The setting sun bathed the campus in a warm orange glow. Before they knew it, the four of them had reached a fork in the path, and the time had come to part ways.
Ichinose Honami stopped and turned to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Her smile faded, her expression growing serious. Lowering her voice to make sure only Ayanokoji could hear, she said, "Ayanokoji-kun, although the Sudo incident has been resolved for now, there's something I think Class D should be aware of." She paused, her gaze perceptive. "Judging by how the incident was planned, how it exploited Sudo's weaknesses, and how organized Ishizaki and the others' 'testimony' was at the end... I'm afraid this wasn't something Ishizaki and his friends could have pulled off on their own."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression remained unchanged, but he watched Ichinose attentively, silently inviting her to continue.
"Based on the information we'd gathered before, and the... cold, calculating style this incident showed," Ichinose said, her voice firm with conviction, "I believe the real mastermind is their Class C student, Ryuen Kakeru. He's the one who planned everything behind the scenes and tried to use this conflict to deal Class D a devastating blow. Ishizaki and the others were probably just Chess Pieces he used."
Ayanokoji was silent for a few seconds. Neither confirming nor denying it, he replied calmly, "I see. We'll keep that possibility in mind. Thanks for the warning, Ichinose-kun." His reaction seemed unsurprised, as though he had already reached the same conclusion.
"Right! I hope you'll all be careful from now on." Ichinose nodded, her warm smile returning. She turned to Sakura Airi and took out her device, saying enthusiastically, "Sakura-kun, let's add each other as friends! If... I mean, if you ever run into something like this again, or have a problem you need to talk about, you can come to me anytime! I'll definitely help you!"
Seeing Ichinose's sincere smile, Sakura felt a warm surge of gratitude. She quickly took out her own device and said softly, "O-okay! Thank you, Ichinose-kun!" The two successfully added each other as friends.
After adding Ichinose, Sakura's gaze drifted unconsciously toward Shimiya Kuki, standing a little way off. Her small hand gripped her device, fingertips pressing against it. She wanted to thank the person who had saved her and add him as a contact, too, but thinking of his usual aloof, unapproachable manner made her too embarrassed to ask. She lowered her head, her eyes shifting between the screen and the ground, looking uneasy.
Shimiya seemed to notice her hesitation and embarrassment. Without saying a word, he stepped forward and calmly took out his device. The screen lit up, displaying the add-friend interface. He looked at Sakura and spoke in his usual even tone, but his words carried clearly to her:
"Shimiya Kuki. You can ask me for help, too." It was a simple statement, without any unnecessary pleasantries, but it carried a promise.
Sakura's head shot up, surprise and gratitude flashing in her eyes. She nodded eagerly. "Y-yes! Thank you so much, Shimiya-kun!" She quickly worked her device, completing the request as if afraid he might change his mind.
"We'll head off this way, then!" Ichinose said with a wave, motioning for Sakura to come along. "Sakura-kun, want me to walk you back to the dorm? We can talk more about Shizuku on the way." She gave her a playful wink.
"Oh, o-okay!" Sakura hurriedly replied. She bowed slightly to Ayanokoji and Shimiya as she said goodbye. "Goodbye, Ayanokoji-kun. Shimiya-kun." Her voice held heartfelt gratitude. Then she followed Ichinose, who was already on her way.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gave Shimiya a slight nod in farewell, then turned and headed toward the Class D dormitory.
Shimiya Kuki stood where he was, watching the three figures recede beneath the setting sun until they disappeared from view. He looked away, his expression unchanged, and headed for his own dorm.
Two hours earlier, in a private room on the second floor of Ismo Cafe.
The air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee and a peaceful quiet. Shimiya Kuki sat on a sofa, facing a senior student with long, wavy dark-brown hair and a languid, mysterious air about her. The gentle, refined maid had just set down two elegant coffee cups. Now she quietly left the room and softly closed the heavy Wooden Door behind her.
Only the two of them remained. The senior student stirred her coffee with slender fingers, breaking the silence first. Her voice held a trace of weariness and relief.
