Chapter Text
Ayanokouji remained silent as Suzune pulled her phone away from him after confirming that he had read what’s on her phone. The crowd was silent and seemingly waiting to hear his response to this. Ayanokouji had the feeling that whatever he’s going to say might not even quell the rumors and chaos that was unleashed. He also had the feeling that it’s not going to matter anyways because there’s going to be more posts involving more girls, but it will involve those in different years and even faculty members. There was only one thing that Ayanokouji could say in this sticky situation.
“Who knows?” said Ayanokouji, finally breaking the silence and shrugging his shoulders.
“E-Eh?!”
Ayanokouji’s response left everyone stunned and flabbergasted as they were completely caught off-guard by his lackluster response. They were not expecting him to answer to some very serious allegations with his trademark line.
Ayanokouji glanced around and could see a great deal of confusion, enraged, surprise, and many other conflicting emotions among the crowd, especially his soulmates. It seems that everyone was not satisfied by his response.
“Are you shitting me?! What kind of response is that?!” demanded Yamauchi.
“Doesn’t that bastard always say that?!” said Ike.
“Is he even trying to save himself?!” asked Miyamoto, rubbing his head.
“Ayanokouji-kun…”
“Kiyotaka-kun…”
“Kiyo…”
Ayanokouji was being bombarded by conversations and statements from his fellow male classmates. More importantly, his soulmates seemed even more dissatisfied and fueled by their disdain, disgust, anguish, and betrayal. In the end, it seems like nobody was satisfied by Ayanokouji’s response as people began discussing it.
“Didn’t you say that you saw Ayanokouji with Maezano?!”
“Yeah… I think I saw them eating lunch together and after school. Definitely something going on!”
“Don’t you think Ayanokouji-kun is hanging out with too many girls from the other classes too?”
“That bastard is secretly building a harem! At this rate, his is better than Hirata’s!”
Ayanokouji listened in silence as chaos took hold. It seems that the rumors seem true, but he refused to acknowledge it and left it up to anyone’s interruption. However, Ayanokouji didn’t seem too bothered as he allowed it to flourish and cast doubts in everyone’s mind.
Before Ayanokouji could say anything else, the bell rang which signaled the beginning of homeroom. Ayanokouji was saved by the bell and judging from the glances he received from his soulmates, he would have to pay dearly for avoiding to address the rumors. It was clear that nobody was satisfied by Ayanokouji’s response and he wanted that.
Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom and looked puzzled by the change in atmosphere in the classroom and her students. She glanced around as she noticed the silent glances and whispers with a majority of attention being directed to Ayanokouji. However, she didn’t say anything and continued to proceed to greet the class, beginning homeroom.
**Timeskip (lunchtime)**
As soon as the lunch bell rang, Ayanokouji took the opportunity to escape the classroom. During their lessons, he could feel the stares from his soulmates and other students as it seems that the rumors surrounding him are always in the back of their minds. Ayanokouji knew that his soulmates and other classmates would use lunch time as an opportunity to talk to him about the rumors, but he didn’t want his free time to be discussing the rumors. He knew that he had another pressing issue to deal with first.
As Ayanokouji began heading towards the exit of the classroom, he noticed that a few of his soulmates were trying to reach and stop him from leaving. He had no doubt that they still wanted answers for the rumors, but he was on a mission and nothing was stopping him from leaving.
“Ayanokouji-kun, wait a minute!” said Sonoda.
Ayanokouji glanced over and could see Satsuki, Sana, Ruri, and Onodera with her. Judging from the expressions on their faces, he knew that they were not satisfied with what happened
“Hello, everyone. I presume that everyone here wanted to talk about this morning’s rumors.” said Ayanokouji, glancing and meeting the eyes of each of his soulmates.
“Isn’t it obvious?!” asked Satsuki.
“We’re talking about it right now!” demanded Ruri.
“Yeah!” agreed Sana.
Ayanokouji could see the impatience within his soulmates as they were waiting for his response to the rumors. He knew that he shouldn’t keep them waiting, but he would have to because it might ruin his plan. Ayanokouji internally sighed as he realized what he would have to do and it’s going to have an effect on his soulmates.
“I have nothing to say.” said Ayanokouji, turning his back to the group and began walking away.
“W-What?!”
“Where are you going?! Come back here!”
“Kiyo?!”
Despite the pleas from his soulmates, Ayanokouji continued walking towards the exit of the classroom. Nobody stopped him, but he could hear the anguish, confusion, and hurt in their voices as they cried out to him. Ayanokouji knew that he was hurting them and that there will be consequences, but he must move forward with his plan to ensure that their sacrifice won’t be in vain.
With that, Ayanokouji exited the classroom as he could hear hushed whispers from his fellow classmates and some of his soulmates. He knew that he would need to talk to them eventually and wondered how chaotic the other classes were after seeing these rumors.
As Ayanokouji was walking in the hallway, he noticed an abnormal amount of attention that he was receiving. His fellow students were gawking or pointing at him as they were whispering and talking to each other. He could even hear some snippets of their conversations as he passed them.
“Hey… Isn’t that Ayanokouji?!”
“I knew those old rumors were true about him!”
“Didn’t the poster say that there’s more?!”
“More?! Jeez… How much stamina does this guy have?!”
Ayanokouji tried his best to ignore all of those comments and speculations as he continued walking down the hallway. He was heading towards the exit of the school building as he was trying to confirm the absence of a certain student, who is slowly fading into obscurity as the attention is being drawn to Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji exited the school building and headed towards the direction of the first-year dorms. It took some time, but eventually he reached his destination. The first-year dorms were empty which made sense as it didn’t make any sense for students to return back to their room during lunch.
Ayanokouji quickly took the elevator as he headed towards Ichinose’s room. He had confirmed that Ichinose was absent again and based on the conversation that he had with her yesterday, Ayanokouji had the feeling that the rumors surrounding her had an effect on her which might’ve influenced her to be absent from class. She still might’ve been sick, but Ayanokouji knew that if Ichinose continued to be absent, this would hurt the morale of her class and might spread more rumors about her.
As Ayanokouji made his way to Ichinose’s room, he was sure that Ichinose would be there. He didn’t contact her by phone ahead of time as he didn’t plan on giving her a way out. With Ichinose’s room door in view, Ayanokouji rang the doorbell.
“Hey, I want to talk to you a bit. Can you come out?” asked Ayanokouji. A little while after, a response came from inside the room.
“I’m sorry, Ayanokouji-kun. I’m sorry to turn you away since you came out of your way to visit me, but could you please come back some time later?” replied Ichinose. Judging by the sound of her voice, she was still in low spirits. Ayanokouji remembered seeing a rumor about Ichinose, but the rumors surrounding himself were so great that it overshadowed Ichinose’s rumors.
“Were those letters and rumors really such a big deal to you, Ichinose?”
Ayanokouji sat down, leaning back against Ichinose’s door. There was silence and he wondered if Ichinose had retreated deeper into her room to avoid having this conversation.
“Will you be coming to class tomorrow?” asked Ayanokouji.
“...I’m sorry. I don’t know.” replied Ichinose. It seemed like she was willing to answer questions that didn’t touch on the heart of the matter, for now.
“I have some time until lunch break is over. So I think I’ll hang out here for a little bit.”
Ayanokouji just proceeded to sit quietly there until the last possible minute before lunch break ended. The entire time, Ichinose remained silent and the duo didn’t say another word to each other. Ayanokouji was too busy looking at his phone and receiving messages from his various soulmates and other acquaintances as it seemed that they were trying to find out where he was or related to the new rumors. All Ayanokouji could do was give vague and empty responses, but he made sure to not address any of the rumors.
“All right. Guess I’ll be heading back to class.” said Ayanokouji, standing up.
“I...just want a little more time is all. When I’m feeling a little more put together, then I’ll definitely be coming back to class. So please don’t come here anymore, okay...?” said Ichinose, in a strained voice.
“I will make no such promises.”
With that, Ayanokouji returned to class. It took some time, but eventually, he arrived back at school. As he walked through the hallway, he was bombarded by stares from his fellow students as he was subjected to more stares and attention.
As soon as Ayanokouji entered his classroom, the attention didn’t stop as almost every conversation stopped and heads turned towards him. He could feel the stares being drilled into his back as he made his way to his desk. Ayanokouji could hear footsteps approaching him and could see more and more of his soulmates approaching him, just waiting for him to sit down at his desk. That will seal his fate as he would not have any good mobility to physically escape.
“Kiyotaka-kun, where were you?” asked Kikyou, sweetly. Kikyou was with Mii-chan, Inogashira, and Nene.
“Why are you asking?” replied Ayanokouji, trying to sound nonchalantly.
Ayanokouji could tell that Kikyou was holding her anger and rage. He was sure that if he was alone with her, she would’ve cussed him out and vented her frustrations or slapped him. Kikyou’s face was filled with her usual bright, energetic self with a hint of curiosity, but for a brief moment, he could see true feelings as he saw rage, resentment, and betrayal wash upon her beautiful face. But, Kikyou held it in and changed her facial expression back to her usual angelic self. It would seem that Kikyou was the face of curiosity and concern of his soulmates as the other girls didn’t speak up.
“I’m just… curious. You randomly left the classroom before we could talk about those rumors about you.” said Kikyou.
“I suppose. I had some urgent business to attend to.” replied Ayanokouji.
“You do? It's more important than this?”
“Yes.”
Kikyou raised her eyebrows as she was curious to see what got Ayanokouji’s attention and how important it was to get his attention and to avoid addressing the rumors. He could tell that she’s frustrated as she wasn’t giving any answers from him. Not satisfied, Mii-chan spoke up.
“A-Ayanokouji-kun… please tell me… Is it true?! You haven’t replied to my messages and told anyone about this…” said Mii-chan, her voice slightly shaking. It was clear that she was upset by Ayanokouji’s lack of response and nonchalant attitude.
Ayanokouji fell into silence as he observed his soulmates. The logical thing was to dispel the rumors and reassure his soulmates, but that will ruin his plan. He would need his soulmates to hold on for a little bit longer to ensure that all of this will pass over.
“Who knows? I’m sorry that I couldn’t respond to your messages, but I’m not going to respond yet. It seems that more rumors are going to spread. I would rather wait for all of it to be released before addressing it in one fell swoop.”
“Are they true?!” asked Nene.
“I will not confirm or deny them…” replied Ayanokouji.
This left everyone stunned as Ayanokouji refused to acknowledge or address the rumors. However, his response isn’t exactly reassuring as it sounded vague and doesn’t answer any of their questions. All that’s left is their trust in Ayanokouji and whether or not they actually believe that he did what the rumors said about him. Their trust in Ayanokoujit might be strong due to their encounters, but it’s being tested as trust can easily be broken and hard to rebuild. Before anyone could say anything else, the bell rang which signaled the end of lunch time and limited the amount of time they had to talk before their lessons resumed.
“You guys should go back to your seats.” said Ayanokouji, crossing his arms and turning his attention back towards the front of the classroom.
After noticing that Ayanokouji has turned their backs on them and limited time, the group dispersed and returned back to their respective seats. Ayanokouji knew that he was cold and unreasonable, but this is necessary for his plans and he knew that he would have to fix all of this in the future after everything is done. Ayanokouji watched as Kikyou was met with a new host of his soulmates as they were whispering to each other and shooting glances at him. It would seem that Kikyou was acting like a proxy for his soulmates and they seemed to be getting information from her conversation with Ayanokouji.
As expected, Ayanokouji was met with the ire of his soulmates and he knew that he deserved it, but it was an emotional response. Sooner or later, he would have to deal with it and endure all of the unwanted negative attention for the time being. It would be a matter of time that the school would be involved otherwise matters will be taken into his hand.
**Timeskip (after school)**
As soon as the bell rang, Ayanokouji left the classroom. He could tell some of his other soulmates wanted to stop and talk to him, but he hurriedly left the classroom. Ayanokouji was being bombarded by a few messages from his various other soulmates from different classes.
Manabe: Ayanokouji! Where you at?! You got some nerve doing this kind of shit and hurting Rika!
Kinoshita: Ayanokouji-kun? Are you still here? Are you ignoring me?
Ninomiya: Ayyanokougi-kun. CaN w3 pls t@lk about it?
There were many messages, but Ayanokouji simply left them on read. He hoped that his plan wouldn’t destroy the relationships that he built with his soulmates as he is simply testing the limits of it. He knew that as more time persists, it might affect his soulmates more negatively. Some of them might be more skeptical about the rumors and trusted him while others believed in the rumors. No matter what, these rumors would force out an emotional response due to its content and the fact that they are Ayanokouji’s soulmates. Ayanokouji would need to tread carefully from here on now.
Ayanokouji slipped his phone back into his pocket and headed towards the direction of the Keiyaki Mall. He had the feeling that he’s going to be in the spotlight of attention for a bit as it seems that the rumors surrounding him are not dying. Ayanokouji was getting recognized by students outside of his year as he was walking towards the direction of the Keiyaki Mall.
Eventually, Ayanokouji reached the Keiyaki Mall and began heading down a familiar route. It was a place that he was quite familiar with as he knocked on the door. After a brief moment, the door was opened by a familiar figure.
“Ayanokouji-kun… There you are.” said Tanihara, glancing at him strangely. Ayanokouji would’ve guessed that it was because of the rumors and wasn’t surprised that she was a little taken aback by it.
“Sorry. Am I late again?” asked Ayanokouji.
“Nope. You’re actually the first one here!”
Tanihara and Ayanokouji walked deeper into the studio where the stage became visible. Ayanokouji could see that Tanihara had set up her keyboard piano on stage, ready to be played. The duo sat down in an uncomfortable silence. It wasn’t the first time that Ayanokouji had been alone with Tanihara, but this time was different. Due to the rumors surrounding Ayanokouji, Tanihara seemed to be on her guard and was a little tense as if she didn’t know what to say to him. The duo remained silent until they heard someone knocking on the door.
“I’ll be right back!” said Tanihara, standing up and heading towards the direction of the doors. Ayanokouji observed her retreating figure and knew that his public image and reputation was getting challenged as he wondered how many of his female acquaintances are affected by those rumors.
Eventually, Tanihara returned with the rest of the band members. Ayanokouji could see that Tsube and Isoyama were sneaking curious glances at him. On the other hand, Nakajima greeted him normally as she began to open her bass guitar case. He could see that all of them were curious about the rumors surrounding Ayanokouji thus it explains why they were acting differently towards him. Ayanokouji remained silent as he watched everyone set up their instruments. Once everything was set up, Tanihara spoke up before they could begin practice.
“We should talk about the stuff that happened today…” said Tanihara. It seems that she noticed the strange atmosphere from the room and how everyone acted towards Ayanokouji. As soon as Tanihara spoke up, everyone turned their attention towards Ayanokouji.
“I’m sure everyone heard about today’s rumors...” said Ayanokouji, glancing around and meeting the eyes of each of the band members. Everyone nodded their head as it was basically the talk of the school.
“It’s up to you if you believe in it, but I won’t say anything else to it. If you’re uncomfortable around me, I will take my leave. After all, it’s your band and safe space. I have no right to intrude.” continued Ayanokouji.
Each of the band members exchanged looks as it seemed that they were having a silent conversation with each other. Ayanokouji observed them and couldn’t make out their conversation, but he had the distinct feeling that none of them felt uncomfortable or disgusted by his presence.
“It’s just rumors, right? There’s plenty floating around lately. I like to keep my mind open to anything, but you’re planning something. I will shut it down.” said Nakajima, being the first to speak up. It would seem that she was open to the idea of the rumors, but her experience with Ayanokouji kept her beliefs in his character.
“Honestly… it’s a little unsettling that such rumors about you came up, but I don’t think that you’re the type of guy to do something like this. I mean you’ve been helping us and a good teacher for me!” said Tanihara, recalling her experience with Ayanokouji.
“I have to agree with Tanihara-san. You don’t seem to be like a playboy. I mean sure… You seem to get along with a lot of girls, but Chihiro-chan seems to trust you along with the others. So, you’re not a bad guy, Ayanokouji-kun.” said Tsube. Ayanokouji wondered how many girls in Class B knew about Shiranami’s crush on Ichinose as Tsube referenced it.
“I mean you’re a chill guy.” said Isoyama, shrugging as she put it in simple terms.
“Now that we got it out of the way, we should continue-” said Nakajima.
“Wait! Is it true?!" asked Tanihara, raising her hand as she wanted to gossip about it. Nakajima sighed, but almost everyone turned their attention towards Ayanokouji.
“Who knows? It’s kind of hard to address these rumors when everyone is asking you the same questions. I’m just going to ignore it for the time being.” replied Ayanokouji, shrugging as he didn’t give them a straight answer.
“I guess that’s true… You’re kinda of doing what Honami-chan did.” muttered Tsube.
“It might backfire on you, you know.” said Nakajima, rubbing her chin.
“It could be tabloid. But, it’s kinda of strange that it’s only targeting you, Ayanokouji-kun.” said Isoyama, tapping her drumsticks on her knees.
“Do you think it’s some sort of curse?! There’s always an air of misfortune around Ayanokouji-kun!” said Tanihara, with a mischievous smile.
“Knock it off. It’s probably some anonymous coward that thinks they could post anything they want.” said Nakajima, with a scowl on her face.
“Does anyone have a grudge against you, Ayanokouji-kun? I mean that’s some damning accusations.” said Isoyama, directing her question towards Ayanokouji.
“No… I don’t think I have that many enemies.” replied Ayanokouji. The girls silently exchanged glances with each other before Isoyama finally responded.
“Are you sure about that?! You know how many guys in my class are calling you a playboy?!” asked Isoyama.
“Not to mention, Hashimoto-kun seems very keen on calling you King for some reason?” said Tanihara, exchanging looks with Nakajima, who nodded her head in agreement. It seems that both of the girls were confused by why Hashimoto wanted to call Ayanokouji king.
“Hmm… I’m not really sure, but I don’t think any of those guys would do something like this, right?” replied Ayanokouji.
“That’s debateable.” said Isoyama.
“There’s no point in thinking about it.”
The girls exchanged looks again and nodded their heads as they silently agreed that they were wasting time discussing it. With that, everyone got onto the stage and into position as they began to check and prepare their instruments. After another short discussion, the band had decided on which song to play.
With that, the band launched and began to play the song. It was an unfamiliar song to Ayanokouji, but he thought he recognized who the artist was because Tanihara mentioned her name and it sounded like a previous song from the same artist. Ayanokouji is slowly learning some of the popular songs in this era and which songs certain band members like.
After spending some time practicing, Tanihara took some time off as she pulled out her laptop. It seems that she’s showing and working on composing. Ayanokouji was curious about her progress as he wondered how far Tsube had gotten since their last encounter. This also gave the others a much needed break as they sat down with their drinks, chatting with each other or inspecting their respective instruments.
Ayanokouji took the opportunity to check up on Tanihara and her progress as he took a seat next to her. Tanihara seems to be focused to such an intensity that she didn’t notice Ayanokouji sitting down next to him. Nakajima was also with her and it seems like the duo were comparing their work with the others, especially with the guitar. Bass and guitar work hand-in-hand. It would seem Tsube needs to do more work, but she would need to work with Nakajima.
“How’s progress?” asked Ayanokouji.
“Not bad… We’re in a bit of a sticky situation. We’re trying to make sure everything fits and this part doesn’t seem like it’s really meshing together. Have a listen.” said Tanihara, using the software to play the isolated section.
The trio fell into silence as the laptop played the isolated section. Ayanokouji could hear the piano, bass, guitar, and drums as all of the instruments were playing at once. He tuned his ears and listened only to the piano as he wasn’t sure about the finer details about the other instruments. His knowledge on the piano was used to see how it meshes with the other instruments and Ayanokouji could tell that some was off.
“Well?” asked Tanihara, directing her attention towards Ayanokouji.
“It’s a little off. The piano sequence is a little too high and quiet compared to the intensity of the drums. I’m not too knowledgeable about the other instruments, but from a musical perspective, you have to change the tuning of the guitar and bass. I’m not sure how to describe it… It’s a little off to me.” said Ayanokouji, giving his input.
“Hang on…”
Tanihara pulled out the piano sequence in the isolated section and Ayanokouji could see which keys she was using. He studied for a brief moment before nodding his head. Meanwhile, Nakajima was relooking her bass portion as she slowly began to play it on her bass.
“Wait… Let me replay it. May I?” said Ayanokouji, glancing over at Tanihara’s piano.
“Yeah, go ahead.” said Tanihara, nodding her head as she followed him.
Ayanokouji took a seat and glanced at the piano keys as he allowed his mind to work through this problem. His suggestions and Tanihara’s wishes were taken into consideration as he began to formulate any changes to ensure that it goes smoothly. After thinking it through, Ayanokouji got something in his mind as he began to play it. It only lasted a few seconds, but he was satisfied with it and waited to hear Tanihara’s feedback. At the end of the day, it was up to Tanihara’s decision as the band’s leader and music composer.
“What do you think?” asked Ayanokouji. His fingers rested upon the keys after he finished playing.
Ayanokouji turned his attention towards Tanihara, who was listening to his short performance and nodding her head. Tsube and Isoyama, who were chatting with each other, turned their attention towards him as if they were mesmerized by his performance and skills. It was a rare sight for Ayanokouji to play the piano, but it was a treat thus everyone gave their undivided attention.
“Not bad! I wanna see the keys that you used, Ayanokouji-kun!” said Tanihara, making her way back to her laptop.
“Okay… Feel free to modify it if you want.” said Ayanokouji, standing up and heading towards Tanihara.
With that, Ayanokouji entered the keys that he used and made sure that it was the exact melody sequence that he played earlier. Tanihara looked satisfied with it as she began to tweak around with it as she was seeing if it goes along with the other instrumentals. The other instrumentals can change thus more work is required, but this is a good start.
Ayanokouji watched in silence as Tanihara happily worked on it as she was modifying it and replaying it. Meanwhile, Nakajima was tweaking her instrumentals to try to fit with Ayanokouji’s version. It would seem everyone would need to do more work and adjustments before their first draft is complete. After spending some time on the instrumentals, the conversation switched to another topic: lyrics.
“How’s progress on the lyrics? Please tell me that you have finished most of it.” said Nakajima.
“Well… Yes, but… I don’t like it all at!” said Tanihara, covering her embarrassed face.
“How bad can it be?!” asked Isoyama.
“Yeah, yeah! Show us! Show us!” chanted Tsube.
It seems that Tanihara’s nearly finished lyrics peaked everyone’s attention as she drew everyone’s attention. Tanihara hesitantly pulled out her notebook and placed it on the table. Seizing the opportunity, Nakajima snatched up the notebook and opened it.
After flipping through some pages, Nakajima stopped and it seems that she has found the pages where the lyrics are. Nakajima fell into silence as her eyes drifted around the pages as she was carefully reading each line. The studio fell into silence as they were waiting for Nakajima to finish or to see her reaction.
