The Tyrant's Messenger

Friday morning, the sky was as gloomy as a filthy rag.

It looked like it might rain, and the air was sticky, carrying a musty smell with every breath.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood before the bulletin board in the school building, looking at the freshly posted "VIP Exam Rules Announcement." A crowd pressed around it, their whispers buzzing like flies.

The announcement was worded in a needlessly formal way, but it boiled down to three points:

First, Exam Format: First-years and second-years would be randomly paired up to compete in a class match.

Second, Victory Conditions: Seize the opposing class's "VIP" identity card and protect your own VIP.

Third, Special Rule: Each team would have one "traitor," whose mission was the opposite of the team's objective. The traitor's identity would be announced one hour after the exam began.

"Randomly paired up." Kei Karuizawa stood beside him, her voice low. "Yeah, right."

She pointed to the fine print at the bottom of the announcement: "Teams will be determined by a draw held by the Student Council. The results have been sealed and will be announced on the day of the exam."

"So it's already been decided." Suzune Horikita approached, leaning on her cane. The bandage around her ankle had been removed, but she still limped slightly. "Chabashira-sensei said we'll be paired with Class 2-C. Their leader is Atsushi Ryuen."

She paused, then added, "Ryuen Kakeru's older brother."

The faces of several Class D students nearby changed.

Ryuen Kakeru was already crazy enough. His older brother was a second-year "tyrant." This was clearly a one-way trip into a pit of fire.

"Is there anything we can do?" Yosuke Hirata asked. He looked unwell today, with dark circles under his eyes—he'd spent most of last night dealing with Hashimoto's expulsion.

"There is," Ayanokoji said. "Lose gracefully."

The people around them fell silent for a moment.

Then Karuizawa laughed, her shoulders shaking. "Are you serious?"

"Completely." Ayanokoji looked at the announcement. "This match has been unfair from the start. Our 'teammates' will do everything they can to eliminate us, while our 'opponents'—whichever class they're from—will target us first. Everyone knows that an alliance between Class D and Class 2-C is bound to fall apart."

He paused. "So our goal isn't to win. It's to survive, and earn as many points as we can along the way."

"What about our Class Points?" Kanji Ike asked quietly.

"They'll be deducted." Ayanokoji was blunt. "But we can control how many."

He looked around at everyone. "The exam lasts three days and takes place in the school's 'Special Exercise Area' on the mountain behind the school. There are dorms, a cafeteria, and a small simulated society. What we need to bring isn't fighting power, but supplies and information."

"Information?" Haruki Yamauchi asked, confused.

"Information about the other classes, about the area, and..." Ayanokoji looked toward the second-year building. "About our 'teammates.'"

The bell rang.

The crowd dispersed.

Ayanokoji took one last look at the announcement and turned to leave, but a voice called out to him.

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka?"

It was a girl. She was a second-year in a Class C uniform, with short hair and glasses. She held a folder and wore the deferential expression of a secretary.

"I'm Hiyori Shiina of Class 2-C." She bowed slightly. "Atsushi Ryuen asked me to give you this."

She held out a black envelope, sealed with red wax bearing the imprint of a fearsome dragon's head.

Ayanokoji accepted it but didn't open it. "Did he say anything else?"

"He said..." Shiina pushed up her glasses, her voice steady and expressionless. "'The game starts now. I hope you make it to the day of the exam.'"

With that, she bowed again and walked away.

Karuizawa leaned closer. "What's that? A threat?"

"An invitation." Ayanokoji broke the seal. Inside was a single card, covered in handwriting as sharp as a blade:

Time: Today after school, 17:00

Location: Third floor of the Old School Building, music room

Purpose: Pre-battle meeting

Note: Come alone. Bring a weapon if you think it'll help.

Signed: Atsushi Ryuen.

Karuizawa sucked in a breath. "This is a trap, isn't it?"

"It's a show of force." Ayanokoji put the card away. "He wants to establish his authority before the exam."

"So are you going?"

"I am." Ayanokoji said, "If I don't, he'll think I'm afraid of him. And if he thinks I'm afraid, the next three days will be even worse."

Five in the afternoon, third floor of the Old School Building.

The music room door stood ajar. Piano music drifted from inside—it was Chopin's "Funeral March," played well, but every note carried a chill.

