"I think some things just can't be forced."
Kitagawa Ryo pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to Horikita Suzune. He hadn't expected her goldfish scooping performance to be so dismal.
Even though she mumbled something about rarely attending festivals or having any practice, she had burned through thirty paper scoops just to catch a single goldfish.
Ten of those had even come from Ryo's generous sponsorship.
The upperclassman running the booth seemed to hesitate, considering whether to reward this loyal customer with a couple of bonus fish. But Suzune shook her head, refusing with a flourish. Her dignified exit and the vendor's relieved expression made it seem like some legendary expert had just vanished into the night.
Truthfully, the vendor was just worried that her continued failure would make the surrounding customers question the quality of his nets.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, having trailed the pair for some time, observed that Ryo and Suzune really seemed like ordinary guests at the festival. They strolled from booth to booth, spending points without hesitation.
Seeing no more valuable intel and sensing a risk of being spotted, Ayanokouji chose to slip past them into the Special Building ahead. The first floor hosted a haunted house and a maze. He took a flyer but had no intention of entering either.
They didn't align with his goals, and they were run by third-years, likely five years older than him—not people who'd entertain the ideas of a kid. Weighing his options, he headed straight to the second floor.
The second floor was much livelier, packed with dessert shops, idol concerts, maid cafes, and butler-themed restaurants. After collecting all the flyers, Ayanokouji walked into one of the maid cafes.
"Welcome home, Master!"
A staff member in a maid outfit approached him. Given the crowd—mostly middle-aged men or teenage boys—Ayanokouji didn't seem out of place and was respectfully led to a seat.
"Excuse me, may I ask something?"
"Would you like to order, Master?"
"I'd like to meet with your manager. I have a way for you to win class points during this festival."
Uncertain whether 100 class points was a significant figure, he deliberately left the number vague and watched the maid's expression closely.
As expected, her demeanor shifted noticeably at the mention of "class points." Perhaps surprised to hear a term only insiders should know, she paused but didn't brush him off.
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
While she was gone, Ayanokouji scanned the café's layout. The flyer had pictures and bios of the lead maids, allowing him to deduce that the shop was run by a first-year class.
Given the age and their shorter time in the school, negotiating with first-years would yield the most info.
Soon, a burly male student arrived, eyeing Ayanokouji with suspicion before offering a handshake.
"Hi, I'm Ninomiya from Class 1-C."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."
He didn't use an alias. Since he'd be enrolling in a year, Ninomiya would likely still be around. Might as well leave a real impression. Besides, he wasn't here to deceive anyone.
"So, you said you had a way for Class 1-C to win this thing?"
Ninomiya sat across from him, studying his expression.
Ayanokouji remained calm and composed.
"The festival will ultimately be judged by each class's revenue. A maid cafe is a strong concept, but there's no guarantee you'll win and secure the class point prize."
He extracted the most valuable parts of what he knew and presented them in a way that created a sense of insider knowledge.
By reading Ninomiya's reactions—his eyes, posture, voice—he collected even more intel.
"Got any suggestions then, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"I can pay you personal points..."
Realizing Ayanokouji wasn't actually a student here, Ninomiya cut himself off awkwardly.
It confirmed Ayanokouji's hunch: personal points functioned as student currency.
"I was sent by an upperclassman from this school, but I can't share who."
"Ah, I see."
That explanation clicked for Ninomiya. It made sense that someone older, maybe from a rival class, was using Ayanokouji as a go-between. He lowered his voice.
"Is this about Class 1-A's Horikita?"
Though unfamiliar with this Horikita, Ayanokouji nodded knowingly.
"Exactly. We want your Class C to outdo theirs."
Now convinced, Ninomiya rubbed his hands eagerly.
"Actually, Classes B, C, and D have already started ganging up on A. But if you've got a better plan..."
"Dragging the others down works, but you also need to raise yourselves up. That's how the gap closes fast."
Ayanokouji kept the conversation flowing smoothly.
"Too bad the bottom four classes won't lose points. Even if we place first, it's just a 100-point gain."
Ninomiya looked frustrated.
[Catch up.]
Did that mean the classes weren't on equal footing?
Feeling he had enough intel, Ayanokouji shared a quick plan with Ninomiya and left.
"Faking a rivalry to generate hype... not bad."
Muttering to himself, Ninomiya headed toward Class 1-D.
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"Suzune, a year and a half from now, I'll be waiting for you outside the front gate."
"I'm looking forward to that day."
"I'm not coming here just to catch up to my brother—but to show a better version of myself."
Watching the scene between the Horikita siblings play out like a rerun, Kitagawa Ryo yawned lazily.
Still, Horikita Suzune was clearly moved. With her personality, she could only feel at ease once things were certain. It was like watching a movie again and again and still getting emotional—no matter how many times she reconciled with her brother, it would likely always stir something inside her.
Only after fully reconciling with Horikita Manabu could Suzune truly be said to have been "reborn," shedding the shadows of her past.
From what Ryo had observed in Karuizawa Kei's second simulation, an unassisted Suzune wouldn't have achieved this resolution until the end of her first semester in high school.
