Old School Building

Old School Building, basement level.

The air smelled of mold, dust, and rust. Most of the fluorescent lights on the ceiling were broken, and the few that remained flickered on and off, making the corridor look like the set of a horror movie.

When Ayanokoji Kiyotaka pushed open the door leading to the basement, the time on his phone screen was 8:45 PM.

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

That was enough time to do many things—like having Hirata contact the school, having Horikita notify the Student Council, having Karuizawa keep an eye on the movements in the Class C dormitory area, and... having Shiho Manabe confirm one thing.

The basement was large; it seemed to have been a storage room in the past, but now it was piled high with discarded desks and chairs. A space had been cleared in the center of the room, where Honami Ichinose was tied to a chair with tape over her mouth. There were tear tracks on her face, but her eyes remained relatively calm. When she saw Ayanokoji, she shook her head, signaling him not to come closer.

Three people stood beside her.

Hashimoto Masayoshi wore that smile of his, the one that suggested he thought he was in control of everything, while he toyed with a butterfly knife in his hand.

The other two were unfamiliar faces dressed in civilian clothes; one had dyed blonde hair, and the other had a thick beard. Both were holding steel pipes.

"Right on time, Ayanokoji-kun." Hashimoto spun the knife, the blade tracing a silver arc in the dim light. "But did you get something wrong? I said 'come alone,' but it looks like you've got a rat following you."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the blonde man darted to the door, took a look outside, and turned back. "No one there."

"Oh?" Hashimoto raised an eyebrow. "You really dared to come alone. Should I call you brave, or just stupid?"

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

Honami Ichinose shook her head.

"That's good." Only then did Ayanokoji turn to Hashimoto. "Speak. What are your terms?"

"Straight to the point." Hashimoto laughed. "The terms are simple. First, stop investigating the matter regarding Hamaguchi's younger brother; act like nothing ever happened. Second, Class D must withdraw from the upcoming VIP Exam and forfeit voluntarily. Third..."

He paused, his smile turning cold. "You kneel down, kowtow to me three times, and say, 'I'm sorry, I was wrong.'"

A cliché humiliation.

But often an effective one.

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

"Then don't blame me for being impolite." Hashimoto walked over to Honami Ichinose and flicked the tip of his knife near her cheek. "Such a pretty face—it would be a real shame if it got a few cuts, wouldn't it?"

Honami Ichinose closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly.

But Ayanokoji smiled.

It was a very light, faint smile, but in this cold, gloomy basement, it looked exceptionally jarring.

"What are you laughing at?" Hashimoto frowned.

"I'm laughing at how stupid you are," Ayanokoji said. "Kidnapping? Intimidation? What kind of place do you think this is? A gangster movie?"

"Cut the crap!" The blonde man waved his steel pipe impatiently. "Hashimoto-bro, why are you wasting time with this kid? Let's just beat him up first!"

He charged forward, swinging the steel pipe toward Ayanokoji's head.

But the pipe stopped in mid-air.

It wasn't Ayanokoji who caught it.

It was someone else.

A bandaged hand reached out from behind Ayanokoji and firmly gripped the pipe. Then, with a twist of that hand, the blonde man let out a shrill scream as his wrist was wrenched at an unnatural angle, and the pipe slipped from his grasp.

Shiho Manabe stepped out from the shadows.

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

Hashimoto's expression froze.

"You... how did you..."

"How am I here?" Shiho Manabe sneered. "Didn't you tell me to come? Said there was 'a good show to watch.' But I didn't expect you to want me to watch this."

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

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

"I haven't forgotten," Shiho Manabe interrupted. "But I also haven't forgotten that the 'medical records' you gave me last time nearly got me killed by Ryuen. You said it was 'harmless information,' but what happened? The forums blew up, and Class C nearly lost all their points!"

She took a step forward, pointing at Hashimoto. "You want me to take the fall for this too? If the school finds out about this kidnapping, expulsion would be the least of our worries! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

Infighting.

