Chapter 157 - Classroom of the Elite: Checkmate 19

Chapter 19 - Adjournment

"You seem tired. Are you sleeping well, Kiyotaka?"

Chiaki leaned to the side and examined my face closer.

I shouldn't have looked any different from how I usually did, but her tone carried genuine worry for my well-being. She was likely still anxious about Sakura, who was a no-show at school. Since she had a convincing reason, there weren't any point deductions, but everyone knew what happened and kept fretting about her.

People seriously talked too much...

"Not notably good or bad. Is it that awful?"

"No..." She caressed over my cheek with her free hand before we proceeded on our way. "Maybe I'm just overly worried due to everything that has happened in the past weeks."

It was correct that a lot had happened, but none of the bad things affected me personally. She seemed to have been projecting her worries onto me, which would explain her current overprotective nature.

We walked through the busy mall hand in hand as I caught sight of some posters which had been plastered on the front of multiple stores, advertising a huge fluffy panda with a height of about fifty centimeters. On the right of the poster was a big, golden star with bold letters inside, spelling out 'Limited Edition' in all caps.

"Wow, I didn't know they'd get those here!"

The advertisement seemed to have caught my girlfriend's attention as well, as she began to examine the poster in front of us. She pulled out her phone and took a picture before typing out a message.

It looked like these soft toys were rather popular among the female students, according to the people that stopped to investigate the poster. Chiaki was probably messaging one of her friends in our class about their availability as well.

I was, of course, completely out of the loop on such things.

"What are 'those'? I've never seen them before."

Chiaki put her phone away and turned towards me with an unsurprised expression.

"This brand sells a lot of those special stuffed animal toys. They are always released in five to six versions in a limited quantity and never re-released once sold out. Meaning, those specific cuddly toys will be the only ones that they'll ever produce before moving to another animal."

"That's pretty smart."

Once the brand established themselves as a reputable company with good quality, people would do anything in their power to get one of these cute stuffed animals for their children, loved ones, or themselves. From the poster itself, it also looked like they were being shipped out in packaging, so collectors could keep them in factory new condition and sell them off for profits later.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of the first few animals they had produced was worth a small fortune due to their brand being unknown back then. The company probably turned a huge profit with their pricing policy.

"Do you have one of them?"

"No, but a friend of mine back in middle-school was crazy about their products. She stood in line half the night together with her brother in order to buy one every single time a new animal was released. Mii-chan also likes the brand, but not to such a degree, so I just informed her that they'd be selling them in case she was interested."

This was their evil plan all along, huh?

Not bad company...

"Let's go there!"

Chiaki tugged my sleeve and pointed towards the clothing shop we had visited together with the others. This place harbored fond memories for both of us, because she had suggested calling each other by our first names here.

Now that I thought about it, she had always made the first move towards 'us'. She had not only confessed to me but also asked for our first kiss as well as the first date which we were currently enjoying.

Could it be... am I a bad boyfriend?

"We don't really have points to spare for a shopping spree, do we?"

"So? We can still try out new pieces. I mean, I want to see you in this and this and that one over there..."

My girlfriend already began listing clothing items while outside, but this only worsened once we entered the boutique. She pulled me inside and kept pointing at, and gathering, trousers, shirts, jackets, swimwear and pretty much everything that caught her eye and might look good on me.

It had been a while since we had nothing to do but to relax, so spending time like this was always fun. The special exams were coming up as well, which is why I believed that both Chiaki and I deserved some time off before the game began.

I was still wondering whether I should let her take care of everything bothersome during our summer break, because she had managed to tie up Sudou's case exemplarily. Despite my wishes, however, I made a promise to a certain teacher which I couldn't violate without serious repercussions.

And I really wanted to see how capable my opponents were...

"Let's goo! You put these on first."

She held out her arm, which was covered by clothing items from different brands and sizes. Chiaki had gathered such an amount of different pieces that she almost vanished behind them.

"Which ones? I can't put all of them on first, you know?"

"The green and orange one because they complement each other so well."

Did she want me to look like a pumpkin?

My girlfriend hid her beautiful smile behind the pink scarf she had found and shooed me into one of the free changing rooms while waiting in front of it with a plethora of shirts and jeans hanging from her arms.

"Really? Huh... if you say so."

I knew little about fashion, but I found this combination of colors rather weird. Such shades shouldn't be paired together under any circumstances if I thought about this with color-theory in mind. But Karuizawa and the other girls all said that Chiaki had a great sense of fashion, so I chose to trust my partner with her selection for me.

After pulling the curtain, I undressed and slipped into the new things she had prepared for me. Upon glancing at the mirror, I was even more sure that these colors wouldn't work together.

Maybe I just had no sense for aesthetics.

I tapped off the dust and thrust the curtain which shielded me from the outside world aside.

As soon as the sun shone into my face, an adorable, resounding laugh greeted me. Chiaki's amusement was so loud that some of the staff members turned in our direction as well. The female personnel glanced at us with astonished expressions and broke out into laughter just moments after my girlfriend.

"I'm so sorry, Kiyotaka. But you are so adorably clueless sometimes..."

Chiaki ran her smooth fingers through my hair before wiping away the tears that had formed in her eyes. She sat down on one of the stools and snickered into the remaining clothes she had gathered for me.

To my surprise, the sales women hadn't been mad after the two of us left, even though we kept putting on multiple clothing articles without being able to buy a single one of them. I guess they've had their fun, thanks to Chiaki's games whenever no one aside from us was in the store.

I couldn't deny that I had found an incredibly beautiful girlfriend, however.

Even though I had been aware of this before, I realized that she radiated even more whenever the two of us did something together. She looked like a model with almost every piece of clothing she had put on. Short-sleeved, long-sleeved, jeans, shorts, hot pants, dresses, swimwear... It didn't matter.

Chiaki looked absolutely breathtaking in every single one of them.

She had also found multiple combinations that looked great on me when she wasn't occupied with pulling my leg with the weirdest color mixtures she could come up with.

"That reminds me... Karuizawa and the others always said you had a knack for fashion. Do you want to become a fashion designer or something?"

"Mhh..." She clung around my arm and leaned onto my shoulder. "I haven't really thought about it that much. But doing something like this wouldn't be bad, I think. What about you Kiyotaka, is there something you wish to do after graduation?"

"I want to be free."

Would it be weird if I told her that?

Without an explanation, she wouldn't understand. But it was not like I could tell her about my past. This wasn't only a very private matter, but it would also put her in danger if she knew anything about the White Room.

"No idea, really. I would probably continue studying after highschool."

I really wondered what I wished to do, but this was all I could muster.

We kept chatting for a while until we ran into a few of our classmates.

Luckily, it was a group that was friendly to us and harbored nothing but genuine goodwill towards our relationship. If we had stumbled into Ike and company, our date would have been ruined in an instant due to the bad vibes he would have spread since he couldn't find a girlfriend.

After exchanging pleasantries, we separated again and continued our date.

We ambled around the mall, went window shopping, laughed and joked around while we leisurely spent our time together as a proper couple. Chiaki laughed most of the time, because I was still troubled with such simple, mundane things.

I managed a few smiles, but that was all I could currently offer my girlfriend.

Even though I couldn't properly express my emotions, Chiaki knew that I had fun whenever we spent time together.

After relaxing on a park bench for a few moments, we visited the Palate and ordered some sweets. I ordered a Tiramisu, while Chiaki went with her usual parfait and drink combination.

Both confectionaries were tasty on their own, but being on a date with my attractive girlfriend made them even sweeter, or so I chose to believe, since this was my first time trying both of them.

Our eventful day for two continued until the sun began to set.

Chiaki felt tired from all the walking and running towards the shops she had us do, so I suggested completing our date with a movie. This hadn't been my idea, of course, but I heard that Hirata and Karuizawa went to the cinema from time to time as well.

I assumed that this had been a lie, but the reactions of the surrounding boys and girls during that time informed me that watching a movie with your significant other was one of the possibilities of spending a day together.

We had planned nothing for today, and just went out and did what we felt like doing throughout the whole time, which had turned out pretty well for our first attempt at a date. Chiaki was happy as well, so there was no way that I would complain about the decisions we had made.

