Seijirou flipped open the book he had borrowed from the library, his eyes scanning the dense lines of text, deliberately shutting out the chatter around him.
The faint scent of Suzune's perfume lingered in the air near where she sat, leaning comfortably against the couch armrest.
She tilted her head and, noticing the untouched tea bottle and the way his posture slouched into the pages, asked casually, "Seijirou, did you eat already?"
Without lifting his eyes, he muttered, "No."
Suzune's lips curved into a knowing smile, one that was equal parts teasing and motherly. "Sakai, in my bag. Bring him the bento."
Sakai gave a mock groan, dragging his chair back as he stood. "Man, must be nice, huh? Boss gets a homemade bento hand-delivered every single day. Girls these days are scary thoughtful."
His smirk widened as he shuffled toward the pool table, where Suzune's neat school bag rested against one of the legs.
"Shut it," Seijirou muttered, though he didn't look up.
Sakai dug into the bag, pulled out the rectangular bento box wrapped in cloth, and whistled.
"Careful, Boss. If this gets out, the whole school's gonna think you two are married already." He returned to Seijirou's side, holding the box out with exaggerated reverence. "Your royal meal, as requested."
Seijirou glanced up briefly, gave a curt nod, and accepted the box, setting it beside him on the table without opening it yet.
His eyes returned immediately to his book, as though nothing else mattered.
Suzune, satisfied, turned her attention toward the quiet girl who sat nervously clutching her bag.
"So, Fujiwara-san," Suzune said gently, her smile calm and deceptively soft, "what brought you here today? You don't seem like the type who'd get caught up in a place like this."
Touka's fingers tightened around the strap of her bag. She fidgeted, shifting her gaze from Suzune to Seijirou, who seemed completely immersed in his reading, and back again.
"I… um… K-Kageyama-kun asked me to follow him. And… I wanted to borrow the book he's reading…" Her voice dwindled into a whisper, as though she herself wasn't sure if that excuse made sense.
Renji, who had been reclining lazily until now, sat forward, his elbows resting heavily on his knees.
His usually playful grin was gone, replaced by something serious. "You shouldn't have come here, Fujiwara-san. This isn't a place for someone like you."
Touka blinked, surprised by his sudden change in tone. "Eh…?"
Renji sighed, rubbing his hands together slowly. "Boss might've let you tag along, but we're not good people. You stick around us too much, and you'll get dragged down with us. And once you're seen as one of us, there's no going back."
Sakai, who usually laughed everything off, didn't smirk this time. He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms.
"Renji's right. We're the kind of people society doesn't want. Teachers don't like us, parents warn their kids to stay away, the whole school gossips about us like we're a disease. You don't want to get that stink on you, Fujiwara-san."
Even Shou, silent as always, simply nodded while chewing on his bread, his expression unreadable but his agreement clear.
Touka froze in her seat, her fingers curling into the fabric of her skirt. Their words carried no malice, but they pressed down on her chest with a weight she couldn't ignore.
She lowered her head, bangs shadowing her timid eyes.
Suzune studied her quietly, her soft smile never fading. But when she spoke again, her words were colder, sharper. "Fujiwara-san… You've heard the rumors about me, haven't you?"
Touka's eyes widened, and her lips parted. For a moment, she hesitated, but then she gave the smallest of nods, her voice shaking.
"Y-yes… They say… that you… um… that you're doing compensated dating… and… and that you… h-have many… sugar dad...dies…"
Renji and Sakai fell silent at that, their expressions tightening. Shou stopped chewing, watching Suzune carefully out of the corner of his eye.
Suzune's smile didn't break. She leaned her chin into her palm, her eyes narrowed faintly. "And yet here you are, sitting next to me, like it's nothing. Do you know what it would mean for you if people saw us together like this?"
Her voice dropped lower, quieter, but each word was clear. "You wouldn't want those kinds of rumors sticking to you, would you?"
Touka's breath caught, her eyes darting toward Seijirou instinctively, as if seeking reassurance. But he remained in his seat, turning another page of his book, his face unreadable.
Suzune leaned a little closer, her smile almost tender but her words cutting like a blade. "So if you know what's good for you… you should go back. You're still clean, Fujiwara-san. Stay that way."
The room fell silent again, heavy with the weight of Suzune's words, and the only sound was the faint rustle of Seijirou's pages turning.
Touka's timid voice stuttered out between the silence, her cheeks faintly red, her hands clutching the hem of her skirt as if afraid to let go. "Y-you… you don't look like bad people to me…"
Her words hung in the air like a misplaced piece of furniture, jarring and unnatural in the atmosphere of that hidden room.
