Plan

Hoshino Kanade stood in the upper-floor corridor of the school building, gazing through the window as he watched the scene unfolding at the bulletin board below.

His fingertips unconsciously tapped the cold windowpane, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.

He had no fiery ambition to "lead Class D in a charge toward Class A." That goal was too distant and unrealistic.

But Class D still needed to get stronger, so it could put up at least some resistance when other classes came after it.

If he stuck to his original plan, all he needed to do was act like a precise machine, efficiently scraping together personal points from the cracks between class rivalries and exam information.

That cold pragmatism had once been his guiding principle.

Yet as his fingers absentmindedly rubbed a speck of dust along the window frame, Hoshino Kanade's gaze grew slightly more somber.

Kiyona... Her name crossed his mind. She was already someone he considered one of his own.

The change in their relationship had quietly awakened a sense of responsibility in him. He needed to adjust his old strategy of keeping his head down and protecting himself.

He had to prepare for potential changes in the future—for instance, there might be an assassin from the White Room among next year's new students.

He believed Kiyona was capable enough to handle it, but as her companion, he had to make preparations and build defenses for her—and for everyone else who might be caught up in it.

Although he had no doubt that Kiyona was capable of protecting herself and even defeating anyone who came after her, putting all the pressure on a girl and making her bear the risk alone... Hoshino Kanade's lips tightened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

That would be far too selfish and callous. It didn't fit with how he felt now.

Hoshinomiya Chie could help with this.

The last time Chabashira Sae had summoned him to her office, he'd "happened to run into" this lively homeroom teacher from Class B. That very evening, she'd taken the initiative to add him as a contact.

He'd done it on a whim at the time, and Hoshino Kanade hadn't been sure Hoshinomiya would take the bait.

He glanced at the friend request notification on his screen, raised an eyebrow, and tapped the accept button.

After several conversations full of veiled barbs, they'd reached an unspoken agreement. He had become one of Hoshinomiya's informants within Class D.

Of course, the core message he'd conveyed to Hoshinomiya was clear: Class D—or rather, Chabashira Sae—would never truly make it to Class A. In return, whenever he made a "not unreasonable" request, Hoshinomiya-sensei was always gratifyingly easygoing and cooperative.

Pulling his thoughts back, Hoshino Kanade focused on the scene below once more.

By now, Ken Sudō had been expelled for failing his midterm exams, changing a key event.

The fierce conflict between Class D and Class C that would have occurred had also vanished without a trace.

By the usual chain of reasoning, Sakura Airi, who would have been caught up in the trouble that followed, had lost the trigger for it. Her camera wouldn't break at that point, so she wouldn't go to that electronics store to have it repaired.

But Hoshino Kanade knew that the sleazy clerk lurking in that electronics store had fixed his filthy eyes on the shy, strikingly beautiful Sakura Airi long ago, watching her like a gutter rat eyeing a treasure.

More precisely, he had entered this school for Sakura Airi.

The absence of the "camera repair" pretext didn't mean his malice would disappear.

The simplest and most effective way to prevent a tragedy from befalling Sakura someday was to eliminate the threat at its source.

Hoshino Kanade's eyes narrowed slightly.

Although the store clerk's earlier history of secretly taking photos could be exposed by reviewing the extensive surveillance footage around campus, that wouldn't be direct enough—or devastating enough.

He needed irrefutable evidence that could immediately ignite public outrage and leave the man no room to maneuver. This was the perfect time for his collaborator, Hoshinomiya-sensei, to prove her worth.

A few days later, the opportunity presented itself.

Hoshinomiya Chie, the sweet-smiling psychology teacher who was popular with students, walked into the electronics store with an old digital camera she'd deliberately broken and asked to have it repaired.

The surveillance cameras would clearly record her handing the camera to the clerk with a hint of complaint.

Before long, Hoshinomiya-sensei's deliberately raised voice rang out from inside the store, full of anger and accusation. "What?! What are you doing?! I think I saw you taking pictures of me! You were definitely taking pictures of me, weren't you?!" Her voice carried, immediately drawing the attention of the few customers nearby and students passing by.

The clerk was caught off guard by the sudden, sharp accusation. His face flushed, then turned pale, and his eyes darted about in panic as he tried to defend himself to no avail. "Y-you've got it wrong! I didn't! Absolutely not!" He instinctively shrank backward.

"Got it wrong? Then prove it!" Hoshinomiya planted her hands on her hips, her forceful demeanor nothing like the gentleness she showed in the teachers' office. Her voice grew even sterner. "Take out your phone and let me check it! Now!" The clerk was clearly panicking. His fingers clutched the phone in his pocket as he stammered, sweat beading on his forehead, but he refused to take it out. His abnormal reaction only made him look more suspicious. Whispers began to ripple through the crowd, and someone had already taken out their phone to record.

At the same time, Hoshino Kanade happened to be passing the store, as if out for a stroll.

The commotion caught his "attention."

Through the glass, he saw the familiar teacher tussling over a camera strap with a middle-aged clerk whose greasy face and shifty eyes made him look suspicious. Her face was bright red, and she was acting like an agitated victim.

The timing was perfect.

Without hesitation, he pushed open the door and hurried over. "Hoshinomiya-sensei? What happened?" Hoshino Kanade's voice was calm but concerned. He naturally positioned himself slightly in front of the teacher, shielding her.

"Hoshino!" Seeing him, Hoshinomiya seemed to have found reinforcements. She immediately pointed at the clerk and accused him. "This man! When he was repairing my camera, his eyes and movements seemed off! I think he took pictures of me, so I asked to check his phone, but he's making excuses and refusing to show it!"

Hoshino Kanade fixed his gaze on the clerk. "Sir, since the teacher has concerns, please cooperate and show her your phone. If it's a misunderstanding, we'll apologize." His tone was polite, but carried an undeniable pressure. Students began quietly gathering around them.

The clerk's eyes darted away. He instinctively tried to hide his hand behind him, toward his trouser pocket. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he stammered, "N-no... That's not true... What gives you the right to check my phone? You're slandering me..." His panicked overreaction only made him seem more suspicious.

"Sorry about this." Hoshino Kanade moved as fast as lightning, smoothly snatching the phone from the trouser pocket the clerk was clutching before he could react.

The clerk yelped and tried to grab it back, but Hoshino Kanade easily sidestepped him.