After walking to the cinema, we selected a movie to watch and found our seats just as the advertisements began to roll over the projection screen. Since we had eaten before, we didn't need popcorn or similar snacks and just leaned back into the chairs side by side, waiting for the show to start.

The panda from the poster made another appearance to draw in even more potential customers who might not have seen the mass of banners that had been plastered over the storefronts throughout the school grounds.

The promotions soon stopped and the mystery thriller we had decided upon began.

Since both Chiaki and I enjoyed such stories, it had been an easy decision to pick this over the remaining choices. Even though my girlfriend enjoyed the movie, the built-up fatigue caught up with her around the halfway point.

Her soft head slumped onto my shoulder while shallow, relaxed breaths escaped her enchanting lips.

A slight smile formed on my face as I took a whiff of her peony shampoo and adjusted my position to improve her sleeping posture, which didn't look as comfortable as it could have been.

Since she might feel bad about napping in the middle of the movie, I chose to do the same.

Leaning my head against hers, I shut my eyes as well.

The movie kept playing and ended around an hour later. There was quite a commotion during the credits as the other students stood and began to leave the auditorium, but Chiaki kept sleeping soundly as she leaned into me.

Another five minutes passed and two staff members strolled into the showroom to clean up the popcorn, snacks, coke bottles, empty containers and other such residue from the floor and seats.

It didn't take particularly long until they noticed that we were still inside.

"See? I told you the movie was boring."

A man's voice rang through the room before the woman heaved a sigh.

"That's not a valid point now, is it?" There was a slap, as if she had hit the ground with her broom. "The movie launched two weeks ago and those two are the only ones that fell asleep during that time."

"Should we ask them? I'm not losing another bet against you."

"Sure, go ahead. Wake them up."

A rather loud clang followed, as if someone stumbled over a bucket of sorts.

"What me?! There's no way I'm going to wake them up. Are you insane?"

"Why not? Didn't you want to ask them about the movie?"

"That was the last show of the day, anyway. Let's just clean around them and wake them later."

"So you are afraid to wake them up?"

Their relationship seemed to be quite similar to Horikita's and mine, since they kept pestering and taunting each other while cleaning the showroom, which seemed to be the reason that both of them were in such a good mood.

"Th-that's not the point. They look kind of... cute, don't you think?"

"So you are not scared of her boyfriend?"

"Wha — No, o-of course not. I could wake him up, e-easy."

A loud, hearty laugh escaped the female employee as she swept the floor in between the rows.

I wasn't sure why that guy was afraid of me, but as long as Chiaki could sleep a little longer, I wouldn't mind his misplaced concerns. This line of thinking should give me some bonus boyfriend points, right?

Time passed, and the male staff member kept postponing his inevitable duty to wake us until the last possible moment, when they had nothing more to do but lock up the entrance and go home.

"C-come on... give me a hand, would you?"

The woman answered his inquiry with silence and impatient taps on the ground.

"F-fine..." His footsteps grew closer as he slid through the row towards us. "E-excuse me, Sir?"

"Why are you so timid? You're a man, aren't you? Now find your voice and wake them up."

I had to concur with the woman, since the man's pitiful whisper barely reached my ears, even though I had been wide awake the whole time. If their conversations didn't wake us, then the man's pathetic attempt had long since lost meaning.

"Please don't be a scary boyfriend, please don't be a scary boyfriend."

His quiet chant increased in volume as he drew closer.

When I felt his body heat nearby, my eyes fluttered open.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Ups...

The man screamed as if he was about to die and fell backwards over the row of seats in front of ours. The woman, who stood to the side on the walkway, burst out in uncontrollable laughter while Chiaki jolted up in surprise before opening her eyes.

She glanced around, surveying her surroundings with a drowsy yet charming gaze.

"Kiyotaka?" She rubbed her eyes and hid her yawn behind her smooth fingers before she turned towards me. "Why are they so loud? Wait... where is everyone? Is the movie already over?"

My girlfriend was still tired, which is why it took her quite a while to complete these few short sentences.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess. Seems like we fell asleep and the nice gentleman wanted to wake us up. I really don't know what he's fussing about, though." I leaned forward, glancing after him. "Hopefully he isn't hurt."

The poor employee who hung headfirst over the row of chairs recovered from his unfortunate position and glanced at the staff woman, who was still occupied with calming herself after the man's hilarious reaction.

"He just opened his eyes like a goddamn zombie! Holy shit! I almost died. My heart..."

His heavy, exhausted breaths rang through the theater as he heaved himself up.

"Excuse me... did you just call my handsome boyfriend zombie?"

Chiaki leaned to the side and regarded the staff member with a fascinating smirk that didn't reach her eyes.

"Tanaka... I think you were afraid of the wrong person."

After Chiaki and I had our fun with the frantically apologizing employee, we said our farewells to both of them and left the cinema before strolling back to the dorms.

The two of them had apparently been friends since childhood but were separated when one of them had to move due to their parents' work. Since coincidences could be freaky, they had both applied for the job independently, not knowing that their long-lost companion did the same.

A long-lost childhood friend, huh...

Such a person was someone I could never have, because everyone in my generation was disposed of. But I still had to wonder what kind of individual they would be for me.

Would they be a guy, or a cute girl?

As this question spread through and occupied my mind, I remembered my talk with the Professor a few weeks back, and was glad that I didn't have one of these so-called childhood friends. Most of them seemed to end up either dead, alone, with a broken heart or with severe mental damages, depending on the story.

It was brutal.

"Sorry that I fell asleep."

Chiaki clenched my hand as we walked through the calm mall area.

Her skin was warm and soft, unlike mine, which felt cold and rough to me. She didn't seem to mind, however, since her adorable smile deepened as our fingers entwined.

"I fell asleep as well, so you really don't need to worry about that."

My girlfriend peeked at me before she stretched her free arm into the air.

"Today was nice!"

"Yeah, I really enjoyed myself on our first proper date. I think we did an amazing job, even though we took a nap in the cinema and scared one of the workers to death."

A healthy blush appeared on her face after being reminded that this had been one of our firsts, before her bewitching laugh filled the previous silence that had descended onto the school grounds.

"I guess we did a good job today."

"You are truly cute when you get all shy. You know that, right?"

She pouted and averted her eyes before squeezing my hand.

"Kiyobaka..."

We kept making fun of each other until we arrived in front of her room.

Chiaki fumbled around with her fingers as the two of us stood in the door frame. She threw me a few awkward glances which were difficult to interpret. Since it was almost time for curfew, it wouldn't make sense to visit her room, so she seemed to hint towards something else.

At first I wanted to say goodbye as this was how a day like this supposedly ended, but after her reactions, I wasn't sure if this was the right move to make. There was a high chance that she would be unhappy with my decision, but I didn't know what other options were available to me as we were not at that stage yet, according to my research into the topic.

"S-sooo... today was n-nice."

She had mentioned this already, which meant that she didn't intend to keep talking.

"Yeah it was."

While I hid my hands inside my pockets as usual, she kept fidgeting with her fingers as her pupils darted around her eyes like ping-pong balls. She seemed to search for a topic to breach but couldn't come up with anything.

Time kept ticking away as we just stood there and looked at each other in silence.

This was getting somewhat uncomfortable, even for me, so I decided to bite the bullet and make the first move.

"Well, it's already late, so —"

I wasn't able to progress any further than that, because Chiaki grabbed onto my arm, as if yearning for something.

"I don't want to... say goodbye just yet..."

Her voice was timid, yet determined.

Nothing could change the flow of time, however. The day was over and curfew was about to begin. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to stay much longer than a few more minutes.

"We have little control over that matter, do we?"

Chiaki nodded somewhat unruly, since she also knew that I couldn't remain with her much longer if we didn't want to test the school's limitations and related punishments for breaking curfew.

"I..."

The words she sought to convey didn't leave her lips.

If I had any idea what she wanted, I could help prod her in the right direction, or act myself if that could solve our current stalemate. But during such a situation, I felt out of my element.

I couldn't give her a proper answer if she wasn't telling me what she was craving for.

Her shimmering blue eyes turned upwards and met with mine.

And there it was again, her yearning gaze, which I recognized from that day.

"K-kiss me a-again?"

This short, yet all-explaining string of words escaped her enticing lips before I could act.

