The Old School Building

The Old School Building, basement level one.

The air smelled of mildew, dust, and rust. Most of the ceiling lights were broken. The few that remained flickered on and off, making the hallway look like a scene from a horror movie.

When Ayanokoji Kiyotaka pushed open the basement door, his phone showed 8:45 p.m.

Twenty-five minutes had passed since Honami Ichinose was kidnapped.

That was enough time to get a lot done—like have Hirata contact the school, have Horikita notify the Student Council, have Karuizawa keep an eye on the activity around Class C's dormitory, and... have Shiho Manabe verify something.

The basement was large. It had apparently once been a storeroom, but now it was filled with abandoned desks and chairs. An open space had been cleared in the middle of the room. Honami Ichinose was tied to a chair, tape over her mouth. There were tear tracks on her face, but her eyes were still calm. When she saw Ayanokoji, she shook her head, signaling for him not to come closer.

Three people stood beside her.

Hashimoto Masayoshi wore the smug smile of someone who thought he had everything under control. He toyed with a butterfly knife in one hand.

The other two were strangers, dressed in civilian clothes. One had dyed blond hair; the other had a full beard. Both held metal pipes.

"Right on time, Ayanokoji," Hashimoto said, twirling the knife. Its blade traced a silver arc in the dim light. "But did you misunderstand me? I said, 'Come alone,' yet it looks like you've got rats following you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the blond man darted to the door, glanced outside, then turned back. "Nobody."

"Oh?" Hashimoto raised an eyebrow. "You really did come alone. Should I call you brave or stupid?"

Ayanokoji ignored him and looked at Ichinose. "Are you hurt?"

Ichinose shook her head.

"Good." Only then did Ayanokoji turn to Hashimoto. "Tell me your conditions."

"Straight to the point. I like it." Hashimoto grinned. "The conditions are simple. First, drop the investigation into Hamaguchi's younger brother and pretend none of it ever happened. Second, Class D withdraws from the upcoming VIP Exam and forfeits. Third..."

He paused, his smile turning cold. "Get down on your knees, bow to me three times, and say, 'I'm sorry. I was wrong.'"

A clichéd humiliation.

But it often worked.

Ayanokoji's expression didn't change. "And if I don't?"

"Then don't blame me for what happens next." Hashimoto stepped over to Ichinose and waved the knife's tip beside her cheek. "It'd be a shame to put a few cuts on such a pretty face."

Ichinose closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly.

But Ayanokoji smiled.

It was a faint, slight smile, but it seemed particularly out of place in the cold basement.

"What are you smiling at?" Hashimoto frowned.

"I'm laughing at how stupid you are," Ayanokoji said. "Kidnapping? Threats? What do you think this is, a gang movie?"

"Cut the crap!" the blond man snapped, waving his pipe impatiently. "Hashimoto, why waste time talking to this punk? Let's beat him up first!"

He charged, swinging the pipe at Ayanokoji's head.

But the pipe stopped in midair.

Ayanokoji hadn't caught it.

Someone else had.

A bandaged hand reached out from behind Ayanokoji and caught the pipe firmly. Then it twisted. The blond man screamed as his wrist bent at an unnatural angle, and the pipe slipped from his hand.

Shiho Manabe stepped out of the shadows.

Her face was pale, but her eyes were resolute. She dropped the pipe on the floor and looked at Hashimoto. "That's enough, Hashimoto."

Hashimoto's expression froze.

"You... How did you...?"

"How did I get here?" Manabe sneered. "Didn't you ask me to come? You said there'd be 'a good show.' But I never expected this was what you wanted me to watch."

She paused, then raised her voice. "Kidnapping a classmate, threatening a girl with a knife... Hashimoto Masayoshi, do you even remember what kind of school this is? Advanced Nurturing High School, not the yakuza!"

"Shut up!" Hashimoto's face turned livid. "Manabe, don't forget whose money you're taking—"

"I haven't forgotten," Manabe cut him off. "But I haven't forgotten that the last time you gave me those 'medical records,' Ryuen nearly beat me to death. You said they were 'harmless information.' And what happened? The whole forum was in an uproar, and Class C almost had all its points deducted!"

