Warm light streamed through the open windows, casting bright lines across the desks of Classroom C. The faint smell of freshly cut grass from the field lingered in the air. The fans spun slowly, their hum blending with the muffled murmurs from the hallways.
Tomoya Aki sat with his posture straight, feeling his back press against the chair's backrest. It was strange how his mood had shifted from one break to the next. The talk with Eriri had restored something in him, a forgotten confidence, something that almost made him smile to himself.
But the feeling wasn't complete. Somewhere in the back of his mind was the memory of that morning's scene. Megumi standing under the cherry blossom tree, her face turned to the sky, pink petals falling around her. A perfect scene. One he could use in his story, if not for everything he'd heard afterward.
Tomoya discreetly turned his head, watching Megumi a few desks away. She looked exactly as she always had: silent, distant, focused only on her own world.
But he knew it wasn't quite like that. The whispers of his classmates at the entrance still echoed in his memory.
"She was with that guy, that Yuta. Seriously!"
"Megumi, of all people, who would've thought?"
Those words bothered him. It wasn't jealousy, Tomoya told himself—it was narrative logic. Megumi shouldn't slip so easily from the role he'd crafted for her.
He shifted his gaze to his notebook. It was blank, just a few senseless scribbles. He breathed slowly, thinking of something else to occupy his mind. Utaha Kasumigaoka.
Yes, Utaha. The original plan never involved revealing his identity so soon, but now it felt necessary. He needed to regain control somehow. And Utaha was his perfect Plan B.
Tomoya propped his chin on his hand, his mind drifting from the classroom again.
'How would she react to learning I'm the one reviewing her stories? Would she be surprised? Maybe even happy?'
A faint smile crossed his face as he imagined the scene. Yes, that could work.
Once more, his eyes drifted to Megumi, almost involuntarily. She remained still, indifferent to the subtle buzz around her.
He closed his eyes briefly, trying to shake the irritation that image brought.
'I need to focus on Utaha. That's what matters now.'
___
Megumi Katō stared at the open notebook before her. The pages were blank, without a single word or doodle. Just clear, empty lines.
She didn't feel like writing. Didn't feel like responding. And above all, she felt no need to react to her classmates' comments. All of it seemed so distant, so insignificant now.
She closed her eyes slowly, letting the sound of whispers around her fade into background noise.
"What do you think they did behind the gym?"
"No idea, but Megumi? Never would've guessed…"
Megumi didn't care about the gossip. Not anymore. Not after realizing the world was more complex than schoolyard whispers. Far more dangerous, too.
She took a deep breath, recalling the light, firm touch of Yuta's hand when he removed that strange energy from her. A small shiver ran down her spine.
'I could've died… and no one here would've even known.'
She opened her eyes slowly, glancing at the classmates still casting quick looks her way. They laughed, whispered, but had no idea what really mattered.
Megumi almost smiled, faintly.
'You don't understand. You can't understand. To you, the world's still simple.'
Suddenly, she felt oddly protected, even though Yuta wasn't there. He'd given her something more than safety: the certainty that, if something happened, she had someone she could rely on.
That was something new, strong, unlike anything she'd felt before.
She slowly raised her face, catching Tomoya's quick, restless glance in her direction. It was strange. Until today, he'd never noticed her existence, but now he seemed almost bothered.
'Funny… before, no one saw me. Now, they can't stop looking.'
Megumi returned her focus to the blank notebook, resolved to stay exactly as she'd always been—quiet and indifferent.
But now with a fundamental difference: she knew what was happening around her.
She knew there was something bigger, more dangerous.
And she knew Yuta would be there if she needed him.
___
Tomoya took another deep breath, trying to push thoughts of Megumi aside. Her quick glance had unsettled him, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.
'Enough of this.'
He discreetly reached into his pocket, feeling the phone hidden there. The screen glowed with a new message he'd read several times, still unanswered.
It was the message Eriri had sent right after their break reunion.
"We need to talk more often. That was fun. Don't vanish again, idiot."
Tomoya smiled again, his mood lifting instantly.
Yes, Eriri was the right first step. Now it was just Utaha, and maybe… maybe Megumi would slide back into the exact space he'd reserved for her in the narrative, if everything went well.
But he couldn't count on that.
'No, definitely not.'
The classroom door opened briefly, the muffled sound of hallway voices growing louder. Everyone looked, except Megumi, who remained impassive, and Tomoya, who didn't want to waste time on distractions.
Even so, he couldn't resist and glanced discreetly at Megumi again.
The feeling returned.
'I can't lose control now. Not when things are finally starting to work.'
Tomoya adjusted himself in his chair, focusing on the teacher again and pretending to listen with interest.
But his thoughts were already far from there.
Very far.
___
Second Year – Classroom B
The classes ended with the deep chime of the bell vibrating through the school's walls. Notebooks snapped shut, chairs scraped across the floor. The sound of footsteps and voices filled the hallways like a wave.
Yuta and Aika descended the second-floor stairs together. Aika was still smiling, chatting about some trivial nonsense, but Yuta only nodded. His focus was elsewhere.
At the main building's exit, they stopped side by side.
"What're you doing now?"
Yuta pretended to think for a second.
"Heading home. You?"
Aika swung her backpack over her shoulder, adjusting the straps.
"Gonna take a walk first. Stretch my legs."
Yuta nodded with a slight wave.
"Then… see you tomorrow."
She gave a casual wave, her steps heading toward the east exit, down the side street that led to the park and, eventually, the forest.
Yuta stayed still.
His gaze seemingly lost in space, but his eyes fixed on one thing: Aika's back.
And not just her.
Three boys had left a few seconds later. They walked slowly, not drawing attention. But Yuta noticed the pattern. The rhythm. The focus.
'Ryo…'
The leader wore his uniform with the shirt untucked, shoulders tense, his gaze locked in Aika's direction.
'Two more. Never got their names… but the pattern's the same. They're following.'
Yuta moved unhurriedly, taking the opposite route for a few meters, then circling the high school building via the west side. The concrete path crunched under his sneakers.
He knew the route the three would take. Knew they'd wait for the right moment, where there'd be no cameras or voices nearby.
And he knew he couldn't wait any longer.
His hands slowly clenched in his pants pockets.
The distance between his steps shortened without needing to run.
The boys were too distracted to notice. They followed Aika, who was already turning the block's corner, completely unaware of what trailed her.
Yuta kept his breathing controlled.
Calm.
Each step now was a step closer to the mission.
A step closer to punishment.