Dusk settled, the lingering purple-red of the sky staining the clouds.
On the tree-lined path leading to the dorms, cherry blossoms bloomed, pink and white petals fluttering down, covering the sidewalk like a flowing pink carpet.
Sakamoto's figure appeared at the end of the path.
He did not take the main path, but instead walked on the narrow curb. His left palm steadily held three items—a plain white bar of soap, a basic plastic toothbrush, and unscented shampoo, his posture as if holding rare treasures.
Holding the can of white-packaged juice in his right hand, his fingertips gently tapped the can.
The moment he stepped onto the curb, his body's center of gravity remained as stable as a precise gyroscope. His toes touched down, his heels lifted, flowing like gliding on ice.
His shoulders and back were straight, the hem of his wine-red school uniform gently fluttering in the wind, forming a strange rhythm with the falling cherry blossoms.
That focused composure was as if he were walking on a balance beam in front of a huge audience.
Scattered students on their way home were drawn by this peculiar sight, stopping and looking sideways. Several girls covered their mouths and whispered:
"Wow... so handsome..."
"Like a gymnast!"
"How does he do it?"
Astonished gazes followed his elegant and steady figure, forming a striking picture amidst the twilight and the cherry blossom rain.
Sakamoto seemed not to hear, his gaze calmly fixed on the distance.
Midway down the road, a long bench stood quietly under a cherry tree.
On the bench, a silver-haired girl sat upright. Her figure was slender, a dark wooden cane leaning beside the chair, its tip glowing with a warm luster in the twilight.
Sakayanagi Arisu rested her chin on one hand, her other hand casually placed on her lap, her fingertips rhythmically tapping the smooth tip of the cane.
Her gaze was as calm as water, a faint, playful curve on her lips, like a chess player who had already set up the board, quietly waiting for her opponent to fall into the trap.
Sakamoto walked to the bench, standing steadily on the curb, looking down at Sakayanagi.
The evening breeze blew, and cherry petals brushed past his serene profile.
"Good evening."
Sakayanagi-san's voice was soft and pleasant, breaking the silence first,
"Sakayanagi Arisu."
She nodded slightly, her silver hair shimmering in the twilight,
"Our first formal conversation, Sakamoto-kun."
Sakamoto stood on the higher ground, bowing slightly, his movements fluid and elegant:
"I am Sakamoto. A pleasure to meet you, Sakayanagi-san."
His voice was clear and calm.
"What a delightful way to return home."
Sakayanagi-san's fingertips gently tapped the tip of her cane, her gaze sweeping over the "artwork" he held and the can of juice, her smile deepening,
"The 'magic' in the convenience store was equally splendid."
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze meeting Sakamoto's through his glasses:
"What a truly brilliant guiding technique. Leaving aside the little interlude at the convenience store... regarding the s system, regarding the points... the puzzle Sakamoto-kun left in class is truly thought-provoking."
"The students in Class A were practically itching with anticipation after Sakamoto-kun's phrase 'use it where it truly matters' and that paper plane flying towards the upperclassmen."
She chuckled softly,
"Someone couldn't hold back and went to inquire among the upperclassmen. The result was discovering something interesting — 'class points.'"
She paused, observing Sakamoto's reaction. Sakamoto remained calmly standing on the curb, like a frozen sculpture, only the evening breeze stirring his hair.
"Every class in the upper years has these 'class points,' as a symbol of some collective honor? Or a basis for resource allocation? Unfortunately, the First Year classes don't. The upperclassmen are tight-lipped, and no substantial information could be extracted. But someone remembered Sakamoto-kun's words — 'points can buy anything.'"
A cunning curve appeared on her lips:
"So, someone decided to use points to buy information. Unexpectedly, someone was actually willing to sell — a second year student. The asking price... was ridiculously high."
Her fingertips lightly tapped her cane,
"But what's interesting is that not long after, that seller actually contacted them proactively, lowering the asking price. Ultimately, Class A successfully obtained core information about the 'class points' operational mechanism — including its correlation with individual point distribution, and... how it determines a class's rise or fall, and even its survival."
Sakayanagi-san's gaze sharpened:
"Sakamoto-kun, you didn't directly tell us the answer, but rather guided us to explore, to trade, to verify it ourselves. This 'guiding technique' is truly astonishingly clever."