Hashimoto's complexion shifted from green to red, then from red to black. He glared at Shiho Manabe, then looked at Ayanokoji, finally realizing what had happened.

"You two... you colluded?"

"Not exactly collusion," Ayanokoji said. "Just getting what we each need. Shiho Manabe wants to protect herself, and I want to save Honami Ichinose. And you, Hashimoto, just happen to be our common obstacle."

"You bastard—" Hashimoto lunged at Shiho Manabe, the butterfly knife stabbing directly toward her chest.

But Ayanokoji was faster.

He stepped forward, his left hand locking onto Hashimoto's knife-wielding wrist, while his right elbow slammed into the other man's chest. Hashimoto grunted, the knife falling from his hand, but his other hand suddenly pulled a stun gun from his pocket and pressed it toward Ayanokoji!

"Watch out!" Shiho Manabe cried out.

But Ayanokoji seemed to have anticipated it; he dodged to the side while simultaneously driving his knee into Hashimoto's abdomen. Hashimoto doubled over like a shrimp, the stun gun clattering to the floor. Ayanokoji didn't stop; he grabbed Hashimoto by the hair and slammed his head hard against the nearby discarded desk!

"Bang!"

Hashimoto collapsed limply to the floor, blood seeping from his forehead.

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

Standing at the entrance of the basement were three people.

Suzune Horikita leaned on her cane, her gaze icy. Behind her stood Sae Chabashira, accompanied by the Student Council Vice President—Ikuta Kiriyama from Class A of the third year.

"Have you had enough?" Chabashira's voice was like ice. "Masayoshi Hashimoto, Shiho Manabe, and you two outsiders—explain what is going on here."

Dead silence.

Manabe was the first to react. She rushed to Ichinose's side, ripped the tape from her mouth, untied the ropes, and then turned to bow to Chabashira. "Teacher, it was Hashimoto who kidnapped Ichinose! Ayanokoji and I came here to save her!"

A complete reversal of the truth.

Clean and efficient.

Hashimoto, having just scrambled to his feet, trembled with rage upon hearing this. "You're lying! It was clearly you—"

"Me what?" Manabe turned back, her eyes sharp. "I have proof. You approached me this afternoon, saying you wanted to 'teach Ichinose a lesson,' and gave me 50,000 points as hush money. The transfer record is still on my phone; would you like to see it?"

She pulled out her phone, and the screen indeed displayed a transfer record with the memo: "Hush money_Ichinose."

Hashimoto opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.

He realized he had been set up. Manabe had been acting from the very beginning; she had pretended to cooperate while having already defected to Ayanokoji.

And that transfer memo... she had changed it herself.

"Vice President Kiriyama." Chabashira looked toward the Student Council representative. "How do you suggest we handle this?"

Ikuta Kiriyama adjusted his glasses, his expression unreadable. "Masayoshi Hashimoto: kidnapping, coercion, and colluding with outsiders. The evidence is conclusive. According to school regulations, he is to be expelled. The two outsiders will be handed over to the police. As for Shiho Manabe... she is credited for reporting the incident, but due to the private exchange of points and participation in illicit activities, she will receive a major disciplinary mark and a deduction of 10,000 personal points."

He paused, looking at Ayanokoji. "As for you, Ayanokoji, your courage is commendable. But next time you encounter such a situation, please notify a teacher or the Student Council first; do not act on your own."

"Understood," Ayanokoji replied, lowering his head.

Kiriyama nodded, signaling the Student Council officers who had followed him to secure the scene. As Hashimoto was hauled away, he glared daggers at Ayanokoji, his lips moving silently to say: "Just you wait."

Ayanokoji ignored him.

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

Ichinose shook her head, her voice still a bit hoarse. "I'm fine... thank you, Teacher."

"Hmph." Chabashira looked at Ayanokoji, her expression complex. "You, come with me."