Classroom of the Elite: The 100 Elites Who Really, Really Love Him

by legalinmybooks

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka has been cursed (blessed) by The God of Love who accidentally linked Ayanokouji and 100 different girls/women. They are to become soulmates bounded by love and fate. If their relationship with Ayanokouji fails, the girls are fated to die in an accident. It's a matter of life or death. Will Ayanokouji survive ANHS with 100 potential soulmates waiting for him? Wil

31. Chapter 30: Preparations

Ayanokouji sighed loudly as he closed the door of his room and he wondered what he should do for dinner. The first thing he decided to do is to check his fridge for anything he can use to cook. Luckily, he found some thinly sliced beef in his fridge and realized that he bought some from the grocery store. The plastic container said that it was meant for shabu shabu and Ayanokouji looked around his kitchen and was unable to find a small nabe pot for shabu shabu.

Ayanokouji saw his regular-sized pot that he always uses, but knew that it was too big. He didn't have a portable stove or a way to heat up the pot. He didn't want to eat in the kitchen, but knew that it was probably one of the only ways he can do shabu shabu with the current equipment he has. He noticed that there was some mushrooms, babbage, and a daikon in the fridge, but Ayanokouji was a little stumped on what kind of broth he should use. He was sure to use chicken broth as it was the only broth he had in his fridge, but Ayanokouji recalled seeing a familiar menu item when he got shabu shabu from Tachibana.

Ayanokouji grabbed his cutting board, knife, and all of the vegetables from the fridge. He gave them a quick wash before skillfully sliced them into little pieces before giving them one final wash and placing them to the side. He grabbed some miso paste and dashi stock before he began the process of making some miso soup. It was a process that he has done countlessly times and his intention was to make a light, but flavorful miso broth.

After about 15 minutes, Ayanokouji was looking at a steaming pot of miso soup as the white, but cloudy broth emitted a plume of steam. He carefully added the daikon, mushrooms, and tofu into the broth. Some of the miso broth splattered out of the pot, but luckily only a little bit landed on Ayanokouji's arm, causing a little pain. He waited for a bit as he was giving time for the vegetables and tofu to be cooked since it will take more time compared to the cabbage and thin slices of meat. After a few minutes, Ayanokouji added the cabbage first before slowly adding the thin slices of meat into the broth before adding some green onions into the broth. He turned down the temperature of the stove before grabbing a bottle of soy sauce and adding it to his bowl as a dipping sauce.

With the temperature reduced, it will take slightly longer for the ingredients to be cooked and it gives plenty of time to eat whatever he pulled out with his pot. Using his chopsticks, Ayanokouji skillfully plucked some thinly sliced beef, small daikon pieces, some mushrooms, tofu, and cabbage from the steaming pot. He quickly went to the dining room where he set the bowl down and gave it a little bit for it to cool down. Ayanokouji blew at the steam before gingerly picking up a piece of thinly sliced beef and putting it into his mouth, chewing it. He could still taste the miso soup where the meat was being cooked in, but there was a strong tang of saltness and umami flavor from the soy sauce.

'It's not too bad, but if I have more shabu shabu ingredients such as the sauces and broth along with the equipment, it would be better, but it's passable considering all of the limitations.' thought Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji tried the rest of the different ingredients before heading back to the kitchen for more. It was a tedious process since he didn't have the right equipment to have the pot and eat at the dining table at the same time. It was time for round two and Ayanokouji filled up his bowl yet again before returning back to the dining room. It took Ayanokouji a few more rounds before the pot was empty and he was satisfied. He decided not to use all of the meat as he was sure that he couldn't finish all of it in one meal. The only thing he could finish was the vegetables and it was a much healthier option than eating all of the red meat.

Ayanokouji also took a few sips of the miso soup before dumping the rest of it down the sink. It was painful for Ayanokouji to see food go to waste, but he knew that he couldn't finish it right now and saving it for tomorrow is not good. It wouldn't taste fresh and Ayanokouji could make more.

Ayanokouji began washing the used pot, dishes, and chopsticks before he placed them on a drying rack by the sink. Then he approached the fridge and checked the freezer and felt a tang of disappointment when he noticed that he didn't have any ice cream left. As Ayanokouji was silently contemplating his options, he was wondering if he should go to the convenience store to get some ice cream or save his points and not get it. In the end, Ayanokouji decided not to get any ice cream and sat down on the couch, scrolling through his phone.

Ayanokouji noticed that some of his soulmates were chatting about the Paper Shuffle Exam in the group chat. He could see some concerns and about which topic that they should focus on. Suzune began typing on the group chat and after a few minutes, she posted a list of all of the topics that she recommended and believed to be on the test. Those were topics that were discussed in class and covered a wide range of topics as it went from Japanese history, math, science, and English.

Suzune: These are all topics that I predict will be on the exam. The ones that I highlighted are the ones that will definitely be on the exam.

Shinohara: Thank you, Horikita-san!

Mori: You're a life-saver!

Azuma: That's a lot of stuff to study for…

Suzune: As long as you review the materials and what you struggle with the most, then you should be fine.

Ayanokouji switched off the group chat and found a message from the study group. Yukimura suggested that they should meet up tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to continue their study session.

Hasebe: I'm fine with tomorrow. What about you, Miyacchi?

Miyake: Honestly, I can do it. I'll be telling my senpais from the archery club that I'll be taking some time off.

Ayanokouji: I'm fine with anything. Please let me know.

Yukimura: I suppose we can meet up tomorrow.

Hasebe: Sounds good to me!

Ayanokouji: Got it.

Miyake: I'll let my senpais know.

With that, Ayanokouji closed his phone as he prepared himself for tomorrow. He was curious to see what Sakura would do next and wondered if she would find the courage to approach the group and ask to join the group. It would be completely out of character for her and would be the a rare occurrence for Sakura to openly express her interest to her classmates. Ayanokouji also wondered how the others would receive Sakura's proposal if she decided to ask them. As Ayanokouji's thoughts were running in his mind, he let them and began scrolling on his phone.

*Timeskip (next day)*

"That was a good one!" said Kinoshita, cheerfully.

"You're improving every time we meet. Good job, Kinoshita." replied Ayanokouji.

"It's all because of a specific person." said Kisnohita, her cheeks slightly flushed and Ayanokouji noticed that she's averting her eyes and avoiding looking directly at his eyes.

The duo were at the first-year dorms and were on their elevator ride up to their respective rooms, Kinoshita was taking a big sip of water and as she was drinking, Ayanokouji was thinking about her improvements.

'Kinoshita has been improving significantly and her leg seems to be doing better. At this rate, it will take about 2 more weeks before Kinoshita can fully recover. She already can jog long distances without too much trouble. The bruising and swelling had mostly faded.' thought Ayanokouji, who was keeping track of Kinohsita's injuries.

"Thank you for doing this, Ayanokouji-kun." said Kinoshita. The elevator doors opened and she stepped out of the elevator before turning around and facing him.

"No problem. You're doing well. At this rate, you might not need my help." said Ayanokouji.

When Ayanokouji said that, the silence between the duo grew as no one said a word. The elevator began slowly closing, but Ayanokouji, who sensed something wrong, immediately reached out his hand and stopped the elevator from closing. The elevator stopped and retracted itself open as Ayanokouji took a closer step towards Kinoshita, whose eyes widened with surprise and shock. Her mouth was wide open as well and she seemed to be slightly stuttering as she couldn't seem to form and speak words from her mouth. With some difficulty, Kinoshita finally spoke, stuttering and with a slightly shaky voice.

"I-I don't… I-I don't want that to happen, A-Ayanokouji-kun." said Kinoshita. Her voice was soft and gentle, but it was shaky along with a tint of uneasiness. Ayanokouji could tell that Kinoshita was getting quite upset, but before he could say anything, Kinoshita spoke up again.

"Y-You idiot!" said Kinoshita.

Suddenly, the tone of her voice was one of anger and disbelief before she turned around and quickly headed away from the elevator. Ayanokouji watched as her retreating figure slowly disappeared from his view. Ayanokouji thought that he saw Kinoshita furiously wiping her eyes, but judging from the frantic walking speed and her stumbles, Kinoshita seemed to be taking this to heart.

Ayanokouji realized what he said and how it could be misinterpreted, but before he could decide whether or not to chase Kinoshita, the elevator doors closed and ascended. Ayanokouji sighed as he knew that he needed to deal with this the next time that he sees Kinoshita and hoped that she doesn't try to avoid him.

The elevator finally opened to the 4th floor and Ayanokouji disembark, heading towards the direction of his room. He began heading towards the bathroom, hoping for some relief as he wanted to wash his sweaty body and to clear his head. Nothing beats a good hot shower even if it's early in the morning.

*Timeskip (45 minutes later)*

The cool morning breeze is a blessing and provided a nice and refreshing feeling as the wind gently blew past Ayanokouji and the students as they headed towards the school building. Ayanokouji hadn't seen Kinoshita when he was on the elevator and during his walk towards the school. He glanced around and didn't see Kinoshita anywhere and he wondered if she's purposely avoiding him or if it was just a coincidence. As Ayanokouji headed towards the school building, he heard several pairs of footsteps approaching him.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun!"

Ayanokouji turned around and saw Fukuyama and another girl. The girl with Fukuyama had shoulder-length dark-orange hair with sky-blue highlights on the end of her long hair. She also has bright white jacket earrings along with bright red nail polish on her long fingernails. Ayanokouji slowed down and allowed the two girls to catch up to him.

"Hello, Fukuyama." said Ayanokouji. Then, he also nodded in greeting to the new girl before she introduced herself to him.

"I'm Motodoi Chikako from Class A and Fukuyama-san's classmate. Nice to meet you…" said Motodoi.

"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class D. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet ya!"

Ayanokouji noticed that Chikako was exchanging silent glances with Fukuyama and it seemed like they were having a silent girl conversation. He wondered if girls have a supernatural ability to communicate with each other without words or any known form of communication and only use their eyes. After a few brief moments, Fukuyama spoke up.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun! You seemed to be an interesting and fun guy. Are you free after school?" asked Fukuyama.

Ayanokouji was a little taken aback by Fukuyama's invitation and he wondered if that's what she and Chikako were talking about during their silent exchange. He didn't really know why they wanted to invite him to hang out and wondered if there's a deeper reason for why.

'Could it be Sakayanagi? No. She wouldn't risk sending her classmates out for me and would've done it subtly or asked Kamuro to do it.' thought Ayanokouji, debating whether or not to accept. In the end, he couldn't see a reason to refuse, but knew that he had some business to attend to.

"I'm sorry, but I have some things to do after school. Perhaps we could do it later." said Ayanokouji. The two girls exchanged looks before Fukuyama responded.

"Okay! How about 5 pm?" asked Fukuyama.

"No! Do it later. Let's say 7:00 pm?" asked Chikako.

"What are you doing so late?"

"What?! I'm not that suspicious! I just gotta do some stuff!"

"You saying that doesn't make it better. In fact, it makes you look even more suspicious."

The two girls exchanged verbal blows in a playful manner at each other before reaching an agreement.

"You know what, I'm not going to ask any more questions. I guess it's fine." said Fukuyama.

"Thank you… What about you, Ayanokouji-kun? Are you okay with this?" asked Chikako.

"Yeah. 7 works for me." replied Ayanokouji. He was a little relieved that he got some time for the study group before meeting up with Fukuyama and Chikako.

"How about we get some dinner?" suggested Fukuyama.

"I have some leftovers that I gotta finish! How about we go to the mall or something? I don't know, maybe we can get some dessert or something." replied Chikako.

"C'mon! Skip it and you can eat it tomorrow."

"No. If I wait another day, it's going to go bad. Last time, you asked me out and I had to throw away my leftovers."

"You're no fun!"

It seems that Fukuyama seems to be the type of girl who likes to eat out and try out different food and restaurants. Fornruley for her, she was a Class A student and had lots of points to spend compared to the average Class D student.

"I agree with Chikako. If she doesn't want to eat dinner, then we'll have to do something else." said Ayanokouji.

"You're supposed to be on my side! We were supposed to peer pressure her!" protested Fukuyama.

Chikako chuckled and shook her head while Fukuyama shot an amused smile as if they were having a good time messing with each other. In the end, it seems that the trio agreed to meet up at 7 pm later that day.

"Oh. By the way, have you heard about Hirata-kun and Karuizawa-san?" asked Fukuyama.

"Oh yeah! I heard that they got into a fight or something like that." said Chikako.

"Wait… you heard it too? Who was it from?"

"Uhh… I think it was Kushida-san or someone from Class D."

"Kushida-san?! I don't think she's that kind of person to do that!"

"I know! Maybe it's someone from Class D that overheard it and told someone."

"Someone has a big mouth! Ayanokouji-kun, you heard about it?"

The two girls turned towards Ayanokouji and seemed to be silently asking him for his opinion since he was their classmate. They probably assumed that he knew something due to his connections with multiple girls from Class D and him being in close proximity to Karuizawa and Hirata.

"I wasn't aware of it. The last time I saw Karuizawa and Hirata, they were fine." replied Ayanokouji. The last thing he wanted was to spread rumors about Hirata's and Karuizawa's relationship and he wasn't certain that they were fighting.

'Karuizawa and Hirata fighting? Why would Karuizawa do something like this? A parasite fighting against her host? It would be too risky to lose her head position from the class. Perhaps someone is maliciously spreading rumors about it to sour their relationship? Kushida? No… it seems like something she would do, but there wouldn't be a good reason to do this. To attack people that supported her and risk her reputation and popularity if she got caught. There's also no reason for Kushida to do it. Is it a coincidence that someone overheard their fight?' thought Ayanokouji.

"It's a perfect opportunity!" said Chikako.

"Gah! What a dirty tactic! You don't play fair, do you?" asked Fukuyama.

"Love is not fair, right? Don't act like you're ready to pounce when they break up!"

"You do have a point."

The two girls exchanged verbal blows as it seemed like they were joking, but Ayanokouji wasn't sure that they were 100% joking and thought that there was a hint of truth in their conversation. He knew that Hirata is a popular boy in the grade and was second place in a category for boyfriend material which was voted by most of the first-year girls according to Kushida.

As the trio entered the school building, Fukuyama and Chikako began gently whispering about the rumors about Hirata and Karuizawa. Ayanokouji is learning more about the rumors surrounding the couple and wondered if Karuizawa's encounter with Manabe during the cruise ship had an effect on their relationship. As they chatted, Ayanokouji could see that Fukuyama and Chikako are more of a gossip type of girls. Before he knew it, they reached a spot where they must depart and head to their respective classrooms.

"See you later, Ayanokouji-kun!"

"Bye!"

"See you later."

The trio exchanged their goodbyes before heading towards their respective classrooms. When Ayanokouji entered the classroom, he noticed that the atmosphere in the classroom seemed to be a little more tense than usual. Everyone seemed to be with their usual group, but it seems some of his classmates seemed to be more tense and anxious as some of them were discussing about the Paper Exam or staring at their notes and textbooks.

Ayanokouji glanced over at Karuizawa and her usual group. They were laughing and were gossiping as usual. Karuizawa seemed to be acting like her usual self and Ayanokouji marveled at her ability to get it together and acting like her usual self. Ayanokouji wondered if the rumors were true, but he decided not to think too much about it since it sounded like gossip and it wasn't confirmed about Karuizawa's relationship with Hirata.

As Ayanokouji was almost at his desk, he felt someone reach out and grab his blazer's sleeve and said his name. It was Inogashira and she gave him a small smile before releasing her grip on his sleeve. Ayanokouji stopped and went over to the side of her desk to give someone behind him a chance to walk by Inogashira's desk without blocking the way.

"Good morning, Inogashira." said Ayanokouji.

"G-Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun." replied Inogashira.

"It's strange that you want to talk to me."

"I-Is it?!"

"I didn't say that it's a bad thing. Is there a problem?"

"Yeah. I went over some of the topics that Horikita-san gave and it's not look too good."

"What are the topics that you're struggling with?"

"Almost all of them."

"..."

Ayanokouji fell into silence as he stared at Inogashira, whose face was red from embarrassment as she averted her eyes and hung her head. He knew that Inogashira was one of the worst scorers on the quizzes and exams, but he didn't expect it to be this bad. Ayanokouji realized that he needed to put in a lot more work if he wanted to keep himself and Inogashira from being expelled for the upcoming Paper Exam.

"That's okay. We should increase the number of studying sessions." said Ayanokouji.

"How about today?" asked Inogashira. Inogashira looked relieved that Ayanokouji wasn't judging her too harshly as he just simply looked at with his usual deadpan expression. She was still a little nervous about it and wondered if Ayanokouji was silently judging her, but she pushed on.

"I have some business to attend to. Perhaps we can meet up later tonight."

"When?"

"I don't know. 9 or 10 pm?"

Ayanokouji didn't know how long his outing with Fukuyama and Chikako would last, but he gave himself a generous amount of time. The last thing he wanted was to leave Inogashira waiting.

"E-Eh?! That's about an hour before curfew!" said Inogahsira. Her face grew more red as she realized it and Ayanokouji thought about it for a moment and knew that it wasn't enough time to go in-depth through all of the topics that Inogashira is struggling with. If they only decide to meet up 10 PM, it would've been a problem, but 9 PM should give them a sufficient amount of time.

"I see… That may be a problem. We can meet at the lobby instead of a cafe." suggested Ayanokouji. He knew that the lobby is technically a part of the first year's dorms and a public area. As long as the duo didn't go outside or stay in each other's room, it was fine.

"W-We can do that!"

Inogashira seemed eager to accept Ayanokouji's idea and the duo agreed to meet at the lobby at 9:30. Ayanokouji wanted to give some extra time for Inogashira and figured that Fukuyama and Chikako wouldn't mind if he left 30 minutes early, assuming the outing lasted that long. With that, everything was settled and Ayanokouji said his goodbyes to Inogashira before finally arriving at his desk.

When he sat down, Suzune looked up from her book, placed it down, and glanced over at Ayanokouji.

"Good morning, Kiyotaka-kun." said Suzune.

