The Passerby at the Gathering

Ayanokoji remained silent throughout, neither agreeing nor objecting, which everyone took as tacit consent.

When it came time to decide on a location for the gathering, Haruki Yamauchi's eyes darted around, and he immediately suggested:

"Let's go to Ayanokoji's dorm! He doesn't have much in his room, so there's plenty of space, and we won't be bothering anyone else!"

Ayanokoji raised his eyes to look at Haruki, his expression so calm that it was impossible to read any emotion from it.

A few seconds later, he gave a slight nod: "Fine."

The group was in immediate agreement.

Then, Kikyo Kushida ran to the back of the classroom and grabbed Lin Mu, who was lost in thought.

"Lin Mu-kun~" Kushida's voice was as sweet as melted honey; she pressed her hands together in front of her chest and blinked at him.

"You're always keeping to yourself, you won't make any friends that way! Why don't you come to the gathering?

We're all classmates, wouldn't it be nice to have a bit of fun together?"

Lin Mu had wanted to refuse.

He had always lacked interest in these kinds of group activities; to him, they felt like hollow, tedious, and lifeless assemblies.

If he had the time, he would rather go back to his dorm and play a few games.

But Kikyo Kushida was clearly prepared.

She first brought out the grand principle that "classmates should interact more," then played the emotional card, saying, "Ken Sudo just went through such a terrifying experience, having more people around will help him move past the shadow of it faster."

Finally, she even resorted to the "I have to prepare snacks for so many people all by myself, it's so hard, could you come and help me, Lin Mu-kun?" weak-and-vulnerable offensive.

She wore him down with persistence, pressing him step by step.

Lin Mu looked at her eyes, which seemed to say, "I'll keep pestering you until you agree."

He glanced at the others in the classroom looking their way, and finally sighed, nodding helplessly.

Whatever, he was just idling away his time anyway.

However, his decision caused dissatisfaction in some people.

Ayanokoji and Horikita showed no reaction—the former remained a stone-face, the latter remained an iceberg.

But the expressions of Haruki Yamauchi and Kanji Ike darkened instantly.

Haruki Yamauchi muttered to himself: This gathering is for our study group, why is an outsider like him crashing it?

He had hoped to use the gathering to get closer to Kushida, but now that this pretty boy invited by her had shown up, he was nothing but an eyesore!

He stared at Lin Mu's striking white hair and his overly handsome face, and a wave of inexplicable hostility welled up in his heart.

Although Kanji Ike didn't say anything, his reluctance was obvious in his eyes.

Kikyo Kushida keenly sensed their emotions and immediately smiled to smooth things over: "We're all classmates, we should be making friends! The more people, the merrier!"

Out of respect for Kushida, Haruki could only reluctantly acquiesce, but throughout the entire gathering.

He didn't give Lin Mu a single pleasant look; to be precise, he ignored him entirely, as if Lin Mu were just a piece of furniture in the room.

By now, the gathering had been going on for a while.

Ken Sudo, Haruki Yamauchi, and Kanji Ike had long since cast aside the embarrassment of having exhausted their points, stuffing their faces with potato chips, chocolate, and cookies.

They had been living off the bland, free vegetable sets from the cafeteria for so long that they had forgotten the taste of snacks.

The three of them joked with each other while eating, and the topic soon turned to the midterm exams.

"Sudo, you're really something." Haruki Yamauchi laughed incoherently while chewing on a potato chip, his tone laced with a bit of schadenfreude.

"You failed even with the answers in hand; you nearly scared us to death!"

Kanji Ike chimed in as well, shoving a large piece of chocolate wafer into his mouth:

"Exactly! We thought you had it in the bag, but you almost got expelled; it's so embarrassing!"

Ken Sudo's face flushed, and he retorted defiantly: "Don't get cocky!

If it weren't for the answers Kushida-san gave, you two wouldn't be any better off! You would've failed just the same!"

"But at least we passed!" Haruki Yamauchi shook his head triumphantly. "Unlike you, missing it by one point! One point! Hahaha!"

"You—!"

The three of them bickered, their voices growing louder and louder, the room filled with the scent of snacks and the boisterous laughter of the boys.

Kikyo Kushida watched from the side with a smile, occasionally saying, "Everyone, eat slowly, there's still plenty," playing the role of the perfect gathering organizer.

As for Lin Mu, he remained leaning against the door.

He kept his distance from the center of the excitement, a lollipop in his mouth, watching coldly from the sidelines.

He neither joined the conversation nor reached for many snacks, even though Kushida had warmly invited him several times.

He just stood there like a spectator who had wandered onto a film set, waiting for the play to reach its end.

His gaze occasionally swept over the others in the room.

Ayanokoji was still lost in his own world.

Suzune Horikita frowned slightly, clearly uncomfortable with the commotion before her, yet she endured it without leaving.

Kikyo Kushida, after distributing snacks to the boys once again, quietly sidled up to Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and Suzune Horikita.

Her face still wore a sweet smile, but her voice was lowered, carrying just the right amount of curiosity:

"Um... Ayanokoji-kun, Horikita-san, I'm still really curious... how exactly did you convince Chabashira-sensei?

Her attitude was so firm at the time; I really want to know what method you used..."

Her eyes were sparkling, clearly begging for an answer.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping calmly over Kikyo Kushida's face before glancing at Lin Mu not far away.

Then, in that tone devoid of any ripples, he said flatly:

"This is all thanks to Horikita-san."

He pushed all the credit onto Suzune Horikita.

"If she hadn't argued logically with Chabashira-sensei and left the teacher speechless, Ken Sudo's expulsion could never have been revoked."

Kikyo Kushida blinked, half-doubting.

She turned to look at Suzune Horikita, then at Lin Mu, her eyes seeking confirmation.

Lin Mu shrugged, shifted the lollipop in his mouth, and spoke in a lazy tone:

"I was just passing by to watch the fun; I didn't hear anything and don't know the specifics."

This was a lie. After returning from the rooftop, he had received a brief message from Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and Suzune Horikita via his terminal, asking him to keep the truth about the "one hundred thousand points for one point" transaction a secret.

He couldn't be bothered with such matters anyway, so he naturally went along with it.

Suzune Horikita spoke coolly, her tone carrying her usual sense of detachment:

"It was just for the sake of the class; there is no need to delve into it."

The words sounded high-minded, yet they buried all the details beneath a layer of ice.

Ken Sudo, who was busy devouring a bag of potato chips, was instantly moved to tears upon hearing this.

He jerked his head up to look at Suzune Horikita, his eyes reddening again:

"Horikita-san! Thank you so much! I never expected...

I never expected you would argue with the teacher for my sake. I'm really... really so touched!"

His voice trembled with excitement.

(Event duration: May 1st to May 5th)