Ayanokoji pushed the door open.

The room was spacious, with an abandoned piano in the center. A boy sat on the piano bench with his back to the door. He wore a second-year uniform, but no tie, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. His hair was longer than Ryuen Kakeru's and tied into a small braid that hung behind his head.

The music stopped.

The boy turned around.

Ayanokoji was seeing Atsushi Ryuen for the first time.

He looked about seventy percent like Ryuen Kakeru, but their eyes were completely different. Ryuen Kakeru's gaze was mad, burning with the urge to destroy everything. Atsushi Ryuen's was cold, like a scalpel, like an icicle—the kind of cold that could peel back someone's skin and see the bones beneath.

"Sit." Ryuen pointed to the chair opposite him.

Ayanokoji sat down.

They stared at each other for five seconds.

Then Ryuen smiled, barely, the expression not reaching his eyes. "My little brother says you're hard to deal with."

"Flattering."

"That wasn't a compliment," Ryuen said. "It's a fact. He's lost to you twice, and he's already planning a third attempt. Though I don't think his chances of success are above thirty percent."

He was so blunt it was uncomfortable.

"So what?" Ayanokoji asked. "Are you here to avenge him?"

"Take revenge?" Ryuen looked as if he'd heard a joke. "Why would I avenge him? He lost because he was incompetent. The incompetent aren't worth wasting my time on."

He stood and walked to the window, looking out at the gloomy sky. "I called you here to discuss working together."

"Working together?"

"Right." Ryuen turned and leaned against the windowsill. "The exam starts next Wednesday. You've read the rules. We're on the same team, but there's a 'traitor' among us. The traitor's job is to sabotage the team's victory."

He paused. "Who do you think the traitor is?"

"You," Ayanokoji said.

Ryuen raised an eyebrow. "Straight to the point, huh?"

"Because you're the best fit." Ayanokoji analyzed the situation. "You're the leader of Class 2-C. Sacrificing Class 1-D to secure victory for your class is a good deal. And your brother hates me, so you could get revenge for him and earn his gratitude at the same time."

"Not a bad analysis." Ryuen clapped twice. The sound echoed through the empty room. "But you're wrong."

He took a slip of paper from his pocket and tossed it to Ayanokoji.

A single handwritten line appeared on it:

Traitor: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka (Class 1-D)

Ayanokoji's pupils contracted slightly.

"Surprised?" Ryuen smiled. "The Student Council gave each team captain the traitor list in advance. And I'm the captain of Class 2-C."

He walked over to Ayanokoji, bent down, and braced both hands on the chair's armrests, trapping him between them. "So here's the situation: you're the traitor, I know you're the traitor, and you don't know that I know you're the traitor. According to the rules, I'm supposed to wait until an hour after the exam begins to reveal this information."

His breath brushed against Ayanokoji's face, carrying the scent of mint candy. "But I'm telling you now. Why?"

"Because you want to play a bigger game," Ayanokoji said calmly.

"Clever." Ryuen straightened and stepped back. "I don't care whether we win or lose this exam. Class Points? I can get those whenever I want. What I care about is..."

He paused, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "The game itself. Watching someone struggle when they know they're bound to lose. Watching a clever person dig his own grave in a desperate situation."

A madman.

A madman just like his younger brother, but cleverer, calmer, and more... eager to enjoy every moment.

"So what do you want me to do?" Ayanokoji asked.

"It's simple." Ryuen returned to the piano and casually pressed a key. "Play along with me for three days. Give me a spectacular performance and use everything you've got. If you can do that..."

He turned around, his smile bright. "After the exam, I'll make sure Ryuen Kakeru leaves you alone. I'll keep him far away from you and Class D."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I'll reveal your identity as the traitor in the first minute of the exam." Ryuen said, "Then I'll watch everyone hunt you down, watch Class D fall apart because of your 'betrayal,' watch you lose everyone's trust, and finally... get expelled."

He tilted his head. "Choose. Will you play a game with me, or die right now?"

The room was so quiet they could hear dust settling.

Outside, the sky grew darker. At last, the rain began, pattering against the windows.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stayed silent for a long time.

Then he stood and walked toward the door.

At the doorway, he stopped without turning around. "I'll play your game. But the rules need a little adjustment."

