Mid-December.
The air in the dorms had turned crisp enough that you could see your breath whenever you spoke. Outside the windows, faint flakes of snow drifted down, catching the orange glow of the courtyard lamps.
Inside my room, though, warmth spread from the heater and laughter. My little group — Yukimura, Haruka, Miyake, Mei, Kyosuke, Wataru, Airi, and An Maezono — had crowded around the TV, controllers in hand, the sound of our old racing game echoing like a familiar rhythm.
The air smelled faintly of instant ramen and orange soda. It was the kind of night that made you forget how ruthless this school really was.
"—No way! You pushed me off the track again!" Haruka's voice rose as her character flew off a pixelated cliff.
"That's not my fault!" Miyake laughed, gripping his controller tighter. "You cut in front of me!"
Mei clapped her hands. "Haruka-chan, you always blame others when you lose."
"I do not!"
The room erupted in laughter.
Ayanokōji, who had been quietly sitting on my beanbag chair, glanced at the chaos with that faint, noncommittal smile he wore whenever he wasn't sure how to react to human noise.
"See, Kiyo-kun," Haruka teased, leaning toward him, "this is what normal people do for fun."
"I am aware," he said evenly, "though I prefer quieter pastimes."
"Like watching everyone else play?" I joked from beside him.
"That, or observing," he replied. "People are more honest when they forget someone's watching."
That earned a round of mock groans from the group.
Yukimura pushed up his glasses, shaking his head. "This school truly gathered an odd mix of personalities."
"Speaking of which," I said, pausing the game, "Yukimura, you had some news, right?"
He adjusted his posture, tone turning serious. "Ah, yes. I got confirmation earlier from the student council bulletin. No first-year expulsions so far. None. Across any class."
The air shifted. The chatter quieted, replaced by quiet relief.
"That's good, right?" Sakura said softly, her hands clasped together. "It means everyone's safe."
"It also means the competition's tighter than ever," Yukimura replied grimly. "No one's been weeded out yet. So the next special test will probably raise the stakes."
Airi looked down. "I just… I want everyone to graduate from Class A. All the classes equal. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
It was such an innocent dream — the kind of thing you'd expect from her. The warmth in her tone made the rest of us hesitate.
But Miyake, who had a habit of grounding things in harsh reality, spoke up. "There's a rumor, actually. If all classes end up equal in points, the school holds a ranking test to separate them again."
Airi's hopeful expression faltered. "Oh…"
"I don't want anyone to get expelled," she added quietly. "Even from other classes. I'd feel awful."
I gave her a gentle smile. "If you ever got expelled, Airi, I'd be sad too."
Her cheeks reddened instantly, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. "T-Thank you, Miyamoto-kun…"
Haruka rolled her eyes. "Smooth, Sōshi. Real smooth."
Yukimura sighed. "You're all being idealistic. This system was designed for competition, not coexistence. It's eat or be eaten."
Haruka nodded reluctantly. "Yeah… it sucks, but he's right. The school's not built for everyone to win."
Airi's shoulders slumped, but she nodded slowly. "I understand… I just wish it were different."
From the corner, Ayanokōji's voice came softly. "You've grown, Sakura. You speak your mind more these days."
Her eyes widened slightly, but a small smile touched her lips. "It's because I'm not alone anymore."
The heavy atmosphere eased again as the group moved on to lighter chatter.
"So," Haruka said suddenly, "Airi, do you still have your camera? You haven't posted in forever."
"Eh? Oh, um, yes!" Airi perked up, reaching for her bag. "I brought it, actually. I just haven't uploaded anything recently."
"Photography, huh," Yukimura muttered, tapping his chin. "That's kind of a girlish hobby. I've never understood the fuss with apps like Instagram."
Haruka froze, narrowing her eyes. "Excuse me?"
"I just meant it's not something most guys would—"
"Wow," Haruka interrupted, voice flat. "You really said that out loud?"
Laughter broke out again, though Airi smiled nervously. "I-I think it's a nice hobby for anyone…"
Kiyotaka, who had been silent, finally spoke. "It's fairly common nowadays. A ubiquitous hobby, I'd say."
"See?" I said, grinning. "Even Ayanokōji's defending her."
Airi hesitated, then brought out her camera and scrolled through a few photos. She showed them shyly. Most were of campus scenery, winter skies — but several had me standing in the frame beside her, unposed and natural.
"They're good," Haruka said softly, the earlier irritation gone. "You have an eye for warmth."
Airi smiled shyly. "T-Thank you…"
The talk shifted again — this time, into darker waters.
"Hey," Miyake said, tone suddenly serious, "have you guys noticed something off about Class C lately?"
Everyone turned.
"Ryūen's guys," he continued. "Komiya and that other goon. They've been tailing us all week. Not just in class — outside, too. Cafeteria, the path to the dorms."
Wataru frowned. "Are you sure?"
Miyake nodded. "Pretty sure. But if we call them out, it'll just look like we're picking a fight."
The group fell silent.
"Why target us?" Haruka asked. "We're small fry compared to Horikita's main team."
"Maybe Ryūen's rebuilding his image," Mei suggested. "He's been humiliated by Class D too many times. If he can find dirt on anyone close to Ayanokōji or Horikita, he can get revenge."
