Three weeks had passed since the school year began, and Class D's degeneration was no longer a slope—it was a cliff. The room had become a jungle where tardiness was normal, people slept in class with zero shame, some played games under the desk, and others kept disappearing halfway through lessons without a care in the world. The teachers simply wrote formulas or explanations on the board with mechanical indifference, as if the chaos behind them was white noise.
Miyamoto Sōshi sat in his usual seat, arms crossed, black ponytail draped over one shoulder. His rings clinked softly whenever he tapped his finger against the desk. Tattoos peeked from his collar—ink swirls along the shoulder, fiery patterns across the chest and back that every classmate had already seen back during swimming class. But no matter how used they were, people still flinched a little whenever he shifted position. He carried an aura—the kind that made troublemakers sit straighter and gossipers swallow their words.
Even now, as Ike loudly bragged about some mobile game he was playing during class, Sōshi didn't bother scolding him. He had long since adopted the stance of "if no one cares, why should I." Only Airi got a pass—she was the only one he would bother correcting gently.
But the class's downward spiral wasn't unnoticed by everyone.
Horikita Suzune, seated beside Ayanokōji, occasionally shot lasers of irritation at the rowdy students. Hirata tried to maintain order but was mostly ignored unless Karuizawa snapped at someone for being too loud.
Rumors that Karuizawa Kei had started dating Hirata Yōsuke had spread like wildfire. Sōshi didn't particularly care—relationships among teenagers changed every two weeks—but it was amusing watching Ike and Yamauchi gossip about it every morning like bored housewives.
Sōshi leaned back in his chair, eyes half-lidded, listening to the low hum of classroom chatter.
"Class D really is chaos," he muttered under his breath.
Airi, sitting in the desk beside him, whispered, "But… but it's kind of lively. I-I mean, compared to a quiet class."
He snorted softly. "Lively is one word."
Airi gave a tiny smile. Her shoulders always relaxed around him now, even when he looked grumpy or tired. She had learned over lunch breaks that beneath the tattooed, muscular exterior, Sōshi had the emotional aggression of a bored cat.
Then the door slid open.
Chabashira-sensei entered with her usual expression—stern, sharp-eyed, and holding a stack of papers.
The room fell silent quickly, though more because people feared her than out of respect.
"We will be holding a surprise mock exam this period," she announced. "The results will not reflect on your report cards."
Ike blinked. "Eh? A test?"
Yamauchi groaned loudly. "Sensei, no way! We didn't study!"
Chabashira ignored them and handed out papers with clinical efficiency.
Ayanokōji's eyes lowered toward his test sheet, expression unchanged, but Sōshi—sitting one row behind him—noticed the slightest flicker of his brows.
Probably something weird again, huh, Ayanokōji?
Sōshi skimmed the questions. They were mostly straightforward, the usual difficulty for Class D… except for several problems that belonged in Class A's exam papers. Out of place. Deliberate.
The school was hiding another mechanism.That much was obvious.
But Sōshi didn't dwell. He wasn't aiming for top scores anyway. He answered the exam calmly, methodically, flipping through each question with the casualness of someone solving puzzles in a café.
Airi kept glancing nervously at him; she was bad at academics but studied hard for him every night. Seeing Sōshi quietly working gave her courage, and she pushed through each question with trembling focus.
The test ended. There was no explanation. No warning. No comment from Chabashira.
Which only made it more suspicious.
During lunch break, classrooms emptied like floodgates opening. Sōshi was about to head out when Sudō waved at Ayanokōji.
"Yo, Ayanokōji! Come eat with us!"
Sōshi paused mid-step.
Ike and Yamauchi were there too, already grinning like idiots.
"Hey, Sōshi! You joining too?" Ike called out. "Come on, man. We're talking about important stuff today!"
Sōshi exhaled slowly. Knowing those guys, "important" probably means something stupid.
Still, he walked over. Airi trailed behind him, clutching her lunch box. Whenever he went anywhere, she followed like a shy little duckling carrying a camera bag.
The group settled under a shady tree outside, eating convenience store meals.
"So—girls!" Yamauchi declared with way too much confidence. "Who's your type?"
Sudō nodded aggressively like he was expecting people to shout their favorite idol.
Ayanokōji, of course, gave no reaction.
"Horikita, right? You two sit next to each other," Ike teased.
"No," Ayanokōji replied flatly.
"Suspicious!" Sudō barked.
Sōshi smirked, biting into a pork cutlet sandwich.
"What about you, Sōshi?" Ike leaned in. "You barely talk to any girls except Airi."