Truthfully, this had been a mistake on my part.

I should have anticipated her potential needs before she had to voice them, or at least, that's how it should have worked in the most ideal circumstances.

My girlfriend's eyes opened wide for the fraction of a second before a sensual smile spread over her face.

The reason for her first action must have been the thin smirk that appeared on my face, and the second didn't need to be explained any further.

Chiaki's smooth lips were pleasant and welcoming as I leaned into her. My hands wrapped around her hips while hers rested on my chest as we embraced each other in front of her room.

Since there was so much talk about 'the first kiss', I had assumed that it would have differed from the following ones. That it was better, or more unique in certain ways, but that hadn't been the case at all. This delicate intimacy we were feeling right now was strangely satisfying and comparable to our first.

We parted after our lips entwined for what had felt like a millisecond.

"Sorry, that was my bad."

I conceded my mistake with the best wry smile I could muster.

As a boyfriend, it was one of my duties to know how to act in times like this — but I had failed.

A shy laugh escaped her sweet lips before she embraced me.

"It's new for both of us. We are still learning, so mistakes are permitted. I mean, I could have just said something sooner myself. But you can also, you know... act on it... if you want something..."

"Mh...? Might as well, then."

I slid forward before planting another kiss on her supple, intoxicating lips.

"Do you need me for something?"

"No?"

"Then why am I here?"

"Wow, your cruelty really knows no bounds."

If I told anyone who I was exchanging these pleasantries with, they wouldn't believe me. The expected outcome was the end of my good reputation and a liar's mark on my forehead.

"'MY cruelty?' You are screwing with me, right?"

Kushida, who behaved like a rabid dog, grabbed a pillow and threw it in my direction.

The identified flying object flew past my head and crashed into the wall with an almost inaudible thud. I grabbed the foreign body and flung it into her face, which she received rather ungraciously and with a contemptuous expression as she fell backwards.

"We both know that we need to hang out more often, and today is such a beautiful day. Let's just work some of your Kushida magic and invite a few people to do something that could be deemed as fun."

My not so adorable classmate interlaced her arms and plopped onto the bed.

"You really think that I'm just writing a single message and a bunch of students come running, don't you?"

"Wait, isn't that how it works?"

I tilted my head, since this was exactly how Kushida Kikyou operated.

"Argh, damn it. Yes. Fuck! It is that simple, okay? Gimme a second."

She picked up the phone while throwing around profanities and began to message some of our classmates.

In the end, my queen needed less than three minutes to rally up a quarter of our acquaintances.

We decided to meet up at the dorm entrance since most of us were in our rooms anyway. This was where I was currently waiting for Sudou, Ike, Satou, Inogashira and Mii-chan, while chatting with Chiaki, Kushida, Hirata and Karuizawa, who were already here.

The five of us were talking about some random things as usual, like what we had done in the past few days, if we tried the new item on Palate's menu and much more. Kushida began to glance at each individual that took part in our current gathering and realized something with a horrified expression.

"Now that I think about it... I'm the fifth wheel in this constellation, aren't I?"

Everyone laughed, appreciating the joke she had set up with herself as the punch line.

"Mh, now that you mention it, it's true. Since Matsushita-san and Ayanokouji-kun are a couple as well, you are something akin to an add-on in our current group."

Hirata wasn't ready to call someone an outcast or anything with a negative affliction, even in his jokes. Add-on was a much tamer word in comparison, but not less hated than outcasts in certain circles, according to the Professor, Ike and the other guys who spend their time gaming.

"Oh, that's right! You guys should go on a double date or something, don't you think?" Kushida clapped her hands with the most beaming expression a human being could produce. "I'm sure Ayanokouji-kun could learn a lot from Hirata-kun!"

"Huh?!"

"Eh?"

"Wh-what?"

While everyone was confused by her sudden remark, Hirata began to laugh upon hearing our classmate's proposal.

Chiaki's and Karuizawa's reactions were similar to my own, but the underlying reason for each couldn't have been any more different. While my girlfriend and I were learning the ins and outs of being a couple with steady progress, Hirata and Karuizawa were only pretending to be intimate with each other.

"Well, I think that's a great idea. Right, Hirata-kun?"

The parasite threw herself around her boyfriend's arm with a wide smile, proving that Kushida wasn't the only exceptional actor in our small gathering of friends. The gyaru, which meant girl for anyone who might not have known this, put her insecurities aside and made the first step towards our future double date.

"I agree. If we find the time, we should definitely go out together. It sounds like fun."

"Well, if Kiyotaka is fine with it, then I don't mind either."

My girlfriend left the baton, and with that, the final decision, with me.

"Yeah, sure. Let's meet up when we're all free."

The three remaining girls ambled towards us while we kept talking about this and that.

Every one of them had arrived in their own unique style of clothing, seen by the casual wear they had dressed themselves with. Since it was Saturday, there was no need to visit or even go near the school building, so everyone decided to show off the clothes they had bought during our stay here.

Chiaki let go of my hand and jumped off the bench before walking over to them with Karuizawa and Kushida in tow. They kept complementing each other and their choice of outfits and talked about what they might buy next month. Karuizawa, for example, wanted to purchase a few more accessories, while Satou needed a top that would fit and complement one of her shorts, which she couldn't wear at the moment due to mismatched colors.

Hirata inched closer towards the bench and sat down beside me.

"Sudou-kun and Ike-kun are running late, it seems."

"Seems like it."

It was quite odd that Ike, of all people, needed such a long time to show up, since his one and only Kushida-chan-sensei had invited him to a 'date'. Usually, he emerged behind her in a matter of minutes, sometimes even seconds, depending on his current location.

This time, however, he was late despite being nearby.

"We haven't really talked in a while, huh? With all that's been happening, I mean..."

"Yeah, we had some eventful months indeed. I'm glad that most of us managed just fine."

The two of us hadn't talked one on one like this ever since that one time in the locker room. We had spoken often even after that, but we were always accompanied by at least one of the girls or other guys. Right now, it sounded as if he wanted to breach a rather sensitive topic, according to his tone, soft voice and visual sweep of the area.

"You know, Ayanokouji-kun, I wanted to thank you again for what you did, but I never really found the right moment. I felt bad, not being able to convey my gratitude, even though you had been there for me when I needed it."

Was he talking about our conversation before Yamauchi was expelled? Or because I had sent Kushida after him when I noticed his dangerous downward spiral afterwards?

It wouldn't have been difficult to figure out that I had talked to her, since I had made no moves to hide my involvement during that time. If he had asked me about it, I would have answered him honestly as well.

"Thank me? I don't think I did anything that would warrant your thanks."

"When Yamauchi-kun was about to be expelled... well. I was about to do something really stupid, wasn't I?" A dejected laugh escaped his lips. "I wanted to thank you for talking to me and holding me back that day."

His melancholic gaze swayed over towards Karuizawa, who wore an enthralling smile as she had fun with Chiaki and the other girls while they began to take pictures and short videos to record cherished memories for their future selves.

Everyone aside from me would naturally think that he was glad to still be here because of his girlfriend, but this hypothesis was far from the truth. In reality, he was worried about what might have happened to Karuizawa in case he had taken the fall for Yamauchi, just like he had planned.

A parasite without a host would soon languish and die a lonesome and tragic death.

Even though Hirata would never label her with such a devastating stigmata, it was the undeniable truth.

"You were troubled and focused on Yamauchi, who found himself in a difficult situation. I only tried to show you the circumstances in a different perspective. Without you, Class D might have already been lost."

"That's nice of you to say, but I don't think that would be the case. I believe that Matsushita-san is capable enough to lead our classmates to the top. She saved Sudou-kun twice, after all."

Chiaki could lead the class well indeed, but there were still things she wouldn't be able to accomplish on her own. She wasn't as proficient as Kushida or Hirata in social interactions, nor was she as athletic as Sudou or Onodera. Even Horikita, who possessed a large, gaping hole as far as deficits went, had her own strong points in certain scenarios.

Every single individual born into this world was formed and molded with their own set of flaws.

Some of these defects were small, while others were much bigger.

But the fact that a single person couldn't carry a whole class on their back remained.

It just wasn't feasible.

"Kushida-chaaaaaaaan~!"