After a few minutes, Nakajima closed the notebook and had a poker face as no one could tell that she was being serious or was trying to hold in her laughter and cringe. Tanihara glanced at her nervously as it seemed that she had a bad feeling about this. Tsube and Isoyama exited the stage and headed towards the trio as they wanted to get a better view of this situation. Eventually, Nakajima broke the silence with the rare sound of her laughter.
“Hahaha! Is this what you call an improvement?” giggled Nakajima.
The rare sight of Nakajima giggling left Isoyama and Tsube a little stunned as Tanihara’s face turned slightly red as she continued to cover up her face with her hands. Out of curiosity, Ayanokouji picked up the notebook and flipped through the pages to get a look at it for himself. Tanihara didn’t even stop him and all she could do was helplessly watch.
As Ayanokouji was flipping through the pages, he could see all of the drafts that Tanihara went through as he could see pages filled with crossed out lines of lyrics, half-erased sentences, and random scribbled notes to the side. He could see the struggle that Tanihara endured as she went through line by line before he reached the final product. The page was still a mess, a testament to all of the hard work and revisions she made.
Ayanokouji’s eyes drifted across the page as he slowly read the lyrics in his head as he played the instruments in his head. He didn’t get a chance to familiarize himself with the other instrumentals thus he only played the piano instrumentals in his mind. As he was reading the lyrics, Ayanokouji could understand why Tanihara used some of the diction and vocabulary for some of the lyrics as it matches the theme of the song she was going for.
As Ayanokouji continued reading the lyrics, he could understand why Nakajima was laughing. It was clear that Tanihara was quite a rookie when it comes to writing lyrics. He noticed that her use of diction and vocabulary was subpar and it was clear that she was lacking in experience. However, he could tell what she’s conveying as she was quite literally telling you with her lyrics rather than clever use of wordplay.
“I see…” said Ayanokouji, setting the notebook down on the table.
As soon as Ayanokouji set the notebook down, Tsube immediately grabbed the notebook for herself to read it. Isoyama quickly joined her as the duo began to read Tanihara’s lyrics and Tanihara covered her face and averted her eyes from the group.
Ayanokouji observed as Tsube’s and Isoyama’s face morphed to amusement. The corners of their lips involuntarily curved upwards, their eyes crinkled at the corners, and a small grin crept on their faces. Isoyama couldn’t help herself as she snickered out loud which caused her to bend over a little bit as she failed to keep a straight face. Meanwhile, Tsube was more discrete as she held her giggles and covered her mouth, but it didn't change the fact that she was silently giggling to herself. Tanihara’s face and ears turned even more red after she got the reaction of her fellow band members.
“It’s so… corny!!” said Isoyama.
“Cheesy too! Don’t you think it kinda works?!” said Tsube, nodding her head in agreement.
“I’m so glad that… I’m not the one singing that.” said Nakajima, shaking her head in disbelief as she sounded relieved.
“Oh no!! I have to sing that?!” yelped Tsube, clutching the sides of her head as her eyes widened in realization.
“Good luck!~” said Isoyama, in a playful tone.
Tsube looked panicked as she glanced at everyone, meeting everyone’s eyes. It was all in good fun as they overdramatized how terrible some of Tanihara’s lyrics are which broke some of the tension in the studio. This caused everyone to laugh and Ayanokouji could tell that everyone had good chemistry with each other.
“Okay, nice feedback! I promise that I will work on it!” said Tanihara, with a self-deprecating laugh.
“That would be nice!” said Tsube.
The conversation and atmosphere of the studio began bright and energetic as they were discussing potential changes and revisions for Tanihara’s lyrics. Tsube seemed to be the one leading the discussion as it would be her voice that will be singing it. They were also using the lyrics as some sort of indicator to build up their instrumentals.
The band spent some time discussing their progress and what to do next for the instrumentals and lyrics before returning their attention back to practice. Tanihara closed and slipped her laptop back into her school bag along with her notebook.
This time, Tsube took front center on the stage and began to sing as they practiced. Tsube said that she wanted to practice singing and improve her singing voice. She also had to be used to playing her guitar and singing at the same time. There was so much that the band will need to improve before they can confidently perform in public.
After spending some time practicing, the band eventually decided to call it a day. It seems that everyone was satisfied with their performance as they chatted enthusiastically while they packed up their respective instruments. After everything was packed up, the group exited the studio while Tanihara made sure that the door was locked and secured before joining them. The group began heading towards the exit of Keiyaki Mall and the conversation’s topic changed to dinner.
“Hey… It’s about time for dinner.” said Tanihara, checking her phone for the time.
“How about we get some dinner? I know a good diner!” suggested Tsube.
“Is it all-you-can-eat?” asked Isoyama.
“I don’t think so. Just your usual family dinner type of place.”
“That’s not a bad idea… We can work and polish on some sections of the instrumentals. Perhaps you can work on the lyrics too.” said Nakajima.
“More work.” said Tanihara, with a sigh.
“No time for slacking off. Our final exams are coming up, so we might need a break for that. We might as well take advantage of all the time we have left.”
“Hang in there, Tanihara.” said Ayanokouji. He knew that she had put in the most amount of work as she was tirelessly working on the composure and lyrics of the song.
“Thanks, Ayanokouji-kun…” said Tanihara, looking somewhat exhausted and defeated.
“Let’s go?” said Isoyama, glancing over at Tsube. The rest of the girls silently exchanged glances with each other and it seems that they all agreed to go to the restaurant that Tsube recommended.
“You guys can go ahead. I have some leftovers in my room to finish off. I’m going next time.” said Ayanokouji.
“Oh… All right. Bye, Ayanokouji-kun!”
“See ya later, Ayanokouji-kun!”
“Good night.”
“Thanks for the help!”
With those final farewells, Ayanokouji headed off towards the exit of the Keiyaki Mall while the others walked deeper into the mall. Eventually, their retreating figures disappeared into the chaos of the brightly lit Keiyaki Mall. As Ayanokouji was heading towards the exit, he noticed a familiar figure and realized that it was the perfect time to chat with them.
Ayanokouji noticed that the person was alone, which he found preferable. He increased his walking pace as he wanted to make sure that he would catch up to her just in case they were meeting someone. The last thing he wanted was more people involved in their private conversation.
“Amikura.” said Ayanokouji, as he reached closer to her and called to get her attention.
“A-Ayanokouji-kun?! Where did you come from?” asked Amikura, turning towards the direction of his voice as she looked somewhat stunned and taken aback by his sudden appearance.
“Sorry. Did I startle you? I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”
“It’s fine… What’s up?”
“I… I feel like we should talk. It’s about today’s rumors.”
“Oh…”
Amikura’s expression turned dark, uncomfortable, and anxious after she heard what Ayanokouji wanted to talk about. Ayanokouji could see that she was shifting uncomfortably as it seemed that she was not comfortable with the rumors and didn’t want to talk about it. However, the duo both knew that they have to discuss it as leaving it unaddressed will affect their current relationship.
“Y-Yeah… We should.” said Amikura.
“I’m sorry for making you talk about it, but I think it’s very important to talk about it. You know to clear the air between us.” replied Ayanokouji.
“Yeah… I think whoever is spreading these rumors are horrible. I mean there’s enough rumors about Honami-chan and now someone is targeting you, Ayanokouji-kun, and all of those poor girls. It’s definitely someone from Class A. I mean no girls from that class were mentioned!"
“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Now that you mention it, there are no girls from Class A mentioned.”
“I know right! Do you think it was all Sakayanagi-san’s doing? I mean she could be the one targeting Honami-chan!”
“Perhaps. How are you feeling regarding the rumors?”
“Not so well… I was getting strange looks today during and outside of class. I figure that you have it worse.”
“Yeah… I was definitely getting more attention than usual. I guess that’s what you get from being a playboy that messes around girls from different classes.”
“As much as I like to tease you about that, it doesn’t seem very appropriate to do it right now, huh?”
“I don’t mind. I mean I’m used to your fanatics. By the way, you don’t believe in the rumors?”
“E-Eh?! I mean obviously not! I mean nothing happened between us!! A-And… I don’t think you’re the type of guy to do something like that.”
“Thank you for believing in me.”
“I mean if it’s true, then you gotta be doing this in secret! Not like have some random person finds out and posts about it on the school forums and bulletin board. By the way, I’m sure that you were going through a lot especially being popular with the ladies!~”
“I would like to rescind my gratitude…”
Amikura flashed a playful smile and giggled as it seemed that the tension between the duo broke. Although she cracked some jokes at Ayanokouji’s expense, it seems that they were able to break the ice and talk about the rumors surrounding them. They were able to find common ground and agree that the rumors were pretty stupid and fabricated to bring out the worst in Ayanokouji.
“Hey, Ayanokouji-kun… You need to talk to Chihiro-chan. She was a little… taken aback by the rumors. I-I don’t want to say too much, but… you have to talk to her. Promise me that.” said Amikura, with a serious expression on her face.
“I figure… I’ll talk to her about it later. It seems like the rumors are not dying off. Once everything is calm, I’ll talk to her.” replied Ayanokouji.
“Okay… P-Please don’t make it any worse. And thank you.”
Ayanokouji nodded his head as he knew that he would later need to make contact with the soulmates not from his class. However, he would need to wait until he’s done with his mission. He wondered how long they could hold on, but he knew that he shouldn’t take too long to prevent any unforeseen accidents or consequences.
“Well… I gotta go, Ayanokouji-kun. I have to meet up with my friends.” said Amikura.
“Okay. Is Ichinose there?” asked Ayanokouji.
“No… She’s still in her room. I don’t want to rush you, but…”
“I’m working on it. She’s not really talkative for now, but I’ll try to find a way. Don’t expect too much from me.”
“I’ll take what I can… See ya, Ayanokouji-kun.”
“Bye, Amikura.”
With that, Amikura said her final farewells and headed off. Ayanokouji watched her retreating figure as she slowly disappeared into the chaos of the Keiyaki Mall. Ayanokouji remained silent as he was thinking about how Maezano and Yajima are feeling about the rumors surrounding them and wondered if he should talk to them about it. He knew that Yajima might not even care and would not expend any energy to address it.
After spending a few moments thinking about it, Ayanokouji turned his attention and effort back towards walking to the exit of the Keiyaki Mall. He had the feeling that tomorrow is going to be another interesting, stressful day. The worst is yet to come.
**Timeskip (next day)**
Ayanokouji was walking towards the school building. He has woken earlier than usual and left for school at the time where most students are waking up. He wanted to avoid the morning rush of students and had the feeling that his soulmates and other students might be looking for him.
Last night, Ayanokouji was met with a barrage of messages from his various soulmates. It seems that they were not satisfied with his lackluster response and wanted an actual response and conversation with him. However, it will ruin Ayanokouji’s plan thus he left them on read or gave them another lackluster response. This is why Ayanokouji left for school earlier to avoid any morning confrontations.
It was an early morning, but luckily, there weren't that many students heading to school. Ayanokouji was fortunate enough to not run into any students directly, but there were some strange glances being directed at him.
Ayanokouji entered the school building and it was strange walking through the empty hallways, which is usually bustling with activity. As he was walking through the hallway, Ayanokouji bumped into a familiar person that he didn’t really have a chance to talk to.
“Oh… It’s you.” said Chabashira-sensei.
“Good morning, Chabashira-sensei.” said Ayanokouji, nodding to her.
“What brings you here so early? I doubt that you’re the type of student to come to school early without any good reason.”
“Perhaps I just want to avoid attention that I've been getting recently.”
“Hmph! It seems that you’ve been getting quite the attention. You say that you don’t want any attention? It doesn’t seem like it’s going well. I don’t see you as the type of person to be messing around with that many girls.”
“Are you sure about that? I don’t suppose you have been keeping up the rumors about me.”
“For someone that claims to be staying out of trouble, you’re certainly quite involved.”
“It may not be my doing… I don’t suppose that you’re enjoying this much.”
“Is that concern that I hear in your voice? It’s quite rare to see concern about the well-being of your students, Chabashira-sensei.”
“Quit the blatant sarcasm, Ayanokouji. What you do is your own business.”
“I was joking around, sensei. This is quite the troublesome citation I find myself in, huh?”
“What you do is your business. The school won’t investigate further without any further evidence or testimony. I do heed a warning for you, Ayanokouji. Don’t take this too lightly. The school will get involved if matters are left unresolved or sensitive."
“I’ll keep that in mind, sensei. I take it that you believe in the rumors if you give me these warnings.”
“Of course not. I’m simply giving you a warning on how the school operates.”
“It’s strange seeing you give your students advice and warnings. Is this what we call character development?”
The duo fell into silence as they eventually reached the faculty room and Ayanokouji was simply walking with her as he unknowingly passed the first-year classrooms. Chabashira-sensei opened the door to the faculty room, but she paused before entering it.
“Just to be clear, I have not given up on my dreams… I will definitely find another way to make my dream into a reality. I have waited so long for it.” said Chabashira-sensei, speaking up without turning around to face Ayanokouji.
“I see… Whatever happens, it will be up to Suzune.” replied Ayanokouji.
“I would like to see that happen some day.”
“Perhaps soon. Perhaps soon.”
With that, Chabashira-sensei closed the door to the faculty room, leaving Ayanokouji with silence. Ayanokouji wondered if Chabashira-sensei will change and what it will take. As his own class is slowly changing, their homeroom teacher will change as well and Ayanokouji was silently observing their progress.
With that detour out of the way, Ayanokouji headed towards the classroom. He was glad that he would get some alone time by himself as he had a feeling that today was going to be interesting and chaotic.
**Timeskip (an hour later)**
“What the fuck?!”
“Another round, huh?!”
“I can’t believe it!!”
Those were some of the comments that Ayanokouji could hear from his fellow classmates. He remained silent as he observed the chaotic and lively atmosphere of the classroom as it seemed that everyone was talking about it. Ayanokouji could be the stares and attention being directed and it wasn’t the good type either. He was met with the ire and other conflicting emotions of his soulmates as it seems that the new set of rumors had reignited those emotions from yesterday. Ayanokouji wouldn’t be surprised that those feelings had intensified along with the attention and ire he has been receiving from his fellow students. Ayanokouji glanced down at his phone as he reviewed the new rumors that showed up about an hour before most students arrived at school.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka has engaged in sexual and explicit relationship with:
Chabashira-sensei from Class C
Shiina Hiyori from Class D
Saiki Kaori from Class 3-A
Imai Nana from Class 3-A
There are many more girls involving multiple years and faculty members. Stay tuned for more!
- Playboykouji
Ayanokouji glanced up from his phone and saw the unfolding chaos that was in the classroom. Most of his fellow classmates were whispering to each other and glancing towards him followed by the hard stares of his soulmates. It would seem that everyone was taken aback by the people listed in the rumors which involved their upperclassmen and homeroom teacher. This is a more intense reaction compared to yesterday.
Ayanokouji listened in silence as more and more whispers and hushed conversation reached his ears. It seems that most of his fellow classmates were focused on the relationship between him and Chabashira-sensei. Ayanokouji wondered how Chabashira-sensei would react to this and had a feeling that she would be confronted by this during their homeroom period.
Ayanokouji glanced around and could see his soulmates gathering around, whispering to each other, and glancing towards his general direction. He can feel the range of intense emotions radiating from their gazes and noticed that some of them were heading towards his direction. He had a feeling that they would be more enraged and indignant than yesterday after seeing the new rumors that involved more than their fellow first-year students.
Ayanokouji could feel a strong presence right next to him as Suzune’s intense and cold glare was directed at him. He could tell that she was frustrated at him and his lackluster response as he didn’t respond to any of her messages. In fact, Ayanokouji was sure that his soulmates were feeling the same way as he purposely left them on read or gave vague, lackluster answers. Before Ayanokouji could be finished off, the bell rang which signaled the beginning of homeroom.
Some of the students returned back to their seats while others remained standing and whispering to each other. However, Ayanokouji noticed that some of his soulmates looked undeterred by the bell and were still heading towards the desk. He wondered if he actually needed to address the situation, but he knew that addressing it would be pointless as it would ruin his plans.
Luckily, the classroom door slid open and Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom. Almost immediately, most of the conversations stopped and all the attention was being directed to her. Chabashira-sensei, who seemingly had no idea that rumors about her are being spread around, glanced at the somewhat disorganized classroom as she noticed that many of her students were not at their desks and were seemingly chatting with each other.
“Is there a problem? Please return to your desks. We have much to discuss.” said Chabashira-sensei.
Ayanokouji could see that some of his soulmates were hesitating and were still glancing over at him. Chabashira-sensei seemed to have noticed it and raised her eyebrows, but the tone of her voice was obvious. Their points might get hurt because of their strange and disruptive behavior, a clear warning.
With that, everyone began slowly returning to their seats and Chabashira-sensei unknowingly saved Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji thought about it and realized that this was the first time that she had saved him from danger instead of creating more problems for him. Chabashira-sensei continued on as usual and it was clear that she had no idea that there were rumors circulating about her. Ayanokouji figured that she’s going to get a rude awakening right about now.
“We have to discuss. First, the time of final first-year exams is closing. There are a few things we should go over. Before we get started, are there any questions?” asked Chabashira-sensei. Her eyes were scanning across the classroom and it was clear that she recognized the irregularity in her students and classroom. Almost immediately, Ike’s hand raised up and Chabashira-sensei nodded and called on him.
“Sensei!! Is it true that you had a thing with Ayanokouji?!” asked Ike.
Ayanokouji was a little stunned by Ike’s straightforwardness as he directly asked about the rumors to Chabashira-sensei in front of the entire class. Ike’s question got everyone’s attention as their attention was focused on Chabashira-sensei and Ayanokouji. He was a little curious to see how Chabashira-sensei would respond to it as he was willing to not say anything quite yet.
“What do you mean, Ike? I treat all of my students the same and Ayanokouji is not an exception.” said Chabashira-sensei. It seems that she didn’t understand what Ike was implying as she replied with a simple response. However, Ike didn’t seem too happy about the response as he pressed on.
“I mean… Are you doing those things with Ayanokouji? Things that will get you fired.” said Ike, trying to explain what he was trying to say without saying it directly to Chabashira-sensei's face. This time, it seems that Chabashira-sensei understood what Ike was asking and her face turned stern.
“Ike… What are you implying? How dare you imply that I would engage in such activities with a student? I can’t believe that you would even ask something like this in front of the entire class!”
Chabashira-sensei reprimanded Ike harshly as he flinched and looked at her sheepishly. Before Ike could respond, Yamauchi’s hand shot up and he quickly called out in response to Chabashira-sensei’s response.
“Did you hear about the news, Sae-chan-sensei?! Ayanokouji was totally doing something with you, right?! Along with the rest of the girls?!” said Yamauchi.
Yamauchi finally referenced the rumors. This got Chabashira-sensei’s attention as she turned her cold gaze towards Yamauchi. Her confusion was gone now as she realized what was happening and how bad this looks as it could end her entire teaching career. Ayanokouji noted that Chabashira-sensei’s and Suzune’s cold glares are similar and it looked like Suzune is a younger version of Chabashira-sensei.
“Where did you hear this?!” demanded Chabashira-sensei.
Chabashira-sensei clearly looked taken aback by these sudden rumors as she was trying to find the source of the rumors to quash it. She shot Ayanokouji a quick glance and it was the rare sight of panic and confusion on her face.
“It was on the school forums and bulletin board, sensei. There’s been rumors going around Ayanokouji-kun since yesterday.” explained Hirata, speaking up before Ike and Yamauchi could make it worse.
“I see.. I will address this right now and only now. Do not believe everything on the school forums and online bulletin board. I did not have sexual relations with Ayanokouji. I will not have my reputation and career destroyed by these ridiculous rumors.” said Chabashira-sensei.
With that, Chabashira-sensei had carefully and precisely dispelled the rumors. Of course, she had the highest authority and trust in the classroom which makes it easier for students to take her word on it. It was much easier and believable to trust a teacher than your fellow peer especially if that person already had rumors spread around him and a bad reputation.
Ayanokouji could feel some students staring at him as it ranged from his fellow students and soulmates. It would seem that a majority of students believed in Chabashira-sensei’s response as it seems that a student and teacher having a sexual relationship is a little out of the water. However, this doesn’t clear Ayanokouji from the other rumors from today and yesterday.
“Wait?! So Ayanokouji isn’t piping Sae-chan-sensei?!”
“I mean… that would’ve been too much. No way Ayanokouji could pull a sensei that easily!”
“Have you seen the weapon that he has?! It’s enough for anyone!!”
“Gahh!! Don’t remind me of that!!”
“Enough! The school will investigate the origin of these rumors as these rumors are no longer playful and innocent. These rumors can destroy the reputation and life of anyone involved. Please refrain from needlessly spreading these rumors.” said Chabashira-sensei
Chabashira-sensei gave clear instructions to her students. Chabashira-sensei made sure to turn her attention towards Ike and Yamauchi, who nodded their heads in response. This probably will stop the rumors about Ayanokouji and Chabashira-sensei from spreading inside of the classroom. However, Chabashira-sensei can’t regulate and control the rumors outside of her classroom as other students and fellow Class C students could still talk and spread the rumors. The rest will be up to school who might get involved as it involves one of their teachers.
“Are there any more questions? Questions related to school and the course material?” asked Chabashira-sensei. With those specific specializations, nobody raised their hands.
“We will now continue on.” said Chabashira-sensei. It seems that everything was fixed, but Ayanokouji knew that the worst was yet to come.
**Timeskip (lunchtime)**
It was lunch time yet again and Ayanokouji found the opportunity to escape the classroom. He can tell that his soulmates were getting more restless and he would need to try harder to escape in every attempt. He has another promise to fulfill as he heads towards the exit of the school building.
As Ayanokouji was walking through the hallway, he was being bombarded by the stares of his fellow students. It seems that he’s constantly drawing attention due to the rumors and it seems that today’s rumors were no exception. However, he noticed that he was drawing more attention from his upperclassmen as the rumors involved them now.
However, Ayanokouji ignored the stares and exited the school building as he headed towards the direction of the first year dorms. Yet again, Ichinose was absent from class and her whereabouts and rumors surrounding her were secondhand and not as talked about than Ayanokouji’s rumors.
Luckily, there was no one waiting by Ichinose’s room and Ayanokouji was left alone with Ichinose again. He guessed that she would probably be in her room as he heard that Kanzaki, Shibata, and some other girls who Ichinose was close to were trying to call, text, and email her, doing everything in their power to get in contact. But Ayanokouji didn’t see them showing up at Ichinose’s room after class yesterday, which he could only assume was because Ichinose had asked them not to come anymore, just like she’d asked him. Ayanokouji knocked lightly on Ichinose’s door and called out to her without waiting for an answer.
“I heard you’re taking today off too?” asked Ayanokouji.
