The Queen and the Controller

Sakayanagi Arisu.

The name surfaced in Natsume Yu's mind, sending a strange ripple through him.

The queen of Class A.

The only person in this school he regarded as an equal-level "player," perhaps even someone more single-minded than himself in certain respects.

Her investigation was indeed an unforeseen variable in his plans.

But...

It was merely a variable.

Natsume Yu lightly ran a fingertip across his phone's smooth screen, the curve of his lips becoming more pronounced.

Panicked?

Not a chance.

All he felt was a long-lost thrill.

Like a master chess player finally encountering an opponent who could understand his board—and even try to turn the game around on him.

"Now the game is getting interesting."

He murmured to himself, his voice carrying the amusement of someone in control of everything.

He replied to Kushida Kikyo's message.

[Continue monitoring her. Don't alert her.]

[Report every direction and detail of her investigation to me.]

On the other end, Kushida Kikyo's tension immediately subsided when she received his reply.

There had not been the slightest wavering in her master's tone.

That gave her immense reassurance.

Sakayanagi Arisu moved swiftly, and discreetly.

She did not send anyone to approach Natsume Yu directly. Instead, like an invisible net, she began closing in from the outside.

Natsume Yu's enrollment records.

His performance in middle school.

His relationships within Class D.

His daily routes.

Even the books he borrowed from the library fell within Sakayanagi's investigation.

Kushida's information network continuously gathered these fragmented details and delivered them to Natsume Yu.

Natsume Yu smiled as he read the reports.

Sakayanagi's thinking was clear. She was trying to build a complete profile of him through this basic information and find his weakness.

Unfortunately.

She was only investigating what he wanted her to see.

"Since Her Majesty wants to watch a show so badly, I'll give her a front-row VIP ticket."

Natsume Yu called Ayanokoji.

The call was answered quickly. The other end was as silent as ever.

"I have a new assignment." Natsume Yu's tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable command.

"Tomorrow at noon, go to the corner of the third floor of the library. I'll have Kushida leave an envelope there."

"After taking the envelope, leave via the south staircase."

"Remember, someone will be following you."

"Act naturally, just like you usually do."

There was no change in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's breathing on the other end.

He did not ask why, nor did he ask what was inside the envelope.

He merely answered in a low voice with one word.

"Okay."

Natsume Yu hung up, calculation gleaming in his eyes.

Sakayanagi Arisu, didn't you want to know Class D's secret?

Then I'll give you the "truth" you want to see most.

The next day at noon.

A Class A student silently followed behind Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, maintaining an excellent observation distance.

He watched Ayanokoji enter the library.

He watched him head straight up to the third floor.

He watched him take a manila envelope from a secluded corner by the bookshelves.

Then he watched him leave expressionlessly through the southern staircase.

The entire process was smooth and natural, without the slightest anomaly.

The student immediately reported the intelligence to Sakayanagi Arisu.

Half an hour later.

The envelope Ayanokoji had "carelessly" dropped beside a trash can was delivered to the Class A classroom and placed before Sakayanagi Arisu.

Elegantly holding a cup of black tea, Sakayanagi Arisu picked up the intelligence disguised as trash between two slender fingers.

Hashimoto Masayoshi, standing beside her, leaned closer curiously.

"Princess, what is this?"

Sakayanagi did not answer. She simply gazed quietly at the contents of the paper.

The handwriting on it was flawlessly imitated—it was Natsume Yu's handwriting.

The contents were simple, yet packed with information.

[Ryuen's next target is Ichinose. He plans to crush Class B through public opinion. This is our best chance to replace Class B and rise to Class C.]

[I will have Kushida relay the specific plan.]

[Continue playing the role of an "ordinary student." Stay hidden behind the scenes and do not expose yourself.]

[Class D's rise requires you, its sharpest spear.]

That was where the message ended.

There was no direct signature, but every sentence pointed toward the same conclusion.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was Class D's true mastermind.

Meanwhile, Natsume Yu, who was active in the open, was merely a puppet responsible for passing messages and drawing fire.

A... "shadow double."

Hashimoto Masayoshi was completely baffled.

"Th-this... What does this mean? Natsume Yu is Ayanokoji's puppet? That has to be wrong, doesn't it?"

But Sakayanagi Arisu smiled.

She set down the intelligence in her hand, her pale fingers lightly tapping against the table with crisp clicks.

Understanding gleamed in those violet eyes.

She had found it strange long ago.

That man named Natsume Yu appeared somewhat calculating, but his behavior was sometimes too lazy and casual, lacking an ultimate aggressiveness.

And Ayanokoji Kiyotaka...

The man who had drawn her attention since their days in the White Room.

How could he possibly be content with being an ordinary high school student?

So that was it.

So that was how it was.

"Hehe..."

Sakayanagi Arisu let out a pleased laugh.

"Apparently, I still underestimated Ayanokoji-kun."

"He even knows to use a 'shadow double' to confuse his opponents."

"How interesting."

She raised her black tea and took a small sip.

This game truly only became less boring because of that man's presence.

As for Natsume Yu?

He was merely a messenger piece. There was no further value in investigating him.

Sakayanagi Arisu had successfully been misled by this half-true, half-false "evidence," shifting all her attention back to the opponent she considered her destiny—Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Natsume Yu had successfully wrapped himself in an even thicker layer of protection.

After resolving Class A's prying eyes, Natsume Yu returned all his focus to the chessboard of Class B.

The rumors Kushida Kikyo had spread about Ichinose Honami's "enormous number of personal points" had fully fermented between Class B and Class C.

Suspicion, jealousy, unease.

These negative emotions began winding around the hearts of every Class B student like creeping vines.

And as the class leader, as the person everyone trusted, the pressure Ichinose Honami bore was beyond what outsiders could imagine.

The torment in her heart was about to reach its peak.

Natsume Yu stood by his dormitory window, looking down at the brightly lit campus.

Class D's rise had become inevitable.

Class B's kindness was being torn apart by his own hands.

Class C's hatred was about to become the sharpest blade.

Class A's gaze had successfully been led elsewhere.

Every chess piece was in place.

This grand harvest in the name of "salvation" was finally about to begin.

His gaze pierced through layers of buildings and landed on the rooftop of a distant school building.

There, a lonely figure stood alone in the cold wind.

It was Class B's leader, Ichinose Honami.

"Soon."

"You'll soon learn who your only salvation in this hell truly is."

A cold curve formed at Natsume Yu's lips.

Buzz.

His phone suddenly vibrated.

The screen lit up with a photograph sent by Ayanokoji.

The photo's background was an unused back alley on campus.

In the image, Ryuen Kakeru, Ishizaki, Albert, and several others were blocking Ichinose Honami against a wall with vicious grins on their faces.

The girl's face was filled with helplessness and panic.

Below the photograph was a line of cold text.

"The time has come."

Killing intent flashed through Natsume Yu's eyes.

He replied with a single word.

"Capture."

The play of saving the Holy Light had officially begun!