Chapter 3: Revisions
A month had passed, and the meetings between Horikita Suzune and Ayanokōji Kiyotaka hadn't decreased; on the contrary, they had significantly increased. So much so that one of the boy's neighbors had politely asked them to "keep the volume down," as he couldn't guarantee that the other neighbors would be as understanding as he was.
When Kiyotaka shared this news with Suzune, she froze, burying her completely red face into the boy's pillows.
— "Tell me you're joking..." said the black-haired girl, practically begging for it to be a prank.
— "No, it's true. Apparently, several neighbors have heard us lately... but because of something called a 'gentlemen's agreement,' they haven't reported it to the school."
Laughter echoed throughout the room the instant that revelation was shown. The screen had barely finished showing the polite neighbor talking about "keeping it down," and Ryuen was already bent forward, slapping his knee from laughing so hard.
— "Hahahahaha! This... this is unbelievable! You two... waking up the whole dorm! Damn, Ayanokouji, I didn't think you were the noisy type!" he laughed loudly, his eyes narrowed in pure amusement.
Ichika was next to him, practically doubling over with laughter as well, holding her stomach.
— "Oh my god... 'gentlemen's agreement'?! That's actually a real thing?! I thought that was just in movies! These neighbors are heroes..." And then she burst into another fit of laughter, tilting her head back.
Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune was absolutely crimson, her eyes wide in shock. She simply couldn't believe what she was hearing. Without thinking twice, she grabbed the nearest pillow and buried her face in it, completely hiding her expression taken over by embarrassment.
— "No... no way..." her muffled voice through the fabric radiated pure humiliation. "This can't be true. This can't be true... me, scandalous?!"
She could barely breathe properly from the sheer embarrassment she was feeling.
Next to her, Ayanokouji simply let out a light sigh. Calmly, he brought his hand to the girl's head and began stroking her hair gently, like someone trying to soothe a nervous little animal — and honestly, she really did look like a nervous kitten at that moment.
(I'm going to start putting images in the chapters more often, I'll always try to improve them, slight spoiler, in this chapter there will be one image that I'm afraid Wattpad will try to kill me for putting them ;-;)
"Do you really think that version of me would make that up, Suzune?" he said in a calm, almost lazy voice.
"I don't even want to think about it..." the girl replied, still with her face buried in the pillow. "Scandalous... me? Scandalous?!"
Kei crossed her arms, sighing loudly with an irritated expression.
"For God's sake... just look at her..." she muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes, though with a slight tone of concern for Horikita—after all, as a girl, she understood how incredibly embarrassing that situation was. "But seriously, gentlemen's agreement? You guys are such idiots."
"Idiots or heroes, Karuizawa?" Hashimoto replied, a playful smile on his face. "That's sacred code, you know? If someone's making noise like that, you respect it and don't snitch to the school. It's practically a matter of honor."
A few other guys in the room nodded seriously, as if they were in some solemn assembly.
Hashimoto crossed his arms with a proud expression.
"Gentlemen's agreement, guys. It's real. I wouldn't tell the school anything. I'm not gonna screw over a guy for that, especially if he's... you know..." and he winked at the group, making some of the guys laugh in agreement.
Chie chuckled softly, clearly far too entertained by the situation. Her eyes slowly drifted over to Chabashira, who was completely red, her gaze fixed anywhere but on the screen.
"You know, Sae-chan..." she began with that teasing smile. "Did you really think your precious students weren't having fun in the dorms? Youth, hormones, partial freedom... that kind of thing was bound to happen."
Chabashira let out a frustrated sigh, clearly fighting the urge to just walk out and pretend none of this was happening.
"That's not what bothers me..." she replied, her gaze still lowered. "What surprises me is... how no one thought to use this to screw over other classes. That's what scares me. Knowing how this school works, I expected scheming, blackmail... not solidarity between guys waking up in the middle of the night to indecent noises. That level of loyalty is terrifying."
Chie let out another laugh.
"Even I'm a little touched, I have to admit..."
Meanwhile, Sato couldn't stop the blush spreading on her cheeks. She quickly looked away, feeling a wave of heat rise up her neck.
"This shouldn't be funny, but... oh god, why am I imagining this?" she whispered softly to herself.
Next to her, Chiaki was gripping her own knees, her eyes fixed on the screen, lost in her own thoughts. She blinked a few times, trying to push the images away, but... the more she tried, the clearer they became in her mind.
"Damn it, why does he have to be so hot..." she whispered.
Kushida, on the other hand, just rested her chin on her hand with a subtle smile. Her eyes sparkled slightly—not from embarrassment, but curiosity. Her mind was far away at that moment, too far for her to think rationally.
