The Wind Sweeps Through the Tower Before the Mountain Rain Arrives

The next day, when the representatives of the four first-year classes drew lots for their groups, the situation unfolded exactly as Rinya had anticipated.

Classes A and B were perfectly coordinated in drawing each other, while Classes C and D hadn't even fully unfolded their slips of paper before they were both plunged into silence.

"I don't accept this, I don't accept this, there must be something rigged."

"That's right, when they were drawing lots just now, why did they reach for the same spot at the same time without a moment's hesitation, as if they had discussed it beforehand?"

"Yeah, I think there's a problem too..."

Several students from Classes C and D, seeing that this draw was clearly suspicious yet no one was speaking up, immediately shouted out loud.

"Are you finished?"

At these words, the homeroom teachers of both classes spoke up one after another, their cold voices instantly cutting off the shouting.

"But, Teacher, this is clearly..." The few students still wanted to argue.

However, the homeroom teachers, whose expressions seemed to have changed entirely, didn't even wait for them to say more, barking directly: "Disciplinary Committee, drag them out and punish them to the maximum extent."

"Yes!"

The cold, heartless voices left the students of the two classes, who were already on the verge of a mental breakdown, completely stunned. What has happened to the teachers who are usually so reasonable...

Seeing this scene, even the students of Classes A and B, who should have been triumphant, suddenly felt that the homeroom teachers before them were strangely unfamiliar.

"Heh, interesting~"

In the Class D formation, Rinya, seeing this, couldn't help but chuckle softly. From his perspective, he had keenly noticed that all of them showed signs of being under mild hypnotic suggestion.

Although this kind of hypnosis would not affect the brain's primary judgment, it would make people subconsciously feel that following the other party's orders was only natural, and it was very difficult for the subjects themselves to notice.

It was just unexpected that with Ayanokoji's involvement, that man would actually dare to go this far.

"Heh heh~ Is my appeal so great that it made him abandon his previous plan~"

"Or is it that my awakening can..."

"Tch!"

Just then, a contemptuous whisper interrupted Rinya's train of thought.

This couldn't help but make him feel a little displeased.

Looking closely, it turned out to be Kanzaki Ryuji from Class B of the second year, who was casting a look of disgust in his direction.

Seeing this, Rinya looked around and immediately understood what was going on.

It turned out that while the whole class was silent because of the drawing of lots, he was the only one smiling leisurely, which apparently made him an eyesore.

And because Kanzaki Ryuji had taken the lead in showing disdain, the boys around him who followed suit also cast looks of contempt and disgust one after another.

Heh, what a bunch of self-righteous lapdogs.

Thinking this to himself, he didn't have the interest to respond right now; he could just let them have a good time on the physical examination field later.

Besides, there were quite a few girls in Class B who had a crush on him. Although Rinya wasn't interested, leaving a good impression could still be useful in the future.

And so, the matter of the joint physical examination lottery came to an end.

However, after returning to the classroom, something that made Rinya chuckle was that Hirata Yosuke, who had been listless, seemed to have suddenly come back to life because of this incident, starting to organize personnel and investigate various projects.

Although everyone felt heavy-hearted, after listening to Hirata Yosuke's passionate speech, they were quite moved and immediately gathered their spirits.

But when contacting the Class C representative to hold a class leader cooperation meeting, what was unexpected for everyone was that Hiyori Shiina, the silver-haired goddess of Class C who rarely appeared, had publicly invited Rinya and Ayanokoji to participate in this class leader meeting, in addition to Hirata.

This move not only shocked and confused the entire Class D, but the students of Class C were also very puzzled and started discussing it.

"The boy named Rinya is fine, after all, his looks have always made him a super celebrity on the school network, and everyone is used to it. Our goddess inviting him to participate in the class leader meeting, although a bit sour, is barely acceptable."

"But who is Ayanokoji? A guy who almost has no presence, is he worthy of participating in a class leader meeting?"

At the time, even Hirata, the representative of Class D, was a bit confused, not knowing what the significance was.

Fortunately, both invited individuals chose to decline.

However, after this incident, Rinya didn't know what Ayanokoji was thinking, but he had already silently marked this woman in his heart.

"Another tool worth taking down~ Heh heh..."

"Ding~"

Just then, his cell phone in his pocket suddenly received a long-lost text message notification.

"Matsushita Chiaki..."

Rinya opened it and, upon seeing the content, smiled with rare gentleness. "Heh heh, it seems I've been underestimating this girl more and more."

"Rinya, it's been a while since we ate together. Same place tonight, don't be late, and you're not allowed to skip it."

