Akira was interrupted in the middle of his thoughts. He and Sakura had been preparing to head toward the school and meet with the others when—
Knock. Knock.
The sound came from the door.
Before either of them could respond, a familiar voice followed. "Yotsuya-kun? Are you inside?" There was a brief pause before Ichinose continued, "Could we come in?"
Akira glanced toward Sakura. She stood there with an expression that could only be described as....
Who am I supposed to answer?
What am I supposed to do?
For a moment, Akira simply stared at her before shaking his head slightly.
He had almost forgotten.....this girl could be dense sometimes
The sheer change Sakura had undergone had occasionally made him forget just how recent that change actually was.
Looking at her now, it was easy to think that this had always been who she was. But it hadn't.
Just a few weeks ago, this was a girl who had been afraid of strangers, someone who struggled to even speak comfortably around people she didn't know.
Now she was standing beside him, prepared to walk into a situation where normal rules no longer applied.
It's honestly extraordinary.
So much had changed in such a short period that even he sometimes found himself wondering whether this really was the same Sakura, looks aside.
Akira reached for the door and opened it.
The moment he did, Ike immediately rushed inside. "Yotsuya-bro!"
Karuizawa followed behind him, muttering under her breath, "What kind of man goes in first...uh good morning, Akira"
Akira raised an eyebrow. She seemed different from yesterday
Ichinose entered after them, closing the door behind her. Karuizawa looked around the room before her eyes settled on Sakura.
"When exactly did Sakura-san get here?"
"Earlier than you," Akira answered simply.
His eyes then moved over the group.
Karuizawa seemed more talkative than usual.
They were all wearing their school uniforms, and each of them had a school bag.
Akira stared for a moment before speaking. "At least you weren't stupid enough to completely ignore dungeon's rules."
Ike clicked his tongue and looked away. "Regardless of what we're doing or what you said, we're still going to follow the safest decision"
He adjusted his bag. "We don't know what happens if we break the rules.... atleast, I'm not risking it."
Akira and Sakura looked at him. Akira was sure now.... there was something fundamentally different with these people from yesterday
Ike paused.
"...What?"
Neither answered. Their gazes remained on him, and a slight uneasiness crept into Ike's expression. Then he noticed something.
It wasn't only Akira and Sakura.
Karuizawa was looking at him too.
And so was Ichinose.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Airi finally spoke.
"You actually said something smart."
Ike's expression froze.
Karuizawa continued without a hint of hesitation. "Looks like it's going to be an idiot duo when we get back to school."
Ike's mouth fell slightly open. His eyebrows twitched as he bit back the remark that had immediately risen to his tongue. He knew exactly what karuizawa was implying.
His reputation at school wasn't exactly glamorous.
Apparently, even in a situation like this, it wasn't going to be forgotten.
Akira shook his head, ignoring Ike's irritated expression, leaning back slightly, he asked
"Then what are you planning to do?"
The room became quiet.
Ichinose was the first to answer. "Honestly, regardless of what we decide, I think we should continue following the rules."
Her expression was unusually serious.
"If the dungeon wants us to attend, then ignoring that rule could make the situation worse instead."
She hardened her expression
"We don't know what might happen if we start breaking the rules without understanding the consequences."
She paused before her expression softened.
"But… my biggest wish is simply for everyone to make it back to school safely."
There was no hidden agenda in her words. No attempt to gain an favour either. She genuinely meant it.
Akira could tell.
Ichinose wanted everyone to survive.
Everyone.
Even the people who might become obstacles later, she simply wanted everyone to leave this place together
Karuizawa folded her arms, looking away slightly. ".....I agree with her thoughts regarding following the rules"
She glanced toward Akira.
"But as for what we're actually going to do…"
She hesitated for a moment.
"I think we should go with Akira's idea."
Airi's expression suddenly tensed. She finally understood what was bothering her regarding karuizawa and Ike's attitudes today!
Akira...did she just say Akira!?
And ike, that pervert! Actually called him "bro" so affectionately
They were both trying to curry favour!
Akira, unaware of the turmoil in airi's looked towards the other three with slight interest
Ike immediately nodded. "Yeah. Same here."
His answer came almost too quickly. He then looked away, his fists clenching slightly.
"Yesterday already proved that staying around here isn't exactly safe. If Akira's plan gives us a better chance of surviving, then I'm going with it."
Akira stared at him.
Then at Karuizawa.
Neither of their answers was unreasonable. In fact, they were perfectly logical.
But they weren't the whole truth.
There was something beneath their words.
Something they weren't saying.
Akira could sense it.
Beside him, Sakura remained silent. Her blue eyes moved between Ike and Karuizawa, sharp—far sharper than they had been only weeks ago.
She understood the situation clearly
Of course she did.
She was in the same position.
She understood what it felt like to look around a situation that made absolutely no sense and instinctively search for the person most likely to get you out alive.
Karuizawa wanted to stay close to Akira.
Ike wanted the same thing.
Not because they necessarily trusted him completely or because they suddenly considered him their friend.
But because, from everything they had seen so far, Akira represented something extremely valuable.
A chance to survive.
Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly.
They want to cling to the so called 'golden thigh'
Her gaze shifted toward Akira, then back toward the two.
Actually…
Her expression became faintly complicated.
Wasn't that exactly what she was doing?
End of chapter 6
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This bonus chapter is for two very, ahem enthusiastic readers of mine
I can't realistically come back or cook these chapters endlessly...so this is for you~
You deserve it~
Venerable02 and Kris03_Tova