After seeing Karuizawa Kei off, Tatsuya Sakuya did not return to the dormitory right away.
Having eaten his fill, Tatsuya Sakuya decided to take a walk and digest his food.
He wandered aimlessly along the path.
As he walked, he contemplated the situation ahead.
There was not much time left until May 1, the day Class Points would be distributed.
Those defenseless idiots in Class 1-D were still eating, drinking, and having fun as usual, unaware that danger was drawing near.
Once Class 1-D's Class Points dropped to zero, he could make a small move to raise them again and accomplish a great deal with minimal effort.
Ahead of him, a vending machine cast a cold, pale-blue glow in the dim night.
Tatsuya Sakuya stopped, took out his phone, and pressed it against the smart sensor.
Beep.
As 140 points were deducted, a can of iced BOSS Suntory black coffee clattered down.
Tatsuya Sakuya bent down and retrieved the coffee.
The instant he raised his head, he caught sight of the darkest shadow beneath the trees beside a nearby bench, just beyond the vending machine.
A figure sat there quietly.
His back was straight and his eyes hollow. If it had been the middle of the night, anyone who did not know better might have thought they had seen a ghost.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
True monsters always liked hiding in the most inconspicuous corners.
Tatsuya Sakuya mused inwardly.
Without hesitation, he bought another black coffee.
Holding two cans of iced black coffee, Tatsuya Sakuya headed straight toward Ayanokoji.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, sitting in the shadows, quietly watched Tatsuya Sakuya approach.
"You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"
Tatsuya Sakuya spoke naturally as he casually handed over the iced coffee in his left hand.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka reached out and took it.
"Thanks."
His voice was calm, without the slightest hint of surprise or alarm at being disturbed, as though everything had been destined.
Tatsuya Sakuya sat down at the other end of the bench.
This was really bitter.
He took a sip of coffee, and the bitter taste spread across his tongue, making his mind even clearer.
"This afternoon, in Chabashira-sensei's office..."
Tatsuya Sakuya spoke casually.
"I heard something quite interesting. It was about you."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's fingers around the coffee can paused imperceptibly at its rim for a moment.
It would have been almost impossible to notice without watching closely.
But for Tatsuya Sakuya, who had been watching him at all times, that tiny movement was already enough to prove many things.
Sure enough, this guy was not indifferent to everything.
Tatsuya Sakuya turned his head and looked at Ayanokoji's still expressionless profile.
"Chabashira-sensei said all your entrance exam scores were identical."
"Fifty points in every subject."
"If getting fifty in one or two subjects could be a coincidence, then scoring exactly fifty in every subject... should that be called control? Or deliberate intent?"
"And during the physical fitness test before, did you deliberately lose to me too, Ayanokoji?"
"Ayanokoji, the odds of that are probably lower than winning the Double Color Ball, aren't they?"
Faced with such a direct question, enough to make anyone break out in a cold sweat, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka responded blandly.
"I was just lucky."
Tatsuya Sakuya had no intention of pressing the matter.
"Don't worry. I'm not Chabashira-sensei. I'm not interested in other people's secrets."
Tatsuya Sakuya shook the coffee can in his hand.
"Come to think of it, school has been in session for nearly a month now. Have you made any friends here, Ayanokoji?"
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka fell silent for a moment.
"No. I'm a recluse and not good at dealing with people, so I don't really have any friends."
"Then that's perfect. I'll be your first friend. You won't refuse, will you?"
"Let's be friends."
Tatsuya Sakuya looked straight into Ayanokoji's eyes.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's mind raced.
Rejecting Tatsuya Sakuya might make him hostile, and he might even reveal the secret of his controlled scores. After considering it again and again...
"Then I'll make Shiba my first friend."
An information channel between the two strongest people in Class 1-D was officially established at that moment.
Tatsuya Sakuya casually added,
"Oh, right. I heard there'll be a class representative election next month. I hope you'll vote for me then."
"Of course, if you're interested in running too, I'll vote for you without hesitation."
For once, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's voice carried a trace of helplessness.
"I'll pass. I'm a recluse. I don't want to deal with anything too troublesome."
"Want to take a walk together?"
Tatsuya Sakuya was about to invite Ayanokoji to walk with him and discuss life.
"No. I just remembered I have something to do. I need to go back to the dormitory."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka casually found an excuse to decline the invitation, then left.
Tatsuya Sakuya reached the end of the path.
Deep within the woods, it was dim.
By the faint light from afar, Tatsuya Sakuya clearly saw two figures in a clearing among the trees.
One of them was Horikita Suzune.
But at this moment, Horikita Suzune possessed none of her usual aloofness or pride.
Her back was hunched, and her fingers clutched the hem of her clothes tightly as she did not dare face the boy before her.
The boy standing opposite her was tall, dressed in an immaculate Student Council uniform, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose and an imposing presence.
Class 3-A's Student Council President, Horikita Manabu.
Horikita Suzune's biological older brother.
At that moment, Horikita Manabu looked down on his sister from above, radiating a suffocating pressure that seemed to come from an entirely higher dimension.
Horikita Manabu spoke.
"Suzune, I didn't expect you to actually follow me here."
"I'm not the useless person I was before. I... I came here to follow in your footsteps, Brother..."
"Follow me?"
"I heard you were assigned to Class 1-D. Just like a few years ago, you haven't improved at all."
"There must be some mistake with the school. I'll move up to Class 1-A immediately and prove it to you, Brother."
"Impossible. Drop out, Suzune. You don't have what it takes to rise to Class 1-A. It seems you still don't understand this school."
"I definitely, definitely will rise to Class 1-A and prove it to you myself."
"You can't even admit your own incompetence. Being assigned to Class 1-D is the best proof of your abilities."
"That can't be true. I will definitely rise to Class 1-A."
"Utterly foolish. Just like before, I'll make you suffer a little."
"You don't have what it takes to reach Class 1-A. You'll even drag down your class. Prepare yourself."
Horikita Manabu's words were like a heavy hammer, smashing viciously into Horikita Suzune's fragile pride.
Faced with the absolute strength and pressure of her invincible older brother, Horikita Suzune had even lost her instinct to avoid danger.
She closed her eyes in despair, waiting for the storm to descend.
"Stop!"
Before you continue