Celebration Banquet

The evening after the Sports Festival, the Class D classroom was filled with a long-absent atmosphere of relaxation.

Kanji Ike held a drink he'd bought from the convenience store high in the air, his face flushed with excitement.

Yosuke Hirata was organizing a simple victory party, distributing snacks to everyone. Kei Karuizawa was laughing and chatting with her group of followers, but her gaze drifted toward Ayanokoji from time to time, carrying a complex sort of concern.

Suzune Horikita sat alone by the window, her expression calm, though the knuckles of the hand holding her pen were slightly white—she was recording the gains and losses of today's events in her notebook.

And as for Kikyo Kushida...

She was surrounded by a group of boys and girls, her laughter as crisp as silver bells: "Everyone worked so hard! Especially Ayanokoji-kun, you were truly amazing at the end!"

Her smile was flawless, as if all the conflicts and injuries from the Sports Festival had never occurred. But Ayanokoji noticed that while she spoke, her right hand remained in her pocket, as if she were gripping something.

A phone? Or perhaps...

[Warning: Key character "Kikyo Kushida" detected in "Premeditated Action" state. Emotional volatility: 82/100 (Highly suppressed hostility). Suggest increased vigilance.]

The system prompt flickered in the corner of his vision.

"Ayanokoji-kun."

Hirata walked over and handed him a can of coffee: "Thanks to you today. If not for your arrangements in the swimming relay and your tactical planning, we might not have even held onto third place."

"It was the result of everyone working together." Ayanokoji took the coffee.

"No, I know better." Hirata lowered his voice, "Horikita-san insisted on competing even after she was injured, Karuizawa-san took the initiative to handle the more physically demanding butterfly stroke, and you... you were observing the entire field, making the most logical adjustments."

He paused, his gaze earnest: "Chabashira-sensei said there will be a new special exam next month. I think Class D needs a clearer leadership structure."

"You want me to be the leader?"

"Not exactly." Hirata shook his head, "You don't seem to like standing in the spotlight. But at the strategic level, at least, I hope you can take on the role of 'tactical advisor.' Horikita-san and I will handle execution and coordination, and you will set the direction."

The proposal was clever. It utilized Ayanokoji's abilities without making him too conspicuous.

"Fine." Ayanokoji nodded, "But on one condition—intelligence within the class must be shared completely."

His gaze swept inadvertently toward Kushida's direction.

Hirata clearly understood something, his expression turning serious: "You mean..."

"Class D has unstable elements." Ayanokoji said it bluntly, "Before we deal with external threats, we need to ensure we don't collapse from within."

Hirata was silent for a few seconds before finally nodding solemnly: "I understand. I will discuss this with Horikita-san."

Just then, the classroom door was pushed open.

"Yo, celebrating, are we?"

An unpleasant voice rang out. Kakeru Ryuen stood at the door with Daichi Ishizaki and two other Class C boys; Albert wasn't there, likely still in the infirmary.

The cheerful atmosphere in the classroom froze instantly.

"Ryuen, what do you want?" Ken Sudo suddenly stood up, his eyes fierce.

"Don't be so tense, I just came to say hello." Ryuen walked slowly into the classroom with his hands in his pockets, "Congratulations on second place. Relying on a bit of luck and underhanded tactics, you actually managed to crawl to this position."

"You're the ones who are underhanded!" Kanji Ike couldn't help but shout, "Tampering with the equipment, intentionally bumping into people during the relay—"

"Got any proof?" Ryuen tilted his head, his smile cruel, "Without evidence, that's just slander. Be careful, or I'll file a complaint with the school and have those hard-earned class points deducted."

Kanji Ike choked on his words.

Ryuen's gaze swept across the classroom, finally locking onto Ayanokoji.

He walked over and stopped a meter away from him.

The two locked eyes.

It felt as if electric sparks were crackling in the air.

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka." Ryuen enunciated his name syllable by syllable, "Had fun at the Sports Festival? Beating up my people and making Class C the laughingstock."

"He threw the first punch." Ayanokoji said calmly.

"So what?" Ryuen leaned in, his voice lowered so only the two of them could hear, "You think this is over? No, this isn't even the beginning. You've ruined two of my plans; did you really think I'd just let it go?"

A manic light flickered in his eyes: "I will find your weakness. You'll always have someone you care about, and you'll always have a moment of negligence. When that time comes..."

"Ryuen-kun." Kikyo Kushida suddenly interjected. She had walked over at some point, a worried expression on her face, "We're all classmates, let's not do this. The Sports Festival is already over; we should be looking forward."

The timing of her intervention was suspiciously subtle.

Ryuen glanced at her and suddenly laughed: "You're right, Kushida. We really should 'look forward'."

He emphasized the last three words with hidden meaning, then turned around: "Let's go, Ishizaki. Let the people of Class D continue their victory party."

After the Class C students left, the atmosphere in the classroom remained heavy.

"That guy is definitely planning something." Kei Karuizawa walked to Ayanokoji's side and whispered, "I heard Class C held a long meeting in Ryuen's room this afternoon, and Shiho Manabe went too."

Shiho Manabe...

The name reminded Ayanokoji of Mio Ibuki's warning. Manabe and Kushida had been in secret contact, and Ryuen clearly knew something as well.

"Let's continue the party!" Hirata tried to liven up the mood, "Don't let outsiders affect our spirits."

But the cracks had already appeared.

Halfway through the celebration, Ayanokoji's phone vibrated.

Two messages arrived simultaneously.

