Arrangements

By the time school let out, Hirata's resignation as class representative still hadn't been properly resolved.

He sincerely wanted to resign, but so many classmates opposed him that Chabashira finally threw up her hands and told them to decide for themselves.

Naturally, this meant that Hirata, unable to withstand everyone's repeated pleas, had no choice but to put the matter aside for now.

And today was destined to be one of the darkest days of the first year...

"Thank you, Master~"

"Thank you so much. No one came after me today. Really, no one did~"

On the way home from school, the girl's eyes glistened with excitement as she leaned her head on the boy's arm in public for the first time.

The sight left the passersby, including the devoted fans lying in wait behind them, wide-eyed and screaming.

"Wow~ The guy and girl I've always admired are actually together... Ahhh!"

"I saw it, I saw it! I have to take a picture~"

"Does this mean they're dating...? No, I'm going to be heartbroken, but why am I so happy? Waaaaah~"

As the shouts and camera flashes multiplied, Kushida, walking beside Rinya, suddenly realized just how inappropriate her behavior was.

Embarrassed, she quickly turned around and lowered her head, not daring to meet Rinya's amused gaze.

"Honestly, why have I been getting more and more impulsive lately?"

Kushida pouted, a trace of irritation stirring inside her, though even she didn't know where it had come from...

"Heh, do I still need to teach you what to do at a time like this?" Rinya couldn't help laughing as he looked at her.

"Huh? What~" Kushida asked, looking up in a fluster.

But when she saw the crowd about to surround them from every direction, she suddenly remembered that she was a famous figure at school too.

She was about to grab her Master and run, but when she turned to pull him along, she was left speechless...

"Master... You did it again~" she cried out weakly.

Kushida grimaced. Rinya was nowhere to be seen; all that remained was an endless crush of fans.

Meanwhile, Rinya had already escaped the crowd in the blink of an eye when he received a call from Ibuki Mio.

"Master, things aren't looking too good for me in class right now."

"Oh~ Tell me about it."

"Ever since what happened with Koenji, Ryuen Kakeru's lackeys seem even more suspicious of me. They've all been giving me hostile looks lately."

"I was thinking of visiting my classmates in the hospital and explaining what happened that day to Ryuen Kakeru."

"No, don't go. If you do, they'll be even more suspicious of you."

"For now, just act colder than ever. If those guys still give you hostile looks, you can use Ryuen Kakeru's injuries as an excuse to teach them a lesson."

"But... won't that cause trouble?" Ibuki asked, sounding worried.

"Heh~ Trust me. Those guys have all been beaten into submission. If you don't give them a good thrashing, they'll feel restless, and they'll only suspect you more."

"On the contrary, once you've beaten them into line, even if Ryuen Kakeru questions you himself, they'll definitely step up and speak for you."

"I-Is that so? Then I'll give it a try~" Ibuki Mio was a little confused, but since her Master had said so, she might as well vent the frustration she'd been bottling up for the past two days~

"Crack, crack..."

The call ended with a faint sound of knuckles popping on the other end.

As for Ryuen Kakeru, Rinya had made preparations well in advance to keep him from growing too suspicious and figuring anything out.

After all, once he'd learned that the two girls had teamed up to deal with Ishizaki that night, he hadn't planned to let the guy off so easily.

The agreement was between Kushida and Ishizaki, but in Rinya's view, it might be better to turn it into a one-sided deal in his own favor.

"Heh~ Such foolish loyalty. How laughable, how pitiable~"

Shaking his head, Rinya casually called Kushida.

"Hello, Master..." Kushida answered, sounding a little aggrieved.

"Heh, I have something important to tell you this time, so listen carefully."

"Okay." Hearing that it was important, Kushida immediately grew serious.

"About what happened with Ishizaki, I need you to call him shortly and use a recording to force him to clear Ibuki Mio's name at the hospital."

"Heh~ As Ryuen Kakeru's right-hand man, he should know what to do."

"Ah, won't he..." Kushida hesitated.

After all, he had dirt on her too, according to their agreement. If he got desperate and decided to drag her down with him, she'd surely be expelled as well.

