Your Turn

7:50 PM, a corner booth in the school cafe.

Shiho Manabe arrived early, sipping a caramel macchiato. She wore light makeup, a knit cardigan, and a skirt, looking like any ordinary high school girl.

But the wariness in her eyes betrayed her.

The booth door pushed open, and Ayanokoji and Karuizawa walked in.

Seeing Karuizawa, Manabe paused, then smirked. "Yo, brought a bodyguard?"

"Not a bodyguard." Karuizawa sat opposite her, meeting her gaze directly. "I'm here to settle the score."

"What score?" Manabe shrugged. "I wasn't the one who posted on the forum."

"But you provided the information." Ayanokoji sat beside her and slid a folder across the table. "Do you recognize this?"

Manabe opened the folder, and after a single glance, her face drained of color.

Inside were copies of police records regarding her younger brother's involvement in school bullying, along with a hospital's injury assessment report.

"How... how did you get these?" Her voice tightened.

"That's not important," Ayanokoji said. "What matters is, what would happen if this information reached the school, the police, or your father's company?"

Manabe's fingers trembled.

"Your family's mortgage is guaranteed by your father's company credit, isn't it?" Ayanokoji continued. "If the company learns an employee's family member is involved in a criminal case, will they continue to provide that guarantee? Will the bank demand early repayment?"

"Shut up!" Manabe stood up abruptly, knocking over her coffee cup and spilling brown liquid across the table.

Karuizawa didn't move, still watching her. "Manabe, we don't want to destroy you. But the things you're holding will destroy far more people."

Manabe's chest heaved as she glared at them both.

A few seconds later, she slumped back into her chair and covered her face, laughing with a sob in her throat. "You win... fine, I concede. You get the USB, and I'll delete all backups. The condition is that this file never sees the light of day."

"Also," Ayanokoji added, "tell me what Honami Ichinose's secret is."

Manabe looked up, her expression complex. "You really want to know? That secret... it's dirtier than you can imagine."

"Speak."

Manabe took a deep breath, pulled another USB drive from her bag, and plugged it into her laptop. The screen lit up, revealing an encrypted folder.

She entered the password and opened it.

Inside was only one document, titled:

Honami Ichinose: The Missing Six Months

Karuizawa leaned in to look, and after reading only a few lines, her face changed.

"Is... is this true?"

"I have hospital records and witness testimonies," Manabe said in a low voice. "In her third year of middle school, Ichinose went missing for six months. The official story was that she was 'abroad for medical treatment,' but in reality..."

She paused, her voice dropping further. "She was kidnapped. The kidnappers were rivals of her father's business. She was held for six months until the police rescued her. What happened during that time... nobody knows. But her medical records from the psychiatric clinic state: PTSD, severe depression, and self-harm tendencies."

Karuizawa covered her mouth.

Ayanokoji's brow furrowed.

"If this information goes public," Manabe said, "Ichinose's image will completely collapse. The 'angel' of Class B is actually a victim with psychological trauma... do you think her leadership can survive that? Will Class B still trust her?"

She looked at Ayanokoji. "Do you still want to protect her now? Is it worth it for an ally who could break at any moment?"

Silence filled the booth.

The night outside the window was thick and impenetrable.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remained silent for a long time before finally reaching out to unplug the USB drive.

"I'm buying this information," he said. "Name your price."

Manabe was stunned, then laughed. "You really are a strange one. Fine, 50,000 points, paid in full. You get all the backups."

"30,000," Ayanokoji countered. "And you sign a non-disclosure agreement. If Ichinose's secret leaks from any source in the future, I will hold you responsible and release your brother's file."

Manabe gritted her teeth. "40,000."

"35,000, final offer."

"...Deal."

The transaction was completed in silence. Points were transferred, the USB was handed over, and the non-disclosure agreement was signed.

As Manabe left, she looked back at Ayanokoji with a complicated expression. "You protected everyone... but can you protect yourself? Ryuen won't let you go, neither will Kushida, nor Class A. You've become a target for everyone."

"Then let them come," Ayanokoji said calmly.

Manabe shook her head and walked away.

Only Ayanokoji and Karuizawa remained in the booth.

Karuizawa looked at the USB drive in her hand and asked softly, "Why spend so many points on Ichinose? We aren't... actually that close to her."

"Because she is an ally," Ayanokoji said. "And she is worth it."

He paused, looking out the window. "In this school, everyone is hurting one another. But if we don't even protect our own allies, how are we any different from those who hurt us?"

Karuizawa stared at him, stunned.

After a long silence, she whispered, "Thank you, Ayanokoji."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"For... not giving up on me." She lowered her head. "I truly... regret my past so much."

Ayanokoji said nothing, merely patting her on the shoulder.

His phone vibrated at that moment.

It was a message from Horikita:

"There's a new development on the forum. Someone posted anonymously, releasing screenshots as evidence that Ryuen from Class C ordered Manabe to poison the drink. Public opinion has shifted; everyone is condemning Class C now."

Immediately after, a message from Hirata arrived as well:

"The class mood has stabilized. Everyone is united in their indignation, saying they want to settle the score with Class C."

Ayanokoji's lips curled into a faint arc.

The gears of the counterattack had begun to turn.

And as for the next round of this game...

He looked out the window toward the direction of the Class C dormitory area.

Ryuen, it's your turn.