The first was from an unknown number—Mio Ibuki again:

"Ryuen is collecting private information on 'specific girls.' Watch out for those around you. Also, Shiho Manabe is meeting 'someone' behind the warehouse of the Third Academic Building at eight tonight."

The second was from Honami Ichinose:

"Ayanokoji-kun, sorry to disturb your celebration. About Hamaguchi-kun... if possible, could we talk tomorrow at noon? I feel there is some information regarding Class A that should be shared. Let's meet at the cafe."

Two messages, two different directions.

Ryuen's threat was fermenting in the shadows, the cracks in the Class B alliance needed mending, and Kikyo Kushida's movements were a sword hanging over his head.

Ayanokoji turned off his phone and looked out the window.

Night had fully descended, and the campus streetlights were flickering on one by one. The warehouse area behind the Third Academic Building should be deserted by now.

Eight o'clock... one hour left.

"Ayanokoji-kun?" Karuizawa noticed his distraction. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." He stood up. "I'm going out for some air."

Leaving the noisy classroom, the corridor was quiet enough to hear his own footsteps.

But just as he headed toward the stairs, another set of footsteps approached from behind.

"Ayanokoji-kun."

It was Suzune Horikita. She was leaning on a makeshift cane, her pace slow but steady.

"You should be resting your foot," Ayanokoji said.

"I know." Horikita walked to his side, also looking out the window. "But there is something I need to confirm. What do you think about that matter?"

"That matter?"

Horikita turned to him. "My brother... Student Council President Horikita approached me after the competition today. He said the Student Council has noticed multiple classes engaging in private 'point trading,' and the sums involved are not small."

Point trading. This was a gray area at Advanced Nurturing High School—not explicitly prohibited, but if one were caught obtaining points through illicit means, the punishment would be severe.

"The content of the trades?"

"Information, assistance, and even..." Horikita's voice dropped lower, "personal privacy."

Ayanokoji recalled Ibuki's warning: Ryuen was collecting private information on specific girls.

And Kikyo Kushida was precisely the person most adept at gathering "information."

"I understand," he said. "Thank you for telling me."

"I didn't do it for you." Horikita looked away. "I did it for the class. Class D cannot afford to collapse from within right now."

She leaned on her cane, preparing to leave, but paused. "Also, be careful about Honami Ichinose meeting you tomorrow at noon. Class B is unstable right now; her meeting you alone could be exploited by those with ulterior motives."

"How did you know—"

"Karuizawa told me." Horikita interrupted. "She said Ichinose looked very hesitant when she sent the message. That didn't look like her usual self."

With that, she slowly walked back to the classroom.

Ayanokoji glanced at the time: 7:40 PM.

Twenty minutes remained until the meeting between Shiho Manabe and "someone" at the warehouse.

He headed down the stairs, but instead of going directly to the Third Academic Building, he took a detour to the library.

From a window seat on the third floor of the library, the entrance to the warehouse was clearly visible.

At 7:55 PM, a figure appeared at the warehouse entrance.

It was Shiho Manabe. She was wearing casual clothes, looking nervous and constantly glancing around.

Who was she waiting for?

At exactly eight o'clock, another figure appeared.

It was not Kikyo Kushida.

Instead, it was someone who made Ayanokoji's pupils constrict—

Masayoshi Hashimoto from Class A.

Upon seeing Hashimoto, Manabe immediately went to meet him. The two exchanged a few words in low voices, then Hashimoto handed her a thick envelope. Manabe opened it, took a look, nodded, and pulled a USB-like device from her bag to hand to Hashimoto.

The transaction was complete.

The entire process took less than three minutes. The two parted quickly and vanished into the night.

Ayanokoji leaned against the bookshelf, his brain racing.

Shiho Manabe, a subordinate of Ryuen from Class C, was secretly in contact with Hashimoto from Class A.

What did Hashimoto give her? Money? Points?

And what was on the USB drive Manabe gave to Hashimoto? Intelligence on Class C? Or perhaps...

He recalled Mio Ibuki mentioning that Shiho Manabe had once been publicly humiliated by Ryuen. Was this her revenge? Or did she have a larger scheme in mind?

His phone vibrated again.

This time, it was a system notification:

[Side Quest Triggered: Transaction in the Shadows]

[Quest Description: You have accidentally witnessed a secret transaction between Shiho Manabe of Class C and Masayoshi Hashimoto of Class A. Investigating the contents of the deal and the motives of both parties will influence the future trajectory of the plot.]

[Quest Reward: Depending on the depth of the investigation, you may obtain "Intelligence Network Access Expansion," "Class Points," or special items.]

[Warning: This quest involves multiple factions; the investigation process may trigger danger.]

Ayanokoji dismissed the notification and took one last look toward the warehouse.

The night deepened, and the campus lights stood like isolated islands in the darkness.

The laughter from the Sports Festival celebration still echoed in his ears, but beneath the surface, more complex undercurrents had already begun to surge.

Ryuen's retaliation, Sakayanagi's chess game, Kushida's conspiracy, the cracks within Class B, and the secret transaction between members of Class A and Class C he had just discovered—

All these clues spread out like a spiderweb, eventually converging at a single point.

And Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, standing at the center of that web, knew that this game was only now truly entering its dangerous phase.

He turned and left the library.

Tomorrow, there was a meeting with Ichinose, an internal class meeting, and a variety of other issues to deal with.

But before that—

He needed to figure out what was hidden inside that USB drive.

And whether it would, at some critical moment, become a poisoned blade aimed at the heart of Class D.