The timeline rewinds several hours before Ryuuen summons X.
Shiina and Ibuki arrived at the library without incident.
Since today was the closing ceremony, there were no club activities. The school had explained that students should head home immediately unless they had a reason to stay, but Hiyori Shiina, a huge book lover, had decided to head to the library.
With it only being the closing ceremony, most accessible places within the school were empty anyway.
If it was empty, there was no reason for Shiina not to go to a place like the library where she could enjoy reading in peace and quiet.
"Thanks for going along with my invitation today, Ibuki-san."
"…You don't have to thank me. I just came because I always turn you down and felt bad about it. Besides, I have plans after this, so I can only stick around for about an hour."
Shiina smiled happily at Ibuki's prickly way of speaking.
"Even so, it makes me happy. I'm hoping this might be a chance for you to get interested in reading too, Ibuki-san."
"I don't have any interest in reading or anything…"
Ibuki had been about to continue with "at all," but seeing Shiina's sad expression made it difficult to finish the sentence.
"…Well, I guess I'll read one book at least."
In the end, Ibuki gave in.
Ordinarily, and throughout her life, the number of books she had read could be counted on one hand.
She had no idea whether she could keep her concentration going, and Ibuki was extremely anxious about it.
On top of that, Ibuki had plans after this.
That morning, there had been a single letter in her shoe locker.
It was wrapped in high-quality stationery with a heart sticker on it, summoning her to a specified place and time.
When she found it and read the contents, Ibuki was stunned.
After all, it was a love letter.
(They did say something about me getting summoned would happen, but I never imagined it would be like this.)
The sender was Masayoshi Hashimoto from Class A. They had absolutely no connection, but it seemed he had called her out claiming it was love at first sight.
If not for Kamukura's warning, Ibuki might have responded to the summons with some suspicion but without any real preparations.
(Love at first sight, huh. But my figure isn't that great, you know.)
The reason of love at first sight bothered her.
Ibuki wasn't confident in her looks.
She was aware that her face was reasonably attractive, but her narrow eyes that made it look like she was glaring often scared people off. Her height and build were average, so she wondered just what part of her would inspire love at first sight.
(…It's a trap, isn't it. By X… Ayanokouji.)
Yesterday, she had heard everything about her role for today from Kamukura.
X's true identity, going along with Ayanokouji's scheme, and on top of that, acting as bait and being sacrificed herself.
The final maneuvers were similar to those in the Uninhabited Island Exam, which made her feel a little nostalgic.
At the same time, the fact that Kamukura had told her the plan in advance this time felt like a sign of trust, and it made her extremely happy.
(I think they should make a guy like Ishizaki do a role like this… but that idiot probably couldn't handle it.)
Ishizaki wasn't suited for making split-second decisions.
Albert wasn't the type to serve as bait either.
She realized that she was the only one fit for the job.
"How about this one? 'And Then There Were None' by Agatha Christie! It's a masterpiece!! A bestseller released all over the world, easy to read, and I highly recommend it!!"
While she was deep in thought, Shiina brought over a book and hit her with a salesman's relentless pitch.
The action was so sudden that Ibuki was overwhelmed by the excited Shiina and ended up accepting the book.
"…Fine. I'll give this one a try then."
Ibuki, who had zero interest in books, didn't know the title that Shiina was enthusiastically pushing.
Moreover, until Kamukura had taught her how to study, she couldn't even stand looking at books full of nothing but text, so she still wasn't particularly motivated.
But thinking she might as well try something new as a change of pace, she sat down at a suitable seat and opened to the first page.
Figuring it would at least help kill time until the summons, she quickly looked over the characters and started reading the main story.
Then, after several dozen minutes,
(It's surprisingly interesting.)
She was engrossed in it more than expected.
The main reasons were that Kamukura's training had eliminated her discomfort with reading text and allowed her to concentrate on the sentences.
Naturally, Ibuki had no idea about that and praised herself for having become even smarter as she continued reading with still rather shallow deductions.
Continuing like that, time passed in the blink of an eye.
"…It's already time."
Ibuki had gotten more absorbed than she realized, but luckily her concentration broke at just the right moment to still be on time for the appointment.
Ibuki inserted a bookmark at where she had left off, stood up carrying only her phone.
After asking Shiina, who was sitting across from her, to keep an eye on her things, Ibuki headed toward the designated location in the special building.
