(Naoki perspective)
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The crowd roared, their voices melting into one indistinct wave of noise. To them, this was just entertainment—a heated clash between two first-years over a meaningless soccer ball. To me, however, it was far more than that.
I watched Reika charge, reckless and unrefined, like a beast clawing at prey. Brute force, no elegance. She believed herself unstoppable because her body carried her forward faster than most. *Pathetic.* Strength without refinement is nothing but wasted potential.
Beside me, Reina's posture was stiff, arms crossed, the subtle lines of disapproval etched on his face. He didn't need to say a word for me to know his thoughts. But I allowed him the courtesy of speaking anyway.
"Sir," Reina finally muttered, "her style of soccer is mediocre."
I tilted my head slightly, eyes never leaving the field, lips curving into my carefully rehearsed smile—the one everyone knew me by. The "polite" smile. The "inoffensive" mask.
"Correct," I murmured, my tone deceptively light. "But mediocrity has its uses. It shows us what *not* to look for."
Ayame stole the ball again, moving with fluidity that carried the scent of calculation, of patience. She wasn't fighting Reika directly—no, she was *studying* her, exploiting her. How amusing.
Reina shifted, uneasy, and said, "Why are we even here, sir? To watch a meaningless game?"
At that, I finally glanced at him, letting my smile falter just enough to reveal the sharpness beneath. "We're not here for the game, Reina. We're here for the truth. The rank of Class S."
His brow furrowed. "But how do we know this rank isn't just… a hoax? A glitch in the system?"
A quiet laugh escaped me, low and measured. The type that unsettled without ever needing to raise its volume. "If it were a hoax, Reina, would *I* bear that rank? Do you think something as crude as a computer glitch could attach such meaning to me?"
He fell silent. Good.
I turned back to the field, voice soft but precise. "The principal doesn't hand out ranks without reason. S is not random—it's… intentional. Purposeful. Something darker than even we might expect."
Ayame advanced again, her heel flick sending the ball off-kilter. A poor shot? Or…
My eyes narrowed.
No. Not poor. *Planned.* She was rebounding the ball intentionally, forcing Reika to expose her own impatience. A trap, crafted with surgical precision.
*Interesting. Ayame is not brute strength. She is deception. Cunning. A snake coiling until the strike is inevitable.*
Reina's voice broke through my thoughts. "Sir, how do we spot someone with Class S potential? They don't stand out."
"We don't," I replied calmly. "We analyze. We wait. Old-fashioned methods are the purest. I could hack the school's systems in an instant… but where's the value in easy answers? Easy things create weak men, Reina. And I do not permit weakness."
His phone buzzed. He glanced down, then froze. "…Sir. Someone tried hacking into the school's systems. About half an hour ago."
My gaze sharpened, though my smile remained intact. "Oh?"
"They were searching for your name."
I tilted my head, amusement curling inside me. "My name? How flattering. And?"
Reina hesitated, then: "I traced the code. It was… Rika."
I chuckled—slow, deliberate. Not out of joy, but something far more dangerous. "So the referee herself seeks knowledge." My eyes flickered toward her as she declared the match's end, her whistle slicing through the tension. "How ironic. The one who pretends neutrality in this chaos may, in fact, be the most dangerous piece on the board."
On the field, Ayame's final shot curved, rebounded, then cut through Reika's defenses like a knife through silk. Goal. Victory. The crowd erupted in wild celebration.
But I was not watching Ayame's victory. No. My attention was on Rika.
*The one who hides her hand. The one who seeks to toy with the system itself. If she is bold enough to dig into my name… then perhaps she is more than just a referee. Perhaps she is the key to uncovering what Class S truly is.*
I let my smile linger, this one not for the crowd, not for Reina. But for myself. A smile dripping with quiet malice, as if savoring the taste of a puzzle finally revealing its shape.
"This just got… more interesting."
---
(reika perspective)
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I fell to the ground, my knees striking the floor with a hollow thud. My chest heaved, my vision blurred with tears, but none of it mattered—because I had lost.
Me.
Reika Amamiya.
The applause thundered, but it wasn't for me. It was for her—for Ayame. The cheers tore at me like knives, and when the crowd began to disperse, I couldn't accept it. I screamed, my voice breaking, "ONE MORE GAME!"
My throat burned, but the words spilled out anyway, desperate and trembling. Tears streamed down my face as I shouted again, my pride collapsing with every syllable. "NO! I WON'T LOSE TO YOU! NOT AGAIN! GIVE ME ONE MORE GAME!"
The silence that followed wasn't sympathy. It was horror. The crowd looked at me—me, the queen who always stood above them—as if I were pitiful. Weak. Broken.
Then I heard it. A sound so sharp it pierced through my despair. Laughter.
I turned. Daiko. His shoulders shook as he held it back, but then he let go—erupting in laughter that echoed through the hall. And then, like wildfire, it spread. Half the crowd joined him, laughing at me, mocking me.
At me.
My eyes widened. My stomach dropped. I had truly lost. Not just the match—but everything.
Ayame… she turned to me one last time, her words like poison tipped arrows.
"It appears the queen has lost her title."
She walked away, triumphant. And I— I couldn't even move. My tears betrayed me, spilling faster than I could wipe them.
Haruto, Mr. Unagi, even Kei… they all left. Each glance they gave me was like a blade cutting deeper. Kei's eyes especially—disgust, hatred, disappointment.
Even Rika, the one who always stayed neutral , sighed. "You should've controlled your ego." She turned her back on me, and it felt like the last string tethering me to who I once was snapped.
"WAIT! DON'T LEAVE ME!" I cried out, my voice shaking, my pride completely gone.
But Naoki and Reina only looked at me with cold indifference. "We never knew you," Reina said, her words severing whatever bond we once shared. They left, too.
Class B walked away satisfied, smug, reveling in my ruin.
And then there was nothing.
The hall was empty. My fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms, but it didn't stop the shaking. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.
I was alone.
The queen was gone. And in her place was just… me.
Weak. Broken. Forgotten.
Why? Why did I lose?
I stared at the floor, my pride shattered, my heart hollow. For the first time in my life… I was nothing.
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