Near the Soccer Club Fields.
Sakurai Saki stood alongside Toyosaki Saburo, watching the first soccer match of the day. It was... underwhelming.
The crowd around them was substantial—mostly girls, gathered to support the Soccer Club members participating. As one of the school's most popular clubs, this scale of attendance was expected.
"Sakurai, you're playing as spiker this time?" Toyosaki yawned, clearly as bored as his companion.
The setter was the core of any volleyball team, coordinating the entire offense. Spiking, by comparison, was straightforward.
"The spiker just needs to hit the ball. Much easier." Sakurai Saki kept his hands in his pockets, eyes fixed unseeingly on the soccer field. This was a second-year match. The only reason he was watching at all was that his own game hadn't started yet.
"The server has it even easier."
"No, serving requires actual thought. Spiking doesn't." He gestured dismissively at the field. "They haven't scored a single goal in half an hour. Want to go watch girls' volleyball? Our class is about to play."
He pulled out his phone, checking Hayasaka Ai's latest message. She and Shinomiya Kaguya were both participating in girls' volleyball. Fujiwara Chika too. The lineup was... intense.
Though, to be fair, those two hadn't really clashed yet. If anyone was in the crossfire, it was probably him.
"Let's go." Toyosaki agreed readily, then paused. "Wait, you're really playing spiker?"
"Toyosaki, you're ranked sixth in our grade. You're plenty smart—you'd make a better setter than me." Sakurai Saki's slacking intentions were barely disguised.
"The third-ranked student is saying that?" Toyosaki shot back, annoyed.
"By the way, where's Shirogane?"
"Probably at the volleyball courts already." Sakurai Saki shrugged. Good place to meet up, anyway.
They walked into the equally crowded gymnasium where the volleyball matches were held. Whispers immediately reached their ears—
"The next match has Chika-chan, Hayasaka-san, and Kaguya-san all playing."
"Look at their expressions. Terrifying."
"Well, they're love rivals. It's expected. Did you see the Media Department's new issue? Shinomiya Kaguya's 'what-if' route. The story where Sakurai General Affairs abandons Chika-chan and Hayasaka-san!"
"I already read the Ice Queen and younger-dog-boyfriend one."
"Wait, what are you talking about? I heard Sakurai General Affairs is already dating Chika-chan. Someone saw them leaving the school gate together yesterday."
"I heard it was Hayasaka-san..."
"Vice President Kaguya and Sakurai General Affairs would actually make a good pair too..."
Sakurai Saki patted his friend's shoulder, silencing Toyosaki's snickering.
Then he addressed the girls directly in front of them. "Excuse me, ladies. Could you move aside?"
"Ah! It's Sakurai-kun!"
A gasp.
Then silence.
Every single girl in front of him froze mid-whisper.
Ah. So they were all gossiping about my scandals.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea, a path clearing instantly before him. The "subject" had arrived; there was no way they'd block him now.
Sakurai Saki and Toyosaki walked through.
His gaze immediately found the court.
Fujiwara Chika stood on one side, radiating an almost visible black aura.
[The Cancer of the Earth: A gift from Shinomiya Kaguya to Fujiwara Secretary (nickname). Attribute: Intelligence +1]
[Love Detective: ...]
He skimmed past several lesser titles, his attention caught by the one flickering with an ominous black light above her head—
[Kiyohime]
The title's color was... wrong. And he couldn't view the details.
Kiyohime. A figure from Japanese mythology. One word summarized her story: yandere. In the end, consumed by jealousy and rage, she transformed into a serpent and burned herself to ashes alongside the man she loved.
Sakurai Saki studied Chika's face. Her usual innocent, carefree expression flickered in his memory. He exhaled slowly.
How could Fujiwara Secretary become Kiyohime? Her love for me isn't that intense.
He shifted his gaze to the other side of the net.
Hayasaka Ai stood there, emanating a pure white aura.
The two auras collided at the center of the court, creating a gust of wind that swept through the gymnasium, sending hair and hems fluttering.
"Toyosaki." Sakurai Saki didn't turn. "Did you see the special effects on them?"
Toyosaki blinked. "It was just a gust of wind."
So I'm the only one who can see it.
