Standing on the rescue boat, Chabashira could finally make out the situation clearly—and it made her scalp go cold.
Sure, Ayanokoji—her own student—had called for help. That part she understood. But why was Yukio here too? And why were Tsukishiro and some girl also on the scene?
What the hell was this lineup?
Earlier that morning, while she was still in the temporary cabin the school had arranged for her at the port, she'd received a note that spelled out a time and location. Ever since Yukio had woken her up, Chabashira had been taking Class D's affairs seriously—explaining special exam rules, laying out details, making sure her students understood everything as clearly as possible. She'd even started paying attention to each student individually, to the point where the kids were still getting used to the new, almost overbearing version of her.
So when Ayanokoji sent a distress call, she didn't hesitate. She ordered emergency staff to get the boat moving immediately and rushed over.
But this… wasn't what she'd expected to see.
…
At the same time, with Chabashira about to step ashore, Tsukishiro knew there was no time left for pointless conversation. He sighed as if the whole thing was already decided.
"Alright. This one's on me. I lost, Ayanokoji-kun," he said calmly. "Since you're the one who contacted Chabashira-sensei, go back to the port with her. As for me… I still have something to discuss with Yukio-kun and Amasawa-san."
Ayanokoji's eyes narrowed. Something about this didn't sit right.
He'd been assigned to I2 by the movement order, and he'd taken it as a chance—stall for time, let Tsukishiro keep pressing, and have Chabashira arrive in time to witness Tsukishiro's "violence." If a teacher saw the acting chairman attacking a student, that could become leverage—maybe enough to force Tsukishiro out of the school, or at least stop him from freely meddling in special exams.
But because Yukio and Amasawa showed up, Tsukishiro had stopped early. The single most important step—Chabashira seeing it with her own eyes—was gone.
Fine. Plans failed. He could always set another trap later.
But Tsukishiro admitting defeat this cleanly… that was strange.
Ayanokoji's mind flashed through everything Tsukishiro had done so far—the class vote, the island, all of it. Over and over, Tsukishiro looked like he was trying to ruin him, force him out, drive him into a corner… and yet, if you bothered to look closely, there were holes everywhere. Sloppy gaps. Missing nails.
A thought he'd been avoiding finally surfaced.
"Acting Chairman Tsukishiro… do you really intend to expel me?"
Tsukishiro chuckled and raised his left hand.
"Ayanokoji-kun, I've been giving it my all," he said mildly. "I simply wasn't good enough."
Ayanokoji's pupils tightened.
Normal handshakes were right-handed. And he'd just fought Tsukishiro—he knew Tsukishiro wasn't left-handed.
So Ayanokoji reached out with his own left hand and took it.
He knew that gesture. Back when Tsukishiro had been in a Scout troop, a left-handed handshake had meant goodwill.
Ayanokoji's confusion only deepened, but the one thing he could read clearly now was Tsukishiro's intent: whatever Tsukishiro's mission was, his hostility wasn't as straightforward as it looked.
Chabashira arrived a moment later. Because of that handshake, Ayanokoji kept his explanation simple: he'd happened to run into Tsukishiro, and with Yukio and Amasawa also present, they'd helped him get through a dangerous situation.
Chabashira glanced at Yukio as if asking for confirmation.
Yukio gave a small nod.
That was enough. Chabashira guided Ayanokoji onto the boat and sent him straight back to the port.
…
Once the two of them were gone, Tsukishiro finally let his voice turn serious.
"Now then," he said. "Yukio-kun, I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak about what happened here."
He continued smoothly, as if rehearsed. "This incident involves Ayanokoji-kun's… complicated family situation. I was merely acting on a request—attempting to return him to his home."
His mouth curved faintly. "I failed the person who entrusted me. I hope you can understand, Yukio-kun. Family matters… shouldn't be aired in public."
Yukio blinked once.
He understood what Tsukishiro was really doing: protecting him. Same as Amasawa. Neither of them wanted to say "White Room" out loud, but they were both warning him the same way—there's a big machine behind this; don't step into the gears.
Amasawa stole a glance at Yukio, then at Tsukishiro, clearly torn about whether to tell Tsukishiro the truth—that Yukio already knew.
Yukio didn't make her suffer. If he could tell Amasawa, he could tell Tsukishiro too.
"You mean the White Room?" he said lightly.
Tsukishiro's face snapped into the exact same stunned expression Amasawa had worn earlier—like someone had yanked the floor out from under him.
To Tsukishiro, Yukio knowing the White Room wasn't just surprising. It was a genuine shock.
But he recovered fast, the way older men did when they'd swallowed more storms than most people ever saw. "I see… I see. So you even know about the White Room…" His gaze flicked toward Amasawa, sharp and accusing, as if blaming her for letting it slip—as if she'd just handed Yukio a live grenade.
Amasawa immediately bristled. "Hey—don't look at me like that. He already knew. I didn't say anything."
Yukio shot Amasawa a sideways look.
"Didn't say anything," my ass. She'd basically written it on her forehead—she just hadn't spoken the name out loud.
Thankfully, Amasawa was too busy arguing with Tsukishiro to notice Yukio silently roasting her.
Tsukishiro's surprise deepened again.
If it wasn't Amasawa leaking it… then that meant Yukio had known from the beginning.
Which meant, back when he first arrived at the school—before the class vote even happened—Yukio had already dug Tsukishiro up by the roots.
How much backing did that take? What kind of power could investigate a White Room veteran that thoroughly?
Tsukishiro couldn't help the admiration in his voice. "Yukio-kun… you really are hiding deeper than anyone realizes."
Then, as if remembering a detail that had been staring him in the face, he added, "I should've known. I had Yagami and Amasawa memorize all student files. And yours… everything checked out, but there were no real footprints. A flawless identity with no substance."
He exhaled softly. "That alone was enough to show the force behind you—something even the White Room couldn't uncover."
So his early order to Amasawa suddenly made perfect sense: befriend Yukio immediately, no matter what. And now, Tsukishiro was convinced that move had been correct.
He nodded once, satisfied. "In that case, Amasawa… you're in the clear."
Since Amasawa hadn't leaked anything, Tsukishiro wasn't going to pursue the matter. If anything, the fact that Amasawa was this close with Yukio was the one part of today's chaos he actually took pride in.
Amasawa nearly floated off the ground.
She'd thought she was going to get crushed for disobeying orders. Instead, Tsukishiro was letting it slide because of Yukio. Which meant… could she really just toss the White Room mission aside and go hang out with her senpai whenever she wanted?
That felt like a straight-up victory.
Yukio, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes slightly at Tsukishiro.
For some reason, Tsukishiro really did seem to treat Amasawa with unusual leniency.
Was it because he feared what Yukio might do?