Ike's unpleasant voice reverberated through the dorm's entrance.

Hirata shook his head with a smile on his face and stood up.

"I think they are here. Let's go."

I nodded and glanced towards Sudou and Ike, whereupon I understood what had held them up for so long.

Contrary to everyone else, Ike wore his school uniform, which already began to show dark sweat stains beneath his armpits because of how thick and airtight the material was.

He must have been changing his clothes the whole time until he realized that nothing he had was good enough for a 'date' with Kushida-chan-sensei. Only he would call a gathering of ten people 'date', after all.

Sudou slowed down to match my pace as we ambled towards the mall.

"That moron, seriously. We stood in his damn room for ages because he couldn't find any clean clothes without stains or other blemishes that made wearing them impossible. In the end, he decided on wearing his uniform and now he's sweating buckets, which is even worse than having a small stain no one would have noticed anyway."

My assumption hadn't been too far off, it seemed.

"We were already wondering what had taken you guys so long, but that explains everything." I shook my head before throwing him a glance. "What about you, though? I'm surprised you decided to accompany us today."

"Huh?! What's that supposed to mean?"

He averted his gaze after receiving mine and kicked away a pebble to vent his apparent frustration.

"Nothing, just that you've been spending a lot of time with Sakura, that's all."

"Wha — It's not like that."

Of course it wasn't, but there was no way I wouldn't make him aware of the fact, since it might increase the chances of a prospering relationship between the two.

My remark took zero effort but would have a major impact on him and his perception.

"How is she, anyway? I had little time to visit her the last week."

My favorite delinquent hid his hands inside his pockets and heaved a deep sigh.

"Well, she was pretty happy when you brought her camera over, but sometimes she still wakes up screaming. And that's only when I'm around to hear it. She doesn't want to talk to me about it, which I kind of understand, but it's hard seeing her like this."

"Is she still in the infirmary?"

"Yeah... she said she doesn't feel comfortable going back to her room. I don't understand most of this stuff, to be honest, but she isn't doing well, I think. She also sleeps a lot and talks to her doctor daily, but aside from that..."

Sakura was working through her trauma and Sudou's repeated visits and presence will have a lasting impact both for her sentiments about him and her recovery. Panic attacks like hers weren't out of the ordinary in victims, so I didn't worry too much about her state of mind.

Even though Kushida put up a tough front, she had even worse problems than Sakura, since she had to go through the humiliation of being seen, photographed and touched by her assailant, all while she was naked and powerless. I might have not gone all the way, but this was more than enough to leave serious psychological traumata, which she could never work past, especially since she still had to serve me.

She was much stronger, and more resilient than Sakura, but even she flinched and trembled every time I touched or closed in on her when we were alone. Kushida's peerless mask wasn't able to cover all of her scars around the clock.

My mere presence alone made her relive these dreadful memories.

Sakura could count herself lucky that Sudou had found her soon enough. She wasn't essential for this game and I would have given that man as much time as he needed with her. My pawn might be one of the girls I could bind my favorite delinquent to, but she wasn't the only one.

Although more difficult to control than Sakura, she would be a fine leash for my dog. I hadn't paid too much attention to her until now, but I would have some time to observe her in a different environment during the special exam.

"I'm sure she'll get better with time."

"I really hope that piece of shit rots in prison for the rest of his miserable life."

Sudou clenched his fists, rage seeping through him as I stared at Kushida's back.

"Hopefully, yes."

"Ayanokouji-kun, do you need help with your studies?"

"Uh... no... Why?"

I glanced at the girl opposite of me and picked up some salad and meat.

"It's just that the final exams are soon, so prepare thoroughly."

"It's July 3rd... we have like three weeks left."

She reciprocated my gaze, swallowing her fish.

"And that's exactly what Sudou-kun and Ike-kun would have said, don't you agree?"

"Well, if you put it that way..."

The cafeteria was packed with people, so it was rather difficult to understand the other person. Kushida said that the Palate had problems with the air conditioning system, which is why everyone who should have been there was now wandering through the crowded cafeteria.

"Why are there so many people today?"

Horikita had evidently not heard about the issue, which wasn't surprising.

"Kushida said that the air conditioning in the Palate is broken."

I swirled my drink and took a sip of the cold liquid to cool down my body.

"You seem to be rather close with Kushida-san."

My neighbor interlaced her arms and threw me a reproachful look.

That's what you are supposed to think.

"Well, she's nice to be around compared to some other people."

"Really? Just who could you mean by that?"

She opted to tap my leg with her foot beneath the table as a warning while I ate my meal, even though her schoolbag and the renowned compass inside stood right beside her.

"Ah... just other people, you know? You are, of course, not other people. I'm eternally grateful to be dining with a delicate woman like yourself on such a beautiful summer day."

"Of course you would be." She slung back her hair. "Consider yourself lucky that you are the only one who may."

"Now that you mention it... the last time you grabbed a bite with someone aside from me was when you ran into Ike and the others, right? They are still crying about your harsh behavior during 'the worst meal of their lives'."

Horikita chewed the remainder of her food and wiped her lips with a napkin.

"A reaction such as this should have been obvious. Not only was it entirely predictable, but also preventable if he hadn't touched me with his greasy hands. What do you do when an insect keeps bothering you and roams over your arm?"

"Isn't that kind of harsh?"

She just looked at me with a blank face and chose not to elaborate any further. Her arctic glance and brisk attitude conveyed a single question that described Horikita Suzune perfectly: 'are you seriously asking this right now?'

The girls in this school were terrifying existences.

First was Horikita, who stabbed everyone who came too close to her. Then there was Kushida, who was both an angel and a devil in disguise. Fuka didn't even need to be mentioned and Chiaki assaulted me while I was pretending to sleep. The worst of them all was Sae, who wanted to throw me in front of the wolves for her own gain.

Talk about heartless...

I had planned to contact Shiina Hiyori, the only true angel at this school as far as I could tell, before we left for our summer vacation, but due to what had happened during the Sudou incident, I was hesitant to speak to her. It was better to let things cool down for a while before I accidentally ran into this interesting Class C girl.

"Well anyway, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Yes, about that. I have this friend..."

She regarded me with a deadpan expression.

"It's another birthday present, isn't it?"

"Well, I was just wondering if a heart is alright if it says 'Happy Birthday' on it? You said that hearts are a no-go since the person could take it the wrong way, but since the meaning is clearly specified on that heart, it should be alright, no?"

My neighbor and acquaintance leaned back in the chair and stared in the air before nodding.

"Yes, I believe that such an object should be within the scope of a reasonable birthday present."

"Thanks Horikita."

"Not for something like this. You are a good friend, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Huh?!"

Horikita's eyes widened for a split second.

"Eh?!"

I must have been daydreaming again, so I chose to inquire once more before drawing any premature, potentially life-threatening conclusions from the sentence she had just uttered.

"Horikita...?"

I was about to reach my arm towards her forehead when she stood.

"To your friends, of course. We, you and I, are not friends. Remember that, Ayanokouji-kun. We are classmates, and neighbors, that's all. I'll be going now. Thank you for the meal."

She strode off with those words as passing gift.

What did just happen?

My frozen apparatus of a heart cracked somewhat open after Horikita, the ice queen, had called me a friend. I couldn't help but look at her receding back with an unknown feeling slumbering inside of me until she was out of view.

I glanced down at the wrapped up present and nodded in satisfaction after my work was done.

It took a while, a lot longer than I'd like to admit, but I managed to wrap-up the present perfectly before adding a shiny red ribbon on top to finish things up for good. My model had been a picture I found on the internet, so I was sure that I had packaged it in a decent, presentable fashion.

I stashed the unused gift wrap in a drawer and pushed the present inside the wardrobe right next to it since I didn't want to have this thing standing around when Sudou, or worse, Ike and him, barged in here with one of their stupid ideas.

At least Ike 'lost' the key to my room...

My phone rang a few moments after I lay back down on the bed to relax.

"Chiaki? What's up?"

"Do you remember the conversation about the double date with Karuizawa-san and Hirata-kun?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, the two of them would be free this Saturday and Karuizawa asked if we had time as well. Would that be alright with you? Or do you not want to go? I can probably convince her that something came up on my end."

