It had been a little over a week since Kamuro became Arisu's pawn—or rather, her ally.
April was already halfway through, and Mamoru had been spending more time at school with Arisu, Kamuro, and occasionally Hashimoto.
Even now at lunch, Arisu was sitting beside Mamoru in the school cafeteria, while Kamuro sat across from her.
"So far, no one seems to be dissatisfied with Katsuragi taking charge of the class. Tozuka's actually pretty proactive in following him, but the others don't seem particularly interested."
Kamuro's current role was mainly to gather information from within the class.
Although she wasn't exactly a social butterfly and seemed ill-suited for such work, her interpersonal skills were still far better than Arisu's.
Despite Arisu's eloquence, her communication skills were not especially strong. Her relationships were largely hierarchical, and because of her physical disability, most people were reluctant to invite her to hang out.
So even though Kamuro wasn't naturally sociable, she managed to collect information—rumors, at the very least—and proved quite useful to Arisu.
"I see. What about the other classes?"
"Please be reasonable. I can't investigate other classes in detail."
"I'm not asking for detailed intel. Just anyone you hear mentioned a lot?"
Kamuro made a face, clearly annoyed by the request, but stopped eating and began thinking.
"...The names that come up most among the girls are from Class B and D—Ichinose and Kushida. For boys, it's either Class D or B—Hirata and Shibata. But with the boys, it's mostly just gossip about who's hot or whatever."
"Oh, in that case, you must be quite the topic yourself, Mamoru-kun."
Arisu shot Mamoru a teasing look.
"Right? There's a ranking for handsome guys, and you're on it."
"Hehe, that's just like you, Mamoru. Lucky you."
"Thanks."
Mamoru had grown used to being teased about his appearance, so he brushed it off and kept eating.
But compliments about his looks never made him feel good.
Having a brother whose beauty felt almost inhuman, Mamoru could only see himself as a lesser version of that.
"It's not fair. Why am I the only one doing reconnaissance? Gojo has more friends than I do."
"Hmm, you're the only friend I have at this school, you know?"
Kamuro frowned, clearly not buying it, but Mamoru responded casually.
"Huh? But people in your class talk to you all the time."
"Yeah, they talk to me, but I haven't really hung out with anyone. With people like Hashimoto and Katsuragi, it feels more like they're trying to be friendly with me for some reason—or maybe just for appearances. Would you call that friendship?"
Mamoru usually spent his free time patrolling the school and generally turned down invitations. Most assumed he was just prioritizing Arisu's company, which only deepened the misunderstanding about their relationship.
Kamuro looked at him with pity as Mamoru joked about having no friends.
"You're just being stubborn."
"What?"
Kamuro may have misunderstood. Mamoru didn't think of the word friend as particularly special. He used it for anyone he was close to.
The real issue was Mamoru's work-focused lifestyle. It wasn't his fault, but since they never hung out and only talked business, the relationships felt superficial. If others called it friendship, he wouldn't deny it—but to him, it didn't feel that way.
"Fufufu, so you do consider me a friend."
"You're the one who said it first."
It had been Arisu who initially called Mamoru a friend. He suspected she had her reasons, but if that's what she wanted, he wasn't going to deny it.
Although Mamoru turned down most invitations, he always accepted Arisu's. He simply couldn't leave her alone—it felt dangerous.
Naturally, that only made the rumors worse.
"So, what kind of relationship do you two have?"
"So, friends."
"Yes."
Kamuro watched the exchange. Something felt off—like she was witnessing something meaningful—but their answers were too casual.
Their relationship seemed both friendly and cold. It felt… strange.
"Um, can I say something?"
Just as the conversation hit a lull, a voice called out from beside them.
The three turned to see a girl with striking strawberry-blonde hair.
"Is this seat taken?"
Mamoru's expression didn't change, but inwardly he was suspicious. There were plenty of open seats; she clearly had a reason for sitting near strangers.
He glanced at Arisu. She smiled and nodded.
"Not at all. Go ahead."
The girl returned the smile with cheerful gratitude.
"Thank you!"
She sat down beside Kamuro, across from Arisu.
"Since I'm here, I should introduce myself. I'm from Class 1-B—Honami Ichinose."
It was the name Kamuro had mentioned earlier. With her bright personality, it was easy to see why she was so well-known and well-liked.
"Thank you for your courtesy. I'm Sakayanagi Arisu, from Class 1-A."
"Likewise, Gojo Mamoru."
"...Kamuro Masumi."
Arisu and Mamoru introduced themselves politely. Kamuro, however, offered only a curt name.
"Nice to meet you all!"
"Thank you. I hope we get along."
