The Other Three Classes' Views

"You've asked me so many questions, so let me ask you one too."

Kiryu Yume did not respond. He pinched the edge of his phone between his fingertips and waited for her to finish.

"You know that only Class A will ultimately qualify for graduation from this school," Sakayanagi Arisu said softly, as if casually asking about something ordinary. "What do you think about that?"

Kiryu Yume fell silent for a moment.

"To be honest, I've never really understood the point of that rule. The gap between the classes is far too great."

Sakayanagi Arisu did not interrupt him. She listened quietly, her breathing shallow and unsteady from her illness, her chest rising and falling gently. He noticed the rhythm of those movements, then looked away.

"The class assignment system already determines the starting line. Class A has the best resources and conditions, while the other three classes start out far behind. But it seems the people who designed the rules were unwilling to let that hierarchy become fixed, so they created special exams and competition for class points. They dangled a carrot in front of the lower classes, making them think they had a chance to climb up."

He raised his eyes and met her gaze.

"But in reality? Class B is full of nice, obedient people. Ichinose has led them well, but the foundation of that class is made up of proper students who follow the rules step by step. They're suited to the way ordinary schools work, not this school. Leave them alone, and they will never truly threaten Class A."

"And Class C?"

"Class C is held up entirely by Ryuuen alone. His methods may suit Class C, but they're too crude. More fatally, he has centralized all power in himself. If anything happens to him, Class C won't have anyone else who can step in."

Kiryu Yume reached into his pocket, took out his phone, scrolled through it a few times, then turned the screen toward Sakayanagi Arisu. He leaned closer so she could see it clearly, and the faint scent of soap on him drifted over.

A video played on the screen. The footage was somewhat shaky, and the angle was crooked, as if it had been secretly filmed from some corner, but the content was clear enough—at the sink outside a toilet stall, Ryuuen Kakeru was gripping Yamada Albert by the hair and smashing his head against the marble counter. Blood ran from Yamada's forehead, dripping onto the white tiles and slowly seeping along the gaps between them.

Sakayanagi Arisu watched the video without speaking. After it ended, her gaze lingered on the screen for another second before she looked up at Kiryu Yume. They were very close. She could see the small mole at the corner of his eye, and he could see that her irises were lighter than usual because of her illness.

"When was this filmed?"

"Not long after we enrolled. I happened to come across it, so I recorded it." Kiryu Yume put away his phone. The screen went dark, leaving only the warm glow of the desk lamp in the room.

"With something like this in hand, Ryuuen can be ruined at any time. His methods—violence, intimidation, establishing authority with his fists—are all double-edged swords. The more he uses them, the more evidence he leaves behind. As long as someone wants to dig into his past, they can expose it whenever they like. That's why I said he isn't worth worrying about."

"As for Class D—"

Kiryu Yume lowered his voice.

"There are capable people there, certainly, but there are even more deadweights. Those three idiots—Sudo Ken, Ike Kanji, and Yamauchi Haruki—are three bottomless pits. Every time Class D manages to climb a little, those three will cause trouble somewhere and squander everyone's efforts. Horikita Suzune can't pull them along, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka has no intention of truly doing so either."

"The capable people are stuck in the mud, held down tightly by the incapable ones. And the person capable of changing the situation refuses to make an effort. That's the current state of Class D. They can't pull themselves out, and they won't pose any threat to Class A."

Kiryu Yume was finished.

The room fell quiet for several seconds. The sound of rain outside faintly filtered through the glass, settling over the silent room like a thin layer of white noise.

"So after thinking it over and over, I couldn't figure out how Class A could possibly lose. That led me to one conclusion: Class A cannot lose."

Sakayanagi Arisu did not answer immediately. She leaned against the headboard, the dim yellow light falling across the side of her face and casting a faint shadow at the roots of her lowered lashes.

She was not looking at him. Her eyes rested on a spot on the wall ahead, as if she were weighing every word he had just said all over again.

After a while, she spoke, her voice hoarse with fatigue.

"You've said all that, and your conclusion is that Class A is unbeatable. Are you really so certain that Class A will win?"

"Yes. My conclusion is that I see no reason for Class A to lose. Even a conservative like Katsuragi Kohei could win easily, let alone with you here, Sakayanagi-mama."

"As long as you're here, Sakayanagi-mama, I'm certain Class A will win."

Sakayanagi Arisu curved her lips slightly.

Her gaze returned to his face, soft and hazy, as though veiled in rain mist. It reminded him of the cool touch of her cheek beneath his fingertips earlier.

"Indeed. Even if Katsuragi Kohei loses every last point, I can easily win them back. This year's class is truly boring. I hope the other classes can give me a few more surprises."

"But no matter how the other classes struggle, I will be the one who wins in the end. Isn't that right, little kitten?"

After saying that, she did not continue. Her final note fell softly, as if she had left something unfinished at the end of the sentence.

She merely lifted her cup and took another sip. Her lips were dampened, gleaming faintly under the light, before she raised her eyes and glanced at him.

"That will be all for today's questions and answers. It's getting late. I'm a little tired, so you should go back and rest too."

She leaned back against the pillow again and slowly closed her eyes. Her long lashes fell, casting a small shadow beneath her eyes. Her lips pressed together lightly, carrying a little more color than before.

Kiryu Yume sat on the edge of the bed without getting up right away. He looked at her quiet profile after she had closed her eyes.

But he still did not stand immediately.

He sat there for another ten seconds or so, then reached out and very gently pulled the blanket that had slipped to her shoulder back up. His fingertips brushed her shoulder—thin and soft, carrying the cool body temperature of illness. He touched her only once before withdrawing his hand. When he stood, he moved as quietly as possible, afraid of making even the slightest sound.

The rain was still falling outside. Streetlamp light passed through the wet glass, casting a blurred warmth over the room. Kamuro Masumi emerged from the bathroom holding a freshly washed cup.

She glanced at the sleeping Sakayanagi Arisu, then at Kiryu Yume standing beside the bed with his fingertips just withdrawn. Without saying anything, she placed the cup upside down on the drying rack, pulled over a chair, and sat in the corner, closing her eyes against the backrest.

The room finally became completely quiet, leaving only the sound of rain and two soft breaths.