Ayanokoji's Reappearance

He wore an ordinary uniform, his posture upright. His features were hard to make out in the dim light.

But Yuefeng could never mistake those deep brown eyes, still calm and undisturbed in the night, as if they could absorb all light.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

What was he doing here?!

Kiyotaka slowly emerged from the shadows, the streetlamp's glow outlining his profile.

He seemed to be holding a tablet, its faint light reflecting off his expressionless face.

He walked over calmly, his gaze passing over the frozen Ishizaki, the lackey standing there with his fist raised, and Onodera, sitting on the ground, still shaken.

At last, seemingly by chance, his gaze swept over the trees where Yuefeng was hiding.

Yuefeng instinctively held his breath, his heart pounding. Had he seen him? Did he know he was here?

Kiyotaka's gaze didn't linger. It returned to Ishizaki.

"Do I need to repeat the specific clauses of the school rules and the reporting procedure, Ishizaki?" Kiyotaka's tone was as steady, clear, and emotionless as when he recited the rules, yet it chilled the heart more than any threat.

Ishizaki's expression shifted from shock to livid anger, then twisted into a mixture of fury, apprehension, and disbelief.

He glared at Kiyotaka, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked, but in the end, he didn't dare make a move.

"You... Ayanokoji! You trash from Class D, stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!" Ishizaki spat through gritted teeth.

"Correction: I'm Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who may become a member of Class D.

"And this isn't meddling. Maintaining order on campus and fairness in exams is every student's duty.

"Or do you think Class C is above the school rules, Ishizaki?" Kiyotaka said calmly, as if correcting an inconsequential grammatical error.

His words had put the blame squarely on the class. Ishizaki might not care about himself, but he couldn't ignore how much Ryuen valued the class's interests.

If his reckless behavior got Class C penalized or even lowered its evaluation, Ryuen would never let him off.

Ishizaki's face was black as a pot.

He glared viciously at Kiyotaka, then at Onodera, trembling on the ground, before giving a heavy snort.

"Let's go!" he barked at his lackey. The two of them hurried away in disgrace, their retreating figures full of resentment and embarrassment.

Onodera shakily got to his feet, bowed toward Kiyotaka, stammered out his thanks, and quickly ran off too.

Only Kiyotaka remained in the clearing. He put away his tablet, as if all he'd done was casually shoo away a couple of annoying flies.

Then he turned, his gaze landing precisely on the spot where Yuefeng was hiding.

"Are you still not coming out, Yuefeng?"

He'd called him "brother." His tone was flat, but Yuefeng stiffened all over.

Knowing he couldn't stay hidden, Yuefeng reluctantly came out from behind the trees, forcing an awkward smile.

"Kiyotaka... What a coincidence. Were you 'just passing by' again?"

Kiyotaka didn't answer.

He looked Yuefeng up and down, his gaze pausing briefly on the thick book in Yuefeng's hand, which was clearly borrowed from the library.

"How's your studying going?" he asked, in his usual matter-of-fact tone.

Yuefeng smiled bitterly to himself. Every time this guy showed up, the conversation made his scalp tingle.

"Not bad. I'm cramming at the last minute," Yuefeng said vaguely, not wanting to discuss it.

Kiyotaka nodded and didn't press further. He looked up at the night sky, then back at Yuefeng, and suddenly said:

"That person from before, Onodera. He's good at math, especially geometry. But history and civics are weak points for him. History will carry more weight on this exam."

Yuefeng froze. Was Kiyotaka... still giving him information? And this time, was it information about a specific person?

"Why are you telling me this?" Yuefeng couldn't help asking. Once might have been a coincidence, but twice definitely wasn't.

Kiyotaka looked at him. In the night, his eyes seemed even more inscrutable.

"Since we're at the same school, getting to know each other's circumstances and 'resources' is necessary," Kiyotaka said slowly, repeating Yuefeng's earlier words, his tone betraying no emotion.

He paused, then added, his voice seeming to drift in the night breeze. "Besides, the atmosphere in Class C doesn't seem conducive to 'studying in peace.'"

With that, he turned away without looking back at Yuefeng and walked off at an unhurried pace, soon disappearing into the night.

Yuefeng stood where he was, the night breeze brushing past and bringing a hint of chill.

He glanced down at the book in his hand, then toward the direction Kiyotaka had disappeared. He thought back to Ishizaki threatening Onodera, and to Hiyori Shiina's warning...

Countless clues and pieces of information intertwined and collided in his mind.

Kiyotaka... what exactly are you trying to do?

Was this simply "observation" and "data analysis"?

Was it some hard-to-understand, subtle interaction between "brothers"? Or... were you setting up a game I couldn't understand at all?

And what role did Yuefeng play in it?

Yuefeng drew in a lungful of cold air. The exam seemed far more difficult than the questions on the test paper alone.

This night was sure to keep many people awake.