Ichinose stood beside Mako-chan, completely red, gaze lowered. She was discreetly biting her lower lip, uncomfortable.
"This... this is unfair..." she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else.
Mako-chan, noticing the state of her friend, quickly nudged her shoulder.
"Hey, focus on the game, remember? Forget this mess..." she said lightly, trying to pull her back to reality.
Ichinose nodded slowly, but it was clear she couldn't shake the images invading her mind.
Across the room, Sakayanagi watched everything with a discreet smile and a faint blush on her cheeks. Her expression was pure amusement, almost like someone enjoying a fine show. She rested her chin on her interlaced fingers and glanced sideways at Kamuro.
"Kamuro... honestly, this school manages to surprise me more every day. Imagining Ayanokouji-kun in that situation... and my imagination isn't cooperating. Definitely not cooperating right now..." she commented softly.
Kamuro's face was slightly flushed too, though she forced a more serious expression. She quickly averted her gaze.
"I don't want to think about it. That apathetic guy and... me? Are you crazy..." she shot back, though her red cheeks betrayed her words.
At that moment, Ryuen straightened up, crossing his arms with that malicious wolf-like grin on his lips.
"Hahahaha... so that's it, Ayanokouji. Scandalous, with a gentlemen's agreement and everything. But what I want to know is... who was the bastard that heard everything? I'm setting up the bets right now!" he announced enthusiastically.
Ichika raised her hand like a TV host.
"Good evening, wonderful audience! The bets are officially open! Who do you think witnessed the pure moment of... how should I say... adult entertainment from our dear Ayanokouji and Horikita? Place your bets now, don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" she said theatrically, drawing laughs from Ryuen and several others.
"Ayanokouji, you're not betting this time. Bastard, you probably already know who it was, don't you?" Ryuen said, pointing straight at him.
Kiyotaka glanced sideways at Ryuen, his calm expression unchanged.
"No idea. But it's fun watching you all get it wrong," he replied simply.
Suzune murmured softly into the pillow:
"You shouldn't have said anything, Kiyotaka—or rather, that version of you shouldn't have said anything. Now I can't get that information out of my head..."
He let out a quiet sigh, gently continuing to stroke her hair.
"Do you want me to join in on their fun or keep helping you calm down?" he asked casually.
She hesitated for a moment, but without lifting her face from the pillow, she whispered:
"Calm me down... I like your hand on my head..."
He nodded, continuing the gentle motion through her dark hair.
Kei, watching the scene, let out a frustrated sigh.
"Ugh... just look at this. It's like watching a couple scene from some anime... or one of those fanfics..." she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "And the worst part is that if I keep complaining, they'll all say I'm jealous, as always. Ridiculous."
Sato, still stroking her friend's hair, let out a soft giggle.
"You're over it, Kei. You don't have to prove anything to anyone."
"I know, but it's still annoying!" she said with a pout, slightly puffing her cheeks.
"I'm betting 1000 points that the person who heard everything was that weird guy from upstairs. He's always been sketchy..." one of the random students suggested, placing the first bet.
Another student quickly countered:
"No way. It was the nosy lady from downstairs! 2000 points on her!"
Bets started flying in from all over the room, a festival of wild guesses and playful teasing.
Meanwhile, Chabashira shook her head slowly, murmuring to herself:
"I definitely don't get paid enough to deal with this kind of thing..."
Chie smiled even more.
"But admit it, Sae-chan... it's fun seeing them act like normal teenagers once in a while, isn't it?"
Chabashira sighed heavily, but a tiny, almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"Maybe... just maybe."
It really was nice seeing them like that, acting like friends, not just a bunch of sociopaths manipulating each other to gain something, Chabashira thought, smiling softly.
The room remained lively, bets flying, jokes everywhere, but amid all that chaos, Ayanokouji and Horikita were in a world of their own, where only the gentle touches of his hand and her embarrassed, shaky breaths existed.
Seeing that the girl didn't respond, Kiyotaka approached her from the kitchen, where he had been making tea. The sight of a completely naked Suzune on her bed, her face buried in the pillow, came into view. Gently placing his hand on her shoulders, she lifted her face, revealing a few tears on it.
"What's wrong?" This question irritated the black-haired girl slightly.
"What do you mean, what's wrong!? How insensitive can you be!?"
The brown-haired boy could understand why she felt that way, but he also knew there was no changing what had already happened.
"You don't care about other guys hearing my voice like that!?" That question completely shifted the boy's perspective.
"Now that you mention it... yes, it does bother me," Kiyotaka replied, a slight frown forming on his face.
The scene had barely ended, and the reaction room was already in chaos. Laughter, whistles, teasing. The sight of Horikita crying naked on the bed had sparked a mixture of embarrassment, mockery, and general surprise.
