Kiyotaka could predict how people would act based on the school's situation and their personalities. But this time, even he was baffled.
[Hashimoto definitely put the letters in every first-year student's mailbox yesterday, including ours. I saw it myself. He didn't tamper with them, and there was no reason to.]
[So, there's only one possibility: someone removed the letters after we left... but how?]
[The locks on these mailboxes are simple, but opening them all without a trace overnight is impossible—unless the person had a spare key... which only the school would have.]
"What's going on? Why are the letters gone?"
Arisu frowned, completely caught off guard.
"And today, the teachers specifically warned us about this. I thought they'd wait for public opinion to blow up before acting. But they intervened early... which means someone did something ahead of time."
[What happened? Was it Ayanokōji? No, that's unlikely. It wouldn't benefit him... Could it be that Saiki guy? But what did he do?]
Even Arisu struggled to make sense of it.
"I think it might be Saiki," Kiyotaka said slowly.
"The only explanation for the letters disappearing is that school staff or teachers did something. After all, only they could clear out all the mailboxes overnight. Students couldn't pull that off."
*'Hmm, even Ayanokōji and Arisu wouldn't guess I used my psychic powers,'* Saiki thought, hidden nearby with his abilities.
*'I did this to keep them from suspecting me. Even if they do, they can't be sure.'*
Saiki nodded, satisfied.
"Did the teachers notice something?"
"The school forum was taken down and posts deleted earlier. Maybe the impact was already too negative, so they acted early. Yesterday's letter incident had a similar effect, so they checked the mailboxes that night."
"Isn't that a violation of student privacy?"
"This isn't an ordinary school. No normal school has so many expulsion policies."
Kiyotaka looked into the distance.
"But there's another possibility: Saiki did it all."
*'Hmm, you still managed to shift the focus to me?'*
Saiki sighed, helplessly.
"Saiki? Kamuro only talked to him yesterday about Ichinose..."
"Maybe Saiki already acted. Even if your people were watching him, he'd probably notice."
"What did he do?"
"I'm not sure. It's just a guess. I can't confirm, but one thing's clear: we didn't win this round."
Kiyotaka said.
[A loss? Not really. I didn't lose anything. Arisu and Ichinose were just backup plans. But this is the first time I 'didn't win.' Saiki, what did you do? I'm looking forward to our next encounter.]
*'He said he had no emotions, but now this...'*
Saiki shook his head. Ayanokōji's obsession with him seemed to grow stronger.
Overall, things had turned out well. Only Ayanokōji and Arisu suspected him, and no one else would link today's events to him. It was an acceptable outcome.
*'Alright, at least spreading rumors is banned now. Arisu won't target Ichinose again. This is settled. Time to relax at the café.'*
Saiki left, satisfied.
---
Meanwhile, in the girls' dorm.
Honami sat on her bed, hugging her knees, her face grim. Her phone lay untouched.
Lately, the pressure had been overwhelming. The rumors had ruined her mood, and she'd barely slept. She'd caught a cold and stayed in bed, skipping school.
"What should I do..."
She claimed to ignore the rumors, but inside, she was tormented. She didn't want her past exposed.
Just then, a gentle knock came.
"Ichinose-san, are you in?"
It was Hiyori.
"Hiyori? What are you doing here?"
Honami asked, surprised.
She'd wanted to be alone, but Hiyori's arrival caught her off guard. She got up and opened the door.
"Is something wrong, Hiyori?"
"I heard you were sick, so I came to check on you."
Hiyori smiled.
"It's just a cold. No need to worry..."
"Also, did you know? The teachers banned all rumor-spreading."
"What?"
Honami was stunned.
[I didn't ask the teachers for help. Why did the school intervene?]
She'd avoided involving them to prevent things from escalating.
"It's true. Starting today, spreading rumors—on forums, emails, anywhere—is strictly forbidden."
Hiyori smiled.
"Arisu and the others can't target you anymore."
"Arisu? You know about that too..."
"Their plans against you weren't exactly a secret. Anyone paying attention could tell."
"I guess..."
Honami checked her phone and saw messages from classmates. The issue seemed resolved.
"We believe in you, Ichinose-san!"
"You're free from those false rumors!"
"This is great!"
...
Honami wasn't cheered by their words. She knew her past.
But she still couldn't understand why the school helped her.
"I don't get it..."
"You're wondering why the school helped, right?"
Hiyori saw through her thoughts.
"Yeah..."
"I see you as one of my few friends here. I want to talk to you directly, even if it risks our friendship. But for us to grow closer, I need to say this."
Hiyori leaned forward, serious.
"This isn't the first time I've done something like this."
She'd had a similar conversation with Saiki earlier.
Honami bit her lip, thought for a moment, then nodded and sighed.
"Okay, I'm ready."
"Alright, I'll be blunt. Ichinose-san, you never denied the rumors because they were partly true, right?"
"Yeah..."
Honami lowered her head.
"I... stole something. I live with my mom and younger sister. We're not rich, but I never felt unhappy. My mom works hard to raise us..."
"I learned about the tuition waiver and studied hard, becoming top of my class. But that summer, before my third year, my mom overworked and got sick."
"My sister's birthday was coming up. She never asked for anything, even though she could've. But that year, she wanted a hair clip from last season's trend. In the mall, I... took it."
Honami smiled bitterly.
She'd stolen it for her sister.
"Later, my mom found out. She slapped me and took the clip from my sister. My sister cried, confused. My mom, still hospitalized, took me to the store to apologize. The staff didn't call the police, but the news spread..."
Her voice trembled, but confessing felt slightly liberating.
"Everyone makes mistakes. Don't let the past hold you back."
Hiyori patted her back gently.
"Hiyori, you're so smart. You must've guessed."
"I had an idea earlier, but I didn't want to push you. I'm not great with people, but I felt you needed space. So we focused on stopping the rumors."
"Sorry, Hiyori. I didn't mean to trouble you."
"It's fine. I didn't want the class atmosphere ruined. You're one of my few friends here."
"But... you said 'we.' Is someone else involved?"
Honami noticed Hiyori's phrasing.
"Yes, not just me. Saiki helped too. He did even more than I did."
Hiyori smiled.
"Saiki deleted the forum posts remotely, stopping the rumors from spreading further."
"Saiki... Saiki-kun?"
Honami was surprised.
---
Meanwhile, at the school café.
Kusuo ordered a milk tea and some small cakes, sitting in his usual corner spot. He savored the most important moment of his day.
"With this incident over, I can finally enjoy some peace for a while," he thought.