The next morning, the campus was alive with tension.Every whisper in the hall, every sidelong glance, every murmured name—all of it revolved around one girl.
Ichinose Honami.
The storm of rumors that had drowned her for weeks finally reached its breaking point. And today, in Class B, everything was going to change.
I stood in the hallway corner, leaning against the wall, my hands shoved into my pockets. From the open door of Class B, I could see everything clearly—the light spilling across the podium, Ichinose sitting at her desk, head bowed slightly, her classmates whispering nervously around her.
Then, the door opened again.
Arisu Sakayanagi stepped in.
Her cane tapped gently against the floor, her smile as elegant and poisonous as ever. Kamuro followed behind her silently, and Hashimoto trailed a few steps away with a face that said he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Good morning, everyone," Arisu said cheerfully. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything too important."
Kanzaki stood immediately, his tone curt. "What business do you have here, Sakayanagi?"
"Oh, nothing terrible," she replied, her smile never faltering. "I've simply come to save Class B."
A murmur swept through the room.
"Save us?" Kanzaki repeated, incredulous.
"Yes, of course." Arisu turned her gaze to Ichinose, who had not looked up yet. "After all, your class seems so terribly lost lately. All these rumors, all this confusion. It breaks my heart to see the once-so-pure Class B fall apart."
Kanzaki's jaw tightened. "So it was you."
"Hmm? I'm not sure what you mean," Arisu said, feigning innocence. "Rumors are such unpredictable things, aren't they? Once they start, no one knows where they'll go. Still, it's fascinating how often they reveal… truth."
Her eyes glimmered with mischief.
She slowly walked toward the front, the sound of her cane echoing against the silent floor. "You see, I've done some thinking. It's quite dangerous for one person to hold the class's private points, don't you think? Especially someone as emotional as Ichinose-san."
"Enough," Kanzaki snapped.
But Ichinose finally stood up. Her face was calm, her hands trembling only slightly as she stepped to the podium.
"Let her talk, Kanzaki-kun," she said softly. "It's fine."
Then, in a voice that was quiet yet clear, she said, "I have something I want to say to everyone."
The Confession
The room went still.
Ichinose took a deep breath and looked around at her classmates—faces of disbelief, worry, confusion.
"It's true," she said. "What the rumors say. I… was a shoplifter."
The words dropped like stones in water, sending ripples of shock across the room.
Even Arisu blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
Ichinose continued, her tone steady but soft. "I didn't want to run away anymore. If I'm going to lead this class, then I have to be honest about my past."
She closed her eyes briefly, then began to speak.
She spoke about her mother, a single parent who worked day and night to raise her and her little sister. About the exhaustion in her mother's smile. About how, in her third year of middle school, she had studied as hard as she could to make her proud—but her mother collapsed from overwork.
She spoke about her little sister, who had never asked for anything her whole life—except for a single hair clip, a beautiful thing worth about 10,000 yen.
Her voice trembled as she described it:
"That day, I saw my mother crying because she couldn't afford to buy it. And I saw my sister crying because she blamed herself. I… I just wanted to make it right."
And so, she stole it.
"I told myself it was just one little thing. That nobody would notice. That I could live with it. But the moment I did it, I hated myself. Even when my sister smiled, I couldn't feel anything but guilt."
Her mother, though still weak, noticed the clip immediately. She dragged Ichinose back to the store, forcing her to return it and apologize. The shopkeeper had chosen not to press charges, but the rumor spread anyway.
"I thought I'd ruined everything," she whispered. "I thought I'd disappointed everyone I loved. So I stopped going out. I shut myself away. Until one day, my teacher told me that if I wanted to start over, I should come here—to Advanced Nurturing High School."
She looked up, her eyes glistening.
"And so I came here, hoping that one day, I could become someone better."
When she finished, she bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry for hiding it. I'm sorry for being a pathetic and useless leader."
The Class Stands
For a few seconds, silence reigned.
Then, Shibata stood up. "That's enough, Ichinose-san."
His voice was calm but strong.
"You're not pathetic. You're the best leader we could ask for."
Maezono nodded, tears in her eyes. "Yeah. You've always been there for us. Always thinking about us first."
Soon, others joined in—Kanzaki, Sayo, Morishita, even the usually quiet Kazuomi.
"We know you've made mistakes," Kanzaki said, "but that doesn't change what you've done for us. You've carried this class farther than anyone else could."
The classroom filled with voices of support.
Ichinose bit her lip, trying not to cry, but tears still fell freely.
It was then that Arisu's soft laughter cut through the warmth.
"How touching," she said. "Truly, it's like watching a cheap drama."
Everyone turned to her.
