Matsuo Eiichiro

"Happy working together!"

Suzune no longer kept her head bowed. She looked up at Satsu, her face flushed as if she had just been forced to do something shameful.

Though she and Satsu shook hands politely, neither of them felt nearly as harmonious as they appeared.

"Bastard! You took such a huge advantage of me. Just wait and see how I'll boss you around from now on!" (Horikita Suzune)

"Hey, hey, hey! How did I take advantage of you? All you did was say something you didn't mean!" (Kato Satsu)

Satsu withdrew his hand and, after politely saying goodbye to Suzune and Ayanokoji, headed to the classroom alone.

He chose not to go with Ayanokoji and Suzune. After what had just happened, the atmosphere between the three of them was far too awkward.

"You didn't want your plan to fall through, and you didn't want to be the only one losing out, so you even said you liked me. What can I possibly say to that?" (Kato Satsu)

"You'll just have to do your best on your own. After all, you're Horikita Suzune~" (Kato Satsu)

"I need to speed up my money-making plan targeting Miyabi Nagumo. If I keep getting tangled up with Suzune, I'll only sink deeper and deeper." (Kato Satsu)

Satsu walked with his head lowered, deep in thought about his plans, completely unaware of Suzune's punishment of Ayanokoji behind him.

"Ow! That hurts!"

Ayanokoji rubbed his chest and protested to Suzune, "A pen is for writing, not stabbing people!"

With a sharp click, Suzune capped her pen and looked at Ayanokoji nonchalantly. "That's what you get for talking nonsense!"

"I said that for the sake of your plan! Haven't you been trying to get Satsu to join?" Ayanokoji said glumly.

"I don't need him that badly! I never said I'd have to go this far!"

Seeing Ayanokoji still holding his chest, Suzune said impatiently, "All right, stop pretending. You barely got stabbed. You blocked some of the force, didn't you?"

Then Suzune couldn't help complimenting him. "Ayanokoji, your reflexes are pretty good."

"Just a coincidence."

"A coincidence?"

Suzune murmured the word to herself, but didn't give it much thought. "If you and Kato can't handle the study group, you'll pay for it with your lives!"

With that, Suzune left briskly without waiting for Ayanokoji's reply.

"Pay with my life? Isn't that a bit much?" Ayanokoji muttered to himself.

"But now that Satsu's joining us, the study group should be easy to handle."

In an apartment building of unknown location outside the school,

Matsuo Eiichiro, as usual, dressed neatly in his school uniform and prepared to go to school.

As soon as he opened the apartment's heavy iron door, Eiichiro couldn't help looking at his father, who was sitting in the living room.

His father, once refined and gentle, with impeccable manners, was now a completely different person. His hair and beard were unkempt, and his stubble covered his face. His faded white coat was crumpled, and empty liquor bottles lay scattered haphazardly beside the table. He was a wretched, down-and-out old man, seemingly sunk in drink day after day.

It all began when Eiichiro's father, Matsuo, lost his job.

Eiichiro's father, Matsuo, had once been an excellent butler. At first, Eiichiro hadn't worried about his father's unemployment. He'd thought it was only a matter of time before Matsuo found another job.

But reality was cruel. No matter what position Matsuo applied for, his résumé disappeared into a void.

Even when he applied to wash dishes, Matsuo was turned away. His income was zero, but the household expenses certainly weren't.

Then, one day, Matsuo seemed to realize some undeniable truth. He gave up on life and on himself, and began drinking heavily.

Eiichiro had tried talking to his father more than once, but all he got in response was his father's endless silence. Matsuo's silence was enough to drive anyone mad.

Though Eiichiro had cleaned the room countless times, Matsuo never seemed to appreciate his son's thoughtfulness. He always made a mess of it again right in front of Eiichiro.

Looking at the chaos filling the room, Eiichiro forced a smile and reassured his father. "Father, I'm heading to school. It'll be all right! I'll find a way to help with the household expenses."

"Actually, I've already found a part-time job. I'm pretty impressive, huh? Hahaha! So I'll be home a little late tonight..."

When it became clear that his father wasn't going to respond, Eiichiro wisely stopped talking, closed the door, and left.

The moment the door closed, the smile vanished from Eiichiro's face. Gloom and anxiety filled his heart.

The truth was, he hadn't found a part-time job at all. Just like his father, Eiichiro couldn't find work—not even as a convenience store cashier.

Things at school had taken a strange turn, too. When Eiichiro had just started his first year of high school, everything had gone smoothly. He'd ranked near the top of his class, and he'd gotten along well with both his teachers and classmates.

But not long ago, one strange thing after another had begun to happen. His teachers stopped grading his homework and tests.

After class, his teachers ignored his questions. They even announced in front of everyone that no student was allowed to associate with Eiichiro anymore.

More than once, Eiichiro had tried to speak with his teachers. He'd even wondered if he'd done something wrong, but they simply acted as if he didn't exist.

Looking up at the deep blue sky, Eiichiro felt for the first time that it was so very far away.

"Matsuo!"

Hearing that familiar, sweet voice, Eiichiro instinctively put on his gentle smile again and replied, "Nanase!"

At the foot of the stairs, the sweet-smiling girl waved at him. A ray of light always seemed to shine into Eiichiro's heart when he saw her, briefly driving away the gloom.

"Is Uncle Matsuo still in a bad mood today?"

Eiichiro nodded helplessly.

"Then I'll buy him a gift after school and go see him."

"Thank you, Nanase," Eiichiro said gratefully.

"Nanase Tsubasa, we need to hurry or we'll be late for school!"

"Coming!"

Hearing her friend call, Nanase Tsubasa quickly answered, "Matsuo, I'll be off now."

"Okay!"

Eiichiro gave a small nod.

"Nanase, how can I tell you what's happening with my family?"

As soon as he arrived at school, a security guard stopped him. "Matsuo Eiichiro, right? I'm sorry, but we can't let you in."

"Is it because I'm late? There's a reason. I..."

Eiichiro started to explain. He'd been targeted a lot over the past few days, and things like this had happened before.

But today was different. The guard didn't wait for Eiichiro to finish. Instead, he took out a printed notice.

Eiichiro looked closely. The words "Notice of Expulsion" were written plainly across it.

"What is this? I can't accept this! I haven't done anything wrong. Why are you doing this to me?" Eiichiro shouted.

But all he got in response was the guard's merciless attempt to drive him away.