On the way, she stayed alert for any surveillance or assassins from X, but those worries proved groundless.
The special building was the scene of the incident Ryuuen and the others had caused using Sudō back in the first semester.
Ibuki felt a wave of nostalgia, thinking about how much time had passed since then.
But she quickly remembered how on edge she had been because of Ryuuen's reckless behavior and felt irritated.
Ryuuen was thought to have changed somewhat, but in Ibuki's eyes, her opinion of him remained fairly low.
"This is the place he specified? …There's no one here at all."
The designated spot was an unused classroom in the special building.
The classroom was thoroughly cleaned, but there were only a few chairs and desks stacked up in the back, giving it none of the charming atmosphere one would want for a confession.
After leaving the door wide open and glancing around the room, Ibuki announced unenthusiastically,
"Zero points. Feels like I came here for nothing."
"A harsh evaluation."
There was a reply to her muttering.
Ibuki turned warily toward the source of the voice.
"Y-you!?"
The sender, Masayoshi Hashimoto, was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, there was... the White Room's greatest masterpiece, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji.
The monster with eyes that reflected no emotion entered the classroom through the door Ibuki had opened.
"…Why are you here?"
Ibuki suppressed her agitation and spoke in a low voice.
This was the crucial moment.
She absolutely could not let him think that she knew about Ayanokouji's plan.
If he realized that Ibuki knew the plan, he might take into account that he was being manipulated and decide to abandon Karuizawa.
"Why? Because I was the one who sent you the letter."
Carefully. Very carefully.
She kept her eyes fixed on Ayanokouji, observing his every single movement.
Doing so, she noticed one worrying detail.
Ayanokouji was wearing what looked like work gloves on both hands.
"But the name on the sender should have been Hashimoto's, right?"
"You're slow on the uptake, Ibuki. To think you'd come without being on guard at all… That was unexpected even for us."
Ibuki almost reacted to the provocation.
His tone was condescending, different from the Ayanokouji she had met before, which confused her, but the anger that surged in her mind was even stronger.
Still, she managed to hold it back and calm herself down once.
"That was just a bluff. To lure you out here."
"…I see. So, what is this about? Just so you know, if you're planning to confess or something now, the answer is NO."
"Unfortunately, I don't have the time to humor that kind of joke. I've got a pile of things to take care of."
"…What on earth are you talking about? And the fact that you're provoking me like this means you're prepared for the consequences, right?"
Ibuki continued playing dumb.
But since Ibuki had no talent for acting, she couldn't hide her sharp glare.
Her emotions were completely transparent.
"You still don't get why I'm here right now, Ibuki?
In that case, let me give you the answer."
Ayanokouji continued speaking in a detached tone.
His iron mask of an expression seemed to be looking at Ibuki but not really seeing her. His eyes reflected no light, like he was simply verifying stage props.
"... I'm X."
The aura he gave off was nothing like the Ayanokouji who had done the fortune-telling with her previously.
It was a skin-piercing, aggressive atmosphere similar to Ryuuen's, but on an entirely different level.
However, Ibuki wasn't intimidated in the slightest and laughed.
"Heh~, so it's you. Looks like I got to meet you before Ryuuen did. That guy has been dying to meet you, you know."
Ibuki was certain that Ayanokouji wasn't lying.
She made that judgment based on the atmosphere, the situation, his words, and various other factors.
The good-natured image that had stuck from their few conversations during the Uninhabited Island Exam and fortune-telling had been completely blown away from Ibuki's mind.
"I'm going to crush that Ryuuen today as well. And Ibuki, you're the key to that plan. Sorry about this, but I'm going to have to restrain you."
Restrain.
The moment she heard that word, Ibuki lightly bent her knees, rose onto her toes, and shifted into a fighting stance.
"I don't know what this is about, but if you think you can pull it off, then go ahead and try!"
This place was the Special Building. The same location where Ryuuen had once caused an incident.
The reason he had done so was because there were no surveillance cameras present.
That was why Ibuki understood that no evidence would be left behind.
She put power into her legs and kicked off the ground.
She charged straight toward the standing Ayanokouji.
According to Kamukura, Ayanokouji was reasonably strong, yet she had managed to seize a clean first move against him.
Ibuki smirked at that fact.
The proof was that he hadn't even taken a stance and was simply waiting for her charge.
Using her left leg as the pivot, Ibuki swung a lethal roundhouse kick toward his neck.
However—
"I told you, didn't I? I don't have time."