"Ichinose-san, you're really quite clever," Arisu said with a sweet smile. "You've turned your sin into a story of redemption. You're manipulating their sympathy. Don't you think that's a bit… selfish?"
Even Kamuro flinched at her tone.
"You committed a crime," Arisu continued. "And now you're trying to wash it away with tears? What a convenient excuse. Tell me, Ichinose—if you were desperate again, would you steal the class's points just like you stole that hair clip?"
"That's enough," Kanzaki said sharply.
But Ichinose shook her head. "No… it's okay."
She looked at Arisu and said quietly, "You're right. I was a thief. I can't deny that. And I don't deserve sympathy. But I won't let that past control who I am now."
Her voice grew stronger.
"I'm not running anymore. I won't let my mistake decide my future."
Her classmates' support returned in full force, their unity like a wall.
Arisu's expression darkened, though her smile stayed. "A crime is a crime, no matter the reason. If you truly want to make amends, return all your private points and step down as leader. That would be justice, don't you think?"
Kanzaki turned to Ichinose. "Ichinose… what do you want to do?"
She closed her eyes.
Then she smiled.
"I won't step down."
The room held its breath.
"I've made mistakes," she continued, "but I'll carry them with me, not run from them. Because this class deserves someone who will never run again. And if they'll still follow me—then I'll lead them to Class A, no matter what."
The response was immediate.
"Yes!""We'll follow you, Ichinose!""We believe in you!"
Their voices filled the room.
And for the first time since the rumors began, Ichinose truly smiled.
The Ghost in the Corner
From the corner of the classroom, unseen and unnoticed, I watched everything.
Just like always.
Ichinose stood at the podium, radiant, her tears shining under the sunlight. And I remembered her words from last night—
"Even if you disappear tomorrow, I'll still see you."
I smiled faintly. "You really meant it, huh?" I murmured.
Then the door burst open.
Chabashira, Hoshinomiya, and Nagumo entered together, their faces serious.
"Attention," Chabashira announced. "As of today, the school has issued a formal ruling. From this moment forward, the act of spreading false rumors about other students will be considered a major violation and will be punished accordingly."
Gasps filled the room.
Arisu's eyes narrowed. For the first time, her composure cracked.
Nagumo smiled slightly. "Seems like you've gone a little too far, Sakayanagi. You've made the higher-ups move."
Arisu's cane tapped once against the floor. Her smile returned, thinner now. "How unfortunate. It seems my little game has been cut short."
Kamuro exhaled quietly beside her, visibly relieved.
"Well then," Arisu said lightly. "Congratulations, Ichinose-san. It seems you've won today."
She turned, her long hair swaying as she left the classroom.
As the room relaxed with relief, I stayed silent in the back, my shadow merging with the wall.
Lunch break. Ten minutes before the bell.
Ayanokōji sat quietly in the back of the classroom, his half-eaten meal untouched, his eyes fixed on the phone in his hand.It buzzed once — a call.
Arisu Sakayanagi.
He sighed lightly before answering. "You don't usually call without reason."
Her voice came through the receiver, soft, deliberate, carrying that same elegant cruelty as always.
"Kiyotaka-kun, I'd like to meet."
He leaned back in his chair. "And what would this meeting be about, Sakayanagi?"
"A game, of course. The next special exam. I challenge you."
A faint pause followed. "A challenge?"
"Yes. If I win, I'll reveal everything — your past, the White Room, the truth behind who you are."
The classroom noise seemed to fade away. Ayanokōji didn't answer at first, and she continued, voice growing sweeter.
"But if you win, I'll drop out of school. Completely. My father will sign the withdrawal papers himself. I promise."
It was a trap — one so perfect that even knowing that, he couldn't easily refuse.
Ayanokōji closed his eyes, his mind weighing every possible outcome."If I refuse?"
"Then I'll expose you. Tell everyone in this school that you're the one manipulating Class C from the shadows. That you're not the quiet, boring boy they think you are, but something far worse."
He let out a quiet, resigned breath. "…You never make things simple."
"I don't intend to. Simplicity is dull. You should be thanking me — for giving your life here a bit of excitement."
Her laughter echoed faintly, light and cold.
"Fine," he said at last. "You have your challenge."
"Splendid."
There was a pause — and then her tone softened slightly, unexpectedly.
"Thank you, Kiyotaka-kun… for livening up my otherwise boring school life."
The line clicked dead.
He sat there for a moment, staring at the phone, then slipped it back into his pocket and muttered, "You really are dangerous, Sakayanagi."
He stood, glanced at the clock, and left the classroom — there was one person he needed to speak to before the next battle began.
Morning of the Exam
The day of the exam arrived like any other — calm, ordinary, deceptively peaceful.
