Gymnasium Backstage

It was the third day of school, and everything seemed calm.

Kanzaki Toru woke up before his alarm as usual, went through his morning routine, and observed his surroundings on the way to the school building. The students of Class D had already split into several distinct groups: the noisy athletic crowd centered around Yoshida and that red-haired boy, Sudo; the study group centered around a few girls in the front row who seemed to have good grades; and the loners like himself who stayed on the fringes.

Sakura Airi belonged to the last group, and she was the most peripheral of them all. She arrived at the classroom earliest, left latest, and never left her seat during breaks. She had actually finished that bottle of water; it was empty now, tucked into the side pocket of her bag. That was probably the biggest progress made in two days.

The morning classes passed without incident. When the lunch bell rang, Kanzaki Toru remained in his seat as usual. Sakura Airi, sitting in the front row, also remained motionless, taking small bites of a piece of bread while no one was looking.

Just as he was about to get up to head to the cafeteria, the back door was suddenly flung open.

"Hey! Anyone from Class D—"

The red-haired Sudo stumbled in, drenched in sweat. "Has anyone seen Yoshida? There's a fight! Yoshida is behind the gym with some second-years—there are several of them surrounding him!"

There were only a few people left in the classroom. Two girls stepped back, and a thin boy shook his head immediately. Sudo's expression grew increasingly frantic.

"I'll go," Kanzaki Toru said.

Sudo froze. "You alone? There are three of them—"

"I'm going to get help, not to fight. You go find Chabashira-sensei, and I'll go ahead to stall them."

He didn't wait for Sudo to respond and walked straight out the back door. The path to the back of the gym wasn't far; it took about three minutes to run there. During those three minutes, his mind calculated rapidly—Yoshida was one of the most active people in Class D and was close to Sudo. If he were injured, Class D might face the risk of collective point deductions. Furthermore, doing Sudo this favor would mean he owed him a debt.

Behind the gym was an open space half-hidden by bushes. Kanzaki Toru rounded the final corner and saw the scene.

Yoshida was being held by his shoulders by two people, his back against the gym's outer wall, blood at the corner of his mouth. The second-year standing in front of him was tall with a buzz cut, his expression cold—the kind of cold that came from having plenty of leeway and completely disregarding his opponent.

"You Class D lot... you spend your points as soon as you get them, you sleep in class, and you haven't even grasped the most basic rules." The buzz-cut boy lifted his foot and pressed it against the wall beside Yoshida's head. "Say that line you shouted at the store entrance yesterday—'Isn't it just 1,000 points?'—say it to me again."

Yoshida gritted his teeth, remaining silent.

"Excuse me."

All three turned their heads at once. Kanzaki Toru stood at the entrance of the clearing, his hands in his pockets, his breathing steady.

"There is a teacher patrolling near the main entrance of the gym; they will pass by here in about three minutes. It doesn't matter if you continue, I'm just here to tell you that."

The buzz-cut boy narrowed his eyes. "First-year Class D? Another one?"

Kanzaki Toru shook his head. "I said, continue if you want. But I have a question—how much does he owe you?"

The buzz-cut boy was stunned.

"Personal points. You wouldn't spend your time cornering him for pure entertainment. If it's money he owes, I can pay it for him. If it's something else, tell me the rules, and I'll make him apologize."

His tone was so calm as he said this that it seemed abnormal in the middle of a violent scene.

The buzz-cut boy stared at him for several seconds, then a playful smile slowly spread across his face. "Interesting. I didn't think Class D had someone like you."

He released Yoshida's chin and took a step back. "We'll call it a day. But—" As he walked past Kanzaki Toru, he bumped his shoulder intentionally and lowered his voice, "You'd better teach the people in your class. Those who talk tough now won't be around after one semester."

The three second-years walked away.

Kanzaki Toru walked over to Yoshida. Yoshida slid down to sit against the wall, keeping his head down, refusing to look at him.

"Can you stand?"

Yoshida was silent for a long time before blurting out, "I just said 'Isn't it just 1,000 points'... I didn't know it would be such a big deal."

Kanzaki Toru didn't offer comfort, simply extending a hand. "Stand up. Sudo went to find a teacher; you'd better leave here before they arrive."

Yoshida hesitated for a few seconds before grabbing his hand and being pulled up. He steadied himself against the wall and whispered a thank you.

Kanzaki Toru nodded and turned to walk back.

The moment he stepped out of the clearing, a gust of wind blew, and the leaves of the bushes rustled.

He suddenly felt that something deep within his mind had changed.

This feeling was hard to describe. It wasn't like pain or dizziness; it was more like a vague outline that had always existed on the edge of his consciousness had suddenly been illuminated by something. He instinctively focused his attention on it—and saw an image.

It was like opening a book that belonged only to him. The pages stopped at a certain one, revealing a portrait. A white sun hat, red thick-rimmed glasses, and a slightly lowered face.

Several lines of information appeared below the portrait—not text seen by his eyes, but information appearing directly in his cognition—

Sakura Airi. First-year Class D. Favorability: 68. Title: Observer Hidden Under the Brim. Status: Social anxiety persists, initial trust in specific target established. Relationship Path: Initial contact on bus → Accompaniment to store → Daily care. Favorability Reward: Camouflage technique improved—Unlocked.

Kanzaki Toru stood in the shadow of the gym, repeatedly confirming this information. It wasn't a terminal, nor any electronic device. These things were in his consciousness, as if some ability that had been dormant had finally awakened.

He didn't know where it came from. But he knew some of its rules—it only recorded girls. The other party had to leave some kind of mark on him to be recorded. Once favorability reached a certain value, a reward would be unlocked.

Sakura Airi's favorability was 68. The first reward was unlocked—Camouflage technique improved. He felt it; something was indeed different. His control over his limbs was more precise, his management of facial expressions was more natural, and he had a more delicate grasp of the pitch and tone of his voice. It wasn't an improvement in knowledge, but in muscle memory, integrated into every movement.

Moreover, the index showed that 68 was only two points away from the next reward. 70.

He remembered the note Sakura had left on his desk—"Second-years are investigating the freshmen. Be careful, Kanzaki-kun." If that action represented an increase in favorability, he knew exactly what those two points meant. Gratitude only required one point of favorability. To go from 68 to 70 required initiative.

He continued walking, pushed open the back door of the school building, and headed up the stairs. Several things were turning in his mind at once. The second-year said "how many people will be left in Class D after one semester," implying there was some kind of screening mechanism that could eliminate students in the short term. Yoshida being targeted was a marking behavior; upperclassmen were testing freshmen through pressure, screening out the weak and those who didn't understand the rules. His own intervention just now had saved Yoshida, but it had also exposed him.

It was worth it. At least he knew the index existed.

Returning to the classroom, there were only a few minutes left of the lunch break. Sakura Airi was slumped over her desk, her face buried in her arms, her hat brim pulled very low. Kanzaki Toru didn't call out to her; he sat back in his seat and pulled up the index in his mind again.

Favorability 68. Next stage requirement 70. Two points to go.

No rush.