It was a reckless move on Ayanokouji’s part. Ichinose had told him not to come anymore and he was ignoring her wishes. This is the type of recklessness that you will need to get through to Ichinose. This time, Ichinose didn’t say anything back to Ayanokouji from the other side of the door as he didn’t say anything to her. It would seem that Ichinose is giving him the silent treatment thus he just sat in front of her door until the last possible minute, just like he had done yesterday. Before Ayanokouji left, he made sure to say something to Ichinose.
“I’ll be back tomorrow, Ichinose.” said Ayanokouji, simply stating his intention.
With that, Ayanokouji left and headed towards the elevator. He checked his phone and noticed that there were quite a numerous messages from his soulmates. This time, he noticed that there were even more messages. However, he also noticed a message from Hoshinomiya-sensei and he could tell that she was enraged and indignant. After all, she had some sort of rivalry and grudge against Chabashira-sensei.
As Ayanokouji continued walking towards the school building, he was reading some of the messages and not replying to them. One notable message was from Akane and it seems that there was quite the scene in her classroom as the rumors involved her own classmates. More importantly, Akane’s second message was different than the first as it was filled with her raw and conflicting emotions after listening and reading today’s and yesterday’s rumors. However, Ayanokouji didn’t reply as he knew that it’s going to ruin his plans.
Ayanokouji continued walking towards the school building as it slowly came into view. He continued walking towards the entrance and he could see a familiar figure walking towards the building as well. He realized that this was the perfect opportunity for him to talk to her without drawing too much attention to himself. Ayanokouji quickened his walking pace and reached that person before she could enter the school building.
“Maezano, what a coincidence to run into you.” said Ayanokouji, greeting her as he approached her.
“Ayanokouji-kun?! Where did you come from?” asked Maezano, turning around as she looked somewhat stunned by his sudden appearance.
“I was at the convenience store to get some lunch. What about you? I thought you would be with your friends.”
“Ahh… About that… Well… it’s a little awkward to have lunch when there’s rumors about you.”
“Yeah… I feel the same way. Do you think it’s the right time to talk about it?”
“Y-Yeah.”
Maezano nodded her head hesitantly as Ayanokouji was entering a really sensitive topic, but there wasn’t much she could do to avoid having this conversation. The duo decided to stay outside of the school building to have this conversation to avoid any prying eyes and ears.
“How are you doing with these rumors? I’m sorry that we didn’t get a chance to talk about it.” said Ayanokouji.
“Ugh! Everyone keeps giving me weird looks now! Like why do they think I was doing it?! As if I would just do it with just any guy! No offense, Ayanokouji-kun.” said Maezano, sounding annoyed and frustrated by the response of her fellow students.
“None taken. It seems that you have quite the rough time.”
“It’s going to ruin my chance of finding a boyfriend!!”
“That seems tough…”
“I imagine it’s worse for you, right? I mean… you’re literally the main talk, especially after today.”
“You got that right.”
“Wait… Sorry for being super direct, but is any of it true?! I mean… there’s just so much going on and you haven’t said anything yet!”
“What do you think? If more rumors about me are going around, wouldn’t it be better to wait until the rumors stopped. I don’t want to keep addressing it over and over again. Also most people are still talking about it, so there’s a chance that they don’t believe me at all.”
“I guess that’s true. I’m pretty sure you’re the type of girl to be doing stuff like that and I;m pretty sure you’ll be caught.”
“Thanks… I guess that’s reassuring.”
Maezano giggled at Ayanokouji’s response as the tension of her face slowly melted away. However, the duo knew that the rumors about them would still stick around for a bit as it was fresh. However, this little conversation provided them with a bit of leeway and time for themselves to escape the grasp of the rumors. The duo chatted about trivial topics for a few minutes before knowing that it was time for them to head back to the classroom. Their alone time together, free of rumors and judgment, was over.
“You should go first. It’ll be strange if people saw us together after the rumors. I’ll be a few minutes behind you.” said Ayanokouji.
“Okay. Thanks, Ayanokouji-kun.” said Maezano.
With that, Maezano said her final farewells and headed to the entrance of the school building. Ayanokouji remained outside for a little bit longer and noticed a few messages in a particular group chat. He made sure to reply to it as it seems that he’s going to have an interesting and busy time after school. After replying to the messages in the group chat, Ayanokouji made his way towards the school building as he hoped that Maezano reached the classroom before he could. The last thing he wanted was to be seen with Maezano during the peak of these rumors.
**Timeskip (after school)**
“What a cold atmosphere.” muttered Akito.
“What are you talking about?” asked Keisei.
“Dude… You’re such an idiot…”
“Huh?”
Keisei tilted his head in confusion as Akito shot him a warning glare, a subtle warning of his impending danger if he keeps up his attitude. He seemed to not understand the true scope of things as Ayanokouji could sense and see the cold presence of Haruka and Airi.
Ayanokouji was sitting right next to the two in question as he could sense and feel their cold stares being directed at him. Haruka and Airi might be acting normal as usual, but he could tell that they were thinking about the rumors surrounding Ayanokouji in their minds.
The Ayanokouji Group was studying a bit at a cafe as they were preparing for their final exams. Keisei already prepared a detailed outline and plan to study as he wanted to give them as much time and preparation as possible. Ayanokouji was not worried about the final exams as he was more concerned about the two girls sitting next to him.
“Kiyopon!~ How do you solve this problem?” asked Haruka.
Haruka leaned in closer to Ayanokouji as she gently pushed her notebook towards him. Ayanokouji was aware that her not so modest breasts are inching closer to his arm and knew that she didn’t need any help with the problem. The problem is the rumors that were surrounding him and she just wanted attention. Airi, who was sitting next to Ayanokouji as well, pouted at Haruka's bold actions.
“Well…” said Ayanokouji, glancing at the problem that Haruka is working on.
“Let me see… This is a really simple problem. You first have to-” said Keisei, glancing over and taking the notebook out of Haruka’s hand.
“Yukimuu, you idiot!” said Haruka, pouting.
“What?! I’m helping you. Kiyotaka can probably solve it, but isn’t it better to have me, the person that created these problems, to help you instead?”
Keisei tilted his head in confusion as he was confused by Haruka’s strange behavior while Akito sighed and facepalmmed himself after watching this embarrassment of a scene. Ayanokouji noticed that Airi suppressed a giggle and there was a sense of relief on her face. He knew that Haruka and Airi are acting normal, but it will take a matter of time before they bring up that touchy subject. After all, girls like to gossip during their free time.
The group continued to work on the practice problems that Keisei had prepared. They mostly worked in silence and occasionally asked Keisei for assistance. The cafe atmosphere provided them with a quiet and workable environment for them, but Ayanokouji could feel the gazes by nearby students in the cafe. With his newfound popularity, it would seem that no matter where Ayanokouji went, there will always be eyes on him. The other members of the Ayanokouji Group seemed to have noticed it as well as they were uncomfortable by the amount of attention they’re getting just by being with Ayanokouji.
Nevertheless, the group continued on working on their practice problems as they occasionally sipped their coffee. After spending some time, the group decided to take a break and Ayanokouji had a feeling what was about to come next, given that there was free time and a chance to talk. The group’s conversation slowly shifted to a recent and controversial topic that involved one of the members of the group.
“Kiyopon!~ Is it true?! Those rumors about you and all those girls?!” asked Haruka.
Haruka sounded excited about the gossip, but Ayanokouji thought he could hear and sense tension and uneasiness in her voice. Meanwhile, Airi’s face stiffened and her true feelings about the rumors are more clear than Haruka.
Haruka’s questions got everyone’s attention as they turned their gazes and attention towards Ayanokouji. Keisei sighed and rubbed the bridge of nose as if he was tired of constantly hearing those rumors. Akito raised his eyebrows and seemed to be curious, but he nodded his head at Ayanokouji as if he’s not pressuring him to respond.
“What do you think?” asked Ayanokouji, not exactly addressing the question.
“Well… I mean I see that you’re always hanging out with so many girls! Maybe you’re having some sort of relationship for some of them. You know that you’re making Airi panic. How cruel, Kiyopon!” said Haruka.
“H-Haruka-chan?! W-What?! W-Why are you-?!” stuttered Airi.
Airi was unable to finish her sentence. Ayanokouji glanced over towards Airi and could see that her face and ears were growing red as she averted her eyes away from him. Despite all of Haruka’s teasing and confidence, Ayanokouji could see that Haruka was affected by those rumors as if she was using Airi to hide her true feelings.
“Do you really think I’m the type of guy to do something like that?” asked Ayanokouji.
“No, but… you’re certainly popular with the ladies, Kiyopon!” replied Haruka.
“Y-Yeah… By the way, where do you go during lunch? You’ve not been going to the cafeteria, right?” asked Airi, timidly.
“Were you following me?” asked Ayanokouji.
“N-No! I mean… I-I just noticed. T-That’s all!”
“By the way, Shiina-san… That’s the girl that bought me the coffee when Ryuuen-kun was looking for the secret mastermind X before winter break, right? She was nice…” said Haruka, remembering one of the girls in today’s rumors.
“Yeah… I don’t trust her. Be careful around her, Kiyotaka.” said Keisei, with a scowl.
“H-How do you know her, Kiyotaka-kun?” asked Airi.
“Well… I accidentally ran into her in the library and that was it.” replied Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji gave a simple and boring explanation. He didn’t want to say that he met her a few times outside of class and the current state of their relationship. It was quite a vague and simple explanation, but whether or not the Ayanokouji Group believes him affects how they view the rumors regarding him and Shiina.
“Hmmm?!” said Haruka, glancing at Ayanokouji suspiciously as if she didn’t believe him. Ayanokouji remembered that Haruka had a keen sense and intuition as most females do when it concerns romance and gossip.
Airi didn’t say anything, but Ayanokouji could tell that she was just as suspicious as Haruka. Ayanokouji expected this much resistance and doubt as he had the feeling that his other soulmates probably have the same level of skepticism and doubt as well depending on their current relationship.
“I have enough of this. I’m going to get some fresh air. I don’t want to listen to classroom gossip.” said Keisei, standing up and heading towards the exit of the cafe.
“Poor Yukimmu… Someone doesn’t like gossip.” said Haruka, with a sigh.
“Why don’t you lay off Kiyotaka? He’s got a lot to deal with, especially with those rumors.” said Akito, finally giving him some support. Ayanokouji shot him a thankful look and Akito nodded his head in response as if he understood his duty and where his loyalties lie.
“I-I guess that’s true… Kiyotaka-kun looks like he was having a hard time in class.” muttered Airi.
“Like he’s in a piranha pond!” said Haruka.
“No need to remind me of that…” muttered Ayanokouji.
With Akito’s help, the conversation slowly changed to another topic much to Ayanokouji’s relief. Eventually, Keisei came back to the table and he was relieved that the topic wasn’t gossip. As the group’s dynamics seemingly went back to normal, Ayanokouji glanced over and could see that Haruka and Airi were still curious and doubtful about their conversation regarding the rumors surrounding Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji had the feeling that this feeling of doubt and conflicting emotions will be present even after the rumors are dispelled.
**Timeskip (a few hours later)**
Ayanokouji was taking a nice and refreshing walk in the evening. He had already finished dinner and was simply enjoying the fresh winter air as being in his room all the time was terrible for you. He didn't know where to go and simply enjoyed his walk. Ayanokouji was simply taking a walk as he was following one of Kinoshita’s routes that she uses when she’s running.
The riverside carries a quiet, expectant stillness as if it’s waiting before spring fully arrives. The river flows steadily and gently with its surface reflecting the dimming evening sky. The water catches streaks black and various dark colors, breaking into soft ripples as it brushes against smooth stones along the bank. Occasional reeds and dried grasses lean toward the current as their colors wash to light straw, ash-brown, and dull green after winter’s long hold.
Along the embankment, the ground is bare and clean, with patches of pale dirt and gravel visible between tufts of dormant grass. Concrete steps lead down toward the water with their edges slightly worn and casting long shadows. The narrow path that Ayanokouji is walking on runs parallel to the river and is outlined by metal railings that catch the light of evening.
There are bare trees with their thin and delicate branches stretching overhead towards the path, river, and surrounding area. A cold breeze moves through them, producing a soft, dry rustle. The streetlamps flicker to life one by one, casting warm amber pools onto the path. Their reflections tremble in the water below, gently distorted by the current.
It was quite a cool and peaceful walk, but it was a little chilly due to the winter winds. However, it was a nice and calming experience with no one in sight. As Ayanokouji was walking, he reached an area with vending machines and a few small benches. It was an area where the path to the river ends and wraps back around towards the main path. Ayanokouji stopped to grab some free water to quench his thirst and as he was sitting down to have a drink, he noticed a familiar figure that was lying down on the bench. Ayanokouji was met with the distinct color of white and he quickly realized that he was looking at the color of that person’s panties.
Ayanokouji found himself staring at Yajima and she was laying down on the bench with her back resting on the hard wooden surface and legs sitting up thus revealing her panties towards his direction. That gap between her legs revealed her plain white panties as it reflected Yajima’s simple personality.
Ayanokouji noticed that Yajima’s eyes were closed and thought he could sneak away without her noticing. The last thing he wanted was for Yajima to wake up to see him staring at her panties. It also didn’t help that there were certain rumors of him messing with various girls circulating around.
However, Yajima’s eyes opened and she turned towards Ayanokouji’ direction as if she sensed his presence. Their eyes locked with each other, but she didn’t even look too panicked or embarrassed that Ayanokouji was looking at her panties. Instead, she casually sat up and slowly got off and stood as she was doing some arm and leg stretches to wake her sleeping muscles. This was not the reaction that Ayanokouji expected from a girl that just noticed a guy staring at her panties, but this is Yajima. She probably was too tired and lazy to care or give a reaction.
“Hey, Ayanokouji-kun…” said Yajima.
“Good evening, Yajima. Had a good nap?” asked Ayanokouji.
“Yep until a certain person was staring at my panties.”
“Sorry… I didn’t mean to look, but you were kind of sticking it in my direction.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”
“I’m surprised that you’re so relaxed. Normally, a girl is supposed to act embarrassed and give out a strong reaction.”
“Too much energy…”
“That makes sense for a person like you. If you’re truly lazy, why wear panties and undergarments? It’s just another layer of clothing, right?”
“Good idea…”
“Wait. Don’t listen to my ideas…”
Ayanokouji was a little afraid that he might’ve inspired Yajima to go commando and if he did, he might accidentally end up getting a full lesson in women’s anatomy in the future if another incident like this happens again. It was hard for him to tell if Yajima was joking or not as he couldn’t tell as she isn’t your typical high school girl.
“What are you doing here? I doubt that you were just taking a nap outside for fun.” said Ayanokouji.
“I was… training.” said Yajima.
“Training? For the track-and-field club?”
“Yep.”
“That’s… unusual. I thought Kinoshita said that you hardly train and practice.”
“Just because I don’t do it often doesn’t mean I don’t do it at all. I also feel like it.”
“That’s an… interesting way to train especially for a top-tier athlete.”
“I’m not that good. Kinoshita-san was just… building me up, you know.”
“Show me.”
Yajima sighed as she realized that she had no choice. Ayanokouji was a little curious and wanted to see more of Yajima’s athletic abilities. Of course, he saw a small glimpse, but he couldn’t help his curiosity. It was also strange seeing Yajima training in her school-issued uniform which involves a skirt, but he chalked it up to Yajima being too lazy to change.
Yajima stood up and glanced around as it seemed that she was scanning for a clear area for her to run. After a few moments of looking around, it seems that she found an area that she was satisfied with and nodded her head. She got into a runner’s position as she prepared herself.
After a few brief moments, Yajima immediately dashed forward as she sprinted forward at an incredible speed. Ayanokouji could tell that her speed exceeded Kinoshita’s and might be one of the fastest out of the girls. She circled around as she did a large circular lap as she zigzagged between the vending machines and headed towards the benches where Ayanokouji is seated.
Yajima ended her lap by leaping on the benches and performing a long jump. She managed to leap over Ayanokouji, who remained seated the entire time, and landed perfectly on her feet, finishing her lap. This demonstrated her powerful leg muscles as she was able to run at such a high speed while changing directions and jump a great height. Yajima turned around towards Ayanokouji as if she’s trying to gauge his reaction.
“That’s impressive… I believe that Kinoshita undersells your performance and skills.” said Ayanokouji.
“Heehee! Do you think so? I was going pretty hard.” said Yajima.
“You weren't going full speed?”
“There’s no point in using all of your effort and energy on something trivial like this.”
“I see…”
Ayanokouji wondered how much faster Yajima could go as she stated that she could go even faster. He knew that Class C would be in trouble for any future athletic exams or events if Yajima decided to actually try.
Yajima took a seat on the nearby bench as she picked up her water bottle which was resting on the ground next to the bench. After taking a seat, she leaned back as she uncapped her drink, taking a sip. It seems that she was resting and didn’t seem to want to train. Ayanokouji realized that it was the perfect opportunity to talk to her about a certain topic.
“Hey, Yajima… Now that we’re here. Let’s get this over with.” said Ayanokouji.
“Are you talking about the rumors? The ones from yesterday?” asked Yajima.
“Yeah…”
“Well… it’s not too bad. I don’t really care about it. It’s honestly really exhausting dealing with it. You know that Kinoshita-san was pestering me about it and I couldn’t care less about it.”
“She has?”
“Yep. That’s what she’s been doing every time she’s with me.”
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s not your fault and it looks like you’ve had more of a fun time than me.”
“I’m not sure if you would call it fun…”
“Hmm… At least I’m not getting all of the attention unlike you. Thanks for the sacrifice, Ayanokouji-kun.”
“I don’t think that makes me feel better…”
The duo’s conversation slowly came to an end and Ayanokouji glanced over towards Yajima. Their conversation was short and concise which goes along with Yajima, who quickly wanted to finish the conversation as quickly and efficiently as they covered the main gist of it. There was no small talk and it was immediately straight to business.
The duo sat in silence as Yajima made no attempt with any small talk or conversation. She seems to be content in resting and engaging in small talk as the duo remained silent for a few minutes. Eventually, Ayanokouji stood up as he was done with his drink.
“I’ll take my leave now. What about you, Yajima?” asked Ayanokouji, throwing his empty bottle into a nearby trash can.
“I’m going to stay for a bit. Recharge my batteries.” said Yajima, closing her eyes.
“Okay. Good night, Yajima.”
“See ya.”
Ayanokouji glanced over and could see that Yajima had her eyes closed. It seems like she was sleeping and he took it as an opportunity to leave her. He was sure that she didn’t want to be bothered and might not even respond as she was simply resting and didn’t want to waste any more of her energy.
Ayanokouji took a path that would eventually lead back to the main path where he can easily make his way back towards the first-year dorms. He glanced at the dark winter evening sky as it slowly turned into night. It won’t take too long before it becomes the new day, a new challenge will await him.
**Timeskip (next day)**
As Ayanokouji entered the classroom, he was used to the stares and attention that he’s getting. He had the feeling that it was related to the new set of rumors posted early in the morning. He made sure to check school forums and online bulletin boards before making his way to school. Ayanokouji wasn’t disappointed as he read and found a new post with new fresh rumors about him.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka has engaged in sexual and explicit relationship with:
Tsukabe Hitomi from Class B
Matsushita Chiaki from Class C
Ibuki Mio from Class D
Sekino En from Class 2-A
Yasumoto Fumie from Class 2-A
Sawada-sensei from Class 3-B
Himura-sensei from Class 3-D
There are many more girls involving multiple years and faculty members. Stay tuned for more!
- Playboykouji
Ayanokouji wasn’t surprised by the new addition and continuation of the rumors against him. However, it seems like it was involving his female upperclassmen and teachers, people that he barely met and had limited contact with. The stares and attention that he was getting was increasing and Ayanokouji thought he could see a small hint of respect from some of the boys. It was like they were impressed and respected his boldness for going after their senpais and senseis.
Ayanokouji tried his best to ignore the whispers as he made his way towards his desk. The attention he was getting was growing as more and more students are tuned in for the rumors and spreading it around school. The amount of interest for this juicy gossip is astonishing.
Ayanokouji also noticed that the intensity of conflicting emotions amongst his soulmates have grown exponentially throughout the days. Some of them believed in him and his innocence while others remained doubtful of his intentions and the authenticity of the rumors. As the days grew and Ayanokouji’s lack of response, it didn’t matter if they believed in Ayanokouji’s innocence or the authenticity of the rumors, their doubt and uneasiness grew by the day as their conflicting emotions which affected their unsteady emotional state of mind.
Thanks to Ayanokouji’s timing, the bell rang which signaled the beginning of homeroom. Ayanokouji made sure to arrive in the classroom just before the bell rang which limited anyone’s time to have a conversation with him. He wanted no more bothersome conversation and allowed everyone to gossip and talk about the rumors without giving an actual response to it. That’s what Ayanokouji wanted all along.
Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom and noticed the strange atmosphere in the classroom. She glanced over at Ayanokouji as if she sensed that he was the cause of the class’s strange behavior. She remained professional and calm as usual as if she didn’t know about today’s rumors.
**Timeskip (lunch time)**
“I’ll be back tomorrow, Ichinose.” said Ayanokouji.
Ichinose didn’t reply to him as usual as Ayanokouji spent his lunch period, sitting in silence by her door. He paced himself as he was going to make it back to the classroom just in time before lunch period was over. Luckily, Ayanokouji didn’t run into anyone he knew on his way back to his classroom, but he was bombarded by the stares of his fellow classmates.
As Ayanokouji was approaching his classroom, he noticed that there was a crowd outside of his classroom. He had a bad feeling about this because the crowd parted for him, but he was bombarded by their stares. The crowd was a mix of first-year students from the various different classes and Ayanokouji could see some familiar faces.
When Ayanokouji entered the room, he could see that almost everyone turned their attention towards him. Inside of the classroom, there were more students from the various classes and more familiar faces. It seems to be quite cramped because most of Ayanokouji’s classmates were already inside of the classroom plus the extra students.
Ayanokouji could feel everyone staring at him as he walked towards his desk. He could hear the sounds of footsteps approaching behind him as if they were waiting for him to sit down, the perfect opportunity to strike. As soon as Ayanokouji sat down, he heard a familiar voice.
“Yo, Ayanokouji. Had a good lunch break?” said Nagumo.
Ayanokouji could see that there were a few other second-year students with him. He had recognized that there was a strange and tense atmosphere in the classroom which was caused by Nagumo. It was quite strange to see upperclassmen in their kohai’s classroom.
“Nagumo-senpai, what brings you here? I don’t suppose you want to invite me out for lunch.” said Ayanokouji, greeting him as he eyed the second-year students. He could see Asahina, Sekino, Yasumoto, Kiriyama, and a few other students.
“Hahaha! I see that you still got your sense of humor. If you don’t mind me asking, where were you doing lunch? People are saying that you’ve been leaving by yourself for the past few lunches.”
“I was getting lunch from a convenience store. See.”
Ayanokouji brought a pack of chips that he conveniently bought as his lunch from the convenience store. He didn’t have time to eat a full lunch and bought some snacks to keep his stomach full. Nagumo stared at it for a moment before cracking a smile.
