Dawn had barely broken, and a sliver of grayish-white light seeped through a gap in the Medical Room curtains.
When Qingxiao woke, his neck was terribly stiff. He leaned against the chair back and squinted for a few seconds before recovering.
Hajime Kashimo was still unconscious, breathing evenly. The pale purple lines in the cracks of his charred skin had almost completely faded.
Shoko had gone next door for her night shift. A note lay weighed down on the desk, its handwriting scrawled.
He rolled his neck, his joints cracking twice, and rested his gaze on the ceiling for two seconds before summoning Kogane.
The points leaderboard.
After asking Ryu Ishigori and Takako Uro for their points, he had reached an impressive 175 points, putting him in first place by a huge margin.
He scrolled down two pages, his fingertip pausing over a certain name.
Megumi Fushiguro.
Tokyo No. 1 Colony.
Qingxiao stared at the name for half a second, as though only just remembering that the kid was in there too.
Without giving it much thought, he opened the call function and dialed.
Ring-ring-ring-
A busy signal.
He frowned and dialed again.
Still a busy signal.
Morning fog had risen over Jujutsu High, leaving the steps damp.
Qingxiao headed straight outside without returning to his dorm to change.
As he passed the temporary rest area, Hana Kurusu was crouched on the steps, munching on bread.
Her cheeks bulging, she spotted him passing and called out indistinctly:
"Mr. Qingxiao? Where are you going so early?"
"Tokyo No. 1."
He did not stop or slow down, simply tossing out those words as he continued forward.
Hana Kurusu froze for a moment, then caught on. She stuffed the remaining bread into her mouth in a few bites, dusted off her hands, and