Chapter 45: Familiar place
Yuto strolled up to the familiar rooftop railing, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Hey, two-face. Didn't know you brought company tonight." His gaze shifted to Kushida, who leaned casually against the black railing, while Ryuen sat nearby on the same bench where Ayanokoji had sat after being beaten black and blue by yours truly.
Kushida's cheerful voice rang out, "Kazuki-san! You sure took your sweet time!" She wore that innocent smile Yuto had come to loathe.
"I did," Yuto replied flatly, not bothering to play along as he dropped onto the bench beside Ryuen. He eyed the other boy with thinly veiled disdain. "So, why's he here?" He jerked his head toward Ryuen. "I thought I was in for a quiet night with a two-faced chick."
Ryuen started to grin, but it faltered, as if he remembered an advice. Kushida's expression twitched into a more dangerous smile. "Please don't joke like that, Kazuki-kun. It makes me want to expel you even more."
Before Yuto could retort, Ryuen's voice cut through the banter, low and serious. "Kazuki."
Yuto's eyes narrowed, turning his full attention to Ryuen, who kept his gaze fixed on the ground. "I'll be frank," Ryuen said, pausing as shadows shifted behind him. Ibuki, Albert, and a heavily bruised Ishizaki stepped forward from the darkness. "Are you the mastermind behind Class D?"
Yuto scanned the faces around him, then let out a dry laugh. "That is quite frank," he drawled, leaning back against the bench. "But no, I'm afraid you've got the wrong guy."
Ryuen's lips curled into a faint smirk. "Then are you the ghost?"
Yuto's relaxed demeanor shifted as he stood up, instantly putting everyone on edge. "If that's all you brought me here for, I'll be on my way," he said, turning his back. "And no, I am not the ghost."
"I don't recall saying you could leave," Ryuen called out, his voice carrying a dark edge.
Yuto shot him a sharp look over his shoulder. "And I don't remember you being in charge here," he replied coldly. His stance was firm, his eyes defiant. In response, Ryuen's lackeys tensed, ready to spring into action, while Ryuen slowly rose to his feet, meeting Yuto's glare head-on.
Before the tension could snap, Kushida stepped forward, raising her hands in a mock gesture of peace. "Now, now, let's all calm down, shall we?" Her tone remained falsely sweet as she turned to Yuto. "Kazuki-kun, there's actually something else we'd like to discuss with you."
Yuto arched a brow, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Go on," he said, sounding bored, but his eyes never left the two in front of him.
Kushida's smile widened, her voice taking on a coy edge. "It looks like you're on bad terms with Horikita-san and Ayanokoji-kun, isn't that right?"
Yuto's face remained impassive, but the sharp silence that followed his non-response told Ryuen and Kushida everything they needed to know. Ryuen's smirk deepened as Kushida continued, practically singing, "So, you wouldn't mind if I tried to expel them, would you?"
Yuto's expression remained unchanged, his icy blue eyes locked on the two of them. Kushida's grin widened, taking his silence as agreement. "I'll take that as a yes!" she chirped.
Ryuen leaned in, extending a hand toward Yuto. "Kazuki, an enemy of my enemy is a friend, don't you think?" He paused, letting the silence stretch between them. "Join us."
Yuto glanced at Ryuen's outstretched hand, then back at his eyes, searching for some hidden motive. "What do I get out of it?" he asked, his voice low and measured.
Ryuen let out a humorless laugh. "How does a million points sound?"
Yuto chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "Tempting," he admitted, then met Ryuen's gaze directly, his eyes sharp. "But I'm curious, Ryuen— Why do you want to expel Horikita and Ayanokoji?"
Ryuen's grin returned, "I don't care about expelling them. I just want your help finding the mastermind behind Class D. That's all."
Yuto sighed, turning away from Ryuen and Kushida. "Not interested." He took a step toward the stairs but paused, glancing back at them over his shoulder. "But I'll leave you with a bit of advice."
He focused on Kushida first. "I don't know about the ghost, but you're delusional if you think the mastermind will sit back while you try to expel two of his assets," he said, his tone flat but cutting. Kushida's smile faltered, a flash of irritation crossing her face.
Then Yuto turned to Ryuen, his voice dropping lower. "And as for you, Ryuen, remember this: the moment you think you've got the upper hand against the mastermind, is the moment you've lost."
With that, Yuto turned and walked away, the sound of his footsteps fading into the darkness. Ryuen's lackeys made no move to stop him, while Ryuen and Kushida stood there with clear disdain in their eyes.
Kushida's cheerful mask crumbled as she lashed out, kicking the railing in frustration. "That fucking piece of shit," she spat, her usual composure shattered. Each kick rang out sharply in the night air, while Ryuen remained eerily still, his gaze fixed on the ground.
Ibuki crossed her arms, watching the outburst with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. "So, what do you think, Ryuen?" she asked, her voice lower than usual, trying to gauge his thoughts.
Ryuen's reply came in a hushed tone, just loud enough for Ibuki to catch. "He's definitely the ghost. I don't know how he pulled it off, but he didn't care to hide it much."
As he spoke, his lips curled into a wicked grin, a gleam of excitement flashing in his eyes. "This is going to be fun," he muttered.
Chapter 46: Pairs?
"I will now announce the pairs for the Paper Shuffle," Sae announced. Yuto sighed, tapping his feet on the ground, waiting for the class to be over. In class announcements like these, he had no choice but to stay in Class D. Sure, people looked at him with disdain and betrayal, but most longed for Yuto to come back. Not that Yuto cared; staying in the same room as him and her made him sick.