The heel that had closed in right before his face stopped dead, as if time itself had frozen.
Ibuki couldn't hide her shock.
Even though she had been warned she couldn't win, the vast difference in ability was exposed when Ayanokouji easily caught her full-powered roundhouse kick.
She was slow to process the fact that he had perfectly stopped her lethal kick using nothing but raw reflexes, without even assuming a stance.
"Wha—!?"
Ayanokouji flung her ankle aside as if swatting it away.
Naturally, Ibuki's balance collapsed, but she spun her body against the floor to take the fall properly.
If she could minimize the damage, the next step was to attack.
Ibuki turned to charge at Ayanokouji once again.
However, the moment she fixed her posture, Ayanokouji closed the distance and grabbed her slender neck.
"Guh!?"
He then slammed her back straight into the floor.
The tremendous impact caused Ibuki's consciousness to waver, and she stopped moving altogether.
"Now then."
Ayanokouji released his hand from her neck, moved Ibuki to the back of the classroom, and sat her down with her back against the stacked desks, legs splayed inward.
Next, he pulled out a pack of pocket tissues from his uniform pocket and meticulously wiped away anything that could become evidence.
After that, he removed Ibuki's blazer.
He pulled both of her arms behind her back, wrapped the removed blazer around her wrists along with a desk leg like makeshift handcuffs, then loosened her ribbon and unbuttoned her shirt down to the second button.
Once he had adjusted it so that her chest and underwear were faintly visible, he placed the ribbon on top of her skirt and left her there.
Afterward, Ayanokouji took off his gloves and operated his phone.
The call connected after a single ring.
"Preparations are complete. How's your side?"
"It seems she still hasn't left her room. Masumi-san is probably watching her with a bored expression."
"I'll leave that side to you. Hashimoto can do whatever he wants."
"Yes. Hehe, Hashimoto-kun's bat-like personality was one of the things I was looking forward to, but compared to facing off against you, handling him is an easy choice.
... Please keep your promise, okay?"
"If you carry out the plan as agreed, I'll keep my end of the bargain too."
Ayanokouji said only that and hung up.
Before pocketing the phone, he took one photo of the disheveled Ibuki. With that, his business here was finished.
He immediately left the Special Building and headed toward his homeroom teacher, Chabashira.
...
Drip. Drip.
Water droplets fell steadily from her hair.
Onto her uniform, her underwear, and the floor. The water that had soaked everything continued to steal Karuizawa Kei's body heat, leaving a persistent chill.
On top of that, the full force of winter's cold rode the wind, relentlessly stinging her skin.
This was already the fourth bucket that had been overturned on her.
(Why am I being bullied…? Why am I even still alive? What did I… do wrong?)
Karuizawa collapsed onto the floor in a heap. Not only her body, but her heart was beginning to freeze over as well.
Overwhelmed by self-reproach, a deep darkness began to peer out from the bottom of her heart.
"Hey, why don't you just give up and make this easier on yourself, Karuizawa? Do you really want to keep dragging out this hell?"
What her vacant eyes reflected was the mastermind who had created this situation—Kakeru Ryuuen.
Ryuuen was pressing Karuizawa for a confession, clearly savoring the moment.
"Well, I guess it's not easy to throw away that last bit of 'hope.' If you reveal X's identity here, even the chance of being protected will disappear."
If Karuizawa were to expose X—Ayanokouji's true identity right now, there was no question she would be released from this place.
However, that would only be temporary. It would never be lasting salvation.
The fact that Karuizawa Kei was a valuable clue regarding X would not change.
Therefore, there was no guarantee Ryuuen wouldn't threaten her again later.
Karuizawa understood better than anyone that this situation was a dead end.
And because she had known for a long time that she couldn't change this reality with her own strength alone, she had no choice but to keep clinging to hope.
"Do you want to go back to the way you used to be?"
Absolutely not. Karuizawa strongly denied it in her heart.
"I show no mercy to my enemies."
Terror surged over her.
"If you don't tell me who X is, tomorrow the whole school will know your true nature."
A scream rang out from deep inside her heart.
"When that happens, the you who stood at the top of the class will vanish."
Her racing heartbeat only intensified the fear.
"You'll return to it. To that pathetic, bullied self of yours."
Her shattered heart was being crushed into even smaller, more delicate pieces.
"…N-no…"
"Then make it easy on yourself. Who is X?"