“Oh really? Every day? That’s not very healthy, you know. Perhaps you were fooling around some other girls. I heard that you were messing around with girls in my class.” said Nagumo, getting straight to the point.
“Oh? Is it about the rumors? I don’t see you as a person that easily believes in rumors, Nagumo-senpai.” replied Ayanokouji.
“No… But, there seems to be a lot of things going around about you, Ayanokouji. Not once, not twice,, but multiple times. It would seem like a pattern to me, no? And here… I thought you were going out with Tachibana-senpai.”
Nagumo’s comments found its mark as some of the students were whispering and muttering to each other. Everyone in the classroom was listening in on their conversation as it involved a person of interest, Ayanokouji, and the different rumors.
“I already told you before. Akane is just someone that I knew from my neighborhood. I suppose she’s a sort of childhood friend.” said Ayanokouji.
“Oh? I don’t think Tachibana-senpai would like being called that!! Honestly, I can’t tell if you’re being serious or don’t understand women at all. Enough about Tachibana-senpai, I’m talking about the rumors regarding the different girls, especially from my year that you’re allegedly having sexual relations with.”
Nagumo’s rebuttal and intentions were revealed clearly as more students began to whisper to each other and glanced at the gathered second-year. It seems that Yasumoto and Sekino were getting some of the attention as they were present in the classroom and involved in the rumors. They averted their eyes and looked quite uncomfortable by the attention they’re garnering.
Ayanokouji glanced over and could feel Asahina’s intense stare drilled into him as her own classmates were seemingly involved with him according to the rumors. And of course, he didn’t respond to her texts and he could feel Asahina’s conflicted emotions which were filled with confusion, anger, betrayal, and sorrow. Those were the emotions that Ayanokouji had seen within his soulmates as everyone was waiting in anticipation for his response.
Before Ayanokouji could say anything, he heard the classroom door being opened, the sounds of footsteps, and the noises of the crowd parting ways. He heard the sounds of footsteps growing louder as it seemed like they’re approaching him. Nagumo turned his attention towards the noise and looked somewhat surprised for a brief moment before a small smirk formed on his lips.
“Horikita-senpai, it’s surprising to see you inside of a first-year classroom.” said Nagumo.
“I could say the same for you, Nagumo. It’s even stranger to see the student council president here. Are you scouting students for the student council?” replied Manabu. Suzune froze as she silently gazed at her older brother as she was surprised that he made an appearance in her classroom.
“Hahaha! Something caught my eye. Isn’t that the same for you, senpai?”
“I suppose you can say that…”
Ayanokouji could feel the collective stares of Manabu and Nagumo as they turned their gazes upon him. He could feel the stares of the other students and the newly arrived third-year students which included Akane, Saiki, Imai, and a few others. Ayanokouji got the feeling that Manabu and Nagumo were interested in the same thing judging from their conversation and staring.
“So, you’re interested in Ayanokouji, too?! Hahaha! Maybe you should take advantage of this and take care of Tachibana-senpai!” said Nagumo, nodding towards Akane. Akane yelped out loud as she realized what Nagumo was doing.
“E-Eh?! Y-You-” said Akane.
“What do you mean? I’ve been hearing quite a few rumors surrounding Ayanokouji and it’s involving my classmates, causing some trouble. I’m here to get to the bottom of this.” said Manabu.
“Are you kidding me, Horikita-senpai? You still don’t know?!” asked Nagumo, chuckling to himself and shaking his head. Akane’s face turned even more red as she averted her eyes away from Manabu.
“Stop changing the subject. Ayanokouji, I’ve heard quite a lot about you… These allegations are quite serious and must be dealt with whether or not they are true.” said Manabu, turning his attention towards Ayanokouji.
“I’m just a lowly Class C student. Shouldn’t the school be investigating such matters?” asked Ayanokouji.
“Normally, but these are rumors and wouldn’t bother an investigation. However, the frequency and severity of these rumors are something else. I won’t say anything for the school, but let’s just say that they're not happy about these rumors. It would be better if they’re cleared up, right?” said Nagumo, turning his attention towards Ayanokouji. It would seem that Nagumo is silently pressuring Ayanokouji to address the rumors and tell the truth. It was something that he purposely avoided as it will ruin his plan.
“I couldn’t agree more. Now… we should quickly discuss before the bell rings. Ayanokouji, to be blunt, do you have any sexual relationships with any of the students mentioned in the rumors?” said Manabu, getting straight to the point.
Manabu’s straightforwardness caught everyone off guard as they were taken aback. He didn’t even sugarcoat it and asked it outright. Ayanokouji sort of admired him for his boldness and straightforwardness. Some of the students, especially the girls involved in the rumors, had a flustered expression. The ball is in Ayanokouji’s court now and everything rests on his response to Manabu’s straightforward, but loaded question.
“Who knows?” replied Ayanokouji, giving a simple, but his trademark response.
Ayanokouji’s response echoed in the classroom’s silence as his lackluster and simple response left everyone stunned. The silence in the classroom was tense and could be cut with a knife before it was broken by Nagumo, who burst into genuine laughter. His laughter rolled across the classroom filled with amusement and humor.
On the other hand, Ayanokouji was met with frustration, betrayal, confusion, anger, and other conflicting emotions from his soulmates. There was also frustration, anger, and dissatisfaction among the students gathered in the classroom, especially the ones that were involved in the rumors. Nobody was happy that they didn’t get a straight answer from Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji could even hear some shouts and compliments coming from the crowd.
“Are you kidding me?! He’s saying the same shit again?!”
“Is this guy just trolling?! I fucking hate him!”
“What if it’s actually true?!”
“You can’t take him seriously with this kind of gimmick!”
As the complaints came rolling in, Ayanokouji could sense the anger and tension rising in the classroom. Nobody was satisfied by Ayanokouji’s response and it seems all of the frustration and conflicting emotions that was building inside of the students for the past few days were being unleashed on Ayanokouji.
“Seriously?! What’s wrong with you?! Can’t you take this seriously?!” snapped Naito. He was the boyfriend of Saiki, who was involved in the rumors.
“I mean… c’mon! Are you taking this seriously?! I know that you like to joke around when it comes to stuff like that. It doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want, whenever you feel like it! This kind of stuff affects other people too!” said Takei. He was the boyfriend of Imai, who was also involved in the rumors.
Both of the boyfriends stepped forward as if they were going to take physical actions against Ayanokouji or give him a piece of their minds. Saiki and Imai tried their best to stop their respective boyfriends for doing anything rash, but it seems that it was in vain as they continued advancing towards Ayanokouji. However, Manabu stopped them by simply raising his arm, blocking them.
“Horikita…”
“What are…”
Manabu turned towards Takei and Naito with a calm, but authoritative look. With a simple look, both of the boys backed away and seemingly calmed down significantly. Despite not having any power over them like being the student council president, Manabu commanded a high degree of respect amongst the student body, especially those in his class.
“Calm down, you two. There’s no need to stoop to violence.” said Manabu. Naito and Takei apologized for their actions and stepped back as Manabu continued speaking.
“Ayanokouji… I’m not sure what you’re doing, but these are some serious allegations levied against you. As a senior, I recommend you address the situation or report it to the school.” said Manabu. There wasn’t much Manabu could do in this situation as he didn’t have the power of the student council president and only could rely on his reputation and position as the leader of Class 3-A.
“I understand. However, this is a problem for the school to address, not me. These rumors are violating my privacy and if I reveal everything, it would just ruin my privacy. I will say that I was involved with many of the people in the rumors. I know what I did. That is all.” said Ayanokouji, intentionally keeping it vague and could have multiple interruptions.
Once again, Ayanokouji’s answer is vague as he did not accept or deny the allegations. However, he did point out that he was in contact with people involved in the rumors which got everyone’s attention. This is shocking news as this affects how people perceive the situation as it changes quite a lot.
Students from the crowd began to whisper and chatted amongst themselves. The students involved in the rumors glanced around uncomfortably as they were bombarded by shares and comments by their fellow peers. With that, it seems that more and more people are starting to believe that the rumors surrounding Ayanokouji were true.
“What?! You’re telling me that bullshit is true?!”
“He finally admits it?!”
“Ohhh!! This is big news!”
“You mean… you were screwing around with Shiina?! What kind of bullshit is this?!” demanded Ishizaki, pushing his way towards the front of the crowd. The crowd slightly parted as it revealed Ishizaki, Albert, and a few other students from Class D. Ayanokouji noted that Ryuuen was not present at all.
“Ayanokouji, is that true? Or is it some kind of bullshit spew from Class A?” asked Ishizaki, directing his question to Ayanokouji.
It would seem that Ishizaki is keeping up his appearance as the new leader of Class D after beating Ryuuen. Ishizaki’s accusation stunned the crowd slightly as it seemed that he was supporting Ayanokouji and provided another explanation to the whole mess of rumors. It could be that Ayanokouji was being played and used as a scapegoat by Class A’s smear campaign that targeted almost every class in each year. Eventually, there will be two sides: supporting or against Ayanokouji.
“Ishizaki!What are you saying?! These are some serious accusations. Do you have any proof?” asked Kanzaki, speaking up and stepping forward. He was intrigued by the accusation, but he couldn’t outright support it without any proof from Ishizaki.
“Think about it… There’s no girls from Class A mentioned. I bet someone from Class A started the rumors just like before!”
“Do you have any proof? You can’t just throw some logic and coincidences together without any proof.”
“Bullshit! You know it’s true, Kanzaki. It’s too obvious!”
Ishizaki’s comments left students in the crowd thinking about it. It made sense, but due to the lack of proof, it’s nothing more, but speculation. However, some of the students began to mutter and begin making the connections like a bunch of conspiracy theorists making a conspiracy without any tangible evidence. As the crowd was muttering to itself, a familiar voice rolled across the classroom which caught everyone’s attention.
“Ara!~ What a strange gathering!” said Sakayanagi, followed by the sound of her cane tapping against the floor.
The crowd parted ways as Sakayaangi walked forward as she was flanked with Kamuro, Hashimoto, and Kito. This didn’t stop the hushed conversations as it seemed that Ishizaki’s comments and Sakayanagi’s sudden appearance had fueled it. The tension in the classroom seems to be high as it would seem that most of the major players are in this very classroom and the severity of the situation.
Ishizaki slightly backed away from the approaching Sakayanagi, but shot Hashimoto a glare. On the other hand, Kanzaki studied the Class A group with extreme caution and curiosity. Usually, Ichinose would be there as the de facto leader of Class B, but due to her absence, Kanzaki was the next best student for leadership in Class B. Suzune looked a little surprised and slightly overwhelmed by the amount of class leaders and influential people in her classroom as it seemed to be a meeting of the ages.
“Sup, King!” said Hashimoto, nodding at Ayanokouji brightly.
Hashimoto’s comments caused some of the male students in the crowd to snicker out loud as most of the first-years were living witnesses of that historical moment. Some of the other male students from the different years nodded their heads in appreciation and respect as if they understood the reference. Ayanokouji was starting to regret showing off his mighty weapon as it was causing more harm than good.
“Ara!~ It seems that you’re having a rough time, Ayanokouji-kun. You don’t seem to look like your typical casanova, but looks can be deceiving.” said Sakayanagi, turning her attention towards Ayanokouji. Her eyes sparkled with amusement as if she was amused by the absurdity of the situation that Ayanokouji was in and knew that there’s something more to this.
“Oh yeah! You’re right, princess. Ayanokouji, you’ve been hanging out with so many girls from the other classes, right?” asked Hashimoto, chirping in support for Sakayanagi.
“I can’t deny that. I suppose it’s true.” replied Ayanokouji. There was no point in Ayanokouji denying it as he was already well-known and seen with so many different girls from the other classes. As soon as Ayanokouji said that, there was some small commotion in the crowd as they responded to Ayanokouji’s confirmation.
“Hahaha! I didn’t think that you would straight out admit it. How many girls is it?!”
“Uhh… I don’t know. I don’t keep track of it.”
“Damn! You’ve been with so many girls that you’ve lost count?!”
There was a bit of commotion in the crowd as some of them were shocked while others were already used to it. This could easily be connected to the recent rumors about Ayanokouji and he wondered if that’s what Hashimoto was aiming for.
“I mean… it’s not something someone should keep track of, right?” replied Ayanokouji, trying not to escalate the station as it seems that Hashimoto was trying to create more chaos.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. But-” said Hashimoto.
“Enough of this. What brings you here, Sakayanagi?’ asked Manabu, interrupting Hashimoto and turning towards Sakayanagi.
“Something interesting has gotten my attention. It would seem that it has caused quite a stir within our school.” said Sakayanagi, tapping her cane on the ground. The clacking noises echoed in the silent classroom as it put more emphasis in her words.
“Indeed. I intend to find the bottom of this and restore peace and order. I don’t suppose that you want the same thing as me.”
“I intend to watch what happens. Whether it’s the truth or not. After all, this school is never boring to me.”
“I see…”
“Now, now Horikita-senpai, You -” said Nagumo, stepping into the conversation.
Ayanokouji stopped paying attention towards their conversation, but he noticed that almost everyone was tuning in on their conversation. All three leaders of Class A were having a conversation and they were all influential students in their own ways. Ayanokouji was more preoccupied with the conversation between Hashimoto and Ishizaki.
“Hashimoto, you jerk! You were the one spreading the rumors about Ayanokouji and the girls?!” demanded Ishizaki.
Ishizaki stepped forward towards Hashimoto aggressively. In response, Kito stepped forward while massaging his hand as if he’s ready to take his gloves off. Albert, who was silent as usual, noticed Kito’s movement and stepped forward to face him, but kept his arms crossed and silently gazed on. The nearby students shifted away from them as if they could sense a growing conflict between them.
“Ishizaki… Why are you so insistent on accusing me? It was like that last time.” said Hashimoto, sighing.
“Don’t give me that bullshit! Was it under Sakayanagi’s orders?!” snapped Ishizaki.
“Just because you dealt with Ryuuen and took over as leader doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want to other people. I’m not some pushover like you.”
“Why you?!”
Ishizaki stopped forwards and Kito immediately placed himself in front of Hashimoto, blocking Ishizaki’s way. He already removed his gloves and looked ready to strike or defend himself. Albert, who recognized what's going on, immediately stopped forward and placed his arm in front of Ishizaki, blocking him.
“Albert?” said Ishizaki.
Ishizaki hesitated and glanced towards his friend. The duo seemed to be having a silent conversation with their eyes and Ayanokouji wondered how Ishizaki could tell what Albert was saying without any words and his dark sunglasses obstructed the view of Albert’s eyes. The duo’s silent conversation lasted for a few brief moments before Ishizaki sighed heavily and grunted loudly as it seemed that he had no intention in fighting anyone.
“Ugh!! Stop pissing me off, Hashimoto. I’ll deal with you later.” said Ishizaki, still sounding frustrated.
“Calm down, dude. I have nothing to do it this.” said Hashimoto.
“Bullshit!”
Ayanokouji turned his attention back towards the conversation between Sakayanagi, Manabu, and Nagumo. It would seem that they had reached their climax and suddenly, they turned their attention towards Ayanokouji. It would seem that they’re going to involve him in their conversation this time.
“Ayanokouji-kun, you seemed to be involved with quite a number of girls. I’m not here to criticize you about your actions, but if any word of this gets leaked out, this will damage the school’s pristine reputation. Don’t you think about addressing the rumors before it gets out of hand?” asked Sakayanagi.
Ayanokouji noticed the strange tone in her voice as if she was trying to subtly convince him to address the issues which will ruin his plans. It was like Sakayanagi was trying to sabotage his plans.
“As I said before, I don’t want to ruin the privacy that I value and the other girls. I’m not going to comment on it. It’s up to you and the school whether or not you believe me or not.” said Ayanokouji, giving another vague answer.
“I see…” said Sakayanagi.
With everyone present, Ayanokouji basically gave his response to the entire school as he didn’t want to repeat the same lackluster response as this is all going according to his plan. Sakayanagi giggled at his response, but she didn’t say anything else as she was made clear about Ayanokouji’s stance about the rumors. The other students groaned or sighed as they were used to the same lackluster response that he gave already.
Before anyone else could say anything else, the bell rang which signaled the end of lunch time. Some of the students began leaving the classroom, but a majority of them wanted to stay and finish watching more of the conversation and unfolding scene. Nagumo, who had been silent, stepped forward, clapped his hands, and spoke up as he drew everyone’s attention.
“All right, everyone! It’s about time to get back to your classrooms. You don't want to be late for your class, right?” said Nagumo.
With that, everyone slowly began to leave the classroom and the cramped and busy classroom slowly emptied out. This gave Ayanokouji and his fellow classmates enough room to return back to their respective seats, but that didn’t stop the chatter as they discussed what just happened.
Sakyanagi gave Ayanokouji one final look before leaving with her entourage. Hashimoto winked at him before following Sakayanagi out of the classroom. Ishizaki glared at Hashimoto’s retreating figure and muttered a few curses before leaving with his classmates. He didn’t even give Ayanokouji one final look and simply left. Kanzaki muttered something to Suzune before leaving with the rest of Class B, but Ayanokouji could see the concern on his face as it seemed like they were worried about Ichinose.
Manabu gave Ayanokouji one last knowing look before leaving his classmates as he totally ignored his younger sister which seemed to hurt Suzune. Ayanokouji was met with hostile gazes from some of the third-year students. He could feel the intensity of Akane’s gaze and knew that he would have to pay for his actions in the future.
Nagumo glanced over at Ayanokouji with a smirk as if the duo were sharing a secret that nobody else knows before taking his leave. Ayanokouji was relieved that everything turned out to be okay as it didn’t disrupt his plans. However, he could tell that nobody was satisfied after this exchange, especially his soulmates.
Within a minute, the classroom was clear as everyone not in the class had already left. It was like everything had returned back to normal, but it didn’t stop the chatter in the classroom. Ayanokouji’s classmates were discussing the rumors and what just happened as glances were being directed at Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji remained stoic as usual and tried his best to ignore all the chatter and glances that were being directed at him. He knew that he would have to endure this a little longer before the fruits of his labor would come to fruition. After a few more minutes, Hoshinomiya-sensei entered the classroom with her usual cheerful self.
However, Ayanokouji could notice a huge difference in her attitude as she tried her best to hide her uneasiness and conflicting emotions. Hoshinomiya-sensei glanced over at Ayanokouji for a brief moment before turning her focus back to the class. He had the feeling that something big was going to happen based on Hoshinomiya-sensei’s glances.
**Timeskip (after school)**
As the bell rang for one final time which signaled the end of school, some students began to leave the classroom with their usual group while others stayed in the classroom. Ayanokouji was looking around and before he could decide what to do, he heard someone approaching his desk. It was Sakagami-sensei.
“Ayanokouji, please come with me to the faculty room.” said Sakagami-sensei.
“Am I in trouble?” asked Ayanokouji.
“That’s… complicated. Please follow me.”
Ayanokouji nodded his head and made sure that he had everything packed up before following Sakagami-sensei out of the classroom. This got the attention of his fellow classmates as they gave him curious glances and whispered amongst each other, but all they could do was watch and give their speculations.
As they walked through the hallway, Ayanokouji could see that he was getting a few glances from his fellow students. It was quite strange seeing a student being escorted by a teacher, especially during the end of school. The duo didn’t say anything to each other as they weren’t exactly close. Eventually, they reached the faculty room where Sakagami-sensei opened the door and ushered Ayanokouji in.
As soon as Ayanokouji entered the faculty room, his eyes wandered around as it’s his first time inside of the faculty room. The room is spacious and rectangular as it is brightly lit by rows of fluorescent lights mounted in the ceiling. Large windows line one side as it lets in steady daylight filtered through thin curtains and partially opened blinds.
There are numerous desks arranged in neat rows with each desk belonging to a teacher and facing the same general direction, creating a sense of unity and efficiency. The desks are functional and compact as they are topped with stacks of graded papers, textbooks, lesson planners, attendance sheets, neatly labeled folders, and other miscellaneous items. Some desks have desktop computers or laptops while others feature intercom phones connected to classrooms and the main office.
Along the walls, tall metal cabinets hold teaching materials, exam papers, and shared supplies as each door is marked with handwritten labels. A large whiteboard displays announcements, class schedules, duty rosters, and printed notices secured with colorful magnets. A clock mounted above it ticks steadily. Near one corner, a small counter holds an electric kettle, cups, and jars of instant coffee and tea.
After scanning his environment, Ayanokouji noticed that none of the teachers were at their desks which was strange. Sakagami-sensei led him deeper into the faculty room as he led him towards another room. After knocking on the door, Sakagami-sensei opened the door and ushered Ayanokouji inside.
When Ayanokouji entered the room, he could see long rectangular tables arranged end-to-end with matching chairs. At the front of the room, a whiteboard and projector screen mounted on the wall. A wall clock is positioned nearby and is clearly visible. Along the sides of the room, low cabinets or shelves store binders, meeting materials, and spare stationery. Labels are printed or neatly handwritten, reinforcing the room’s organized appearance.
Ayanokouji noticed that most of the teachers, principal, and Chairman Sakayanagi were present in the room as they were sitting down at the tables. He gazed at them as he noted that most of the teachers throughout the years were present. Sakagami-sensei directed Ayanokouji to a seat where he found himself sitting next to Chabashira-sensei, his homeroom teacher. Everyone was silent, but Ayanokouji could feel the stares of everyone being cast upon him.
“Welcome, Kiyotaka-kun. I’m sure you’re confused on why you’re here, but please give us a few minutes before we get started.” said Chairman Sakayanagi, addressing him and breaking the silence.
Ayanokouji nodded in response, but he already knew why he was called here and why so many teachers, the principal, and the chairman were present. It was something that he expected and was a part of his plan. He remained silent as he patiently waited. Within a few minutes, more teachers arrived at the meeting and Ayanokouji counted and noticed that all of the teachers from all the years had arrived and were present in the meeting. Chairman Sakayanagi cleared his throat before starting the meeting as a faculty member started writing in a notebook as if they’re keeping track of the meeting notes.
“Hello, everyone. This meeting will now begin. Do you know why we called you here, Kiyotaka-kun?” asked Chairman Sakayanagi, turning his attention towards Ayanokouji.
“Uhh… Is it about the rumors?” asked Ayanokouji, feigning ignorance and innocence at the same time.
“Precsily. I’m sure you all heard about the rumors lately. The rumors made their first appearance a few days ago by an anonymous user. It’s been posted on the school forums and online bulletin board where it has gained traction. The content of the posts focused around Kiyotaka-kun and claims that he had been engaging in sexual and explicit activities with various female students and teachers.”
Chairman Sakayanagi’s statement echoed in the silence of the meeting room. A few teachers were aware about some of the rumors, but none of them knew the full scope of the rumors as they didn’t engage in online activities with their students. After the explanation, everyone was left stunned by the severity of the situation and Ayanokouji could feel the stares from his teachers.