"Good morning, Suzune. You seemed quite hard at work last night." said Ayanokouji.

"I only did what's necessary to ensure that everyone passed the special exam. Were you just talking to Inogashira-san?"

"Yes. We were discussing our study sessions."

"I hope you know what you are doing. Inogashira messaged me last night about the topics and her lack of confidence in those topics."

"Don't tell me that you'll miss me when I get expelled."

"O-Of course not! We've made a deal that you'll help me reach Class A."

Suzune's calm and usual demeanor immediately changed to panic and anxiety. It was only a brief moment before it changed back to normal as she glared at Ayanokouji, who turned towards her. Apparently, Suzune didn't appreciate it that Ayanokouji caught her looking quite vulnerable and was doing her best to mask it with her usual coldish and calm demeanor.

"A-Also do not joke about your expulsion." said Suzune.

"Oh?" said Ayanokouji.

"It's something serious and shouldn't be taken lightly."

"Hmm… I'll keep that in mind."

Ayanokouji had enough of teasing Suzune and the last thing he wanted was to have a compass inserted into his arm. He had enough experience for a lifetime with it and did not wish to experience it again.

"At any rate, I should focus more on creating the questions for the exam." said Suzune, clearing her throat.

"Yeah. About that-" said Ayanokouji. Before Ayanokouji could continue on, he heard someone approaching the duo and calling their names.

"Ayanokouji-kun, Horikita-san!" said Kushida, suddenly appearing. She had her usual cheerful and bright smile and Ayanokouji wondered what she was doing here and how long she was watching the duo.

"Kushida-san., is there a problem?" asked Suzune, remaining cautious, but she looked intrigued at the same time.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help, but overhear your conversation. You are doing a lot for the class, Horikita-san. If you don't mind, I would like to help you and the class by creating some of the questions." said Kushida.

Kushida said it in a cheerful way that if Ayanokouji and Suzune weren't aware of her true nature, they would have agreed to it. Kushida seems like an angel, descending from the heavens and helping people in need. With a cheerful and bubbly attitude, her smile and personality would've captured the hearts of everyone. Ayanokouji assumed that Suzune would disagree and say no like she usually does.

"Of course. You can assist me, however you should focus more on your study groups, Kushida-san. I already asked Hirata-kun and Yukimura-kun to help." said Suzune.

Ayanokouji was slightly shocked and assumed that Suzune would be more cold and hostile and reject her help. However, he noticed that Suzune used Yukimura's name and knew that Yukimura was in charge of tutoring Hasebe and Miyake, but didn't agree to help write questions. He wondered if she said that to mislead Kushida, but Kushida nodded her head in response and still had her cheerful smile.

"Thank you, Horikita-san! I'll try my best! You don't have to do it alone now!" said Kushida.

"You're right about that…" muttered Suzune. Suzune gave Ayanokouji a quick side glance before returning her attention back towards Kushida.

"As long as you present me with the questions you created the day before the deadline, it will give me enough time to review your questions." said Suzune, tapping her mechanical pencil lightly on her desk.

"Okay! Thank you for accepting my help, Horikita-san!" said Kushida.

"I could say the same to you, Kushida-san."

Kushida said her goodbyes and quickly left the duo, but as Ayanokouji stared at the retreating figure of Kushida, he thought he could see her taking a gleeful and jovial stride as if she's won something. Suzune noticed that Ayanokouji was giving her a curious look before she sighed.

"You're probably thinking about what I'm doing with Kushida-san." said Suzune.

"Isn't that obvious?" said Ayanokouji.

"I know that she betrayed us during the sports festival, but I ask you to not get involved, Kiyotaka-kun. I want your word on it."

"If you're that serious about it, then I suppose I will stay out of it, Suzune. And besides I can tell that you're planning something."

"Thank you."

Suzune gave a small smile before she killed it when Ayanokouji stared at her. It was a rare sight to see her smile, but a small smile wasn't that bad. Ayanokouji was glad that Sudou wasn't here, otherwise he probably would've started strangling him when he found out that Suzune was smiling at him.

"Now… I must get back to work." said Suzune, picking up her pencil again and working on her notebook.

When Ayanokouji glanced over, he could see various different problems that filled the pages. Even during her free time, Suzune seemed to be hard at work at creating problems for the exam. As the second hand of the clock hits 12, the bell blared to life and announced the start of homeroom. Ayanokouji's classmates began making their way back towards their respective desks as conversations ended. Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom with her usual clipboard and the start of homeroom began.

*Timeskip (lunchtime)*

"Dude! It's curry bread time!"

"Yakisoba bread is totally better, bro!"

"Limited time! Go!"

There was a rush of excitement in the classroom as Ayanokouji saw some of his classmates excitedly talking to each other or leaving the classroom in a hurry. It seems that there's a monthly promotion that runs every month in the cafeteria from a local bakery that sells different types of bread. Apparently, it's specialty bread which has curry, yakisoba, melon, custard cream, and various other bread with fillings inside. Out of curiosity, Ayanokouji decided to head towards the cafeteria.

Ayanokouji followed the flow of people in the hallway as a majority of them headed towards the direction of the cafeteria. When he arrived inside the cafeteria, he could see a crowd of people and an overhead sign that indicated the bread promotion along with the bakery's name. Ayanokouji sighed as he made his way into the crowd and as he pushed through, he began to see a table filled with different kinds of bread along with a menu with prices. Before he could do anything, he felt someone tap on his shoulders. When Ayanokouji turned around, he was met with a familiar sight.

"Ayanokouji-kun!"

"It's been a while!"

"You're buying bread too?"

It was Ninomiya, Kobashi, and Minamikata. Ayanokouji said his greetings, but had to lean in closer to say it because of the crowd and the noise being generated. They had to speak louder as well as they leaned in to have their conversation.

"It's been a while, huh? Are you getting bread too?" asked Ninomiya.

"Yeah. It's quite a crowd." said Ayanokouji.

"First time?" asked Kobashi.

"Yeah. I was going to get yakisoba bread and check out the stand."

"Oh! You totally should get the melon bread! It's pretty good!"

"Hmm… I may do that. I'm surprised that you're not with Ichinose."

"Ah! Me and Minamikata-san lost a game of drawing straws and had to get everyone's bread."

"I'm going to assume that you got lost and somehow ended up in the crowd." said Ayanokouji, turning towards Ninomiya.

Ayanokouji had a feeling about it since his past encounters with Ninomiya involved a lot of accidents and misunderstandings due to her clumsy, klutz nature. He also didn't see Ninomiya with Ichinose and her usual group which left him to assume that she wasn't as close to Ichinose compared to Kobashi and Minamikata especially to the point of buying bread.

"H-How did you know?" asked Ninomiya, who had a mystified expression. Kobashi and Minamikata exchanged looks and giggled quietly at Ninomiya's reactions which confirmed Ayanokouji's suspicions.

"You should've seen Ninomiya-san! She somehow ended up in the crowd from a vending machine!" said Minamikata.

"Yeah! We saw her earlier and she somehow ended up in the crowd and ran into us. Literally!" added Kobashi.

"You guys, stop teasing me! I'm just… a little lost, that's all!" protested Ninomiya. She pouted cutlery, but Ayanokouji was used to and experienced Ninomiya's unbelievable level of clumsiness.

"So are you buying bread too?" asked Ayanokouji, directing his question to Ninomiya.

"I guess I am. I still need to buy a drink." said Ninomiya, shrugging and accepting her fate.

Ayanokouji studied the crowd and eventually found an opening. He gestured towards the girls and they made a break for it. Luckily, they managed to get through the crowd and got in front of the table. Ayanokouji could see that some of the bread such as the curry and melon bread had already sold out.

"Darn! The melon bread is all gone!" said Minamikata.

The two girls began picking their bread, but Ninomiya and Ayanokouji were looking at their options. Ayanokouji only had the yakisoba bread and wondered what else to get to substitute for the melon bread. Ninomiya, who accidentally ended in this situation, seemed to be quite indecisive. Ayanokouji decided to get something sweet and dessert type since he already made the unconscious decision to get melon bread. As he looked at the section where the sweet breads are located, he saw a few options that interested him. Ninomiya noticed that Ayanokouji was staring at the dessert section and spoke up.

"If you want something sweet, I would recommend the custard cream bread." said Ninomiya. She pointed at a bun under a white sign marked with yellow markings. Ayanokouji debated Ninomiya's recommendation in his head before coming to a decision.

"I suppose I should try it. It doesn't hurt." replied Ayanokouji.

"All right! I know what I want."

Ayanokouji and Ninomiya joined the rest of the girls and managed to snag their desired bread. He watched as Ninomiya grabbed a ham and egg sandwich along with a chocolate croissant. Minamikata and Kobashi already paid for their bread and watched as the duo paid, however it took a little longer than expected because Ninomiya managed to drop her student ID onto the floor and under the table. The staff had to go under the table and pull up the tablecloth to find it while Ninomiya was profusely apologizing. Ayanokouji watched in awe as Ninomiya tried to help, but accidently knocked her bread off the table as she tried to lift up the tablecloth.

Ayanokouji wasn't sure if Ninomiya was doing this on purpose or if she was abnormally clumsy because it seems like she was doing a comedy skit or slap stick. He has already gotten into interesting situations because of her, but Ayanokouji was glad that he wasn't that close to Ninomiya otherwise he would've feared that he would've somehow got involved.

After a few brief moments, the staff retrieved Ninomiya's fallen student ID and scanned it with a payment processor before giving it back to Ninomiya, who graciously accepted and apologized again for the inconvenience. The staff accepted it and thanked her for her purchase before the duo made their way to Minamikata and Kobashi.

Ayanokouji noticed that the two girls were staring at Ninomiya and exchanged looks as the duo was making their way to them. When they finally got into close proximity, the two girls were laughing. Ninomiya's face was already red, but it grew to a deeper shade of crimson red as she knew that Minamikata, Kobashi, Ayanokouji, and a crowd of people witnessed what happened.

"I forgot how clumsy you were, Ninomiya-san!" said Minamikata.

"Honestly, it's like the slap stick that I like to watch." agreed Kobashi.

"Can you guys please forget that ever happened?!" said Ninomiya, covering her face with the plastic bag of bread. At this point, the laughter from her classmates seemed to make her ears grow red as well.

"Never!" said Kobashi.

"It's too funny!" said Minamikata.

"I don't think I can forget it too." added Ayanokouji.

"Damn! Ayanokouji-kun's face is not changing at all!"

"Nothing gets past his stone cold face!"

"I'm just born that way."

"No one has a face like yours! Do you even smile at all?!"

"I do. I just hide it."

Ninomiya seemed a little relieved that Minamikata's and Kobashi's attention was being diverted away from her and being directed to Ayanokouji instead much to Ayanokouji's dismay. The group made their way towards the exit of the cafeteria, but Ninomiya stopped when they passed a couple of vending machines.

"Ah! There's the vending machine! I'll see you guys later in class. Bye, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Ninomiya.

"Bye, Ninomiya." said Ayanokouji.

"See you in class, Ninomiya-san!"

"Later!"

With that, Ninomiya approached the vending machines and the duo made their way towards the cafeteria exit. Ayanokouji hoped that Ninomiya could get her drinks from the vending machine without any more incident. The trio exited the cafeteria and made their way down the hallway as they passed various people, heading towards the first year wing of the building. As they passed through a crossroad of a hallway, Ayanokouji could hear someone calling out to them.

"Minamikata-san! Kobashi-san!" called Ichinose. She waved and smiled brightly at the trio as she approached them. Ichinose has a similar smile as Kushida, but it was much brighter and since Ayanokouji knew about Kushida's true nature, her smile couldn't compete with Ichinose's.

"Ah! Honami-chan! I thought you were in the classroom." said Kobashi.

"I went to the bathroom." replied Ichinose.

"Oh by the way, I got everyone's bread." said Minamikata, raising the white plastic bag full of bread.

"I went to the bathroom! Thank you for getting everyone's bread! I'll pay you back for my share. Hi, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Ichinose, noticing Ayanokouji with them.

"Hello, Ichinose. I just happened to run into Minamikata and Kobashi." replied Ayanokouji.

"In that case, why don't you join us?" suggested Ichinose.

"Wait what…"

"You girls don't mind?"

"Yeah. I don't mind."

"Seems good to me."

With Minamikata's and Kobashi's consent, Ichinose and the other two girls turned to Ayanokouji. He could feel some sort of pressure from them and wasn't sure what to do. Ayanokouji knew that he wasn't eating lunch with anyone and figured that there's no harm in joining them for lunch. He also might get some information from Ichinose about Class A and C.

"I suppose. I have nothing to do anyways." replied Ayanokouji, accepting their invitation.

"Nice. Let's get back." said Ichinose.

The group made their way back towards the direction of Class B and Ayanokouji thought that they were going somewhere else, but before he knew it, he was in front of Class B. He watched as the girls entered the classroom ahead of him and Ayanokouji sighed softly before following them.

When Ayanokouji entered, he felt people in the classroom staring at him as he followed Ichinose and the rest of the girls. Some of the conversations halted as they stared at Ayanokouji while others subtly nudged their friends or pointed at him. Ichinose's group of friends, which consisted of Amikura, Andou, and Shiranami, who was sitting nearby, was staring at the approaching group.

Amikura looked amused while Andou and Shiranami were a little surprised by Ayanokouji's sudden appearance, but he thought he could see a tint of jealousy and uneasiness from them. The others looked intrigued by Ayanokouji's appearance, but seemed to have welcomed him as the two groups met up. The two groups exchanged greetings, but most of it was directed at Ayanokouji.

"Honami-chan~ Is that why you went to the bathroom? To get Ayanokouji-kun?" teased Amikura, gesturing air quotes around the word bathroom.

Minamikata giggled at Amikura's attempt at a joke, but Andou raised her eyebrows while Shiranami tightened her grip on a plastic wrapper that she was holding and he could see that the plastic was actually breaking and making a satisfying noise as it got crumpled up. Ichinose giggled slightly, but cleared her throat.

"Mako-chan! You shouldn't be teasing at the expense of Ayanokouji-kun. Besides, I saw him with Minamikata-san and Kobashi-san." said Ichinose.

"Oh really? It looks like Ayanokouji-kun doesn't mind. And… Kozue-chan! Yume-chan! You're taking advantage of it, aren't you?! You're going to make Chihiro-chan and Sayo-chan jealous!"

With that, Amikura found her next targets and immediately locked in onto them which caught Andou and Shiranami off guard. Andou, who was sipping her drink, almost spat out her drink which resulted in her covering her mouth and coughing. Minamikata gently gave Andou a slap on the arm and checked if she's okay, but Andou rapidly nodded her head and gestured that she was okay.

On the other hand, Shiranami's face grew red as she became more flustered by Amikura's teasing. It was clear that she wasn't expecting it as Shiranami was noticeably stuttering as she was trying to say something back, but was unable to.

"What's wrong? Did I hit the mark?~" teased Amikura, pushing her provocation further.

Amikura noticed Shiranami's and Andou's reaction and knew that it was effective and had gotten a good reaction out of them, fueling her teasing. This caused Shiranami to stutter more as she failed again to get some words out of her mouth. Andou just shook her head repeatedly, unable to answer as she was still recovering from almost spewing her drink out of her mouth. As a result, some of her drink went down the wrong pipe and towards her lungs which caused her to cough. There was a stinging and slight burning sensation in her nose, but all she could do was shake her head while she softly coughed to help regain her senses.

"What are you talking about, Amikura?" asked Ayanokouji, deciding to break the tension that Amikura caused. He decided to go with a more evasive route than directly confront the issue because if he did, he might as well admit that he was aware of Andou's and Shiranami's feelings in front of everyone.

"Oh? Still haven't figured it out yet?~"

"Figure out what?"

"Mako-chan! Let's leave them alone!" said Ichinose, finally speaking up.

"Ahh! You're off the hook for now, Ayanokouji-kun." said Amikura, immediately giving up.

Even though Amikura was quite playful and liked teasing her friends, she didn't want to push too far and when Ichinose spoke up, she knew that she was teasing Shiranami and Andou relentlessly.

"Sorry about that, Sayo-chan, Chihiro-chan, Ayanokouji-kun." said Amikura, apologizing.

The playful and teasing smile on her face was gone, but there was still a mischievous glint in her eyes. It could contradict her apology, but he knew that Class B is a more friendly and forgiving class, so the chances of Amikura being remorseful is quite high.

Ayanokouji began unwrapping the plastic surrounding his bread. The others seemed to be discussing their bread as Minamikata began handing out the bread to their respective owners. The collective sound of plastic being teared open or being wrinkled grew as the cheap plastic wrappings came off.

"Itadakimasu." said the group.

Ayanokouji took a bite of his yakisoba bread and could immediately taste the yakisoba as it brought a strong savory and rich umami flavor. The rich sauce and crunchy noodles seemed to contrast the simple, soft, and slightly sweet bread. He could see bits of cabbage and onions on the yakisoba, but it's basically the same old yakisoba that Ayanokouji was accustomed to eating. However, it is more cold as the yakisoba bread was probably sitting out for a decent period of time which is a heavy contrast to the fresh, piping hot yakisoba.

'I would still prefer plain yakisoba over yakisoba bread. The bread doesn't add too much, but more carbohydrates and calories. I also prefer a warm meal over a cold one.' thought Ayanokouji.

As Ayanokouji was eating his yakisoba bread, he could see that almost everyone was eating bread and seemed to be eating a variety of different types of bread. He could see one curry bread, different sandwiches, and croissants which left him wondering what else they got.

Ayanokouji listened closely as the conversation between Ichinose and the rest of the group continued. It flowed naturally as Ayanokouji unwrapped his custard cream bread, which looked like regular bread with tiny sesame seeds sprinkled on top of it. As he took a bite of the bun, Ayanokouji could feel the soft brioche-like texture, but he also saw a bright yellow color in the center of the bun as the taste of a sweet custard filled his mouth. It wasn't too sweet, but he could taste the eggs, sugar, and milk from the yellow goodness.