She stepped forward and pointed at Hashimoto. "Were you planning to make me take the fall again this time? If the school finds out about the kidnapping, expulsion will be the least of our worries! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

The two had turned on each other.

Hashimoto's face flushed red, then darkened. He glared at Manabe, then looked at Ayanokoji, finally understanding.

"You two... teamed up?"

"Not exactly," Ayanokoji said. "We each got what we wanted. Manabe wanted to protect herself, and I wanted to rescue Ichinose. You just happened to be an obstacle we both needed to remove."

"You bastard—" Hashimoto lunged at Manabe, thrusting the butterfly knife at her chest.

But Ayanokoji was faster.

He stepped in, clamped his left hand around Hashimoto's knife-wielding wrist, and drove his right elbow into Hashimoto's chest. Hashimoto grunted and dropped the knife, but his other hand suddenly pulled a stun gun from his pocket and thrust it toward Ayanokoji!

"Look out!" Manabe cried.

But Ayanokoji seemed to have anticipated it. He dodged sideways, driving his knee into Hashimoto's stomach at the same time. Hashimoto doubled over, and the stun gun fell to the floor. Ayanokoji didn't stop. He grabbed Hashimoto by the hair and slammed his head into an abandoned desk!

Bang!

Hashimoto crumpled to the floor, blood seeping from his forehead.

Seeing this, the bearded man turned to run, but froze when he looked up.

Three people stood at the basement entrance.

Suzune Horikita leaned on her cane, her eyes cold. Behind her stood Sae Chabashira, along with the Student Council vice president—Ikuta Kiriyama, a third-year student from Class A.

"Had enough?" Chabashira's voice was icy. "Hashimoto Masayoshi, Shiho Manabe, and you two outsiders—care to explain what's going on?"

Silence.

Manabe was the first to react. She rushed to Ichinose, tore the tape from her mouth, untied her, then turned and bowed to Chabashira. "Teacher, Hashimoto kidnapped Ichinose! Ayanokoji and I came to rescue her!"

She shifted the blame.

Cleanly and decisively.

Hashimoto had just managed to get up when he heard that. He trembled with rage. "You're lying! It was you—"

"What about me?" Manabe turned back, her eyes sharp. "I have proof. You came to me this afternoon and said you wanted to 'teach Ichinose a lesson.' You also gave me 50,000 points as hush money. The transfer record is still on my phone. Want to see it?"

She pulled out her phone. There was indeed a transfer record on the screen, with "Hush money—Ichinose" in the note field.

Hashimoto opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

He knew he'd been set up. Manabe had been putting on an act from the start. She'd pretended to cooperate, but had actually sided with Ayanokoji long ago.

And she'd edited the transfer note herself.

"Vice President Kiriyama," Chabashira said, looking toward the Student Council member. "How do you think we should handle this?"

Ikuta Kiriyama pushed up his glasses, his expression blank. "Hashimoto Masayoshi: kidnapping, coercion, and collusion with outsiders. The evidence is conclusive. Under school regulations, he'll be expelled. The two outsiders will be handed over to the police. Shiho Manabe... she helped report the incident, but she also made a private point transfer and took part in misconduct. She'll receive a major demerit and lose 10,000 personal points."

He paused and looked at Ayanokoji. "As for you, Ayanokoji, your bravery is commendable. But next time something like this happens, notify a teacher or the Student Council first. Don't take action on your own."

"Yes," Ayanokoji said, lowering his head.

Kiriyama nodded, then motioned for the Student Council members who had come with him to handle the scene. As Hashimoto was hauled up, he glared at Ayanokoji and moved his lips, silently saying, "Just you wait."

Ayanokoji ignored him.

Chabashira went over to Ichinose and checked on her. "Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

Ichinose shook her head, her voice still a little hoarse. "I'm fine... Thank you, teacher."

"Mm." Chabashira looked at Ayanokoji, her expression complicated. "You. Come with me for a moment."