Lunch Before the Storm

Three days before the deadline for the inter-class group assignments, at an Italian restaurant on the third floor of Keyaki Mall.

When Kanzaki Toru arrived, Karuizawa Kei was already seated by the window. She wasn't wearing her school uniform today, opting instead for a light blue knit cardigan. Her long, golden hair wasn't worn loose as usual; instead, it was loosely tied back with a plain hairband. A half-finished iced coffee sat on the table, beads of condensation slowly tracing a path down the straw.

"You're two minutes late." She looked up, her tone devoid of reproach, merely stating a fact.

"I ran into Sudo by the vending machines."

"Was he agonizing over whether to buy a sports drink or soda again?"

"He was agonizing over which was cheaper. He said he's saving up for new wristbands, so he's even cut out coffee."

Karuizawa let out a small laugh, then gestured for him to sit, sliding the menu toward him. "My treat today. I haven't paid the consultation fee for that red bean soup yet."

"You put that red bean soup on Sakura's desk yourself."

"So? Are you going to stop me from doing it? This meal isn't on behalf of Sakura." She opened the menu, her movements elegant but her tone uncharacteristically serious. "It's for me. There are some things I want to ask you."

Kanzaki set the menu down and looked at her. Karuizawa had chosen this restaurant—Italian, mid-to-high price range, located by the window on the third floor of Keyaki Mall. The afternoon sun filtered through the glass, casting a soft glow onto the white tablecloth. There weren't many students dining, but a few tables were occupied by girls from Class D and Class C. Karuizawa had chosen this spot intentionally. She needed a public setting where certain things could be overheard, yet not so public that the information would spread too far.

"Are you and Horikita teaming up to take down Class C?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

"It's not about taking down Class C. It's about taking down Ryuen Kakeru."

"What's the difference? Isn't Ryuen part of Class C?"

"Class C also has Shiina Hiyori. And those who have been pushed to the margins by Ryuen, too afraid to speak up." Kanzaki picked up his water glass and took a sip. "Taking down Ryuen isn't about targeting a class; it's about stripping him of his control. Why do you ask?"

Karuizawa didn't answer immediately. She stirred the ice in her glass with a straw, eyes cast downward as she watched the cubes collide, creating a crisp, rhythmic sound.

"Sakura told me about Manabe. Not through you—she told me directly. After school, when the classroom was empty, she told me everything about how Manabe kicked her chair during the group assignment and how she flooded the group chat with insults about Sakura being a burden. She said, 'Kanzaki-kun said thanking you was enough,' and then she just let it all out. She didn't cry afterward. She said it was the first time she realized that telling someone else the full extent of the hurt she'd suffered didn't make her feel ashamed."

"That was her own courage. I was merely the catalyst," Kanzaki said.

"I know." Karuizawa set the straw down and looked up. There was a seriousness in those blue eyes he hadn't seen before. "I have several people on my side now. They don't listen to Ryuen, and they don't listen to Kushida—they only listen to me. You're gathering information on Ryuen's perjury, aren't you? My group is in the same discussion room as the girls from Class C. I know what they talk about in private long before Horikita does." She pushed a folded slip of paper toward Kanzaki. "This is a screenshot of the message Manabe sent in the girls' group chat last week—about Sakura. I made a backup."

As Kanzaki took the paper, his fingertips brushed the back of her hand. She didn't offer her usual playful banter; she simply pulled her hand back and continued stirring her drink.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." She paused. "I said this meal was for me. If Ryuen is truly toppled, there will be a brief power vacuum within Class C. Whoever fills that void will easily consolidate the scattered forces of the class. I want to know: are you going to push Shiina Hiyori into that position?"

"It's not about pushing her. It's about her standing in the position that belongs to her."

Karuizawa stared at him, thoughtful. "You really think so?"

"I really do."

She leaned back in her chair, hands folded in her lap, a proud curve slowly forming at the corners of her mouth. Her fingers tapped twice under the table, a light motion, as if confirming a resolution to herself. "Then our goals may not perfectly align. But for now, I'm willing to help you. Not for your sake—but for Sakura's. That girl has endured no less than any of us."

A few tables away, some Class C girls seemed to catch the mention of Sakura's name and glanced over. Karuizawa immediately put on a relaxed expression, raised her voice, and remarked, "The seafood pasta here is amazing," before flipping through the menu as if nothing had happened.

Kanzaki quietly played along from across the table, shifting the conversation to restaurant recommendations. Only when those gazes had drifted away did he quickly write another line on a napkin and slide it toward her: "Please send the Manabe backup via an encrypted line. Shiina will help you transcode it."

Karuizawa glanced down, folded the napkin into a tiny square, and tucked it into her bag. For her, this was the first time using social networks on a non-social battlefield.

Lunch ended, and the two walked to the restaurant entrance. The stifling heat in the air made the distant playground look as if it were floating on a thin layer of vapor. A book delivery truck was parked at the back door of the library, and several students were unloading cargo.

"Karuizawa—" he suddenly called out.

She turned back. "What is it?"

"Take care of yourself."

Karuizawa froze for a moment, then smiled. It wasn't her usual proud, distant smile, but a more genuine one, her eyes crinkling at the corners. In this afternoon where all fronts were slowly tightening, she looked like someone who had just calibrated her target—still proud, but no longer using that pride to mask her unease.

"You too."

She turned and stepped into the elevator. The moment the doors closed, Kanzaki saw her lower her head, seemingly looking at that folded napkin again.

He stood at the restaurant entrance for a moment, then headed toward the library. There were three unread messages on his terminal. One from Horikita: "Ryuen applied to review the full list of members for the Class D inter-class group today. The reason stated is 'discovered serious obstacles in inter-class communication.' I blocked the transfer process once, but I can only delay it until tomorrow afternoon at the latest. How much longer do you need?" One from Sakura Airi: "The photos from the rooftop have been developed. One of them captured something that shouldn't be there." He flipped to that photo, his fingertips suddenly stopping—the attachment from Sakura was a high-resolution image, taken from the rooftop looking downward. In the center of the frame was a figure in a school uniform, one hand gripping a pipe outside the old school building, about to climb over the high wall. The image was clear for only a few seconds, but it was enough to identify the back: Ishizaki Daichi. The final message was from an unknown number. No signature, just two words: "Be careful."

He stood on the library steps, reading the three messages together once more. Ryuen was tightening his information net, Ishizaki was trying to flee, and someone had sent an anonymous warning. The rain had yet to fall. Low-pressure clouds hung overhead, pressing everyone's shadows into a thin, gray layer.

He tucked his terminal into his pocket and pushed open the library doors. Shiina Hiyori was already waiting inside, the report that would change the situation spread out before her.