"Are you worried about yourself~"

"...Heh, at least you're aware of the basics. You just don't understand human nature well enough yet."

"Trust me, even if it cost him his life, he wouldn't dare do that." Rinya's voice was full of amusement.

Kushida naturally believed him completely. But unlike Ibuki Mio, she was eager to understand the reasoning behind it.

What frustrated her was that when she asked why he wouldn't risk taking them both down, Rinya didn't explain much. He merely said,

"It's just a little quirk of human nature. You'll understand when the time comes."

"Okay, got it~"

Though a little disappointed, Kushida didn't dwell on it. She knew all too well that the gap between her and her Master was like a chasm.

Besides, on the night after the battle with Koenji, her Master had drawn up a development plan tailored specifically for her.

Even now, what still amazed Kushida about that meticulous plan was that, in the future, not only the Student Council but even people in positions like the Class 3 homeroom teacher's could naturally become stepping stones for her to move forward.

It was something she'd never even dared dream of before, and yet now she had a path laid out before her...

And that was only a plan designed for her alone~

It was then that she'd suddenly realized her Master had probably been getting by all this time using only a fraction of his true abilities.

Just how capable was he, with the full extent of his strength never once revealed? Kushida couldn't imagine~

Because even now, she still hadn't seen anyone who truly deserved to be taken seriously by her Master...

Night fell. Inside a girl's single room...

A girl with a yellow ponytail hanging loose lay curled up on her bed, her face numb.

Scattered all around her were clear photos and profiles of everyone in Class 1-D.

"Who can I even rely on now..." the girl murmured helplessly.

The memory of that mysterious figure who'd suddenly appeared that night still filled her with lingering fear.

Her boyfriend, the person she trusted, had merely been whispered to by that person—and he'd actually knelt down and begged them to keep quiet.

"And what about me? Heh..."

The girl laughed at herself. Only now did she understand that the protection she'd sought had been nothing but empty talk~

"Ding~"

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Karuizawa, sorry to bother you. Are you home?"

At the sound of the voice, Karuizawa instinctively shuddered, but she relaxed a little when she recognized Horikita Suzune outside.

"Oh, is that you, Horikita Suzune? Please wait a moment~"

After composing herself, Karuizawa quickly tidied up and went to open the door.

But before she could even ask what was up, Horikita Suzune stopped her with a question.

"You were crying just now, weren't you?" Horikita Suzune asked, her gaze sharp.

"Ah, well... I was just..."

Karuizawa tried to explain, but before she could finish, Horikita Suzune cut her off again.

"Don't bother explaining. I can tell you've been crying for a long time," Horikita Suzune said perceptively.

"..." Karuizawa was so flustered by the remark that she didn't know what to do. For a moment, she couldn't make sense of Horikita Suzune's intentions.

"Wait... What exactly did you come here for? Can you just tell me?" Her face was already showing signs of anger.

"I just wanted to find out whether something's been going on with you and Hirata lately."

"No... Nothing~"

"I'm tired. We can talk another time."

Without waiting for Horikita Suzune to say anything else, Karuizawa slammed the door shut.

"Hey, you—"

Seeing her suddenly shut the door in such a state, Horikita Suzune looked thoughtful.

On her way back, she immediately arranged to meet Ayanokoji, hoping they could discuss it together.

He hadn't really wanted to come out, but Horikita Suzune had kept pressing him with reason after reason, so they eventually met at a park.

"Ha~ It's so late, and you're still this invested," Ayanokoji said, looking at her with faint exasperation.

Horikita Suzune was already used to his casual attitude, so she skipped the small talk and got straight to the point.

She told him all her observations about the two of them that day.

In particular, both of them had been acting strangely, which made her feel that they might have been threatened somehow.

After hearing Horikita Suzune out, Ayanokoji merely replied, "Didn't Hirata tell you the answer you're looking for earlier today?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Horikita Suzune asked, confused.

Ayanokoji seemed unwilling to say more. He only added one last remark: "Think carefully about who most wants that fund plan shut down. I'm leaving."