As Sae showed the pairs, murmurs rippled through the class. "Tsk." Yuto clicked his tongue, looking at his pair. He did get a troublesome one, for sure. "Tsk." Across the room, his partner clicked her tongue as well. Kei's eyes narrowed in frustration, and when their gazes met, she huffed and turned her head, clearly dissappointed by the pairing. Yuto ignored her as he got back up to leave.
He could feel eyes looking at him as he left, but that's when, "Kazuki-san," he heard her voice behind him, in the middle of the corridor. Yuto turned around as footsteps came closer. He hurriedly looked down as feet stopped right in front of him. He couldn't look her in the eye. It was... too cruel.
"You are paired up with Karuizawa-san," Horikita simply stated.
"I know," Yuto said curtly, still looking down. He tried to look up but felt as if an invisible force stopped him right before he could look at her face.
"So, I request you to help her study well," she finished. Yuto frowned for a second. Suddenly, his head felt heavier.
"That's it?" he said, his voice strangely emotional. Horikita stayed silent for a minute. He knew she hadn't left, though, as her legs still remained in the same place.
"That's it," she replied, her voice wavering a bit. Yuto couldn't help but clench his fists tightly.
"I-I see, sure. I'll see to it that Karuizawa studies." He stayed still for two more seconds, seemingly waiting to see if Horikita was going to say something else. He turned around, his face contracting into a grimace.
'Did I hope for her to say something? He wanted to slap himself. Get it together, Yuto; since when were you so dumb?'
Meanwhile...
Horikita simply watched Yuto leave, biting her lip.
Horikita watched Yuto leave, her teeth pressing into her lip as she struggled to keep her composure.
"Did you tell him?" Ayanokoji's voice came softly from behind her, startling her slightly. Horikita quickly schooled her expression back to its usual calm and collected mask, giving a brief nod.
"I see…" Ayanokoji studied her intently for a moment, his gaze sharp. "Did you… say anything els—"
"Ayanokoji-kun, I'd prefer if we didn't discuss this any further," she cut him off, her voice cool but with a subtle edge. She stepped past him, leaving Ayanokoji staring thoughtfully into the empty hallway.
'I don't really need her to grow anymore since I already tasted defeat, but...'
"Plus… I wanted a real relationship!" Yuto's words lingered in his mind. "I still promised her to reach Class A," he mumbled out loud and sighed.
___________________________________
Yuto returned to Class B, causing everyone in the class to fall silent for a moment. Just for a moment, that is.
"Kazuki-kun! Good morning!" Ichinose was the first to greet Yuto while others followed.
Yuto smiled, "Good morning, everyone!"
"Hey, hey, Yuto, Class B got their pairs! What about Class D?"
"Did you read the new novel that came out yesterday?"
"Yuto-chan! Come to the mall with us!"
Yuto was bombarded with questions as his classmates eagerly tried to engage him in conversation. After a month at the school, Class B finally began to accept him as one of their own, even discussing strategies openly around him and sometimes asking for his input.
"They're so naive…" Yuto thought with a smirk. But he knew better than to share anything valuable—especially with that devilish loli from Class A. This time, he'd keep his mouth shut. That woman was seriously a handful.
He settled into his seat, and almost immediately, Yuki, his neighbor, turned to him with a mischievous grin. "Well, well, if it isn't Mister #2 on the Hottest Guys in School Poll."
Yuto flinched. He'd unfortunately stumbled across the school's gossip forum after his last talk with Nagumo, and to say he was traumatized would be an understatement. The girls had rankings for everything. There was the "Top Gloomiest People in School" (Ayanokoji held a solid second place there), the "Most Hated Guys," the "Most Annoying Guys," and even the "Most Pleasantly Plump Guys." Yuto didn't get it. Were the girls here that jobless?
He shot Yuki a disgruntled look. "The only reason I'm below Nagumo-senpai is because he probably bought votes. I mean, come on. My beauty far surpasses his." His tone was dead serious.
Yuki paused, eyeing him like he'd sprouted a second head, then slowly scooted her desk a few inches to the left. "You sound just like Koenji right now… Do me a favor and bathe in holy water before you come to school tomorrow." Her expression was a mix of disgust and pity.
Yuto gave her a deadpan look. "Holy water's not cheap, you know."
Yuki rolled her eyes. "Then at least a heavy dose of soap."
Yuto frowned, but before he could reply, "Kazuki-kun!" Ichinose walked up to Yuto. Yuki quickly stiffened up as she began to act like her usual self.
"What is it?" Yuto asked as Ichinose came closer.
"Ah, I have a favor to ask, you see." With that, she moved to the side as two familiar faces walked up to Yuto.
Chihiro Shiranami.
Sou Shibata.
Ichinose scratched her cheek while she chuckled, "Well… you see, we were forming study groups for all the pairs, but this one was an odd one. It will be hard to try cramming them into the study group. So..." She chuckled awkwardly. "Could you help them study? It's just for today, though! I'll sort it out by tomorrow!"
Yuto looked at the two for a second. Shibata smiled at him while Shiranami shyly waved a "hi."
"Sure. I don't see a reason not to." Ichinose smiled, holding Yuto's hands. "Thanks, Kazuki-kun!"
Both Shibata and Shiranami flinched.
__________________________________________
[A/n: I am sorry I was away, and I probably will be busy aswell due to exams and stuff but I still wanted to write for y'all.]
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