After a bit of chatting, Ichinose felt bad for Ayanokouji, who was still there and silently eating. She had invited Ayanokouji to chat, but she accidentally neglected him. Finally, she turned her attention back towards Ayanokouji and spoke up.

"Sorry, Ayanokouji-kun. I didn't mean to ignore you." said Ichinose. Most of the conversation within the group stopped as their attention turned towards Ayanokouji. There were still some conversations going on, but it was just whispers now. Mostly everyone was still eating their bread.

"It's okay. I was just enjoying my meal." replied Ayanokouji. Ichinose smiled and thanked him for his understanding before steering the conversation towards a different topic and direction.

"The reason that I invited you is to ask your opinion about the Paper Shuffle Exam."

"My opinion? Are you sure that you want it from someone like me?"

"Oh?~ You really like Ayanokouji-kun's opinion that much? Seems a little suspicious." said Amikura.

Amikura's smile widened as she caught on and wondered what caused Ichinose to value Ayanokouji's opinion so much. Amikura could tell that there's a story and something happened between the duo. The others were curious as well, but Andou and Shiranami were also curious and suspicious at the same time. Shiranami couldn't shake the feeling that she knows what caused Ichinose to value Ayanokouji's opinion and watching the two from afar, it was clear that they had multiple encounters already.

Ayanokouji could feel Shiranami's and Andou's suspicious glances directed at him as they were getting a little suspicious about his relationship with Ichinose and how they seemed quite familiar with each other. It's been a while since they saw Ichinose and Ayanokouji together. For Andou, it was at the recreation center a few months back when they were hanging out. For Shiranami, it was during the pivotal time where she confessed to Ichinose.

"Nothing of that sort, Mako-chan." said Ichinose, waving it off. Ayanokouji could tell that Ichinose was a little taken aback by Amikura's comments, but she did her best to hide it from the others.

"Ask away, Ichinose. You guys seem to have it tough going against Class A." said Ayanokouji.

"Yeah… However, Class C seems to be on the move against Class D." said Ichinose.

"How so?"

"Ryuuen-kun seems convinced that there is some secret mastermind behind Class D's success, aka X. Whatever is going to happen, he's going to make his move during the Paper Shuffle Exam."

"Hmm… I never heard of this person X."

"I think Class D should be more careful, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Noted. Suzune doesn't want to make the same mistake during the sports festival."

"Suzune?"

Ayanokouji's use of Suzune's first name caught Ichinose and the others off-guard as they weren't expecting him to call her by her first name and how close their relationship was. Andou and Shiranami both took it pretty hard as their mouths fell wide open and their eyes widened. Ayanokouji could see Amikura smirking and realized that he might've given her more material for her to tease him with in the near future. Minamikata and Kobashi exchanged looks as if they were having a silent conversation and asking themselves when Ayanokouji called Suzune by her first name. Ichinose cleared her throat and brought everything back on track.

'When did Ayanokouji-kun start calling Horikita-san?! I… I can't believe it! This is a disadvantage for me. Not being in the same class as him!' thought Andou.

"I see. That's what I'm warning you about, Ayanokouji-kun. You can Horikita-san about it." said Ichinose.

"Thank you, Ichinose. I'll tell Suzune that." replied Ayanokouji.

"That's what allies are here for."

"Ichinose, what do you think about the Paper Shuffle Exam?"

Ayanokouji's question left Ichinose stunned and she began thinking deeply about the question while the others remained silent and waited for their leader's response. Ichinose's eyebrows furrowed and her beautiful and perfectly-shaped nose scrunched a little as she concentrated her thinking for a response to Ayanokouji's question. Ichinose drummed her fingers on the desk and it played a quick, but cute rhythm before Ichinose finally answered.

"To be honest, I think there's something more to it. It might be a way for the school to expel some students, especially those struggling academically. Hoshinomiya-sensei said that historically one or two pairs of students get expelled every time they do this exam." answered Ichinose, truthfully.

"What do you want, Ichinose? Do you want to surpass and beat Class A during the Paper Shuffle Exam or prevent any expulsions in your class?" asked Ayanokouji. His sudden question shocked everyone and immediately there were protests amongst the group. However, Ichinose remained quiet and seemed to be shocked by his sudden question.

"What are you talking about, Ayanokouji-kun?!" said Amikura.

"Homani-chan won't let one of us get expelled!" protested Andou.

"Yeah!" agreed Minamikata.

"Wait, everyone! It's just a question. Ayanokouji-kun is not accusing me of expelling one of our classmates! If it's possible, I would like to win the Paper Shuffle Exam without any expulsions. But… if I had to, I would lose the Paper Shuffle Exam." said Ichinose.

Everyone in the group loudly agreed with Ichinose's statement and caused quite a commotion. Some nearby classmates turned around or stopped their conversation to look at the group. Kanzaki, who was nearby, turned around and gave the group a curious look, but Ayanokouji could see him subtly shake his head at Ichinose before turning around and directing his attention back towards his group.

Ayanokouji was impressed by Ichinose's optimism and how she rallied everyone in Class B around her. Not only was her leadership superb, but her goals and ideals seemed to have touched the hearts and minds of her classmates which united them under her leadership and ideals.

'Ichinose and her class seemed to be alike and her excellent leadership has united everyone together. A stark contrast to Class D, who is infinitely more disorganized and different from Class B. Hirata, Suzune, Kushida, and Karuizawa formed the basis for our supposed unity as a class. On the other hand, Ichinose could be seen as the sore leader of Class B and she could single handedly unite the class by herself. However, a leader's burden is heavy and sometimes a hard choice must be made to save the rest. I wonder if Ichinose can handle it despite her optimism and desire to protect her classmates. Ichinose's optimism is admirable, but in this school environment, it's dangerous and foolish. I'll have to wait and see what Class B's and Ichinose's optimism have in store in the future.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Interesting…" said Ayanokouji.

"Why do you ask?" asked Ichinose.

"Nothing. I just want to know your stance on the Paper Shuffle Exam and the consequences."

"Ahh… we'll just have to try our best to score high! Sorry, Ayanokouji-kun! I think it's best that we avoid talking about our strategies on the Paper Shuffle Exam. We don't want to reveal too much about our strategy. I'm not accusing you of spying on us, but just to be safe, you know."

"Yeah, I understand."

"Let's do our best!"

"Yeah."

The topic seemed to have switched away from the Paper Shuffle Exam and towards a more light-hearted topic, one that doesn't result in any possible expulsion. For the rest of the lunch period, Ichinose and her group chatted about various topics from different shops and restaurants at the Keiyaki Mall, various spots around campus, favorite food and drinks, and other topics that a huge group of girls would like to talk about. They asked Ayanokouji about his opinions and since he has been around a decent amount of places and spots, he was able to answer.

Ayanokouji looked at the clock and decided that it was a good time for him to leave. He didn't want to be late for class and leaving earlier is better, to give him a buffer just in case something happens on his way towards Class D's classroom. Ayanokouji said his goodbyes to Ichinose and the others as he excused himself and left the classroom. About halfway from his classroom, the bell rang and Ayanokouji could see people entering the hallway and beginning to fill it up. Ayanokouji moved quickly and managed to enter his classroom before the crowd in the hallway became too much and crowded.

Ayanokouji could see Kushida, Ichihashi, and Mii-chan giving him a curious look from halfway away across the classroom as if they were wondering where he had been during lunchtime. He tried his best to ignore it and sat down at his desk. Ayanokouji noticed that Suzune was at her desk and seemed to be focused on her work as she didn't even look up or talk to him. He decided to let Suzune work as he waited patiently for the bell to ring again, signaling the next period.

*Timeskip (after school)*

Ayanokouji noticed that Kushida and Suzune were leaving the classroom together and found it quite strange since Kushida absolutely despised her. On the other hand, Suzune knew that Kushida was a traitor and was willing to betray the entire class just to destroy her. Ayanokouji waited for a few moments before deciding to follow them out of curiosity. As he was making his way towards the exit, he was stopped by Azuma.

"Ayanokouji-kun! Do you have time today?" asked Azuma.

"Sorry, I have some business to take care of." said Ayanokouji.

"Oh…"

Azuma pouted as she received Ayanokouji's response and he could see that she was disappointed and a little sad about being unable to spend some time with him. But Ayanokouji spoke up.

"I believe I should have some time tomorrow. Perhaps we could meet up tomorrow." said Ayanokouji.

"Oh! I think I can do that!" said Azuma. The tone of her voice and her attitude immediately did a 180 and she smiled brightly as she accepted it. He could see a hint of excitement in the tone of her voice. Her eyes seemed to have lit up as it seems like she's planning for tomorrow.

"I see. I'll text you later about the details, but I have to go." said Ayanokouji.

"Okay… Bye, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Azuma.

"See you tomorrow, Azuma."

Ayanokouji headed out of the classroom and from the end of the hallway, he could see Suzune and Kushida rounding the corner and disappearing from his sight. He spd up his walking pace and rounded the same corner, making sure to stay a good distance away from the girls as he followed them.

Ayanokouji followed the duo and they ended up at the special exam building, an isolated place which left him wondering about their intentions. However, he had a sneaking suspicion as it was the perfect place to talk with no one watching and eavesdropping. Ayanokouji decided to stop at the corner and not to round it because he heard Suzune and Kushida stopped walking and seemed to be standing in the middle of the hallway. He began eavesdropping on their conversation as the two girls began speaking.

"We attended the same junior high. Because I know about your past, you want to get me expelled. Do I have the facts correct?" said Suzune.

"Well, this is certainly sudden. Why bring up the past? I don't like talking about that." replied Kushida.

"I don't like it, either. But we can't avoid it."

"Well, we've rarely had the chance to be alone like this. But you're certainly right. I do want you to disappear from this school, Horikita-san. And, yes, it's because we were in junior high together, and you know about that incident."

"Although it's true that I heard about an incident, I didn't care. I didn't have any friends back then, anyway. All I heard were rumors. I don't know what the truth really is."

"But there's no guarantee you don't know, is there?"

"You're right. That's why you can't let it go. No matter how much I deny it, you can't be sure I'm not lying. I imagine that you'd like to have me kicked out of school because you can't forgive me for knowing that there was an incident at all."

Kushida didn't deny it as she laughed out loud. It wasn't her usual cheerful and carefree laugh that matches her fake cheerful persona that she always put forth. It sounded more deranged and amused.

"How about we place a bet, Kushida-san?" said Suzune.

"A bet? What are you talking about?"

Ayanokouji couldn't imagine that this was something Suzune just came up with on the fly and it's most likely she planned it.

"You don't like that I'm here. I can't do anything about that, right?" said Suzune.

"Right. As long as you're here, Horikita-san, I can't rest easy." replied Kushida.

"But we're both in Class D. If we don't work together, we can't advance to Class A."

"Actually, I think expelling you will solve the problem."

"Do you plan on dropping out, too?"

"Of course not. Only you'll drop out, Horikita-san."

"I have no intention of dropping out."

"Then there's nothing we can do. I don't think we can get along."

"You might be right about that. I've been trying to come up with a way we can coexist. But I concluded that, no matter what I do, it's impossible."

"I think so too, Horikita-san. This won't be over until one of us is gone."

"We aren't children. We can't just fight. But you don't trust me."

"What did you mean when you said 'place a bet'?"

"If I score higher than you on the upcoming final exam, you'll cooperate with me from now on without any hostility. I'm not expecting us to be best friends. I just want you to stop trying to hurt me. That's all."

"That's ridiculous, Horikita-san. I didn't beat your midterm score. Even if we based this bet on our total scores, it would still be hard for me to win. Besides, I'd gain nothing from winning."

"Yes. That's true. So… Let's determine the winner based on one of the eight subjects. You're free to choose whichever subject you're best in. If your score is higher than mine, I'll drop out of school. That's my offer."

Ayanokouji couldn't believe what Suzune said. She was taking a huge gamble and gave Kushida a rather favorable condition to get herself expelled by allowing Kushida to choose her best subject.

"But this is just a verbal agreement, Horikita-san. If you lose, you could act like the bet never happened. Of course, I might not uphold my part of the arrangement, either. Can we both really trust what the other person says?" said Kushida.

"To make things official, I intend to involve a reliable witness." replied Suzune

"A reliable witness?"

"If you would, please...Nii-san."

"Wha—?!"

Kushida seemed shocked and Ayanokouji was also surprised as he heard footsteps coming from the other end of the hallway. It seemed that Suzune was deadly serious about this agreement that she'd brought her older brother to act as witness.

"I'm terribly sorry to ask this of you, Nii-san. But I absolutely need your help." said Suzune.

"It's been a long time, Kushida. Do you remember me?" asked Manabu.

"I don't forget people." replied Kushida.

'The Horikita siblings had attended the same junior high as Kushida. But Horikita's older brother graduated before the incident involving Kushida happened, so he couldn't know that she'd caused it.' thought Ayanokouji.

"I trust my brother the most in this school. You can trust him as well, Kushida-san. Don't worry, I didn't tell him any details." said Suzune.

"I was called to act as witness, nothing more. I'm not interested in anything else." said Manabu.

"Are you okay with this, Horikita-senpai? If your little sister loses, then—" said Kushida.

"She made the bet. It has nothing to do with me."

"I also swear that I won't say a word to anyone if I lose, Kushida-san. I'd bring shame on my brother's name if I went around breaking promises. I would never do that."

'The deal couldn't possibly get any better for Kushida. It's too tempting to accept it. There's no way that she wouldn't accept it.' thought Ayanokouji.

"You're serious, aren't you, Horikita-san?" said Kushida.

"I'm not the kind to wait around for people to strike." replied Suzune.

"Fine. I accept your challenge. And I'm all right with the terms of the bet. I choose mathematics. Can I assume that if we end up getting the same score, neither one of us wins?"

"Fine."

"I will fulfill my role as witness. Should either of you violate the bet, you'd best be prepared for the consequences." said Manabu. Even after retiring as student council president, Manabu still held a great deal of authority. Kushida would honor the arrangement until he graduated, at the very least.

"Thank you very much, Nii-san." said Suzune. The conversation went silent and Ayanokouji heard Manabu's footsteps receding before it fell into silence.

"I'm looking forward to the final exam, Horikita-san." said Kushida.

"Let's give it everything we've got. Both of us." replied Suzune.

"Yes. Give my regards to Ayanokouji-kun, too."

"Why?"

"Because you told him, didn't you? About my past."

"That's—"

"Ah, you don't really need to answer that. I don't trust you, Horikita-san, so it doesn't matter. I won't violate our bet's terms, so you can relax. Besides, Ayanokouji-kun has seen a little of my bad side."

"Yes. I told Ayanokouji-kun."

"I knew it. Care to join us, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Kushida turned around and Ayanokouji heard footsteps approaching his position. Before he could do anything, Kushida rounded the corner and gave him her usual angelic smile before grabbing his arm and pulling him. Her smile looked happy and cheerful, but he could see the fury and anger in her eyes as if she didn't want Ayanokouji to witness her deal with Suzune. Suzune had a surprised look on her face before she raised her eyebrows.

"You heard everything, Kiyotaka-kun." said Suzune.

"Yes. I'm sorry for following you, but I was quite curious to see you two together." replied Ayanokouji.

"Tch… it's kind of annoying having more and more people knowing about this wager." said Kushida.

"Can I join this wager? I bet that Suzune will win. If I lose, I will pay Kushida 50% of my monthly points until I graduate. If I win, then let's just say that nothing happens." said Ayanokouji .

"Wait a minute. What are you saying, Kiyotaka-kun? This has nothing to do with you and you won't get anything out of it if you win." protested Suzune. She was wondering why Ayanokouji was going so far to risk his own financial gains for a conflict between herself and Kushida. Ayanokouji knew that he couldn't use his expulsion because Kushida won't allow that and he would need another incentive: private points.

On the other hand, Kushida was surprised that both Ayanokouji and Suzune exchanged first names with each other and was confused on how close their relationship was. That confusion and surprise was replaced with rage and anger directed at Ayanokouji and Suzune, but it was mainly towards Suzune.

'What the fuck?! That fucking bitch, Horikita! When did that bastard call her by the first name? I swear that he didn't call her that before the sports festival! I leave my eyes away from him and he's getting all of these bitches! All of these bitches don't deserve an ounce of Ayanokouji-kun's time and now this pathetic bitch, Horikita, is taking all of it! I should've made the terms that she's not allowed to see him in private. Fucking bitch!' thought Kushida.

Ayanokouji could see the fury and anger in Kushida's face, but it was only for a brief moment. That brief moment painted a picture of a thoroughly pissed off Kushida that looked like she's ready to explode any moment, but she was doing her best to suppress her anger. Ayanokouji could tell that she's inches away from spewing out curses and colorful language at Horikita and himself.

"It started out that way. But now it does have something to do with me. Besides, I eavesdropped on your conversation." said Ayanokouji.

"I'd be happy to have you join." said Kushida.

"But I also have a condition."

"Hmm?"

"I want you to tell me the specifics of this junior high incident."

"That's—"

Kushida immediately hesitated and was caught off-guard by Ayanokouji's condition as she didn't want to reveal to him the incident at her junior high. Even though Ayanokouji knew about her true nature, she didn't want to reveal what she did to him because the less that Ayanokouji knows about her, the better.

"It's my right to ask for this much. I don't know any details. You're acting on the belief that Suzune knows about the incident, right? So, just explain it to us right now. As long as you beat Suzune on the test, the school will kick her out, and you won't have to worry. I am also curious about your past and willing to wager my points to get to know you better and your past." said Ayanokouji.

"I'm not interested in her past." said Suzune.

"It's true that you're now involved, Ayanokouji-kun. I can't deny that. If Horikita-san really hasn't told you the details, I understand your feelings. But if I do tell you, there'll be no turning back. Understand?" asked Kushida.

"Haven't I already passed the point of no return?"

"Yes. You're way past it."

"In that case, tell me why it's worth taking this gamble."

"Ayanokouji-kun, is there something that you're the best at? Better than anyone else?" asked Kushida.

