Subtle Manipulations and Emerging Edge

The air in Class D's classroom hung heavy as lead. During lunch break, even the usually noisy hallway felt stifling. Scattered students gathered in small groups, grumbling under their breaths. Their faces were etched with anxiety, their eyes unable to conceal their panic. Natsume Yu sat by the window, lightly tapping his fingers against the desk as his gaze casually swept across every corner of the classroom. He saw Hirata Yosuke frowning deeply as he tried to soothe several agitated girls. Kushida Kikyo moved through the crowd, her smile as sweet as ever, though beneath that sweetness was a hint of helplessness.

"If this keeps up, we're seriously going to get expelled!" A boy slammed his hand onto the desk, his voice trembling as though he might cry. His points had already fallen below the warning line, leaving this month's allowance practically nonexistent.

"Tell me about it. Didn't they say we'd get a hundred thousand points every month when we enrolled? And now? We have to pinch pennies just to get a decent meal." Another girl chimed in. The snack bag in her hand was completely empty, and the malnourished look on her face was plain to see.

The complaints spread swiftly like an infection. Some began questioning the school's system, while others turned their hostility toward the "deadweight" in the class. The corner of Natsume Yu's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. He liked this feeling of standing on the verge of collapse. These greenhouse flowers were finally beginning to feel the cruelty of society. The more intense their emotions became, the easier it would be for him to advance his plans.

After school, Natsume Yu returned to his dormitory. He skillfully turned on his computer and logged into Class D's internal forum. Rather than posting under his own name, he chose an anonymous account. His fingers danced lightly over the keyboard, and a passage soon appeared on the screen.

"Has anyone considered whose responsibility our current predicament really is? Is the school too heartless, or are we simply too naive? Between collective interests and individual interests, which matters more? If we sacrifice some people's freedom and rights—or even expel them—for the sake of class points, is that truly 'collectivism'? Or is it merely an excuse for certain people to evade responsibility?"

The moment the post went up, it immediately set the entire forum ablaze.

"Holy shit, who posted this? They're absolutely right!"

"The anonymous boss is awesome! I've wanted to say this for ages. Why should we pay for the people dragging us down?"

"Who are you talking about? If you've got the guts, say it clearly!"

"Stop fighting! Haven't you noticed? Our class is a complete mess right now! If we don't unite, we're all screwed!"

Arguments, doubts, insults—every kind of voice rose and fell in rapid succession. Natsume Yu watched the replies continually refresh on the forum, his gaze profound. What he wanted was not a single unified answer, but thought. Only thought could break the habitual mindset of this unruly rabble. The seed of public opinion had already been planted. Now, he would see how it took root and sprouted.

The next day, during class, Chabashira Sae wore her usual stern expression as she announced the latest status of the class points. As expected, Class D's points had dropped again and were already nearing zero. An uproar broke out in the classroom, with despairing murmurs rising one after another.

"Teacher, why are our class points dropping so quickly?" Horikita Suzune stood up. Her voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable sharpness in her eyes.

Chabashira Sae glanced at her, her tone flat. "Rules are rules. If you don't follow them, naturally you'll have to pay the price."

"But we don't even know the rules!" Horikita Suzune retorted.

Beside her, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also raised his head. His eyes rested on Chabashira Sae. They seemed calm, yet concealed some deep investigation. Natsume Yu sat in the back row, taking it all in. He knew the two of them had begun to act. That anonymous post was like an invisible fuse, igniting their thirst for knowledge and sense of crisis.

After class, Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka headed straight for the podium, seemingly intending to ask Chabashira for more details about the school's rules. Natsume Yu did not go over to interrupt them. He merely watched from afar. The unfathomable look in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's eyes stirred a strange excitement within him. That sharpest blade was finally about to leave its sheath.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the classroom, Kushida Kikyo was doing her best to maintain her "angelic" image. She comforted several girls with a bright smile, but her voice was drowned out by even louder complaints.

"Kushida, every time you say, 'We need to stick together,' and 'We need to help each other,' but we're practically starving! What good is unity?" A girl who normally got along well with Kushida could no longer hold back her dissatisfaction.

"Exactly. You're always playing peacemaker, but the problem hasn't been solved at all! Isn't our class's current state partly your responsibility too?" another boy said harshly.

Kushida Kikyo's smile froze on her face. She apparently had not expected her classmates, who usually did whatever she said, to speak to her like that. A flash of panic passed through her eyes, but she quickly forced it down. She maintained that same "gentleness," trying to explain and reassure them. Yet her explanations were feeble, and her comfort had lost its former effectiveness. Natsume Yu watched the scene, a playful curve appearing on his lips. Cracks had already begun to show in Two-faced Cat.

Back in his dormitory, Natsume Yu opened his computer again. He entered a string of complex code, bypassed the school's firewall, and accessed a more secretive database. What he was looking for was information on Kushida Kikyo's middle school years. Those carefully concealed "dark secrets" were now gradually appearing before his eyes.

