The morning sunlight streamed into the classroom through a gap in the curtains.
Tsukishima tore open the bandage he'd just bought and stuck it over the wound on his hand.
"Good morning, Tsukishima."
Kushida's voice rang out, still in that high-pitched, cutesy tone of hers.
"Good morning, Kushida. Hey, why's one side of your face a little swollen? Didn't you sleep well?"
"I really didn't. I had a nightmare."
"Maybe you're just exhausted. Make sure you get some rest, Kushida."
They chatted for a while before Kushida went off to maintain her saintly image. As for the swelling on her face, it earned her a round of sympathetic concern from her many friends.
Tsukishima pulled out his workbook and started working through the problems with fierce concentration, right there in full view of everyone.
A figure appeared soundlessly beside Tsukishima. The voice that spoke was calm and flat.
"Tsukishima, do you have a moment?"
"Not really."
Tsukishima knew it was Ayanokoji without even looking up.
"Horikita would like to invite you to lunch."
"I like to enjoy my meals alone."
"Is that a refusal?"
"Yes."
"That's too bad."
The conversation ended, but Ayanokoji didn't leave. He remained standing beside Tsukishima's desk.
Tsukishima paid him no mind and continued taking out his pent-up urges on his math workbook.
"About last night..."
"Ayanokoji, have you never taken off before?"
"If you mean an airplane..."
Tsukishima finally looked up, unable to hide the pity in his eyes. "That's enough, poor kid. Go home. It's fine if you've never taken off."
"If I fail to invite you, Horikita will stab me with her compass."
"Then you should ask the teacher to move your seat."
The conversation ground to a halt.
The bell rang, and Ayanokoji returned to his seat.
Just as expected, Horikita gave him a scathing tongue-lashing, and she didn't hold back with the compass, either.
At lunchtime, before Horikita and Ayanokoji could even get up,
Tsukishima had already launched himself out of his seat and vanished in a flash.
The cafeteria was packed and noisy. Tsukishima found a corner table and wolfed down his meal, finishing in under ten minutes.
By the time the two of them found him in the cafeteria, Tsukishima had already finished eating and was sitting there wiping his mouth elegantly.
Horikita rushed over at once. Her face was cold, and she was just about to speak when Tsukishima stood up. "Sorry, Horikita. I need to go back to the dorm and take a nap."
Like a breeze carrying the scent of early summer, he swept away.
Horikita wanted to say something, but Tsukishima had no interest in hearing it. The woman was cold as ice, looked down on everyone, and was arrogant and conceited, yet she wasn't all that bright.
She needed Ayanokoji's help, but not only had she offered him nothing in return, she'd even stabbed him with a compass.
If it were Tsukishima, he'd beat the shit out of her. She'd be lucky if she could still shit afterward.
Dormitory.
Tsukishima set an alarm and lay down on his bed. Before long, he was already fast asleep, breathing evenly.
Getting enough rest was part of studying, too.
The alarm dragged Tsukishima out of his dream.
He opened his eyes, stretched, and let out a long, unintelligible groan.
"Now that's refreshing!"
Everything went normally that afternoon. Ayanokoji didn't come looking for him again, as if he'd given up.
The dismissal bell rang.
Tsukishima packed his things, grabbed his bag, and headed for the Manga Club.
He pushed open the clubroom door. A few people were scattered around inside.
President Yamada wasn't there. Several second-year students had each claimed a corner, heads down as they worked on their drawings.
When they got into it, they even let out strange little chuckles.
Tsukishima went to his spot, set down his bag, and looked at a life-sized standee of a two-dimensional character propped against the wall.
It was a beautiful anime girl in a sailor uniform, with twin ponytails and a sweet smile.
She was even winking.
Tsukishima clipped a sheet of paper onto his drawing board and began sketching according to President Yamada's instructions from the day before.
First, he drew guide lines to mark out the approximate positions, sizes, and lengths of the limbs, then settled on the outline.
He slowly sketched with his pencil, looking at the reference before each stroke and checking the drawing after each one.
A senior who'd finished his own work came over and said:
"Tsukishima, you don't need to make the outline so detailed. Loosen up a little. Don't press so hard; just make a few light strokes."
"You'll erase these guide lines later. If you press too hard, you'll leave ugly marks."
"And the harder you press, the more likely your hand is to shake and send the lines wandering off in every direction. It's just practice on scrap paper, so take it easy."
"Drawing people and drawing landscapes are pretty much the same. You get better with practice."
Tsukishima quickly stood up to thank him. The senior waved him off and wandered over to someone else.
Knock, knock, knock.
The senior didn't even look up. "The door's unlocked. Come in."
Tsukishima didn't look up. He was so absorbed in his practice that he'd lost all sense of his surroundings.
"Is Tsukishima here? I need to talk to him."
Horikita Suzune's cool voice interrupted his practice.
The senior glanced back at Horikita and sighed. "Tsukishima, someone's here for you."
Tsukishima packed up his things. "Sorry for the trouble, everyone."
The senior waved him off.
Tsukishima glanced at Horikita and Ayanokoji, who was following behind her. "Let's go."
None of the three spoke along the way.
Private room in a café.
Horikita was about to speak, but Tsukishima raised a hand to stop her. "You're planning to just chat with me like this?"
Horikita frowned. "Points? We don't exactly..."
Tsukishima sighed. "Fine, fine. Don't say anything yet."
He took out his phone and messaged Horikita Manabu: "Senpai, Horikita wants to talk with me. Want to come watch her display her conversational skills? This time, it's free."
"If you don't come, I'll get started now. If you do, I'll wait a bit before we begin. We're in private room 203 at the café."
5,000 personal points received.
[Horikita Manabu]: Wait a moment.
Horikita Suzune frowned. "Playing on your phone while talking to someone. I suppose you can't expect manners from someone who blackmails people."
Tsukishima didn't even raise his eyelids. "That's right. I'm blackmailing him right now."
Silence fell over the private room again. Ayanokoji watched the two of them from the corner, expressionless. Maybe he was figuring out how to use these two tools.
Horikita Suzune slapped the table. "What exactly are you—"
The door to the private room suddenly opened. Horikita Suzune looked up. "Brother..."
Horikita Manabu ignored her and sat down by himself.
He crossed his legs, a document he was working on in his hands. A girl with her hair tied in a bun stood beside him.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Tachibana Akane, the current Student Council secretary."
She glanced at Horikita Manabu, then continued, "The Student Council is responsible for witnessing and supervising contracts signed by students at this school."
After speaking, she stepped aside.
Horikita Manabu didn't even raise his eyelids. "Tsukishima, Horikita, you may begin."
Before you continue