The Blade of Intelligence's First Cry

The wind on the rooftop carried away Natsume Yu's silhouette, but it could not carry away the chill in Kushida Kikyo's heart.

She returned to her empty dorm room and slid down behind the door as if all strength had left her.

The cold floor cleared her mind a little.

Humiliation.

An unprecedented sense of humiliation flooded over her like a tide.

She, Kushida Kikyo—the "angel" who always smiled at everyone, loved and trusted by countless people—had become a man's dog from this day onward.

An intelligence dog that could only wag its tail and beg, trading information for her own safety.

But...

Deep beneath that endless humiliation, a twisted sense of relief quietly began to grow from her bones.

The fear of having her secret in someone else's hands had been completely released.

Because the person who held her secret had become her "master."

As long as she obeyed, she would be safe.

She might even... gain more.

Kushida Kikyo's gaze fell on the slip of paper, damp with sweat from her palm.

Natsume Yu.

She chewed over that name again and again, etching that face with its devilish smile into her soul.

Slowly, she rose to her feet and walked to the mirror.

In the reflection, the girl's face was pale, her eyes vacant.

She took a deep breath. Then, the corners of her lips gradually lifted into that familiar, impossibly familiar smile—sweet, charming, harmless, perfect.

A new identity. A new beginning.

She had to present a flawless token of allegiance to her "savior."

The next day, on the campus of Advanced Nurturing High School, Kushida Kikyo was still the most popular girl.

No one noticed anything unusual.

She still took the initiative to greet everyone, patiently listened to her friends' troubles, and was always the first to offer help when someone needed it.

But no one knew.

When she smilingly handed a girl from Class C a cup of milk tea, she casually asked what the girl's deskmate had been worrying about lately.

When she "ran into" a boy from Class B on her way home after school, a few casual remarks about club activities drew out the family conflict he had kept hidden from everyone.

At that moment, her social network transformed from a protective net used to maintain her "angel" persona into a vast, precise hunting net.

Every smile and every expression of concern was poisoned bait.

She pushed the disguise she knew best to its absolute limit.

Her efficiency was terrifyingly high.

Less than twenty-four hours later.

Kushida Kikyo stood before Natsume Yu once again.

They were still on the rooftop of the nearly deserted special teaching building, except it was now afternoon rather than dusk.

"Go on."

Natsume Yu leaned against the railing without even turning to look at her.

His tone was as calm as if he were asking about the weather.

Kushida Kikyo clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh.

She suppressed the surging emotions in her heart and began her report in an almost mechanical tone.

"Onodera from Class B has vanity as her weakness. She owes an upperclassman money to buy designer goods, and the interest is high."

"Ishizaki from Class C is impulsive, but loyal. His biggest secret is that he nearly got expelled in middle school because of a fight."

"Yamauchi Haruki from Class D..."

One by one, she spoke of them, laying bare the most private and vulnerable sides of others—the things she had obtained through smiles and concern—and presenting them before this man.

With every name she uttered, her heart grew a little colder.

Once upon a time, prying into and exploiting others' secrets had been what she feared and hated most.

It was the truest part of her hidden beneath the "angel" mask—the part that belonged to a "devil."

And now, Natsume Yu had personally torn off her mask and forced her to serve him with her true self.

The report ended.

The air fell into a brief silence.

At last, Natsume Yu turned around and looked at her.

There was neither praise nor surprise in his eyes, only an unfathomable calm.

He merely spoke lightly.

"Not bad."

Just two words.

There was no further evaluation.

Yet they gave Kushida Kikyo, who had been anxiously waiting inside, a strange sense of satisfaction.

She had proven her worth.

She had taken her first firm step in this devil's contract.

"Continue."

Natsume Yu left behind those two words and turned away.

Kushida Kikyo remained where she was until his back vanished into the stairwell. Only then did she slowly let out a breath.

She looked at her hands.

These hands had just pushed several innocent people into the abyss again.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at Class D's temporary study session was exceptionally lively.

"I think the focus of this exam should be variations of past questions!"

Sudo Ken shouted loudly.

"No, I heard from upperclassmen that the Midterm Exam focuses more on basic knowledge!"

Ike Kanji immediately retorted.

Horikita Suzune frowned, about to stop the meaningless argument.

Yet Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who sat in the corner and had barely made his presence known, suddenly spoke as if talking to himself.

"I think the scope of this exam might be related to several points the teachers mentioned in passing during class."

He casually named several chapters.

The previously noisy group instantly fell silent. Thinking it over carefully, it really did seem to be the case!

"That's right! Teacher Hirata really did repeatedly emphasize that formula last week!"

"And Teacher Chabashira looked especially serious when she explained that historical event!"

The direction of the discussion was instantly turned around.

Horikita Suzune gave Ayanokoji a suspicious glance.

It was too much of a coincidence.

Whenever everyone reached a dead end or went in the wrong direction, Ayanokoji always happened to offer a key suggestion—one that sounded utterly unremarkable—and steer everyone back on track.

This was not the first time.

That man was definitely not as simple as he appeared.

She even vaguely felt that there was another person's shadow behind Ayanokoji.

The one who always wore an amused smile and was impossible to read... Natsume Yu.

At that moment, Natsume Yu was seated in a corner of the library, leisurely flipping through a book.

His phone screen was lit up, displaying a message he had just sent.

Recipient: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

The content was simple: only the numbers of several chapters.

He enjoyed this feeling.

One thread was the vast intelligence network Kushida Kikyo was weaving in secret, providing him with an endless supply of ammunition for his future schemes.

The other was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's discreet execution in the open, solving the troubles before him.

Like a master puppeteer, he perfectly controlled two invisible strings, making the entire stage operate precisely according to the script he had written.

It was late at night.

Kushida Kikyo lay in bed, tossing and turning.

The smiling faces she had worn while gathering intelligence during the day had turned into twisted faces in her mind, silently questioning her.

Did betraying other people's trust feel good?

She abruptly sat up, her chest tight.

Just then, her phone screen lit up with a new message.

It was from Natsume Yu.

"The more secrets you dig up, the safer your own secret becomes."

"We're accomplices, aren't we?"

The cold words held no warmth at all.

Yet they were like a precise scalpel, cutting away the last trace of luck and hesitation in her heart.

Accomplices.

That was right. They were in the same boat now.

She had no way back.

Kushida Kikyo's eyes became resolute again—or rather, numb.

She picked up her phone and began organizing the intelligence she had gathered that day.

Just as she was about to send over some ordinary information about Class A, a message from him made her pupils suddenly contract.

That message mentioned a name she had never expected.

Sakayanagi Arisu.

Kushida Kikyo's fingers began flying across the screen. Using her vast network of connections, she quickly verified whether the intelligence was true.

A few minutes later.

Phone in hand, she rushed out of the dormitory.

The campus was silent in the dead of night.

At their usual meeting place, Kushida Kikyo found the figure leaning against the wall.

"What is it at this hour?" There was a trace of displeasure in Natsume Yu's voice.

Kushida Kikyo did not even stop to catch her breath. She raised her phone, her voice trembling with urgency.

"Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A... She seems to already know the true rules of this Midterm Exam!"

"Not only that, she has prepared a plan—a trap aimed at every class!"