"I'm just an average person. What you'd call a jack of all trades, master of none. If I had to pick something, I guess I'm a little faster than average." replied Ayanokouji.

"Then I wonder if you can understand what I'm feeling. Don't you think that the best thing in the world is feeling valued in some special way? When you get the highest score on a test, or win first place in a race, everyone's eyes are on you. You know those moments when people shower you with attention?"

"Yes."

'Of course I understood. People naturally desired the approval of others. Working hard enough to earn praise for accomplishments was fundamental to how human society functioned.' thought Ayanokouji.

"I think that I'm probably addicted to that feeling. More so than normal people. I can't help wanting to show off. I can't help wanting to stand out. I can't help wanting to be praised. When I am, I truly feel how wonderful it is to be alive. But I know my own limits. No matter how hard I try, I won't be number one in school or in sports and coming second or third won't satisfy my cravings. So, I thought I'd do something that no one else could—be nicer and kinder than everyone else." said Kushida.

'That was the root of Kushida's kindness? It was better to be a genuinely kind, helpful person who made mistakes than someone two-faced who just bragged about being perfectly good. A kind but flawed individual was more honest than a saintly liar. I have thought about it, but this is something I wasn't expecting.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Thanks to that, I became popular with both boys and girls. I took pleasure in being trusted and relied upon. Elementary school and junior high were really fun." said Kushida.

"Isn't it agonizing, though? Doing things that you don't want to do? If it were me, I couldn't take it. I think I'd break down." said Suzune.

"Of course it's agonizing. Day after day, I'm under so much stress I feel like I'm going to go bald. I pulled my hair out and vomited from anxiety. But I can't let anyone see that side of me. That's why I continued to endure, and endure, and endure."

Ayanokouji was also surprised at how she had kept this act up for so long, enduring something that she didn't enjoy day after day for a moment of satisfaction. He figured that's how Kushida can easily hide her true intentions and nature from everyone else because she had to and adpated.

"My blog saved me. It was the only place where I dumped out this hidden stress. I could tell all my most painful secrets. Of course, I posted everything anonymously, you know? But I wrote the facts just as they were, and it made me so happy when I received encouragement from people I didn't even know. Then, one day, a classmate discovered my blog. Even though I hadn't named anyone, it was clear my posts were all based on real events." said Kushida.

"That's how this incident started?" said Ayanokouji.

"The next day, my posts were shared with the entire class. Everyone condemned me. I'd helped them so much, and yet they all turned on me. Selfish, right? The boy who'd told me that he liked me actually shoved me. It was understandable, though, since I'd posted that his romantic confession grossed me out and I wanted him to die. One girl I'd comforted after she was dumped even kicked my desk. I'd posted in detail about why she was dumped and made fun of her. Over thirty students decided I was their mortal enemy that day."

"So, how did you make it through? Violence? Or lies?" asked Suzune.

"Neither. All I did was tell the truth. I revealed all my classmates' secrets. Who hated who, who thought who was a disgusting creep. I exposed truths I hadn't even written on my blog."

'Of course. Truth was a weapon that you could only obtain through trust. Although truth might seem harmless, it was actually a powerful double-edged sword, only usable at the cost of more trust. Trust is something that you have to painstakingly gain and takes time, but it can easily be lost at any moment.' thought Ayanokouji.

"At that point, my classmates stopped being angry at me and started hating each other. The boys got into fistfights, the girls pulled each other's hair and shoved each other over. The entire classroom descended into complete chaos. It was honestly incredible." said Kushida.

"So, that's how it happened." said Suzune.

"Because of everything I exposed, the class could no longer function. The school rebuked me, but my blog was anonymous, and all I technically did was tell my classmates the truth."

Kushida spoke indifferently, but every word she uttered carried weight. It was one of the powerful tools to destroy a class and its unity. Friendships and relationships being destroyed by mere words and the powerful truth.

"I still don't know that much about my fellow Class D students. However, I know enough to destroy a few people. That's my only weapon." said Kushida.

'A threat. If we told anyone about her, we should prepare for the consequences. If Kushida felt it was necessary, she would tear a rift in Class D right after we'd finally started bringing everyone together. If that happened, the harmony we'd established would disappear.' thought Ayanokouji.

"It was a mistake to use the internet to vent my feelings. Everything you put up there is saved forever. That's why I stopped blogging. Now, I blow off steam by saying what's on my mind out loud when I'm alone." said Kushida, making eye contact with Ayanokouji.

"Do you want to remain as you are right now?" asked Ayanokouji.

"This is my reason for being. More than I love anything else in the world, I love everyone respecting and noticing me. When people trust me with their secrets, I feel joy that surpasses my wildest imaginings." said Kushida.

"Boring, isn't it? But to me, it's everything. Don't forget. If I score higher in math, you will drop out and Ayanokouji-kun has to pay me every month." said Kushida.

"Yes." said Suzune.

And with that, Kushida left and Ayanokouji could see a satisfied, smug look on her face before it changed back to the usual angelic, cheerful smile that she always carried within the school grounds. The duo fell into silence before Suzune spoke up.

"Ayanokouji-kun, you idiot! Why did you interfere?" demanded Suzune. She had an annoyed expression on her face by Ayanokouji's interference, but internally, she was worried and concerned about Ayanokouji's wager with Kushida. She didn't want to involve Ayanokouji any further, but she put a tough act to hide her true feelings from him.

"Who knows? Perhaps I'm curious about what your plan is. You know that Kushida is involved with Ryuuen." said Ayanokouji.

"If you knew it was dangerous, why did you join? Because you believe I won't lose?"

"Well, yeah."

Suzune's face turned slightly pink by Ayanokouji's admission and she cleared her throat to keep the conversation going and on track. The last thing she wanted was to be distracted and have the conversation derailed by her unstable emotions and feelings towards Ayanokouji.

"Even though Kushida might be able to help Ryuuen-kun, I really have to wonder whether it'll come to that." said Suzune.

"What do you mean?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Do you think that Ryuuen-kun really wants me to drop out?"

"It's doubtful."

'Ryuuen wanted to entrap Horikita, but he wasn't trying to get her kicked out of school. He hoped to see her brought low, and her expulsion would end those aspirations. Besides, would he really let Horikita go without finding out who was working with her in secret? Would he let her get expelled without exposing me first?' thought Ayanokouji.

"But what if Kushida lies to get the questions from him? She might say that she wants to improve her personal score, and keep our bet's details secret." said Ayanokouji.

"Ryuuen-kun would see through something like that. If Kushida-san asked for the math answers, he'd want to know why." said Suzune.

"You're probably right. But this is dangerous."

"There'll always be danger. It helps to have things you're willing to put on the line."

"There's no turning back from this. We definitely need to win."

"Of course."

With that, the conversation between the duo was over. Ayanokouji was curious to see Suzune's plan since she wouldn't have risked her place in the school over a silly bet. It was clear that it was calculated as she called her older brother, Manabu, as a witness. Something that she would've never done because of their history together and Manabu's cold and indifferent attitude towards his younger sister. Ayanokouji couldn't help, but to look forward to the future because this bet is a pivotal moment for Class D as their survival and unity depends on the outcome of this wager.

"I must be going now. I have to take care of the study group for Miyake and Hasebe." said Ayanokouji.

"I see… Thanks for doing for me, Kiyotaka-kun. Remember to give yourself some time with Inogashira-san." replied Suzune.

"Of course. Are you coming, Suzune?"

"No… there's some things I need to buy myself first. You can go first."

"I see… See you tomorrow, Suzune."

"Bye, Kiyotaka-kun."

Ayanokouji began making his way towards the exit, but before he rounded the corner, where he would lose sight of Suzune, he glanced at the other end of the hallway for a brief moment. He decided not to stop and left without turning back or saying anything.

Suzune's POV:

Suzune took a deep breath to steeled her nerves and she could feel and hear her heartbeat increase. The thumping grew louder and it sounded like a marching band as it increasingly got louder as the peaceful silence took over when Ayanokouji left. It was so intense that Suzune could feel her heartbeat from her ears, but she forced herself to turn around, away from the direction where Ayanokouji had left moments ago.

"Nii-san…" called out Suzune.

When Suzune heard Manabu leave, the footsteps sounded like they were receding, but the sound of the footsteps didn't really fade out and instead it suddenly disappeared after a few moments. It sounded like someone took a few steps and walked in place before stopping. There was silence for a few brief moments when Suzune called out for her brother and the silence was deafening.

'Perhaps I was wrong. Nii-san won't stay behind to listen to her foolish sister.' thought Suzune.

Suzune turned around dishearteningly and before she could take another step, she heard footsteps behind her and approaching her. When she turned around, she saw Manabu, rounding the corner.

"Suzune…" said Manabu.

"N-Nii-san!" said Suzune, surprised that her older brother was still here. She was certain that he just left, but it was clear that he eavesdropped on their entire conversation.

"Interesting… Perhaps I was wrong about something. There's still hope for you yet, Suzune."

"Wrong? Nii-san, what are you wrong about?!"

"If you failed to notice something so simple, then perhaps you should forfeit the wager and get out of this school. However… now I understand why you made the wager."

"You listened to Kushida-san's entire story? You know-"

"I won't tell her or say anything about it to anyone. I don't have a loose mouth. I'll give you one piece of advice as an older brother to a foolish younger sister. What you have done is commendable, but do you think there's a better way of handling it?"

"..."

"If you can't answer the question, then you still have ways to go before you can catch up to me. Think about it and you'll see what I mean in the near future."

Suzune fell into silence in awe at the fact that her usual cold and indifferent older brother gave advice to her. He had never done that for her and usually ignored or degraded her, pushing himself away from her. However, his compliment was double-edged and it was more judgemental and harshly critical than complimenting her. His questions left her thinking about what Manabu meant.

'What does Nii-san mean? Of course, it was the best solution. I tried my best to get Kushida-san to corporate with minimal people involved. It has to only involve me and Kushida-san. No one else should be involved with our past together, but Nii-san is never wrong. There must have been a beer way.' thought Suzune.

'Suzune… Your growth is getting more notable every day. You're changing even more and it's because of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. You may not be fully aware of how different you are compared to your junior high self, but as someone that grew up with you, the difference is clear. I've been secretly watching you and your interactions with your classmates. To think that you're interacting with others, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka must be the key to your metramorphosis. However, you still have much to learn before I consider you competent. Competent enough to understand the flaws of your past and past actions. I only hope I can see your change and resolve before I graduate otherwise it will be my only regret.' thought Manabu.

The two siblings shared a brief moment of silence before Manabu began leaving. Then he walked a few steps and stopped before rounding the corner, but he did not turn around to face his younger sister.

"I look forward to it." said Manabu.

Manabu purposely made his sentence too vague which can be interrupted in many ways, but Suzune was too shocked and tongue-tied to say anything as Horikita Manabu disappeared from her sight. Suzune froze and remained silent as she stared at the direction where her older brother vanished from. Her thoughts swirled violently around in her head like an ice cream maker, but she could feel her hands shaking slightly by his words. After a few moments of silence, Suzune took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before heading out of the special exam building.

Ayanokouji POV:

"Wow, it's even noisier than I imagined," said Yukimura.

Yukimura looked overwhelmed by the number of students in the café. Luckily, the group managed to secure seats, but Pallet was practically at full capacity. It was packed with students from all grades sitting in their own study groups. Despite how focused everyone was on cramming, the library would definitely have been quieter than a busy cafe.

"We should've met in the library or in my room." said Yukimura.

"No way. It's easier to do it here. Right, Miyacchi?" asked Hasebe.

"Yeah. Archery club is already quiet and tense enough." replied Miyake.

"Well, you're the ones who'll be studying. If you say that you can concentrate, then I believe you. Here, I prepared some material." said Yukimura. He handed Hasebe and Miyake notebooks full of questions on the humanities. The two accepted the material indifferently.

"Whoa. You really went overboard. You're merciless, Yukimuu!" said Hasebe.

Since Hasebe didn't like studying, let alone studying her weakest subject, Hasebe looked like she was getting torture. Meanwhile, Miyake looked as though he was about to vomit. He kept his hands over his stomach while he perused the notebook.

"How can you be so terrified before you even start?" asked Yukimura.

"It's just... There are clearly way more questions here than last time, and they look harder." said Miyake.

"That's a mediocre student's mindset. Think about what you can do first, and challenge yourself." said Yukimura.

"In that case, are the questions simpler than last time?" asked Hasebe.

"Of course not."

"Yeah, I knew they'd be tough."

Ayanokouji studied the problem and there were some good questions as he began silently solving them in his head. He wondered if Yukimura had aspirations to become a teacher as he could see Yukimura becoming one. He chided students, but never gave up on them, and never raised his voice or lost his patience when they didn't understand something. It was completely different from the Yukimura during the first few months of the school year.

"Come on, Hasebe." said Miyake, understanding that there was no point in grumbling.

"Wow, you're getting pretty gung-ho there, Miyacchi. What's up with you? Is your blood boiling?" asked Hasebe.

"I finally got a break from club stuff, but I don't want to spend all my free time studying. Can I head back after I finish?"

"Of course."

'Yukimura and Horikita had different teaching methods. While Horikita designated a fixed amount of time for studying, Yukimura was more flexible. His sessions lasted until the students got through all the material, and could therefore finish earlier or later than expected. The method's effectiveness depended on who Yukimura tutored. If he tried this with lackadaisical students like Ike and Yamauchi, it would be a bust. They'd probably just answer without thinking so they could finish early and escape.' thought Ayanokouji.

"If you don't have any free time, why not quit the club?" asked Hasebe.

"I want to be in the club. I just also want free time." replied Miyake.

"Wow, selfish."

"All right, Ayanokouji. Starting today, I'll have you do this, too." said Yukimura, turning his attention to Ayanokouji.

"Huh...?" said Ayanokouji, receiving a notebook as well.

"You get good enough grades, but your partner is Inogashira. You'll need to prepare and review thoroughly so you don't both get kicked out." said Yukimura.

"No, I—"

"Just do it, Ayanokouji-kun. Let's all die together." said Hasebe, dipping her head low so her hair hung down. She grabbed Ayanokouji's hand, as if she were a vengeful spirit trying to drag him into a well.

Ayanokouji sighed as he began working through some of the humanities problems that Yukimura had provided him. After a few minutes of silently working through the problems, Hasebe spoke up.

"That reminds me. There's a guy named Yoshimoto-kun in Class C, right? Do you know him, Miyacchi?" said Hasebe.

"Yoshimoto Kousetsu? Yeah, he's in the archery club." replied Miyake.

"I heard that he started going out with a second-year. You know about that?"

It seemed that Hasebe was tired of studying and started to gossip. Yukimura sighed in annoyance when he realized what's happening. Hasebe's and Miyak's attention and focus seemed to be derailing.

"Nope. But, come to think of it, he's been in a real hurry to leave as soon as club ends lately. That must be why." said Miyake.

"It seems as if Yoshimoto-kun's really into it. He said they're going to get married someday. Jeez, guys are morons, aren't they?"

"Talk about the future later. First, get your work done." said Yukimura.

"I know, I know. We're just taking a short break." said Hasebe. She didn't seem to care what Yukimura said.

"Yes. Very short."

"Wow, okay, I feel those sarcastic vibes. I'm gonna get a refill."

"You're having even more sugar? Your coffee's so ridiculously sweet, I'm shocked you can drink it." said Miyake.

"Well, I struggle to understand why anyone would drink their coffee black."

Hasebe gave Ayanokouji a quick glance before she started to get up, but stumbled slightly over the backpack she'd placed at her feet. She dropped her empty cup and it rolled along the ground, until it stopped in front of a student's feet.

"Ah, sorr—" said Hasebe, starting to apologize. However, the student's foot crushed the cup.

"My, you seem to be enjoying yourselves. Mind if we join?" asked Ryuuen, with a smug grin on his face.

"What are you...?"

Hasebe glared at Ryuuen and the Class C guys which consist of Ishizaki, Komiya, and Kondo. However, there was one girl with them whom Ayanokouji hadn't properly met. The girl has mid-back length silver hair tied with black ribbons and sparkling, bright purple eyes. She was wearing the standard red school uniform and blazar along with grey knee high socks. She stood next to Ishizaki, and appeared extremely calm despite being near Ryuuen.

"Hey! Why'd you stomp on my cup like that?" said Hasebe.

"It rolled up to my feet, so I thought you were throwing it away. I stomped it to save you the trouble." said Ryuuen. He kicked the crushed cup back toward Hasebe, laughing. A little of the remaining liquid splashed onto the ground.

"Hey, Ryuuen. Knock it off." said Miyake, standing up.

"Oh? And whom exactly do you think you're speaking to, buddy?" said Ishizaki, surging forward and grabbing Miyake by his collar.

"I wasn't talking to you. Lackeys should mind their own business, Ishizaki." said Miyake, shaking off his grip.

"Bastard!" shouted Ishizaki, attracting other patrons' attention. Surprisingly, that outburst enraged Ryuuen most of all.

"Shut up. Are you really trying to throw down, Ishizaki?" snarled Ryuuen.

"S-sorry. Miyake was getting full of himself, so I—"

"Reckless idiots amuse me, but I need you to behave yourself for now."

"Yes..."

Ryuuen was right to rein in Ishizaki. Senior students, store clerks, and several surveillance cameras were everywhere in the cafe. Nothing went unseen here, and if Class C started trouble, they would pay for it.

"I have no business with you. I'm interested in those two." said Ryuuen to Miyake, glancing at Yukimura and Ayanokouji.

"What do you want with us?" demanded Yukimura. Ayanokouji maintained his blank expression and shrugged at Yukimura's question.

"So, how about it? Did you catch something, Hiyori?" asked Ryuuen, glancing at the girl with him.

"I can't say anything at this stage." replied the girl. She stepped forward and kept looking back and forth between Yukimura and Ayanokouji. A lot of the students working under Ryuuen were terrified of him, but she was completely calm.

"Both their faces are weak. I'll probably forget them immediately." said the girl.

"Heh heh, come now. These are our future friends, after all."

"Yukimura-san, Ayanokouji-kun, Koenji-kun. Who was the other guy?"

