Morning sunlight spilled across the classroom in soft gold, catching on dust particles that drifted lazily through the air. It was peaceful—the kind of peacefulness that made ordinary students relax, chat idly, and enjoy the slow start of another school day.
But Yagami Souta wasn't ordinary.Calm, yes.But peaceful? Never.
He sat in his seat with one leg crossed over the other, fingers lightly tapping the wooden desk in a slow, rhythmic pattern. Each tap matched his thoughts, each thought a thread weaving into the ever-growing web he silently pulled around the students of Class D.
He was calm the way a blade was calm—still, but sharp.
Ayanokouji watched him from behind, one hand propped under his chin. He didn't say anything, but Souta could feel the analytical gaze probing him like a quiet pressure. Others might've missed it. Souta didn't.
The corner of his lips moved—faint, almost imperceptible.
A rival watching was always welcome.
___
Hirata and Karuizawa entered together—an unspoken pair already forming their own little gravitational pull. Kushida slipped into the room next, sunlight glinting off her hair as she smiled brightly at everyone. She waved the moment she saw Souta.
"Souta-kun! Good morning!"
A few boys turned their heads immediately. A few girls narrowed their eyes. Kushida didn't care; she moved straight toward him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Horikita walked in shortly after, cool and elegant, her gaze immediately catching the scene forming around Souta. A slight frown tugged her brows down—not jealousy, but irritation. Though perhaps the line between them was thinner than she realized.
"Souta-kun," Kushida said, leaning forward slightly, "are you free after school today? I was thinking… maybe you could help me study? You're smart, and I'm still trying to get used to the curriculum here."
Horikita, passing by, stopped.
"Kushida-san," she said, arms crossing, "you don't need help. Your academic ability is perfectly above average."
Kushida smiled sweetly. "Aww, Horikita-chan, are you worried?"
"I'm simply pointing out facts."
Souta looked at them both—one smiling too perfectly, the other refusing to admit her own interest. A very faint amusement flashed behind his eyes.
"I can help you," he said. "If you're serious about studying."
Kushida's eyes brightened. "Really? Great!"
Horikita's eyebrow twitched.
"Don't get distracted," she said sharply. "We're here to improve our class. Not flirt."
Kushida blinked with playful innocence. "I didn't say anything about flirting. Did you?"
Horikita stiffened.
Souta calmly closed his book. "Class is starting."
It wasn't, not quite yet—but both girls fell silent anyway.
Ayanokouji whispered from behind him, voice dry as chalk, "You're a magnet for trouble."
"No," Souta replied softly. "Trouble is a magnet for me."
___
The teacher droned on about the school's future career support system, but the room wasn't listening. Class D was like an open book with wrinkled pages—each student exposing flaws without noticing they were being read.
Souta's fingers drummed again.Once. Twice.Then he stopped.
A tiny shift—so small no one else would've seen it—caught his eye. Kushida's smile faltered for half a second as she stared at her phone under the desk. Something had happened. A message? A trigger? A mask slipping?
She hid it instantly. But Souta already had it filed away.
Horikita, on the other hand, stiffened when the teacher mentioned "class competition." She masked her reaction better than Kushida, but Souta noticed the way her shoulders tensed, the faint narrowing of her eyes—the desire to climb higher. Her ambition wasn't loud. It was sharp, cold, and lonely.
Ayanokouji looked bored. But his boredom wasn't the same as Souta's. It was controlled. Intentional. A curtain over a very different kind of mind.
The rest of the class was ordinary noise.These three were signal.
And Souta listened only to signal.
___
The cafeteria was loud, packed, chaotic. Souta didn't mind crowds, but he minded noise. He walked calmly to an emptier corner, set down his tray, and sat.
He barely had time to take his first bite before a soft voice drifted toward him.
"So this is where the infamous Class D prodigy eats."
He looked up.
Nanase Yui—Class A's confident beauty—stood with a relaxed smile, tray in hand.
Souta gave a simple nod. "Nanase."
"May I sit?" she asked, already moving her chair.
"You already are."
She laughed lightly. "You really don't sugarcoat anything."
Her eyes, sharp and assessing, drifted over him.
"You caused quite a stir yesterday. Class A is… curious."
"And you're their representative?"
She leaned her cheek into her hand. "More like someone who enjoys interesting things. And you are undeniably interesting."
Before Souta could respond, another voice cut through the air.
"Souta-kun! There you are!"
Kushida appeared, smiling radiantly—though her smile stiffened slightly when she saw Nanase.
"Oh? Hello! I didn't expect… company."