I leaned back into my pillow and supported my head as I glanced at the cactus Chiaki had bought me.

Every time the two of us talked or spent time together, I wondered how I had deserved such a sweet and caring girlfriend. After all the things I had done and would do without hesitation, she worried about me not wanting to go on a double date since I may have felt pressured saying yes during our prior meet-up.

Chiaki was looking forward to it, and I had already agreed, so I wouldn't step back down.

"Saturday sounds great."

Even though I was interested in what a double date entailed, I hoped that Chiaki might get a glimpse at their relationship. She was quite perceptive about these things, since she had noticed Tachibana's infatuation for the elder Horikita on their first meeting, so she should be capable of seeing through Hirata and Karuizawa as well.

Would she inform me if she noticed something off about them? Or would she talk to them about their reasons? Maybe she'd opt to leave it alone after deciding that it wasn't her place to meddle in their relationship?

So many questions I had no answers for...

"Alright, I'll text you the details later when I discussed things with Karuizawa-san. See you, Kiyotaka!"

"Yeah. See you, Chiaki."

After hanging up, I took a walk around campus to get some fresh air, since the weather was nice.

The sun hovered in the light-blue sky and gifted us with its warm, comfortable rays while the few clouds in between saved us from the brunt of the heat, which was enough to weaken any human being into escaping towards a store that had a working air conditioner.

Quiet days like this one were opportunities I wouldn't have many of. I ingrained every day that passed in my mind, since all of this tranquillity would end in just two more years and a few fleeting months.

There wasn't much time until I would have to say goodbye to everyone.

While they could still stay in contact and meet up with each other after their graduation, I would return to that place. The person known as Ayanokouji Kiyotaka would vanish from the surface of this world until that man decided that he was allowed to exist again.

Even though I had spent my time leisurely, like Matsuo would have wanted, I still hadn't found an answer for the question that had been plaguing me ever since he had posed it during my escape.

It was truly laughable.

A person, no — the so-called masterpiece of the White Room, who had expert knowledge spanning over multiple fields, including but not limited to psychology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, thermodynamics and many more, couldn't even answer such a simple question.

Just what did I wish for?

The red tint in my eyes vanished and was replaced by pure darkness while I sat on the comfortable bench and basked in the sunlight. Contrary to my expectations, there was no vocal follow-up from the girl, whose fascinating scent surged through my nostrils as she leaned forward.

She had taken my last critique into consideration, but still...

"How are you, Ichinose?"

"Huuu, how'd you know that it was me this time?"

The strawberry-blonde beauty removed her smooth hands from my eyes and regarded me with a smile that rivaled the summer-sun that lingered in the clear blue sky.

Would it be sexual harassment if I told her the truth?

"Oh, it was a fifty-fifty chance. I just guessed and got lucky."

Ichinose sat down beside me and leaned against the backrest while stretching her arms, which accentuated the generous, well-developed contours of her body.

"Fifty-fifty, huh? I almost had you." She threw me an adorable pout. "Who was the other person, though? Probably Matsushita-san... or maybe Kushida-san? You are quite close with her as well..."

Our repeated efforts had paid off, apparently.

"It was Kushida."

"Mhh... won't your girlfriend get jealous?"

She covered her mouth as she stared at me with a worried expression.

"You don't need to worry. Chiaki knows that I wouldn't do something like that to her. You and Kushida are also friends with everyone, so worrying about something that would never happen seems like a waste of time. Don't you think?"

Ichinose wouldn't know this, but Kushida could never get into a relationship with someone, since she would lose everything she had worked so hard for the moment it became public knowledge. If she gave her heart so a specific person, she would be unable to receive the love from others.

Kushida Kikyou could never be more or less than a good friend to everyone.

"I'm glad that everything worked out for the two of you after that bumpy start."

"It was indeed quite bumpy, wasn't it?" I scratched my cheek, just like Sakura did whenever she felt embarrassed. "What about you and Shiranami? I haven't really found the time to ask with everything that happened, sorry."

She threw me a peek and interlaced her fingers.

"Don't worry about it, I understand. Everything is fine. It took some time for both of us to get used to knowing our feelings towards each other, but we are doing much better now. She reminded me of my little sister, so I always saw her that way. This was one of the reasons why I struggled with her unexpected feelings when I learned that she was romantically interested in me."

Ichinose was in a talkative mood, which made it easier to inquire about potentially important subjects that I could use to my advantage. She wasn't very secretive in the first place, but she made it almost too easy.

"You mentioned her before, right? Your sister, I mean. How does it feel having a sibling?"

"Mhh..."

If she wasn't willing to share her thoughts, I wouldn't push her. I kept quiet about my upbringing as well, which is why I wouldn't fault anyone for wanting to keep their past hidden. She would supply me with even more information by denying to answer the question, however.

Would I have drawn the same conclusions if I hadn't been raised in the White Room? Or could I have talked openly about my childhood with a genuine smile on my face as I spent my time with a beautiful schoolmate? Would I have been able to forge honest, genuine bonds with my friends instead of relying on shallow lies, deception and artificial actions to keep myself afloat?

"It's nice. Having a younger sibling, that is. My sister is two years younger than me and we were always pretty close. No, that's not right... My mom, her and me, the three of us, were always close..."

It sounded as if something had transpired between them before she arrived at this school, according to her choice of words and the hesitance in delivering them. She didn't mind sharing her past with me, but had difficulties to convey her thoughts and feelings on the matter.

From her reaction alone, I could gleam that it must have been something she still hadn't worked through.

"Hey, did you see that panda advertisement?"

Ichinose's blue eyes widened for a moment before a dazzling smile formed on her face. She was thankful for my consideration towards her inner troubles and switched back to her usual cheery self.

"I did." She jumped up, rocking her arms in the process. Her previous melancholy was nowhere to be found and replaced with playful anger. "You won't believe what happened, Ayanokouji-kun!"

Class B's leader pouted and stomped her feet on the ground.

She looked so captivating that I couldn't help but smile in response.

"What happened?"

"So, they released this incredibly adorable panda cuddly toy two days ago, right? And who do you think was one of the first students in the line to purchase this limited edition?"

"Judging by the flow of the conversation so far, I assume that this person was you?"

"Exactly! And I still don't have my cute stuffed animal! Can you believe that?" She sat back down and faced me. "The clerk inside the store just told me that they were already sold out, even though I was one of the first to enter. I couldn't do much besides accept his words and went outside to vent to Mako-chan, but then the girl behind me in the line strolled out with her panda in hand! I went back in to complain, but the receptionist kept telling me that they were all sold and that he was incredibly sorry."

She still seemed frustrated about this whole ordeal, and I could understand why.

Not only had the clerk lied to her and refused to sell her the panda, but she couldn't get her hands onto the stuffed animal in any other store since it was only sold in this one. According to her handkerchief and the cute sticker that Shiranami had put on her love letter, Ichinose seemed to like pandas, which would make the situation even more discouraging.

"Couldn't you have asked your classmates to purchase one for you?"

"I did! But it took me a while to realize that, so they were sold out for real once Mako-chan arrived."

She glanced towards the ground with a sullen look and heaved a sigh in disappointment.

"That panda was so cute..."

"Mhh... can't you buy one from someone else? If you want one that badly, there are bound to be people who would sell it to you, I'm sure."

"Kanzaki-kun had the same idea, so my classmates helped me to ask around... without luck until now."

I felt somewhat sorry to see her in such low spirits.

For the always energetic Ichinose to make such a sad face, it hurt even someone like me. I wanted to hug her, or pat her head for comfort, but that would likely be me overstepping some serious boundaries, so I held myself back and kept listening to her until we parted ways.

"Over here, Ayanokouji-kun!"

Hirata waved me over to the bench he was relaxing on. I strolled towards him and looked at the nearby clock, which informed me that I arrived around five minutes before the appointed time, which was referred to as good etiquette, according to my research.

"Yo, Hirata."

"Are you nervous?"

He threw me a calming smile and made some space for me to sit.

This was typical Hirata behavior, as he was making sure that I felt comfortable and wasn't overly worried about today. If I would answer his question with a resounding 'yes', he would try his best to calm me down and prepare me before the girls arrived.

He would be such a good boyfriend.

"Somewhat, perhaps."

