The suffocating silence in Class D's classroom continued to fester.
Ken Sudō slumped in his seat like a plaster statue drained of its soul.
His face was frighteningly pale, his lips trembling slightly as he repeatedly muttered words of despair that no one could make out:
"How is this possible... 39 points... I memorized everything..."
Yosuke Hirata stood beside the podium, fists clenched and brow furrowed into a deep knot, yet he was just as helpless.
He looked around, his gaze passing over faces turned away or surreptitiously exchanging glances.
No one dared to break the heavy silence. It was as if whoever spoke first would have to shoulder an unbearable responsibility.
In the middle of the back row, Lin Mu propped his chin on one hand.
With the white plastic stick from his last lollipop in his mouth, he idly rolled it around with his tongue.
His gaze drifted across the classroom and finally landed on Ayanokoji, sitting not far away. Ayanokoji remained expressionless, his posture so straight he looked like a mannequin.
He sure was calm.
Lin Mu grumbled inwardly, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the desk.
Though Precognition had told him how this scene would end long ago, witnessing the absurd spectacle of the whole class falling silent still left him feeling a little... bored.
It was so boring, like watching a mystery drama when you already knew the answer. Seeing the characters rack their brains only made you want to fast-forward.
Ayanokoji beside him seemed to notice Lin Mu's gaze—or perhaps he simply happened to need to make a certain decision at that moment. Kiyotaka Ayanokoji slowly turned his head.
Their gazes met briefly in midair.
There wasn't a flicker of emotion in Ayanokoji's eyes. They were like two unfathomably deep wells.
Lin Mu gave him a faint smile, tinged with the languor of someone who saw through everything and the amusement of someone thinking, "I know what you're about to do."
Ayanokoji paused, then blinked.
Then he returned a perfectly mechanical smile. The curve of his lips was so precise it might have been measured with a ruler, while his eyes remained utterly lifeless.
They exchanged no words, not even a nod, yet it was as if they had silently confirmed something between them: You think it's time for this play to move on to the next act too, don't you?
The next second, Ayanokoji calmly stood up.
He moved unhurriedly, first straightening the hem of his uniform shirt and smoothing out wrinkles that weren't there.
Then he headed for the classroom door. From his direction, he was clearly going to catch up with Sae Chabashira, who had just left.
Kikyo Kushida, who had been keeping a close eye on the class, immediately noticed this unusual move.
She had been anxiously biting her lower lip, her hands clasped tightly together. The moment Ayanokoji stood up,
a spark of hope flared in her eyes. Had he thought of a way to save Sudō?
"Ayanokoji, you..."
Before she could finish,
Ayanokoji didn't slow down or turn around. He simply said,
"Sorry, I'm going to the bathroom."
By the time he finished speaking, he had already opened the classroom door, stepped outside, and gently closed it behind him.
With a soft click, the door cut off the question Kushida hadn't yet managed to ask.
Kikyo Kushida froze, the urgency on her face congealing into bewilderment.
Frowning, she kept staring at the closed door, her thoughts racing:
Was he really going to the bathroom? At a time like this? But... that didn't seem to be the way to the bathroom...
She pondered it for a few seconds, her lips moving, but in the end she said nothing.
She simply sighed and turned her worried gaze back to Ken Sudō, who was still sitting there, utterly dejected.
Just after Ayanokoji left, Suzune Horikita snapped shut the notebook spread out on the desk beside his seat.
The sound rang out sharply in the dead-silent classroom, making several students nearby instinctively look over.
She rose expressionlessly. Her uniform skirt swept into a crisp arc as she spoke in a cool voice:
"I'm going to the bathroom too."
Without looking at anyone, she headed straight for the classroom door, her steps brisk, her back straight and aloof.
Oh? The show's starting!
(Quick question: Which character in the League says this line?)
Lin Mu took it all in, the corner of his mouth lifting almost imperceptibly.
Interesting. One after another, they'd chosen this moment to go to the "bathroom," and they were all heading in the same direction Chabashira had gone. That was a little too deliberate.
Never mind. Rather than sit here and use Precognition to see what happened next—though he'd already seen it—he might as well go watch the excitement in person.
Sitting around in the classroom, lost in thought, was just too boring, and besides...
With that thought, Lin Mu slowly stood up too.
His movements were much lazier than the other two's. He even fished a grape-flavored lollipop out of his pocket.
This was his last one for the day. He peeled off the wrapper, popped it into his mouth, and only then started walking.
Kikyo Kushida's gaze turned toward the back row again.
This time, along with confusion, there was a hint of exasperation in her eyes. Another one?
Lin Mu met her gaze, raised a hand, and made a "don't worry" gesture. Then he casually tossed out a line:
"I'm going to the bathroom too."
His tone was perfectly matter-of-fact, as if this really were the ideal time for a group bathroom trip.
(A team-building event in the bathroom, huh?)
Kushida looked at the three seats that had suddenly emptied in the back row: Ayanokoji, Horikita, and Lin Mu.
The corner of her mouth twitched as she grumbled inwardly: How could this be such a coincidence? All three of them wanted to go to the bathroom at the same time, and they were all headed in the same direction... It was hard not to read something into that.
She shook her head, pushing the thought out of her mind, and turned her attention back to the state of the class.
With light steps and a lollipop in his mouth, Lin Mu sauntered out of the classroom. He soon caught up with Suzune Horikita at the corridor corner.
She was following Ayanokoji at a moderate distance, but her eyes fixed on his back gave away that she hadn't really come out to "use the facilities."
Lin Mu walked a few steps faster and lightly patted her on the shoulder.
Horikita instantly tensed up, like a startled cat, and spun around.
Her gaze was as sharp as ice, full of wariness and hostility, as if she were ready to deal with any sudden threat.
But when she saw that it was Lin Mu, some of the sharpness eased. Her tone, however, remained cold and distant, entirely in keeping with her usual manner:
"Lin Mu, what is it?"
Her voice carried obvious displeasure. She clearly didn't like people approaching her unexpectedly from behind.
Lin Mu lifted his chin and pointed to the other end of the corridor, speaking in an even tone:
"Horikita, this isn't the way to the bathroom."
He paused, watching the slight furrow in Horikita's brow, then continued at his leisurely pace:
"The bathroom's over there. You and Ayanokoji aren't really interested in the bathroom, are you?"
He drew out the last few words, shifting the lollipop to the other side of his mouth and bulging one cheek:
"You're both trying to keep Sudō from being expelled, right?"
Suzune Horikita's brow furrowed even more deeply.
She neither denied it nor admitted it. She merely shot him a cold glance, her eyes filled with the aloofness of someone saying, "That's none of your business."
Clearly, she didn't want anyone seeing through her intentions, much less causing complications at a time like this.
Lin Mu shrugged and slipped his hands back into his uniform pockets, his tone as languid as ever:
"I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just bored and thought I'd tag along to see what happens."
He nodded toward the corridor ahead, where Ayanokoji had already disappeared around the stairwell corner. "I won't interfere with what you're doing. I'll just follow along and watch. Coming?"
Horikita was silent for a few seconds.
Her gaze lingered on Lin Mu's face as if assessing his intentions.
In the end, she said nothing. She simply turned and continued walking—that counted as permission.
They followed one another at a distance, like two trackers in silent agreement, keeping quietly behind Ayanokoji and, farther ahead, Sae Chabashira.
They crossed the quiet corridor of the school building, climbed the stairs, and finally reached the entrance to the rooftop.
Before you continue