Then, just like a prelude to chaos, Tachibana Akane came rushing over to Manabu with urgent news about Class 1-A.
The lead actor and pianist were missing, and some of the stage props had been maliciously destroyed.
"You can't reach them by phone either? Then contact the homeroom teacher and have him check the nearby surveillance cameras. As for the props, see if we can buy replacements or repair the damaged ones. The lighting team should adjust accordingly to hide any flaws."
Manabu issued calm, efficient instructions, just as he had in the simulation. Ryo and Suzune were about to step up and offer help when Akane came running back, even more flustered.
"Class C—C and D classes..."
She was so out of breath she couldn't get a full sentence out. Manabu frowned and prepared to go check himself, but before he even reached the stairwell, they could already hear the commotion.
Girls from Class 1-C were shouting:
"We're Class 1-C, and we're competing with Class 1-D in café sales! If we lose, someone might even be forced to drop out!"
Their tone, filled with sorrow and urgency, starkly contrasted with the usual cheerfulness of festival vendors.
Their tearful, earnest expressions quickly drew a crowd. Even the menu signs outside their café had been swapped with dramatic explanations, emphasizing this was a "battle that must not be lost."
Looking to the right, Class 1-D's butler café had sent out a squad of sharply dressed boys, loudly hyping the same competition. Even from a distance, a cute boy with bobbed hair was seen wiping his red eyes, tugging at the heartstrings of female guests.
Ryo and Suzune exchanged a glance. This hadn't happened in any simulation.
A variable had entered the cultural festival.
Now that Classes C and D had created a spectacle to attract attention, simply helping Class A might no longer guarantee victory. A large portion of guests had clearly been drawn in.
Each guest had limited points. Spending them outside of Class A's attraction meant A lost a potential customer.
Suzune clenched her teeth, desperately brainstorming a way to break the deadlock. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she spotted someone in the crowd. At the same time, both she and Ryo said:
"Class B!"
"What does Class B have to do with this?" asked a bewildered Akane.
But Manabu understood immediately. He strode toward Ishikura, the Class 1-B leader, and instructed before leaving:
"You two, go back and work on repairing the props."
Akane looked at Suzune, clearly more receptive to her than Ryo.
"Class A is being targeted. Most likely by a coalition of Classes B, C, and D," Suzune explained calmly. "It's the only way to make two students disappear and sabotage the props without raising suspicion."
"Class A losing the festival benefits all three classes—so a joint operation makes sense."
"But now, with C and D monopolizing attention through this staged rivalry, if they both come out on top, B Class will have lost the festival outright."
"That's why, if anyone would want to go after Classes C and D now, and has proof, it's Class B."
Alliances built on profit are fragile—they can crumble the moment interests no longer align.
"If B, C, and D were truly united, then this C vs D drama is just a scam to deceive guests."
Akane finally nodded in understanding.
She now saw why Manabu held his sister in such high regard. Even she began to look forward to Suzune's formal enrollment.
As expected, Ishikura felt betrayed and quickly acted on Manabu's suggestion. He printed out screenshots of C and D's joint planning chat and distributed them across the second floor.
Guests, who had been captivated by the rivalry, now felt tricked. The crowd's enthusiasm turned sour, and both cafés saw a sharp decline in customers.
By the time Ninomiya tried to seek out Ayanokouji Kiyotaka for a countermeasure, the boy had already vanished without a trace.
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Ayanokouji Kiyotaka sat quietly in the audience seats at Class 1-A's venue. He didn't care what happened to Class 1-C. After all, his advice had been sound—it was their own short-sightedness and failure to inform Class B ahead of time that had led to their betrayal.
[Personal Points], [Class Points], and the implied hierarchy of Classes A through D.
The school's foundational system had now been laid bare before him.
Unfortunately, one day wasn't enough to fully explore it. The next time he would return here would likely be in a year, as an official student.
Class 1-A's musical adaptation of Cats was a resounding success. The lead actress's performance and vocal prowess left the audience stunned. Though significant cuts had to be made to fit within the student performance framework, her acting and the music arrangements alone made the show worth watching.
Word of its excellence quickly spread across campus.
For many older guests—those who had long outgrown interest in festivals or maid cafés and were only here to accompany their children or grandchildren—Class 1-A's Cats was the perfect choice.
As the melodic piano solo of "Memory" echoed through the hall, they watched Grizabella's rebirth with teary eyes.
To these visitors, it was the highlight of the entire event.
As dusk fell, the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School's cultural festival came to a close.
On his way out, Ayanokouji noticed Class 1-A celebrating—they had cracked the top four in sales and secured the 100 Class Points reward.
Before returning his borrowed phone, he also handed the staff a folded note.
[Kitagawa Ryo]
He silently repeated the name.
Ayanokouji was already looking forward to their next encounter.
It might sound like anticipation, but perhaps it was really his competitive spirit beginning to stir.
Still, a part of him acknowledged the possibility of losing.
Because his defeat would also mean that man's defeat.
He quietly hoped that Kitagawa Ryo could shatter this internal contradiction—
From the depths of his heart, Ayanokouji truly wished for that.
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