"I'd really love to have your poker face from time to time. There's no way to tell that you are. But I'm tense as well, so you are not alone. Let's just both do our best together."

My classmate let out a light chuckle before the two of us began to talk about the usual things, like what we were up to and how his club was going. A few moments later, Hirata excused himself and checked on the message that had just arrived on his phone.

Mine vibrated a few seconds later.

They both displayed the same picture, with Chiaki and Karuizawa posing in the elevator and holding peace signs into the camera while sticking out their tongues in a playful and vivacious manner. There was also a text in some cute hearty font below, which read 'be right there'.

The aforementioned elevator soon reached the ground floor and opened up, revealing the already foreseen passengers. They ambled over as both Hirata and I stood and approached them as well.

""Did you wait long?""

Their sweet, cheerful voices overlapped into one, as if they had rehearsed their greeting on their ride down.

We can do this too, Hirata!

One...

Two...

"Not at all."

"About 5 minutes."

Damn it!

The three of them turned towards me with deadpan expressions.

"What..?"

How did I already make a mistake?

"I think we'll have to practice that, Ayanokouji-kun."

Karuizawa shook her head, disappointed in... well, in what exactly?

Both Chiaki and Hirata began to laugh in reply to my confused gaze before we left the dorms and began our double date. The four of us walked towards the mall side by side, while I wondered how any of this even worked, since I hadn't informed myself previously in order to experience this rare opportunity in the most natural way possible.

Our first stop, planned by Karuizawa, was the famous Palate.

Now that the air conditioning was fixed, it was back to being the most visited cafe on the school grounds by far. The other restaurants, cafes and dining places couldn't even hope to get anywhere close as many visitors.

The four of us walked inside and placed our orders while talking about some trivial stuff, as well as the upcoming final exams that Karuizawa was worrying about. Kushida, who had lunch with her friends, waved at us and went her own way, since she knew that we were on our double date today.

After a very sweet meal and some drinks, we decided to do go for something more physical and made our way to the game halls. Previously, I had thought that this was an area for video games and arcade machines, but they also offered other entertainment, like bowling and table tennis, as well as a corner for board and card games.

Chiaki and Karuizawa unanimously decided that we would start with a two-on-two match in table tennis. Since both of them were quite ambitious, they agreed that the losing couple had to pay for dinner. This was quite a deal for Karuizawa, who was so low on points that Hirata would have to foot the bill if they lost.

We decided on a simple best of three and began the match with little to no delay.

Chiaki and I lost the first round, which prompted Karuizawa's confidence to soar through the roof. She jumped up multiple times while high-fiving Hirata with a bright smile on her face.

"Yosha! Good job Hirata-kun! Let's win this! Free food!"

Her 'boyfriend' only threw us a smile before we pursued our relaxing game.

I wondered how this match would have played out if we were on a double date with Sudou instead of them, since there was no way that it would have been as relaxed as it was now because his fighting spirit would have been piqued for sure. Sakura would have surely held him back, while his other potential owner would have been just as fired up as he was according to the information Kushida supplied me with.

The second round soon ended with our win.

"Yes!" Chiaki threw her paddle on the table and jumped towards me. "We did it!"

Her reactions were so beyond adorable that I couldn't help but hug her back while she embraced me like a spider monkey which had found their soulmate after a life of solitude.

Hirata was all smiles as usual, while Karuizawa seemed uncomfortable. She must have felt inferior, or bothered by our public display of affection, which triggered her rejuvenated vigor in the third round.

What began as a friendly, fun competition ended with three people at the table giving it their all, and that one guy who tried to figure out when to end the game without making it too obvious that he could have won the whole time.

The score was 17-18 in our favor.

Chiaki was the server for the next round.

She tossed the ball up into the air and performed the initial serve.

Karuizawa returned the serve with a well-executed topspin which seemed to have been more luck than anything else.

Seeing my chance, I slid over to the corner and countered with a chop that was easy to return.

Hirata, who was next in line, answered my play with a powerful forehand drive.

My girlfriend barely managed to reach the ball in time and returned it to Karuizawa with an unclean stroke.

Since Hirata's parasite was hellbent on winning this potentially game-deciding point, she used this opportunity to smash the ball back to our side.

This was, of course, expected behavior.

As Karuizawa swung back in a large arc, time stopped.

My simulations concluded in a matter of moments, whereupon I prepared myself for the incoming ball.

I moved half a step to my right and turned my body into the specific angle I needed before Karuizawa's paddle snapped forward with rapid acceleration.

And then...

... I slipped.

My hand reached out, barely hitting the ball with the edge of the paddle, which spun and jumped over the net into an unexpected location of the table, to which neither Karuizawa nor Hirata had enough time to react due to their surprise of me falling over and hitting the ball in the process.

With a loud crash, I slammed into the ground and dropped the paddle.

"We did it, Kiyotaka! Are you okay?"

Chiaki jumped in pride before she ran towards me with a worried, yet joyful, expression on her face.

"We won?"

My puzzled voice rang through the area as I propped myself up.

"We won!"

My girlfriend jumped me yet again.

Since I was about to stand up, I lost my balance and fell back down together with her, as she was still holding onto me. Chiaki let out the most adorable chuckle with a half surprised, half teasing smile on her charming face as she lay on my chest.

"Ups..."

She slid a strand of hair behind her ear and bent forward.

Once again, our lips embraced each other. This time in an even more exciting position than before. The simulation I had begun after Fuka's actions crept back into my mind as I noted that this had been the first time that she took the initiative without feeling shy about it.

After a few seconds, our, to this date, longest kiss ended with our lips parting.

"What was I thinking?" Chiaki's head turned crimson in embarrassment. "What did I just do?"

Neither Karuizawa nor Hirata heard her ramblings as they walked around the table to make sure that we were alright.

"Are you guys okay?"

"Hooo? Why is your face so red, Ma~tsu~shi~ta~san?"

Hirata was the only concerned party at the table as his 'girlfriend' noticed that Chiaki's face had changed colors rather drastically after she dove towards the ground with me.

"I... No... You... This... We..."

She kept stuttering, which prompted Karuizawa to pester her even more.

After the excitement of the table tennis game, Hirata proposed to play something more relaxing, like a card or board game which were also provided in the enormous game hall.

"I always wanted to play poker. Let's try that!"

"Poker you say? Should we make another bet which couple wins?"

Chiaki smirked, taunting Karuizawa for her previous transgression.

Her plan was utterly devious and would work out with no problems if the opposing party didn't stop to think about her terms for just a second before deciding to agree.

"Yes, let's say... The couple who loses..." The gyaru looked around the room for some sort of inspiration or an idea for a fair bet until her widened eyes stopped on me. "Hey, wait a minute! We can't bet on that. How are Hirata-kun and I supposed to win against Ayanokouji-kun?"

"I'm not that good at poker, I think. I never played it before."

"That's not the problem here!"

Both Hirata and Chiaki burst out into laughter due to my lack of anything that resembled understanding as well as Karuizawa's cute outburst after she realized that my girlfriend tried to trick her into fighting a losing battle.

In the end, we played a few rounds of poker with no strings attached, which I won without even breaking a sweat. All three of my classmates had been way too wary of me, since none of them could read my expressions.

During our fourth round, I won with a pretty terrible cards because they all thought that I had a really high-scoring hand for some unknown reason. In that instance, I had only kept playing because I felt like the game would end too soon since I had been hogging chips since the beginning.

Nobody called my bluff, however.

The day was so fun and relieving that I forgot to wonder if Chiaki had managed to figure out that Hirata and Karuizawa were only pretending to date after I arrived back in my room.

Days like this one... were they part of my wish?

I still had no definitive, foolproof answer to Matsuo's question, but during this day, I truly thought that I might be able to resolve this mystery in the next three years.

"So, why am I here again?"

"Well, Ayanokouji-kun, I figured you also needed to study some more since you only scored in the middle range on the midterms. Sudou-kun also mentioned that he wouldn't join the study group without you, so here you are. "

The perpetrator behind the current, unfortunate situation peeked in my direction before giving me a thumbs up. He must have thought that he wouldn't get tortured by Horikita while I was here, since I would be the one getting tormented.

What a crafty red-haired scoundrel.