Arisu's smile was gracious—but to Mamoru and Kamuro, it looked more like the grin of a cunning predator.
Arisu clearly wanted to engage, so Mamoru left the talking to her and resumed eating.
Kamuro, too, showed no interest in joining the conversation.
"Actually, I've heard rumors about Sakayanagi-san and Gojo-kun, and I've always wanted to meet you."
"Rumors? What kind of rumors are floating around in other classes?"
Mamoru, sipping his miso soup, mentally braced for another misunderstanding about him and Arisu being a couple.
But what Ichinose said next caught him completely off guard.
"People call you a princess who stepped out of a storybook—and a prince who's always taking care of her. Everyone says the same thing."
Mamoru immediately imagined his older brother laughing so hard he'd nearly crush his soup bowl.
(A prince...? Really?)
They knew they stood out, but being called a princess and prince? That was next-level.
(Now that I think about it, Hashimoto also called me that...)
He had dismissed it as a joke—but maybe not. Or maybe Hashimoto started the joke, and it spread.
(Thank goodness this place is isolated from the outside world.)
If his brother ever found out, Mamoru would never hear the end of it.
"At my school, they called me Prince Charming."
That line practically echoed in his mind. He could already hear it being bragged about to others.
"It's a little embarrassing to be called that."
Arisu responded coolly, but Mamoru silently despaired over how this strange rumor might follow him forever.
(Rumors last for 75 days...)
He considered trying to dispel it—but denying it might only make things worse. He had no choice but to ride it out.
"So you and Sakayanagi-san didn't know?"
Ichinose and Arisu continued talking while Mamoru maintained a poker face.
"Rumors rarely reach the people they're about. But I've heard rumors about you too, Ichinose-san."
"Me?"
Arisu had only heard Ichinose's name during Kamuro's earlier report, but she spoke like she'd known her for a while.
"Yes. You seem to be a central figure in Class B. Apparently, you're popular with both boys and girls."
Whether that was true or not, Arisu could gauge Ichinose's character based on how she reacted.
"Ahaha, it's not that impressive.
I want to join the student council, so I try to listen to everyone in my class. I see that as a first step."
"That's a truly admirable ambition."
Ichinose looked genuinely flustered at Arisu's praise.
To Mamoru and Kamuro, however, it sounded like polite flattery.
"In that case, I suppose this lunch is also a chance to deepen friendships. But why approach us alone?"
Though phrased politely, Arisu clearly saw through her intentions.
Ichinose gave a sheepish smile.
"Ahaha, you saw right through me. Yeah… actually, there's something I wanted to ask. I figured coming with a big group would be rude, so I asked the others to let me handle it."
"But I do genuinely want to talk to you."
"I'm honored to hear that. So, what is it you'd like to ask?"
"Umm... did you know that your class might lose points next month?"
Kamuro's eyes widened slightly. Mamoru and Arisu stayed calm.
They had expected the news to leak eventually—April was halfway over, after all.
"Points being reduced? I've heard rumors like that. But where did you hear it, Ichinose-san?"
It would be foolish to confirm outright. But Ichinose's confidence suggested she already knew something.
By flipping the question, Arisu hoped to uncover the source of the leak.
"The truth is, I don't know who started it. But some people in my class mentioned it."
"Then why bring it to us?"
"Well... where should I start?
If we lose points, it affects all of us. So I asked my homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei—but I didn't get a clear answer. Instead—"
'If you're curious, why not talk to Sakayanagi-san and Gojo-kun from Class A? Those two are smart and probably know a lot about school rumors.'
"—That's what she said."
Mamoru and Arisu understood immediately.
Teachers couldn't directly confirm sensitive information—but they could guide students toward someone who knew.
Hoshinomiya didn't expect Arisu to spill secrets. But a single hint could be revealing enough.
(So that teacher is slyer than he looks.)
Mamoru had pegged him as laid-back. Clearly, that was only part of the truth.
"I see. So that's how it is. But if that's the case, I'm afraid we can't help much.
We only know the same rumors."
Naturally, Arisu wasn't going to volunteer any more information.
"I see. Sorry. That was probably a strange question."
Ichinose backed down easily—but Mamoru sensed she had gotten what she came for.
(She probably already knew.)
She claimed not to know the source—but if she asked around, she'd find it pointed to Class A.
Once she heard the names from her teacher, the connection to Arisu would've been obvious.
This conversation was merely confirmation.
And Arisu understood that as well.
The class battles had already begun.
Watching the two girls exchange polite smiles, Mamoru realized it.
(This school is such a pain.)
(The students from Jujutsu Technical School seem more innocent compared to the students from this school)
Deception had become routine.
Compared to fighting cursed spirits, he wasn't sure which was more exhausting.