The Eve of the Special Exam

In the days following the hearing, a peculiar calm permeated the campus. Ryuen Kakeru no longer appeared in his usual seat at the back of the Class C classroom; some said he was holed up in his dorm, while others claimed to have seen him standing alone on the roof of the Old School Building. Ishizaki Daichi returned to his daily basketball training. After the hearing that day, he had spent time alone rearranging every dumbbell in the equipment room by weight, telling no one. Kondo changed his seat, moving from behind Ryuen to the first row by the window, telling anyone who asked only that "the lighting is better over there." Manabe Shiho accepted the mediation of the Student Counseling Group and, during a group discussion, wrote a note to Sakura Airi containing only two words: "I'm sorry." The handwriting was pressed so hard the paper was nearly punctured.

On the evening the hearing concluded, Sudo Ken handed a sports drink to Ishizaki in front of a vending machine without a word. Ishizaki hesitated for a few seconds before taking it, twisting off the cap, and taking a sip. The two never made eye contact, but neither did they walk away.

Karuizawa Kei's Perception Resonance remained unusually quiet these past few days. Her social network stopped picking up hostile signals, turning instead to mending the interpersonal rifts that had been torn open. Shiina Hiyori continued to organize old archives in the library every day, but she moved Ryuen Kakeru's perjured materials from the "Pending" drawer to "Completed/Archived," with a label reading: "Formal Disciplinary Committee correction procedure in progress." Horikita Suzune began adjusting the class's collaborative contingency plans, reserving at least three versions of group simulations for the upcoming first ten days of June.

As for Sakura Airi—on the evening after the hearing, she went to the roof alone, set up her tripod, aimed it at that same gray high wall, and pressed the shutter. After the photo was developed, she placed the picture of the wall side-by-side with the old sample stamp left behind by Mr. Sakagami on the first page of her album.

Then she opened her terminal and sent a message to Kanzaki Toru: "The signature line on the last page of your cross-class report is empty. June 1st, library third-floor study room by the window. I've already booked it for you."

June 1st, 9:45 AM. Kanzaki Toru pushed open the door to the third-floor study room. Shiina Hiyori was already sitting inside, the cross-class group report returned by the Academic Affairs Office spread out before her. She tapped the signature line at the bottom of the last page with her finger. "Fifteen minutes left. Once this is signed, the Old System citation will be officially activated—the authorization level applies not only to this report but also covers all rule dossiers you access during your time at school. After signing, if you encounter people like Ryuen using confidentiality loopholes to block you in the future, the files will automatically be listed as public."

Kanzaki Toru looked at her. Her light chestnut hair wasn't tied up today, falling softly against her shoulders. Sunlight shone on her profile, making even the shadows cast by her eyelashes look exceptionally serene. "You're staying while I sign?"

"I am a librarian." Shiina pushed a fountain pen toward his hand, a faint arc appearing at the corners of her mouth. "Of course I must see you sign your full name in the checkout column."

He picked up the pen. As he reached the third character of his signature, Sakura Airi pushed the door open gently. She wasn't wearing a hat today, her red-rimmed glasses perched steadily on her nose. She carried two hot cocoas bought from the vending machine, placing one by his hand and one by Shiina's. Then she retreated to the window, leaning against the sill, her purple eyes reflecting the morning sunlight behind her lenses.

Karuizawa Kei was the fourth to enter. She wore a light blue knit cardigan today, her blonde hair loosely tied with a ribbon, and she held an envelope in her hand. She placed the envelope on the cover of the report, retreated to the door, and crossed her arms. "The study room was booked by Sakura. The draft of the letter I sent to Manabe is in there, too. Take a look while you sign."

The fifth person leaned against the doorframe almost silently—Horikita Suzune. She had no materials or coffee in her hands; she simply pushed the door open after reading the "Simulation Route Revised to Version 4.2" read receipt. She didn't sign anything, just leaned against the frame, a few strands of her black hair stirred by the hallway breeze, and said in that habitually cold but no longer sharp tone: "Signing is your business. But once you're done—I've already revised the simulation route, and the weight of team collaboration has been increased by fifteen percent. This is the final parameter adjustment before the June special exam."

Kanzaki Toru looked at these people before him, at the pen in his hand, and at the May sunlight outside the window, which bathed the entire study room in brightness and warmth. Then he lowered his head and signed his name. Shiina Hiyori scanned and archived the signed report, handing it to Sakura to save on the encrypted drive. Then, as if organizing returned books, she added a small line of text to the archive label: "June 1st, 10:00 AM, all present."

Chabashira-sensei passed by the study room door. She had intended to go to the return desk to pick up some reserved materials, but seeing the door of the room—which should have been empty—standing open, she stepped back. Her gaze swept over the report spread on the table, the wet ink on the signature line, the steaming cups of hot cocoa, and the group of students gathered around the table. She didn't speak, only paused at the door for a moment before adjusting her glasses and turning toward the return desk. Before she turned, Horikita looked up and met her eyes for a second. Chabashira didn't smile, but her footsteps were at least a quarter-beat lighter than usual.

Almost simultaneously, Horikita's tablet vibrated. It wasn't a scheduled reminder, but an automatic push notification from the academic system—the headline read: "June Special Exam Theme Announcement—LD-B1-0401: Comprehensive Assessment of Cross-Class Collaboration and Confrontation (Frozen Clauses under the Old System Partially Activated)."

She looked up. Kanzaki Toru was looking at her from the study room door; the cover of the report he had just signed bore a serial number that also ended in "0401."

"One of the activation conditions for the Old System's frozen clauses—the results of cross-class collaboration within the school year must be formally cited and archived." Shiina Hiyori turned the activity recorder to the library's main screen. On the announcement board, the reserved materials Chabashira had just returned were refreshing word by word—"Advanced Nurturing High School June Special Exam Plan: Preliminary instructions will be released during homeroom in each class at 3:00 PM today."

In the final quarter-hour before noon, Kanzaki Toru walked onto the roof once more. The rain from a few days ago had been dried by the sun, and the hair clip he had carefully placed on the railing remained tucked deep inside the iron cabinet. The distant gray high wall became a faint silhouette in the midday sun, and a few gray-feathered birds landed on the wire mesh atop the wall. No one was climbing over, and no shadows moved outside the windows. But on the gravel path, someone had drawn an arrow with white chalk—pointing toward a newly marked starting line at the other end of the playground.

The preparatory bell for the first period rang. He withdrew his gaze in the lingering echo of the bell and turned to pull open the roof door. In the shadow beneath the railing, a box of unopened mustard-flavored crackers leaned against the bottom corner of the iron cabinet—it hadn't been placed there by Shiina. Atop the cracker box sat a fresh bellflower, and beside it, a line of handwriting so delicate it was almost swallowed by the sunlight: "Please pass this on. Thank you."