Don't ask me for help if you need to get closer to another girl in the future, you hear me?

Ike, Okitani and even Kushida were back this time as well. The six of us sat in the library and worked through the questions which might or might not be part of the final exam at the end of July.

"Kushida-chan, can't you get the test papers again so we can leave and play some games?"

Ike ruffled through his hair, fed up by the math problems he still couldn't solve without Horikita's or Kushida's help, which came as no surprise after considering our past study sessions for the midterms.

"The third year I asked said that not all tests stay the same, so it wouldn't help even if I got us the old test papers Ike-kun. Aside from that, he said that the school noticed that something was amiss the last time and decided to monitor the third- and second-years more closely... Rather than asking for the tests again, I should apologize for putting him in such a difficult position."

Her reasoning was, of course, a lie.

If they began to depend on the old test papers and the school changed them up even once, they would be beyond doomed. Only a large amount of private points would help them in such a scenario. Since I expected every single one of them to fail on that front, I decided that Horikita's study sessions were the best solution to keep them afloat.

"Now that you mentioned it. Ayanokouji-kun, aren't you studying with your girlfriend?"

"Well, she offered to tutor me, but I said that I would be fine." I glanced at Horikita. "Since I don't really need tutoring."

"You're such a moron Ayanokouji! You should have said yes to such a rare opportunity!"

Being called a moron by Ike must've been the worst thing that had ever happened to me. For reference, I still hadn't forgotten that I grew up in the White Room.

"What opportunity?"

His eyes widened in disbelief.

"You know, like you go visit her during the evening and she puts on some glasses and plays the teacher for you, right? And since you are a useless, naughty student, you — OUCH! Who?" He turned around with the glare of a predator in his eyes. "H-horikita-san-sensei, ahahaha..."

He shrunk back into his puppy mode and backed off while licking his stab wounds.

"Concentrate on your work and stop daydreaming. It's disgusting." Horikita walked over to me and pinched my cheek. "And you. Study properly and stop dawdling. I'll check your history questions before you may go. Is that understood, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"That huwts, Howikita. Awen't we fwie... ouch."

She pinched my left hand after she had stashed her compass back into her pocket.

"Since we are seatmates, I feel responsible to make sure that you are not completely useless during the exam periods. Be thankful rather than complaining and grumbling all the time, would you?"

"Thanks, weally... But could you let go of my cheek now?"

The ice queen threw me one last glance before letting me off the hook.

I rubbed the sore spot on my reddened face and concentrated on the questions in front of me.

"The final exams are soon, right? Are you worried about anyone failing?"

"Hmm, I'm not too sure about Sakura. She's attending school again and all, but her head is still back in that alley more often than not. Sae said that she had some leeway due to her circumstances, but if she kept slipping, then it would only get worse in the future."

"Oh... right, the gravure idol called Shizuku. I looked her up after your stunt with her. She's pretty cute."

Fuka's eyes narrowed like a lioness' who was about to jump her prey.

"Are you interested in her? Maybe ask her out sometime. She'd probably be delighted to be invited by a charming senpai. I have to warn you though, she's really shy and went through a lot, so don't expect too much."

She kicked my feet, not feeling the horrible joke I had set up before she placed them back on my legs. My beloved senpai peered past the book I held in my hands to ascertain my facial reaction towards her following words.

"I'm only interested in you, Kiyotaka. Should I try to ask you out, then?"

"You know that I have a girlfriend, right?"

A hint of disappointment colored her face as nothing changed, which shouldn't have surprised her.

"So? She doesn't have to know." Fuka grinned and slid her feet up and down my leg to annoy me or prompt a specific reaction. "I won't tell if you won't tell."

My guest was indeed a rather interesting woman.

Once she found something or someone that interested her, she would go all in until she was satisfied. This must have been the reason for her repeated and unpredictable antics.

Similar to me, she always had an angle when she acted in her usual Fuka-esque manner. Even her sexual shenanigans were part of this play to ascertain how I would react under different circumstances in order to gather more information about me and the current state of our relationship.

"Could you stop? I'm reading..."

"Relationships for Dummies."

Fuka read aloud before snorting.

"What are you laughing about? That stuff is seriously complicated."

"I really don't get you sometimes."

"Wait? Sometimes?"

I flung the book to the side and perked up.

"Now you're giving me attention, huh?"

"Yeah, tell me more."

Since she said that she wasn't understanding me sometimes, it was safe to assume that she wanted to let me know that she followed my intentions most of the time, which was essentially impossible.

"No can do."

Mh... okay. You want to play, huh?

"Hmm, I'm hungry. I'm making dinner. Do you want some?"

"Yeah, sure. Your cooking skills are out of this world."

She grinned and leaned back into the pillow.

"No can do."

"Hey..."

She protested with a strangely adorable pout.

The doorbell rang as I relaxed on my bed.

Two messages arrived in quick succession, telling me to open up since they were waiting outside and had to hurry before someone came by. I walked over to my closet, grabbed my shirt and some other stuff and walked towards the door.

"Yo."

The eyes of Kanzaki and Shibata, who had been waiting for me, widened in surprise.

"Damn, that's huge."

Later on the same day, I threw on some casual clothes and left my room.

I wasn't exactly late, since I had around fifteen minutes until the appointed time, but since I still had to walk there, it would barely be enough. On my way towards our meeting location, I ran into Kushida, who ambled back to the dorms with a shopping bag in hand.

"Good evening, Ayanokouji-kun. Do you have to run errands as well?"

Her bewitching smile almost made me forget what kind of person she was. Even though no one was around, she kept up appearances and mimed Class D's angel, as usual.

I wasn't surprised that she was so popular around the male population...

"No. I'm on my way to the karaoke parlor, actually."

"Hmm..." She glanced around left and right while stretching her arms to hide that she was scouting out the area. "You don't need me today then, right?"

"No, you can do as you please."

Kushida exhaled as if she had waited for me to say this for the longest time.

"Thank god. I'm so fucking tired. I just want to drop into my bed and rest."

"It's not my fault, I hope?"

"Are you worried about me? Seriously?"

It wasn't strange that she acted this way after what I had done. The situation with Sakura and the store clerk dug up disturbing memories that hadn't healed yet. My queen knew as well as I did that salvation would never fall upon her.

Since no one was around, I took her hand and pulled her into a nearby alley.

"Kushida... you are precious to me. Of course, I'm worried about you when you are feeling unwell. If there's something I can help you with, you can always tell me. You know that, right?"

I caressed her soft, warm cheek and embraced her small, frail and trembling frame. She closed her eyes and leaned into me. The tremors that went through her body subsided before she nodded.

"Mh... I know..."

"Do you also know why you are important to me, Kushida?"

She nodded again as a low, uncertain hum escaped her enticing lips.

"Then tell me..."

"Because... I'm your queen."

Kushida's hands clenched the back of my shirt as she tightened her grasp around me.

"Exactly. You are my queen..." I loosened my embrace and wiped the lone teardrop from her eye. " ... and you deserve to be treated like one. Don't you agree, Kushida?"

Another meek, uncertain acknowledgment followed my words.

"I'll have to go now, since I don't want to be late. Have a good night, Kushida."

"Good night, Ayanokouji-kun."

I kept standing, rooted in place as she walked off towards the dorm. Her back shrunk ever so slightly as she walked further away from me until she stopped and turned around for a moment. Her surprise at seeing me look after her receding figure was clear, even at this distance.

My hand stopped reaching up as I waved her goodbye.

She returned the gesture with a weak, uncertain smile before strolling around the corner.

Kushida wanted to hear those words. Not only to feel safe from me, but also for herself. My queen began to evolve again, and I didn't mind whispering sweet lies into her ears to support and strengthen her beliefs.

With this, it was about time to commence the next step in our relationship.

A few minutes later, I reached the karaoke stalls and walked towards room number ten, where we had decided to meet up. I couldn't hear anything from inside, which made me wonder if I got the date or time wrong, but decided to knock anyway since it wouldn't be the first time that I stumbled into a room I didn't belong into.

The door opened a second later before three hands flashed out, pulling me inside.

"Did she see you?"

Amikura and two of her classmates cornered me with anxious expressions. Another one peeked through the crack of the door and checked the hallway in front of the room for 'her'.