The first to burst into laughter, of course, was Ryuen.
"Holy shit... even I'm surprised by this one. The guy's a genius, but... only now he realizes it's annoying to hear his girlfriend moaning loudly through the hallways? Hahahahaha!" he laughed loudly, clapping his hands like he was watching the best comedy of his life.
Ichika, next to him, was already slumped over her chair from laughing so hard.
"That's it! Ayanokouji... the strategy genius, the mastermind of mind games... but DUMB when it comes to relationships! This is delicious to watch!"
A few students nearby were laughing too, especially the boys.
"Damn, what timing! Only now he figured it out? That was so stupid it was genius!" someone said in the back, still holding their stomach.
Another added:
"This reminds me of that meme: 'Congratulations, Sherlock, you're a genius!'" and more laughter exploded across the room.
Horikita Suzune, on the bed, let out a deep sigh. She was sitting, hugging a pillow to her chest, legs crossed, and her face absurdly red.
"He's a little slow with these things..." she muttered softly, averting her gaze. Even though she was red with embarrassment, her eyes seemed a bit... satisfied?
Suzune hugged the pillow tighter. It bothers him... She wouldn't say it out loud even under torture, but knowing that Ayanokouji had that possessive streak over her sent a small, warm wave through her chest. It was a strange feeling, new, dangerous... but good.
But no one will ever know that. Ever.
Ayanokouji remained silent, watching the reactions unfold with his typical slightly bored look. But internally, his mind was constantly at work.
"Strange..." he thought. "I never cared about this kind of thing. Not at the White Room. Not at this school. Sex was just... sex. But this? Not wanting others to hear? To know? Is this jealousy? Possessiveness? These are new feelings."
He lightly closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, his gaze met Horikita's.
She was glancing at him discreetly, almost like she was trying to decipher him.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly, just loud enough for him to hear. "Your expression got... weird for a second."
Kiyotaka tilted his head slightly, curious.
"Weird?" he murmured, lightly touching his own face. "Didn't notice anything."
Suzune caught a detail that few would've seen: the subtle tension in his jaw muscles a few seconds ago. A clear sign of someone suppressing emotions.
She sighed quietly, leaning her body slightly toward him.
"You're changing... in a way you don't even realize," she whispered, hiding a small smile at the corner of her lips.
Before any more intimate conversation between the two could progress, a random comment echoed from the back of the room:
"Man, that was too good..." a random student said, almost crying with laughter. "The badass acting slow for a few seconds. This is going down in history."
"But I'll say it..." another student chimed in. "Horikita on that screen is so hot... I mean... she's very different from usual."
Before he could finish, a voice from the back interrupted:
"Shit! Why'd they censor it right now?!"
The silence that followed was strange. Everyone slowly turned around, seeing the student standing there, irritated by the censorship.
And then, in an instant, something cut through the air.
CRACK!
A glass bottle flew at lightning speed, hitting the guy square on the head. He dropped instantly, unconscious.
Everyone in the room stood up in shock, looking around.
Ryuen's grin grew wider.
"Oho... now this is getting interesting."
Kei's eyes widened, then narrowed sharply.
"Shit... who did that?!"
Ryuen, sensing the strange tension, just laughed.
"Well... someone just earned my respect. Whoever threw that bottle did exactly what I wanted to do but couldn't because of the mess it would've caused." He crossed his arms, satisfied. "Someone silencing that idiot... polite."
Ichika laughed too.
"Guys, it was perfect. Out of nowhere—bam! Bottle to the head. Movie scene!"
Mako-chan was still stunned.
"But... from where...?"
Chiaki was silent but staring directly at Ayanokouji. She was suspicious. Very suspicious.
Kei looked at the scene with the bottle, then at Horikita's state, and sighed in irritation.
"Idiot deserved it. Why shout for explicit content here? Clown." she said, crossing her arms, though with a faint smirk. It was nice to see someone punished for stupidity.
In the corner of the room, Sato was red but laughing quietly.
"He asked for it and got it. Literally."
Kushida, chin resting on her hand, watched everything with that mysterious smile, her eyes coldly analyzing the whole situation. Always paying attention, even when she looked relaxed.
Ichika, on the other side, burst out laughing again.
"Damn! Who was the sniper?! That was beautiful!"
Ryuen, next to her, wiped a tear from his eye from laughing so much.
"That's what I call divine justice, hahahaha! Who would've thought even the universe would protect Horikita's honor!"
Another group of students started placing bets.
"Was it Hashimoto who threw it?"
"No, Hashimoto's over there laughing..."
"Then who? Miyake?!"
Names were thrown around randomly, but no one got it right. The real culprit remained calm, next to the girl he most wanted to protect in that moment.