Nanase smiled politely. "Just making conversation."
Kushida took a seat on Souta's other side without asking.
Nanase's eyebrow lifted subtly.Kushida's eyes narrowed a fraction.
And Souta… ate his meal in silence, observing them both like a scientist studying volatile chemicals.
Then a third presence arrived.
"I was searching for you," Horikita said, sounding mildly annoyed. "You always disappear."
Souta looked up. "Did something happen?"
"No." She crossed her arms. "I simply wish to discuss something about our class."
Then she noticed the two girls flanking him.
Her expression tightened.
"…You're busy."
"No," Souta said. "Speak."
Kushida and Nanase both turned their heads toward Horikita, curious.
Horikita exhaled softly. "Fine. It can wait."
She walked away without another word.
Kushida and Nanase exchanged small, knowing glances.
Souta placed his chopsticks down.
"This level of tension," he said calmly, "is unnecessary."
Kushida smiled brightly again. "Sorry! I just… like sitting with you."
Nanase crossed one leg over the other. "And I enjoy interesting conversations."
"Both of you," Souta said, "are being irrational."
Kushida pouted. "Mean."
Nanase laughed. "Honest."
Souta didn't care which answer stuck.
What mattered was the pattern.
These interactions…were becoming fun.
___
Classes passed quickly, and by the time the final bell rang, the sky outside had turned a quiet shade of blue-gray.
Students filtered out of the classroom. Kushida lingered, smiling at Souta. Horikita stayed, arms crossed as if she had something to say but refused to initiate. Ayanokouji remained seated, watching everything behind hooded eyes.
Souta stood.
"Kushida," he said. "You mentioned studying."
Her face lit instantly. "Yes! If you're still free, let's go to the library."
Horikita's mouth tightened. "You're studying with him?"
"Yes," Kushida replied sweetly. "Why? Do you want to join?"
Horikita hesitated.Just a fraction.Barely noticeable.
"…No. I'll pass."
She turned to gather her books, but the slight stiffness in her shoulders didn't escape Souta's attention.
Kushida noticed too. She wasn't as sweet as she looked.
Souta didn't intervene. Emotional currents were another type of entertainment.
"Let's go," Kushida said softly.
As Souta followed her out the door, Ayanokouji's voice drifted behind him.
"…You change the class too quickly."
Souta paused.
He didn't turn, but he said:
"I don't change anything. I simply reveal what's already there."
Ayanokouji didn't argue.
He understood.
___
The library was quiet, sunlight filtering through tall windows and casting long shadows across rows of books. Kushida chose a corner table and set her materials down.
But she didn't open her textbook immediately.
Instead, she watched Souta with faint intensity.
"You're different from everyone here," she said softly. "You don't hesitate. You don't get nervous. You don't… really react."
"Do you want me to?"
She shook her head quickly, smiling again. "No, no. I like that about you. It's just… unusual."
She leaned forward.
"Sometimes I wonder what you're thinking."
"What do you think I'm thinking?" Souta asked.
Kushida stopped, blinked, and then laughed. "That's unfair."
Souta remained silent.
She studied his face—his cold eyes, calm expression, unreadable aura.
"You're really hard to understand," she murmured. "But I want to try."
Her voice softened at the edges in a way that wasn't fake.
At least… not entirely.
Souta reached for the textbook.
"Open the first chapter," he said. "We'll begin."
Kushida nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she leaned closer to him.
And for the next hour, the library stayed silent except for their voices and the turning of pages.
But behind the surface calm, emotions stirred like reflections on still water—gorgeous, distorted, and dangerous.
___
Later that night, as Souta returned to the dorms, he sensed someone waiting behind the building.
He didn't break stride.
"Come out."
A figure stepped forward from the shadows.
Ayanokouji.
"You're causing too much noise too quickly," Ayanokouji said quietly. "If this continues, things will get complicated."
"For you?" Souta asked.
"For everyone."
Souta stepped closer.
"You spent years trying to avoid attention," he said calmly. "But attention is unavoidable. People gather around whoever they're drawn to. Whether that person wants it or not."
Ayanokouji's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And you? Do you want attention?"
"No."
"Then why—?"
"Want and enjoy," Souta said, "are different things."
Ayanokouji went silent.
Souta turned away, hands in pockets.
"This school is a chessboard," he said. "And the pieces just started moving."
He walked toward the dorm entrance.
Ayanokouji watched him, expression calm but shadowed with a quiet wariness.
"…You're not just playing the game," he murmured. "You're rewriting it."
And the night swallowed his words whole.