How to Deal with Your Enemy's Ashes

Besides them, another group from Class A had come to the library to study. The rest were either at the café or had found quiet places of their own.

It was worth mentioning that over the past two days, the library seemed to have been seeing more students from Classes C and D. They apparently felt that just sitting around waiting to lose wasn't going to cut it, so they'd finally organized themselves and were trying to improve their grades.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that he'd actually spotted Horikita-imouto and Cha Cha together in there. Th-this shouldn't be happening.

Had their relationship suddenly made great strides while he was away these past few days?

Or had Cha Cha finally discovered Horikita-imouto's weakness and gotten her under her thumb?

Mikage Touji kept letting his imagination run wild, then his pupils suddenly contracted.

The pen between his lips dropped onto the desk with a tap, rolled around a few times, and came to a stop.

Morishita Ran was approaching them with Yamamura Miki, striding forward with a bold, confident air.

It seemed that while he'd been in seclusion, diligently studying these past few days, the evil Morishita Ran had finally lost patience. Worried that he'd surpass her in ability, she'd come specifically to sabotage his progress.

How to Dispose of an Enemy's Ashes

Inside the library, Mikage Touji sat at one end of the table, hands clasped together beneath his lips as he scrutinized Morishita Ran across from him, backlit by the sun.

"What are you here for?" Mikage asked, eyes half-lidded.

"Because I wanted to come, so I came."

Morishita Ran was as unapologetic as ever.

"The library is open to the public. Anyone can come in and acquire knowledge. Please understand that, Mikage."

After speaking, Morishita glanced at the workbook on the table and asked as if it had just occurred to her, "You finished your study session today?"

"I finished not long ago."

Mikage hesitated before asking, "You... seem disappointed?"

"How could I be..."

Morishita turned her head aside and pursed her lips, whistling.

"Tell me you weren't planning to come sabotage my study progress or something," Mikage said dryly.

"You actually suspect Lord Morishita of having anything but kind feelings toward her classmates? Mikage, you heartless, despicable pervert!"

Morishita slapped both hands on the table and launched into her usual routine of turning the accusation around on him.

"Morishita said she couldn't find anything interesting, so she came to see you," Yamamura Miki quietly explained from beside her.

So... this woman was treating him as entertainment, was she? Mikage felt his blood pressure slowly rising.

"I'm spending my own time coming to the library to keep you company. Shouldn't you be grateful?"

"Thanks," Mikage said with a false smile.

"You're welcome."

"I've finished studying for today. Looks like you came for nothing."

"The Morishita Family never does anything in vain." Morishita didn't seem bothered. She glanced around the library. "Since I'm already here, I'm definitely going to find an interesting book before I leave."

Please don't let it be something like Japanese Yokai Folklore Records again...

Before Mikage could reply, Morishita grabbed Yamamura Miki and plunged into the stacks. Knowing her, finding an interesting book amid that vast sea of shelves was apparently an experience in itself.

Elsewhere, Kamuro Masumi had just finished her problems. She leaned her head back against her chair, looking as if she'd finally been set free.

Shiraishi Asuka sat with her legs crossed to one side, leisurely flipping through a book while watching Mikage and Morishita bicker with great interest.

"You two should head out first in a bit."

Mikage took out his phone and checked the time. With Morishita's personality, she wouldn't leave satisfied until she'd used up all her energy.

"Understood."

Shiraishi smiled and nodded. Ever since Mikage had hit her with that verbal blow earlier, she'd softened up considerably, seeming to return to the gentle, considerate Yamato Nadeshiko she'd been at the start of the school year.

"Got it."

Kamuro nodded with an unhappy expression. Unlike Mikage, she was busy. She still had to go investigate Class D's situation later.

After saying goodbye to the two of them, Mikage turned around and looked around, but couldn't see Morishita or Yamamura anywhere.

I'll go find a book to pass the time, too...

Following the dazzling array of titles on the shelves, Mikage wandered leisurely through the stacks, taking light steps.

The Red and the Black...

The Human Comedy...

The Long Goodbye...

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame...

Mikage stopped and reached for the most out-of-place book in the row—The Long Goodbye. He nodded with satisfaction. Yes, this looked much better.

Mikage lowered his head to examine the cover. The author was Chandler Lemons... the same author as the copy of The Long Goodbye he'd read in the classroom last time.

After hesitating for a moment, Mikage decided to give it a try. Morishita had spoiled the plot of the last book for him, but he had to admit it had quite a bit of charm.

With that in mind, Mikage tucked the book under his arm and left.

In a corner Mikage hadn't noticed, a silver-haired girl stared at the spine of the book tucked under his arm, her adorable cheeks puffing up slightly.

Leaving the world literature section, Mikage turned into the living and administrative section, where there were fewer people.

Morishita was at the far end, beneath a tall shelf. She stood on tiptoe and reached for a book on the shelf above.

To be fair, Morishita wasn't short. She was average height, if slightly taller than average for a girl. There was even a step stool nearby; she could have dragged it over and climbed up to reach the book. But this stubborn girl insisted on trying to get it herself.

Mikage approached silently and leaned against the wall beside her, watching the hardheaded girl's efforts with amusement.

After a few tries, Morishita realized she couldn't reach and stopped. She sharply turned her murderous gaze toward Mikage, who was watching the show and struggling to hold back a laugh.

"As expected of the cold-blooded, crafty, and deceitful Mikage Touji. You saw your adorable seatmate in trouble and chose to stand by instead of helping her."

"Haha, weren't you the one who laughed at my nine points in Japanese Literature?"

Mikage couldn't hold back his laughter. He set the book tucked under his arm on a nearby table, then walked over to Morishita, still chuckling, and raised his arm.

"Let your kindhearted deskmate help you get what you're after."