On the court, Shinomiya Kaguya glanced at Hayasaka Ai, then picked up the ball, waiting for the match to begin. She leaned slightly toward her companion.
"Should I say something harsh?"
In the novels she'd been reading recently, protagonists always delivered cutting remarks before battle—striking at the heart before striking physically. If she was going to win, the victor should properly humiliate the loser!
"Kaguya-san." Hayasaka Ai's smile was radiant as she waved cheerfully across the net at Fujiwara Chika. "That's far too childish. I wouldn't compete like that here~"
Her voice was sweet.
Her eyes were not.
Across the net, Fujiwara Chika's smile matched hers in brightness and chill.
The gust of wind intensified.
Sakurai Saki watched the black and white auras swirl together on the court and silently reevaluated his life choices.
Maybe I should have stayed at the soccer match.
''Chika-chan~"
"Ai-chan~!!" Fujiwara Chika waved back with equal enthusiasm.
Wow. These two women.
Kaguya Shinomiya's internal eye roll was practically audible. "Surface sisters"—that's what people probably called relationships like this. All smiles on the outside, all knives on the inside.
Beside the court, Sakurai Saki watched the spectacle unfold.
The black and white auras had already begun clashing, swirling and sparking at the center of the net.
The owners of those auras, meanwhile, continued their seemingly friendly chat—
"Ai-chan, it's been a while since we really talked." Chika's smile was bright, her tone light. "The last time I saw you was on Wednesday before Golden Week, right?"
A reminder. About the premature confession. About who got there first.
"Yes, I have work after school every day, so we rarely cross paths." Hayasaka Ai's smile matched hers perfectly. "After all, we're not like last year—different classes now. We spend much less time together."
The emphasis was subtle but unmistakable: I'm in the same class as Sakurai Saki. You're not.
"That's true." Chika's expression didn't waver. "I go to the Student Council after school every day. Our schedules just happen to never align, Ai-chan."
The Student Council Room. Forbidden territory for Hayasaka Ai. Chika's domain.
"Chika-chan, did you see that romance movie that came out recently?" Hayasaka Ai shifted tactics smoothly. "I went to see it with someone last week. The plot was quite good."
With someone. They all knew who.
"I went to the arcade with Saki-kun yesterday."
Direct hit.
The gloves were off.
The crowd collectively held its breath.
There it is! They're finally bringing up Sakurai General Affairs!!
Every onlooker leaned forward, eyes gleaming. The Media Department's speculation wasn't fiction—it was documentary! The love triangle was real! It was happening right now!
Sakurai Saki felt the weight of dozens of gazes shift to him. The prize. The center of attention. The bone these two beautiful dogs were currently fighting over.
"Really?" Hayasaka Ai's voice remained perfectly pleasant. "I haven't had a chance to go with him yet. What did you two play?"
"Pretty much everything." Chika's smile widened by a fraction.
"How nice." A pause. "Going out with a friend, I mean. I'd love to go out with him again next time too."
Again. The word hung in the air.
Still restrained. Still civil. Neither willing to fully tear into the other.
The crowd was not pleased.
Why aren't they fighting yet?! We didn't come here for pleasantries! Fight!
Boring! We want blood! We want tears! We want a river of drama!
At this rate, Sakurai Saki thought flatly, I'll be the one bleeding.
He glanced at the referee standing nearby. The man was supposed to be starting the match—several minutes ago, actually. Instead, he was completely absorbed in the gossip, shamelessly eavesdropping like everyone else.
Sakurai Saki patted Toyosaki Saburo's shoulder.
"Looks like the match was supposed to start."
Toyosaki caught on immediately. "You're buying the drinks."
"Done."
The next second, Toyosaki Saburo's voice boomed across the gymnasium—
"WHEN IS THE MATCH GONNA START?! WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOREVER!!!"
The spell broke.
The referee jumped, suddenly remembering he had a job. The crowd groaned in disappointment. The girls on the court blinked, momentarily pulled from their verbal duel.
Chika and Hayasaka exchanged one last glance—sweet smiles firmly in place, promises of future battles shining in their eyes.
Then they turned to face the net, ready to play.
Sakurai Saki exhaled slowly.
Crisis temporarily averted.
He had a feeling this was only the beginning.
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