Ichinose... well... Ichinose was trying to focus on the card game, but her eyes betrayed her. She looked at the screen, then at the real Ayanokouji, then back to the game.
Mako-chan noticed immediately.
"Hey... you're never going to focus, are you?" she nudged, trying to help. "Let's just finish this round already. You can go back to silently suffering over that apathetic guy afterward."
"I'm not suffering." Ichinose shot back way too fast, turning even redder.
"Yeah... sure..." Mako said, clearly not believing her at all.
From the corner, Sakayanagi let out a soft chuckle.
"The room's a complete mess... bottles flying, possessive declarations, emotional cracks appearing in the apathetic one..." she turned her eyes to Kamuro with a mischievous smile. "I'll admit, I'm genuinely entertained."
Kamuro scoffed, still blushing inside even though she kept her serious façade.
"Those two are a problem. Ayanokouji looks like a ticking emotional bomb, and Horikita turns into a lovesick fool every time he does something like this. This won't end well."
"Not for them... but for us, as spectators, it's wonderful." Sakayanagi replied, amused.
The only one who caught the subtle action was Ichika, watching the two of them with narrowed eyes. A small smile curved her lips.
"Hmph... you're faster with bottles than with emotions, Ayanokouji-senpai," she murmured to herself.
Ryuen started laughing loudly again, watching the chaos.
"Hahahahaha! THAT WAS AMAZING! I didn't see ANYTHING! Who was it?! BETS! WHO THREW THE BOTTLE?!"
"Is anyone going to check on that guy?" Hirata asked, half alarmed and worried.
Hoshinomiya, the teacher, walked into the room right at that moment, glancing at the unconscious student with an exasperated sigh.
"Don't worry. He's just knocked out. Nothing a headache and a bit of shame won't cure."
"You're not even going to ask who did it?" Nene Mori asked, startled.
"Sweetie... after everything I've seen over the years, a student knocked out by a bottle is practically routine."
Ayanokouji, back at Horikita's side, was still talking to her quietly.
"You don't have to thank me."
"But I want to. Even if you were slow... you get it now, right?"
"I get it. You're mine, and mine alone."
Suzune's eyes widened briefly at the sentence before she buried her face back into the pillow in the room, completely red.
"Idiot..."
— "I think we should stop doing this for a while..." said the black-haired girl.
— "Are you sure?"
— "Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, don't you think you wouldn't survive without me?" the girl said sensually.
— "I think you're the one who won't survive without me," the boy replied as he brought his face closer to hers. She welcomed his approach and intentions, kissing him and wrapping her arms around his neck. They were getting carried away again when they heard the doorbell ring.
The initial silence in the room was broken by Ryuen's loud, shrieking laughter.
"FUCK!" he almost shouted, leaning forward. "Are you guys rabbits in the future or what?!"
Several students burst into laughter. Hashimoto slapped his thigh, laughing loudly along with the other boys.
"Those two have zero self-control! They just said they were gonna stop, and now they're all over each other again! Holy shit!"
"Literally talking about stopping while starting another round! They're the champions of contradiction!" another added, nearly crying with laughter.
Ichika collapsed into her chair, throwing her head back.
"Oh my God, I'm gonna die! This has turned into zoology class—they're rabbits, for sure! There's no other explanation!"
Suzune, on the bed, squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face even deeper into the pillow, her face absurdly red. She wanted to dig a hole in the ground and disappear for at least three consecutive lifetimes.
"This can't be happening... that can't be... me..." she murmured, her voice muffled.
Chie was softly giggling, hiding her lips behind her hand, but she couldn't resist teasing:
"Well, Horikita... at least you two seem to have plenty of stamina in the future. Youth is like that, right?"
Chabashira, who had been blushing for quite some time already, let out a defeated sigh.
"You talk as if the dorms were some kind of convent... it was obvious this would happen sooner or later."
Chie turned to her friend with a sharp smile.
"Oh? But I remember you telling me 'the students of this school are still kids'... well, it seems some kids mature faster."
Chabashira huffed, averting her eyes.
"It's not like I was expecting them to make it a marathon... I'm more surprised they haven't used this against them in the internal school games."
That comment caused a stir. It was true—the school, full of manipulation games, hadn't used that yet? Impressive.
Meanwhile, many girls' minds were somewhere else entirely.
Sato was pale, red, and fighting a mental battle.
No... don't think about it. He's Kei's ex. He's Kei's ex. He's Kei's ex.
But inevitably, Ayanokouji's words—"I don't think you'd survive without me"—kept echoing in her head on loop.
Chiaki was in the same state. Her eyes were staring blankly at the black screen now showing the pause between scenes, but in her mind... the scene was different. Herself in Horikita's place. Moaning like that. Feeling that heat.
