The Calm Before the Storm

On Tuesday morning, Hanyu Xiuyi was awakened by a hurried knocking at his door.

He glanced at the time—6:20 AM. Usually, only one person would come looking for him at this hour.

Opening the door, he found Ayanokoji Kiyonaga standing outside, holding a can of coffee, his expression as plain as ever. But Hanyu noticed his eyes were sharper than usual.

"Did something happen?"

"Not yet," Ayanokoji walked into the room. "But it will soon."

He sat down in a chair and took a sip of his coffee. Hanyu closed the door and sat opposite him, waiting for him to continue.

"Last night, Ryuen met with Ibuki Mio," Ayanokoji said. "Behind the Old School Building."

Hanyu's eyes narrowed. "How do you know?"

"I've been observing," Ayanokoji said plainly. "Ryuen's recent activity patterns have changed—he's started meeting with people from Class C frequently at night, always different people. Last night it was Ibuki's turn."

"What did they say?"

"I don't know." Ayanokoji shook his head. "The distance was too great to hear clearly. But Ibuki's expression when she left..." He paused. "It was complicated."

"Complicated?"

"Not anger, not fear, nor excitement," Ayanokoji recalled. "More like... conflicted. As if she was making an important decision."

Hanyu pondered. Ibuki Mio, the indifferent girl who always followed Ryuen, what decision would she be making? Would she continue to follow Ryuen, or...

"What do you think she's hesitating about?"

"Two possibilities." Ayanokoji held up two fingers. "First, Ryuen gave her an offer she couldn't refuse. Second, she's considering betraying Ryuen."

Hanyu's heart stirred. If it was the second possibility, then his opportunity had arrived.

"Is there any way to confirm?"

"Yes," Ayanokoji said. "This afternoon, Class C has Physical Education Class. Ibuki will go to the warehouse behind the Gymnasium alone to get equipment. That's the only opportunity to make contact with her alone."

Hanyu looked at him, a hint of inquiry in his eyes. "You even know that?"

Ayanokoji took a sip of coffee, not answering.

At 3 PM, Hanyu Xiuyi arrived punctually at the entrance of the warehouse behind the Gymnasium.

It was a secluded spot, surrounded by tall trees, truly a suitable place for a private conversation. He leaned against the wall, pretending to be waiting for someone.

Five minutes later, a figure appeared at the end of the path. It was Ibuki Mio, wearing a tracksuit, her short hair slightly damp with sweat, holding a notebook. Seeing Hanyu, her steps faltered for a moment, but she quickly resumed her normal pace.

"Why are you here?" she asked, walking over with a cold tone.

"Waiting for you." Hanyu was direct.

Ibuki stopped, looking at him. "Waiting for you for what?"

"I want to ask you a question," Hanyu said. "Ryuen looked for you last night. What did he say?"

Ibuki's expression changed. Her eyes instantly became sharp, like an enraged beast.

"How do you know about last night?"

"I have my channels," Hanyu said calmly. "Just like you have your choices."

Ibuki stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled. The smile was cold, but Hanyu noticed a hint of bitterness within it.

"Hanyu Xiuyi, you're really dangerous," she said. "More dangerous than Ryuen."

"You flatter me."

"But you're right." Ibuki leaned against the wall. "Ryuen did look for me last night. He gave me a mission."

"What mission?"

Ibuki was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Monitor Karuizawa Kei. Report her trends to him at any time. If you notice anything unusual, tell him immediately."

Hanyu sneered inwardly. As expected, Ryuen still didn't trust Ike and was preparing to use Ibuki as a second line of defense.

"Did you agree?"

"Do I have any other choices?" Ibuki retorted. "He's the leader of Class C. I'm just an Ordinary Student."

"You do," Hanyu said, looking her in the eyes. "You can choose not to help him. Or, pretend to help him."

Ibuki's eyes flickered. "Pretend to help him?"

"Like Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki," Hanyu said. "They are also 'helping' Ryuen. But in reality, they are helping me."

Ibuki fell silent. She lowered her head, thinking about something.

After a long time, she spoke, her voice much softer than before. "You know, Hanyu Xiuyi? I used to truly believe Ryuen could lead Class C to victory. He was strong, resourceful, and unafraid to use any means to achieve his goals. I thought following him would make me stronger."

She looked up, gazing at the distant sky. "But later I realized, he was just using me. Using everyone. In his eyes, we were just Chess Pieces, disposable once used."

"So you were disappointed in him?"

Ibuki didn't answer directly. Instead, she said, "Do you know what he said yesterday when he asked me to monitor Karuizawa? He said, 'That girl was bullied in Middle School. If we can get hold of that, we can make her do anything.'"

Her voice was filled with disgust. "Using someone's Scar to attack them. I can't do that."

Hanyu looked at her, gaining a new understanding of this girl in his heart. Ibuki Mio, outwardly cold and ruthless, but with her own bottom line internally.