She leaned forward slightly, her voice lowered,
"Sakamoto-kun... do you intend to become the leader of Class A? In this... elegant and mysterious way?"
The evening breeze blew, and cherry petals fluttered.
Sakamoto was silent. He neither answered nor looked at Sakayanagi-san.
His gaze was fixed on the outline of the dormitory building in the distant twilight, and then he made an unexpected move.
His toes lightly tapped the curb, and his body spun up as lightly as a feather!
A fluid side spin, like a gymnast performing a difficult turn on a balance beam, landed precisely and elegantly on the open ground in front of the bench. The moment he landed, the "artwork" he held in his left hand and the juice can in his right hand remained perfectly still, his posture as composed as if he had merely stepped over a small puddle.
At this moment, he was no longer looking down, but was at the same level as Sakayanagi-san on the bench, his gaze slightly lowered.
"Guidance?"
His voice was still steady, but carried an indescribable depth of meaning,
"What I have done is merely to follow the situation, to Offer a spark to ignite a flame. The truth is like these cherry blossoms,"
He raised his right hand, the can of white juice glimmering in the twilight. He didn't drink it, but extended his left hand, his slender fingers very naturally plucking something from the air — perfectly catching a falling cherry blossom petal.
He gently placed that pinkish-white petal on the smooth top of the juice can.
The petal trembled slightly on the can top, like a tiny marker.
"Only by personally touching and feeling its trajectory can one comprehend the profound meaning of its fading and blooming. As for leadership..."
"I have no intention of leading anyone."
Sakayanagi-san's gaze flickered. She didn't seem surprised by the answer. She leaned back slightly against the chair, her fingertips slowly tracing the tip of her cane:
"Speaking of which, there's another interesting thing."
Her voice carried a hint of subtle probing,
"Regarding Sakamoto-kun's 'lateness' today... I spent some points to get some information from the upperclassmen."
Sakamoto's gaze remained calm, but his eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.
"A second year student said that this morning, they saw Sakamoto-kun in the upperclassmen area of the school building... lingering and observing?"
Sakayanagi-san tilted her head slightly, her silver hair falling over her shoulder, her smile sweet, but her eyes like tempered blades:
"Sakamoto-kun, you were one step ahead of all of us. Your lateness wasn't an oversight, but rather... a carefully planned observation?"
"However, everyone has two sides, Sakamoto-kun. What core is hidden beneath your elegant and composed exterior?"
She looked directly into Sakamoto's eyes, not hiding her scrutiny:
"Are you an observer who sees through everything? Or... a chess player intending to control the game? I am very much looking forward to... seeing your true face."
This was undoubtedly a declaration of war.
Sakayanagi Arisu, this potential chess player of Class A, had already regarded Sakamoto as an opponent she had to face.
Faced with the challenge, Sakamoto's reaction was still unexpected.
He neither answered nor looked at Sakayanagi-san again.
His toes lightly tapped the ground, and his body spun back to the edge of the curb as lightly as a feather, his movements fluid and elegant. The moment he landed, the "artwork" he held and the juice can remained perfectly still.
He took a step, walking directly past the bench, his steps steady and smooth.
The evening breeze ruffled his clothes, sweeping cherry petals onto his shoulders.
The moment he brushed past Sakayanagi-san, that clear and calm voice, like the evening breeze whispering, entered Sakayanagi-san's ears:
"Beneath the surface, there is also the surface."
As his words fell, his figure had merged into the twilight and the cherry blossom rain, leaving only a tall and mysterious silhouette, the faint clean scent of soap in the air, and... the cherry petal that had been swept up by the wind in the open space in front of Sakayanagi-san's bench, finally falling to the ground.
Sakayanagi Arisu sat upright on the bench, her fingertips resting on the tip of her cane, motionless for a long time. Her gaze was as deep as an abyss, closely following the figure that had disappeared into the twilight.
The playful curve on her lips remained, but with a hint of seriousness and a stronger desire for inquiry.
"Beneath the surface, there is also the surface..."
She murmured,
"I really was... underestimated."
The evening breeze blew, and cherry blossoms fell like rain. This first encounter on the cherry blossom path, silent and unnoticed, had already drawn an invisible line.