She shook her head, trying to push the images away, but only managed to blush harder.
Kushida wore a calm smile on her lips, but her eyes betrayed her. They were fixed on the censored image of Horikita that still lingered in memory. It was almost envy hidden beneath layers of smiles. She hated to admit it, but imagining herself in Horikita's place was... arousing.
Ichinose discreetly bit her lower lip.
"I'm horrible..." she whispered softly.
Mako-chan glanced at her, startled.
"What did you say...?"
"Nothing. It's nothing..." she lied, taking a deep breath. She was mad at herself. Why did my mind go there? Even knowing Suzune was there, that she was his partner... the images wouldn't stop coming. The kisses, the touches, his possessiveness...
Kamuro, next to Sakayanagi, looked like a statue. Eyes fixed, face red, jaw clenched. No. I'm not giving in. No fucking way.
Sakayanagi, on the other hand, chuckled softly, thoroughly entertained by the situation.
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka... conquering territories inside and outside the games. I wouldn't expect anything less from him."
Kamuro muttered,
"That apathetic bastard... turns out he's a damn predator."
Sakayanagi gave a crooked smile.
"Oh, but he always was. He just hid behind that cold mask."
On the other side of the room, Kei crossed her arms, sighing loudly.
"You're all disgusting, you know that? Acting all horny watching this like a bunch of 12-year-old virgins."
Hashimoto glanced at her and let out a teasing chuckle.
"Whoa, why so mad, Karuizawa? Jealous?"
She shot him a murderous glare.
"Jealous? Me? You must be confusing me with your mother, you worm."
More laughter exploded.
Sato nudged Kei's shoulder, barely holding back her laughter.
"Don't mind them. But... seriously. Are they really going again?"
Kei huffed again.
"Apparently, yeah. Looks like she learned how to moan properly now... must be addicted."
That comment made a few of the more reserved boys laugh nervously, especially Miyake, who quickly averted his gaze to maintain composure.
Ryuen clapped his hands.
"Hell yeah! That's what I like to see! Malice even in the commentary!"
Ichika couldn't stop laughing.
"Oh my God, this room has officially become a circus!"
Chabashira shook her head.
"I should leave this room before my dignity is completely destroyed."
Chie nudged her.
"Oh, stay a little longer. Who knows—maybe we'll get another lesson in practical sex ed..."
Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune, off to the side, was still partly hiding in her pillow but gave Ayanokouji a sideways glance.
"Rabbits, huh...?" she muttered quietly, clearly both irritated and embarrassed.
He looked back at her, as serene as ever.
"We're not rabbits. We're just taking advantage of the opportunities." His calm voice almost made Suzune want to punch him and kiss him at the same time.
"Opportunities my ass... again? We had barely finished..."
He let out a light sigh.
"You're the one who provoked me."
Her eyes widened.
"What?! Don't turn this against me!"
Ayanokouji just kept his gaze fixed on her, neutral, but Suzune could sense something hidden there. Something new. Something she... liked.
A murmur echoed from the back of the room.
"But... who rang the doorbell?" someone asked.
Another answered,
"Probably the mailman delivering more condoms for them."
Explosion of laughter.
Ryuen shouted,
"OBVIOUSLY! Had to be the delivery of supplies! No way they were making it another week on their current stock, fuck!"
Ichika nearly fell to the floor laughing.
"These two need sponsorship, seriously! I can already see it: 'Horikita Condoms—Quality Moans Guaranteed!'"
The sound of something rolling across the floor could be heard. It was Amasawa kicking an empty bottle, laughing at the comments.
"You're all rotten, and I love it."
From a calmer corner, Ichika whispered to herself,
"Maybe one day... I will too..." but didn't finish the sentence. She bit her lip again.
The tension was reaching an absurd level. Everyone in that room reacted in their own way, but they were all connected by the same invisible thread: hidden desire, cursed curiosity, growing tension. The couple on screen, Horikita and Ayanokouji, were dragging everyone's basest instincts to the surface.
Even the always calm Miyake had a slight blush on his face.
Kei noticed and smirked.
"Even the saints fall."
Sato burst out laughing.
"This group is doomed."
Ryuen opened his arms like a religious preacher.
"My brothers! Welcome to the church of conscious depravity! Blessed be those who surrender to chaos!"
More laughter. The whole room was in absolute chaos.
— "I'm not home, so don't expect me to answer," the boy said calmly, to which the girl simply smiled while still hugging his neck. Their surprise became evident when the door to their room began to open.
The girl quickly tried to hide, but the door was already opening.
— "Oh my god, it's true..." The voice came from the former idol of the original Class D and Suzune's friend, Kushida Kikyou.
— "P-perverts!!!" screamed another girl beside her, who then ran off. That girl was Ibuki Mio, from Ryuuen's class.