"So, are you willing to help me?" he asked.

Ibuki turned to look at him, "Help you with what?"

"Continue monitoring Karuizawa," Hanyu said, "but tell me the information at the same time. This way, you can deal with Ryuen without actually harming Karuizawa."

Ibuki pondered, "What if Ryuen finds out..."

"He won't," Hanyu said, "as long as we don't show any flaws."

Ibuki stared at him for a long time, then asked a question, "Hanyu Xiuyi, why are you working so hard to protect the people of Class D? For points? For victory? Or for something else?"

Hanyu thought for a moment and answered honestly, "At first, maybe it was just to prove myself. But now..." he paused, "because they are my classmates. Because in this school, only unity allows survival. Because I don't want to treat others like chess pieces like Ryuen does."

Ibuki fell silent for a long time. The wind blew, rustling the leaves.

Finally, she extended her hand.

"Okay. I promise you."

Hanyu clasped her hand. Her hand was cold, but held tightly.

In the evening, Hanyu Xiuyi convened an Emergency Meeting with the Core Members. This time, the location was Horikita Suzune's dormitory—her roommate had gone home for the weekend, leaving the dorm empty.

Those attending were: Horikita Suzune, Hirata Yousuke, Kushida Kikyo, Yukimura Teruhiko, Sudo Ken, Ayanokoji Kiyonaga, Karuizawa Kei. Matsushita Chiaki was absent due to other matters, and Hasebe Haruka and Sotomura Hideo were still not notified—not due to a lack of trust, but because the content of this meeting was too sensitive.

"Ibuki Mio has joined us," Hanyu stated directly.

Everyone was stunned.

"Ibuki Mio? From Class C?" Sudo Ken's eyes widened, "Isn't she Ryuen's follower?"

"She was," Hanyu briefly recounted the conversation from that afternoon.

After listening, Horikita Suzune was the first to speak, "You trust her?"

"Not completely," Hanyu said, "but she has at least one thing worth trusting—she has a bottom line. She's unwilling to use others' scars to attack them."

"That's true..." Kushida Kikyo mused, "On the island, I also noticed. Although Ibuki seemed cold, she never did anything excessive."

Karuizawa Kei had been silent. Hearing this, she looked up at Hanyu, "Hanyu, she... really won't tell Ryuen about me?"

"She will tell Ryuen," Hanyu said, "but only what she wants you to say. For example, photographs of your normal life, news about you gathering with friends. The truly important things, she will tell us first."

Karuizawa thought for a moment, then nodded, "I trust you."

Hirata Yousuke revealed a gentle smile: "That's great. With Ibuki joining us, we can grasp Class C's trends."

"Not just grasp trends," Yukimura Teruhiko adjusted his glasses. "If we can get information about Ryuen's notebook from Ibuki, we can completely take him down."

"Notebook?" Sudo asked.

Hanyu explained about Ryuen's notebook. After listening, everyone's expression turned serious.

"If we could get that notebook..." Horikita murmured.

"Then we'd have Ryuen's lifeline," Ayanokoji added. "It not only contains the weaknesses of Class C students, but also the list of people he bribed, and possibly even information on other classes."

"But how do we get it?" Kushida asked. "Doesn't Ryuen carry it with him all the time?"

"That's why we need to create an opportunity," Hanyu said. "An opportunity that forces him to put down the notebook."

Everyone fell into thought. Ryuen, that cautious person, what kind of opportunity would make him put down his most important possession?

Ayanokoji suddenly spoke: "Next month's Sports Festival."

Everyone looked at him.

"The Sports Festival is an event the entire grade participates in," Ayanokoji said. "It will be very chaotic that day, with each class busy with their own affairs. Moreover, the Sports Festival has individual and team events, and Ryuen, as Class C's leader, must participate in the team events."

Hanyu understood: "You mean, while he's participating in the team events..."

"Yes," Ayanokoji nodded. "At that time, his notebook will definitely be placed somewhere. As long as we know the specific location, we can..."

He didn't finish, but the meaning was obvious.

"But how do we know where he puts the notebook?" Sudo asked.

"Ibuki," Hanyu said. "She's close to Ryuen, she should know his habits."

"Then it's decided," Horikita said. "For the next two weeks, we will strengthen our class construction on one hand, and collect information through Ibuki on the other. On the day of the Sports Festival, it will be time for our counterattack."

Everyone nodded.

After the meeting, everyone left one by one. Karuizawa Kei was the last to leave. As she reached the door, she looked back at Hanyu.

"Hanyu-kun, thank you."

"Thank you for what?"

"Thank you..." she paused. "Thank you for letting me know I'm not alone."

She pushed open the door and disappeared down the corridor.

Hanyu looked at the closed door, the corner of his mouth curving up slightly.

The moonlight outside streamed in, illuminating the entire room. Tomorrow would be a new day.

And the real decisive battle was still to come.