Watching the Show

"Yeye, meet me at the library after school. Remember to bring all your study materials."

"You're really not shy about asking, huh?" Rinya chuckled and put away his phone.

"Ding... ding..."

As the bells rang out, the school day drew to a close before anyone knew it.

But if we were talking about this particular day, it seemed it hadn't really come to an end yet.

Rinya slowly stepped out of the student guidance office. A little farther ahead, Ayanokoji was trying to deflect Horikita Suzune's suspicions that he had deliberately controlled his scores, making excuses and constantly changing the subject.

For some reason, seeing this made Rinya want to laugh. It was the kind of laughter that was hard to hold back.

Who would've thought that the one once hailed as the White Room's greatest masterpiece would now be wasting his breath on such a trivial matter?

He knew full well that Horikita Suzune wasn't on the same level of thinking as him, yet he still tried to convince her. There were plenty of ways to help her grow, but in Rinya's eyes, Ayanokoji had unquestionably chosen the most thankless one.

"Hey, stop. What are you laughing at?"

Horikita Suzune was already furious about the matter. When she spotted Rinya passing by with a faint smile, she couldn't help but call out to him.

But Rinya ignored her and kept walking as if nothing had happened. Trouble was best left alone when you couldn't see it. And if you could see it coming, why reach out for a pointless outcome?

"Wait. I remember you're in our class too. You saw the scores at Chabashira-sensei's office, so are you going to agree with his selfish score control, which puts himself before the class?"

"Don't bother him." To Ayanokoji's rare surprise, he reached out and stopped Horikita Suzune as she started after Rinya.

"Why not? We're classmates. I just want to ask what he thinks. How is that bothering him?"

"Don't ask. I'll make sure no one gets expelled this time. Is that enough?"

"You... I never said I wanted to help them." Horikita Suzune slapped his hand away and turned to leave, looking displeased.

She had only taken a few steps when she stopped and hesitated before saying, "Hmph. Do whatever you want about this. If I didn't have... tonight..."

"Forget it. Never mind."

Watching Horikita Suzune walk away, Ayanokoji seemed to think of something and gave a slight shake of his head.

Perhaps that expression was the most fitting assessment of Horikita Suzune at this stage.

School library

Rinya had just arrived and thought he might be too early. But when he saw Matsushita Chiaki dozing with her head on a book, he couldn't help freezing for a moment.

"Did this girl come here without eating, just so she could wait for me?"

He found it amusing, and a little funny too.

"Heh. In that case, I can't be blamed."

Rinya sat down quietly and set his books beside him, though most of them had nothing to do with studying.

He had long since stopped bothering with knowledge at this level. Books that encouraged creative thinking were far more likely to interest him.

He didn't disturb the girl as she rested. When it came to the troubles between men and women, he preferred to force one side into total submission.

Perhaps it was a habit from the place he'd come from, one he'd never be able to break. Still, being his most authentic self at all times felt rather freeing.

Rinya picked up a hefty book and began reading in silence.

Meanwhile, the study group members—Ayanokoji, Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo, and the others—arrived one by one, right on time.

What happened next was almost exactly as Rinya remembered from his previous life. The three idiots, including Ken Sudō, showed up, argued with Horikita for a while, then stormed off in a huff.

Though he'd seen it all before, perhaps because he was experiencing it firsthand, Rinya snacked as he watched the show, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Only after everyone had left and the warning that the library was about to close rang out did Matsushita finally wake with a start. Though the first person she saw was the one she'd been waiting for, she couldn't bring herself to smile.

The man's amused, enigmatic expression told her without mercy that she'd gotten the short end of the stick tonight... "And I even used my first confession to get this invitation, only to waste it just like that. Waaaaah!"

After the library closed, Rinya saw the girl following behind him with a woebegone look. Without wasting a moment, he made sure they were alone and gave her a hug without warning.

"Ah!"

With a shy shriek, Matsushita Chiaki clutched her chest and ran off, blushing.

The sight took Rinya by surprise. He'd been hoping to use the cover of night to bring her completely over to his side, but since things had turned out this way, it looks like the time isn't right yet.

He felt a little unsatisfied, but his interest hadn't run its course. If watching the show at the library had been so entertaining, how could he possibly miss the big one tonight?

And so, as night fell, the streets on campus were nearly deserted. Perhaps everyone was exhausted from preparing for midterms during the day. Aside from a few shops that operated around the clock, there wasn't a soul in sight.

Ayanokoji was about to go out in the middle of the night to buy something to eat when, by sheer coincidence, he spotted Horikita Manabu talking with Horikita Suzune in a narrow alley.

"The student council president is her older brother?"

"This is bad." As Ayanokoji watched from hiding, he suddenly noticed that the student council president seemed about to use force. He immediately rushed over and stepped between them.

"A-Ayanokoji, what are you doing here?" Horikita Suzune was on the ground, her eyes red from crying. She stared at him in disbelief.

"Oh, you're from Class 1-D. But this is the president's private business, so please don't interfere," said Tachibana Akane, the petite secretary standing behind Horikita Manabu, speaking up first.

"All I know is that you're bullying a classmate of mine. I'm not leaving."

"You!" Tachibana Akane had never met anyone so lacking in manners. Her face flushed with anger.

"It's fine." Horikita Manabu waved her off. Then, as if suddenly intrigued, he said with a faint smile, "So you're Ayanokoji? Heh. You really are different from everyone else. The composure you're showing in front of me alone is enough to make me look forward to what you can do."

"In that case, let me put your abilities to the test."

Whoosh!

Horikita Manabu flashed forward, appearing right in front of him. In an instant, he kicked toward Ayanokoji's vitals. Ayanokoji said nothing, dodging to the side as he swept a kick at Horikita Manabu's legs...

The two fought with increasing intensity, moving so quickly that afterimages appeared. The dull thuds of their punches and kicks colliding were every bit as powerful as the blows exchanged between heavyweight boxers.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"

As the two fought, waves of force swept across the alley. Tachibana Akane, who was watching, stared wide-eyed in shock. Even Horikita Suzune, who had never thought much of Ayanokoji, was too stunned to get up.

"He'd been hiding that much..." The thought rang through the minds of all three: the Horikita Siblings and Tachibana Akane.

Rinya watched the whole thing from a high corner nearby. What disappointed him was that both fighters pulled their punches. He'd wanted to see how one of them would react if the other got hurt, and which side she would choose in her panic.

Instead, Horikita Manabu had come to appreciate Ayanokoji's skills and intelligence through their fight.

But just as Rinya was about to leave, thinking it was getting boring, something unexpected happened.

Perhaps it was because of the butterfly effect. In the original story, the conversation should have ended here. But after Horikita Manabu praised Ayanokoji, he suddenly changed the subject. "By the way, is there someone in your class named Rinya?"

"Yes."

"Heh. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, I'm sure you've noticed too. Like you, that guy's ability to control his scores is extraordinary.

"I haven't noticed him doing anything unusual lately, but I still need to warn you: if you can't keep him within your sphere of control, believe me, that man will become your greatest liability."

"Is that so? Maybe."

Hearing Ayanokoji's ambiguous reply, Horikita Manabu said nothing more. Sensing that something was amiss, he chose to leave first.