Better to Be There in Person Than Watch the Broadcast

The suffocating silence in the Class D classroom continued to ferment.

Ken Sudo slumped in his seat like a plaster statue that had been drained of its soul.

His face was deathly pale, his lips trembling slightly as he repeatedly muttered words of despair that no one could clearly make out:

"How is this possible... 39 points... I studied so hard..."

Yosuke Hirata stood by the podium, his hands clenched into fists and his brows locked in a tight knot, yet he was utterly helpless.

He looked around the room, his gaze sweeping over faces that were either lowered in avoidance or darting glances at one another.

No one dared to break this heavy atmosphere, as if whoever spoke first would have to shoulder this unbearable responsibility.

In the middle row at the back of the classroom, Lin Mu rested his chin on one hand.

He held the last plastic stick of a lollipop in his mouth, idly rolling it around with the tip of his tongue.

His gaze swept across the classroom with indifference before finally landing on Kiyotaka Ayanokoji not far away, who remained expressionless, sitting as upright as a mannequin.

He's certainly calm.

Lin Mu muttered to himself, his fingertips tapping unconsciously against the desk.

Although his precognition had long since told him the outcome of this scene, witnessing this absurd display of collective silence still made him feel a bit... bored.

It was too boring, like a mystery play where you already know the solution; watching the characters rack their brains only makes you want to fast-forward.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji seemed to notice Lin Mu's gaze, or perhaps he simply decided that this was the moment to act—he slowly turned his head.

Their eyes met briefly in the air.

There was no emotional fluctuation in Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's eyes; they were like two bottomless, ancient wells.

Lin Mu offered him a faint smile, one filled with the languor of someone who saw through everything, mixed with a playful hint of "I know what you're about to do."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji paused and blinked.

Then, he returned a standard, mechanical smile, the curve of his lips as precise as if measured with a ruler, though his eyes remained dead and hollow.

There was no verbal exchange between them, not even a nod, yet it was as if they had completed a tacit confirmation: You think it's time for the next act too, don't you?

The next second, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji stood up calmly.

His movements were unhurried; he first straightened the hem of his uniform shirt, smoothing out wrinkles that weren't even there.

Then he walked toward the classroom door, and judging by the direction, he was clearly intending to follow Sae Chabashira, who had just left.

Kikyo Kushida, who had been keeping an eye on the class, immediately caught this anomaly.

She had been biting her lower lip anxiously, her hands tightly intertwined, but the moment she saw Kiyotaka Ayanokoji stand up, sparks of hope ignited in her eyes. Could he have thought of a way to save Ken Sudo?

"Ayanokoji-kun, you..."

Before she could finish, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji didn't stop, nor did he look back as he spoke in a flat tone:

"Sorry, I'm going to the restroom."

As the words fell, he pulled the classroom door open, slipped out sideways, and then gently pulled it shut behind him.

With a soft "click," the sound completely cut off the follow-up question Kikyo Kushida hadn't yet managed to ask.

Kikyo Kushida stood frozen in place, the urgency on her face solidifying into a state of bewildered confusion.

She frowned, her gaze still fixed on the closed door, her mind racing:

Is he really going to the restroom? At a time like this? But... the restroom isn't in that direction...

She pondered for a few seconds, her lips moving, but in the end, she said nothing more.

She simply sighed softly and turned her worried gaze back to the still-despondent Ken Sudo.

The moment Kiyotaka Ayanokoji left, Suzune Horikita, sitting next to his seat, slammed her notebook shut with a "snap."

The sound was exceptionally crisp in the deathly silent classroom, causing several nearby students to look over instinctively.

She stood up expressionlessly, her uniform skirt tracing a sharp arc with the movement, and spoke in a cold tone:

"I'm going to the restroom, too."

Having said that, she didn't look at anyone and headed straight for the classroom door, her pace decisive, her back straight and distant.

Oh? The show is starting!

