When he returned to the classroom, Kiba Hoshiki caught sight of Touma Kazusa placing a canned drink on her desk.
Witnessed in the act, Kazusa remained perfectly calm. In her frosty, emotionless tone, she stated:
"I don't like owing favors."
Kiba quietly walked over, looked at the can, and shook his head with a hint of frustration:
"Well done, Touma Kazusa. I did you a favor—and you repay it by offering me Pepsi-brand toilet cleaner?"
He reached out, grabbed the can, and immediately recoiled—his pupils widening as if he'd seen something hallucinatory.
"And… it's room temperature!"
"Um…"
Kazusa had expected many things—Kiba misunderstanding her, or even refusing the drink altogether. She would not have been surprised if he had thrown it away. After their disagreement in the morning, anything could happen.
But this? That was not in the script.
"Room temperature… is that a problem?"
Kazusa asked coolly. Kiba's reply came with the simplicity of a primary-school teacher addressing the obvious:
"Do you know what else cola is called?"
"No."
"Fat‑rich kid happy water." He picked up the can, and deep in his dark eyes was the look of someone nostalgic for days gone by, lamenting the passing of greatness.
"Even toilet bowl cleaner, if frozen on a chilly spring morning—paired with cherry blossoms fluttering outside—might have a mildly unique flavor."
"But if I'm being honest, warm soda is just inexcusable garbage."
Kazusa's slender eyebrows flickered. After a long pause, she finally replied in a soft voice:
"In short, I've repaid the favor."
She laid her head back down and began to nap again—in typical Kazusa fashion.
From the back of the room, a whisper reached Kiba:
"Those two are a bit strange, right?"
"Not a bit—they're total weirdos."
"Shh, keep it down. That guy carries a revolver. He's dangerous."
Kiba rolled his eyes at the absurdity.
He'd carried nothing more than a blunt peach wood dagger—harmless, really—and a plain twenty-centimeter silver nail. Yet rumors had spiraled:
Tomorrow: "Shocking! The freshman from Class 1-A assassinated Kennedy!"
Day after: "He was behind Louis XVI's execution!"
Next week: "He handed Pangu the world-creating axe!"
Indeed: a million rumors can warp reality.
With a frustrated huff, Kiba put down the cola and resumed his peaceful nap.
Throughout the afternoon classes, Miko Yotsuya's attention drifted, often settling on Kiba in the corner. Noticing, Hina Hanabira leaned over with concern.
When class ended, Hina approached, smiling softly:
"Miko-san, do you have a minute?"
Miko snapped back to reality, nodded, and asked:
"Hina-san?"
"Just call me Hina." Hina's warm demeanor contrasted with Miko's reserved nature, but underneath, Miko was just like any cheerful girl.
"Is there something you wanted?"
Covering her mouth, Hina nodded toward Kiba.
"I noticed you seemed to glance at him a lot during class… did you two…?"
Miko stammered, then shook her head with a smile:
"No way. That's not what it is."
"Why not?" Hina tilted her head, curious.
"He's handsome, and you went out during lunch break. People talk."
Miko frowned thoughtfully.
Finally:
"Just a misunderstanding. He and I aren't… together. Lunch was just… personal."
Hina nodded, but a flicker of something unreadable crossed her eyes. With a forced smile, she asked:
"Could you tell him I want to apologize?"
"Apologize?"
"Yes. I left without greeting him this morning. That was rude."
Miko shook her head gently:
"He probably forgot already. No need to worry."
As she spoke, a fellow student hurried over:
"Miko-san, Shizuka-sensei wants you in the office."
"Okay." Miko smoothed her skirt, gave Hina a nod:
"Let's talk again later."
"Yeah, sure!" Hina waved.
On her way to the teachers' office on the third floor, she saw Hiratsuka Shizuka—in her white coat—turning toward the stairs that led to the rooftop.
"Sensei?" Miko called, but received no reply.
Confused, she continued up and opened the rooftop door.
There, leaning against the railing, stood Shizuka with a vacant expression, gazing coldly at her.
"Shizuka-sensei?" Miko asked.
Sensei only waved, silent.
Miko nodded unconsciously— and in the next moment, something horrifying happened.
Shizuka's shape distorted. Her face and body twisted into a colossal spider-like monster, filling the rooftop.
"What—?!" Miko's pupils dilated as she froze, trapped in a moment of ice-cold terror.
On that monstrous face, four insectile eyes glared down—and a voice that sounded like a scream from hell whispered:
"You… can see."