The wind on the street had already taken on a lazy afternoon quality, but it couldn’t disperse the fine layer of cold sweat on Koharu Miura’s forehead.
After saying goodbye to her parents, she hurriedly left Saizeriya and headed toward the school.
The young girl, dressed in a beige skirt, kept her head down.
Her long black hair was slightly disheveled in the breeze, causing her anxious profile to flicker in and out of sight between the strands.
…In her haste, Koharu didn’t notice it at all.
— Just as she left the restaurant and ran toward the street corner.
In the shadow of a roadside tree, diametrically opposite the direction she was heading.
…A figure stood there quietly.
The girl with straight bangs silently watched Koharu’s retreating back.
The high school girl who had just been laughing and talking at the dining table — the one who had Koharu’s parents singing her praises — was not currently “buying salad” or “going home” as she had just claimed.
She simply stood there in the shadow of the giant paulownia tree at the entrance of Saizeriya.
Dappled sunlight filtered through the withered yellow leaves, splashing onto her duffle coat and reflecting her still-smiling face.
The polite and friendly curve she had displayed at the table now seemed somewhat chilling in this dark shadow.
Nao Yamazaki’s eyes were half-closed, her gaze piercing through the sparse crowd on the street to lock precisely onto Koharu’s shrinking back.
She didn’t give chase, nor did she make any extra movements.
She simply stood there, silently watching Koharu vanish at the end of her vision.
The tree shadows swayed irregularly across her face, wordlessly shifting shapes.
……
“Whew… hah…”
Koharu propped her hands on her knees, sweat trickling down the side of her forehead.
She had started at a brisk walk, which gradually escalated into a jog.
Koharu had no way of knowing Nao Yamazaki was watching her from behind, but that sense of unease — of being targeted — felt like a chill lurking in her veins that refused to dissipate.
Nao’s appearance had completely shattered her last illusions about coincidences.
‘That place, that timing… it’s definitely not a coincidence.’
Even in a state of oxygen deprivation, Koharu’s brain forced itself to think.
‘Why Nao Yamazaki? Is it just because she is the eye for that group in Arisa Kiyono’s class? If the opposition has already begun this level of infiltration and monitoring on an outsider like me, then what about the core figure currently investigating this matter — Sou Kanzaki?’
‘If…’ A terrible thought flashed through her mind. ‘If that group starts harassing Kanzaki, too?’
Koharu shuddered.
If she followed the logic of those anonymous writers, anyone who hindered their bullying of Arisa Kiyono was an obstacle that needed to be cleared.
Sou Kanzaki was currently running all over the place because of that letter, which was undoubtedly a direct challenge to the “Collaboration Group’s” bottom line.
If Sou also received an anonymous letter, or was followed and harassed by those delinquents on his way home, what would he do with his almost stubborn sense of justice?
‘He won’t back down,’ Koharu clenched her fists. ‘He’s fully committed to this investigation.’
That was exactly what Koharu was most afraid to see.
Sou’s current involvement largely remained on a public-service level, acting as the Student Council President protecting a fellow student.
Currently, he just felt the matter was “restless” and “dangerous.”
However, once he or those close to him suffered substantial harm, this matter would turn into a game of wits where a winner and a loser must be decided.
Once Sou went all out, given his nearly perfect detective brain and execution within Starlight Academy, it would only be a matter of time before the so-called “Collaboration Group” was dragged into the light.
But before that…
Before that, he would surely follow the “victim” lead and find his way to Arisa Kiyono.
He would discover Arisa’s secret at the Livehouse.
He would discover the details of the bullying happening in dark corners.
He would even discover just how many massive lies she, this “Koharu Miura,” had told to maintain this broken plot.
‘Everything will be lost then.’
Arisa would be taken away from this whirlpool; she might be forced to transfer, or completely withdraw from the idol group that was her only salvation.
Meanwhile, because of this investigation, Sou would prematurely complete the “Hero Saving the Beauty” arc with Arisa that wasn’t supposed to start until winter vacation.
The plot would completely fracture, and she — a background character who existed only to save Compute Power and was full of lies — would most likely be judged by the System as a “interference factor” and completely erased.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Koharu forced herself to stand upright and pushed open the school gate.
The campus on a day off was so empty it was heart-wrenching, with only the rustle of the wind blowing through the dust nets of the sports field.
This tranquility felt extremely surreal at this moment, as if the entire school had turned into a giant trap waiting for prey to enter.
She walked quickly through the empty corridor, the echo of her shoes hitting the floor carrying far through the vacant building.
On the floor where the Student Council Room was located, sunlight lay diagonally across the floorboards, with tiny dust motes swirling in the beams of light.
Koharu stopped in front of the familiar door and adjusted her breathing.
She raised her hand, wanting to smooth her messy hair, but her fingertips were trembling.
In the upcoming conversation, she had to act in a way that earned Sou’s trust while also finding a way to divert his attention.
This was a high-difficulty tightrope walk; even a single mistake in her micro-expressions could lead to total defeat.
…Click.
She pushed open the door.
Inside the Student Council Room, the heavy curtains were half-drawn. Sou Kanzaki wasn’t sitting in his usual seat at the head of the table. Instead, he stood by the window, holding a few pieces of what looked like printed photos or records.
Hearing the door, he turned around.
“You’re here, Miura.”
Sou’s voice was steady, but the tone that usually carried a hint of warmth felt exceptionally cold right now.
Koharu froze at the door.
In her memory, Sou Kanzaki was always the “Perfect President” who carried a faint smile and could calmly handle any problem, no matter how difficult.
Even when discussing the anonymous letter, his eyes mostly held rational analysis and concern for a friend.
But this time, it was completely different.
There was no smile on Sou’s face.
His brow was slightly furrowed, and a nearly suppressed, icy anger flickered in his deep eyes.
That seriousness wasn’t directed at Koharu, but at the “facts” he held in his hands.
This sense of pressure caused Koharu to instinctively shrink back half a step.
“Kanzaki…” Her voice was a bit dry. “What… did you find?”