Morning at Sobu
The morning bell echoed, the same as any other day. Sobu High's classrooms filled with the usual rhythm, chairs scraping, gossip buzzing, laughter spilling across desks.
Ras sat by the window, his posture relaxed, notebook open as the sunlight traced his profile. He wasn't aloof, wasn't detached. His smile was faint, but it was there, gentle enough to make it seem like he belonged.
The Book-UI shimmered faintly before his eyes.
> [System Alert: External Influence Detected.]
His gaze lingered for a fraction of a second. Then it blurred, like chalk erased from a board. He turned another page, humming softly to himself, completely unaware that he had ignored the warning.
To everyone else, it was an ordinary morning. To Ras, it was no different. Only, to those who truly watched, something was wrong.
---
"Ras-kun!" Yumiko's sharp voice cut across the room. She was standing, hair flicked perfectly, holding a stack of sketchbooks. "Help me carry these to the art prep room, would you?"
Usually, Ras would've smiled faintly, given a half-joke about slave labor, maybe deflected the order back to Tobe. But today?
"Of course," he said smoothly, standing up without hesitation. His smile remained warm, untroubled.
Yumiko blinked, taken aback for a moment, then smirked. "Finally, some manners."
Hachika's eyes tracked him as he left with Yumiko. Her brow furrowed just slightly. Ras was helpful, yes, but he never… obeyed like that. His amusement always came with a twist, an edge. Now? It was like he had been pushed and didn't even realize it.
---
Lunch Shift
At lunch, two upperclassmen, girls from the literature club who never gave him a second glance before, waved him over. "Hey, Ras-kun! Come sit with us!"
He chuckled lightly, closing his bento. "Sure, why not?"
And he went. Just like that.
Hachika froze mid-step, tray in hand. Normally, Ras avoided unnecessary attention. He kept himself on the edges, not because he was shy, but because he chose where to stand. Yet now he simply flowed where others guided him, as though he'd always meant to.
"…Weird," she muttered, forcing herself to sit with Yui and Yukino.
"Ras looks pretty popular lately, huh?" Yui said cheerfully, biting into her croquette. "It's like everyone wants him around!"
Yukino glanced sideways, her expression cool but not dismissive. "…Popularity and influence are not the same thing."
Hachika didn't answer. Her chopsticks rested against the tray, forgotten. Her eyes followed Ras instead, heart twisting with unease.
---
Class passed uneventfully, but every break, the same pattern repeated. Someone would call Ras's name, a classmate, an upperclassman, even a teacher asking for help carrying boxes and he'd go. Always smiling, always calm, never once pushing back.
And each time, the Book-UI shimmered faintly.
> [System Alert: Influence Persists.]
[Manipulation: Deepening.]
The alerts faded without notice. His eyes didn't even twitch toward them.
---
By dismissal, the strangeness was undeniable. Ras walked through the hall surrounded by chatter, girls laughing too brightly, boys slapping his shoulder as if he were an old friend. He accepted it all, his smile never faltering.
It was ordinary. Too ordinary. That was the problem.
From behind, Hachika trailed him with her usual half-lidded gaze, though inside her pulse was quick. Her mind replayed the moments: the way Ras carried Yumiko's books, the way he sat with strangers at lunch, the way he simply let others pull.
That's not you, she thought, her jaw tightening. You'd smile, sure, but you'd never bend like that.
Her hand brushed against the weight in her bag. The book. The one Gojo had slipped her without a word. She hadn't dared read it all, but the implication was clear: Ras was being targeted.
And now she saw it with her own eyes.
---
evening draped the courtyard in gold. Ras stood by the vending machine, sipping a canned coffee, his smile soft as always. A few girls waved as they passed. He returned it with a small nod.
To anyone else, it was nothing. To Hachika, it was unbearable.
She clenched her fists in her pockets. You don't even see it, do you? You're being pulled, step by step…
Her breath trembled, but her eyes stayed fixed on him. Then I'll see it. If you won't, I will.
---
The Book-UI blinked again, right in front of his eyes.
> [System Alert: Manipulation Deepening.]
Ras took another sip of his coffee. The warning faded.
He chuckled faintly. "Guess I'm just popular today."
And walked on.
Behind him, Hachika whispered, almost too softly to hear.
"Idiot… what are you doing?."
Her grip tightened around the book. She would guard him, even if he never realized it.