— "Kushida... what are you doing here, and how did you get in?" asked the brown-haired boy.
For a few seconds, the entire room was in absolute silence.
The images had vanished from the screen, but the impact of what they had just seen still reverberated in the air, like smoke after an explosion. No one expected to see that scene: Kushida and Ibuki bursting into Ayanokouji's room exactly at the moment when he and Horikita were about to start another scandalous round.
Then, the calm, almost whispering voice of the real Ayanokouji in the reaction room escaped:
"They both barge into my room in the future... catch me with Horikita in private... and still have the nerve to call me a pervert..."
His tone was low, but since no one else was talking, everyone heard it. Everyone. His voice sounded like a surgical stab in the chest of the girls on the screen.
Kushida's eyes widened instantly. Her face turned red, her hands clenched tightly on her knees, and she turned her face to the side, biting her lower lip discreetly. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Her stomach twisted in embarrassment and discomfort.
Ibuki, on the other hand, flushed with rage.
"What the fuck was that?!" she burst out harshly, fists clenched.
Ryuen almost fell out of his chair laughing.
"Holy shit, that was the best thing to happen today!" he cackled, clapping his hands. "The apathetic guy... spitting the raw truth in front of everyone... perfect! And he totally caught you two red-handed!"
Hashimoto started laughing too, tilting his head.
"Didn't see that coming... Look at Ayanokouji revealing himself as the master of disguised jabs."
Kei couldn't help but smile, but quickly wiped it off her face. Even though she didn't have feelings for Ayanokouji anymore, seeing him humiliating other girls brought an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
Sato looked at the scene and tried to hold back her laughter, but failed miserably.
Chabashira let out a deep sigh, sinking further into her chair. It was impressive how this room was tumbling further down the hill of dignity with each passing second.
Chie, as always, enjoyed watching the chaos spread like wildfire.
"Well, well... now even the intruders are acting all moral? How interesting..." she teased, crossing her legs.
Kushida couldn't hold it anymore.
"No... I... I didn't know that... that they were... doing that... That version of me must not know..." she said with difficulty, still blushing.
"Of course you didn't know," Sakayanagi mocked sweetly, her soft but dangerous voice practically pouring gasoline on the fire. "You just barged into a boy's room... without knocking... by mistake, of course... absolute certainty."
Kamuro let out a low laugh, staring at Kushida with pure disdain.
"Those pathetic excuses wouldn't even work in a bad soap opera."
Ibuki crossed her arms, glaring at Ayanokouji with pure hatred.
"I wanna know what the hell I was doing there. I'd never set foot in your room, you fucking apathetic sociopath."
Ayanokouji blinked slowly.
"Probably some forced situation. You must've had a reason. Maybe lost a bet. I have no idea. Judging by that version of me, he didn't remember inviting you."
That made Ryuen roar with laughter:
"HAHAAAAA! Man! This guy isn't missing a single shot today! 'Didn't remember inviting you,' that was surgical!"
Ichika slammed her fist on the table, laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
"This guy... this is the real Ayanokouji! If there were a version of him with permanent humor, he'd topple all the class leaders with pure irony!"
Chiaki looked at Kushida with pity—and a slight trace of mockery in her eyes.
"You barged into the room of the guy you couldn't manipulate and got caught calling him a pervert... what a phase, huh?"
Kushida clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"Shut up..." she muttered.
Mako-chan glanced around, almost feeling sorry for Kushida. Almost. Because deep down, part of her enjoyed seeing that perfect mask shatter, even if only for a moment.
Ichinose blushed, more from the situation than from anger or embarrassment. She knew very well what it was like to lose control around Ayanokouji. Seeing Kushida and Ibuki in that situation only made her mental chaos worse. Why do I keep going after him too...? Dangerous thoughts began to surface.
Next to her, Sato chuckled lightly.
"Barging into someone else's man's room and then acting innocent after... classic."
Sakayanagi shook her head, satisfied.
"Hypocrisy is always the most entertaining part."
At that moment, Nishino leaned forward, looking at Kushida with a sharp, mocking smile.
"Hey, Kushida... curious, isn't it? You're always so polite, always so sweet... but barging into a guy's room while he's naked is totally fine for you?"
Kei chimed in, venomous:
"Of course, right? Gotta check if the product's worth it."
The laughter spread again like wildfire.
Ibuki took a step forward, her fist still clenched.
"You're all loving this, huh? Let's see how funny you think it is if it were you in this ridiculous situation."
Kei didn't waste a second, flashing a fake innocent smile:
"Relax, sweetie. I've already been in private rooms with him, and I didn't need to sneak in."
It was like the entire room exploded.
This time, Ryuen actually fell out of his chair.
