Renjiro stares down at her pale fingers tightly pinching the red fabric of his tie. Around them, students of Class B stand perfectly still in the quiet room. They watch the sudden confrontation with wide, unblinking eyes.
We attract way too much attention, he thinks. A hostage? This is bad.
Mako's threats hold actual weight. If she decides to break into the boys' dormitory tonight, she will definitely do it.
With a heavy sigh, Renjiro lets his shoulders drop. He leans closer to her face and drops his voice to a barely audible whisper.
"Fine, you win."
Mako's bright blue eyes widen instantly. Her mouth opens to yell a loud victory cheer.
"Don't shout," he warns quickly. "Let's just exit silently."
She nods excitedly and releases his uniform tie. They walk out of the classroom together. The sliding door clicks shut behind them and cuts off the stares of their classmates.
"We should go somewhere far from the others," Renjiro suggests as they step into the main corridor.
"Let's go to the cafe," Mako declares.
"That place is always crowded. And it takes a lot of calories just to walk there."
"Let's go to the cafe."
She repeats the exact same sentence without a single change in tone. When Mako says things the same time, she never changes her mind. A solid brick wall possesses more flexibility than her stubborn attitude.
"Fine," he mutters.
Inside the Pallet Cafe, the noise level is a complete disaster. Students occupy nearly every single table.
Soft pop music plays from the overhead speakers, but the chaotic roar of teenage chatter completely drowns the melody.
Mako marches directly to the front counter and orders two large strawberry parfaits. They find a small table tucked near the back window.
A few minutes pass in relative peace. Then, two familiar faces approach their spot.
"Mako-chan," Ichinose says with a bright, welcoming smile. Kanzaki stands right behind her. His posture is stiff and formal.
Mako jumps slightly in her seat. "Honami-chan! Kanzaki-kun! What a surprise."
They started using first names way too fast, Renjiro thinks. This Ichinose girl is really something.
"Do you mind if we sit nearby?" Ichinose asks.
"Not at all!" Mako gestures to the empty chairs at the adjacent table.
They pull out the chairs and sit down. Ichinose rests her hands quietly on her lap. She tilts her head slightly, letting her bright pink hair fall over her shoulder, and catches Renjiro's eye.
"I have to admit, you completely caught me off guard on Thursday," Ichinose says smoothly. A polite but highly observant smile touches her lips. "Asking to buy a desk assignment on the very second day of school is a rather bold move. Nobody else even thought to test the boundaries of the point system that fast."
Kanzaki nods slowly next to her. "It was a strange request. Most students were too distracted by the large allowance to look for loopholes."
Renjiro blinks twice. He looks at them with a perfectly crafted expression of mild confusion.
"What are you talking about, Ichinose-san?" Renjiro asks. His voice carries zero hesitation. "I was half asleep and asked a stupid question. Hoshinomiya-sensei obviously made a blatant joke out of it to wake me up. Desks are definitely not for sale."
Ichinose lets out a soft, melodic laugh.
"You're an interesting person, Yonezawa-kun," she says.
"I'm not," Renjiro replies.
He scoops a small piece of strawberry onto his spoon. The conversation stays entirely casual after that short exchange.
Ichinose asks Mako about the track team tryouts. Kanzaki orders a black coffee and listens quietly.
They do not ask any probing questions. They avoid the topic of the seat transfer request completely. It seems like a simple, accidental meeting.
Fifteen minutes later, the pair finishes their drinks.
"We have to get going," Ichinose says and stands up from her chair. "See you both on Monday!"
"Bye-bye!" Mako waves happily.
The two classmates walk out the glass doors. The cafe noise continues to buzz around the table.
Renjiro sets his spoon down. The glass dish clinks softly against the wood. He looks straight across the table at his childhood friend.
"Listen carefully," he begins.
His voice lacks any trace of his usual exhaustion. He speaks quietly for three solid minutes. He lays out the scattered puzzle pieces and strings the clues together into a single, undeniable conclusion.
Mako stops chewing her cake. Her jaw drops. The sheer shock completely drains the color from her face. Her blue eyes stare at him in pure horror as the terrible reality finally registers in her brain.
---
Monday morning arrives with a suffocating tension. The morning sun cuts through the large windows of Class B.
Students chatter happily about their weekend shopping trips and arcade high scores.
Right before the final bell rings for homeroom, Mako stands up from her desk and walks straight to the front of the room. Her shoes click loudly against the floor. She steps right up to the teacher's podium.
BAM!
She slams both hands flat against the wood. The loud sound silences the entire room instantly.
The sliding door at the front sits slightly open. Someone about to enter stops dead in their tracks when the sudden noise echoes through the narrow gap.
"Everyone, listen up," Mako announces. Her voice trembles just a little bit. "I need to tell you something."