Although the message looked ordinary, Rinya, who had known her for a while, knew very well that this girl, who had always been hiding her true self, seemed to be intentionally changing his impression of her since that awkward incident. She would always use eating as an excuse, and then, with a tsundere attitude, give him some important discoveries and suggestions.

Although he might have already thought of most of them, the fact that she knew his attitude but would still think of notifying him the first time she had a discovery was something else.

There were even a few times when it suddenly started raining heavily, but to keep the appointment, the girl would rather brave the rain than be a second late.

And so, she hid her cold even until the end, not wanting him to notice.

One could only imagine what a naive and infatuated girl she was; even for someone as cold and indifferent as Rinya, he had already silently accepted her presence in his heart through the subtle influence of time.

Perhaps she was the only person he truly considered a friend in the real sense of the word so far.

School commercial district, couples' restaurant.

Because of the exams tomorrow, the usually romantic and cozy environment was noticeably emptier than usual, save for a few upperclassmen.

"Yaya~ Over here, over here."

As soon as Rinya pushed open the door, he was drawn in by the girl's sweet, light voice.

"Yo~ Chiaki, why are you dressed so conservatively this time?"

Looking at Matsushita Chiaki's slightly modest tracksuit, the boy teased as he walked over.

"Tch, that's obviously because this beauty has a secret that's too big to hide, so I have to wrap it up tight." Matsushita Chiaki lifted her chin, responding with a rare, coquettish tone.

"Heh, is that so? Well, that certainly makes me curious."

"Tell me about it~"

"Alright, but since we have exams tomorrow, I can't put too much pressure on you, Yaya, so I'll keep it brief."

Hearing this, Rinya nodded, and Matsushita Chiaki's expression turned serious: "Today, before the drawing of lots began, I specifically used the excuse of getting equipment during gym class to go to the equipment room. I discovered that many of the items inside had been moved abnormally; it looked like they had been tampered with by someone."

"Furthermore, when I got close, I faintly smelled a faint medicinal scent. Although I couldn't guess what kind of medicine it was, the smell just made me feel inexplicably angry. I could tell it wasn't anything good."

"So Yaya, you must be careful during this physical exam. Or better yet, don't participate at all. I have a feeling that someone in the school is targeting our Class D."

"And... it seems more like they're targeting you!" Matsushita Chiaki's face suddenly became filled with worry.

"Me?"

Rinya couldn't help but feel surprised. This girl really hit the nail on the head; he was curious to know the reason behind it.

"Oh, why is that~" Rinya asked curiously.

Hearing this, the girl looked at him with some hesitation, as if wondering whether she should say it.

"It's fine, just say it. You've known me for a while now, don't you know what I'm like~" The boy's gaze shifted slightly, and an oppressive, terrifying aura leaked out.

Hearing this, Matsushita Chiaki nodded gently.

Ever since Rinya had customized a personal development roadmap for her future not long ago, she should have known that the boy she had liked for so long might not have even revealed his true strength yet.

After a brief moment of contemplation, the girl spoke earnestly: "Yaya, actually, when I was picking up study materials at Chabashira-sensei's office today, I saw an execution file regarding you that he had forgotten to close on the bottom left of his computer."

"Although the file was locked, I later had my father help me look into the source of the document, and it turned out to be from a mysterious talent cultivation agency outside the school."

"After thinking about it for a while that day, I felt that someone as outstanding as you, Yaya, must have already been targeted by jealous people outside."

"For this school exam, the other party might be trying to use the rule that losing leads to expulsion to snatch you away. That way, it won't arouse suspicion among students, and the higher-ups won't find it unusual either. So you must, must pay attention to your safety, cough cough."

Because she had been talking non-stop without resting, after coughing, the girl was now panting, her face flushed bright red.

Seeing this, Rinya, who rarely interrupted when listening to a full story, quickly stood up to pour her a glass of water.

He gently patted the girl's back, signaling her to rest for a moment.

After she thanked him sincerely, Rinya immediately added, "Chiaki, thank you very much for all your help these past few days."

"Next time we meet, I want to grant you one wish. But remember to tell me in advance so I can prepare, heh."

However, as soon as Rinya finished speaking, the girl, who had always been composed and impressive, suddenly broke down and began to cry silently.

Seeing this, Rinya fell into a silence; he naturally understood what she was thinking.

Yet, he could only silently pull her gently into his embrace.

"It's just... Ayanokoji."

Looking through the window, the dark red blood-colored pupils in the boy's eyes brightened slightly. "There are some things you really should have taught him~"