“Before you can elaborate further, Chairman, may I ask about the identity of the anonymous user that has been posting these rumors?” asked Miyashita-sensei, bringing up a good point.
“No. The identity of the poster is still unknown. We have suspended the account and the poster can no longer access the school forums and online bulletin board to male any post or comments.” said Chairman Sakayanagi.
“That might explain the disturbance I felt in my class.”
“Ahhh… High school youth!!”
“I’m sorry, but did you say teachers as well?!”
The teachers were expressing their opinions and disbelief as some of the teachers were slowly coming to terms and understanding the full scope of the rumors. They began glancing at each other as they were thinking about the rumors that might involve their fellow co-workers. It was quite a frightening thought as their careers and reputation is on the line if it’s true.
“To make it clear, we have not determined the authenticity of the rumors. This is why we have called everyone and Kiyotaka-kun here. The rumors mentioned were brought up to me yesterday by Chabashira-sensei, who heard about it during homeroom. Today’s rumors involve Sawada-sensei and Himura-sensei. We’re here to simply confirm the authenticity of the rumors as we will launch a thorough investigation." said Chairman Sakayanagi.
Sawada-sensei and Himura-sensei looked stunned and flabbergasted that they were involved in the rumors as they exchanged glances with each other. Some of the other teachers who were not aware of the rumors turned their attention and glances towards them. There were also glances being directed at Chabashira-sensei as all three teachers involved in the rumors were getting stares from their fellow co-workers and boss.
“Kiyotaka-kun, were you involved with Chabashira-sensei, Sawada-sensei, and Himura-sensei?” asked Chairman Sakayanagi, turning his attention towards Ayanokouji.
“Yes, I was involved with Chabashira-sensei.” said Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji’s answers left everyone stunned as nobody would’ve expected the stoic and cold Chabashira-sensei to be that involved with one of her students. Everyone in the room immediately turned their attention towards Chabashira-sensei, who looked flustered and flabbergasted that Ayanokouji would even say something like this. Her face turned pale as she realized that her career as a teacher might be over by a simple sentence. Meanwhile, her fellow co-workers began to speak out.
“Chabashira-sensei?! How dare you?!”
“Is age just a number to you?!”
“Sae-chan?! You’re doing this again?! Putting your feelings first?!”
“That’s… illegal!”
Chabashira-sensei was facing a lot of backlash and criticism from her fellow teachers as they couldn’t believe that she would cross the line with a student. It was one of the most unforgivable actions you could do as a teacher. Ayanokouji noticed that Hoshinomiya-sensei was giving Chabashira-sensei quite an enraged, cold look as if she has stolen something precious from her.
“Isn’t it strange for homeroom teachers to not be involved with their students? I’m sure all of you do, right? Mashima-sensei, you’re pretty involved with your students.” said Ayanokouji, confused by their strong and abrasive reactions.
However, this caused another strong ration from the teachers as another teacher was named. Mashima-sensei protested and objected to Ayanokouji’s comments as his face turned pale. Most of the teachers turned their attention towards Mashima-sensei as it looks like nobody expected that from him. Chairman Sakayanagi remained silent as he observed this unfolding catholic situation with interest as he had a bad feeling about this.
“W-What?! I would never cross the line with my students!” protested Mashima-sensei.
“Wait?! Did he say homeroom teachers?! You mean all of us?!”
“No… No! I’m definitely not involved like that with my students!!”
“Don’t lump us together!”
“Kiyotaka-kun… I may have misspoken and forgot to add if you were sexually involved with Chabashira-sensei. I’m sorry for not clarifying that with you.” said Chairman Sakayanagi, noticing the chaos and panic that was spreading. He must’ve realized his mistake which might’ve caused some misunderstandings with deadly consequences.
“In that case, no. I was not involved sexually with Chabashira-sensei.” said Ayanokouji, clarifying himself.
This immediately deescalated the tense situation as almost everyone fell into silence as they realized what was going on. Mashima-sensei and Chabashira-sensei both breathed a sigh of relief as they both dodged a bullet to their careers. Ayanokouji was met with a barrage of glances as he nearly caused a catastrophe, but he was met with a cold glare by Chabashira-sensei.
“Thank you, Kiyotaka-kun. We would need to launch a full investigation on all of the rumors involving the various students and teachers mentioned. Of course, we won’t breach your privacy to ask about every detail regarding your relationship with the students involved in the rumors. However, we would need to look into your history with them. Of course, everything will follow procedure and wouldn’t be shared with anyone.” said Chairman Sakayanagi.
“I understand… It’s not like I have a choice in the matter.” said Ayanokouji.
“I will just conduct some basic questions that we can easily follow up on. Don’t worry, it will not be shared with anyone.”
“I’m ready…”
Ayanokouji observed Chairman Sakayanagi and concluded that this is the result he wanted. He wanted the school to be involved and it took some time to enact his plan, but in the end, he got what he wanted. All he needed to do was cooperate and wait for the school’s investigation to be finished.
Ayanokouji spent some time answering a few questions as Chairman Sakayanagi asked him about the relationship between the students and teachers mentioned in the rumors and his past activities with them. Of course, he didn’t go into much detail as it’s only the relevant information, but since there was nothing to go off of, the school would need to do their own internal investigation rather than just interviewing Ayanokouji. Eventually, their question ended and Ayanokouji was free to go. It would seem that everyone else in the room is staying and probably having further discussion about the rumors and Ayanokouji’s intel.
“Thank you for your corporation, Kiyotaka-kun.” said Chairman Sakayanagi.
“If you’ll excuse me.” said Ayanokouji, giving them a short bow before exiting the meeting room.
As soon as Ayanokouji closed the door, he could hear hushed conversation through the door, but he couldn't make out the exact words. There wasn’t anything else he could do and he would run the risk of being caught if he stayed here and attempted to eavesdrop on their conversation. With that, Ayanokouji exited the faculty room and began heading towards the exit of the school building.
There were still some students in the school and nobody really gave Ayanokouji a second glance, but it seemed that a majority of students were either back at the dorms, outside of school, or doing their club activities. When Ayanokouji exited the school building, he noticed a strange occurrence. He noticed the Ayanokouji Group, who should be hanging out in the mall or studying together, frantically walking around the corner and towards the gym.
Out of curiosity, Ayanokouji decided to follow them discreetly. He was curious and didn’t want to be caught following them. As he discreetly followed them, Ayanokouji noticed that the Ayanokouji Group members were following another set of students and he immediately knew that this was going to be some trouble.
It was students from Class A and D. More importantly, Ayanokouji could see Hashimoto and Kito from Class A along with Ishizaki, Albert, Ibuki, and Shiina from Class D. Based on what happened earlier during lunch time, Ayanokouji figured that there was bound to be trouble as he quick;y caught up to the rest of the Ayanokouji Group.
“Hey.” said Ayanokouji, making his presence known. Everyone turned around to face him and were surprised by his sudden appearance.
“Kiyotaka? You’re back?” said Akito.
“Well, well! What did Sakagami-sensei want from you?” asked Haruka, excitedly as if she wanted to get the fresh, big scoop from Ayanokouji.
“I’ll tell you guys later about it. What’s happening right now?” asked Ayanokouji, nodding towards the other students.
“We were trying to wait for you, but we decided to go. Then, we saw them outside and it looked like something big was going to happen. And of course, Akito wanted to follow them to stop them from fighting.” said Keisei.
“We may have to step in if things go south, Kiyotaka.” said Akito.
“B-Be careful!” said Airi, nervously.
The Ayanokouji Group turned their attention towards the other students as it seems that things are heating up. Ishizaki and Hashimoto stepped forward as they initiated their conversation.
“Yo, Ishizaki. So what the heck did you wanna talk about with me, anyway?” asked Hashimoto, seeming the same as always.
“What do I want to talk about? You already know what this is about, Hashimoto! And what are you thinkin’, bringin’ Kito along with you? I told ya to come alone, didn’t I?” said Ishizaki.
“Well, you brought Albert with you, didn’t you? Just taking precautions.”
The air was tense like everyone was on tenterhooks. Looking at the current situation, it was hard to imagine the two of them had been rooming together just a little while ago at the school camp, but the reasons why things had gotten to be like this were plain to see.
“We just came to talk today. Isn’t that right, Ishizaki-kun?” said Shiina.
“Well, as long as they don’t make a scene, then I suppose everything will be fine.” said Hashimoto.
“But...”
“But what about those other people? I didn’t know you invited other people out here aside from us.” said Ishizaki.
Hashimoto looked over at the Ayanokouji Group and let out an exasperated sigh. It seems that both Class A and D were uncomfortable by their presence. They were a little surprised to see Ayanokouji, who just randomly showed up at the last minute.
“Dunno about them. Aren’t you the ones who called them?” said Hashimoto.
“We have to get involved if things get nasty, Kiyotaka. I just remembered that time when Kanzaki and Hashimoto were going at it. And then I just ‘happened’ to see you guys heading away from campus, so I thought that maybe... Well.” said Akitp, standing next to Ayanokouji.
“There’s way more people here than there was last time. Things might get pretty rough...” replied Ayanokouji.
“Ah, come on, why do we keep getting into these kinds of dangerous situations all the time?” said Haruka, apparently exasperated.
“Well, whatever. It doesn’t matter who called them here. So let’s hear what you have to say, Shiina-chan.” said Hashimoto.
“It’s about the rumors. You Class-A people are the ones who’ve been starting them, aren’t you?” said Shiina, deciding this would result in a fistfight if she left it to Ishizaki to handle the conversation.
“Hey, hey, why are you asking us something like that?”
“That’s friggin’-” said Ishizaki.
“Please leave this to me, Ishizaki-kun. I happened to overhear Kanzaki-kun saying that he saw you spreading rumors about Ichinose-san.” said Shiina, gently stopping Ishizaki from angrily shouting back.
“Wow, he’s a blabbermouth, huh? Or maybe you happened to hear that from them over there?” replied Hashimoto, glancing over towards the Ayanokouji Group.
“Please answer the question, Hashimoto-kun.”
“...Well, Ayanokouji and Miyake know, so I’ll just come out and say it, I suppose. I heard these rumors about Ichinose somewhere, and I just decided to repeat them a bunch, just ’cause I thought it’d be amusing.”
“That’s a rather convenient excuse. Do you really think something like that is still going to fly?” said Ishizaki.
“Excuse? It’s the truth. I guess if it’s wrong to repeat rumors ’cause it amuses you, then I’m the bad guy. Still, it’s strange, isn’t it? That Class D, who should have nothing to do with this, would just swoop into this whole situation? Is it possible that...it’s actually you Class-D folks who are the ones spreading those rumors?”
“You’ve got to be friggin’ kidding me. We already know that Sakayanagi is the one spreading these rumors!”
“Don’t be so quick to assume that. Sure, it’s true that our leader is the aggressive type. There are times when she, against her better judgment, says things that’ll provoke people. Says things against Ichinose too. I mean, I guess I understand how you feel. I understand why you wanna read way too much into things and selfishly decide that she was the source of the rumors. But we’ve got nothing to do with it. Besides, you don’t actually have any proof, do you?”
Ishizaki was clearly frustrated by Hashimoto’s words, but Hashimoto wasn’t wrong. As of now, there was no conclusive evidence suggesting that it was Sakayanagi who had put the letters in the mailboxes or posted the rumors on the online bulletin boards.
“So that’s what today’s about. You guys wanted to press me about this whole thing, huh? Gotta say, I had no idea that you Class-D folks had Ichinose’s back.” said Hashimoto. Ishizaki and his group glared in response. Hashimoto let out a sigh as if to show he understood the situation he was in.
“There’s no point in trying to fool us. You haven’t just been spreadin’ crap about Ichinose. You’ve been makin’ up stuff about us too.” said Ishizaki.
“I see. So that’s the reason, huh? You don’t really care about Ichinose. You just don’t like that Class D got caught up in these rumors. I mean don’t you think that’s entertaining?”
The moment those words passed Hashimoto’s lips, Ishizaki snapped. Shiina hurriedly grabbed Ishizaki’s arm, holding him back before he could pounce on Hashimoto. Ishizaki’s fury was inevitable from the result of being in a situation like this. Hashimoto, showing no signs of backing down, continued speaking.
“But seriously, I’m amazed that you came up with all of these rumors. Come on, tell me how you managed to sniff out all this stuff about other people, not just Ichinose?” said Hashimoto.
“Stop screwing with us, Hashimoto!” snarled Ishizaki.
“Wait, Ishizaki!” said Akito, thinking that Shiina wouldn’t be able to hold Ishizaki back on her own, hurriedly tried to stop him.
“Don’t try to stop me, Miyake! Like hell I’m just gonna sit here and let Class A just keep doing whatever they feel like!! I’m gonna punch his lights out!”
“Knock it off, Ishizaki. You’re the one who’ll get hurt, understand? You’re probably confident in your fighting skills, but I can throw down pretty well myself, you know?” said Kito, quietly taking one step forward and putting his fists up in a fighting stance, readying himself against Ishizaki and Albert. It looked like he was ready to accept their challenge, should the situation call for it.
“Cut it out, you guys. You all know how mad the school gets when it comes to fights.” said Akito, trying to calm things down, while standing at a distance.
“Until now, that is.”
“Until now?”
“I’ve heard that the current student council president is actually willing to tolerate a little bad behavior here and there. Get it?”
Hashimoto closed the distance between himself and Ishizaki, launching his right leg into a kick. Akito blocked it with his left arm.
“Tch... S-Seriously? Jeez, it seems like anything’s possible with this president.” said Akito. Hashimoto’s word alone wasn’t enough to convince Akito that the ban on fighting had been lifted, which was precisely why Hashimoto went on to prove it by taking the initiative himself.
“Not bad, Miyake. Man, it’s no wonder you were so confident when you said you could stop us from fighting.” said Hashimoto, taking his distance once again. The atmosphere became even more tense than it was before. That feeling of pins and needles washed over everyone.
“Fighting is not okay.” said Shiina.
“I know. I didn’t come here to fight with you guys. That was just my way of proving to you that we have the power to defend ourselves.” replied Hashimoto.
“...Can we trust you?”
Hashimoto nodded, looking Shiina in the eyes. And yet, no one believed him.
“Come on, enough already, Shiina. This guy lies without even batting an eyelash. No matter how you think about it, it was Class A who spread these rumors. The proof is that Class A was the only one not targeted by the rumors.” said Ibuki.
“But... isn’t that also precisely why it’s possible that they’re not the ones responsible?” said Shiina.
“It’s just like Shiina-chan says. If we were the ones who spread the rumors, wouldn’t we have made sure to post something on the Class A bulletin board too, to deflect suspicion?” replied Hashimoto.
“I’m not so sure about that. I can’t imagine every student in Class A knows Sakayanagi was the person behind those rumors about Ichinose. If rumors targeting Class A surfaced, it would naturally cause confusion within the class.” said Akito.
“Well, I can’t really say that your reasoning is off there, to be sure. But it’s probatio diabolica, isn’t it?”
Despite the fact that their actions were extremely suspicious, there was no evidence to prove their guilt. Meanwhile, it was equally difficult for them to prove their innocence. Everything seems to be at a standstill with no sides coming out on top.
“The only way we’re going to get the truth out of them is if we let our fists do the talking.” said Ibuki, cracking her knuckles and looking ready to fight.
“Whoa, hey now. Knock it off, Ibuki-chan. Even if we fight, you’re not going to get anything out of it, you know?” said Hashimoto.
“Telling us to stop after you were just trying to pick a fight with us yourself, huh? You’ve got a lot of nerve.”
“We’ve got nothing to do with this. Believe me.”
Hashimoto let loose a laugh, but Ibuki wasn’t smiling. On the contrary, she seemed to be trying her absolute hardest to hold back her anger. Of course, she was one of the girls in the rumors which explains why she wasn’t even glancing at Ayanokouji’s direction.
“You...think you can make fun of us just because Ryuuen quit being our leader, huh?” said Ishizaki. He must have reached the limits of his patience because he pushed past Akito. Then, as if moving in lockstep with Ishizaki, Ibuki went to stand in front of Hashimoto and Kitou.
“Wait, wait a second! Seriously!” said Hashimoto, realizing that things are escalating quicker than he expected.
“Make Sakayanagi apologize both for the rumors about Ichinose and the rumors about us.” said Ishizaki.
“You’ve got it wrong. We didn’t spread the rumors.”
“Stop laughing!”
Ishizaki kicked the railing as hard as he could as if he’s trying to intimidate him. Hashimoto was beginning to understand that he couldn’t control the situation anymore.
“...Okay, so what’re you going to do about it?” said Hashimoto.
“Ain’t that obvious? I’ll shut you up by force.” growled Ishizaki.
“You seriously think you can do that?”
“Yep. And if you don’t want that, then you better go make her take those rumors back, right now.”
“I keep telling you, we didn’t start those rumors.”
“This ain’t something to laugh about.”
“Sorry, sorry. It’s just that this is just too absurd for me to even comprehend.”
“In that case, you’ll just have to let us talk to Sakayanagi herself.”
“You? Yeah, no way. Kito, we might not have any other choice.” said Hashimoto, waving his hand as if he was dismissing the very idea that Sakayanagi would meet with them. He turned his attention to Kito. Kito, who’d been preparing himself for this, nodded his head and assumed a fighting stance right after.
“Hah!” shouted Ishizaki, rushing at Kito, attempting to tackle him. Right beside him, Ibuki delivered a flying kick at Hashimoto, which he rushed to avoid in a panic.
“Christ!” shouted Hashimoto.
Because of her powerful jump, Ibuki’s cell phone and student ID card fell out of her pocket and hit the ground. Realizing she was faster and stronger than he’d imagined, Hashimoto’s expression showed that he sensed the danger he was in.
“Wow, you’re much more used to fighting than I remember, Ibuki-chan… Guess I forgot about that.” said Hashimoto.
“Stop it, everyone!” shouted Akito, picking up the cell phone that lay on the ground nearby.
However, the Class-D students showed no signs of stopping. Ibuki didn’t seem at all fazed that her phone might be damaged. Ayanokouji reached out and grabbed her student ID, which had fallen near his feet, lowered his eyes without thinking to look at it. Naturally, she wasn’t smiling in the picture. She had her usual brusque, stiff expression on her face.
“How do we stop this?” asked Ayanokouji, observing the fight.
“That’s a good question. I think jumping in is the worst possible idea.” muttered Keisei. The fight had already turned into a two-versus-two situation and it looked like round two was about to begin.
“He’s right, we should stay out of it.”
“It looks dangerous, Kiyotaka-kun...”
Haruka and Airi spoke up, saying that they should stay out of it. Apparently, they don’t want anyone to get hurt trying to stop this conflict that doesn’t affect their class. It was only Class A’s and D’s scuffle.
“I suppose you’re right. Leaving it to Akito is probably the wise choice.” said Ayanokouji.
Akito intervened to try to stop the next assault as Ayanokouji was observing his skills as a fighter compared to everyone else.
“Don’t get in the way, Miyake!” said Ishizaki, attempting to shove him out of the way with brute force, but Akito grabbed his hand and forcefully pushed Ishizaki down.
“Hey, you jerk, let go!” growled Ishizaki.
“Sorry, Ishizaki. I don’t hate guys like you or anything, but I gotta stop you.”
“Back off!” shouted Ibuki, aiming a kick at Akito’s head.
Akito hurriedly moved away from Ishizaki, just barely dodging Ibuki’s foot by the skin of his teeth, but he lost his balance in the process. Albert then grabbed Akito with his large arms.
“Hold him, Albert.” said Ibuki.
“Grr...”
There was no way for Akito to break free of Albert’s monstrously strong grip. Class D had determined that they wouldn’t lose as long as they managed to keep this fight two-on-two.
“Ibuki!” shouted Ishizaki. At the same time, Kito thrust his hand forward, aiming at Ibuki’s neck.
“Don’t underestimate me!” shouted Ibuki, reacting to Kitou’s attack by kicking his hand away.
“They’re going at it for real... What do we do?” muttered Keisei, in shock by the intensity of the fighting. The Ayanokouji Group could only watch, unable to stop them.
“Well, nothing we can really do about it now, since the fight’s started, but you Class-C guys are really in the way here...” said Hashimoto, looking over at the Ayanokouji Group while still keeping an eye on Ishizaki, who had just gotten back up.
“We happened to come here by coincidence, but there is something that we’d like to say. One of our friends... Ayanokouji has been targeted and affected by these rumors, just like Ishizaki and the others.” said Keisei. When he appealed to Hashimoto, Airi, who was standing next to him, nodded enthusiastically.
“I hate to say this, but I suspect you too, Hashimoto.” said Ayanokouji.
“I’m your opponent right now, Hashimoto!” said Ishizaki, charging at Hashimoto as he interrupted their conversation.
“Come on, dude... This is getting to be really annoying.” said Hashimoto, with a sigh.
“Please Ishizaki-kun, stop! Don’t do this anymore! At the very least, I cannot allow this.” said Shiina, speaking in a firm tone. Ishizaki, unable to ignore her, looked back at her with a troubled expression.
“B-But!” protested Ishizaki.
“Even if you do manage to beat Hashimoto-kun and Kito-kun in a fight and force them to confess, that won’t amount to real evidence. The person at the heart of the matter, Sakayanagi-san, still won’t admit to anything. Isn’t it enough that we couldn’t get them to confess?”
“So you’re telling us to just shut up and take it?”
“I know that is going to sound harsh, but yes. Please bear with it for now.”
“You’re the one who asked us to come with you, aren’t you? And yet you’re telling us to bear with it? That doesn’t make any sense!”
“I promise that I’ll make it up to you.”
Hashimoto let out a whistle, seemingly deeply interested in what he just heard.
“Oh, ho, so it wasn’t Ishizaki who set up this meeting, but you, Shiina-chan?” asked Hashimoto.
“Yamada-kun. Please let him go.” said Shiina, turning her attention towards Albert. Albert slowly released Akito, as instructed.
“We’ve really caused you guys from Class C a lot of trouble.” said Shiina, bowing deeply.
“Wow, okay, you think this is all over, just like that? Talk about one-sided. So what, you accuse us, try to beat us up, and we’re just supposed to accept it?” replied Hashimoto.
“Could you please forgive us?”
Hashimoto accepted what Shiina had to say. He must have known that there was nothing to be gained by pushing the issue. Almost immediately, the fight between Ibuki and Kito stopped, but Ayanokouji wondered who would’ve won if they continued fighting.
“Well, it’s not like we’re injured or anything. Let’s call it a day then, Kito. But please, stop single-mindedly blaming us. If you must accuse us, find some ironclad proof first, okay?”
Somehow, Shiina had successfully managed to bring the situation under control before it devolved into an all-out brawl. However, the relationship between Class A and the other classes had now deteriorated to the point where it was impossible to repair.