Airi made a tiny sound beside him, cheeks puffed red.
"I don't have a type," Sōshi replied calmly. "And Airi's just someone I eat lunch with."
Airi tugged his sleeve in weak protest. "S-someone…?"
He pat her head. "Relax. They're just idiots."
She pouted, but nodded shyly.
Then the conversation shifted to monthly points.
Ike grinned proudly. "I spent almost everything already! Can't wait for the refill next month!"
Yamauchi fist-pumped. "Yeah, same! We're gonna be rich again!"
Sōshi raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
"Of course!" Ike said. "It's obvious. We get a hundred thousand points every month, right?"
Sōshi didn't respond, but his instincts were screaming otherwise.
Ayanokōji stood and walked toward a vending machine. The boys followed, chattering. Sōshi and Airi tagged along.
A button labeled FREE caught Ayanokōji's attention. "Free water?"
Yamauchi blinked. "Oh yeah, I heard the cafeteria has free meals."
Sōshi narrowed his eyes.Free meals.Free water.
Upperclassmen practically living off them.
The warnings were everywhere.
But no one in Class D noticed.
Behind him, Ike and Yamauchi returned to their pointless excitement.
The day was shaping up to be strange.
Midway through the final afternoon class, Ike nudged Ayanokōji.
"Dude, we're hanging out after school! Kushida's coming too!"
Yamauchi whispered, "And maybe other cute girls."
They turned to Sōshi next.
"You're coming, right? Bring Airi too!"
Sōshi glanced toward Airi, who blushed but nodded quickly.
"Sure," he said.
After class, the group gathered near the school entrance. Kushida arrived with a cheerful wave.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! I invited a few more people, okay?"
The "few more people" turned out to be:
Hirata Yōsuke
Karuizawa Kei
Nene Mori
Matsushita Chiaki
Basically, a mini social event.
"Karuizawa's here…!" Ike whispered dramatically.
Sudō muttered something about Karuizawa's legs but choked when Hirata stepped closer.
The group strolled through campus. The atmosphere was light. Casual. Almost normal.
Except for one recurring pattern:
Every few minutes, some guy from another class tried to approach Airi.
"Hey, are you free—"
Before they could even finish the sentence, Sōshi would turn his head.
The tattoos, the carved jawline, the cold stare, the slight bulge of a temple vein—Instant intimidation.
The boys scattered every time.
Airi clung to his arm like her life depended on it, trying to calm him. "Sōshi-kun, p-please, don't look so scary… They weren't doing anything bad…"
"They were staring at you like wolves," he replied.
"T-they were just curious," she insisted, voice tiny.
He sighed. "Fine. I won't break anyone."
"Y-you were going to break someone?!"
"I said I won't. Relax."
Her exasperated face softened the group's tension. To onlookers, it looked exactly like a delinquent boyfriend being comforted by his tiny girlfriend.
Kushida giggled. "You two look so close."
Airi squeaked and hid behind Sōshi.
Karuizawa whispered something snarky but stopped when she realized Sōshi was looking at her.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" she said quickly.
They entered a clothing shop first.
Matsushita and Nene looked at accessories while Kushida and Karuizawa compared outfits.
The boys hovered awkwardly.
Except Sōshi—who looked entirely unfazed browsing jackets while Airi followed him like a lost rabbit.
"Do you like this one?" she asked, holding up a dark hoodie.
"It's fine," he said.
"You'd look cool in it…"
"I look scary in everything."
Airi shook her head shyly."Not to me."
For a moment, he paused, expression unreadable. Then he grabbed the hoodie and tossed it into her hands.
"Carry it."
"Eh?!"
"Just kidding. I'll buy it later."
"Y-you scared me…"
He smirked.
The next stop was a café. The group filled a large round table.
The conversation that followed was classic D-Class chaos.
Yamauchi: "Points are basically free money."
Ike: "Exactly! This school is amazing!"
Sudō: "Why are upperclassmen so broke then?"
Karuizawa: "Probably bad spending habits."
Hirata smiled peacefully. "Everyone has different lifestyles."
Sōshi sipped iced coffee, uninterested.
Ayanokōji stared at the table, clearly lost in thought.
Because he was noticing it too.
The inconsistency.
The missing pattern.
The mystery behind point distribution.
Everyone else continued laughing, unaware that Class D was seconds away from hitting a brick wall.
Airi tugged Sōshi's sleeve. "Sōshi-kun… are you okay?"
"Thinking."
"About what?"
He tapped his ring against the cup. "Nothing good."