"It was Hirata." said Ishizaki.

"Yes, that's right. Hirata-san. Why are faces and names so hard to remember?"

"It looks like the only one you'll remember is Koenji."

"Well, he's unique."

"What the hell do you want, Ryuuen?" asked Miyake aggressively.

"We're busy. If you've got something to say, say it." said Yukimura.

"Nothing. I just came to say hello. But I'll tell you something. We'll be seeing you again real soon." said Ryuuen.

"What does that mean?"

Ignoring Miyake, Ryuuen left with his lackeys in tow. At his departure, the café immediately grew lively again. However, the girl remained, still watching the group. The group tried to ignore her, but couldn't concentrate under these circumstances. Finally, Hasebe spoke up.

"What is it? You're getting in the way of our studies." grumbled Hasebe.

"Just wait." said the girl.

"Huh? Look, I'm telling you that you're distracting us, so just go away. Understand?"

Hasebe seemed to be in a bad mood after seeing Ryuuen crush her coffee cup, but the girl responded with an odd smile. She grabbed her bag and walked over to the cash register.

"What was that about?" asked Hasebe.

"Who knows? I don't want to know," said Yukimura.

"That's Shiina Hiyori from Class C. I've seen her before." said Miyake.

Ayanokouji finally discovered her name and kept his eye on her. He watched as Shiina placed an order at the register, then returned with two cups as she handed one of them to Hasebe before sitting at a nearby seat.

"Please accept this." said Shiina.

"What are you up to?" asked Hasebe.

"It's quite all right. You needn't be so wary of me. Please allow me to apologize on Class C's behalf. I went ahead and took the liberty of adding some sugar. Do you mind?"

"Adding some...hmm? Wow, this is tasty! It's exactly the same as what I was just drinking!" exclaimed Hasebe, after taking a sip.

"I noticed that a lot of sugar had collected at the bottom of the cup Ryuuen-kun crushed, so I assumed that you liked your coffee sweet. I'm glad to see I wasn't mistaken."

"It tastes like you put in the exact amount of sugar I did. Coincidence?"

"I used the amount of undissolved sugar to estimate how much you put in at first."

"Huuuuh?! You can do that?!"

"Despite how I may look, I'm actually quite perceptive."

Shiina fixed her gaze on Yukimura, then Ayanokouji, and then Miyake as she studied them for one last time before speaking up.

"You're holding a study session, aren't you?" said Shiina.

"Girls like you just totally sap my energy." grumbled Hasebe. Yukimura hurriedly closed everyone's notebooks.

"Do you happen to think that I'm a spy?"

"We definitely think you're a spy."

"I wouldn't, if I were you. I generally keep my distance from Ryuuen-kun."

"Wait a minute. Didn't Ryuuen-kun just call you by your first name?"

"I insisted that he let me accompany them to see you. Class D interests me."

The rest of the study group tilted their heads in apparent confusion, unable to understand Hiyori's words or intentions. Ayanokouji imitated them, cocking his head to the right as he pretended that he didn't realize what was going on, either. However, he knew that the search for X is just beginning.

"You don't know? It's all anyone in Class C talks about right now. They say a master tactician's hiding in Class D, disguising his or her true identity. Apparently, this tactician has contributed significantly to Class D's successes, from the island test to the cruise ship and sports festival. You really don't know?" said Shiina. Hasebe, Yukimura, and Miyake almost had question marks floating above their heads.

"I honestly have no clue what you're talking about. Do you mean Horikita?" said Yukimura.

"Yeah. The only person I can think of is Horikita-san." agreed Miyake.

"It's not Horikita Suzune-san. Ayanokouji-kun, you spend a great deal of time with Horikita-san, right?" said Shiina.

"I suppose I've probably spent more time with her than with others." replied Ayanokouji.

"You do sit right next to her." said Miyake.

"But there's no one smarter than Horikita-san is." said Hasebe.

"Yeah. She comes up with all Class D's strategies." said Ayanokouji. He knew that it was important that he appeared like a typical Class D student right now in front of Shiina.

"I see. You all feel the same, is that it?" said Shiina.

"Can you please stop interrupting our study session?" muttered Yukimura.

"I apologize. I'm disturbing your studies, aren't I?"

"Yes, you're exactly right. You are." said Yukimura.

"You don't have to be so harsh, Yukimuu." said Hasebe.

"If you're fine with failing and getting kicked out of school, go ahead and chat with her. I'll head back."

"I-I'm sorry, really. Please forgive me. I'd like you to keep tutoring me." said Hasebe. She bowed her head. Shiina stood up from her seat, looking apologetic.

"I'm very sorry. You're right that it'd be a real risk not to take this test seriously. Let's talk about that stuff after the final exam's over." said Shiina, picking up her cup.

"Thank you for the coffee. It was yummy." said Hasebe.

"No problem at all. Goodbye." said Hiyori.

With that, she left alone after showing up with Ryuuen. Ayanokouji wondered if she might have come here as part of Ryuuen's plan to trap him, but Ayanokouji knew that he should be more careful. He decided to investigate Shiina Hiyori more as he couldn't understand her.

"Strange girl…" said Yukimura.

"Do you think what she said was right?" asked Miyake.

"No way…"

"Horikita-san has to be the one calling the shots, right?"

Ayanokouji watched in silence as the group discussed what Shiina had said, but he decided not to say anything unless they asked him. The last thing he wanted is to give his own opinion. After a few minutes of discussion, Yukimura finally got everyone back on track.

"Get back to work." ordered Yukimura, rolling his eyes as he didn't want any more distractions for their precious study time.

*Timeskip (45 minutes later)*

"Whew, having ice cream when it's slightly chilly outside is a trip," said Hasebe, bringing a spoonful of vanilla ice cream to her mouth.

The group has stopped at the convenience store on their way back towards the dorms after Hasbe and Miyake finished their humanities problem. Ayanokouji finished slightly after them. Yukimura must not have eaten ice cream much, because he was reading the ingredients.

"This is just a smorgasbord of preservatives and food coloring." said Yukimura.

"How do you enjoy anything if you're that worried about every single detail?" said Hasebe.

"I'm particular about what I eat. I've been thinking about how I was in such poor shape when we were on the island. Now, I buy my food from the organic section in the supermarket."

"You sure are serious." said Hasebe.

"Besides, convenience store food is expensive. If you just make the short trip over to the mall, you can get the same things at a lower price. Why not buy your groceries more efficiently?" asked Yukimura, pointing to the grocery bags that Hasebe carried.

"You're not one of those penny-pinching misers, are you?"

"I'm just conscientious about money."

"I don't see why you have to make me carry the bags." muttered Miyake. Ayanokouji silently gave him a quick prayer when Hasebe handed Miyake the bag and luckily, he was in another aisle with Yukimura during that time.

"Don't be like that, Miyacchi! It's been a long time since I studied this hard! Six hours in class, plus another two hours afterward, right? There's gotta be, like, almost no students in the world who have to study that much, huh?" said Hasebe.

"Those Class C students interrupted us and wasted our time, though," said Miyake.

"But we didn't let them throw us off. We studied hard today!"

"You've got to be joking. When university entrance exams begin, you'll need to study for at least three hours after class. Four hours, if you can manage it. And I mean every day. When exams are close, you'll want to study ten hours a day on your own." said Yukimura, with an irritated look on his face.

"Huuuh? No way, no way! There's no way I can study like that. Come on, you know that, Yukimuu."

"My older sister is a teacher. She always studied that much before an exam as her usual routine."

"Well, maybe you just come from a really elite lineage! Yukimuu, are you thinking of becoming a teacher?"

"There's nothing particularly 'elite' about becoming a teacher. If I wanted that, why would I come to a school like this, one unlike any others in the world?"

"So, why did you come here?"

"It doesn't really matter. Do you want to ask everyone why they decided to enroll? If you had someone trying to pry into your business, you'd understand how it feels."

"I got interested in the school because of the promotional advertising they ran, you know? I mean, advancing to higher education or getting a good job just because you graduated from here? Who wouldn't choose this place? Isn't that good enough for most people?"

"A lot of people also enroll here because it's free. We don't even have to pay for our dorms, and the campus is set up so that we can survive without using any points. Right now, I appreciate that more than any guarantees after graduation." added Miyake.

"Don't you think that's kind of lame? I mean, being able to go to university or get a job anywhere is incredible." said Hasebe.

"Look, talk about your dreams after we're done with the final exam. The system you expect great things from won't do anything for you if you don't graduate from Class A, Hasebe." said Yukimura.

"There's gotta be some kind of bonus, though, right?"

"Like, maybe the school lied about how only Class A wins. If we manage to graduate, who's to say we can't do whatever we want?"

"That's not very likely. If that were the case, we'd have heard about it, and I've heard nothing of the sort, not even during club activities. Besides, the second and third-year Class D students seem pretty miserable." said Miyake. Ayanokouji could sense no drive or ambition from the third-year Class D student he met earlier in the year.

"If we don't make it to Class A, graduating from this school could even have a negative impact on our careers. That's why I absolutely must graduate from Class A." said Yukimura.

"Ah, wow. That'd be the worst." agreed Hasebe.

'Good colleges looked for people who'd attended prestigious schools and boasted impressive personal accomplishments. However, as far as the Advanced Nurturing High School was concerned, you were a defective product if you graduated from anything other than Class A. Universities and corporations had to know that about our school.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Miyacchi, you've really committed to this study group, huh? And here I thought you'd quit right away." said Hasebe.

"Well, don't you think it's odd that you're still here? You usually don't want anything to do with anyone." said Miyake.

"Well, sure. But if it's a study group with you three, it's all right. Although…"

"Although it's best for us to avoid gossiping and girl talk. If you want to do that, you should find another girls to do that with." said Yukimura. Hasebe sighed at what Yukimura said.

"Mm-hmm. There're a lot of girls I hate, but I like Kushida-chan. She does so much for the class without even batting an eye, and she's always cheerful. Normally, I don't like talking to other people, but Kushida-chan is special. She actually listens to you, and she'd never ever go around telling others what you said." said Hasebe.

"Even you need some girl talk, huh?" said Miyake.

"Rude, Miyacchi. Young maidens have lots of things to talk about." said Hasebe.

"What kinds of things?"

"Why should I tell you? You'd definitely spill the beans to everyone."

"Would not. Well, probably not. Depends on what it is."

"Also...what's with calling me'Yukimuu'?" asked Yukimura, catching on what Hasebe called him earlier.

"You're Yukimura-kun, so, Yukimuu. When I make friends with someone, I give them a nickname. Miyacchi, Yukimuu, and Ayanon. Hmm… for some reason, Ayanon doesn't really roll off the tongue." said Hasebe, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

'There it was. My first iffy nickname. I'm sure that it wouldn't be any worse than this.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Quit calling me Yukimuu. It's embarrassing." protested Yukimura.

"You don't like it?" asked Hasebe.

"I didn't say that. I said it's embarrassing."

"Come on, it's not a big deal."

"It's just that calling me Y-Yukimuu in front of other people is a little..."

Yukimura trailed off as he noticed that was staring at them before responding with a surprisingly serious look.

"You know, I think our friendship is coming along nicely." said Hasebe.

"A friendship where we can use nicknames, you mean?" said Yukimura.

"Well, you are like me and Miyacchi. We're all loners, right? Besides Ayanon, he's pretty fun to be around."

"Wait. You've hung out with Ayanokouji before?" asked Miyake. He didn't look convinced and slightly shocked as if a loner like Hasebe would be with Ayanokouji, someone that's always seen around multiple girls at once. Hasebe nodded her head in response.

"Hmm. I suppose so." said Yukimura.

"Now that I've actually tried becoming a member of this group, I feel more comfortable than I expected. Also, Yukimuu doesn't have many friends, right? We're more than halfway through the second semester, so I thought I'd like to be friends with a new group. It's not like I'm trying to make up for lost time or anything. I just wanted to give you guys nicknames so that we could open up to each other. What do you two think?" asked Hasebe.

"Yeah. This isn't too bad. I feel like I've gotten used to being in a group. I don't get along well with Sudou and those guys, and I think Hirata's kinda in another league. He's always surrounded by girls." said Miyake.

"What about me?" asked Ayanokouji, directing his question to Miyake.

"Honestly, you're pretty chill. I thought you were going to be like Hirata since you're always surrounded by girls, but you're… let's just say down to Earth."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Right? So, what do you two think?" repeated Hasebe, looking at Yukimura and Ayanokouji.

"I just wanted to oversee your studies. When the test is done, this study group will end. But...I suppose there will be more tests. So, I don't mind forming a group for the sake of efficiency." said Yukimura.

"Okay, that was a little insulting. But...thanks." said Hasebe.

"Well, y-yeah. We want to keep the school from expelling anyone, after all."

"That just leaves Ayanon. Oh, but Ayanon, since you're already in a group with Horikita-san, will this be difficult for you? You hang out with other girls too." said Hasebe.

"Why not?" said Ayanokouji, making his answer as simple as possible. He figured that there was nothing wrong with joining a group and he could actually meet more guys.

"I see. Well then, it's decided. From now on, we'll be known as the Ayanokouji Group. Nice to meet all you group members!" said Hasebe.

"Wait. Why'd you name the group after me?" replied Ayanokouji.

"Well, you brought us together, more or less. Isn't that enough?"

"I don't object. Besides, it'd be weird if we called ourselves the Yukimura Group." said Yukimura.

"One more thing. From here on out, let's ban the use of formal surnames in the Ayanokouji Group." said Hasebe.

"You can go ahead and ban whatever, but I won't say M-Miyacchi, or...A-Ayanon, or anything like that. It's embarrassing," said Yukimura. He covered his face out of embarrassment as he couldn't believe that he said Miyake's and Ayanokouji's nicknames. Ayanokouji and Miyake exchanged looks and it seemed that all of the boys silently agreed that they shouldn't call each other by Hasebe's nicknames.

"Well, let's at least use first names. My name's Haruka. You can call me whatever you want. What's your first name again, Miyacchi?" said Hasebe.

"It's Akito." replied Miyake. Hasebe looked expectantly at Yukimura and Ayanokouji.

"Akito, huh? Easy enough. Ayanokouji, your first name's Kiyotaka, isn't it?" said Yukimura.

"And your first name's Teruhiko, right, Yukimura?" replied Ayanokouji. Yukimura's expression darkened for some reason and he looked troubled.

"You remembered?"

"So, Yukimuu's first name is Teruhiko, huh? Wonder if I should think of another nickname." said Hasebe.

"Knock it off." snapped Yukimura. Hasebe shrank back and was surprised by Yukimura's sudden change in attitude. Miyake and Ayanokouji exchanged looks before Ayanokouji spoke up.

"Is something wrong?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I'm okay with calling you all by your first names. I accept that much. But will you please stop calling me Teruhiko?" replied Yukimura. He took a deep breath to calm himself, but Hasebe still have one question for him.

"So, you're fine calling us by our first names, but you hate being called by your first name?!" asked Hasebe.

"It's not that I don't like any of you. It's just that I hate my name. I never really had to worry about it before, because no one called me by it."

"It's not especially unconventional. Isn't it actually pretty common? Is there any particular reason why you hate it?" asked Miyake.

"Yes. My mother named me Teruhiko. She's a contemptible woman who left the family when I was little, so I reject the name she gave me." said Yukimura. Hasebe and Miyake's faces stiffened by the gravity of the grave situation, and Yukimura changed the topic.

"Sorry. I made you uncomfortable." said Yukimura.

"No, no, I'm sorry. I just blurted out your name without permission, after all." said Hasebe.

"You don't need to apologize. You didn't know. Most people like using their first name, after all. I'd prefer not to ruin the mood, so why don't you call me Keisei from now on? It's the name I've used since I was a child."

"Keisei? So, you have two first names, Yukimuu? This is crazy complicated."

"Keisei isn't my real name. It's the name my father wanted to give me, so I made it my own after my mother left. You could call me Keisei or Yukimura."

"Well, I didn't mean to use a name you didn't like. Right, Miyacchi?"

"Yeah. Nice to meet you, Keisei." said Miyake.

"Sorry for being so selfish about that...Kiyotaka, Akito, and Haruka." replied Yukimura.

"No worries. Everyone's got their own issues." said Ayanokouji.

"Akito, Keisei, and...Haruka, right? I'll remember those." said Ayanokouji.

"Anyway, Kiyotaka? We won't call you 'Ayanon,' but what about 'Kiyopon'? Yeah, that one definitely rolls off the tongue better. Yukimuu, do you want to call him that, too?" asked Haruka, finally getting the perfect nickname for Ayanokouji.

'Whoa. I'd gotten an even more embarrassing nickname. Just thinking about Haruka calling me "Kiyopon" in front of people gave me goosebumps. I hope that doesn't happen in the near future.' thought Ayanokouji.

"I won't call him that. It's embarrassing. I already decided to call him Kiyotaka." said Keisei.

In the end, everyone decided to call one another by their given names. Ayanokouji knew that before long, it would feel completely natural. However, there was one person that needed to make their move before it's too late and he glanced behind the group to check on the person following them. Ayanokouji had seen Sakura at the Pallet and knew that she was following them like last time and she was not too close or far away from the group. She probably couldn't hear everything everyone said and maybe enough to just barely get the gist of the entire conversation. The moment this new group formed was probably her last chance to join.

"Well, now that we've all learned one another's names, let's start over. From here on, the four of us will be known as—" said Haruka.

"U-u-um, excuse me!" stammered Sakura. She surged forward and in her haste, she accidentally bumped against a nearby trash can. It rattled loudly as Sakura stumbled over and looked tense and nervous.

"Sakura?" said the group, simultaneously and wasn't expecting her.

"I-I also want to join Ayanokouji-kun's group!" said Sakura.

Sakura summoned up every last bit of courage she could to force those words out. She was incredibly nervous, her face turning a deep shade of red. She was so flustered that she didn't notice that her glasses were crooked.

