Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Class 1-A.
The days of school flew by. During the first month at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Amasawa Reigetsu spent his days in class and enthusiastically sparring with Morishita Ran. Now and then, he played chess with Sakayanagi Arisu; sometimes, he went to Class D to see Ayanokoji Kiyoko and tease Horikita Suzune. And every so often, Hoshinomiya-sensei dragged him off to eat little cakes—
What was this? This was a pretty fulfilling high school life!
There was no helping it. The first month's exams had only been unexpected. As long as you paid attention, you could see that the material was far too easy. It was just no fun at all.
Class D: You think you're so great! You think you're better than us!
Mashima Tomoya walked into the classroom and wrote each class's Class Points on the blackboard.
Class A: 991 points
Class B: 900 points
Class C: 591 points
Class D: 0 points
Amasawa Reigetsu: 666 salt beans, the act is over. The Class D dynasty's here, anybody get it?
Mashima Tomoya began reviewing the first exam, going over what they could learn from it. He also explained the purpose of Class Points and how to earn them.
"The school's midterm exams will take place in May. Any students who fail will be expelled, so please keep that in mind."
"Also, the school will be holding swimming lessons. Please bear that in mind."
Swimming lessons? Was there some exam that involved swimming? It probably wasn't just a swimming competition... That sort of thing would be saved for the sports festival. Which meant swimming itself was the important skill—
Surviving on a deserted island...?
It sounded absurd, but it was the only possibility Amasawa Reigetsu could think of.
Mashima Tomoya: I'm used to it. Do whatever you want, just don't transfer out of my class.
Amasawa Reigetsu: Probably... not?
When homeroom ended, everyone could hear the waves of wailing from Class D at the other end of the corridor. Even Ayanokoji, who almost never messaged Amasawa, couldn't resist sending him a text.
"Old man, spill some tea."
Given the academic ability of Class A students, the midterms were unlikely to get anyone expelled. Still, they had to hold study sessions, since not everyone had reached a B in academics—for example, Kamuro Masumi.
"What? I think you're thinking something really rude!"
Kamuro Masumi shot him a resentful look. Ever since Sakayanagi Arisu had taken this Pokémon under her wing, Kamuro had often been sent over to run errands for Amasawa. Eventually, she discovered a loophole—
Why not just stay in Amasawa's room?
After spending a few more sessions there, Kamuro Masumi realized Amasawa was even worse than Sakayanagi! Whenever she was in his room, she couldn't help doing strange things. Amasawa always blamed it on bad feng shui and ghosts, but he'd definitely done something to her!
Kamuro Masumi would keep going back until she uncovered the truth! Because the scheming frog keeps touching your belly!
Sakayanagi Arisu: Fine, just don't cuckold your husband.
Amasawa Reigetsu: ?
"What'd you get on the math quiz?"
"Sixty-three. Why?"
"Pfft."
"You just laughed, you bastard! You definitely laughed out loud, didn't you!? I'm gonna kill you!!!"
"I thought of something funny."
"What the hell are you so happy about!! Go eat shit!!!"
"Oh, Kamuro-san~"
"Eek!"
Sakayanagi Arisu dragged Kamuro Masumi away by the ear.
Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, library.
Kamuro Masumi ultimately failed to escape her Genshin family. Hashimoto Masayoshi grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and sat her down in a chair at a library table. The table was piled high with the things she'd soon have to cram into her head.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Gotta cram it all in~
Kamuro Masumi: What's that sound?
Morishita Ran: Knowledge is exploding.
Kamuro Masumi: Pfft!
Thwack!
Sakayanagi Arisu gave Morishita Ran a chop to the head, telling her to go hang out somewhere else, then began cramming knowledge into Kamuro Masumi's brain.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Amasawa Reigetsu didn't need to attend the study session. He wouldn't refuse if anyone wanted him to tutor them, though. Today, he was here as a family member accompanying a student—specifically, the hands-off kind.
Morishita Ran appeared beside Amasawa Reigetsu.
"Weren't you teaching Kamuro? Why'd you come over here?"
Amasawa Reigetsu asked, a little puzzled, though he knew Morishita Ran wouldn't be teaching Kamuro anyway.
"Amasawa Reigetsu, I can feel the power known as 'prophecy' awakening in my bloodline..."
Morishita Ran pulled a crystal ball from her pocket. A white-haired girl came running after her from deeper in the library.
"Isn't that a decoration from the library?"
Amasawa Reigetsu had a bad feeling about this.
"Amasawa Reigetsu! I am the bloodline's last descendant, left behind in this world by the great prophet of the Divine Age. I now deliver my prophecy to you! In one second, you will be hunted down by something terrifying!!"
Amasawa Reigetsu's instincts told him there really might be big trouble in a second!
Could Big Sis Ran actually be right this time?
Morishita Ran solemnly handed the crystal ball to Amasawa Reigetsu, then solemnly patted him on the shoulder.
