Nanase never expected an unplanned spectator like Yukio to appear. Things had slowly spiraled out of control—until it ended with Housen being carried straight to the school infirmary.
And now, Yukio seemed to have vaguely caught onto their plan to expel Ayanokouji. It made Nanase panic for no reason at all. Her cute cheeks went blank for a split second before she forced herself to calm down.
"Y-Yukio-senpai… what are you talking about?"
She couldn't tell whether Yukio had just blurted that out casually or if he'd truly discovered something. How could she dare answer directly?
Seeing her reaction, Yukio switched to a different question.
"Just now, you tried to stop Housen. Then when I went after Housen, you tried to stop me too. First-year—your sense of justice is pretty strong, huh? You want to be an ally of justice?"
Nanase quietly tightened her focus.
Yukio didn't ask about that thing again—did that mean he truly didn't know? Or was he trying to fish for answers indirectly?
This involved the core purpose of why she came to ANHS for revenge. She didn't dare be even a fraction careless.
Her attention spiked to a razor edge. Even her small fists unconsciously clenched.
"I just think… whether it's Housen-kun or Yukio-senpai, forcing people to submit through violence is wrong."
"I will never submit to violence."
The sheer willpower hidden beneath that sentence was enough that even Ryuuen, watching from the side, couldn't help but feel shaken.
So that was it… was that why this girl could stay by Housen's side? As his right-hand to unify First-year Class D?
But Yukio didn't comment on her resolve at all. He only clarified one point.
"No, no, no. The question I asked is whether your sense of justice is strong—or not."
"It has nothing to do with whether you submit to violence, or whether you approve or disapprove of violence."
This senpai… what exactly is he trying to ask?
Nanase felt the pressure bearing down from Yukio. Her whole body was like a bow pulled to its limit—tightly strung, ready to snap. Her palms even started sweating slightly.
"Then… just assume my sense of justice is pretty strong."
"Oh?" Yukio looked like a big cat that had teased its prey long enough—and finally stopped playing, pinning the mouse down. "A first-year this righteous still participates in that thing, huh? Isn't that completely against your so-called justice…?"
"!"
It was like an invisible bolt of thunder detonated in her mind. Nanase's entire body tensed. Her deep-blue eyes widened slightly, and her breathing sped up.
Yukio-senpai knew our plan to expel Ayanokouji-senpai!
That single fact shattered Nanase's mental defenses more than anything else—more than even watching Yukio brutalize Housen. It sent chills down her spine.
She couldn't understand it no matter how she thought about it—how did he find out?
Did Director Tsukishiro tell him too? That couldn't be right. If Tsukishiro had told Yukio, wouldn't it be far more convenient to have the student council president handle Ayanokouji directly? Why bother using first-years?
Then… did someone among the first-years involved in the plan leak it?
That possibility was disturbing too. Without anyone noticing, a traitor had already emerged inside their small team. Who the hell could handle that?
Ishizaki was totally lost. What kind of cryptic back-and-forth was this between his boss and this first-year girl? They kept saying "that thing"—what "thing"?!
"B—" Ishizaki started to ask, but Ryuuen pressed a hand down on his shoulder. "Yukio, you go ahead and keep flirting with the first-year. We won't get in your way."
After saying that, just like how Matsushita had sent Class D back, Ryuuen took the initiative to send their people away too. No more crowding around.
It sounded mysterious, but Ryuuen understood clearly: if it was a secret Yukio couldn't even say in front of everyone, then there was no point in them lingering to listen.
If it was something suitable to tell them, Yukio wouldn't hide it. But since Yukio kept speaking in hints, it meant it wasn't appropriate for them to know—at least not right now. In Yukio's eyes, they shouldn't know yet.
So Ryuuen decisively led everyone away, leaving space for Yukio to speak with Nanase alone.
Yukio praised Ryuuen inwardly, then looked back at Nanase.
"Alright. The area's completely cleared now. We can talk openly, yeah, Nanase?"
"I can tell that whether it was you trying to stop Housen from running his mouth and throwing hands, or you trying to stop me when I counterattacked him—those were both things you did from the heart."
"That proves you absolutely don't want to see things like this happen. So it's hard to imagine… someone as righteous as you would be willing to join hands with a guy like Housen to force some innocent senpai into expulsion."
At this point, Nanase didn't even know how she could keep hiding it. And the way Yukio emphasized that the senpai was innocent seemed to jab something deep inside her.
The Nanase who'd been determined to guard the secret suddenly felt like something tore open inside her—like a massive hole had appeared in her heart.
Her mental defenses had already been ripped when Yukio exposed the secret, leaving a gash.
Now, with words like that pouring salt into it, she couldn't hold it in anymore.
She'd been holding this in for so, so long.
"N-No, it's not the same!" Anger rose across Nanase's delicate face. "Housen-kun, Yukio-senpai—your violence is obviously wrong."
"But only Ayanokouji-senpai…" She finally said it. Since Yukio already knew so much, there was no point pretending anymore. "That kind of evil person isn't innocent! No matter what kind of punishment he gets, he deserves it!"
In other words, her justice was ultimately hypocritical.
Yukio and Housen using violence was wrong, sure—but if it was violence or other methods used against Ayanokouji, she believed it was all acceptable.
This girl was seriously complicated.
And from her words, you could feel it—her pure hatred, directed only at Ayanokouji!
"Evil?" Yukio couldn't help freezing for a second.
If she said Ayanokouji didn't seem human—no emotions, no heart—Yukio could accept that. That kind of hatred wasn't impossible.
But suddenly calling Ayanokouji evil… he genuinely didn't know how to respond.
Evil meant crooked or unjust words and actions. Wicked meant cruel or malicious words and actions.
Those concepts didn't feel completely unrelated to the emotionless Ayanokouji… but trying to force that connection still felt way too strained.
"Have you personally witnessed Ayanokouji's evil?" Yukio stepped forward one pace, applying even more pressure to Nanase psychologically. "Or… were you a victim of his back then?"
Nanase's mental state was already unstable. Anything involving Ayanokouji—because she'd bottled it up for so long—made her desperate to spit it out.
"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"My best friend back in middle school! My closest neighbor—Big Sis Matsuo—was killed because of Ayanokouji!"
Matsuo…? Wait—why did that surname sound kind of familiar?
But this was Nanase's best friend from middle school. There was no way Yukio could know her. He shouldn't have even heard of her.
So why did it ring a bell? No—he definitely had heard that surname at some point.
In something related to Ayanokouji. He remembered.
Wasn't it that time… when Ayanokouji's father stormed into Chairman Sakayanagi's office at ANHS?
Back then, Arisu had taken him to eavesdrop—he'd heard that name in what they overheard.
....
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