"Kikyo, are you talking about that Kitagawa from Class D?"
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka subtly leaned toward Kushida Kikyo. Sitting to her right, Yagami Takuya had already asked the very question on his mind, wearing a curious expression.
"Our class's Karuizawa-san seems to be quite close to him. They even started a new club together."
"Yeah, I heard about that too," Kushida responded casually. "Those two knew each other before enrolling here. I heard they used to be stage partners. It's just that..."
She trailed off. Suddenly, she realized something important: aside from her own Class A, the other three classes probably still had no idea about the true nature of the class divisions. That explained the frequent gatherings and socializing between students from different classes lately.
If the truth about the class system and the significance of class points became public, those interactions would turn into brutal competition. At that point, even the club founded by Karuizawa and Kitagawa might not survive. After all, Karuizawa was Class B's leader. Even if the two had a strong personal friendship, their classmates might oppose their close relationship.
"Hmm?"
Yagami picked up on her momentary pause. Ayanokouji narrowed his eyes slightly. He recalled that during the class assignments, it felt as if Kushida had been deliberately sent into Class A by Kitagawa Ryo himself.
He had received only two pieces in the grand game—one was the aloof Kouenji Rokusuke, and the other, now it seemed, might be Kushida Kikyo.
This made her position all the more suspicious.
But Ayanokouji wasn't one to jump to conclusions. If she truly was Kitagawa's plant in Class A, then that too could be used to his advantage.
"It's nothing," Kushida waved off the topic. "Just that it's a shame they weren't placed in the same class. Back in middle school, everyone in the drama club thought they were a couple."
She smoothly shifted the conversation and turned to the girl seated on her left.
"By the way, Matsushita-san, did your class pick a leader yet?"
Class A had Katsuragi Kohei as its leader, Class B was led by Karuizawa Kei, and Class C, rumor had it, was led by someone named Ryuuen. Class D, however, remained a mystery.
Sitting quietly in the corner shaking a maraca and keeping a low profile, Matsushita Chiaki was a Class D student. She smiled and responded to Kushida's question:
"We don't have a class leader. Everyone just kind of does their own thing. If I had to say, Ichinose-san is probably the most well-liked."
Ayanokouji nodded silently. He already knew that Ichinose Honami, like Kushida, had an A rating in cooperation skills. It was no surprise she had quickly earned her classmates' trust.
"And then there's Sakura-san too. Quite a few classmates were already fans of hers—especially the boys."
Matsushita chuckled lightly, as if recalling something amusing.
"That famous idol, right?"
"My little sister used to be obsessed with her."
"I've heard of her too. I even went to one of her live shows. Can't believe she's at this school now."
More students joined the chatter. Yamauchi Haruki opened his mouth to spout some ridiculous claim again, but after being ignored, he shut up in frustration.
Ayanokouji quietly took note of the key players from each class. This was one of the main reasons he joined Kushida at this gathering. Socializing wasn't his strong suit, but this event clearly showed Kushida's value.
Still, Ayanokouji decided to keep his distance from her for now—at least until he could confirm whether she was indeed connected to Kitagawa Ryo.
But there was something he could do in the meantime.
He glanced at Ike and Yamauchi, who were awkwardly loitering in the crowd, and took the initiative to start a conversation with them.
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"I noticed it back at the start of the term, but I didn't think you'd really choose Matsushita," Kitagawa Ryo teased as he refilled his teacup with hot water.
"Chiaki is a very interesting girl," Sakayanagi Arisu replied, cradling her teacup. For once, she hadn't chosen coffee. Instead, she was sharing tea with Kitagawa. Ever since Shiina Hiyori joined the tea ceremony club, she'd frequently brought Kitagawa all kinds of tea leaves and matcha powder, saying they were from the club and too much for one person to finish. As a result, Kitagawa's cupboard was now overflowing with tea.
Kitagawa sipped the hot tea. He wasn't surprised that Arisu had chosen a support-type follower. Matsushita Chiaki's nature wasn't all that different from Kamuro Masumi, the student from Class A that Arisu had also taken an interest in. Due to various limitations, Sakayanagi Arisu needed a second pair of eyes and legs.
He didn't know much about Matsushita Chiaki, other than that in Karuizawa Kei's simulation, the two had a relatively good relationship. That piqued his interest enough to ask:
"What about Matsushita caught your eye?"
"Hmm, let me think. Her style is a bit like Ayanokouji's."
"Ayanokouji?"
"Just a little similar. In truth, Chiaki's thinking is closer to Ichinose. She's very attuned to atmosphere and other people's feelings," Arisu explained patiently.
"She's had a pretty smooth life—loving family, liberal parenting, and plenty of resources. She's also talented. Whether it's academics or sports, she's always at the top."
Kitagawa thought he detected a faint trace of envy hidden deep in Arisu's tone.
"Her parents are proud of her excellence, and she's grateful to them in return. She says her life isn't perfect, but it's a fortunate one. She plans to fall in love normally, then marry a financially stable man and build her own small family."
Arisu set her teacup down and smiled.
"Like any adolescent girl, she sometimes has doubts about the future—whether she should aim for international aviation or a top-tier company job. Coming to this school was about keeping her options open, maybe to study abroad at a top university."