"Do you want to join the group because you're anxious about the exam? I mean, when you consider your own scores and your partner, it'd be understandable if you were worried, Sakura. Personally, I think you should join Horikita's group. I'm not sure I can tutor too many people. Besides, your situation is different. You probably need to work on other subjects." said Keisei.

"N-no, it's not that. I just... I genuinely want to join the group!" replied Sakura.

"Come on. It's fine if Sakura participates. She kinda fits in with the group." said Akito.

"Is letting me join really all right?"

"I mean, adding one person's not a big deal. Besides, it isn't like you need any qualifications to take part. We're all loners, so I think it's appropriate. Am I wrong?"

"Loners, huh? Well, I guess you're right. Keisei, is it okay with you?" said Ayanokouji.

"I have no objections. But I don't want our group to grow any larger than this. Sakura is easy to accept, but if someone annoying joins, I'm done." said Keisei.

"Th-thank you, Miyake-kun... Yukimura-kun..."

The only person left was Haruka. She was usually welcoming, but this time, she didn't have a smile on her face.

"Sorry, Sakura-san, but you haven't convinced me yet." said Haruka.

"Ah...so I-I, uh, I can't...?" stammered Sakura. Her anxiety seemed to have kicked right back in as she regained that flustered expression of hers.

"Well, look. I'm really looking forward to being part of this group. Or, rather, I get the feeling I'm going to enjoy it. So… If you want to join, you have to follow one big rule. We call each other by our first names, or by nicknames. So, Sakura-san, uh… Wait, what's her first name again?" said Haruka, looking at Ayanokouji.

"Airi." replied Ayanokouji.

"We'll all call you Airi, and you'll use all of our first names. Are you okay with that?"

'Sakura wasn't good at dealing with interpersonal relationships. We all knew that, which was why Haruka was testing to see whether she could manage this.' thought Ayanokouji.

"U-um..." stammered Sakura.

"Keisei, Akito, and Haruka." said Ayanokouji, trying his best to help.

"K-Keisei-kun, Akito-kun, Haruka...san... Whew..."

"There's no need to use honorifics, right?" said Akito.

"Yeah. As long as you use our first names, that's good enough. Now, all that's left is using Kiyopon's nickname."

Sakura's face reddened at Haruka's suggestion as she struggled to say Ayanokouji's first name, but instead of saying it, a mysterious noise came out when tried to say it.

"Ah-hyuu!" said Sakura, stopping herself.

"You've seemed pretty close to Kiyopon for a while now, so calling him that shouldn't be a stretch, right?" said Haruka.

"Kiyotaka is fine." replied Ayanokouji.

Sakura, who could barely even look people in the eyes or talk to them, was struggling as usual. Calling someone by their given name, especially someone that they like, is quite the hurdle for someone shy and reserved like Sakura. But calling someone they liked a ridiculous nickname like Kiyopon was too much for Sakura. It was embarrassing for Ayanokouji.

"Ki-Kiyo-Kiyo...pyo!" stammered Sakura, but she shook her head as she couldn't make herself say it. Everyone focused on Sakura. She hated attention, which made her stammer, which made them pay more attention. It was turning into a vicious cycle.

"I don't know what kind of effect this group will have on you, but I think it's good that you're joining, Sakura. You've taken a big step forward. Just one more step can't hurt." said Ayanokouji, trying to make the tone of his voice as gentle as possible.

"Yeah...K-Kiyotaka-kun. I look forward to studying with you all." said Sakura, finally looking Ayanokouji square in the eyes.

"Okay, you passed. I'm in favor of Airi joining us." said Haruka. With that, Sakura became part of the group.

"Come on, Kiyopon, try calling Airi by her first name." said Haruka, nudging Ayanokouji.

"Airi." said Ayanokouji.

"H-hello!" stammered Airi, but Ayanokouji could tell that she was more nervous than him as her body stiffened up.

"From now on, we five are the Ayanokouji Group. Looking forward to it!" said Haruka. Ayanokouji internally sighed as a new group was formed and it was under his name.

*Timeskip (2 hours later)*

"It sure is cold…" muttered Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji glanced at his phone and there were a few messages from the newly created Ayanokouji Group chat. Because most of the group members were often alone in their rooms, their chats were lively and long. Ayanokouji noticed it when he was busy in his room before his outing with Fukuyama and Chikako.

Haruka: After we finish class tomorrow, do you all feel like seeing a movie to take our minds off things?

Airi: Wait, are you talking about that one new movie?

Haruka: Yeah, yeah, that one. I heard that it comes out tomorrow. Since everyone's studying right now, scoring tickets should be easy!

Keisei: I suppose that taking a break is a good idea. When you say "you all," I assume I'm invited?

Haruka: Of course! You're part of the group, Yukimuu. But I guess I did spring this on you guys. If you don't have time, we can wait and go after the test.

Ayanokouji: I'll join you.

Airi: I want to go, too.

Keisei: All right. If Akito goes, I'll come as well.

Akito: Sounds good to me. Can you reserve our tickets?

Haruka: Sure. I'll collect points from you later. Thanks, everyone!

The group chat quieted down after that. Haruka had probably switched over to her web browser to reserve their seats online. Before Ayanokouji could switch off his phone, he received a private message from Airi.

Airi: I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.

Ayanokouji: Yeah, me too.

Airi I'm really excited about tomorrow, Kiyotaka-kun. Also, thank you for helping me, Kiyotaka-kun. I would never have the courage to ask to be in a group.

Ayanokouji: All I did was give you encouragement. You were the one that took the first step. You did well, Airi.

There was no response coming from Airi, but Ayanokouji could see the ellipses from Airi's profile from the messaging app which indicates that she was typing something. He wondered if she was typing a long message or was too flustered to reply. After a few moments later, a message finally was sent.

Airi: Thank you, but you should give yourself more credit, Kiyotaka-kun.

Ayanokouji: You give me too much credit. You should be proud of yourself.

Airi: Okay… Good night, Kiyotaka-kun.

Ayanokouji: Good night, Airi.

Ayanokouji placed his phone back into his pocket and continued on his way towards the Keiyaki Mall. He stared up at the dark night sky as he walked down the main path towards the Keiyaki Mall. There was a cold autumn breeze blowing past Ayanokouji and down the near empty main path which always had high traffic. As Ayanokouji was walking down the main path, he heard some noises and it was like a loud thumping noise followed by a distinct scraping noise as if something was being scraped against the ground. Out of curiosity, Ayanokouji decided to see what the noise was.

Ayanokouji took a detour and headed off onto a side path where the brightly lit path turned into a dimly lit area as the trees blocked the lights from the brightly lit main path. It was something that Ayanokouji was used to going through areas like this as he ended up in different areas around the entire campus thanks to Kinoshita's morning exercise routines and other explorations with his soulmates or other girls.

As he made his way down the path, the sound of the same thumping noise grew and the sounds of something being scraped against the floor increased as well. Ayanokouji strained his ears and thought it sounded like wheels which left him more curious. Eventually, Ayanokouji ended up in a brightly lit up clearing which revealed a skate park.

The park sprawls across a wide concrete lot. At one end, there's a large, smooth bowl with edges steeply curving inward like a mini half-pipe. The bowl's transition was steep and looked slippery. Nearby, a row of quarter-pipes line the edges of the park, ranging from short to tall. In the middle of the park is a long, sleek grind rail. On either side of the rail, there are wide and slick ledges. On one side of the park sits a series of manual pads, stacked in a line, each slightly raised from the ground. There were also low rails, small ramps, and a set of stairs with a handrail running down the path where Ayanokouji is at that leads into the skatepark. Ayanokouji could see some colorful graffiti tags around the park.

Ayanokouji realized that the faint noise he was hearing was a skateboarder and it was the rhythmic sound of wheels grinding against metal or carving along the smooth concrete. There was only one person at the skate park and was the source of the noise. It was a guy with a hoodie and a baseball cap as he was attempting to jump into the air and use their foot to flick the board to rotate 360 degrees, but it failed and he landed without doing a full rotation as the skateboard hit the ground several feet in front of him. That was the sound that Ayanokouji heard.

However when Ayanokouji approached him, he realized that he was mistaken, he thought that it was a guy, but it turned out it was a girl when he got closer and got a better view of her. The girl had short wavy black hair with purple highlights on the tip of her short hair. Her hoodie and jeans that she was wearing were baggy and certainly not feminine, but more masculine. The girl finally noticed Ayanokouji's presence and turned to face him.

"Can I help you?" asked the girl. She looked quite weary and surprised about his presence, which Ayanokouji could understand as he randomly just showed up from a dimly lit path. She was also concentrating on her skateboard and tricks rather than her surroundings.

"I'm sorry for bothering you. I just heard some noise and went to check it out." replied Ayanokouji.

"I see… I didn't know that I was making that much noise."

"I also didn't know there's a skate park here."

Ayanokouji glanced around the skate park before turning his attention to the skateboard that the girl is holding. The girl noticed Ayanokouji's gaze and interest on her skateboard and it seemed like she loosened up a little bit.

"You ever skated before?" asked the girl.

"No. I never tried." replied Ayanokouji.

"Why don't ya give a spin?"

"May I?"

"Sure."

The girl placed the skateboard down and Ayanokouji stared at it for a moment hesitantly as he studied the skateboard. The skateboard is about 2 feet in length with a black exterior along with a graffiti drawing of a silhouette palm tree, sunset, and beach with red, orange purple, and various other bright colors that clashed together. The girl looked at Ayanokouji expectantly and he slowly placed his foot on the skateboard.

Ayanokouji shifted as he wasn't used to being on a skateboard, but when he tried to place his other feet on the skateboard, he felt his weight shift as it was transferred to the skateboard and his balance was thrown completely off. He usually has a good sense of balance, but due to his lack of experience with skateboarding, he didn't know what to do.

Ayanokouji tried his best to maintain his balance which he managed to do, but when he leaned back, Ayanokouji felt himself falling backwards and a loud whooshing sound emerged. The skateboard that Ayanokouji was standing on is suddenly gone and rolling quickly away from him as he fell down. Ayanokouji landed hard on his butt and he quickly tucked his head in to protect it and spread his arms and legs instinctively to soften the blow. He wanted to spread the impact throughout his body rather than using one part to absorb all of the impact. The last thing Ayanokouji wanted was to sprain or possibly break his arm or leg. The girl cried out and ran towards the fallen Ayanokouji.

"Are you okay?!" asked the girl.

"Yeah. Just a little sore." said Ayanokouji. The girl quickly ran to retrieve her skateboard before returning to Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji checked his phone and was relieved to find it still in one piece.

"Just so you know, you never lean back while on the board. It disrupts your balance and it puts more weight on the back of the board and Boom! That happens."

The girl placed the skateboard and gently pushed the skateboard which rolled across the pavement away from them.

"Noted. I learned it the hard way." said Ayanokouji. He could still feel the soreness and stinging pain from the fall.

"At least you didn't land on your arms or legs. That would've been bad."

"Yeah. I don't want a broken arm or leg."

"Ahh! I forgot to introduce myself, Okabe Fuyu from Class C."

"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class D."

"Class D?!"

Okabe hesitated for a moment and studied Ayanokouji warily before clearing her throat. It was as if she was being careful around Ayanokouji since he mentioned that he was from Class D. He knew that Ryuuen had made it clear to all of Class C about the hidden mastermind that he was looking for.

"Anyways… Do you wanna get back on?" asked Okabe.

"Uhh… sure. I don't want to fall again." said Ayanokouji, looking at the board as Okabe gently kicked the board at him. He stopped it with his foot and hesitated.

"I'll run you through the steps and hold on to you just in case."

"Thank you."

"Which foot are you comfortable with? Your dominant foot?"

"I think it's my right."

"There's on way to find out."

Okabe gave Ayanokouji a gentle push and Ayanokouji fell forward and landed on his foot. Okabe observed Ayanokouji's movement as it happened.

"So you landed on your right foot, so it means that's your dominant foot. First, use your right foot to get on the front side of the board. You can see the screws on the front and back side, try to place your foot around there." explained Okabe.

Ayanokouji followed Okabe's instructions and managed to get right foot on the front side and he quickly placed his back foot on the bottom side of the board where the other two screws are located. Ayanokouji swayed for a little and Okabe quickly grabbed onto his waist to support him and his balance returned to him. He was glad that Okabe was supporting his balance, but if he fell, he wasn't sure that Okabe could catch him and she would most likely help slow down and break his fall.

"You can let go, Okabe. I'm going to try to stay on the board without any help." said Ayanokouji.

"Okay. If you're going to fall, do not lean back otherwise the same thing from last time will happen. Just try to lean forward and you'll just land on your feet." said Okabe, reminding Ayanokouji of his past mistake.

Ayanokouji nodded and Okabe let go and took a step back. For a moment, his body adjusted to the sudden change as Okabe was no longer supporting him and he thought he was going to fall. However, Ayanokouji regained his balance and managed to stay on the board as his body slightly swayed left and right as he raised his arms in an attempt to keep his balance. Luckily, he managed to stay on and the balance was kept with no danger of falling.

"I think I'm good now." said Ayanokouji.

"Wow. Good job, you're improving already. Why don't you practice getting on and off your board?" suggested Okabe.

"How do I get off? Is there a way to do it?"

"Since you're not moving, you can simply step off. That's a whole different story if you're moving."

Ayanokouji stepped off the skateboard and spent a few minutes practicing getting on and off the skateboard as he got used to balancing on the skateboard. Okabe observed him and added a few comments.

"Oh! Make sure to keep a wide stance. Your feets are a little too close, make sure it's a little farther so you have better control of your board when you're moving and turning." said Okabe.

Ayanokouji began adjusting his positioning and followed Okabe's advice. He was still trying to get used to being a skateboard as it requires good balancing skills and environmental awareness. It was easy for now, but Ayanokouji wasn't moving at all and he knew that the difficulty was going to be harder when he started learning how to ride and do tricks.

"All right, it looks like you're getting the hang of it. Why don't we practice leaning? Because you're going to need to know when you start riding, the best advice is to develop a feeling for it. Don't lean too much and try to keep your balance." said Okabe.

Ayanokouji started by leaning a little to the right and felt his balance change due to the sudden movement. He began leaning a little more to the right and was developing a feel for it as he began learning how to lean properly without sacrificing too much of his balance.

After a bit, Ayanokouji realized that he should be going to the Keiyaki Mall to meet up with Fukuyama and Chikako, but luckily he decided to leave early and he would just have enough time to meet up without being late. Ayanokouji hopped off the skateboard and pushed it back towards Okabe.

"Sorry, Okabe. I have somewhere to be. Thanks for teaching me." said Ayanokouji.

"No problem. You did learn pretty quick for a beginner. And don't worry about falling. That's how you learn to skate." said Okabe.

"Thanks for reminding me."

Okabe laughed dryly before she kicked the skateboard up with her feet and caught it with her hands and Ayanokouji could see the skills that she developed and figured that she's been skating for a good number of years.

"Oh by the way, how long have you been skating?" asked Ayanokouji.

"A couple of years, it's mostly on and off when I have free time." replied Okabe.

"What was the trick you were doing before?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Oh…. That was a kickflip. I'm honestly more of a rider than doing tricks, but it seems kinda of fun, you know?" replied Okabe.

"I can see the appeal."

"Thanks for giving skateboarding a shot. That was my first time teaching someone. Looks fun?"

"Yeah…"

"Willing to try it again?"

"Maybe. Will I see you here again?"

"Probably. I chill out here when I have some free time to practice my tricks. It wouldn't be too bad to have some company. Although you should buy a skateboard."

"Hmm…"

"You don't have to do it right away. If you seriously want to learn, then yeah. But if you just try a little more, you'll find me around."

"Okay. See you later, Okabe."

"Later, Ayanokouji."

Ayanokouji said his goodbyes to Okabe as he made his way back towards the main path. A quick glance at his phone indicated that he had about 10 more minutes before their agreed time. As Ayanokouji traveled down the dimly lit path, he could hear the faint noise of Okabe's skateboard clattering against the concrete floor of the skate park and the skidding noise of her wheels.

The noise slowly faded away and became more faint as Ayanokouji traversed further away. Eventually, the noise faded away as Ayanokouji traversed down the main path. Ayanokouji was intrigued by the hobbying of skateboarding and was interested in another mode of transportation, but he put it into the back of his mind as he entered the Keiyaki Mall which still has its bright lights.

As Ayanokouji walked around the Keiyaki Mall, he noticed how different it looked during the day and night. The brightly lit lights illuminated the bright and vibrant store and restaurant signs in an attempt to entice customers. It was a spectacle of vibrant colors and bright overhead lights of the Keiyaki Mall that highlighted Ayanokouji as he walked by along with the businesses of the Keiyaki Mall. Ayanokouji made his way past the escalator and remained on the 1st floor as the central fountain came into view. That was the meeting spot that they agreed upon and it seemed that Ayanokouji arrived a few minutes earlier.

Ayanokouji saw that Fukuyama was already there and sitting at a nearby bench and looking at her phone. She didn't notice Ayanokouji until he approached her and said her name.

"Hello, Fukuyama." said Ayanokouji.

"Ahh! Ayanokouji-kun!" said Fukuyama, looking up on her phone.

"You're here early."

"Yeah. I thought you were going to be here earlier. Guess I was the first one here."

"I was a little distracted on the way here."

"Not very gentleman-like! Hahahaha!"

"I suppose."

Fukuyama scooted over and gave Ayanokouji enough room to sit down. Fukuyama immediately turned her attention back to her phone and Ayanokouji took the chance to study what she was wearing. Fukuyama is wearing a black fuzzy fleece jacket, which looks like it's quite insulated and warm for its user, along with tight skinny jeans. She is also wearing a silver double curb charm bracelet along with some light make-up which seemed to make her face look lighter than usual. Her sea-green hair looked newly washed and combed as Ayanokouji could smell a faint citrusy and fruity aroma and he thought he could smell a combination of lemon, passion fruit, and pineapple from Fukuyama, but he wasn't sure because it was a faint scent and smell like a mixture of tropical fruit and citrus.