"Fuck! This room deserves a prize! Best group humiliation session ever!"
Horikita, still lying there, embarrassed, glanced at Ayanokouji with a mixture of disapproval and... approval. Secretly, behind all that shame, there was a sliver of satisfaction. He was defending her, in his own way. Cold, sharp, cutting. She knew very well that behind that apathetic mask, Kiyotaka was revealing himself to be increasingly possessive, protective, dangerous. And deep down, that attracted her more than she wanted to admit.
She whispered just for him:
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
He tilted his head.
"Maybe."
Her eyes glimmered for a second. He really was enjoying it.
On the other side, Hashimoto was laughing so hard he was crying.
"This video is like an early birthday present for me! Look at this! Kushida and Ibuki getting crushed by Ayanokouji's icy logic!"
Chabashira shook her head, defeated.
"If this leaks to the administration... this school's gonna turn into a circus."
Chie shot back, laughing:
"It already has."
As the chaos spread, Kushida lowered her head, teeth clenched. She didn't know what hurt more: the public humiliation, the rage of being caught invading his room... or the fact that, deep down, she understood herself. She understood her future self. It was Ayanokouji. Of course she'd be attracted. Of course she wanted to be there.
But never, never would she let that show. Not in that room.
Ibuki, meanwhile, was still seething with rage.
"This is ridiculous. That future must be bugged. It makes no sense."
The real Ayanokouji crossed his arms and looked at her with absolute neutrality.
"It doesn't need to make sense. It just needs to happen."
Simple phrase. But in his tone... it sounded like a verdict.
"This bastard's the protagonist of a psychological hentai now too?" Ryuen shouted, laughing hysterically. "First manipulation genius, now official ladies' man, and philosophical on top of that. No chance!"
Ichika was literally crying from laughing so hard.
Sato grumbled, trying to stop laughing:
"I can't take it anymore... My stomach hurts..."
Ichika smirked, throwing yet another bucket of gasoline on the fire:
"If your stomach hurts now, imagine Horikita's after those marathons."
Another explosion of laughter.
And in the middle of it all... Suzune stared at the ceiling, taking a deep breath, and murmured softly:
"You're awful..."
Ayanokouji glanced at her sideways and replied, just as quietly:
"And you like that."
She bit her lip, defeated, unable to respond.
Meanwhile, Ryuen shouted:
"I'm making T-shirts of this scene! 'Perverts... barging into rooms since forever.'"
The madness continued. And it was only just beginning.
— "At first, I refused to believe it, but after seeing that idiot's bright face over there, I started to suspect. However, it was just a coincidence that I'm here... you should be grateful to me," Kushida said. Not understanding what she was saying, Kiyotaka interjected, — "Alright, Kushida, but could you give us some time to get dressed?" The girl seemed to realize that there was a half-naked Ayanokōji in front of her, as her face turned completely red, and she turned around— "T-let me know when you're done. This is important," she said, heading towards the door to leave the room.
*sigh* With a heavy sigh, the boy took a shirt from the closet and began to hand it to the girl who was still sitting on the bed. "What do you think it's about?" he asked the girl, trying to ease her embarrassment. — *sigh* "I'm not going to hear the end of this," the girl said after letting out another heavy sigh, just like the boy's.
For a few seconds, no one could decide what was more impactful on the screen: the fact that Kushida was there, practically admitting that she had gone to Ayanokouji's room out of pure disguised jealousy—or the absolute embarrassment that took over when she realized she was staring directly at Ayanokouji's half-naked body.
Everyone was ready to explode with reactions... but that wasn't what happened first.
"THIS IS AN INJUSTICE!!!"
The voice came from some random boy in the back of the room, one of those students no one had really paid attention to until now. But this time, he shouted loud enough to cut through the awkward silence.
Everyone automatically turned toward the poor soul who had dared to yell that. His face was bright red with pure indignation, raising his arms as if he had just witnessed a historical injustice.
"If Ayanokouji's uncensored, showing off his abs and chest, why the hell is Horikita censored all the way up to her shoulder? EQUALITY, DAMN IT! EITHER CENSOR EVERYONE OR NO ONE!"
His voice echoed across the room—and then came chaos.
Ryota, who until then had been floating peacefully while playing his handheld Nintendo console, paused mid-game, blinking slowly in confusion. He couldn't hold back:
"What...? I thought the censorship argument had died like five reactions ago, for fuck's sake... And now you're bringing this back? Seriously?!"
He raised his finger, trembling:
"WHY IS HORIKITA CENSORED WHILE THIS BASTARD HERE GETS TO SHOW OFF HIS CHEST COMPLETELY?!"
The silence turned into an awkward vacuum.
Until...
"...Of course it had to be..." Ichika whispered, already holding back laughter.