(Quick quiz: Whose line is this in the League?)

Lin Mu took all of this in, the corners of his mouth curling up almost imperceptibly.

Interesting. Both of them choosing this moment to go to the "restroom," and both heading in the direction Sae Chabashira left—that's a bit too deliberate.

Whatever. Instead of sitting here using his precognition to watch the aftermath (even though he had already seen it), he might as well go join the fun himself.

Sitting blankly in the classroom was just too boring, and besides...

With that thought, Lin Mu also stood up, moving at a leisurely pace.

His movements appeared far more sluggish than the previous two, and he even fished a grape-flavored lollipop out of his pocket.

He noted that this was the last one for the day, peeled off the wrapper, popped it into his mouth, and only then began to walk.

Kikyo Kushida's gaze drifted toward the back row once again.

This time, besides confusion, her eyes held a hint of helplessness: How could there be another one?

Lin Mu met her gaze, raised a hand to make a "stay calm" gesture, and then tossed out a casual remark:

"I'm going to the bathroom, too."

His tone was matter-of-fact, as if this were truly the perfect moment for a group bathroom break.

(A team-building exercise in the restroom, it seems.)

Kushida looked at the three empty seats in the back row: Ayanokoji, Horikita, and Lin Mu.

Her mouth twitched, and she secretly grumbled to herself: Just how coincidental can this be? Three people wanting to go to the bathroom at the same time, and all heading in the same direction... it's hard not to overthink it.

She shook her head, cast such thoughts out of her mind, and refocused her attention on the situation in the classroom.

Lin Mu walked with a light step, sauntering out of the classroom while sucking on his lollipop, and soon caught up to Suzune Horikita at the corner of the hallway.

She was following Ayanokoji from a distance, but the way her eyes were locked onto his back betrayed the fact that she wasn't really going to "relieve herself."

Lin Mu quickened his pace, raised his hand, and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

Suzune Horikita tensed up instantly, like a startled cat, and spun around sharply.

Her eyes were sharp as ice, filled with intense vigilance and hostility, as if she were ready to deal with any sudden situation at a moment's notice.

But upon seeing that it was Lin Mu, her edge softened slightly, though her tone remained cold and distant, entirely consistent with her usual personality:

"Lin Mu, do you need something?"

There was clear displeasure in her voice; she obviously didn't like being approached suddenly from behind.

Lin Mu tilted his chin, pointed toward the other side of the hallway, and spoke in a flat tone:

"Horikita, this isn't the direction to the bathroom."

He paused, looked at her slightly furrowed brows, and continued slowly:

"The bathroom is clearly over there. You and Ayanokoji, I suspect your intentions aren't really about the bathroom, are they?"

He deliberately drew out the end of his sentence, shifting the lollipop to the other cheek and creating a small bulge:

"You're both working hard to keep Sudo from being expelled, right?"

Suzune Horikita's brows furrowed even tighter.

She didn't offer an excuse, nor did she admit it; she merely shot him a cold glance, her eyes filled with a sense of detachment that screamed "none of your business."

Clearly, she didn't want her intentions exposed, and she certainly didn't want any complications at a time like this.

Lin Mu shrugged, shoved his hands back into his uniform pockets, and kept his tone lazy:

"I don't mean anything by it; I'm just bored and wanted to join in on the fun."

He gestured with his chin toward the front, where Ayanokoji's back had already disappeared around the stairwell corner: "I won't interfere with your business, I'm just following along to watch. Shall we?"

Suzune Horikita was silent for a few seconds.

Her gaze lingered on Lin Mu's face for a moment, as if evaluating his intentions.

In the end, she said nothing, simply turned around, and continued walking forward—this served as her tacit consent.

The two moved one after the other, maintaining a distance, like two taciturn trackers quietly following Ayanokoji and the Sae Chabashira further ahead.

They passed through the quiet hallway of the school building, climbed the stairs, and finally arrived at the entrance leading to the rooftop.