---
The classroom was filled with chatter until the teacher spoke up.
"You all seem surprised," he said with a smirk. "Why didn't any of you ask about the rules?"
Everyone froze. One brave student finally asked, "Why didn't you tell us?"
The teacher simply laughed.
"Because… you never asked."
The room fell completely silent.
But not everyone was still.
Yuki looked down, disappointed in herself.
Kiro, seated behind her, noticed. He sighed. She took that personally.
The bell rang.
Students stood up and quickly grouped together, talking and laughing.
As Kiro walked down the hall, he overheard a few conversations.
"Hey, why can't we share our points?"
"Yeah, that's not fair!"
Another group was laughing. "We're friends, right?"
But Yuki said nothing. She stood up quietly, walked out the door, and disappeared.
Kiro sighed and pulled out his phone.
0 points.
He sighed again, tucked his phone away, and left the classroom alone.
On his way out, he heard more whispers.
"Did you hear? Class D failed again."
"Yeah. I also heard that girl Yuki is in Class D. Guess she failed too."
They laughed.
Kiro heard every word but said nothing. He walked past them and out to the same tree from the day before. He laid down, closed his eyes, and tried to rest.
---
Meanwhile, Yuki walked through the school hall until she reached the library.
She stepped up to the front desk. "Excuse me, do you have the school rule book?"
The librarian blinked in surprise. "We do… but no one ever asks for that."
She handed Yuki a blue-bound book.
"Thanks," Yuki said quietly, then walked out.
---
Outside, Yuki spotted Kiro under the tree again. She stared at him for a moment, then approached.
Standing over him, she blocked the sunlight from hitting his face.
Kiro slowly opened one eye. "You're blocking my sun."
He sat up and looked at her, confused. "Uh… what's up?"
Yuki sighed. "Do you want to team up to earn points?"
Kiro yawned. "🥱 Why me? There are plenty of other students."
"This is… my way of saying thank you," Yuki muttered.
Kiro looked at her carefully. Liar. She just doesn't want to say, "I need help."
He yawned again and thought, Of course she came to me. She's frustrated. She wants to earn points quickly. She probably read that book hoping it would tell her how to win. She needs someone to help her—and I'm the only one who saw her fall apart.
He sighed. "Fine. I'll help."
Yuki looked relieved. "I knew you'd say yes. Let's go to the café. We can study there."
"People really don't want me to sleep, huh…" Kiro grumbled as he stood up.
---
They walked to the school café. It was crowded, but they found a seat and ordered coffee.
Yuki opened the blue rule book and began flipping through it as their drinks arrived.
Kiro took a sip, then asked, "So… how do we earn points?"
Yuki pointed at the page. "By playing school-approved games. If we win, we get points."
"Games?" Kiro raised an eyebrow, setting his cup down.
"Yes. Each team must sign up. If another team offers you a challenge, and you accept, you can compete for their points."
Kiro rested his head on the table. "So what's the plan?"
Yuki paused, thinking. "We'll sign up to play. I already found a game we can enter."
Kiro sat up. "Where do we sign up?"
Yuki hesitated.
"…The principal's office."
Kiro stared at her. "The principal is your dad, right?"
Yuki nodded slowly.
Kiro leaned back. "At some point, you have to face him. That time is now."
"You don't understand!" Yuki snapped, standing up. "He'll be disappointed. He didn't want to see me in Class D. He… doesn't want to see a failure."
Kiro looked at her calmly. He closed his eyes, breathed, and opened them again.
"Then tell me… do you want to prove to him you're not a burden?"
Yuki nodded, her voice quiet. "…Yes."
"Then forget your father for a moment," Kiro said. "What's your goal? Not his. Yours."
Silence.
Yuki was stunned.
The café suddenly felt too quiet—until the bell rang, snapping them both back.
Kiro stood. "We'll talk later."
He walked away, leaving Yuki frozen in thought.
---
Later, back in class, Kiro dropped into his seat and immediately started dozing off.
Yuki walked in after him, quietly taking her seat.
The teacher entered and began the lesson.
"Kiro. Answer this question," he said sharply.
Kiro opened one eye, yawned, and stood up. "Uh… I don't know?"
The class laughed.
Yuki raised her hand. "The answer is 57."
"Correct," the teacher said. "Maybe you should be more like Yuki."
Kiro just laughed again and sat down. She really is an AI sometimes.
The bell rang.
As students left the class, Yuki turned to him.
"…Okay. I'll do it."
Kiro smiled slightly. "Good choice."
---
They walked together to the principal's office and stopped at the door.
Kiro glanced at her. "Are you okay?"
Yuki nodded, though she was clearly trembling. "…Yeah."
She opened the door, and they stepped inside.
Behind the desk sat a stern-looking man: Principal Kirasame—Yuki's father.
He looked up. "So, you've come. You're here to register for the game, correct?"
Yuki blinked. "…How did you know?"
"I know my daughter," he said calmly. "And I'm proud of you."
Her eyes widened. "…Really, Father?"
He nodded and handed her a form. "Just sign here."
Yuki stepped forward and signed the paper.
Principal Kirasame then turned to Kiro. "And you?"
"I'm just here to support her," Kiro replied.
"I see…" The principal smirked. "Yuki, I signed him up too."
Kiro turned. "Wait—what?"
Yuki glanced away. "I wanted to say… thank you."
Principal Kirasame looked serious. "Then you'd both better win."
Yuki nodded. "We will."
---
Outside the office, Kiro let out a long sigh. "You didn't even ask me…"
"I only asked for support," Yuki said simply.
"So, what's the first game?" he asked. "And how many are there?"
"There are ten games total," Yuki replied.
Kiro almost choked. "Ten?! I'll never get to nap again…"
"For the first game, we have to protect a bag of money until time runs out. If we lose the money, we lose the match."
"…Sounds simple enough," Kiro muttered.
"These are our opponents," Yuki said, handing him a paper. "A blonde guy named Aurel kurogane and a brown-haired girl named Nira Webashi."
Kiro looked at their photos.
So that's who we're up against...
But then his eyes shifted back toward the principal's office.
Everything he said... it was all too easy. Too scripted. He chose these opponents on purpose. He's trying to push Yuki, manipulate her, break her down emotionally so she'll rely on him again. He's not just testing her—he's controlling the board.
Kiro clenched his jaw.
He's good... But I'm watching him.
Next time.
---