Akito rejoined the rest of the Ayanokouji Group as they watched as everyone began to disband. Hashimoto and Kito left in one direction while the rest of Class C left in another direction. Ayanokouji noticed that Shiina gave him a concerned and knowing look before leaving her classmates. Ibuki didn’t even give him a second glance despite being involved in the Ayanokouji’s rumors. Eventually, the Ayanokouji Group was left by themselves and standing in silence.
“Well… that was interesting.” said Ayanokouji, breaking the silence.
“That’s one way to put it…” muttered Keisei.
“You still think fights are still fun, Haruka?” asked Akito, turning his attention towards Haruka.
**Timeskip (a few hours later)**
Ayanokouji was sitting at the Keiyaki Mall by himself. He had spent some time with the Ayanokouji Group at the Keiyaki Mall before having dinner with them. It was an enjoyable time, but they were curious as to the reason why he was called by Sakagami-sensei after school.
Ayanokouji wasn’t sure if he should tell them that the school was doing an internal investigation about the rumors as he didn’t want the others to know before the school finishes it. He ended up telling them that it was to discuss the rumors with Mashima-sensei, Hoshinomiya-sensei, and Chabashira-sensei. It was partly the truth as they were present in the meeting, but it was all that Ayanokouji could manage.
That explanation seemed to have satisfied the members of the Ayanokouji Group as it seems plausible given the circumstances. The Ayanokouji Group ate out at a casual Japanese restaurant and this is the calm before the storm. They knew that life is going to be a lot tougher because of the end of year exams that are slowly creeping up on them.
After they finished eating, Ayanokouji received a message from a certain person that requested his help. He knew about the situation that they are in and realized that it was quite imperative for him to go help them. Luckily, Ayanokouji had plenty of excuses to leave the Ayanokouji Group and he watched as their retreating figure slowly disappeared from his view.
After confirming that the Ayanokouji Group had left and could no longer see him, Ayanokouji made his way to the rendezvous point. He didn’t want to keep that person waiting for too long as it sounded quite urgent and he had the feeling of the cause of urgency.
Ayanokouji walked into a cafe that was mentioned and entered it. He looked around the seating area for his target and eventually spotted her in the chaos of the cafe. He quickly approached her and noticed that she was alone.
“Nishikawa.” said Ayanokouji, greeting her.
“Ayanokouji-kun, thank goodness you’re here!” said Nishikawa, turning around and he could see the relief on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Y-You… You know Shimizu-kun, right?”
“Yeah. Wasn’t he the guy that wanted to confess to you?”
“Y-Yeah. It turns out he did and I… I rejected him.”
“Oh? What seems to be the problem then?”
“The problem is that since I rejected him, Shimizu-kun has asked for Hashimoto-kun’s help to… take revenge for me. You heard about the rumors that were going around? The ones that said I rejected him?”
“Well… I only heard a small glimpse about it. Sorry, but there were other more important rumors that people were talking about.”
“Ahh! I guess that’s true. Sorry for calling you out… I know that you were busy with that…”
Nishikawa’s face tightened as she realized that she was encroaching on a sensitive topic. It shows how well-known the rumors surrounding Ayanokouji are to the general student body. She knew despite Ayanokouji’s infamy and troubles, he had still agreed to help her with her problems, which she appreciated.
“It’s fine. If I recall, the rumors are that you were engaging in compensated dating with our senpais and that’s the reason you rejected Shimizu?” said Ayanokouji. He recalled hearing rumors about it since yesterday, but due to the intensity of Ayanokouji’s rumors, Nishikawa’s rumor didn’t get too much traction compared to his.
“Yeah. He’s basically taking me down with him, but I think people would care more and talk about me than his rejection.” replied Nishikawa, shifting around uncomfortably.
“Are you okay? Has Shimizu talked to you yet?”
“I’m fine… Nishi and Tamiya were concerned for me because they actually thought I did the whole compensated dating, but after hearing what happened, they were pretty annoyed by it. They wanted to confront and get even with Shimizu-kun, but I told them that I will take care of it. Tsukaji… well you know that she didn’t care about rumors at all.”
“I see… Good thing that they didn’t do anything, huh?”
“Yeah… Anyways, the reason that I called you here is… Shimizu-kun wanted to talk to me later. I just don’t feel comfortable going there myself and-”
“You want me to accompany you to make sure everything goes smoothly?”
“Y-Yeah… That’s the gist of it.”
“Okay.”
“Really?! Thanks, Ayanokouji-kun! I really owe you one!”
“When and where does he want to meet?”
“In about twenty minutes and outside of the Keiyaki Mall. I’ll take you there.”
“Do you know what he wants?”
“I think he wants to talk about our relationship and probably the rumors that he spread. I don’t know what he wants, to be honest. He just said that he wants to talk.”
“I understand. Are you ready?”
“Yeah… With you, I probably feel safer than going alone.”
With that, Nishikawa finished the last of her coffee as if she’s taking a drink of liquid courage. The duo quickly left the cafe and headed towards the exit of the Keiyaki Mall. Ayanokouji was at the mercy of Nishikawa as she knew the exact location for the rendezvous point. The duo walked in silence as they didn’t know what to say to each other and each step led to the problematic situation that Nishikawa found herself in.
Eventually, they exited the brightly lit Keiyaki Mall and down the main path. Nishikawa led Ayanokouji towards a hidden side path that wasn’t lit as it wrapped around the outskirts of the Keiyaki Mall. He wondered if it was a trap and whether or not he would end up getting mugged as he scanned the nearby surroundings, but it was quite hard to see very far due to the poor lighting.
Eventually, the duo arrived at a small clearing and their own lighting was the night sky and the nearby lights from the walls of the Keiyaki Mall. The clearing was empty and they were surrounded mostly by trees and Ayanokouji could see the faint outline of humanlike figures along with the sound of footsteps.
As the footsteps grew louder, Nishikawa tensed up and unknowingly leaned and stepped closer to Ayanokouji as if he’s her only hope and last line of defense. With a quick glance, anyone can tell that Nishikawa was extremely anxious about the meeting. Within a few more seconds, the duo could clearly see who’s approaching them. It was Shimizu and Hashimoto.
Almost immediately, Shimizu and Hashimoto recognized who Ayanokouji was. Shimizu did not look too pleased with his appearance as his eyes drifted between Nishikawa and Ayanokouji as he noted the close distance between the duo. On the other hand, Hashimoto looked intrigued and amused by the situation as his eyes lit up.
“Sup, King!” said Hashimoto.
“Ayanokouji! What are you doing here?!” asked Shimizu, glancing at Ayanokouji suspiciously.
“Nishikawa called for me. I’m just here to make sure that she’s safe. It looks like you brought some back-up too, Shimizu.” replied Ayanokouji, nodding towards Hashimoto.
“Touche.” said Hashimoto, with a smirk.
“Please just ignore me and continue on.”
“Enough of this! This doesn't involve you, Ayanokouji. Why don;t you take a hike?” asked Shimizu, sounding more annoyed than usual as he attempted to shoo Ayanokouji off with a wave of his hand.
“Shimizu-kun! Stop! I asked Ayanokouji-kun to be here for me! He… knows. What do you want from me? I already told you that I’m not interested in being your girlfriend!” said Nishikawa, stepping forward and drawing attention to herself as she made her intentions clear.
“So… I’ve heard. It’s such a shame that the rumors about you are true. A girl like you doing something like this?! You should be grateful that a nice guy like me is willing to go out with someone like you! How about we try again, Nishikawa? Surely, you don’t want more hideous rumors about your activities to come into the light!”
It was clear what Shimizu’s intentions were as he wanted to force Nishikawa into a relationship with him by using the power of rumors. Of course, people can still talk about his rejection from Nishikawa, but the bigger and juicier rumors are Nishikawa's alleged activities of compensated dating. Either Nishikawa would go out with Shimizu or more rumors about her alleged activities would be spread around, drawing attention from Shimizu’s failure. Either way, Shimizu will win.
Nishikawa paused and fell into silence as she recognized that she was in quite a sticky situation. It was a cruel way to get revenge on Nishikawa and Ayanokouji wondered if Hashimoto came up with the idea. Ayanokouji glanced over at Nishikawa and could see that her body was slightly trembling as she knew the consequences whether or not she accepted Shimizu’s proposal.
“W-Wait! Let’s not be unreasonable here, S-Shimizu-kun!” protested Nishikawa.
“Oh no. This seems pretty reasonable to me. You don’t want to make your school life too unreasonably difficult, right?” said Shimizu, sensing that he has the advantage over Nishikawa. It would seem that his confidence was riding high as he continued applying pressure.
“B-But…”
“Don’t you think it’s a good deal for you? You get to ride high and avoid these rumors? I mean how can a girl that’s involved in compensated dating have a boyfriend, right? And plus you’re dating me!”
Shimizu stepped forward with a surprising amount of aggression and speed as he quickly seized Nishikawa’s arm. Ayanokouji noticed that Nishikawa stiffened up with her eyes filled with surprise, fear, and despair. She yelped out loud and seemed to be frozen in fear as her eyes drifted to her arm, but he noticed that she had a strange fixation on her right arm, the arm that was grabbed by Shimizu. Her eyes seemed to be fixed on a certain spot on the arm as it was near the wrist and lower arm which Ayanokouji suspected that she was hiding something near that area.
Shimizu continued to hold Nishikawa by her arm as it seemed that she was frozen in fear and whatever she was hiding. She was trying her best to hide it and not draw any attention to it, but Ayanokouji noticed it immediately. Shimizu chuckled as he took silence as consent before reaching towards her with his other hand. Ayanokouji knew that he couldn’t stand idly by and would have to interfere.
As Shimizu reached out his hand, Nishikawa closed her eyes and leaned away from him as she attempted to make her body smaller. She was helpless due to Shimizu’s strong grip on her arm as it inches closer and closer to her. Ayanokouji stepped forward with lighting speed and swung his arm in a perfect arc that came into contact with Shimizu’s approaching arm. He swung with a decent amount of force as it smacked and parried Shimizu’s arm away from Nishikawa.
Shimizu was taken aback by Ayanokouji’s sudden and quick action as he felt the stinging pain on his hand as he let go of Nishikawa’s arm and lurched backwards. He yelped in pain as he took another step back while massaging his hand. Ayanokouji didn’t use too much of his strength as he didn’t want to hurt Shimizu and show off too much of abilities to everyone. Shimizu glared at Ayanokouji with an annoyed expression as he wasn’t pleased that he had interfered with him.
“Ayanokouji…” growled Shimizu. Hashimoto whistled and looked intrigued by Ayanokouji’s speed and action, but he didn’t step forward to interfere.
“A-Ayanokouji-kun?!” muttered Nishikawa.
Nishikawa still looked stunned by everything, but she managed to retreat and hide behind Ayanokouji as he took a step forward, putting himself in between Nishikawa and Shimizu. Ayanokouji could feel Nishikawa’s trembling hands gripping tightly on his arm and judging based on her trembling and how strong her grip was, it was clear that she was terrified.
“I think that’s far enough, Shimizu.” said Ayanokouji, staring him down.
“This doesn’t involve you at all. Stay out of it.” grunted Shimizu.
“Nishikawa is my friend and you tried to do something to her. I won’t allow it.”
“Grr… Why must you stand in the way of every boy?!”
“I’m not standing in your way. Nishikawa rejected your advances, yet you keep forcing yourself on her. As a friend, I’m concerned for her safety and you’re clearly someone that doesn’t take no as an answer.”
“Tch… Is that what you really want, Nishikawa?!”
Shimizu directed his question and attention towards Nishikawa, who was still trembling and hiding behind Ayanokouji. She hesitated for a moment as if she was trying to gather her courage and Ayanokouji patiently waited to see if she would respond. After a few seconds, Nishikawa stepped into view as she came out of hiding from behind Ayanokouji. She stepped forward and towards Shimizu. Ayanokouji noticed that her attitude and appearance had changed as it morphed from fearful to timid confidence and anger. Shimizu noticed the changes from Nishikawa and took a step backwards out of fear and anxiety.
“N-No! I have enough for this, Shimizu-kun! For the last time, I will not be your girlfriend and I’m sick of your pathetic attempts to get with me or take your revenge. Go ahead and spread whatever rumors you want. That still doesn't change the fact that I still won’t go out with you. Leave me alone!!” said Nishikawa, in a firm voice as he basically told Shimizu off.
Shimizu was left in shock as he stared at the duo in stunned silence. Hashimoto raised his eyebrows at Nishikawa’s newfound courage as she basically didn’t care about the rumors that potentially might be spread about her. Their plan has fallen apart as even though they could spread rumors about Nishikawa, she wouldn’t care about it and it doesn’t increase the Shimizu’s chance to become Nishikawa’s boyfriend.
“W-Why you-” said Shimizu. Before he could say anything else, Hashimoto stepped forward and spoke up, stopping him from continuing to speak.
“Hey, dude. Chill out. You don’t want to cause trouble for Sakayanagi with the rumors, do you now?” said Hashimoto, turning his attention towards Shimizu.
Shimizu hesitated as he was thinking about what Hashimoto said, but as soon as he realized that it could affect Sakayanagi, his face turned slightly pale. It seems like Sakayanagi had total command of her class and some of her classmates feared her intellect and abilities. Just being Sakayanagi-related, Shimizu had to concede immediately or face the consequences if he caused any more troubles.
“F-Fine. I don’t wanna piss her off at all.” said Shimizu, reluctantly backing off. That didn’t stop him from giving Ayanokouji a glare. He was giving Nishikawa a powerful look of admiration as it was clear that he still hadn't given up on her, but knew that there was nothing he could do for now.
“C’mon. Let’s get out of here. It’s been a pleasure as always, King.” said Hashimoto.
With that final farewell from Hashimoto, the duo left. Ayanokouji watched their retreating figure as they slowly disappeared into the darkness as if they were swallowed by it. Nishikawa, who had taken a step back and was still tightly onto Ayanokouji’s arm tightly, took a deep sigh of relief. Ayanokouji could see the relief wash over her face as it looked like all of the fear and anxiety that she had experienced throughout the confrontation had disappeared.
“Are you okay, Nishikawa?” asked Ayanokouji, turning his attention towards her.
“Y-Yeah. Just gotta catch my breath. T-Thank you… Thank you for the help, Ayanokouji-kun.” said Nishikawa. She took another deep breath to steel her nerves before giving him a thankful, but nerve-wracked smile.
“Not a problem. Just glad that you’re okay.”
“O-Oh! I’m going to let go of your arms now. Sorry for grabbing it for too tight and long!”
Nishikawa quickly released her steely grip from Ayanokouji’s arms. As Ayanokouji glanced over, he noticed that Nishikawa’s sleeves of her school uniform were wrinkled and disheveled as it revealed a bit of her skin. It was due to Shimizu’s rough treatment when he grabbed her before Ayanokouji stepped in.
Ayanokouji noticed that her right arm, the arm that she was visibly anxious about during the confrontation, was slightly visible as the sleeves were slightly disheveled and wrinkled which revealed something interesting for a brief second. It was something that contrasts her beautiful skin. Before Ayanokouji could say anything, Nishikawa quickly covered it up with a flustered expression.
“A-Anyways, I owe you big time, Ayanokouji-kun. Whatever you want, I’ll do it. Well-” said Nishikawa.
“If it’s within your power and you want to. Don’t worry. I won’t force you to do anything that you don’t want.” replied Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji noticed that Nishikawa was changing the topic to something else which meant that’s something that she didn’t want people to know about or wanted to talk about. To respect her wishes, he decided not to say anything and keep it to himself.
“T-Thank you… You’re really been a big help, Ayanokouji-kun. Thank you!” said Nishikawa, her voice cracking with emotion as she gave a deep bow to Ayanokouji.
“You’ve thanked me enough, Nishikawa.” said Ayanokouji.
“That’s not enough!”
“Well… I’ll let you know if I need anything.”
Nishikawa nodded her head happily and the duo quickly decided to leave the area. The duo began heading towards the direction of the first-year dorms and Ayanokouji noticed that her mood was rapidly changing as it morphed into a more relieved and joyful mood rather than a stressed and anxious mood.
The duo chatted about trivial topics as they continued walking towards the direction of the first-year dorms. Ayanokouji made sure to keep his eyes busy scanning the surroundings as he wanted to make sure that Nishikawa is safe even if he leaves her, but so far, it seems like nobody was following them. Ayanokouji didn’t say anything to Nishikawa as he didn’t want her to panic over nothing.
Eventually, the duo reached the brightly lit first-year dorms and Nishikawa took a sigh of relief as she seems to be relieved that she’s basically back at her room. The duo called the elevator and entered it together before selecting their respective floors. There were the only ones in the elevator as they remained in the silence for the entire ride. The door eventually opened up as it stopped on the 4th floor where Ayanokouji got off.
“Thank you again, Ayanokouji-kun. I won’t forget what you’ve done for me. T-Thank you!” said Nishikawa, giving her thanks to him again which showed off how thankful she was and how terrible the situation was for her own experience.
“It’s not a problem. That’s what friends are you, right?” asked Ayanokouji.
“Y-Yeah. Have a good night, Ayanokouji-kun.”
“Good night, Nishikawa. And one more thing… Please take care of yourself.”
“H-Huh?! Okay!”
With their final farewells, the elevator doors closed and Ayanokouji was left by himself. He couldn’t help, but to think about Nishikawa’s situation and what just happened. He wasn’t sure if she would still be safe, but nevertheless, she had stopped Shimizu’s advances for now. However, he noticed something alarming about Nishikawa and knew that it was something he would have to deal with later once she’s comfortable talking about it.
With nothing else to do for the night, Ayanokouji retreated back to his cozy and secluded safe space. As he headed to the bathroom to take a shower, he couldn’t help, but have the feeling that tomorrow was going to be the climax and the end of a very turbulent and rumor-filled week.
**Timeskip (next day)**
Ayanokouji entered the classroom and he noticed a change in the atmosphere of his fellow students. He wasn’t getting as much attention compared to the past few days, but he was still getting so much attention, but not nearly as enough. As he passed some of his classmates, he was hearing speculations and conversations about the lack of rumors today.
“What happened?! Did they get banned?!”
“Tch… Maybe Ayanokouji is hiding his tracks?! Did you know that I saw him with some girl from Class A last night?”
“Another one?! Wait… someone from Class A? Is he expanding?!”
“Maybe there’s more to the story!!”
There seems to be some confusion amongst Ayanokouji’s classmates as it seems that they were expecting more rumors to surface about Ayanokouji. It seems some of them were only interested in the rumors as it was something that they can talk about with their friends and fellow students. Some students were thinking that it was a conspiracy while others didn’t care at all.
Ayanokouji watched in silence as the classroom was divided into chaos yet again, but this time, it wasn’t involving him. He couldn’t help, but noticed the glances at his soulmates. He noticed that some of them were glancing over at him, but he could tell that some of them were affected by the continuous stream of rumors about him. They looked somewhat sickly and exhausted physically and emotionally. Ayanokouji knew that he must end it soon and had a lot of clean-up to do afterwards.
Ayanokouji glanced over and could see that Suzune looked paler than usual as if her health was slowly failing. She usually would greet him during their mornings, but now she’s ignoring him and seemed more interested in her book than him. Before anyone could come up to talk to Ayanokouji, the bell rang which signaled the beginning of homeroom.
Within a few minutes, Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom and she seemed to be acting normally as usual. However, Ayanokouji noticed that she was glancing towards his direction as if she was still traumatized at what just happened. Due to her stoic and strict facial expression, Ayanokouji couldn’t tell what she was thinking or any hints on what happened to yesterday’s faculty meeting after he left. Nevertheless, Ayanokouji decided to continue forward with his plan as his intention was to end it all today, the final day of the chaotic school week.
**Timeskip (lunch time)**
As soon as the lunch bell rang, Ayanokouji immediately got up and made his way towards the direction of the first-year dorms. Before he arrived at the dorms, he made a quick stop at the convenience store and bought a can of coffee for his lunch.
Before entering the first-year dorms, Ayanokouji held his can of coffee and let out a sigh as his breath was visible in the air. He knew what to do as he wasn’t going to press Ichinose today even though he knew that they were out of time. Because there was no way Ichinose, herself, didn’t understand that today was her last chance and all he needed was one final push. Ayanokouji called the elevator to Ichinsoe’s floor and made his way to her room where he gently knocked on the door and waited for a few tense moments of silence before speaking up.
“February’s already almost over. If we can get through the special exam next month, we’ll have officially made it to our second year. They say, ‘once on shore, we pray no more,’ but I have to wonder if there’s really any truth to that. Once we’re second-year students, I wonder if the special exams will get even stranger than they are now?” said Ayanokouji.
“...Hey. Can I... ask you something kind of strange...?” asked Ichinose, mumbling in a quiet voice, as if she were talking to herself. It was the first time in a while she’d responded to Ayanokouji.
“Sure. As long as you’re okay with talking to me through the door, you can ask me anything.”
Ayanokouji welcomed her with open arms, but she didn’t respond immediately. The silence between the duo grew before Ichinose finally spoke up.
“Why haven’t you said anything to me, Ayanokouji-kun? Asked me anything?” asked Ichinose.
“Like what?” replied Ayanokouji.
“My classmates and my friends from other classes have all come by, trying to convince me to come back to school. They all say they want me to talk to them about anything that might be bothering me. And yet, Ayanokouji-kun, you’ve been coming here every single day without saying anything like that at all... Why?”
‘She probably didn’t want me to worry about her, just as she hoped the other students wouldn’t. She couldn’t understand why I was slipping away from school every day and wasting my lunch break just to come here. Out of everyone that visited her, I was the anomaly.’ thought Ayanokouji.
“Well, that’s because those other students are really, really worried about you, Ichinose. Their attempts to convince you, again and again...that’s something I could never do. My ability to connect with other people is so limited that if I tried to use my emotions to appeal to your emotions, I can’t imagine it would really resonate.” said Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji heard the faint sound of footsteps within Ichinose’s room. He had a feeling she was sitting on the other side of the door now. The door was the only thing separating the duo and it was the perfect set-up that he was waiting for.
“Maybe I’ve been coming here every day because I’m waiting for you to just unload everything and tell me.” said Ayanokouji.
“Waiting for me... to unload everything and tell you?” replied Ichinose. Ayanokouji decided to break down the walls of Ichinose’s heart for the first time as he knew the truth thanks to a certain student from Class A.
“I know what crime you committed.” said Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji heard a sharp and audible gasp coming from Ichinose and judging from how clearly he could hear it, it means that Ichinose was right next to the door from the other side of Ayanokouji.
“Well, I say that, but I don’t actually know the background details or anything. But the fact that Sakayanagi dug so deeply into this, and spread it around so much that it’s caused you to take time off from school, tells me how much this is weighing on you, Ichinose. But I guess there’s no point in me saying that to you.” continued Ayanokouji.
“How...do you know that?” asked Ichinose.
“That’s not really important right now. I don’t intend to get any deeper into it. You’re probably not very good at opening up to other people about your own troubles, Ichinose. Even though you can save others, you can’t save yourself. That’s the kind of person you are. That’s why I’m here now.”
