[Chapter 17: A Dangerous Alliance]
Reika Mizusawa stood alone on the rooftop, the late afternoon sun casting a long shadow behind her.
Her lips were curled into a smile, but her eyes—those icy, calculating eyes—burned with something far darker than charm.
She hated losing.
Especially to a girl like Yuri Shinomiya.
It wasn't just jealousy anymore. It was humiliation. The way Takumi had walked away from her, hand in hand with Yuri… that moment had been engraved in her mind like a scar.
And so, when a voice called out behind her, she didn't flinch.
"Well, well," came a lazy drawl, laced with bitterness. "You look like someone who wants revenge."
Reika turned.
Ryo Kisaragi.
Once the most feared senior in the school. Until Takumi publicly humiliated him in gym after an quiz event—calmly outplaying him in a one-on-one match, exposing his arrogance in front of half the school. That moment shattered Ryo's image, removing the fear and respect that once clung to him.
Now, the two former powerhouses—both toppled by the same quiet genius—stood face to face.
"…And you look like someone who's tasted defeat," Reika said with a cool smirk.
Ryo's eyes narrowed. "That makes two of us."
They stood in silence for a moment. Then Ryo leaned against the railing.
"You want to break her down. Yuri, right? Get her away from him."
"And you want to tear Takumi's pride apart."
Reika's smile widened.
"I think we can help each other."
In the days that followed, strange things started happening to Yuri.
Notes slipped into her locker—cruel, anonymous ones. Her indoor shoes disappeared twice. Whispered rumors began to spread like wildfire: Yuri's manipulating Takumi, she's two-faced, just pretending to be perfect.
She acted like it didn't bother her.
But Takumi noticed the subtle changes. The way her smile dimmed. The way her hands trembled slightly when she reached for her lunch. The silence growing between them.
He didn't push—yet.
But one day, she didn't show up for class.
And Takumi knew.
He ran.
The abandoned clubroom building behind the gym hadn't been used in years.
But Takumi found them there.
Reika stood with her arms crossed, a cold smirk curling at her lips.
Ryo leaned against the wall with his gang nearby, all with mocking grins.
And in the middle—Yuri, sitting on the floor, her uniform slightly disheveled, her expression dazed from what looked like hours of relentless verbal torment.
Takumi froze.
"…Let her go," he said, his voice low.
Reika shrugged. "Oh? But we were just getting to the fun part."
"You crossed a line."
Ryo stepped forward. "No. You crossed a line, when you humiliated me in the gym. Made me look weak in front of everyone. Now it's my turn."
Takumi's eyes flicked to Yuri.
Her lips trembled. "…T-Takumi…"
That was all it took.
He dropped his bag, rolled up his sleeves, and looked at Ryo and his four cronies.
"Alright then," he muttered. "Let's settle this."