"P-please… forgive me…"
Ryuuen responded to her sobbing voice with a smile.
"Yeah, I'll forgive you. If you tell me who X is, I'll forgive anything."
Karuizawa couldn't help but remember.
Those humiliating days. The despair she felt when she fell from light into darkness.
The hellish days that began from a trivial incident came back to her one after another, vividly.
The memories she thought she had sealed away… slowly began to resurface.
"…Uah… aaah…"
"You still won't come clean? Fine, then I'll teach you a little bit of the truth."
Ryuuen crouched down, bringing himself eye-level with Karuizawa.
"…The… truth?"
"You seem to trust X an awful lot. But let me tell you—he's not the kind of person you think he is."
The smile vanished from Ryuuen's face.
"Manabe wanted to bully you as revenge for Morofuji, but she never got the opportunity. Even if she called you to a deserted location, she figured you wouldn't ignore her.
But after the Cruise Ship Exam ended, you responded to Manabe's summons. Why was that?"
"That's…"
It wasn't that Karuizawa had responded to Manabe's call during the second incident after the Cruise Ship Exam.
She had been summoned to a secluded area by her boyfriend, Yōsuke Hirata.
That was when Manabe and the others had shown up.
"A c-coincidence?"
"As if. Tailing someone 24/7 on such a large ship is impossible.
So there's only one answer. Manabe's appearance wasn't a coincidence—it was inevitable."
For the mentally exhausted Karuizawa, this was information that took time to process.
Her boyfriend Hirata had tricked her into coming?
That question rose up as a convenient way to shift responsibility.
But the truth was different.
"X was the one who orchestrated it. He secretly contacted Manabe and set up the whole thing to lure you out.
The reason was that he wanted you as his pawn. For that purpose, he intentionally had you bullied and secured evidence of the scene."
Ryuuen revealed the truth to Karuizawa piece by piece, like checking off answers.
"Framed, used as a tool, and ultimately discarded the moment you became a potential lead."
"…I wasn't… discarded."
"Face reality, Karuizawa. If you weren't discarded, why isn't X here right now?
Why isn't X trying to save you?"
"No… that's not… that can't be…"
Her heart wavered. Karuizawa Kei had simply been used by X and then betrayed.
That fact became darkness, gnawing away at her heart.
Despair crept upward as anger began to bubble fiercely inside her.
"You're such a pitiful woman. In the end, no matter how much you struggle, you can never escape who you were before. Not the bullying in your past, not the bullying from Manabe and X right now, and not the bullying that awaits you in the future either."
Karuizawa's lips trembled faintly.
Terror. Regret. Despair.
Her body began to reject the violent waves crashing over her like a stormy sea.
"There's only one way for you to save yourself."
That way was to speak X's name.
I want to be saved. I don't want to return to how things were.
Karuizawa's heart screamed those words.
"…gh."
"Take your time. Say his name."
Her voice was hoarse from the cold and fear.
As if squeezing out the voice from deep within her heart, she uttered one word.
"...Ta…"
"Ta?"
"Ta… ka…"
Ryuuen smiled in satisfaction at that keyword.
Convinced that it was the answer he sought.
"One more time. Speak slowly."
"No matter how many times…"
Karuizawa's trembling stopped.
She raised her bowed head and met Ryuuen's eyes as he stared at her expression.
Then—
"No matter how many times you ask… I abso'lu'tely… will not say it… 'ka'…"
The composed expression disappeared from Ryuuen's face.
"Even if starting tomorrow I no longer have a place here in this school, even if I continue to be tormented… I will never say his name…"
Silence spread across the rooftop.
Ryuuen was stunned by these unexpected words.
When faced with despair, people reveal their true nature.
Before the single hope of saving oneself, no sense of duty or compassion holds any meaning.
Yet Karuizawa Kei had broken that common rule.
"Kukuku, I see… It really is a shame. So you're the kind of person who doesn't abandon hope even when faced with absolute despair."
This time Ryuuen genuinely acknowledged Karuizawa Kei.
He felt respect for the strength of her spirit.
Ryuuen knew.
He knew just how difficult it was to resist despair and terror.
He couldn't help but be impressed that this woman, far weaker than most after years of being bullied, had overcome that challenge.
"Let me ask you—why are you protecting X? That guy only sees you as a convenient pawn."
Karuizawa answered through gritted teeth.
"There are things I want to see through with style until the very end…!"