The feelings Ayanokouji wanted to convey had to be reaching Ichinose, little by little. There was a brief silence between the duo. It was hard, wanting to let your emotions out, but having no one you could let them out to. Ayanokouji had seen countless children suffer through the same thing back in the White Room. Eventually, they broke down and disappeared because broken people with no hope of ever recovering and would need constant support and a pillar of strength. Using those tactics and philosophy, Ayanokouji was able to effectively employ these methods on his various soulmates which ended up helping them. It was a way of healing.
“I’m your door right now. I can’t see your face and I can’t reach out and touch you. I’m just a door. No one will laugh at you if you reveal your weakness to a door. So what are you going to do, Ichinose? This moment, right now, is your moment of truth.” said Ayanokouji. There was a light clack as he set his coffee down on the ground.
‘All of Ichinose Honami’s friends were reserved and gentle people. It wasn’t hard to imagine them offering a deluge of kind words to their dependable leader. However, that wasn’t going to work. It might seem like the correct approach to the people supporting Ichinose, but you couldn’t handle this situation like it was a problem to be fixed. You just had to apply enough pressure to make her crack.’ thought Ayanokouji.
“Even someone so pathetic like me... Can I really...?” asked Ichinose, softly.
“Who has the right to deny you that?” asked Ayanokouji.
“Can a criminal like me...ever really be forgiven...?”
“Everyone has the right to be forgiven.”
“I... I shoplifted. And then I missed out on half a year of school during my third-year of junior high, because I was in so much pain. I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. I just kept blaming myself. I holed up in a small room, just like I’m doing now...”
Ichinose started speaking as it seems that she’s finally pulling her hands away from the wound on her heart that she’d been so desperately trying to cover for so long. She talked about what she had done and revealed her weakness about how she’d retreated inward and hid herself away.
Then Ichinose talked about how she told this story to only Nagumo and how Sakayanagi had approached her, asking for advice on a classmate as she told her that there was a shoplifter at our school. Ichinose knew then that it couldn’t be a coincidence. She’d known Sakayanagi had probably found out about her past because she heard it from Nagumo. With no room to lie about it, all she could do was confess it all. Ichinose had been putting on a brave face, unable to let herself be weak.
‘Do you know how hard and scary it is to admit to your own crimes? Many immature young people have shoplifted or at least committed some kind of “crime” at least once in their lives. But if you said that to a large crowd of people, they’d all probably claim ignorance.And that was only natural. Admitting to your own crimes was terrifying, as was talking about them in public. Japanese society is one that deals out harsh punishments in the name of justice, a tragic fate of a criminal. That’s why they hide. That’s why they never speak of their crimes, burying them deep within themselves instead. That’s why they try to live on under the guise of being good people. Not to mention, the social stigmatization of being a criminal which might affect their relationships with other people and future career.’ thought Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji understood why Ichinose was trying to hide it as it was a product of the environment and society that they lived in. A small crime like shoplifting could be easily forgiven and not seen as a big deal in Western countries, but in a strict and traditional country like Japan, who has strict morals and traditions, such small crimes are seen as a shame and dishonor to their community responsibility and group harmony.
‘Ichinose, overcome by her guilty conscience, spent half a year completely alone. And then, finally, she was released from her shackles. No, she broke free of them. But her guilt would continue to follow her, no matter where she went. It would be with her until the day she died. In fact, her guilty conscience was standing in her way right now, attacking her heart. Which was why she had no choice but to confront it.’ thought Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji listened in silence as Ichinsoe continued with her story, but it was a gloss of her past. She didn’t go into great detail, but he got the general gist on how she ended up in this situation. He had the feeling that there was more to the story that Ichinose is letting on.
By the time Ichinose was done telling me her whole story, lunch break was already over, but that didn’t matter. Even though afternoon classes had already started, Ayanokouji just sat there and listened to what Ichinose had to say without trying to console her or reprimand her. Ichinose was softly crying on the other side of the door, trying to hold back her tears. Ayanokouji offered her no words of comfort because that would have been meaningless right now.
‘It had been clear from the very beginning who her real opponent in this battle was herself. It all came down to whether or not she could put an end to this herself by coming to terms with what she’d done. Very, very few people are capable of honestly facing their crimes in the true sense of the word. But when we do face our crimes...then we’re able to grow and take one step forward.’ thought Ayanokouji.
With that, the conversation between Ichinose and Ayanokouji slowly came to an end as he started to understand Ichinose’s past and everything that she went through. Eventually, the conversation slowly came to an end and Ayanokouji had one thing to ask Ichinose.
“Ichinose, now that you’re told me what happened in your past, what are you going to do now?” asked Ayanokouji.
“What… What am I going to do?” muttered Ichinose.
“It’s up to you, but you have the courage to tell me what happened to you in the past. Then, you have the power to face your past no matter who comes at you. That’s what I think anyway… You don’t have to listen to what I have to say, but in my opinion, I think it’s better for you to face your past head-on.”
“...”
Ichinose fell into silence as it seemed like she was digesting Ayanokouji’s words, but Ayanokouji had listened to her story and given her the best possible advice he could give. Without saying any final farewells, Ayanokouji began to walk away and towards the direction of the elevator. Ayanokouji was extremely late for class and skipped some of the afternoon classes, but he planned to return for the rest of it. He didn’t want to cost the class too many class points and suffer any consequences. The rest now is up to Ichinose and whether or not she chooses to face her past.
**Timeskip (after school)**
The bell rang which signaled the end of the school day. Ayanokouji arrived in the middle of a lesson and was bombarded by suspicious glances and glares due to his absence. He wasn’t asked in his absence nor he gave any reason as he simply returned back to his seat. For the rest of the day, Ayanokouji acted normally like any other student. But, his mind couldn’t stop thinking about Ichinose’s next course of actions as what she does next will change the future of her own class and Ayanokouji’s.
“All right. Kiyotaka, Akito, Haruka, and Airi, you all did great.” said Keisei.
During yesterday’s meeting, Keisei had given them a mock test that he had prepared for the group to take independently, at night, in order to test our abilities. They turned it in earlier this morning and Keisei just got done grading their answers.
“Whoa, Kiyopon, you got 90 points? That’s awesome!” said Haruka, sounding surprised.
“Well, that’s because the tests that Keisei made for us are perfect. You got a good score too, didn’t you?” replied Ayanokouji. Though their scores varied a little, the three of them had all scored in the neighborhood of 80 points which are really high scores.
“Well, if you managed to get through both the practice test and the mock test that I made, then I’m sure you should do fine in any future test.” said Keisei.
“If you’re giving us the seal of approval, Keisei, then I’m sure it’ll be a piece of cake.” said Akito, rolling his stiff shoulders, as if squaring up to fight.
“Really, thank you so much, Keisei-kun. I always get so anxious every time I take a test...” said Airi.
“Oh, no need to thank me. This is the least I can do.” said Keisei. He lightly scratched the bridge of his nose, looking a little embarrassed.
“Is it really okay if we take the rest of the day off?” asked Haruka.
“You’ve spent a lot of time studying this week. Honestly, I think it’s a good idea to take it easy for a little bit. It’s not like everything you’ve studied so carefully will just slip away so soon. Besides, you don’t want to overdo it now and get sick, or end up falling asleep on the day of the exam. It would be a real shame if you lose points over such a trivial mistake. But, please keep reviewing the information.”
“Roger! I’ll follow your orders, Yukimuu!” replied Haruka, offering Keisei a bizarre salute. The others nodded along, sharing her same sentiment.
Before anyone could say anything else, there was a loud sound echoed throughout the classroom. It was the sound of the door being violently flung open followed by the rapid sounds of footsteps.
“Whoa! You guys! This is huge!” said Ike, sounding almost excited.
“What is it?” asked Haruka.
“Dude, it’s like a mob! Like pitchforks and everything! A bunch of Class A people are marching into Class B right now!”
“So Sakayanagi-san is making her move now that Ichinose-san has returned, huh...” said Suzune. She stood up quickly, looking disturbed, and left the classroom.
Apparently, Ichinose had returned back to the classroom today. She showed up about an hour after Ayanokouji and it immediately spread some rumors and speculations on her sudden return. Ayanokouji had heard plenty of theories and speculations during their passing period and knew that it would’ve gotten Sakayanagi’s attention.
Seeing Suzune leaving the classroom, Sudou, Hirata, and a few others followed. Ayanokouji wondered if Sakayanagi intended to launch a direct assault on Ichinose right after she’d returned and to finish her off. The rest of the Ayanokouji Group exchanged looks with each other.
“What should we do, Akito...?” asked Keisei.
“We have no choice but to head over there. If it turns out like what happened the other day, then someone has to be there to stop it.” replied Akito
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“But Haruka, Airi, you two stay here. There’s no point in getting more people involved.”
“Yeah, yeah, we get it. We’ll take our time and wait for you guys.” said Haruka.
“What are you going to do, Kiyotaka-kun?” asked Airi.
“I’ll go too, just in case. Though I don’t think I’ll be much help.” said Ayanokouji, noticing that Akito and Keisei are standing up to leave. The three of us left the classroom and headed toward Class B. The commotion seemed to have already spilled out into the hallway and there was an obvious crowd forming.
“What did you come here for, Sakayanagi?!” shouted Shibata. It looks like there was a confrontation between Class A and B students as the trio entered Class B.
“What did I come here for? I’ve come to rescue all of you in Class B. Don’t you see?” replied Sakayanagi.
Sakayanagi was accompanied by Kamuro and Hashimoto, though Ayanokouji saw no sign of Kito or anyone else. They’d probably have gotten more pushback if they showed up in greater numbers which was why they’d chosen to take action with a small group.
“What do you mean by that, Sakayanagi?” asked Ichinose, speaking up from the back of the classroom where she stood surrounded by several students.
“Wait, Ichinose. There’s no need for you to get involved.”
“Yeah, that’s right, Honami-chan. Don’t go!”
“First of all, I must say I’m quite glad to see that you’ve made a full recovery. To be honest, I wanted to speak to you much earlier, but I’ve been so busy studying for the exam. Ah, but yes, I’m glad to see you’re back. Just in time for the year-end exam, too.” said Sakayanagi.
“Yes. Thank you.” replied Ichinose.
They spoke to each other across the classroom. It was clear to see that every student in Class B considered Sakayanagi a foe. Even though it was after school, there wasn’t a single student missing from the class. They’d all decided to stick together to protect Ichinose. However, Sakayanagi didn’t appear shaken at all. If anything, she seemed to be enjoying the feeling of being deep in enemy territory.
“You say you came here to save us, Sakayanagi?” asked Kanzaki.
“Yes.” replied Sakayanagi with a smile and a nod.
“Does that mean you’re admitting that you started those rumors? I suppose I can understand how you’d be ‘saving us’ if you came here to apologize.”
“I am not the one who started the rumors.”
“Then what are you saving us from, exactly?”
“Do you recall a rumor that went around earlier? The one about how Ichinose-san had accumulated a massive number of points? At the time, the school had declared that no wrongdoing had taken place, and the matter was quickly put to rest.”
“What about it?”
“Now, this might just be my imagination, but... Well, there are only a few ways that someone could collect that many points without resorting to illegal means. One of those ways would be to collect private points from your classmates on a regular basis and hold onto them. In short, I’ve determined that Ichinose is acting as something of a banker for your class.”
“I can’t really say anything about that.” said Kanzaki. If true, it was part of Class B’s strategy. It was only natural he’d deny knowing anything.
“I suppose so. Well, it’s not like I really came here seeking an answer on that matter. It’s just... Well, it’s just that if Ichinose-san is playing the role of a banker, as I have surmised, then...I think that’s extremely dangerous for all of you.” said Sakayanagi, looking over at Ichinose, who returned her gaze from afar. Ichinose didn’t answer. Instead, she simply continued to look straight back at Sakayanagi.
“Is what I’ve said incorrect? Ichinose Honami-san?” asked Sakayanagi, turning her attention towards Ichinose.
Ayanokouji could see that Sakayanagi had cornered Ichinose with the revelation that she was Class B’s banker and her past as a shoplifter. Ichinose, who’d had no weapon but silence at her disposal so far, had been driven to the edge of a cliff. One final push would send her plummeting to the bottom. It was precisely the situation Sakayanagi had worked to create. However, her plan wasn’t going to work thanks to a certain person’s interference.
“Sorry, but Chihiro-chan, Mako-chan, could you give me a little space?” asked Ichinose.
“B-But!”
“Honami-chan, be careful!”
“It’s okay. I’ll be just fine. You don’t have to worry anymore.” said Ichinose with a gentle smile, as she slowly closed the distance between herself and Sakayanagi. In the end, however, she didn’t move to face Sakayanagi directly. Instead, she took up a position at the teacher’s podium, facing all of her classmates and the entire crowd.
“I’m sorry!” said Ichinose, bowing her head before all of the students of Class B.
“W-What are you apologizing to us for, Ichinose? There’s no reason for you to apologize to us. Right?” said Shibata, clearly upset, trying to stop Ichinose from speaking.
“Please don’t try to stop her, Shibata-kun. She’s just trying to repent.” said Sakayanagi, smiling merrily.
“The whole year I’ve been here... There’s a secret that I’ve been keeping hidden from you. I’ve been keeping it for a long, long time.” said Ichinose.
“Wait, Ichinose. You don’t need to say anything here.” said Kanzaki, clearly sensing that something was amiss. But Ichinose wasn’t stopping.
“There have been quite a few strange rumors circulating about me these past few weeks. However, one of those rumors is actually the truth. Just as that letter said... I am a criminal.”
As Ichinose spoke those words, Sakayanagi wore a satisfied smile on her face. The noisy classroom once again fell silent as everyone began to listen to what Ichinose had to say.
“It would seem this group of good-natured souls have absolutely no idea what’s going on here, so please do give them all the details, Ichinose-san. Exactly what kind of crime did you commit?” said Sakayanagi.
“I-I… I’ve been keeping secrets from all of you...but I’m going to confess everything, starting now. The crime that I’ve been silent about... Well, it’s that I was a shoplifter.”
The shoplifting honor student, Ichinose Honami. It was a revelation that didn’t only surprise Class B, but also the spectators on the sidelines, like Akito and Keisei. Ichinose just didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d do such a thing.
“Honami-chan is... a shoplifter...? I-Is that true?” muttered Amikura, in shock.
“Yes. I’m sorry, Mako-chan.” said Ichinose. As she apologized to everyone, Ichinose took a deep breath as she started to tell everyone the story of how it started.
“I came from a single-parent family. My father wasn’t in the picture, so I lived with my mom and my two younger sisters. We weren’t wealthy, but we were never unhappy. My mother always seemed like she had it so hard, raising my two younger sisters while working. That was why, when I was in elementary school, I got the idea to start working once I graduated from junior high. It did cost a lot of money to go to high school, after all. I thought I’d get a job, help my mom out, help support my two younger sisters. But my mom was strongly against the idea. Just as I wanted my younger sisters to be happy, my mom, too, wished for her daughters’ happiness. I learned that even if you were poor, you could benefit from a scholarship if you studied really hard for it. So I studied as hard as I possibly could. I studied so much that I got to the level where I was told that I was number one in my whole school.” said Ichinose.
“But...in the summer of my third year in school, my little sister’s birthday was coming up. She’d never once asked me or our mother for a gift before. She was still only in her first year of junior high. She deserved to have us spoil her a little, but she never asked us for anything. Not for clothes that she wanted, or to go hang out with friends or go shopping...all she did was endure, never asking for anything. She always, always, always held back. But then, for the first time...my little sister said that there was something she wanted. It was this kind of hair clip that used to be really popular, something that my sister’s favorite celebrity wore. I’m sure my mom pushed herself harder, picking up extra shifts, just so she could buy it.” continued Ichinose.
“Even now, I still remember the sight of my little sister’s face, as she shouted and screamed all kinds of things at our mother, who was crying and apologizing to her from her hospital bed. I remember watching her shout and cry about how she’d been looking forward to getting that hair clip. I couldn’t even really blame her for acting like that. It was the only gift she had ever asked for...” said Ichinose.
The smile never faded from Sakayanagi’s face as she continued to listen to Ichinose’s confession. Ayanokouji glanced around and could see the shock on everyone’s faces as they listened to Ichinose’s story.
“As her older sister... I thought I had to bring back my little sister’s smile, whatever it took. So, on the day of my sister’s birthday, after class, I went to the department store. I’m sure I was burying my real feelings, back then. I told myself it was okay. That it wasn’t a big deal to do something bad like this, just this one time, for my sister’s sake. After all, there were plenty of people who did bad things in the world. Why should my family, who’d put up with so much for so long, be blamed? I told myself what I was doing could be forgiven. That was the selfish, self-centered justification I gave myself. That hair clip cost ten thousand yen or more. So...I stole it. I stole the hair clip that my little sister wanted. It was an act that made everyone unhappy. But at that time, all I wanted was to make my sister happy, somehow.”
And with that, the story has reached its climax as it highlights Ichinose’s crime and what led to it. Now, the consequences following it must come forward.
“But it doesn’t matter, does it? Ultimately, a crime is a crime. No matter how much you repent, your sins will never disappear.” said Ichinose.
“So you’re saying that you got caught?” asked Hashimoto. Ichinose simply shook her head.
“I just left the department store with the hair clip. It was the first time I’d ever shoplifted. The first time I ever committed a crime, at all. No one saw me. I went back home and gave it to my little sister, who was still moping around. I’d just stolen it, so it wasn’t wrapped or anything. It was such a sloppy gift. But she was so incredibly happy to see it. When I saw her smile, I felt my guilt fade away for a moment. But it didn’t fade entirely. It came back and continued to grow and grow inside me.” said Ichinose, letting out a chuckle of self-derision.
“I mean, there’s absolutely no way a mother wouldn’t notice when her own daughter did something bad, right? I told my sister to keep the gift a secret. But she wore it when we went to visit our mother in the hospital. I mean, of course she would. She could never have dreamed it was a stolen gift. That was the first time in my life that I ever saw my mother seriously angry. She slapped me and took the gift from my crying little sister, who didn’t understand. Even though she should have still been in the hospital, my mother dragged me all the way back to the store, where I got on my knees and begged for forgiveness. That was when I finally understood the weight of my crime. I realized that no matter what excuses I made, there was nothing I could do to take it all back. In the end, the clerk at the store didn’t hand me over to the police. Still, word got out. In the blink of an eye, my family was the center of controversy. I shut down and retreated inward. For almost half my third year of junior high, I cut myself off from the world and stayed in my room... But eventually, I started thinking about trying to move forward, once again. It was my homeroom teacher telling me about this school back then that made me start to think about it. You were exempted from paying tuition fees and course fees, and if you graduated, you could get a job anywhere. I wanted to start over. I wanted a fresh slate.” said Ichinose, giving out the final piece of the story. As Ichinose had finished telling her story, she bowed once more to all of the students in Class B.
“I’m sorry, everyone. I’m such a pathetic, useless leader...” said Ichinose, turning to face her classmates.
“That’s not true, Ichinose. I heard everything you had to say, and I still think that you’re a good person. I’m sure of it. Right?” said Shibata.
“Yeah. You might have done something bad, Honami-chan, but-” said Amikura.
However, the loud crack of a cane being struck against the floor echoed throughout the room which broke all of the conversations that people were having.
“Please, spare me. Could you Class-B cretins at least try to not make me laugh? Really, this is such an absurd farce. Do you mean to gain sympathy by bringing up unnecessary details about your past? No matter the circumstances, shoplifting is still shoplifting. You don’t deserve sympathy. Your thievery was for the sake of your own self-interest.” said Sakayanagi, curtly brushing aside the voices coming out in support of Ichinose. Standing nearby, Kamuro’s expression stiffened for a moment as she heard what Sakayanagi said.
“Yes, you’re absolutely right. The circumstances of my past don’t make any difference at all.” said Ichinose.
“The truth of the matter is that you committed a crime. Therefore, isn’t it fair to assume you might also steal the large quantity of private points that you’ve been entrusted with, around the time graduation draws near?”
“I could never do something like that, Sakayanagi-san. If I ignored everyone else’s wishes and moved up to Class A myself, it would be an act of betrayal. I don’t think the school would allow something like that either.”
“Yes, I suppose so. You are rather clever, so I suppose you wouldn’t do something so obvious. But what if you were to, for example, put on a show for everyone? Give a little speech to earn everyone’s sympathy, like you just did, to gain their approval to move on up to Class A?”
“Yes, you have a point. Maybe... Maybe no matter how hard I try, my efforts will just come off as hypocritical. Once you’ve committed a crime, it can never be erased.”
“Do you all understand now, everyone? This is the real Ichinose Honami-san. As long as you have such a person as your leader, Class B has no chance of victory. Now, please return all your private points to these students and step down as the leader of Class B. I would like for you to do at least that much. If you don’t, these awful rumors about you will never stop, will they?”
Ichinose closed her eyes. Then, quietly, she took a deep breath as if she’s thinking about what Sakayanagi was suggesting.
“So what do you say, Ichinose? What do you want to do?” asked Kanzaki, representing Class B.
‘The question was whether or not she would continue as the class leader. Ichinose, and only Ichinose, was the one who could make that decision. If this had been the first time she’d had her spirit crushed, then maybe she wouldn’t have held firm. Maybe she would have submitted. However, Ichinose had already had her spirit broken before. And I was the one who’d broken it. But she had recovered. The parts of her that had been broken had become stronger and more resilient than before.’ thought Ayanokouji.
“This is the end of my penitence! It is certainly true that I shoplifted. As you said, Sakayanagi-san, I don’t deserve sympathy. A crime is a crime, after all. I have no intention of running from that truth. But the truth is that I was never given a sentence to serve out for that crime. In other words, what’s done is done. I don’t need to keep paying the price.” said Ichinose, turning to Sakayanagi with a smile.
“What an incredibly shameless thing to say. You’re being unbelievably bold, for a shoplifting thief.” said Sakayanagi.
“Maybe so. But I’m not looking back anymore. I won’t let my past keep me down. Even though I’m so shameless... Will you follow me until the end, everyone?”
Ichinose turned her smiling face toward her classmates. After she spoke, there was a moment of silence. Ichinose wasn’t speaking from a false sense of confidence or optimism. Even now, she was on the verge of tears. She wanted to run away. She was ashamed of her past. And yet, she continued to push forward. There was no way the students of Class B, who’d shared a year of joys and sorrows with her, wouldn’t understand that.
“Well, of course we’ll follow you! Right?!” shouted Shibata, with a smile.
Every single student of Class B let out a unanimous cheer. This was the kind of following Ichinose inspired. Ayanokouji could really feel the depth of their devotion to her. Keisei and Akito beamed, seeming similarly overjoyed by this showing of support from Class B. Ayanokouji doubted there was a single other student at this school who could inspire this kind of support. Ichinose wasn’t just being cheered on by the entirety of Class B, but by students from other classes too.