Ayanokouji was surprised at how well-dressed most girls were since he's been on countless outings with his soulmates or girls from other classes. They were usually well-dressed and Ayanokouji's lack of fashion sense is quite basic because he usually wears plain white collar shirts, hoodies, and jeans at those kinds of outings. Not to mention, he doesn't use any cologne or anything. After a few more minutes of silence, the duo heard someone calling their names and footsteps approaching them.

"Sorry, I'm late! My hair was not cooperating!" said Chikako, looking out of breath.

Similar to Fukuyama, Chikako has done makeup, but Ayanokouji could see traces of mascara around the eye area. Chikako's dark-orange hair was transformed into ringlets and Ayanokouji could see the sky-blue highlights on the end of each individual ringlet and immaculate makeup that she put on. He could tell that it took a lot of time for Chikako to style her hair like that, but as Ayanokouji and Fukuyama stood up, he could catch a distinct scent of Chikako's perfume.

The scent of her perfume was more aromatic compared to Fukuyama's as the aroma of lavender and other flora notes entered Ayanokouji's nose. He wasn't sure what kind of floras were used, but it was vastly different compared to Fukuyama's perfume. Chikako's perfume was more subtle, light, and delicate in terms of sweetness and aroma compared to Fukuyama's stronger sweet, citrusy, and refreshing aroma.

Chikako is wearing a black, slick leather jacket with white cuff links that is not buttoned up. Underneath the jacket, Chikako is wearing a simple white short top. The jacket looked more worn than new which indicated that Chikako wears it on a semi-regular basis. Contrary to Fukuyama, Chikako wore baggier dark jeans and some black boots with laces. She also has a dark red thin choker around her neck.

Ayanokouji was surprised to see Chikako and Fukuyama dressing so seriously on their outing. He couldn't understand why they were dressing like that on a simple outing. Ayanokouji felt a little out of place being around them since people might get the wrong idea and his attire was too casual compared to theirs. Ayanokouji was wearing a T-shirt underneath a dark-blue hoodie with some regular jeans.

"Let's go." said Fukuyama.

Ayanokouji nodded and followed the girls as they traversed the Keiyaki Mall. As Ayanokouji predicted, there were some looks directed at the group, but most of it was directed at Fukuyama and Chikako. However, Ayanokouji did catch some jealous and curious looks directed at him.

The trio eventually stopped in front of a restaurant. From one glance, Ayanokouji could tell that it's an Italian restaurant based on the looks of the exterior. He could see soft shades of terracotta, olive green, and golden yellow on the building. There was a weathered wooden door with an old-fashioned brass knocker. As the trio entered the restaurant, Ayanokouji could see a line of fairy lights strung across the entrance, giving the space a cozy, welcoming vibe. He could also see an antique-style menu board standing beside it, showcasing the day's pasta specials in handwritten chalk along with a waiter that greeted the trio.

"Party of three." said Chikako.

"Please follow me."" replied the waiter. He grabbed three copies of the laminated menu before walking deeper into the restaurant with the trio in tow. As Ayanokouji walked, he could catch a faint smell fresh garlic, basil, and simmering sauces.

As they entered deeper into the restaurant, Ayanokouji could see wooden beams that acted like pillars connecting the ground and roof. The tables were set with bistro chairs and each one had a red and white checkered tablecloth and a small candle in a glass holder, ready for evening dining. The windows are large which allow natural light to flood in with small potted plants and flowers in window boxes which provides a contrast with a splash of bright colors to the dining room which was dominantly brown, red, and white. The atmosphere was cozy, warm, and traditional as he could see pictures of the Italian coast and cities on the wall.

"Here you go." said the waiter. The trio sat down and looked at the menu for a brief moment before the waiter asked them another question.

"Would you like anything to drink?" asked the waiter.

"I'll have chinotto." said Chikako.

"I'll have the unsweetened ice tea." said Fukuyama.

"I'll try the limonata." said Ayanokouji. He noticed it on the beverage section of the menu and it described it as Italian lemon soda and he chose it out of curiosity. The waiter was writing something on his notepad before looking up.

"All right. Will this be one check or separate?" asked the waiter. The trio exchanged looks and quickly discussed it before Chikako responded to him.

"Separate, please." said Chikako.

"All right. I'll give you a few minutes to decide and will be back with your drinks." said the waiter.

"Thank you!"

"Thanks!"

Ayanokouji studied the menu and found a whole new world. He was not experienced with Italian food, but he found different sections which highlighted different key dishes: appetizers, soups and salads, pizza, pasta, baked pasta, seafood, and desserts. Most things he ate were strictly Japanese, Asian, or from the convenience store.

After a few moments of silently deliberating, he decided to narrow down his search and chose one of the most recognizable dishes from Italy, pasta. He saw that there were two main sauces: red and white sauce as each pasta has one or the other. Ayanokouji is now stuck between regular pasta and baked pasta as Ayanokouji slowly counted the time in his head, knowing that the waiter might be back soon.

Ayanokouji could see the familiar name of lasagna under the baked pasta and wondered if he should get it. He vaguely remembered Mori was watching a cartoon show about an orange cat and lasagna, but he never actually had lasagna. As he looked through the pasta section of the menu, Ayanokouji found something that caught his eye: chicken fettucini alfredo. He decided to go with it and made sure to remember that he'll get the lasagna the next time he visits again. Ayanokouji quickly glanced over the appetizers and desserts sections before making a finland decision.

"You guys decided already?" asked Fukuyama.

"Yeah." replied Ayanokouji.

"There's a lot of good stuff. Glad that I listened to your recommendation." said Chikako.

"I only heard about it from a bunch of girls in class. I heard that they also give free breadsticks for every entree you order." said Fukuyama. When Ayanokouji heard that, he decided not to get any appetizer since he's getting one for free anyways.

"At least we know they have good taste."

"Hear, hear!"

"I don't know what to get! What did you get, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Chikako.

"Please don't tell me that you're going to copy me." said Ayanokouji.

"N-No…"

"That's not reassuring, but I'm getting the chicken fettucini alfredo and spumoni ice cream."

"I thought you said that you weren't getting food, Chikako."

Ayanokouji remembered the conversation that they had earlier that day and was surprised to be going to a pasta restaurant. He thought that they were going to go for desserts and to avoid eating a meal. However, studying with the Ayanokouji group caused him to arrive back to his dorm later than expected and he didn't have enough time to cook dinner, but it did give him enough time to prepare meals for tomorrow. He was honestly glad that they stopped at the pasta restaurant, but curious on what caused Chikako to change her mind.

"It turns out that my leftovers went bad, so I had to toss it. We wanted to go earlier, but we didn't have your number." explained Chikako.

"Ahhh… that's unfortunate." said Ayanokouji.

"You can say that again!"

Chikako continues to be thinking about Ayanokouji's choices while he notices that Fukuyama seems to be holding in her laughter. She noticed that Ayanokouji was staring at her and gave him an amused smile as Chikako seemed to be struggling to decide what to get. After a few more minutes, the waiter arrived back with a tray of their drinks and placed it in front of their respective owners.

"Is everyone ready or do you need more time?" asked the waiter. The group exchanged looks before nodding.

"What can I get started for you" asked the waiter as he pulled out his notepad and pencil from his left shirt pocket.

"I'll have the calamari, lasagna, and tiramisu." said Fukuyama.

"I'll have the chicken fettucini alfredo and spumoni ice cream." said Ayanokouji.

Fukuyama and Ayanokouji turned towards Chikako, but luckily she had already decided what she wanted as she answered the waiter's question.

"I'll take the tuna salad, small four cheese pizza, and a fruit sorbet." said Chikako.

"Today's specialty flavor is lemon. Is that okay?" asked the waiter.

"Perfect. Thank you!"

The trio thanked the waiter and handed the laminated menu back to the waiter, who promptly headed off towards the kitchen. Ayanokouji picked up his glass, studied it for a brief moment, and took a sip.

Ayanokouji could taste the strong flavor of lemon as he could taste the dominant citrusy notes rather than sugar which prevented it from being too sour. However, there was a slight tart flavor mixed in the drink. He could also taste the carbonation and it tastes exactly like sparkling lemonade.

'It has a more complex flavor than expected. Rather than lemonade which has mostly sugar, water, and a hint of lemon, this has more complexity as it was citrusy, a hint of sugar, and a tart. It's more citrusy than sugary which is a healthier alternative than plain lemonade.' thought Ayanokouji.

As Ayanokouji is sipping his drink, Chikako and Fukuyama silently exchange looks at each other as they stare at Ayanokouji. They were trying their best to be subtle about it, but Ayanokouji already noticed it and pretended to be interested in his drink rather than call attention to it. After he put down his glass, Fukuyama sprung to action.

"Ayanokouji-kun! The reason why we invited you out is that we were curious about you! And the rumors." said Fukuyama. Ayanokouji had a bad feeling about this since he knew what the rumors are and he's not like how a new rumor seems to be surrounding him every time.

"Is it about the rumor of me dating multiple girls at the same time?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Bingo!" said Chikako, snapping her fingers. Ayanokouji internally sighed as he knew that there's a direct correlation between the number of soulmates and rumors around him.

"I even heard that you extend your reach beyond Class D and into other classes!"

"You think that he already got his hands full with Tamiya-san, Tsukaji-san, Nishi-san, and Nishikawa-san?!"

"Do you think Tsukaji-san likes it? I can't tell if she likes his company or not."

"I don't know. It's hard to tell with that blank expression of hers."

"What if she is one of those people that doesn't show their emotions at all."

"Kind of like Ayanokouji-kun! Err… no offense."

"None taken. It seems that you both got the wrong impression of me. I just happened to meet the four of them by chance. And I guess you can say that I happen to be in the area."

"I won't be too surprised that so many girls are always with you, Ayanokouji-kun." said Fukuyama.

"I mean… you're pretty up there in terms of the rankings. Probably like the top 5!" said Chikako.

"You idiot! Don't tell me that! The boys are not supposed to know!" hissed Fukuyama.

"I already know about it." replied Ayanokouji. Fukuyama and Chikako exchanged surprised looks as they weren't expecting him to know about it.

"How did you know?" asked Fukuyama.

"Relax, I didn't tell anyone. And do you really think the boys didn't do the same to you girls?"

Ayanokouji replaced Fukuyama's question with another question as he didn't want to tell them that he heard it from Kushida and accidently eavesdropped on some of his soulmates' conversations about that particular topic. He also didn't want them to know what some of the rankings were.

In response, Fukuyama and Chikako had a shocked expression with a mixture of curiosity, horror, and uncertainty on their faces as they didn't know what to think about the information that Ayanokouji gave. It's possible that the boys could've made the rankings more degenerate and perverted.

"At any rate, I'm not dating anyone and I'm not too sure about the rumors." said Ayanokouji.

"I think I've heard from Hashimoto-kun…" said Fukuyama.

"I don't know, the girls in the class were talking about it. Someone said they saw Ayanokouji-kun with Tamiya-san and Nishikawa-san one time." replied Chikako.

It seems that rumors came from a variety of people, judging from other interactions he had with other people from different classes. The power of misinformation is quite powerful and ever since Ayanokouji learned the fact that he will have more than one soulmate, the rumors have started and snowballed out of his control as more sightings of Ayanokouji with his various soulmates and girls from other classes seemed to cause more and more rumors to be spread. There's no way for people to know about Ayanokouji's situation and the truth, the rumors cannot be confirmed or verified which leads to a situation like this.

Ayanokouji wondered if he should crush the rumors once and for all, but he wasn't sure how to do it. He didn't have very high social abilities and charisma like Ichinose, Kushida, or Hirata, who could easily dispel any rumors about them. He knew that he has some sway, but it's mostly on the female gender due to his soulmate's power.

"Well, don't you think it has a degree of truth?" asked Fukuyama, directing that question to Chikako.

"I'm not sure, it's hard to tell with that blank face of his!" added Chikako.

"Satonaka-kun is the one! Prince of Class A."

"Smart, handsome, and caring! He's literally the perfect guy!"

It seems that Chikako and Fukuyama were the type of girls to enjoy gossip. They seemed to be quite curious about Ayanokouji's relationship between his soulmates and various girls from the other classes. Ayanokouji heard the name Satonaka before and he was sure that he had seen him before. Based on the descriptions and chatter from various girls, he was like the Class A version of Hirata. Ayanokouji wondered if both girls also have an interest for fashion based on their outfits for this outing.

"Hey speaking of which… Ayanokouji-kun, rate our outfits!" said Fukuyama, turning his attention back to Ayanokouji, who was silent as he watched the two girls gossiping.

"Uhh… what's the purpose?" asked Ayanokouji, taken aback by their sudden request. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be brutally honest, completely neutral, or supportive.

"We just wanted to see which outfit is better. Me and Chikako have a bit of a friend feud on who has the better fashion sense. We need a guy's opinion."

"Obviously me! And it's not like we're seeing which clothes are better when we go on a date with Satonaka-kun." added Chikako.

"Y-You idiot! Why did you say it like that?!" hissed Fukuyama as she slapped her own forehead out of embarrassment and shame from Chikako's actions.

Ayanokouji realized what their plan was and knew that was one of the main reasons that they asked him out. Maybe it was because of the rumors that is always surrounding Ayanokouji, Fukuyama's and Chikako's intentions to have the best outfit for Satonaka, plain curiosity for Ayanokouji, or a combination of all three.

Ayanokouji could see that Fukuyama and Chikako were both staring at Ayanokouji with nervous and anxious looks as they weren't sure that he would judge them harshly or leave them as Chikako suddenly revealed that the outing isn't what it seems. However, Ayanokouji wasn't that surprised and retained his usual blank expression as she silently looked at Chikako and Fukuyama, judging their outfits. The best he could do is to give them his objective opinion with no bias.

"To be honest, I like Chikako's outfit more. The leather jacket is a nice touch." said Ayanokouji, after a few moments of silence.

"Yes! That's another point for me!" said Chikako, pumping her fist. Apparently, it seems that the two girls have done this more than once and Ayanokouji wondered how many boys became a part of this scheme.

"Damn it!" said Fukuyama.

"What's the score? 5-2?"

"Hey! It was 5-3! Don't get too cocky!"

"What didn't you like about my outfit?" asked Fukuyama. Ayanokouji could see the fire in her eyes as she didn't want to lose to Chikako any further. He wasn't sure if it's personal or just an overly competitive friendly match between the two girls.

"It's my personal preference. Chikako is wearing some white to contrast the black leather jacket that she's wearing. I also just like leather jackets over fleece jackets." replied Ayanokouji, truthfully. In the end, it was up to Ayanokouji's personal preferences.

"Dang it! This isn't over." muttered Fukuyama, admitting her defeat while Chikako smiled smugly. Ayanokouji could now see that they were quite alike and just wanted to see who dresses better and they were both into fashion. Before anyone could say anything else, the waiter arrived at the table.

"Excuse me." said the waiter.

The waiter arrived with a tray with multiple plates as he gently set the tray on a nearby empty table. He began repeating everyone's orders dish by dish as he placed each dish to their respective orders. After a few moments later, all of the dishes were placed in front of their respective owners and everything seemed to be in order.

"Thank you." said the trio.

"Please enjoy your meal and call me if you need anything else. I'll bring your desserts when you finish your entrees." said the waiter. He quickly disappeared into the kitchen with his empty tray and everyone else turned towards the newly arrived food.

Ayanokouji's nostrils were assaulted by the aroma of tomatoes, cheese, and basil by the combination of everyone's dishes. The table was an array of brightly yellow pasta, vibrant red of tomatoes, and the steam arised by the newly cooked dish towards the ceiling. Everyone also received a free breadstick along with a small sauce dish with some butter to accompany the breadstick.

"Itadakimasu!" said the trio.

Ayanokouji grabbed his fork and used it to twirl his pasta around it, securing a forceful of some glinting, saucy pale pasta. He could see some thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, and other various herbs used in traditional Italian seasoning sprinkled lightly on his pasta. As Ayanokouji ate his first forkful, he could taste butter and cheese infused within the pasta as it came in a white sauce. He could taste the creaminess, thanks to the butter, and cheesiness from the added mozzarella cheese.

Ayanokouji decided to try the chicken next and it was also infused with butter and cheese, but the herbs provided a bit of earthy flavor due to the mixture of spices which helped cut some of the fatness and richness of the butter and cheese. He wondered if red sauce would help more as the tomatoes would provide a more refreshing and acidic flavor.

Then, Ayanokouji decided to try the free breadstick that he received because he ordered an entree. As Ayanokouji grabbed the breadstick, he could still feel its warmth and how soft it was, which indicated that it was fresh. He took a bite and it tasted like regular white bread, but with a hint of saltiness. Ayanokouji grabbed his knife and gently scraped some butter from the small sauce dish on the side and smeared the butter on the top of the section where he had taken a bite. He did his best to smear the butter evenly onto the bread before taking another bite.

The butter helped enhance the richness of the bread which complemented the simple taste of the breadstick. Ayanokouji realized that he made the perfect choice for a drink because the acidity and sugary components of his drink helped cut down the richness and fatiness of the pasta. He glanced up from his food and saw that Fukuyama and Chikako seemed to be enjoying their food. As they were eating, Fukuyama and Chikako continued what they were saying before the waiter brought them their food. Ayanokouji listened quietly as he enjoyed his meal.

"You think we could modify our uniform. I totally want to make a few changes to make it cuter." said Chikako.

"Personally, I like the uniforms. That's one reason why I applied to ANHS." replied Fukuyama.

"You applied to ANHS because you like the uniform?!"

"Obviously not! It's because I heard that you can get into any job or college you want!"

"Ohh.. For a second, I thought that's the only reason why you applied to ANHS."

"Fashion is not always in my mind!"

"What do you think, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"The uniforms are pretty decent. I think you can make modifications to your uniform, but it can't violate certain guidelines like skirt, blazer, and shirt length." replied Ayanokouji. He remembered vaguely about the dress code policies that were in the guidebook that has the list of rules given during the first day of school.

"No one is going to do something like that!" said Chikako, with an incredulous look as she didn't believe someone would do something so blatantly proactive.