"No, I didn't run into her on my way here."

"That's a relief." She heaved a sigh and closed the door to the karaoke room. "Get ready and hide with the others, then. You were the last one who was missing."

"Sure." I nodded and turned away from her. "Kanzaki, Shibata, where are you guys?"

I didn't know where they had hidden, so instead of walking through the whole room looking for them, it was easier to just ask. They probably were behind one of the couches, but I couldn't be too sure.

"Over here!"

Without further ado, I made my way over towards my friends with quick, well-placed steps.

"Be careful, there's a tab—"

"Argh! My toe!"

"Is that you, Hamaguchi-kun? Weren't you already with us?"

"I wanted to help Ayanokouji-kun avoid the table."

"That didn't work out too well now, did it?"

"Why did you guys even turn off the lights before everyone was hidden properly?"

This was a fair question, since it was weird that neither of them had activated the flashlight on their phone to orientate themselves in the darkness if they had trouble.

Didn't you guys have phones?

"Waaah! Ayanokouji, how'd you get back here?"

"I walked?"

I doubted that it was a good idea to notify them that I knew the room's layout due to the last time we were here and could dodge the table, stools and the couch because of that.

"I think I hear someone. Everyone be quiet."

Amikura ran off to somewhere inside the room, probably towards the light switch, while the rest of the girls with her slid over towards us and ducked behind the available pieces of furniture, or so I believed, since even I couldn't see that much in pitch black darkness.

"Room ten... But why is it so quiet?"

The girl outside was as unsure as I had been, but chose to open the door despite that fact. She had heard no one inside, yet still chose to walk into the room without knocking or anything to announce her presence to the potential guests inside the room.

What if she had walked into something lewd?

This wasn't a far-fetched thought since no cameras had been installed inside the karaoke rooms. Anyone could rent them and invite someone over if they felt like spending time with each other. As long as no one ordered anything from the service personnel, they could do pretty much everything they wanted in here.

But then again, there were also the dorm rooms, even though —

"""""HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ICHINOSE-SAN!"""""

"""""HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONAMI-CHAN!"""""

"""""HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLASS REP!"""""

"""""HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ICHINOSE!"""""

My profound thoughts were disturbed by multiple loud chants, which I had missed to take part in due to the hypothetical question I ran into because of the birthday girl's arrival.

"You eggheads! Didn't we agree on 'Ichinose'?"

The whole class burst into a hail of laughter as Ichinose Honami, the receiver of this surprise party, stood in the doorway with a perplexed expression. According to her bewildered, blushing complexion, she had not expected this at all.

"You guys... this... Thank you so much."

She was so overwhelmed by this celebration that she couldn't find the correct words for the sentiments she sought to convey. It took her a while to process everything that had just happen, before she thanked us all for coming and throwing this party for her.

Such a wholesome scene wouldn't have been possible in Class D.

Neither A nor C could have pulled something like this off, either.

This day, this party, this class, their cohesion amongst each other... it was all Ichinose's handiwork.

Since this was a birthday celebration, there was cake, a mountain of sweets and drinks, as well as the presents which had been hidden from view before she arrived. Amikura revealed the cake with a proud, dignified expression before everyone began to laugh to their heart's content.

"Shibata! What the hell did you do? We're short a candle."

The boy in question backed off, raising his hands in defense.

"That's because you turned off the light. It rolled off the table and I couldn't find it anymore."

"I think I stepped on it before." Someone said.

"Oh... now I know what this weird feeling under my bum was."

Class B's infectious laughter once again spread and rang through the whole room.

Even though some surprises had turned out less than perfect, every single individual in this room had fun and enjoyed their time together with their classmates and friends. Ichinose specifically, was so touched by their kindness towards her that small tears of joy began to gather in her eyes.

She wiped them away with a charming smile while radiating bliss from head to toe.

The evening event continued as everyone sang birthday songs, chatted with their friends and helped themselves to some refreshments when they felt like it. Since I wasn't used to these kinds of gatherings, I kept a low profile while talking to Kanzaki, Shibata and the other guys.

Amikura grabbed one of the provided microphones and stood on top of the table to make another announcement.

"Now everyone drum roooll!"

What's a drum roll?

Around forty pairs of index fingers started hitting the table or seats repeatedly, as Class B's vixen revealed a mountain of small and large presents in the room's corner, which had been covered by a blanket before. Some had bought their own individual gifts, while others had pooled their points together to buy something more expensive.

Ichinose, who had already been caught by surprise because of this whole party, couldn't believe her eyes now that she even received presents from everyone who attended the celebration.

Once again, her eyes watered as everyone clapped and cheered her on to open them up.

The strawberry-blonde beauty thanked us, moved and overwhelmed by all the goodwill her classmates met her with, and began to open the presents one by one. Just like Fuka and Chiaki, she took extreme care not to rip the wrapping, which I still didn't understand since it was garbage that would be thrown away either way.

The waste bin wouldn't care whether the paper was ripped.

Every time she opened up one of the gifts, her eyes lit up and a beaming smile flashed through the room. Lots of hugging, embracing each other and shedding of tears took place during that timeframe as the students of Class B were collectively high on dopamine, which soared through the air.

I, for one, would have felt uncomfortable in her shoes.

This wasn't an atmosphere I could thrive in, no matter how much time passed.

But it was the perfect stage for her.

While the girls' delighted squeals rang through the karaoke room from time to time, I kept myself occupied with the boys and some of my other schoolmates who joined our conversations as well. After all of Class B's presents had been unwrapped and marveled at, came the time for mine, which was a pretty uncomfortable feeling.

Pre-planned with her classmates, it was the last present she would receive today.

"You really didn't have to, Ayanokouji-kun."

Ichinose must have felt guilty, since I wasn't part of their class, but I didn't mind buying her a present at all. She grabbed and examined the last package, which was wrapped in blue gift paper that matcher her eyes with a gentle smile on her face.

"I hope you like it."

Just like before, she unwrapped the present with utmost care until she held a small, black box in her hands. Since I was very imaginative with gifts, I went with another pun on her name. Both Fuka and Chiaki had been happy with their gifts and wore them to this day, so I figured that my presents weren't that bad, at least.

Class B's leader glanced at the necklace with the blue wave pattern with her similarly colored orbs in surprise. This one, just like Fuka's, had her name engraved into the pendant. Her gaze alternated between her gift and me with shimmering, tearful eyes before she noticed the piece of paper that I had put inside.

She took a deep breath and read through it before a cute snicker rang through the room.

"'Look behind the sofa'?" She stood, stashing the necklace back in the box, which she then stored in her pocket with a strangely blushing face. "Did you create some kind of treasure hunt for me?"

"Nothing like that. I wanted to add the necklace to the other present, but Amikura had other ideas. She mentioned that it was better this way, but I didn't really understand why."

"Gosh, you are so clueless..."

Amikura's words stung deep, even though they rang true.

Ichinose walked towards her destination during our short exchange and glanced behind the couch in surprise.

"Wow, that's huge!"

"That's what she said."

Why were they stating the obvious?

And what's so funny about that?

The strawberry-blonde beauty heaved the box, which couldn't have been that heavy, on top of the sofa while I was occupied with deciphering the guys comments and weird snickers behind the girls' backs. She shook it around to get an idea of what could have been inside, but there was no sound, not even the weight of the item inside shifted.

The entirety of Class B watched the situation unfold with brilliant smiles, since they already knew what I had gotten her.

"There's no way..." Her voice quivered as she glimpsed at the item inside. She dropped the box back onto the sofa, turned around and ran towards me with the most radiant smile I had seen to date. "Thank you so much!"

She jumped me with such a force that I fell backwards on the other end of the couch.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Ichinose's heartfelt embrace was incredibly warm and her body was soft in all the right places...

... but I had a girlfriend, so I stopped this dangerous line of thinking.

She was already thrilled about the present she had received, even though she wouldn't have been able to see the version I had purchased from the clerk after telling him to block her attempts at buying one of these stuffed animals. This stunt had cost me a few points, but all of this was worth it to see her smile like this.

Inside the cardboard was, as she had already seen, a packaged panda.

This version grabbed onto a pink, stuffed heart.

Stitched onto this heart were two words, separated into two lines of text:

Happy Birthday.