He found a deleted post from an internal school forum. It described an incident in which a class had fallen apart because of internal conflict. The poster was anonymous, but every line brimmed with accusations against a certain "mastermind behind the scenes." Natsume Yu tapped lightly and enlarged the post. One sentence made his eyes narrow slightly: "That woman turned everyone's secrets into her knives."

He also found an anonymous report accusing Kushida Kikyo of repeatedly spreading her classmates' private information during middle school, causing several students to suffer mental breakdowns and even driving some to drop out. This evidence was enough to shatter Kushida Kikyo's "angel" mask completely. Natsume Yu sorted and saved the material, cold calculation glinting in his eyes. What he wanted was complete control, not a simple exposure.

The following day, during lunch break, Natsume Yu happened to "run into" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Horikita Suzune in the cafeteria. They sat in a corner, discussing something in low voices. Natsume Yu did not approach them. He simply chose a seat not far away, calmly pretending to eat while taking in every word of their conversation.

"Chabashira's attitude is clear. She won't directly tell us how to earn points." Horikita Suzune's tone carried a trace of reluctance.

"Yeah." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka responded, his eyes sweeping over the students from the other classes in the cafeteria before returning to his tray.

"But she also implied that the school's rules aren't set in stone. We just haven't found the 'correct' way to interpret them yet," Horikita Suzune continued.

"The correct interpretation?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka repeated softly, a faint flicker appearing in his eyes as if he were considering something.

"Yes. She mentioned 'collective contribution' and 'individual value.'" Horikita Suzune frowned deeply. "Those concepts are too vague. What exactly do we need to do to raise the class points?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka put down his chopsticks, raised his head, and looked directly into Horikita Suzune's eyes. "Maybe we misunderstood from the beginning."

Horikita Suzune paused. "What do you mean?"

"The school's rules may not be meant to 'punish' us, but to 'guide' us." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's tone was calm, but his words made Natsume Yu's pupils contract slightly. "Guide us to discover, to think, to adapt. Maybe our points are falling not because we did something wrong, but because we failed to 'do the right thing.'"

An indescribable thrill rose in Natsume Yu's heart. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had not disappointed him after all. Even beneath deliberate concealment, that insight beyond ordinary people still shone brilliantly. He had already grasped the school's most fundamental secret. A corner of that "Masterpiece" was gradually revealing itself before Natsume Yu.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the hallway windows and spilled across the floor. Sakura Airi held her camera as she quietly walked alone toward the dormitories. She had almost no points left, so she had to carefully budget every last one. A hint of unease lingered on her face as she felt lost about the future.

Suddenly, several upperclassmen emerged from around the corner and blocked her path. Their uniforms hung loosely from their bodies, their hair dyed in a riot of colors, and malicious smiles rested on their faces.

"Well, if it isn't Sakura from Class D. Walking alone is so boring, isn't it?" said a boy with dyed blond hair in a careless tone.

Sakura Airi took a frightened step back, clutching her camera tightly against her chest as her body trembled slightly. "W-What... what do you want?"

"Don't be nervous. We just want to be friends." Another boy stepped forward and tried to reach for her shoulder.

At that moment, a figure walked by from not far away. Natsume Yu. He seemed not to have noticed what was happening. He simply strolled along at an unhurried pace, a book in hand as though he were reading it attentively. His footsteps were light, yet everyone present felt the pressure of his presence.

The blond boy's hand froze in midair. He saw Natsume Yu's calm eyes, devoid of emotion, and his heart gave a sudden jolt. It was neither anger nor a warning. His sheer "presence" alone was enough to make these delinquents uncomfortable.

"Forget it. Let's go," the blond boy muttered to his companions before quickly leading them away.

Sakura Airi stood there in a daze. Only after the boys had gone far away did she finally let out a sharp breath of relief. She looked up to see Natsume Yu already at the end of the hallway, about to turn the corner. He did not look back or say a single word, as though everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him. But Sakura Airi knew he had helped her. In that instant, Natsume Yu's back seemed taller in her eyes, and the fondness she felt for him turned into a kind of dependence. In this cold and indifferent campus, Natsume Yu's appearance was like a faint yet warm light.

Back in his dormitory, Natsume Yu sat at his desk and opened a blank notebook. He did not have a habit of keeping a diary, but this notebook was his "book of strategy," used to record and work through his plans. Taking up his pen, he sketched a relationship chart for Class D on the paper. He circled Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in red and wrote beside it: "Masterpiece. Must guide cautiously." Horikita Suzune was circled beside Ayanokoji, with the note: "Ambitious. Can be used as a blade."

He also wrote down Kushida Kikyo's name, but drew a large X beside it. He would use her, but he would never trust her. What he wanted was for her to expose herself completely, then become a tool for his control over Class D. Natsume Yu's eyes were cold and sharp. He could already foresee that the points crisis would soon reach a turning point. And that would be the first moment he, as the mastermind behind the scenes, truly displayed his control. Class D's situation was moving forward step by step along the path he had laid out. Like a precise clockmaker, he gently turned the gears of fate, guiding everything toward the direction he desired.

Natsume Yu closed the notebook and wrote a line on the last page.

"The board is set. All that remains is to place the pieces. And it is time to reel in that Two-faced Cat."