Every single one of them froze, eyes widening almost comically, as if they had just witnessed some rare beast crawl out of the forest and sit itself down at their table.
Renji's mouth opened slightly but no sound came out.
Sakai tilted his head, his brows furrowing, muttering a low "what the hell…?" under his breath.
Even Shou, who usually remained unfazed, lifted his gaze with visible surprise, his sandwich paused halfway to his mouth.
Only Seijirou didn't react. His eyes remained locked on the book, his finger tracing down the margin of text, as though he hadn't even heard her words.
Of course he had heard. But he already knew. This girl was strange. She was one of the heroines, after all. None of them were normal, none of them were truly sane.
Rei was willing to strip herself when Seijirou asked earlier. Who in their right mind would do that?
Everyone's gaze gradually shifted toward Seijirou, their unspoken question heavy in the silence: is she for real? Is this girl right in the head?
Seijirou finally glanced up from the book, his eyes meeting theirs for the briefest moment, before he shrugged, a slow rise and fall of his shoulders that conveyed nothing more than his indifference.
His expression said clearly enough, don't ask me, she's not my problem.
Then, without a word, he returned to reading, turning another page with deliberate calm.
Just then tension broke not with words, but with the faint ringing of a phone.
Everyone turned to Shuo.
Shou's hand slid into his pocket, pulling out the device with his usual unhurried manner, but the way his eyes narrowed as he read the message told the others that this wasn't his usual casual distraction.
He set the phone down on the table, and for the first time in a while, he looked completely awake.
Renji leaned forward, brows raised. "What is it?"
Shou didn't answer immediately. His eyes flicked toward Touka, still sitting awkwardly, her presence almost an intrusion in their space.
The group noticed it too, and Suzune was the first to act. Her soft smile returned, and she rose from her seat with effortless grace, brushing off her skirt.
"Fujiwara-san, why don't you come with me for a moment? I'll show you something."
Touka blinked in surprise, flustered, her lips parting.
"Eh…? O-oh… okay…" she stammered, then stood, clutching her bag.
Suzune placed a light hand on her shoulder, guiding her toward the door.
"Out at the back, we made a little garden. It's pretty. You'll like it," Suzune said with a warmth that contrasted sharply with the sudden cold that had fallen inside the room.
Touka hesitated only a moment before nodding, her steps timid but obedient, and the two of them slipped outside.
The instant the door clicked shut behind them, Seijirou raised his gaze from his book and fixed it on Shou.
His voice was calm, flat, but there was weight in it. "What is it?"
For all his laziness and sleepy exterior, Shou was the one Seijirou trusted the most with information.
He was the one who dug into every rumor, every student's secret, every weakness and hidden history, weaving them into a net that had always allowed Seijirou to crush opponents before they could even rise.
In the game, he had been Seijirou's greatest asset, the invisible hand that gave him the knowledge of every step the protagonist and the heroines would take, making him seem almost omniscient.
Shou leaned back, folding his arms, his voice low but steady. "Word is, some group's had enough of the Student Council President constantly stepping on their necks. They're planning to hit back. Hard."
Renji chuckled immediately, leaning back in his chair with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Heh. About damn time. She's been playing queen of the school for too long. Guess karma's knocking."
Sakai barked a laugh, slapping his thigh. "That uptight bitch? Can't say I feel sorry. She walks around acting like she owns everything, looks down on everyone else. If someone puts her in her place, well… she gets what's coming to her."
But Seijirou didn't laugh. He didn't even smirk. He sat silently, his book closed now, his fingers drumming lightly against the cover.
Just now, he remembered.
In the game, there had been a route where the Student Council President fell.
It started exactly like this, with whispers of rebellion, with a group of boys finally gathering the courage to strike back against her suffocating control.
And when they succeeded… the outcome was always the same. Her dignity was destroyed, her body defiled, her authority shattered.
She was reduced to a plaything, a public toilet for every filthy desire, her life spiraling into a pit from which there was no return.
It had been one of the most notorious bad ends, the kind that players whispered about in forums long after finishing the game, their disgust and fascination lingering like a stain.
Now, faced with that same scenario unfolding in this reality, Seijirou's thoughts churned.
Should he step in? Should he prevent this from happening, interfere with the plot and forcefully alter the flow of events?
Or should he let it run its course, allow the game's design to swallow her whole, because wasn't this world nothing but a twisted play already set in motion?
His lips pressed into a thin line. He remained silent, his thoughts heavy.
The room waited for his decision, because just a word from him, they can either help with this plan, or completely ruin it.