Next Day -
Reikou walked toward school, his energy low because he had played video games all night.
Moving sluggishly, he mumbled, "Ah—I don't want to go to school today."
"I feel so tired," he whispered again.
The sun burned down on him, as if it were absorbing even more of his energy.
Suddenly, someone placed a hand on Reikou's shoulder. Assuming it was Ryuuto or Kiyoshi, he turned around—only to see that it wasn't either of them.
It was someone else.
Reikou looked back and whispered, "Huh? Who are you?"
The person standing before him radiated an overwhelming aura of menace. His presence was like that of a dominator stepping onto the battlefield. His sharp eyes cut through the air like a blade.
It was Kaoru.
Kaoru Renzhi.
He wore the same school uniform as Reikou.
"You don't know me?" Kaoru whispered, a devilish smirk on his face.
"Hmph," Reikou responded cautiously.
"Did she not tell you?" Kaoru smirked again.
Reikou felt a wave of confusion. His instincts screamed at him to stay alert.
"Who?" Reikou asked seriously.
"Meiyu," Kaoru answered.
Reikou's body tensed.
Shock.
How did Kaoru know about Meiyu?
Was he her friend?
Or… was he something more?
"Oh—I see." Kaoru chuckled.
"She still hasn't told you…"
"About me."
Standing beside Reikou, he continued in a whisper—his voice slow and sharp:
"Maybe… I'm the reason behind her rules."
Then, without another word, Kaoru walked away.
Reikou stood frozen.
His mind struggled to process those words.
"W-what…?"
"He's the reason behind her rules…?"
"Is he the one she hates?"
An unfamiliar fire burned in Reikou's chest.
He didn't know anything about Kaoru.
But Kaoru… Kaoru knew about Meiyu.
Now, Reikou had three goals:
Discover Meiyu's rules.
Learn about Kaoru.
Find out what relationship Meiyu and Kaoru had.
Determined, he broke into a sprint, running straight to school.
At School -
Reikou rushed into the classroom, scanning the room.
Meiyu wasn't there.
A bad feeling crept into his thoughts.
"Is she absent today?"
"Is she just late?"
"Hyy, Reikou!"
Ryuuto's voice snapped him out of it.
Reikou turned to see Ryuuto, Shiori, Yueko, and Sayomi at their seats. He walked over to his own.
"Hello," Reikou whispered absentmindedly.
The classroom buzzed with chatter, gossip, and laughter. But Reikou wasn't in the mood for any of it.
"Reikou, where are you lost?" Yueko whispered, resting her chin on her hand.
Reikou forced a fake smile. "Nothing."
"Yoooo!"
Suddenly, Kiyoshi appeared, throwing an arm around Reikou's neck with his usual creepy, toothy grin.
"Nggg! Reikou!"
"What are you doing?" Reikou whispered, trying to shake him off.
Kiyoshi just grinned wider.
Everyone laughed.
"Hyy, Kiyoshi!"
Sayomi stood up, moving way too close to him.
"Can you add me to the YOYO TEAM GROUP?" she asked.
Kiyoshi stared at her for a moment, then whispered:
"First of all… be five centimeters away from me."
Sayomi thought for a second, then dramatically measured exactly five centimeters with her hands and stepped back.
Before she could say anything else—
DING DONG!
The school bell rang.
Class was starting.
Test Results -
Mr. Yinglan walked in, carrying a stack of test papers.
"Good morning, students," he whispered.
Everyone rushed to their seats.
"This is your test result," he continued, placing the papers on his desk.
Adjusting his glasses, he added, "The results are good. The whole class passed…"
A pause.
"Except for three students."
As soon as he said that, Reikou, Ryuuto, and Kiyoshi turned to look at each other.
"Did we all fail…?" they whispered together.
Shiori and Yueko glanced back at them, watching their dramatic reactions.
"But I didn't even give my test!" Kiyoshi whispered, confused.
"Hmph," Reikou and Ryuuto sighed.
A beat of silence passed between them.
Then—
"Whaaaawww!"
"It's me! We both failed!" Ryuuto grabbed Reikou and started shaking him dramatically.
Reikou was too dazed to react.
"Before I announce the results," Mr. Yinglan interrupted, "let me introduce the new students."
The class erupted into whispers.
New students?
Reikou didn't care. He was only thinking about one thing:
"Where is Meiyu?"
"She still hasn't arrived."
"Is she absent?"
Then, the new student walked in.
The room went silent.
Reikou looked up—
And froze.
"No way…"
"Hello," the boy said.
"I am Kaoru."
"Kaoru Renzhi."
Reikou felt that burning sensation again.
"Why…?"
"Why do I feel like this when I see him?"
Kaoru walked past, locking eyes with Reikou.
He smirked.
Then, he took a seat beside Sayomi.
"Hello! I'm Sayomi," she introduced herself.
Before she could say another word—
"I'm not interested," Kaoru whispered.
"Huh?"
Sayomi felt slightly insulted but kept a soft smile and opened her book.
Reikou and Kaoru had barely met—
But Reikou already hated him.
Because Kaoru… was the reason for Meiyu's rules.
Reikou's eyes burned with quiet fury.
Kaoru knew.
And now—Reikou had a rival.
Kaoru smirked again.
"Ooo… he's still staring at me."
Mr. Yinglan-
"Now, I will announce the results," Mr. Yinglan continued.
Adjusting his glasses, he read:
"Before announcing those who passed, I'd like to announce those who failed."
A pause.
"Reikou. Ryuuto. Sayomi."
A gasp echoed through the classroom.
"WHAT?!"
"I knew this already," Ryuuto whispered dramatically.
"That's your reward for leaving a answer sheet blank," Shiori whispered.
Reikou's expression was unreadable—he had already expected this.
But the real shock?
Sayomi had failed.
Sayomi—the top student.
The class whispered in disbelief.
However, Sayomi had simply not known about the test.
Mr. Yinglan didn't punish her. But Reikou and Ryuuto?
They were sent outside the classroom.
Meiyu Arrives -
Rushing toward the classroom, Meiyu was late.
As soon as she reached the door, she stopped.
There, standing outside—
Was Reikou.
She stared at him for a moment.
"Why is this fool standing outside?" Meiyu thought.
She moved closer.
Reikou noticed her approaching.
"Oh, she's here."
"I think she's—"
He stopped thinking.
For a moment, they just stared into each other's eyes.
Then, finally—
"You foolish," Meiyu whispered.
And walked inside.
"Hmph," Reikou scoffed.
"Why does she always call me foolish?" he thought, his face twitching.