"If that's how you describe her, then why was Matsushita placed in Class D?" Kitagawa asked. He hadn't heard a single flaw yet. If he had to compare, she sounded like Hirata Yosuke—only without the trauma of losing a friend.
Matsushita Chiaki wasn't someone he had deliberately placed into Class D. So why had the school done it?
"If I had to guess, I'd say... lack of ambition. But that doesn't feel quite right. Hmm…"
Arisu tapped her palm rhythmically with her cane as she pondered.
"She's boring."
"But to me, being extremely boring or extremely interesting are basically the same. That's why I like Chiaki."
She dismissed the topic casually.
"Anyway, are you really just going to ignore your class's situation? From the outside, Class D looks like a total mess—vulnerable everywhere. Take Sudou, for example. If I wanted to target Class D, he'd be the perfect powder keg."
"Boom!"
Arisu snapped her fingers in front of Kitagawa.
"Haven't you already assigned someone to watch him?"
Kitagawa glanced at her indifferently.
"So you're not completely hands-off."
Arisu giggled at his reply.
"Which means those two idiots are acting with your tacit approval?"
"More or less."
Kitagawa stood and refilled the kettle.
He might already understand why Sakayanagi Arisu valued Matsushita Chiaki so highly. But perhaps even Arisu herself hadn't fully realized it yet—just like when she took an interest in Kamuro Masumi. She cared, but not fully.
[Parents who thank their child for being outstanding, and a child who thanks their parents for the same.]
Kitagawa exhaled lightly.
From that perspective, neither he nor Sakayanagi Arisu had lived up to that ideal.
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For some reason, Chabashira Sae had recently returned to her usual cheerful self, as if the gloomy mood from the past few days had completely vanished. Hoshinomiya Chie, fed up with the sight of her smiling face constantly floating around the office, decided to leave and head toward the infirmary.
Besides being the homeroom teacher for Class 1-B, Hoshinomiya also served as the school nurse at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. Though there was another nurse who often rotated shifts with her, especially during this hectic start-of-term period, Hoshinomiya typically only dropped by the infirmary briefly.
But today, with her mood clouded by frustration, she decided to spend some time alone in the quiet room.
Unlocking the infirmary door, she slipped on the white coat hanging on the rack. Looking at herself in the mirror, she adjusted her hair and touched up her makeup. Come to think of it, ever since learning that Chabashira had been assigned as Class 1-A's homeroom teacher, she hadn't really bothered to tidy herself up like this.
Though her students often complimented her youthful appearance—some even joking they couldn't tell her apart from the students—Hoshinomiya could feel time catching up with her, especially after countless nights of drinking her sorrows away. Her complexion was clearly worse than before.
It had been ten full years since she graduated from this very school.
And yet, Hoshinomiya knew well she hadn't truly moved on from those years. More precisely, she hadn't let go of the hatred she held toward Chabashira Sae.
With a deep sigh, she heard a knock at the door.
To her surprise, the one who walked in was none other than Yagami Takuya from her class.
"Feeling unwell, Yagami?"
Hoshinomiya didn't forget her duties. She adjusted her collar and sat across from him, greeting him kindly.
"Not really."
She had heard Yagami was quite popular with the girls in his year, and now that she looked closely, she could understand why. Hearing his reply, she lazily leaned on the desk and teased:
"So you're just here to slack off, huh?"
"Well, it's only fair, since our homeroom teacher happens to be the school nurse."
Yagami lay down on the infirmary bed and casually pulled the curtain.
"So it's okay if us Class B students get a little special treatment, right?"
Hoshinomiya was a bit slow to react. She blinked, then offered an explanation:
"If you're looking for common medication, there should be plenty in the cabinets—"
"That's not what I meant."
Yagami's voice carried a subtle, mischievous undertone.
"If I remember right, Sensei's always wanted to take down Class A, hasn't she?"
"Right now, you have a great opportunity."
Hoshinomiya felt her heart clench tightly. A surge of blood rushed to her head, and even her voice trembled.
"What opportunity?"
Yagami paused briefly, then chuckled before answering:
"But I'll need your cooperation."
As one of the two most outstanding members of the fifth generation of the White Room, Yagami Takuya had been enrolled with the sole purpose of assisting Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. But having personally witnessed one of Ayanokouji's rare failures years ago, he now saw this as a golden opportunity.
Yagami took a deep breath and slowly revealed his plan to Hoshinomiya.
He would prove that he, not Ayanokouji, was the White Room's greatest success.
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"Expulsion... again?"
Horikita Manabu sighed upon hearing the word that had started to feel all too familiar. The new school year had barely begun, and this was already the second time he was dealing with the topic of withdrawal among the first years.
The last incident involved Sakura Airi, who leveraged the stalking case involving a school staff member to threaten withdrawal and exposure. She ultimately received a hefty compensation of ten million personal points and a confidentiality agreement. Since only Horikita Manabu, as Student Council President, had handled the matter, it hadn't caused a stir among the students. Most hadn't even noticed that the electronics shop at Keyaki Mall had a new clerk. Just as the school had intended.
"Yes," confirmed Tachibana Akane, the ever-reliable Student Council secretary standing beside him.
She flipped through the file in her hand, her expression grim.
"There's been a large-scale brawl between Class 1-C and Class 1-D."
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