"I spoke with her." She didn't mention a name, but they both knew who she meant.
Shimiya lifted his cup and took a small sip, his gaze calm and unreadable. "It seems you don't intend to give up on her, and you've accepted her back." He wasn't surprised. In fact, that was one reason he had chosen her as a partner.
The senior student set down her silver spoon and leaned back slightly, looking out through the room's enormous floor-to-ceiling window.
"After all... my own shortcomings were a major part of the problem." Her voice grew low. "If I hadn't made her lose hope of moving up, if she hadn't felt there was no way to achieve her goals in this class, perhaps she wouldn't have chosen that path. Back then... it was also my stubbornness and excessive aggression that brought our class to where it is now." Her gaze grew distant.
She sighed softly. "This school... really is a place that tests people. It uses the cruelest methods to sort the 'Top Students' from the rest. Here, those who excel can certainly become even better. But..." A trace of cold mockery entered her voice. "Those who fall behind—or are merely at a disadvantage for the moment—are pushed down further by these rules, even crushed. The school magnifies people's greed and darker impulses."
"If you can bring her back to your side, that's a good thing," Shimiya replied calmly. "Then the next time you face an attack from a rival, your class will be more united, and your counterattack will be stronger." He shifted his gaze to meet hers. "But you should understand that you've forgiven her based on your own judgment and the class's current situation. Others, especially the students who were directly or indirectly hurt by her actions, may not be so quick to let it go. And once your opponents realize she 'betrayed' them and you've accepted her back, they'll definitely use that against you. At a critical moment, they'll try to undermine your unity and drive a deeper wedge between you."
The senior student's lips curved into a confident, cold smile. "I know. Scheming, stirring up trouble, exploiting people's darker impulses—I admit I can't outplay some of those people." She lifted her coffee cup, her gaze sharpening with resolve. "But helping the class accept a lost comrade who's seen the error of her ways, repairing the rift between us, and rebuilding trust... Those are things I must do as a leader, and things I need to be good at. I still have faith in myself."
Just then, Shimiya's gaze happened to drift to the entrance of a relatively secluded alley below. He saw Sakura Airi's familiar pink hair. A man in a worn-out suit had her cornered against a wall, and her face was full of fear and despair.
The senior student noticed where Shimiya was looking and saw what was happening below. Her brow furrowed. "What is it? Someone from your class?" she asked.
Shimiya's expression remained calm, as if he'd merely spotted an ordinary scene. He set down his coffee cup and, without haste, turned to the senior student. "No. She's a student from Class D." He rose naturally and said, "Sorry, senpai. Something's come up, so I'll have to leave."
As the senior student watched him prepare to go, a complicated look flickered in her eyes. Just as Shimiya was about to pull the door open, she spoke quietly. Her voice was so soft that it sounded almost like she was talking to herself, yet Shimiya could hear her clearly.
"Maybe... if you don't get involved, it would be better for Class B..." Her words touched on one of the cruel rules of this school.
Shimiya didn't hesitate as he opened the heavy Wooden Door. Just before disappearing through it, he left her with a calm but meaningful reply that carried clearly back into the room.
"Maybe. But... perhaps that's why we can work together, senpai." His voice held the detached ease of someone who understood the world. "The Competition that's everywhere in this school may be cruel, but we all have some things we don't want this school to change."
The door closed softly, leaving the senior student alone in the room.
She sat quietly, unconsciously rubbing her fingertips against the warm side of her coffee cup. Her gaze returned to the window, but Shimiya had already disappeared into the depths of the alley. After a moment of silence, a helpless yet appreciative smile appeared on her face.
"Honestly... I can't win against him." She murmured to herself. The heaviness in her voice was gone, replaced by a hint of ease and curiosity. "But... why don't we go watch the show? Let's see how this 'hero' saves the damsel in distress." She stood and straightened her skirt.
The private-room door opened softly, and the gentle maid stepped inside.
"Of course, Big Sister," the maid replied with a smile.
The senior student left the room with elegant steps, the maid close behind her. Inside, only two almost untouched cups of coffee remained.
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