Ayanokōji's eyes flickered slightly. "You're not wrong."
Everyone looked at him.
"There's another class watching, too," he added. "Not just Ryūen's people."
That made everyone tense.
I spoke up then, calm but firm. "In that case, from now on, we move smarter. The girls — Haruka, Mei, Airi, An — always go together. No one walks alone at night. The guys will stick in pairs. Understood?"
Nods all around.
Ayanokōji leaned back, hands in his pockets. "Ryūen's not flailing blindly. He's narrowing it down. He already suspects a small group — me, and Karuizawa."
Haruka frowned. "You think he'll go after Kei?"
Ayanokōji didn't answer directly. "It's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when."
A chill passed through the room.
To ease the tension, Wataru pulled up the school's recent point updates on his tablet.
"Look at this," he said. "There's only a fifty-point gap between us and Class C now."
Yukimura whistled. "That's close."
Haruka blinked. "Didn't they lose, like, a hundred points last month?"
"Yeah," Miyake said. "Rumor says Ryūen messed up something internal. Maybe they're self-destructing."
I nodded. "A reckless leader makes desperate moves."
Ayanokōji, however, looked thoughtful. "Or maybe he sold them out on purpose. He could've traded private points for permission to waste class S-points. Katsuragi probably got the leftovers as hush money."
Haruka groaned. "How do you even think like that, Kiyopon?"
"Practice," he said, deadpan.
That earned a few laughs.
"Anyway," she continued mischievously, "you really have to give Horikita some credit. She's been killing it lately."
"Agreed," Yukimura said. "If not for her, we'd still be stuck at the bottom."
Haruka grinned at Ayanokōji. "So, Kiyopon, your girlfriend's amazing."
Ayanokōji blinked. "She's not my girlfriend."
"Oh sure," Haruka teased. "You just happen to always be with her, always backing her up—"
I cut in before the poor guy melted from embarrassment. "Let's not start another rumor."
As the evening deepened, talk turned toward Christmas plans.
"I want to go look at the lights," An said. "They set them up around Keyaki Mall."
"Let's all go together," Haruka said brightly. "No studying, no stress. Just… normal fun."
Sakura smiled, her eyes glistening a little. "It sounds so nice…"
Then she started laughing — and crying, both at once. "I'm sorry. I just… never thought I'd have friends like this."
I handed her a tissue quietly. "You earned them, Airi."
"Yeah," Miyake added with a grin. "Don't cry too much or we'll look like bullies."
The laughter returned, light and genuine. It was one of those rare moments when everything felt right.
Eventually, the group decided to head out for dinner. The streets were lined with holiday lights, painting the snow in hues of gold and red. We found a quiet place near the plaza.
Halfway through the meal, Ayanokōji excused himself. "Restroom," he said simply.
Something in his tone felt… off. Too measured. I waited a moment, then stood up too. "Be right back."
I followed him discreetly out the side corridor. The sound of muffled jazz filled the hallway.
He didn't head toward the restroom. He walked past it — toward the exit door leading to the back alley.
There, under a flickering streetlight, stood Kamuro Masumi — Class A's quiet, sharp-eyed girl. Her hands were in her coat pockets, her posture tense.
"You've been tailing me," Ayanokōji said flatly. "Badly."
Kamuro didn't bother denying it. "Sakayanagi's orders."
He nodded slowly. "You must be desperate, then. She's using your weakness, isn't she?"
Her jaw tightened. "Don't act like you know me."
"I don't need to," he said. "But if you're that easy to control, maybe I should report to Sakayanagi how sloppy her spy is."
Kamuro's eyes flashed. "Go ahead. Then I'll tell Ryūen you're the mastermind — 'X'."
Ayanokōji didn't even blink. "You won't. Because if Ryūen gets that information, you lose your only leverage."
He took a step closer. "So here's a deal. Keep tailing me if you must, but only report to Sakayanagi. Not Ryūen, not anyone else. Do that, and I'll keep quiet."
Kamuro hesitated — then nodded once. "Fine."
She turned to leave, but I stepped out from the shadows.
"So this is Sakayanagi's subordinate, huh?" I said with a half-smile. "Bad girl. Also… one of my type."
Kamuro froze, glaring. "You're—"
"Just a friend," I said lightly. "But next time, try not to stalk my teammate in broad daylight. You'll ruin your pretty face if someone less polite catches you."
Her glare faltered for a second — then she walked away, muttering something under her breath.
Ayanokōji watched her go, his gaze thoughtful. "Whatever Sakayanagi has over her… it must be powerful."
"Blackmail?" I guessed.
"Something worse," he said softly. "Control."
We stood there for a moment, the snow beginning to fall again. The wind carried the distant sound of laughter from the restaurant.
Then he turned to me. "Thanks for not interfering."
I smirked. "Who said I didn't?"
He gave that faint, knowing smile. "Let's go back. They'll start wondering."
When we returned, the others were halfway through dessert. Haruka waved her spoon. "Finally! You two were gone forever. What, secret mission?"
"Something like that," I said.
Airi smiled, still wiping traces of earlier tears. "We saved you some cake, Miyamoto-kun."
"Perfect," I said, sitting down beside her. "Wouldn't want to miss that."