“Sakayanagi... What do we do now?” asked Kamuro. Sakayanagi’s attack had been neutralized. Kamuro could tell, which was why she spoke up, asking a question that could be interpreted as her subtly suggesting that they retreat.
“Fufufu!” giggled Sakayanagi, out of amusement by the sudden turn to this situation.
“I see. Well, it would appear you’ve pulled the wool quite adeptly over your classmates’ eyes. But as you said yourself earlier, it’s not as though your criminal past will just disappear. Rumors will continue to spread about you for a long, long time to come.” said Sakayanagi.
“Yes. But I’m not going to run away from it anymore.” replied Ichinose.
“Is that so? Why then, I’m just going to have to thoroughly des-”
“Okay, that’s quite enough, everyone.” said Nagumo.
Just as Sakayanagi was about to answer Ichinose, some teachers and students entered Class B. The new arrivals were Student Council President Nagumo along with all four homeroom teachers of the first-year students.
“Oh my, this is quite an impressive gathering. However, this is a matter between the first-year students, is it not?” asked Sakayanagi.
“You’re correct that this appears to be a dispute between first-years, sure. However, as of today, the act of carelessly spreading rumors is prohibited.” said Nagumo.
“What do you mean? I don’t accept the imposition of such a gag order. Regardless of how the rumors about her originated, if Ichinose-san was troubled by them, she should have reported them to the school, no?”
“That’s not it, Sakayanagi. This is no longer just about Ichinose.”
“...What are you saying?”
Nagumo opened his mouth to explain, but Chabashira-sensei spoke up instead. Ayanokouji could feel Nagumo’s gaze being directed at him.
“I won’t go into detail, but it has been clearly confirmed that slanderous statements are being exchanged between the first-year, second-year, and third-year students along with faculty members. There are already too many rumors in circulation. Any further gossip will damage social bonds and negatively impact student behavior. Rumors are rumors, but regardless of whether they can be conclusively proven true or false, the school no longer wishes to see the spread of rumors targeting specific individuals. Therefore, I’m taking this opportunity to inform you that, going forward, anyone who circulates nonsensical rumors may be punished for their actions.” said Chabashira-sensei.
Chabashira-sensei directed her gaze towards Ayanokouji. The school had been silently tolerating the endless rumor-mongering so far. It seemed they’d finally decided to take action due to the rumors about Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji knew that it would also protect Nishikawa from any rumors that might be spread around due to Shimizu. Either way, the existing rumors and any new potential rumors are effectively being oppressed and don’t have a chance to blossom.
“I see. So that’s how it is, then,” said Sakayanagi, appearing to understand the situation after hearing Chabashira-sensei’s explanation.
After hearing Chabashira-sensei’s explanation, people began to murmur among themselves as they’re starting to realize that the rumors surrounding Ayanokouji were rumors and are basically slander. After the warning, nobody can really talk about it or spread it around which effectively killed off the rumors at its roots. Without anyone talking about it, rumors would simply die off.
Ayanokouji could feel the stares from his fellow students as some of them looked shocked, confused, and even apologetic as they were responsible for circulating the rumors. There were also stares from his various soulmates as they looked relieved, shocked, and other conflicting emotions. Ayanokouji knew that he would need to address them directly in person and shortly due to the soulmate’s effect.
“Let’s pull back. If the school’s making its move, then I believe that our presence is no longer required here.” said Sakayanagi, understanding what was going on. She gave the order to her classmates to withdraw. The uproarious Class B grew even louder, in celebration. Class A had been completely driven back and it was their defeat.
With that, the rest of the students dispersed off as some headed towards their classrooms while others headed off towards the direction of the school building. Ayanokouji quickly seized Suzune’s arm which caught her off guard, but that didn’t change the cold glare she gave him. He could tell that she was annoyed that he didn’t say anything about the rumors to her as it was clear that was panicking about the authenticity of the rumors just like his other soulmates. However, Ayanokouji leaned in and whispered something to her before leaving with Akito and Keisei.
Suzune’s eyes widened, but she curtly nodded her head before Ayanokouji departed with Akito and Keisei. He could feel her eyes being drilled into his back as he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. As the trio was talking about what just happened, Ayanokouji was sending numerous messages to certain people as he copied and pasted the message to them.
After seeing that his messages were successfully sent, he noticed that some of them were read immediately and a few people began sending their replies. Ayanokouji ignored them as he made his intentions clear on the massage and slipped his phone back into his pocket. Eventually, the trio arrived back to their classroom. Haruka excitedly asked Akito about what happened.
“Hey, so how was Class B? It sounded like there was this huge commotion over there.” said Haruka.
“Things took a completely unexpected turn. Ichinose got Sakayanagi to retreat.” said Akito, giving a concise account of what happened with Class B. He told her the truth regarding the gossip about Ichinose and the fact that the school had given us an official notice that spreading rumors would no longer be tolerated from this point on.
“The school will probably email an official statement later.” said Keisei.
“Still, shoplifting, huh? I mean, that’s super surprising, but I guess it kind of makes what happened next make sense. If people keep bringing up something from your past that you don’t want to revisit, then of course you’d wanna take some time off school.” said Haruka, speaking out in Ichinose’s defense now that she’d learned what happened.
“Anyway, the ordeal is over now. Now let’s not get distracted by the rumors and just focus on the future exam.”
“Isn’t this great, Kiyopon?”
“Yeah... I guess so.”
Ayanokouji could feel the gazes of Haruka and Airi being directed at him. The mass messages that he sent had also reached them as well which piqued their curiosity. However, he shook his head as if he’s silently telling them not to say anything about the contents of the message and he will talk later. Haruka nodded her head hesitantly, but Ayanokouji could tell that both of the girls were still extremely anxious and shocked by the school’s announcement and how it involved Ayanokouji. Then, Ayanokouji’s phone rang which caught everyone’s attention.
“Who’s that from?” asked Haruka.
“It’s from an unregistered number.” replied Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji showed the number displayed on the screen to the rest of the Ayanokouji Group. It turns out that nobody knew whose number it was. It was a different number than the one he had received before and he quickly excused himself as he exited the classroom.
“Hello?” said Ayanokouji, picking up the call.
“Is this Ayanokouji-kun?” asked a familiar voice. It was Sakayanagi.
“How did you know my numb- Well, I guess it’s not too difficult to look up, come to think of it.”
“Quite. Would you mind stepping outside to meet me? I wish to have a quick conversation with you.”
“Where do you want me to go?”
“Let’s see. How about by the first-floor entryway?”
“Got it.”
Ayanokouji ended the call and made his way over to the entryway. He was thinking about refusing it and realized that it would cause more trouble. He’d thought that Kamuro and Hashimoto might have been with her, but Sakayanagi was alone when he arrived.
“Please relax. I did not bring anyone with me this time. I must say, you truly performed excellently, Ayanokouji-kun.” said Sakayanagi.
“What are you talking about?” replied Ayanokouji.
“It would seem you’ve been working behind the scenes without me noticing. While a number of mysteries remain, I’m not really interested in seeking to solve them. There’s only one thing I’m truly curious to know. Why did you decide to protect Ichinose-san?”
“Hold on. I have no clue what you’re on about.”
“I can only imagine that it was precisely because you saved her that Ichinose-san was so bold back then... No, that she was able to get back on her feet again. Perhaps that wasn’t the first time she’d confessed what happened in her past? Maybe she’s already told someone else about it beforehand?”
“And that someone else is me, I’m guessing?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you use Kamuro to make me make a move?”
“Used Kamuro-san?”
“Before I could seek to clarify the facts myself, she told me everything. Only me. About the fact that Ichinose shoplifted in the past.”
“She acted entirely on her own.”
“No, that’s not true.”
“How can you be so sure of that?”
“She handed over a can of beer as proof that she shoplifted. But she hadn’t stolen it that day. Kamuro had stolen it on the day she had started school here.”
“And what’s your basis for saying that?”
“The sell-by date. After I checked the sell-by date on the can of beer that Kamuro handed me, I went over to the convenience store and checked the dates on their stock of the same brand. They were more than four months apart. I find it hard to believe the store happened to have one can that was four months older than the others. Kamuro said that she’d given you the can of beer she stole back then, and that you’d told her you would dispose of it. Which means she re-procured that can from you before meeting me and presented me with it. Or contacted you right after she left my room and got it then.”
“Why would you think I’d take such roundabout action?”
“To lure me out, probably?”
“Heh heh heh. I suppose I should respond by saying that’s just what I’d expect from you, Ayanokouji-kun.”
“It would have been easy for me to sit on the sidelines and watch events unfold. Actually, that’s exactly what I had planned to do.”
‘The person who made me stray from those plans was none other than Sakayanagi herself. She’d attached Ichinose with one hand, while offering her support with the other. Of course, she’d done the latter in an extremely roundabout way.’ thought Ayanokouji.
“It was all for the sake of getting your attention, Ayanokouji-kun. I didn’t care if Ichinose-san was destroyed as a result. However, I was hoping that if I simply left the possibility open for you to intervene, then you would take hold of it. I estimated the odds were fifty-fifty that you would...but it would seem things turned out exactly as I hoped it would.” said Sakayanagi, gripping her cane tight, slowly walking toward Ayanokouji.
“Oh?” replied Ayanokouji.
“Please have a little contest with me, Ayanokouji-kun.”
“And if I say no?”
“While you might try to say it wouldn’t significantly hurt you, I’d expose you as the mastermind leading Class C. And I’m sure that you understand quite well that that wouldn’t be something you could dismiss as a mere rumor. So what do you say? Will you accept?”
“How would we win this? You’re Class A. I’m Class C. The difference is obvious.”
“Well, I don’t know exactly what the next exam will cover, but how about we compare our rankings? If you win, then I promise that from this point on, I will not speak a word to anyone about your past.”
‘While that wasn’t a bad offer, there was no guarantee that she was going to honor her word. And I had absolutely no intention of keeping any written or audio records of this arrangement.’ thought Ayanokouji.
“You don’t believe me, hm? But you have no choice but to believe me. If you don’t, then your past will be exposed for all to see. That would make it rather hard for you to live an ordinary life, wouldn’t it?” said Sakayanagi, studying Ayanokouji’s blank and stoic face.
“Do whatever you want. If that does happen, though, you’ll never, ever get the chance to fight me.” replied Ayanokouji.
“Heh heh. Yes, I suppose that’s what you would say, Ayanokouji-kun. Well, then, what if I wager my future at this school? If I lose, I’ll drop out. Furthermore, I don’t mind if you have my father, the principal, be a witness to act as guarantor. Of course, even if you lose to me, there’s no need for you to leave the school. I don’t intend to ask you to wager anything significant, either. I will, however, publicly announce that you are the mastermind leading Class C. That is all. If you won’t accept some degree of risk, then you might simply withdraw from our little contest.”
“If those are your conditions, then I accept.”
“Thank you very much, Ayanokouji-kun. It seems my boring life here at this school is finally at an end. I was just thinking it was about time I heard from you. Goodbye, Ayanokouji-kun.”
With a broad, satisfied grin on her face, Sakayanagi withdrew as she seemed to be satisfied with the result of their conversation. With that, she walked off and Ayanokouji watched her retreating figure as it slowly disappeared from his view. Ayanokouji had the feeling that he’s going to be encountering Sakayanagi and more members of Class A in the near future thanks to the wager between the duo.
**Timeskip (a few hours later)**
Ayanokouji stepped into the karaoke venue. He just had dinner and it will be a great last meal if anything goes wrong, but he resigned himself to his fate. He knew that there must be some fires to be put out after creating so much chaos for the entire school.
The waiting and reception area of the venue was lively with a brightly lit space created by warm overhead lights and accent lighting along the walls and floor. At the center of the room, there was the reception counter. The long reception counter is made of polished wood with a large digital screen displaying room availability, current promotions, and song rankings behind it. Smaller signs list pricing by time slot, party size, and drink plans. Ayanokouji could see a staff behind the counter, manning it.
The waiting area extends beyond the counter. Ayanokouji could see plush sofas and cushioned benches lining the walls, upholstered in leather. Low tables hold menus, laminated song lists, and touchscreen ordering guides. He could see decorative posters of popular singers, anime collaborations, or seasonal campaigns adorn the walls. In some corners, capsule toy machines and prize displays glow softly.
Ayanokouji approached the front counter where he asked for the location of the room number. The staff directed him where to go to navigate the hallways. He thanked her as he walked into the long corridor stretched inward. Its lighting is slightly dimmer and more colorful as LED strips run along the ceiling and baseboards, shifting gently between soft purples, blues, and reds. Room numbers glow beside soundproof doors with each door thick and padded, designed to keep music contained.
Following the staff’s directions, Ayanokouji continued to walk into the long winding hallways and he eventually reached his destination. The room numbers glowed with the colorful lights of the LED lighting strips as he knocked on the door. Those few seconds of waiting for someone to open the door felt like an eternity as Ayanokouji prepared himself for what’s about to come. It was like sending a lamb to the slaughter. A few seconds later, someone opened the door and Ayanokouji could see the dark atmosphere of the karaoke room that was illuminated by the various colorful LED lights.
“Ayanokouji-kun!” said Mii-chan, being the person that opened the door for him.
“Hello, Mii-chan. Sorry for being late.” replied Ayanokouji, greeting her.
“Come on!”
Ayanokouji walked into the karaoke room as Mii-chan closed the door which sealed him off from the outside world. He purposely rented out this karaoke room as it was one of the largest rooms students can rent and it can easily fit more than a full class of students. Its purpose was for students to have class parties, but Ayanokouji found another purpose for it. It was meant for a secret meeting between him and all of his soulmates.
The large karaoke room had a higher ceiling standard rooms, fitted with recessed lights and programmable LED panels that can shift colors to match the music. The walls are padded with textured panels in bold but bold colors. The seating wraps around much of the room with long, continuous sofas lining the walls, upholstered in durable leather. It provides enough space for dozens of people to sit comfortably.
Low, wide tables fill the center area where people can easily arrange drinks and shared dishes that are within reach of everyone. Some tables may glow faintly from underneath due to added LED lights. At the front of the room, a large high-definition screen dominates the wall and is paired with a second screen to ensure visibility from all angles. Powerful speakers are mounted around the room, evenly spaced to distribute sound without overwhelming any single spot. Multiple microphones were neatly docked and fully charged as some of them rested on stands while others were connected to wall mounts nearby.
A touchscreen controller sits on one of the central tables, allowing easy song selection, volume adjustment, and lighting control. Along the walls, small shelves keep tambourines, maracas, and other simple percussion instruments ready for use. There was also a large disco ball emitting different various bright colors around the room in a pattern.
As soon as Ayanokouji entered the room, almost all of the activity inside of the busy karaoke room stopped and everyone’s attention fell upon him. All of the occupants in the room were all twenty-six of Ayanokouji’s soulmates as he sent them all a message to meet up in this very room. Ayanokouji whispered to Suzune to come and claim the room for him after school during Sakayanagi’s and Ichinose’s confrontation. It would seem that she obliged to his orders.
Kikyou, who was singing, immediately stopped her singing and the song continued to play as she stared at Ayanokouji. Nene, who was sitting next to her, quickly stopped the song with the touchscreen controller. All of the conversations between his various soulmates immediately stopped as every pair of eyes were trained onto Ayanokouji, who casually walked towards the front of the room.
Ayanokouji picked up the nearest microphone and turned it on before turning to face his audience, who were staring at him intently. All of his soulmates sat down on various couches and he could see that they were sitting with their friends or students from their same class. It seems that his soulmates were not comfortable around each other due to the class division and they mostly stuck with their friends or classmates.
“Testing… Testing… Hmm… It seems like it’s working. Hello, everyone. I’m sure that you’re wondering why I’ve called you all here. I’m here to… talk about the rumors that you all heard about me. The ones that were circulating throughout this week.” said Ayanokouji, getting straight to the point.
Almost immediately, Ayanokouji could feel the tension returning back to the room. It seems that he has brought up a touchy subject for his soulmates, but he knows that he must finally address it. Under closer inspection, he could see that some of his soulmates looked sickly or tired. It was probably due to the emotional and physical baggage of constantly hearing the rumors surrounding Ayanokouji and it was due to the soulmate’s effect.
“I know that you all are affected by those recent rumors going around me during the past few days. You were wondering why I didn’t address it or talk to any of you earlier. The truth is… that I was worried about the rumors and the frequency of it. I would rather end the rumors in one swell swoop than addressing it over and over again. Please forgive me for not talking to you guys sooner, but I had to wait until all of those rumors stopped appearing every day to address everything in one statement. These rumors about me having an explicit relationship with all of those girls were false. They were made-up by an anonymous user to slander me. Some of those girls I have interacted with, but I never engaged in an explicit and sexual relationship with. I should've told everyone this earlier, please forgive me.” said Ayanokouji, giving a bow towards his soulmate.
Ayanokouji’s apology and explanation left everyone stunned as the silence took over the entire karaoke room. Some of his soulmates exchanged glances with each other while others stared hard at Ayanokouji as if they were to determine the authenticity of his explanation.
With a quick glance, Ayanokouji could see that his soulmates had been through a lot for the past few days. He was sure that they were affected negatively as their state of mind and emotional state was in disarray. Of course, some of them believed in him while others were skeptical about it. Due to Ayanokouji’s lack of addresses to the rumors, they felt like they were left out in the dark and their trust slowly deteriorated along with their emotional state.
This explains the hostile glares and glances that Ayanokouji had been receiving for the past few days as the number of rumors increased as well. This caused a stir in the intensity of their conflicting emotions which affected them on a more emotional level. Those rapidly polarizing emotions were so strong that it activated the soulmate’s effect. Depending on how strong their trust and faith is in Ayanokouji, the effectiveness of debuff varies. The stronger the rust and faith, the less affected they were. But, that doesn’t mean all of Ayanokouji’s soulmates were unscathed by this whole ordeal.
Ayanokouji could see the consequences of his plan to address his soulmates about the rumors by the end of school week. Some of his soulmates looked physically exhausted and worn out as if they hadn't had a good night of sleep or several. Some looked sickly as if they’ve gotten a sudden cold flu while others had small bandages and visible bruises or cuts in various places of their body as if they had an accident. Luckily, it seems like nothing major happened to his soulmates, but he knew that something worse might happen to his soulmates if more time persists.
Eventually, the silence in the karaoke room was broken and chaos erupted. Ayanokouji was being bombarded by glares, glances, shouts, and murmurs from his soulmates. It was a mesh pot of relief, anger, surprise, shock, annoyed, and other conflicting emotions, but it seems that most of his soulmates were relieved that the rumors were not true. This unleashed a tidal wave of emotions and chaos from his soulmates as they were holding it in for quite some time and it came crashing down upon Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji stared at the wall of glances and glares from his soulmates as he realized that he now must pay the consequences for his plan. Ayanokouji was ready for that outcome as he knew that there was no escape for him as he was trapped in an enclosed space with about thirty emotionally-charged and active soulmates of his. He stared at them defiantly as he was ready to take on whatever they threw at him.
Ayanokouji’s plan to save Ichinose was to spread rumors about him using an anonymous account. His plan was to get the attention of school, but to do that, he must spread the juiciest rumors he could find. He already knew that he has a reputation as a playboy due to his soulmates and the amount of female acquaintances and encounters he had. By using his reputation to his advantage, he can create some rumors that people might believe in.
Ayanokouji purposely used the female acquaintances that he knew for the rumors as he made sure that he was also seen publicly with them. This can reinforce the idea that he was actually having some sort of explicit and sexual relationship with them, but it makes it easier for Ayanokouji to mix some truths and lies together. He could easily claim that he was with them, but won’t specifically say that he did anything with them. The more rumors there are, the line between truth and lies becomes more blurred.
All of this was used to get the school’s attention. Ayanokouji knew that the school would have to be involved because it involved multiple faculty members and they cannot allow such rumors about their prestigious reputation to be tainted. The fact that it involved so many students with such a scandalous rumor would also ruin the school’s reputation and question the quality of their students. The school simply can no longer ignore it and would need to take action.
With that, Ayanokouji has successfully fend off Sakayanagi's assault on Ichinose by using the school as his main weapon. This also questions Ayanokouji’s reputation as a playboy as the school has announced that it was slander and not true. This will limit the spread of rumors about Ayanokouji and people may no longer believe in the rumors due to what just happened. This meant Ayanokouji had free reign to do whatever he wanted as fewer people would believe in any future rumors or news. This also meant that Ayanokouji could finally shed the annoying rumors about him and could keep going forward.
Lastly, Ayanokouji wanted to test the limit of the soulmate’s effect on a massive scale as it affected all of his soulmates. He had already seen it in action when he rejected Satou on Christamas’s Eve which could’ve resulted in her death, but it was a stronger stimulus. Those rumors chipped away their resolve, trust, and faith in Ayanokouji which meant no immediate threat of death. Ayanokouji was sure that it hurt them on a more emotional level which allowed him to do some further testing as he wanted to see how far he could push it without any unfortunate accidents.
With Ayanokouji’s plan going according to plan, he had successfully saved Ichinose from Sakayanagi’s relentless attack and confirmed a few suspicions that he had. He now knew the limits of soulmate's effect and he could weaponize it if he wanted, but it would require precise planning and manipulation.
As Ayanokouji was recalling the details of his plan, he found himself in deep trouble with his soulmates. He could see and feel their frustration, anger, and other conflicting emotions that had been building for a couple of days. He was prepared to face it as it didn't look like he was getting out of this room unscathed.
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Soulmates
1) Horikita Suzune
2) Kushida Kikyou
3) Mii-chan
4) Tachibana Akane
5) Azuma Sana
6) Shinohara Satsuki
7) Onodera Kayano
8) Mori Nene
9) Hoshinomiya Chie
10) Ichihashi Ruri
11) Andou Sayo
12) Shiranami Chihiro
13) Yabu Nanami
14) Sakura Airi
15) Inogashira Kokoro
16) Morofuji Rika
17) Manabe Shiho
18) Kinoshita Minori
19) Satou Maya
20) Sonoda Chiyo
21) Okabe Fuyu
22) Karuizawa Kei
23) Asahina Nazuna
24) Minamikata Kozue
25) Hasebe Haruka
26) Ninomiya Yui
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Author’s Note:
Hello, everyone! First chapter of the new year. I honestly didn’t expect to get this chapter out so quickly. I’m so glad that I got this chapter out before returning back to college. My winter break was fun while it lasted. I’m on a hot streak right now.
For now, I’ve finished off up to volume 9 of the first-year. This is probably a good time for me to slow down for a bit (probably because of college). I honestly have some polishing to do with some of the characters. I’ve planned something for Nishikawa and the rest of Class A along with some major backstories. With that being said, I’m probably going to take a break from writing for this story. I really need to catch up on COTE reaction for this story, but I’m not really motivated to do anything because I like writing about this story more and it’s more fulfilling. But, the people want it and I will deliver. Just don’t expect a crazy uploading schedule because college exists.
Until next time, my dear readers.
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