The air in Class C's room was thick with tension. The curtains were drawn, the fluorescent lights flickered faintly, and the faint scent of sweat and perfume lingered in the enclosed space.
Ryūen stood in front of his seated classmates, his hands resting casually in his pockets, a predator's grin tugging at the corner of his lips. His voice, low but sharp, cut through the silence.
"There's a traitor among us."
Every student froze. Even Ibuki, leaning against the back wall with her arms crossed, blinked once in irritation.
Ryūen began pacing slowly, like a wolf circling his prey. "You all remember what happened at the sports festival. Someone leaked our strategy — someone who thought they could outsmart me."
No one dared to speak.
He stopped walking and smirked. "Let's not pretend. I know who the real enemy is. There's a puppet master pulling the strings behind Class D — someone they call 'X'."
Gasps, murmurs, whispers. The word spread like fire across the room.
"X?""Who's that?""Another one of Horikita's pawns?"
Ryūen chuckled, shaking his head. "No. Not her. She's just a toy — one that's been played with. The one controlling everything… is hiding in the shadows."
Ibuki frowned, pushing off from the wall. "You mean that boring guy, Ayanokōji?"
Ryūen gave a small, cold smile. "Maybe. Maybe not. But someone like him doesn't act without purpose."
Kaneda, calm and precise as always, adjusted his glasses. "If I may, Ryūen. Based on the data and events so far, it's likely that either Ayanokōji or Yukimura is connected to that incident during the cruise — and possibly with the bullying of Karuizawa. They were the only witnesses, right?"
Ryūen looked amused. "You've been paying attention, Kaneda. Not bad."
He leaned back against the teacher's desk, arms folded. "We'll hold a meeting tonight to find out who our little rat is. And as for 'X'..." His eyes gleamed with malice. "I'll crush him personally. But first, we clean house."
Manabe and her group sat nervously, exchanging uneasy glances.
When the others began filing out, Ryūen's tone darkened. "Not you four. Stay."
The door clicked shut. The classroom was suddenly much quieter.
He smiled without warmth. "Now, tell me again about that day on the cruise. Every. Single. Detail."
Manabe's voice trembled as she recounted what happened, the bullying, the confrontation with Karuizawa, and the sudden interruption.
When she finished, Ryūen's eyes sharpened. "So, only Yukimura and Ayanokōji saw you?"
She nodded.
"Good," he said simply. Then, after a moment of silence, he added, "But don't get too comfortable. Someone here's been feeding information to the other side. And when I find out who…" He smiled — slow, cruel, and cold. "They'll regret ever crossing me."
Meanwhile, Class D had their own war council.
Horikita stood before the class, posture straight and commanding, her tone confident as she began outlining their plan for the upcoming special exam.
"Listen carefully," she said. "This exam isn't just about our scores — it's about how we coordinate. The top ten scorers must aim above eighty. The weakest must intentionally get zero. The middle group will either target between sixty and eighty… or one point. That way, we can balance the pair averages perfectly."
The class listened with a mix of awe and confusion.
"So… we're basically gaming the system?" Yamauchi asked.
Horikita shot him a look. "If you want to call it that."
Ayanokōji, seated near the window as always, simply nodded. "It's an efficient strategy. But execution will be difficult."
Hirata, ever the mediator, smiled gently. "We'll make it work. I'll help coordinate the pairs."
Horikita's eyes flicked toward Ayanokōji — she could see he was already thinking several steps ahead.
At the back of the room, I leaned against my chair and crossed my arms. "Well, as long as our team knows what they're doing, we'll be fine."
Horikita glanced at me. "You're referring to your… group?"
I grinned. "Yeah. The Miyamoto Gang."
Sudō snorted. "That name's still lame, bro."
I ignored him. "We'll handle tutoring. Yukimura'll lead study sessions again, same as before. Ayanokōji can keep watch over us. Sound good?"
Horikita nodded slightly. "Fine. Just make sure they actually study."
The next morning, the pairings were officially announced.
The list appeared on the classroom screen, one name after another.
Horikita & Sudō
Hirata & Yamauchi
Koenji & Okitani
Yukimura & Inogashira
Ijuin & Sotomura
Matsushita & Hondo
Onodera & Sakura
Ayanokōji & Satō
Ike & Kushida
Miyake & Hasebe
I scanned through the names, smirking. "Guess everyone got matched up nicely."
Ayanokōji, however, didn't seem amused. "Horikita with Sudō is risky. But effective if they both cooperate."
Yukimura adjusted his glasses. "And I suppose I'm the tutor again."
I clapped him on the shoulder. "Of course you are. Don't complain — you're the best at this stuff."
He sighed, but there was a trace of pride in his tone. "Fine. But this time, everyone actually has to put in effort."
That afternoon, we gathered at Pallet Café — a cozy, slightly noisy place near the campus courtyard. The warm scent of roasted beans and sweet pastries filled the air as we occupied a corner table big enough for all eight of us: me, Yukimura, Miyake, Hasebe, Mei Yu Wang, Okitani, Ijuin, Airi Sakura, and An Maezono.