"Oh?" Ryuen turned, intrigued.

"I won't hold back." Ayanokoji said, "I'll use every means at my disposal, including methods you won't like. If you decide to quit halfway through, or find you can't handle it..."

He paused. "I'll make you regret coming to me today."

With that, he opened the door and left.

The piano started up again behind him. It was still the "Funeral March," but the tempo had quickened, as though chasing after something.

Ryuen watched the closed door, his smile growing wider.

"Interesting," he murmured. "Very interesting."

Seven in the evening, Class D's clubroom.

Ayanokoji told them about the traitor.

The clubroom fell deathly silent.

"That's got to be against the rules!" Ken Sudo slammed his fist on the table. "Leaking the traitor's identity in advance? The Student Council won't do anything?"

"The Student Council gave the list to the team captains, but a captain revealing it early doesn't strictly count as breaking the rules," Suzune Horikita analyzed calmly. "The rules only say it will be 'announced one hour later.' They don't say it can't be revealed beforehand."

"So what do we do now?" Karuizawa asked, her face pale. "You're the traitor, and Ryuen knows. The other classes might find out too... The moment the exam starts, everyone will be targeting you."

"That's why we need a plan." Ayanokoji drew a simple diagram on the whiteboard. "The exam lasts three days. The first is the adjustment period, the second is when conflicts erupt, and the third is the deciding day. Ryuen will reveal my identity on the first day, so we need to establish our defenses right away."

He looked at Hirata. "We need to change how we distribute supplies. Food, water, and medicine should be split between three locations: one obvious, two hidden. If our main camp is breached, we'll have somewhere else to fall back to."

Hirata nodded and took notes.

"Karuizawa, you and Sakura will work together on scouting and intelligence," Ayanokoji continued. "Pay particular attention to what the other classes are doing, as well as what's happening inside Class 2-C. I don't believe every one of them blindly follows Ryuen."

"Understood," Karuizawa said.

"Horikita, you and Hirata will coordinate the group and build our defenses," Ayanokoji said. "The exam takes place on the mountain behind the school, so we can take advantage of the terrain. Study the map in advance and find retreat routes and ambush points."

Horikita nodded.

"Sudo, Ike, Yamauchi—you're our fighters." Ayanokoji looked at the three of them. "But remember, our goal isn't to fight. It's to stall and disrupt. If we're attacked, run if you can. If you can't, create chaos."

The three exchanged glances, but eventually nodded.

"What about you?" Hirata asked. "You're the traitor, and you'll be a target. What are you going to do?"

"I'll be the bait," Ayanokoji said. "Ryuen wants to play cat and mouse, so I'll let him chase me. But mice can bite, too."

He paused. "Besides, being the traitor might not be a bad thing."

"What do you mean?"

"The traitor's job is to sabotage the team's victory," Ayanokoji said. "But what if the definition of 'team' is open to interpretation? What if I can keep Class 2-C and Class D officially on the same team, while splitting them apart in practice?"

Everyone froze.

"You mean..." Horikita's eyes lit up. "Exploit a loophole in the rules?"

"The rules only say to 'seize the opposing class's VIP identity card.' They don't say we can't seize one from our own teammates." Ayanokoji said, "If I can make Class 2-C count as the 'opposing class,' I'll complete my traitor mission, and..."

He smiled. "We can earn an extra set of points, too."

Madmen.

That was what everyone was thinking at that moment.

But it was the kind of madness that thrilled them.

"Let's do it." Karuizawa was the first to speak up. "We're screwed either way, so we might as well take a chance."

The others nodded one after another.

The meeting ended, and everyone left to prepare.

Ayanokoji was the last to leave the clubroom. As he closed the door, his phone vibrated.

It was a message from Kushida Kikyo, containing just one photo:

In the photo, Shiho Manabe and Honami Ichinose were talking in a café. Manabe was handing her a USB drive.

The caption read: "Your new ally doesn't seem very trustworthy."

Ayanokoji stared at the photo for a few seconds, then deleted it and replied:

"Worry about yourself."

He turned off his phone and looked out the window.

The rain grew heavier, and the campus streetlights blurred into clusters of dim yellow light behind the curtain of rain.

The storm was coming.

And he had already entered the tyrant's hunting ground.