"Is this the one? Huh, it's a Chinese-to-Japanese translation. Let me see—"

Mikage's smile gradually vanished. His finger stopped at the spine, and he looked down at Morishita expressionlessly.

"I suddenly don't want to give this book to you."

Its title was How to Dispose of an Enemy's Ashes!

"Hand it over!"

"No. I'll check what's inside first, then decide whether to give it to you."

"As expected of the naturally evil Emperor Alien, always snatching other people's treasures."

"Finders keepers. You taught me that. I'm borrowing this book first."

"You stingy Mikage Touji. You've held a seat against me all this time, and didn't I give it back to you?"

"Was that what you call giving it back? You've got the nerve to call me stingy. Don't think I didn't notice you glaring at me through the glass after I took my seat back that day. And you say you weren't holding a grudge?"

"I was just curious what kind of shameless person would steal a seat in public. Anyway, hand it over!"

"No!"

In a corner of the library, the evening sun streamed through the windows and fell on the two of them, casting their shadows on the floor. The taller shadow held a book high above its head, out of reach of the shorter one. The shorter shadow rose onto its toes, grabbed the taller shadow's clothes, and stretched for the book.

"Come on. If you can reach it, I'll give it to you. You couldn't reach it just now, but maybe you'll manage this time." Mikage lowered the book a little, then slowly raised it again, like he was dangling bait.

"Mikage Touji." Morishita's eyes stayed fixed on the book. Her usually emotionless voice held a rare note of anger. "You're finished. How dare you anger Lord Morishita? When I get that book, I'll smack it against your head in one blow and turn you right back into a statue."

"Then I definitely can't give it to you. I need to read the book first, so I can give you a taste of your own medicine!"

"Someone who got nine points in Japanese Literature should just give up. That's my advice to you."

"Huh? My score in Japanese Literature this time was—"

The voice, furious with embarrassment, abruptly fell silent.

"So you finally surrender—"

The voice, tinged with smugness, fell silent too.

In the setting sun, the tips of their noses were almost touching. Mikage could clearly see his own face reflected in Morishita's watery eyes, along with the diamond-shaped hair clip on her head and her slightly parted, moist lips. A peach-like fragrance drifted closer and farther with the rhythm of their breathing, lingering around them. The ponytail fluttering against Morishita's chest brushed the back of his hand. It felt a little ticklish, and a little strange.

"..."

Neither of them said anything. They silently moved apart.

After a long while, Mikage quietly held the book out to her.

"Here..."

"Mm..." Morishita took the book.

The two of them fell silent once more, an indescribable atmosphere spreading around them.

At last, Mikage broke the silence.

"Um... what do you want to eat tonight?"

"Whatever you want."

"The Student Cafeteria?"

"No!"

"That conveyor-belt sushi place from last time?"

"No!"

"Then... the ramen shop?"

"Sure!"

Mikage's eye twitched. Sure enough, "whatever you want" was a lie. Even someone as self-centered as Morishita couldn't escape that universal quirk of women.

A Note on the Book's Release

Last night, I had a dream.

I opened my phone at work and saw that, for some reason, the chapter I'd uploaded had turned into a conversation between a seahorse and an octopus.

The octopus looked this way. "Look, it's all water!"

The seahorse looked that way. "Look, there's water over there, too!"

Then it went on like that for page after page. A bunch of readers were posting question marks, and comments like "What a joke," "This is a dumpster fire," and "I'm out" kept popping up over and over.

It scared me awake.

Ahem. Anyway, back to the point.

At first, I wasn't too concerned about how well this book did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made Morishita Ran the first heroine. I simply thought she was an interesting character. The original work even had a line saying, "Anyone who could date Morishita Ran would have to be a weirdo on her level." And that was how the protagonist came into being.

Then I realized that if the protagonist stirred up trouble in Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu would definitely come bother him. Or, put another way, having the protagonist in Class A while Sakayanagi Arisu ignored him wouldn't meet the readers' expectations. But if he beat Sakayanagi Arisu, the story would inevitably veer toward a romance with her, and that wasn't what I'd originally intended.

On top of that, handling Ayanokouji Kiyotaka in Classroom of the Elite fanfiction has always been a headache. Either you make him disappear, or you bring him into the story and have him face off against the protagonist, which is bound to be a lot of trouble. If you make him too powerful and too coldhearted, he won't feel like a character who belongs in an ordinary novel. But if you banish him, the second-year plot from the original won't be able to unfold.

And so, this book's title came about.

From the beginning, I wanted to keep readers' expectations modest: write 2,000 words a day, add extra chapters when I was in the mood, and spend two or three years working toward a completed story.

Yes, I really want to finish it.

Do you believe me? I'd already worked out what I wanted to say in my author's note for the ending when I was only about a dozen chapters in.

I even thought of the final chapter one day when I was stuck and went mountain climbing.

Once again, it was on a bus. Mikage Touji faced Morishita Ran, who had stolen his seat yet again, and said with a smile, "If you steal my seat, you'll have to spend your whole life making it up to me."

In the evening light, the bus rolled slowly away from the outside world along the bridge connecting it to Advanced Nurturing High School. Amid the sound of the waves, he looked back at Advanced Nurturing High School, dyed crimson by the setting sun.

After crossing the bridge and turning onto the road, the school's buildings appeared and disappeared between the high-rises. Then, after turning an unknown number of corners, the Advanced Nurturing High School where they had lived for three years disappeared from Mikage Touji's sight for good.

And with that, the whole story was over.

I'd already imagined the ending: maybe a few hundred average readers, and, if things went a little better, a thousand. I'd chat every day with the handful of readers who left comments, then finish the story at a million or two million words. In the future, when I looked back on my life, I'd realize I'd spent some unknown fraction of it writing a perfectly ordinary book that I nevertheless found quite interesting.