"You really are something. …Hey, Kamukura."
Ryuuen called the name of the monster who had stayed silent all this time.
Kamukura moved beside Ryuuen to follow his order.
"...Release that presence."
Kamukura understood the meaning perfectly.
That presence was the greatest despair Ryuuen knew.
Namely, the talent of Super High School Level Despair.
"If she can endure that, then Karuizawa is the real thing. If she withstands it, I won't inflict any more pain or despair—I'll finish her off cleanly."
"You're going to tell her the truth?"
"No… I'll end it mercifully."
After saying that, Ryuuen took several steps back.
At the same time, he grabbed Ishizaki—who hadn't understood the conversation—by the scruff of the neck and roughly knocked him down.
Ishizaki started to ask what was happening, but Ryuuen silenced him with a look.
It was Ryuuen's version of consideration.
...Despair took form.
A horrifying presence, as if killing intent, madness, and every kind of dark emotion had been boiled down together.
At the very least, it was not something that should come from a human.
"…Same as always."
Ryuuen swallowed hard.
He thought he had gotten used to this atmosphere, but the cold sweat running down his back told him it had only been arrogance on his part.
Even Ishizaki, still on the ground, was shaking violently at the knees.
"…Uaaah… ah…"
As Karuizawa recoiled in fear, Kamukura slowly approached her.
His long jet-black hair swayed like rippling waves.
To Karuizawa, every single strand looked like an invitation to hell.
It was something that triggered a rejection response even in her completely frozen body and mind.
Fighting back nausea, Karuizawa skillfully used both hands to scramble backward with all her strength.
Even though she had experienced nearly every kind of bullying, her instincts screamed that getting involved with that would mean no return.
"D-don't come near me!"
Clear rejection came from Karuizawa, who until just moments ago could barely speak.
Kamukura took another step closer, denying her any time to think.
Karuizawa tried to maintain distance by fleeing, but her hand finally hit the safety railing.
There was nowhere left to run.
He took one more step.
"…Ah… haah."
Another step.
"I…!!"
One more step.
She raised her voice to encourage herself, but the moment her eyes met Kamukura's, the words died in her throat.
"…I-I…"
The final step.
The monster's hand was now within reaching distance of Karuizawa.
"Shall I help you?"
The crimson eyes that should have shown no emotion gazed down at Karuizawa with clear will.
"If you take my hand, I don't mind erasing every obstacle that will ever involve you from now on."
The small, icy voice that should not have echoed reverberated through her ears like a mountain echo.
An unknown terror of unknown origin spread throughout Karuizawa's entire body.
"You must choose for yourself."
Kamukura knelt on one knee and extended his hand—the choice he presented.
Would she take his hand for the hope of liberation, or refuse it and fall into deeper despair?
Her trembling hand began to rise involuntarily.
A cornered person unconsciously reaches for the option that causes the least damage.
Karuizawa's arm slowly stretched forward.
Her shaking hand opened wide to grasp those impossibly beautiful fingertips.
But... just before it could close around them, the hand was slapped away.
There was no sharp sound.
Only the contact of skin against skin.
Yet it was a clear rejection.
"…I won't say it. No matter what you do to me… eh?"
The expression on Kamukura's face that only Karuizawa could see.
Karuizawa, who had intended to at least land one strong verbal blow, was left dumbfounded.
And then—
"Even in a state like this, you still try to protect someone, don't you?"
Kamukura said those words as if fondly reminiscing.
He stood up as though nothing had happened and walked back to Ryuuen's side.
Before anyone noticed, the terrifying presence had completely disappeared.
"She passes."
"Yeah. Then let's wrap this up quickly."
Ryuuen began approaching Karuizawa again with a satisfied look.
But in the middle of it, his phone vibrated.
It was an email notification.
He had instructed Albert to call in case of an emergency, so he ruled that out.
Taking that into consideration, Ryuuen opened the email just to be safe.
"…Kukuku, hahahahaha! Hey, that bastard X really knows how to keep me entertained!"
Ryuuen clutched his stomach as he laughed.
Leaving the still-immobile Ishizaki where he was, he showed the screen only to Kamukura.
Displayed there was a photo of the restrained Mio Ibuki.
Attached to it was a message.
[A classroom in the special building. There are no surveillance cameras, and today is a day with absolutely no people around.'
'I left her there and called a guy over.'
'I'm heading your way now. Wait for me, Ryuuen.]
***
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