Morishita Ran: Run for it!!!! Watch me transform into my dual-form self!!! Amazon jungle warrior mode!!!
Amasawa Reigetsu: ? God's behind the original god!?
"Morishita-san... please wait..."
Shiina Hiyori silently repeated the words in her mind. Her footsteps were so light they were almost inaudible, but Morishita Ran couldn't read minds.
Just moments ago, Morishita Ran had inexplicably taken the crystal ball ornament from the library chandelier, using a ladder to reach it. The scene had been so bizarre that even the people around them hadn't paid it any mind.
Shiina Hiyori took a deep breath and tried to steady her breathing. Her fingers trembled slightly, but her steps were unusually light. She knew there were other students studying in the library, and she couldn't make a sound loud enough to disturb them.
"I'm sorry... excuse me..."
She silently apologized to every bookshelf she passed, as if that might ease her guilt.
Then she saw Morishita Ran hand the crystal ball to an unfamiliar male student. The boy was clearly just as baffled.
"Thank goodness... at least the crystal ball won't run off again now..."
Shiina Hiyori let out a long breath, finally relieved.
"Um... hello. Could you give me that crystal ball? It's a decoration from the library chandelier. If it isn't put back, Morishita-san might be punished by the school..."
Big Sis Ran really was a god!
Amasawa Reigetsu silently handed the crystal ball to the unfamiliar white-haired girl in front of him. If he remembered right, she was from Class C. He hadn't expected Class C to have someone with this sort of vibe.
A bookish girl under a tyrant's rule. How unusual.
As Shiina Hiyori took the crystal ball, she felt someone's gaze on her—
It was hard to describe the feeling. The person in front of her was around 178 centimeters tall, with a lean, upright build and murky gray eyes, like a deep pool shrouded in mist. One more step forward and she might fall in.
"Ah! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Shiina Hiyori from Class 1-C. Pleased to meet you."
As if realizing she'd been staring rudely, Shiina Hiyori came to her senses and introduced herself.
"Your face is so hot. Is it because you're introducing yourself to a stranger?"
Amasawa Reigetsu caught her studying him. Judging by the path of her gaze, it was a classic detective's way of observing someone.
"The Tokyo Zodiac Murders?"
Amasawa Reigetsu glanced at the book in Shiina Hiyori's hands.
Thump!
Shiina Hiyori's heart gave a sudden leap.
The Advanced Nurturing High School library was luxurious, but most students only came to improve their academic skills. She'd hardly ever met anyone else who read detective novels, let alone other kinds of books...
Ryuen Kakeru often came to the library, but he cared more about practical books on power struggles and economics than literary fiction. He usually borrowed books to take back with him or read them on the way...
"You've read this book too?!"
Shiina Hiyori's eyes lit up.
"It fits the occasion, doesn't it?"
Amasawa Reigetsu glanced at the crystal ball in his hand and shook his head, a little helplessly.
"The premise of combining the occult with the aesthetics of bizarre crimes is so interesting!"
Shiina Hiyori reached out a cockroach's feeler to Amasawa Reigetsu.
"Yeah, and using a missing piece of a yen coin as the key to revealing the central trick at the end is a great analogy."
Once Shiina Hiyori got going, she couldn't stop. It was as if she were pouring out all the loneliness she'd felt over the past decade or so, never having found a like-minded book lover. By the time the two of them left the library, the sun had completely set, bringing a quiet darkness to the world.
"I had so much fun talking about books with you! Will you come to the library tomorrow too?"
Shiina Hiyori's eyes held an unrealistic hope. She knew that if he were as much of a bookworm as she was, she would have seen him during the month since classes began. But she didn't want to give up on the possibility so easily—
Shiina Hiyori wanted to hold on to hope!
"By the way... we got so caught up talking that I never asked your name..."
Shiina Hiyori gave up timidly. She didn't want to lose this rare friend, even if they only talked whenever the mood struck!
"My name? I'll give you a hint."
Amasawa Reigetsu gave her a simple little riddle. The answer was zero.
"Huh?"
Shiina Hiyori didn't understand at first—
Amasawa Reigetsu had already left. He'd noticed his terminal vibrating nonstop, like a detonator.
As Shiina Hiyori solved Amasawa Reigetsu's little riddle and watched his back, the hazy aura surrounding his reflected figure gradually took shape.
"You're so mean, leaving me all alone here, Mr. Mystery~"
"Alice, where's Kamuro?"
Amasawa Reigetsu couldn't take any more of Kamuro Masumi's texts. Fuming, he came storming over with a knife.
It wasn't as if her parent had forgotten to pick her up from school! Couldn't she just buy a grilled sausage at the school gate and walk home?
Sakayanagi Arisu pointed beneath Amasawa's butt. Amasawa looked down in confusion—
There was a pile of ashes under his seat.