn't escape Feng Qi's notice. He understood that Kushida was trying to find her true self—not forcing herself to please everyone anymore, but learning to keep a reasonable distance.

After the first class ended, Horikita came over to Feng Qi's desk.

"I've made some new discoveries about Ryuen," she said quietly. "Yesterday, I saw Sudo meeting with people from Class C behind the gym. It didn't look like a chance encounter."

Feng Qi nodded thoughtfully. Just as he was about to respond, Kushida walked over naturally.

"Are you talking about Ryuen?" Her voice was soft, but her expression was serious. "I have some new information, too."

Horikita glanced at Kushida in surprise, apparently not expecting her to join the conversation so directly.

"Go ahead," Feng Qi said, inviting her to continue.

"On my way to class this morning, I overheard Ike and Yamauchi talking about a 'Special Test,'" Kushida said. "They mentioned that Ryuen had promised to help them during the test if they could provide useful information."

Horikita furrowed her brow. "A Special Test? The school hasn't announced anything."

"That means Ryuen may have gotten information early through some channel," Feng Qi analyzed. "Or this could be a fake rumor he deliberately spread to sow confusion."

Kushida nodded. "I think the latter is more likely. Ryuen is good at Psychological Warfare. He may be trying to make us lose our heads."

Her calm analysis made Horikita see Kushida in a new light. For the first time, she realized that her ever-smiling classmate had such keen insight.

"So, what should we do next?" Horikita asked, unconsciously using the word "we."

Feng Qi thought for a moment, then said, "If Ryuen wants to play mind games, we'll play along. Kushida, you can leak some unimportant information to Ike and the others and watch how they react."

"I understand." Kushida nodded in comprehension. "I'll make them think we've fallen for it."

"Horikita," Feng Qi said, turning to her, "keep an eye on Sudo. If Ryuen really is trying to recruit him, we need to be prepared."

In that moment, a strange understanding took shape among the three of them. Horikita, who had always kept to herself; Kushida, who had always worn a mask; and Feng Qi, who was used to keeping his distance, had come together around a common goal.

During lunch, Feng Qi was looking up information in the Library when he unexpectedly came across Sakura Eri. She was sitting alone in a corner, a Sketchbook open in front of her as she focused on drawing something.

Feng Qi noticed that she seemed much more relaxed than she had a few days earlier. It looked like Class C hadn't been bothering her lately. He was about to leave quietly and let her enjoy some time alone when Sakura unexpectedly looked up and met his eyes.

"F-Feng Qi..." Like a startled fawn, she hurriedly shut her sketchbook, her cheeks turning red.

"Sorry for the trouble," Feng Qi said with a polite nod.

"N-no, it's fine..." Sakura said softly. She hesitated, then added, "About the other day... thank you."

Feng Qi smiled faintly. "It was nothing. If anyone bothers you again, you can come to me or Kushida."

At the mention of Kushida, Sakura seemed to relax. "Kushida is really kind."

That remark brought Feng Qi some comfort. It seemed Kushida's popularity in class didn't come entirely from pretense and calculation.

After school, Feng Qi met Horikita and Kushida in the courtyard behind the School Building, as they had arranged. The setting sun fell on the three of them, stretching their shadows long across the ground.

"Things went better today than I expected," Horikita reported first. "Sudo still skips training a lot, but at least he's willing to talk to me a little. He said people from Class C did approach him, but he turned them down."

Kushida continued, "I followed the plan and gave Ike some false information. He seemed to believe it completely. If all goes well, the information should have reached Ryuen by now."

Feng Qi nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Now all we have to do is wait and see what Ryuen does next."

Just then, Hirata Yousuke walked past from a short distance away. Seeing the three of them together, he gave them a warm smile. "Are you discussing your studies?"

Kushida replied naturally, "We're talking about next week's class activity. Would you like to join us, Hirata?"

Her response wouldn't raise suspicion, and it also neatly concealed their real purpose. Feng Qi noticed that Kushida sounded more natural than usual, with less deliberate ingratiation.

Hirata smiled and shook his head. "No, I have a few things to take care of. Go ahead."

Once he was out of earshot, Horikita said quietly, "Should we tell Hirata the truth? He is the class leader, after all."

Feng Qi and Kushida exchanged a glance.

"Not yet," Feng Qi said. "Hirata is too kindhearted. If he knew the truth, he might give the game away."

"Besides," Kushida added, "the more people who know, the greater the risk."

Horikita nodded thoughtfully, realizing for the first time that such a complicated struggle was unfolding in secret within their seemingly harmonious class.

The sun sank lower, and the clouds on the horizon turned a brilliant orange-red. The three of them went their separate ways, but they all understood that this silent war had only just begun.

That night, while Feng Qi was sorting through his thoughts in his dorm, he received an Email from Kushida:

"Thanks for today. It feels good to express what I really think. The road ahead is still long, but at least I've taken the first step."

Feng Qi replied, "Just keep being yourself. The real you is more precious than the perfect you."

He put down his phone and gazed at the night sky outside the window. Stars glittered like hope shining in the darkness. He knew that Kushida's transformation was only beginning, and that the fate of Class D would also be quietly changing through everyone's efforts.