The school day drifted toward its end, the dull light of winter filtering weakly through the classroom windows. Students began to file out one after another, their chatter a fading background hum that blended with the faint scratch of chairs sliding across the polished floor.
Ayanokōji glanced at his phone, the soft vibration breaking through the monotony.
Hasebe: "Usual spot. Mall. Everyone's coming. Don't ditch us, Kiyopon."
Another line followed almost instantly.
Hasebe: "Oh, and bring Soshi too."
He sighed. "Guess I'm being summoned," he murmured.
From the corner of his eye, Horikita Suzune closed her notebook with a crisp snap. "Your grin is creeping me out."
Ayanokōji blinked. "Grin?"
"Don't pretend you're unaware," she said flatly, sliding her pen into its case. "That expressionless face of yours doesn't fool me. It's the inner part of you that's smiling."
He tilted his head, genuinely puzzled. "Inner part?"
"Self-awareness is an important skill," she continued, standing up and adjusting her bag. "Don't tell me you feel nothing when someone calls for you?"
"I suppose it's natural to feel good when contacted by a friend," he replied. "Unless, of course, you want us all to stay loners forever."
Horikita frowned lightly but said nothing more. "Do what you want. Just don't forget why you're here."
She walked off, her neat figure vanishing through the doorway. The door closed softly behind her, leaving behind the faint scent of pencil lead and winter air.
I leaned against the window, arms crossed. "You sure you didn't grin? Because she's right — you kinda did."
Ayanokōji sighed. "I'm surrounded by people too observant for their own good."
I chuckled, pushing off the wall. "Come on. Let's go see what this emergency meeting's about."
When we arrived, the usual mall café was already bustling. Hasebe sat slouched at the round table, her chin resting on her palm, while Miyake flipped through his phone beside her. Airi Sakura waved timidly as we approached, her smile faint but warm.
"Yo, Kiyopon! And Soshi," Hasebe called out, leaning back. "Took you long enough."
Miyake gave a half-smile. "Club ran late, but I made it this time. Guess it's serious if Hasebe dragged everyone here."
I slid into the seat beside Airi, who looked unusually uneasy. "What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"It's… not that," she said softly. "It's just…"
Before she could continue, Hasebe smirked. "We heard you had company today, Kiyopon."
Ayanokōji looked blankly at her. "Company?"
"Don't play dumb," she teased, waving her straw. "We saw you with that Class C girl — Shiina Hiyori. Walking side by side after lunch, smiling like two literature nerds who found each other's souls."
"Wait, really!?" Miyake leaned forward. "That girl with the bookbag?"
Airi turned red. "You… you were with her? During lunch?"
Ayanokōji sighed. "You're all remarkably quick to jump to conclusions."
Hasebe grinned. "Well, we are high school students. You talk to a girl and it's practically marriage in this place."
"That's absurd," he said calmly. "She just happened to be at the library."
"Sure," I added, smirking. "And I just happened to be there to watch him act cool while helping her pick a book."
Airi gasped. "Soshi-kun too!?"
"Relax," I said, raising my hands. "They didn't even share a dessert or anything."
Ayanokōji rubbed his temple. "You're making this sound worse."
Hasebe chuckled. "It's just rare to see you talk to anyone willingly, Kiyopon. You're practically a ghost at this school."
Miyake leaned forward, his expression sharpening slightly. "But seriously. You don't think she's working under Ryūen, do you?"
Ayanokōji's gaze flickered briefly. "That possibility crossed my mind."
Airi's shoulders tensed. "So she… might be spying?"
"Unlikely," he said. "Shiina doesn't seem the type to play double agent. She's probably doing the bare minimum to avoid Ryūen's interference."
Still, I noticed his fingers tighten slightly around his cup — a rare tell that his mind was still turning. He had his doubts.
Airi let out a breath of relief. "That's good… I was a little worried."
Hasebe leaned back with a grin. "Still sounds like you had a good time. A girl takes you out for lunch, offers you her private books, and you call that casual?"
"Haruka," Miyake muttered, "you're enjoying this too much."
"Of course I am! Watching Kiyopon squirm is the highlight of my week."
I snorted. "She's not wrong."
But Yukimura, who had arrived quietly and taken a seat at the edge of the group, folded his arms seriously. "All jokes aside, it's suspicious. Ryūen has been acting strangely quiet lately. If Shiina's getting close to Ayanokōji, it might be his way of gathering information."