Textbooks and tablets scattered across the table.
"Okay," Yukimura began, pushing his glasses up, "let's focus on mathematics first. The school's trend has been heavy on applied questions recently."
I leaned back, sipping iced coffee. "You sound like a real teacher, man."
"Someone has to take this seriously," he muttered.
The group began their drills, though not without chaos.
Okitani and Miyake kept comparing answers out loud. Hasebe doodled formulas that somehow ended up looking like cats. Mei Yu Wang quietly took perfect notes. Sakura shyly peeked at her textbook, occasionally glancing up at me, cheeks tinted pink.
Ayanokōji joined halfway through, quietly observing.
Yukimura turned toward him suddenly. "Ayanokōji… can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead," he replied evenly.
"Are you… hiding your real academic ability?"
The table went quiet. Even Hasebe stopped doodling.
Ayanokōji blinked once. "That's a strange question."
"It's not," Yukimura said. "I've seen your old scores. You're too… consistent. No fluctuation, no visible weaknesses. Almost as if you're holding back."
A faint smirk appeared on Ayanokōji's face. "Maybe Horikita's been giving you too much information."
Before Yukimura could press further, I stepped in, raising my hands. "Hey, hey. Let's not pry into things that don't matter. We all have our secrets. What matters now is we pass this exam together. Got it?"
Yukimura exhaled and nodded reluctantly. "...Fine. But if he's hiding something, I'll figure it out eventually."
Ayanokōji just gave a small, unreadable smile.
As the group began to relax, an unexpected scene played out near the counter.
A tall boy from Class C — Ishizaki — was arguing with the clerk.
"What do you mean the cake isn't ready today?!"
"I'm sorry, sir. The special order was delayed."
The outburst made a few customers glance over. Ayanokōji's eyes followed him for a moment, his expression thoughtful.
Then, as if something clicked, he muttered quietly to himself, Tomorrow's October 20th…
I raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"Nothing," he said. But I could tell from his tone he remembered something important — his birthday, though he didn't seem to care.
As we resumed studying, I noticed Sakura lingering awkwardly near the corner of the table.
"Airi," I called. "Don't just stand there. Come sit down. The group's waiting."
She blushed deeply and hurried over, tripping slightly on the chair leg. "S-sorry! I was just, um… checking the drink menu."
Yukimura sighed. "Focus, please."
The session lasted about an hour before everyone decided to call it a day. We'd made progress — enough to feel a little confident.
Before we left, Yukimura leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful. "You know… my mom's the reason I push so hard for these exams."
Everyone turned to him, surprised.
He continued quietly. "She's strict — always demanding results. I used to hate it. But now… I guess I just want to prove that I can do something meaningful. Helping others pass… that's worth it."
The café grew quieter after that. Even Hasebe stopped joking.
"Then let's make sure no one fails," I said. "We're all in this together."
The group nodded, some smiling faintly.
Later that evening, the campus lights flickered against the twilight. Ayanokōji sat alone in his room, phone in hand.
He'd just finished a long call with Horikita.
"Testing the question limits is key," he'd told her. "We need to see how far we can push difficulty without the teachers rejecting them."
"And Kushida?" she'd asked.
"She's the only one who can leak our questions to Ryūen," he'd replied. "If she does, we'll know immediately."
Horikita's voice had turned sharp. "Then I'll confront her myself."
"Be careful," he'd warned. "She's unpredictable."
They ended the call.
A minute later, his phone buzzed again — an unfamiliar address flashing on the screen.
Sender: UnknownSubject: To XMessage:So you really exist. I've been waiting to meet you.— Ryūen Kakeru
Ayanokōji stared at the screen, unreadable.
Somewhere, in another dorm, Ryūen sat smirking at his own phone, the glow of the display reflected in his sharp eyes.
"Let's see what kind of monster you really are, Ayanokōji."
Back in my own room, the gang was hanging out again — empty chip bags and soda cans littered the floor.
Okitani and Ijuin were arguing over a fighting game, while Hasebe lounged on the bed scrolling through her phone.
"Hey, boss," Miyake said, "the forum's still talking about you and Ibuki. Apparently someone made a fan edit of your 'sleeping on her lap' photo."
I groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Even the comments are wild," Hasebe added, laughing. "'Who knew Miyamoto could tame the tiger of Class C?'"
Everyone burst out laughing.
I waved a hand. "Whatever. Let them talk. Once the exam starts, romance won't matter anyway."
"Still," Sakura said softly, "it's kind of nice, isn't it? Having people notice you for something other than grades."
I smiled faintly. "Maybe. But it also paints a target on your back."
The room went quiet for a moment as the thought sank in.
The school wasn't kind to attachments — especially between rivals.
And as much as I wanted to laugh it off, part of me wondered how long this peace would last.