"I think a blue ribbon works well with the red blazer and maybe add something to the blazar." muttered Fukuyama, as she tapped her fingers on the table.

"Maybe we can wear a sweater or something over the uniform like some people."

"Yeah! Maybe… a fleece's jacket?"

"You know that I don't have one. But I don't think your black fleece jacket will look good."

"Yeah… Maybe buy another one?"

"Another shopping trip, huh?"

It seems that Fukuyama and Chikako are really into fashion and like to dress up fashionable and with style. Ayanokouji knew that with Class A's monthly intake on points, they can easily buy multiple outfits compared to his classmates.

"What do you think, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Chikako.

"I'm not really into fashion, but I guess it would be nice. It has some practical use because it can get you warm during the winter." said Ayanokouji. Fukuyama giggled at Ayanokouji's response.

"You have a good point Ayanokouji-kun, but in fashion, being practical is not always the goal." said Fukuyama.

"I would have to keep that in mind."

"Hey! Why don't we give Ayanokouji-kun a make-over too?" suggested Fukuyama.

"Good idea!" agreed Chikako.

"Wait what. I know that I'm not as fashionable as you two, but I don't think I can spare the points to go on a shopping spree." said Ayanokouji.

"It doesn't hurt for you to check it out." argued Fukuyama.

"You do have a point, but…"

"That settles it! We can make plans later!" said Chikako.

"Wait…"

"Good idea! I totally want to see what they have for this winter!" said Fukuyama.

Just like that, Ayanokouji has gotten into something that he didn't agree to, but he could help but be a little curious about what his transformation would be if he allowed Fukuyama and Chikako to guide him. He wondered how many points it would cost and how good he would look with a makeover if he agreed to buy whatever they recommended to him. He knew that his fashion taste was not as good as theirs.

Then, the trio spent about 10 more minutes chatting about fashion and various other topics as Ayanokouji let Fukuyama and Chiikako be in charge of the conversation as he ate the rest of his food. Sometimes he spoke up when they asked him for his opinions or something that contributes to the current topic.

"Here's your dessert." said the waiter, placing the respective dessert to each person after taking everyone's empty plates.

"Can I please have the rest in a takeout box?" asked Chikako. She was the only one that didn't finish her food and had a few slices of pizza left.

"Of course. I will be back."

"Thank you."

Ayanokouji glanced over at his spumoni ice cream which is inside of a cup with a candied cherry on top. He could see the bright pink, green, and brown layers of the ice cream. In the green section, he could see little chunks of brown inside. Ayanokouji picked up his unused spoon and scooped a little bit of each section, tasting it one out of time. The pink tasted like cherry, the brown was a standard chocolate, and the green was the most unique as it was pistachio with the little brown bits, being pistachios crumbled inside. The pistachio layer was creamy and had a nutty and sweet flavor which is something that Ayanokouji wasn't accustomed to with ice cream.

Ayanokouji decided to try them all at the same time as he believed that's what it was meant to do. He made sure to get an even amount of each ice cream into a spoon before putting it into his mouth. The flavor is a little nutty with a slight earthly flavor thanks to the pistachio, sweet and rich from the chocolate, and a fruity and tangy sweetness from the cherry. Each flavor melded well together and provided a creamy, rich, nutty, and sweet ice cream with a bit of brunch thanks to the added crushed pistachios.

'What an unique flavor of ice cream. I have never had a nutty ice cream and I'm pleasantly surprised by its flavor and how well it works with a sweet flavor like chocolate and cherry. I suppose chocolate with nuts is a good combination.' thought Ayanokouji. He watched as Fukuyama and Chikako ate their respective desserts and everyone seemed to have fallen silent to enjoy their dessert, the last and memorable part of their dinner.

The waiter arrived back with a cardboard pizza box with the restaurant name and logo. He handed the box to Chikako, who thanked him, before he excused himself and left the table. The trio spent most of the time silent as they ate their dessert with a few compliments about their dessert. After 5 more minutes, the trio finished their respective desserts and called the waiter for their check.

Three separate checks were brought to the group and Ayanokouji received his as paid for his proportion before handing the student ID scanner to Fukuyama. After a few moments, everyone paid and handed the ID scanner to the waiter. In return, he printed out three receipts with the scanner and handed it to the respective person.

"Thank you and please come back." said the waiter before he headed back towards the kitchen. Ayanokouji stuffed the receipt into his pocket before getting up and following Fukuyama and Chikako out of the restaurant.

When the trio exited the restaurant, Ayanokouji could see that it is even darker than before through the Keiyaki Mall's skylight which indicated a time skip. As the trio is walking, he quickly glances at his phone and realizes that he's running out of time and needs to head back towards the dorms to meet up with Inogashira. It's almost 9 PM and it will take him at least 15 minutes to reach the dorms.

"Sorry, but I have to go now." said Ayanokouji. Fukuyama and Chikako both stopped and turned to face Ayanokouji.

"Eh?! Already?" asked Chikako, grabbing her phone and checking the time. Judging from the surprised look on her face, Chikako didn't seem to realize how long it had been.

"Guess we can't complain… Oh! By the way, are you fine with the whole operation of getting a makeover?" asked Fukuyama.

'Now, you asked me?' thought Ayanokouji.

"Sure, I don't mind." said Ayanokouji as the number of female contacts he's receiving is increasing.

"Cool! Since you are leaving right now, we can't really discuss it. How about we create a group chat?" suggested Fukuyama.

"I'm fine with that."

Everyone pulled out their phones and exchanged numbers with Ayanokouji before Fukuyama quickly created a group chat and sent a message with a smiling emoji to confirm that they have Ayanokouji's number. When he showed it to them, everything was all set.

"Cool! We'll talk later then. Bye, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Fukuyama.

"See you later, Ayanokouji-kun." said Chikako, giving him a wave.

"Good night, Fukuyama, Chikako." said Ayanokouji, giving them a final goodbye before making his way towards the exit of the Keiyaki Mall. As Ayanokouji was walking towards the exit, he was thinking about his experience with Italian cuisine.

'My first experience with Italian cuisine is quite good. It seems to be a more heavy meal with more carbohydrates, cheese, and butter. It's quite rich and delicious, but it's filling at the same time. I would like to visit again and try other menu items.' thought Ayanokouji. As similar thoughts and Ayanokouji's interest for Italian cuisine ran through his mind, he began getting closer towards the dorms.

*Timeskip (15 minutes later)*

"Sorry. I didn't keep you waiting for too long, did I?" asked Ayanokouji.

"No! I just got here." said Inogashira.

The duo found a quiet part of the dorm's lobby where it had a table and a few chairs. It was the perfect spot for them to study without any interruptions. There were a few people at the lobby, but it seems that they were either on their phone or quietly waiting for someone else. The majority of people Ayanokouji saw were heading towards the elevator.

Inogashira pulled out her notebook and a few binders, placing them onto the table while she began digging though her pencil pouch for her pencil and eraser. As soon as she found what she wanted, she began flipping through her notebook before stopping and showing it to Ayanokouji.

"My weakest subject is math. Here's some of the stuff that I usually get stuck on." said Inogashira.

Ayanokouji picked up the notebook and took a closer inspection as he saw the type of problems that Inogashira is stuck on. He saw the work she provided and could see where the errors were. Then, he gestured at Inogashira asking her if he could borrow her pencil and she obliged before digging through her pencil pouch for another. Ayanokouji began writing something in Inogashira's notebook before circling it and showing it to her.

"All right. Here are the formulas that you need to memorize for those kinds of problems. Some of the problems you're using the wrong formula and others are mathematical errors." said Ayanokouji.

Inogashira glanced at the formulas that Ayanokouji wrote and pulled out a sheet of paper and the math textbook that was provided before flipping through some pages. She stopped and began writing something on the blank sheet of paper. Ayanokouji glanced over and it seems that Inogashira is writing similar problems from the textbook based on the questions on the notebook. After a few minutes of writing, she stopped and it seemed that she wrote most of the problems down.

"I'm sorry, but can you go through some of them step-by-step?" asked Inogashira.

"Sure, but you should work on it by yourself first before I'll help you. It's best for me to see how you work and your thinking process." replied Ayanokouji.

"Okay."

Ayanokouji sat in silence as he watched Inogashira work on the problems as he was keeping track of her time. The exam is timed for each subject and he wanted Inogashira to remain calm and finish before the time is up. He decided to give her around 10 minutes for the set of problems that she created and waited.

*Timeskip (10 minutes later)*

"Time's up." said Ayanokouji.

"W-What?! I'm almost done." protested Inogashira.

"The exam wouldn't give you unlimited time, so you should pace yourself to avoid running out of time. 10 minutes should be sufficient for these types of problems."

"Uhh… T-This does not look too good."

Inogashira handed Ayanokouji her sheet of paper which is filled with her work and he went through it and began marking off the errors that he saw with his pencil. After a few minutes, he stopped at the end of the page and handed it back to Inogashira, who looked anxious and crestfallen at the paper which a majority of it is marked off.

"Don't look too sad, Inogashira. Some of the mistakes are minor, so let's work on the problems by order." said Ayanokouji.

Inogashira nodded and Ayanokouji began going through the problems by order and pointed out the mistakes that Inogashira made. He tried his best to explain the error and how to fix it as he began writing it out onto the sheet of paper. Some of the mistakes that Inogashira made were critical errors while others are minor errors that can easily be fixed.

The entire process took about 15 minutes and Inogashira seemed to be understanding her errors thanks to Ayanokouji's help. He decided to let her do another set of similar practice problems to help enforce Ingoashira's learning and decided to still give her 10 minutes.

This time, Inogashira finished on time and Ayanokouji went over it and noticed a comparable difference as there were fewer mistakes and she seemed to be improving. There were a few mistakes, but it was usually on the harder topics that students struggle on. Ayanokouji marked it off before handing it to Inogashira.

"You're doing better now, Inogashira. Here are some of the mistakes you still made. The best thing is to study and practice similar problems. Practice makes everything perfect." said Ayanokouji. Ingoashira had a disappointed, but bright face as she could see the improvement that she made if she compared the two sheets of practice problems together.

"Since we don't have much time, let's go over the other subjects. You can review and ask me more questions the next time we meet." said Ayanokouji, looking at the clock.

Ayanokouji didn't want to just focus all of his attention on math, but to the other subjects. He wanted to see Inogashira's strengths and weaknesses before making a solid plan to help her for their next study session. Inogashira nodded and pulled out a fresh new notebook where she began writing.

"My three weakest subjects are math, science, and English." said Inogashira.

"Then, we will focus on these for now." said Ayanokouji.

"Okay."

Ayanokouji planned to focus his attention on science and English since he knew that he's running out of time with Inogashira. Inogashira flipped through a few pages of the notebook before showing Ayanokouji some problems that she had done prior and as Ayanokouji studied, he could definitely see just as many mistakes on the English and science section compared to the math section.

Ayanokouji picked up the English textbook that they received from the school and flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. It was an index with English grammar rules with past, present, future verb tense, subject-verb agreement with singular and plural subjects and verbs, correct use of punctuations, difference between active and passive voice, apostrophes for possessive nouns and contractions, homophones, and other various grammar rules. There was a brief example that shows a sentence and how to correctly write grammatically correct sentences following the rules.

"Here's what to expect from the English section. I noticed that you're struggling with grammar, so let's practice on that first before we do anything else." said Ayanokouji.

Inogashira had an anxious expression on her face as she seemed to be staring dishearteningly at the page filled with English grammar as it was another language that she was used to. She seemed to be hesitant at first as she tried to do some of the practice problems in the textbook. She tried her best to solve the problems, but Ayanokouji could tell that she didn't memorize any of the rules and how to properly apply them.

In about 15 more minutes, Ayanokouji was checking Inogashira's work and could see that she made the same mistakes as before, but with little improvement. It seems that English is her weakest subject and knew to dedicate some time to English in the near future.

"The best advice I can offer right now is to memorize. You need to understand when and how to use certain verbs." said Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji showed her the page that he flipped to before and began explaining away. He wanted to explain the reason when and why to use certain verbs and the differences between each tenses. Inogashira seemed to barely understand what Ayanokouji was saying as he could see the desperation and anxiety from her facial expression. He decided to quickly move on and leave the rest to Inogashira as she needed to spend more time with the material before their next study session and with a quick glance at the clock, it shows that curfew time was rapidly approaching.

"All right. Let's go over the science section before curfew time." said Ayanokouji. Inogashira passed him the same notebook and it was already flipped to a page filled with some science practice problems.

It seems that Inogashira has already gone through the problems already as she crossed off the incorrect answers which made it save time for Ayanokouji as he didn't have to go through all of the problems. This allowed him to focus on the incorrect questions and see which topics Inogashira was struggling with. After a few minutes of looking, Ayanokouji looked up and got a rough general idea of where Inogashira is struggling and decided to focus on one main topic first: biology.

"I see where you're struggling. We can go over some of the topics that you're struggling with, but there's a lot to cover." said Ayanokouji.

"O-Okay. Please and thank you!" said Inogashira, shyly.

"We can start with biology since it's one of the most diverse and vast topics and as I can see so far, you're struggling with it . We can cover the scientific method and physical sciences later."

Inogashira nodded in agreement as Ayanokouji began going over core concepts that Inogashira did not understand fully based on her answers on the practice questions. The duo went over basic life processes that included plants, animals, and bacteria, basic cell structures, and the human body. Inogashira asked some questions, but it was asking for clarification and to get rid of any confusion.

Inogashira began drawing plant and animal cells and began labeling all the parts of the cell and its purpose while Ayanokouji watched silently. He allowed Inogashira to finish before correcting any mistakes she made. After Ayanokouji finished with his corrections, he checked the clock and realized that it was a few minutes past curfew and should give Inogashira some time to digest all of this new information. He also wanted to give himself and Inogashira some time to sleep since they have school tomorrow.

"Why don't we call it a night, Inogashira? We should probably get some sleep since we have school tomorrow." said Ayanokouji.

"G-Good idea. Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun." said Inogashira. She began packing up her belongings and Ayanokouji handed her pencil back to her. After a few moments, everything seemed to be packed up and ready to go.

"No problem. That's what partners are. For our next session, can you bring over your quiz results for each subject? I want to see your strengths and weaknesses, so I can formulate a new study plan." said Ayanokouji.

"What about you, Ayanokouji-kun? Shouldn't you study too? I don't want to be the one to hold you back." replied Inogashira.

"Since I'm teaching you, I'm also learning too. Don't worry, I'll be studying too."

"O-Okay, but don't worry too much about me." said Inogashira, looking relieved. Inogashira didn't want to be the one to be slowing Ayanokouji down as his ranking in the class was only slightly higher than hers. She wanted to give Ayanokouji ample time to study and hoped that they do well enough, so they both can avoid expulsion.

"We're in this together, Inogashira. Of course, I would care about you." replied Ayanokouji, nonchalantly.

The way Ayanokouji said it was quite misleading especially for a shy, reserved, easily flustered girl like Inogashira, who has fallen in love with Ayanokouji. Inogashira's face turned red and her cheeks became flustered as she nearly fell off her chair as she recoiled away from Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji's combination of words can easily be misled and Inogashira is taken aback by Ayanokouji's sudden words and the meaning of it which has romantic connotations.

However, it has a different meaning for Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji's meaning was that he would care since his attendance at ANHS is on the line as well and they both must pass the special exam together to remain and survive in the school. His intention was to simply encourage Inogashira and to give her some motivation as he was sure that she's feeling a little unmotivated and anxious after seeing how poorly she has done with the practice problems.

"G-Good night, Ayanokouji-kun! I'll see you later!" squeaked Inogashira.

Ayanokouji could barely hear the last sentence before Inogashira scrambled away. She stumbled and almost fell down, but she managed to escape Ayanokouji's sights and left him alone in silence. Ayanokouji stared at the direction where Inogashira ran off to as thoughts of confusion about Inogashira's strange behavior overtook his mind.

'Interesting. Was Ingoashira too motivated? I suppose expulsion is the most extreme form of punishment for the school. At any rate, I can't feel anything but curiosity to see Inogashira's improvement on her studies.' thought Ayanokouji.

After those thoughts and giving Inogashira some time to leave via elevator, he stood up and headed towards the elevator. As the elevator rose up, Ayanokouji couldn't help himself but thinking more about his day as he replayed some of the moments in his head.

He couldn't help but think about Suzune's and Kushida's wager and his involvement, Ryuuen's plan for the Paper Shuffle Exam, skateboarding encounter with Okabe, his eventual fashion outing with Fukuyama and Chikao, formation of the Ayanokouji group, Inogashira's progress, and lastly Karuizawa's relationship with Hirata. Ayanokouji had the feeling that things will be more chaotic and will come to a head similar to the clash between Class C and D as he knew that Ryuuen will be coming closer to discovering him.

Soulmates

1) Horikita Suzune

2) Kushida Kikyou

3) Mii-chan

4) Tachibana Akane

5) Azuma Sana

6) Shinohara Satsuki

7) Onodera Kayano

8) Mori Nene

9) Hoshinomiya Chie

10) Ichihashi Ruri

11) Andou Sayo

12) Shiranami Chihiro

13) Yabu Nanami

14) Sakura Airi

15) Inogashira Kokoro

16) Morofuji Rika

17) Manabe Shiho

18) Kinoshita Minori

19) Satou Maya

Author's Note:

Hello, everyone!

I finished earlier than expected and honestly, I was way too locked in. This is one of the biggest chapters that I have written (more than 28k words). Was it worth the wait?

I've been dancing around the whole Kei and Manabe situation, but I think it's time for it (perfect when Ryuuen is looking for Ayanokouji ). I've been cooking for a bit and dropped a few hints on how I might write it. Let me cook.

Anyways, I think it's going to take a little more time for the next chapter because I'm probably going to be back in college after my break. And I'm going over my old work and doing some grammar checks, making sure they are up to standard.

Who knows? Maybe I'll revive one of them since I'm getting bored writing COTE 100 Girlfriends and reaction. We'll see, but my other works are not getting more recognition and I'm running out of ideas.

Until next time, my dear readers.