"I wouldn't rule that out," I added. "He's probably narrowing down the mastermind."
Airi flinched at the term. "The mastermind…?"
"Yeah," Hasebe said, lowering her voice. "You know — the person who helped us win those impossible exams."
Everyone glanced around the table. For a moment, the air stilled.Even I could feel the tension crawling up my spine.
Miyake broke the silence. "So who do we think it is?"
"Could be Horikita," Yukimura said instantly. "She's the most active in strategy."
"Or Hirata," Hasebe added. "He's good with people."
Then, all eyes shifted toward Ayanokōji.
Sakura fidgeted nervously. "Could it… be Kiyotaka-kun?"
He smiled faintly, almost amused. "That's absurd. I'm just an average student."
"Average, huh?" I grinned, elbowing him lightly. "Then why do people keep suspecting you?"
"Coincidence," he replied.
"Then why doesn't anyone suspect me?" I added jokingly. "I'm closer to Horikita than he is these days."
The others laughed, the tension dissolving slightly. Even Airi giggled, hiding her smile behind her hand.
Still, a subtle look passed between me and Ayanokōji — one of silent understanding. He knew I wasn't joking entirely. And I knew he didn't trust coincidences.
The winter afternoon sunlight stretched long shadows across the floor as the last bell rang. Students hurriedly packed up, eager to escape the cold.
A soft voice called out, "Ayanokōji-kun?"
He turned to see Satō Maya standing by the door, fidgeting with her hair. Her cheeks were slightly flushed — and her usual confidence as part of the "popular girl" group seemed dimmed.
"Do you… have time today?" she asked, her voice trembling. "If it's okay, I wanted to hang out. Just the two of us."
The class collectively froze. Hirata looked up from his seat, slightly surprised. Kushida blinked. Even Horikita, who was zipping up her bag, paused mid-motion.
I had to bite my tongue not to laugh. The expression on Ayanokōji's face was priceless — blank, expressionless, but radiating quiet panic.
"I'm… busy," he said after a pause. "Maybe another time."
Satō's smile faltered. "Ah… I see. It's okay, really!"
She turned quickly, almost tripping over her own feet as she hurried out. Hasebe's head popped out of the doorway just in time to see her leave.
"No way…" she whispered. "Did Kiyopon just reject a date from Satō Maya?"
I leaned against my desk, grinning. "Cold as ever."
Horikita looked unimpressed. "A popular girl approaches you, and you refuse without hesitation. You really don't understand the basics of socialization."
Ayanokōji gave her a bland look. "Coming from you, that's ironic."
She clicked her tongue softly. "At least I know when to talk."
But while the class murmured about the rejection, Ayanokōji's gaze drifted toward the back of the room — toward Chabashira-sensei, who stood at her desk, rearranging papers she had already sorted twice. Her eyes flickered toward him briefly — sharp, calculating.
Ayanokōji could tell she was waiting. Watching. And whatever she wanted, it wasn't a casual conversation.
He quietly packed his bag and stood. I followed his line of sight and smirked.
"Guess someone's got a teacher admirer," I muttered.
He didn't answer — only adjusted his bag strap and said, "If only it were that simple."
The hallways were empty when he stepped out. The sound of his footsteps echoed faintly off the walls, mingling with the low hum of the heater vents. I walked beside him in silence.
"So what do you think she wants?" I asked quietly.
"Hard to say," he replied. "But she's been watching me more lately. That's never a good sign."
I chuckled. "Maybe she wants to compliment your teamwork. You did reject a girl in front of the whole class — that's got to count for something."
He gave me a flat look. "Somehow, I doubt that."
At the far end of the corridor, Chabashira-sensei appeared, her heels clicking lightly against the floor. She stopped a few meters away, her expression unreadable.
"Ayanokōji," she said. "I'd like a word."
He glanced at me. "Go ahead without me."
"Sure," I said, stepping back. "Don't get expelled."
He didn't answer, already following her toward the staff room.
As I watched them disappear around the corner, I couldn't help but wonder what new layer of the school's twisted structure was about to unfold — and how deep Ayanokōji was already entangled in it.
The cold winter wind brushed past the glass windows, carrying with it the faint promise of snow. And somewhere within the stillness of that moment, a quiet thought lingered in my mind:
"We're all being watched — by someone. The only question is who's watching who."