The morning light filtered through the glass walls of the school, brushing across the hallways like soft gold. Students whispered nervously about what kind of test they'd face, while others shared last-minute notes or jokes to hide their anxiety.
Ayanokōji walked down the corridor toward the testing rooms. Ahead of him, Ichinose stood waiting, her usual brightness returned to her face.
When she noticed him, she waved cheerfully. "Good morning, Ayanokōji-kun!"
"Morning," he replied.
Behind them, I walked silently, hands in my pockets — a shadow following two lights.
Ichinose smiled at Ayanokōji. "I wanted to thank you again… for everything. You really helped me through that."
He shook his head. "You did it yourself. You were cool yesterday, Ichinose."
Her eyes widened slightly. "C-cool? Me?"
He gave a small nod. "You faced your past head-on. Not many people can do that."
For a moment, her cheeks colored faintly. "That's… nice of you to say."
I kept walking behind them, my steps slow, my mind a haze. I didn't say anything. There wasn't anything left to say.
Ichinose noticed me then, glancing back. Her smile softened. "You're quiet today, Miyamoto-kun."
"…Just tired," I murmured.
"I see."
She turned back to Ayanokōji. "I've accepted my past. What's done is done. Now, I'll face whatever comes next, no matter how hard. Maybe it's foolish, but… I feel lighter now."
Ayanokōji nodded slightly. "That's how it should be. If you ever face another wall, you can talk to me. I'll listen."
"Thank you," she said sincerely. Then, almost as an afterthought, "Oh, and… I wanted to know more about Miyamoto-kun. After everything he did for me."
Her voice lowered. "He hurt himself for my sake, didn't he?"
Ayanokōji looked ahead, not answering directly. "He made a choice. Sometimes, people do things without expecting anything in return."
She seemed to understand. "I'll thank him properly one day."
"Do that," Ayanokōji said with a faint smile.
Their conversation drifted into silence.
I stopped walking, staring at the floor.
There was nothing for me there anymore.
After the exam briefing, the corridors emptied out. The sun had risen higher, scattering white light across the polished floors.
I wandered aimlessly, like a ghost with nowhere left to haunt.
Every step echoed softly in the emptiness.
It was strange — how peaceful it felt after everything. The chaos, the rumors, the tension — all of it had passed, leaving only silence behind.
I walked until I reached the far side of the building, near the courtyard where the wind brushed softly through the trees.
Then I heard footsteps approaching behind me.
Light, familiar.
"...You really like disappearing, don't you?"
I turned.
Ichinose stood there — smiling faintly, her hair catching the sunlight, her eyes bright yet filled with something deeper than joy.
"How did you find me?" I asked quietly.
She shrugged lightly. "I just… knew where you'd be."
We stood there for a moment, facing each other in silence.
Finally, she spoke. "Even if you disappear tomorrow… I'll still say it. I'll still remember you."
I blinked, stunned.
She took a step closer. "You told me once that even angels can fall. So maybe—" she paused, her smile trembling just a little "—maybe I'll fall a little for you, too."
Her words hit like lightning. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe.
"Stop joking," I muttered, trying to turn away. "We're not that familiar."
She shook her head, walking closer. "Maybe not. But you were there when everyone else turned away. You stayed when no one else saw me. You called me an angel, but… maybe I was just someone who needed a ghost to find me."
I swallowed hard. "You're wrong. A ghost like me doesn't belong next to someone like you. Ayanokōji suits you better. He's calm, he's clever, he can protect you. Me? I just fade away."
I tried to step past her.
But she reached out and grabbed my hand.
Her grip was firm — trembling, but unyielding.
"I don't care," she said softly. "I don't care what you think you are. You're still the one who made me smile again."
Her eyes locked onto mine, shining like glass. "So don't run away."
The world seemed to blur for a second — sunlight, wind, the faint sound of students far away.
I didn't know what to say.Maybe there wasn't anything left to say.
So I just stood there, our hands still joined, my heart pounding in a rhythm I didn't understand.
Somewhere, the school bell rang — long and echoing.
Ichinose finally let go, her smile softening. "We should go. The exam's about to start."
I nodded weakly. "…Yeah."
As she turned to leave, she looked back one last time.
"Miyamoto-kun," she said, "you said ghosts can't see the light. But maybe… it's because you've been the light all along, for people like me."
Before I could reply, she was already walking away — her figure bathed in sunlight, like an angel ascending back to her world.
And I stood there, half in shadow, half in light, wondering which side I truly belonged to.
Maybe she was right.Maybe even a ghost could leave behind a glimmer.
But for now, I simply whispered into the wind:
"Go shine, angel. The darkness will take care of itself."