The morning sun broke across the waves, flooding the ship's lounge with soft gold. Kiyotaka sat with his drink untouched, waiting.
Sakura Airi arrived nervously, clutching her bag. Her large eyes darted around before settling on him.
"Kiyotaka-kun… you wanted to ask me something?"
"Yes." His tone was calm, even. "About your group. The Cow group. I want to know how your exam ended."
Airi fidgeted with her fingers. "Um… it ended because the VIP submitted. But—" She hesitated. "…I wasn't the VIP."
"Yet you knew who was."
Her face reddened. "I—I only knew because Miyamoto-kun told me. He… messaged me and said I should submit. So I did what he said. I trusted him."
Kiyotaka's eyes narrowed slightly. Miyamoto again. He threads his influence through whispers, never loud, never obvious. It fits him.
"What about Class A in your group?"
"They… they didn't really talk at all. Just sat there, like statues. It was… scary, almost."
Kiyotaka nodded, filing the detail away. Class A's silence wasn't laziness—it was calculation.
Later, Kiyotaka drifted down the stairwell into the lowest bowels of the ship.
A sign warned: Prohibited for students. Yet the door wasn't locked. The corridor stretched ahead, dimly lit, pipes rattling faintly. Here, the signal bars on his phone flickered in and out.
He walked the length of it, absorbing the silence. Remote. Disconnected. A perfect stage.
After memorizing every corner, he returned topside, pulling out his phone. He dialed Hirata.
"I've been contacted by Karuizawa," Hirata's message buzzed moments later. We're meeting at 4:00 PM. Sending you details on Manabe.
Kiyotaka's lips curved faintly. The pieces were aligning.
He opened an anonymous messaging app. His fingers moved quickly, weaving his web.
Anonymous: I'm from Class D. I hate Karuizawa too. Want to work together to get revenge?
There was no response at first. Then:
Manabe: …Who is this?
Anonymous: That doesn't matter. I'm your ally. And I have a plan.
Manabe: How do I know this isn't a trick?
Kiyotaka sent another line, deliberately chosen:
Anonymous: Because I know her weakness. She's been bullied since childhood.
Silence. Then—
Manabe: …Heh. So even a bitch like her has scars. Fine. What's your plan?
He attached a map of the ship's lowest level.
Anonymous: I'll lure her there. You finish it.
Manabe's reply came sharp, eager.
Manabe: Deal.
Kiyotaka set his phone aside. If persuasion failed, I still had the photos from the stairwell. Blackmail was possible—but costly. Better to keep this clean.
4:00 PM.
Karuizawa walked nervously to the designated lounge, expecting Hirata. But when she saw the figures waiting, her face paled.
Manabe. Rika. Two more Class C girls.
Her legs stiffened. "W-what…?"
Manabe smirked. "You're early. Saves us the trouble." She shoved Rika forward. "Say hello to her."
Rika's lips trembled, but she obeyed.
Karuizawa's voice cracked. "I… didn't do anything wrong. She bumped into me—"
"Still pretending?" Manabe's eyes glittered. "I know about you. About your past."
Karuizawa's face drained of color. "T-that's… not true—"
Manabe grabbed her hair, slamming her against the wall. The crack echoed. Karuizawa whimpered.
"Apologize!"
"No… I—I didn't—"
The first blow landed. Then another. Rika hesitated, but at Manabe's urging, she raised her hand too.
Karuizawa collapsed, covering her head, begging. "Stop! Please stop!"
The girls laughed, blows raining down.
A few meters away, Kiyotaka quietly closed the door, leaving the scene behind.
When the voices had faded, he returned. The room was silent, heavy.
Karuizawa was curled on the ground, trembling, her breath ragged.
"Can you stand?" His voice broke the silence.
Her eyes widened, panic flaring. "Y-you—?!"
He crouched calmly. "Relax. Hirata isn't coming. A teacher called him away. I just happened to be nearby."
Her body shook, tears streaking her face. "I… I can't… they'll… they'll keep doing this…"
"You're afraid it'll be like before."
Her head jerked up. "W-what are you talking about?"
Kiyotaka moved, pinning her lightly against the wall. His eyes were unreadable.
"I know you were bullied. Repeatedly. I know your mask is just an act."
Her breath hitched. "…Did Hirata tell you?"
"He's useless. He can't protect you. Not in situations like this."
Her eyes widened in disbelief as he leaned closer, voice dropping.
"If you don't do as I say, I'll expose everything."
She froze. "…W-what do you want? My body?"
Her panic sharpened as he let his fingertips trail lightly across her thigh. She jolted, trying to push away, but his words held her like chains.
"Don't run. Or I'll tell everyone."
Tears blurred her eyes. "P-please—"
"Spread your legs," he said coldly, hand moving toward his belt buckle.
Her horror deepened. Yet he didn't touch her further. He only watched, measuring how far she would go.
Not her body. Her will. Her soul.
Finally, she snapped. Her face twisted with rage and despair.
"…It's not the first time," she hissed. "I've been through worse. All I could do was… take it. Over and over."
Her thin smile trembled as she lifted her skirt, hands shaking. "If this is what it takes… then do it."
Kiyotaka caught her wrists, stopping her. His eyes narrowed. "What happened to you?"
Her mask cracked. Memories spilled out.
"Punishments. Every kind you can imagine. They cut my hair. They burned me. They locked me in closets. Day after day. I begged, I cried, and they laughed. They always laughed."
Her gaze shifted unconsciously toward her waist.
Kiyotaka's eyes followed. He pulled up her blouse. A scar stretched across her skin, sharp and deep. A knife wound.
Her voice trembled. "…I wanted to die. Every day."
Kiyotaka saw it clearly now—the abyss in her eyes. An abyss not unlike his own.
"I understand," he said softly. "You've lived shackled to your past. But I can break those chains."
Her tearful eyes searched his face. "You…?"
"I'll protect you from now on. Better than Hirata. Better than anyone."
He pulled out his phone, showing her the photo he'd taken—Manabe's group beating her. "This is power. With this, I can silence them. Permanently."
Her lips parted. "…You'd… protect me?"
"Yes. But in return, you'll obey me. Do whatever I need. Become my ally. My tool."
Karuizawa trembled. Her eyes darted between his cold gaze and the photo.
He pressed further. "Class D is weak. Scattered. But if you control the girls, we can forge unity. And unity means victory. Even over Class A."
Her whisper broke the silence. "…Why me?"
"Because you're the VIP. Rabbit group. With you, we control the game."
Her eyes widened. Her secret, exposed.
"You… knew?"
Kiyotaka's gaze was calm, unyielding. "From the start."
She sank to her knees, broken and bound.
"…I'll do it. Whatever you say."