"Oh no..." Kei murmured, her expression darkening. "Not this again."
Chiaki sighed and gave the boy a cold, sharp glare.
Sato crossed her arms, rolling her eyes, though she couldn't help a venomous smile curling at the corner of her lips.
But Mako-chan went further. She slowly turned her face toward the guy and asked with sweet, ironic sharpness:
"Did you really just... complain about the censorship of that image?"
The guy swallowed hard.
"I'M TALKING ABOUT EQUALITY, DAMN IT!"
Another boy from the back stood up:
"HE'S RIGHT! If Ayanokouji can show his chest, why do the girls have to be censored? This is outrageous!"
Another shouted:
"DAMN RIGHT! EQUALITY!"
And in a matter of seconds, other guys started shouting along, forming a poorly organized impromptu protest, all of them outraged over the censorship.
Ryuen didn't know whether to laugh or throw himself off his chair from sheer secondhand embarrassment.
"Oh no... no... they're seriously starting a protest over this?!"
Another even shouted:
"SHOW HER BOOBS! EQUALITY!"
The noise got so ridiculous that chairs were scraping across the floor. Some guys stood up. Others were pounding on the desks, demanding explanations. One of them even started a rhythmic protest beat on the table:
"NO CENSORSHIP! NO CENSORSHIP! NO CENSORSHIP!"
But while this bizarre revolution erupted among the boys, the girls' side of the room froze the atmosphere with pure murderous glares.
Ichinose was the first to turn her face, staring coldly at the idiots screaming.
Chiaki, who usually laughed along, now looked at them with nothing but contempt.
Sato... Sato just crossed her arms with a frosty smile on her face.
But what really made the room freeze was Sakayanagi. Sitting calmly, her cane resting across her lap, she simply glanced over her shoulder and spoke softly:
"Who was the worm that dared to complain about the censorship of such a perfect view...?"
Mako-chan, who had been quiet until then, nodded slightly, her eyes narrowed.
"The audacity of these idiots... who do they think they are?"
The silence between the girls was deadly. A suffocating tension filled the air for a moment.
Chie, as usual, was smirking on the sidelines, clearly entertained by the chaos. Chabashira... well, she was massaging her temples in pure accumulated stress, but this time, something changed in her gaze. She started walking discreetly toward where Horikita and Ayanokouji were seated.
Meanwhile, Ryuen was bursting with laughter, sprawled in his chair.
"YOU GUYS ARE INSANE! AHAHAHAHAHA! Fighting over censorship like you're supreme court judges! THIS IS AMAZING! I LOVE THIS PLACE!"
Hashimoto, on the other side, was crying with laughter but managed to choke out between fits:
"Holy shit, I can't take it anymore... They're starting a civil war over abs and boobs!"
On the other side of the room, Ibuki was furious—but not over boobs. She was still fuming from being caught in that ridiculous scene on the screen. Even so, she took advantage of the moment to unleash her rage on the boys:
"BUNCH OF ANIMALS. You're even more pathetic than I thought."
Ayanokouji blinked slowly, visibly confused by the whole situation. He watched the shouting and lightly shook his head, as if trying to calculate the average IQ of humanity—and the result wasn't promising.
The confusion escalated into open warfare. The boys wanted to see the girls naked. The girls demanded equal treatment—Ayanokouji shirtless in return. And soon both sides were yelling over each other.
"SHOW HER BOOBS!"
"SHOW HIS ABS!"
"I WANT EQUALITY!"
"YOU JUST WANT BOOBS, YOU PERVERT!"
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WANTS AYANOKOUJI'S BODY, YOU HORNY SLUT!"
It was then that Ryota, still floating in the corner, paused his game completely when he realized this wasn't just a hallucination. He blinked twice and glanced around in absolute confusion.
"...Are you guys really fighting over... censorship of boobs and abs?"
He looked left, then right, trying to figure out if this was a collective breakdown or some insane dream.
"Fuck... I thought we'd already wrapped this subject up... What the hell is happening here?"
Ryuen shouted, laughing hysterically:
"Humanity has fallen, Ryota! This is the end of days!"
In the corner, Horikita was furiously scribbling in a small notebook. She was writing down names. Boys who shouted for an end to female censorship. Girls who demanded to see Ayanokouji's abs. Each name had a small symbol next to it—probably codes only she understood.
Kei noticed.
"Are you seriously making a list?"
Horikita responded without even glancing up:
"Of course I am. These idiots think they can just stare at my Kiyotaka or gawk at things they shouldn't without consequences? I want every single name."
She wrote another one and murmured quietly:
"... perverted girls and sluts..."
Ayanokouji, on the other side, observed the scene in complete silence, blinking in disbelief.
"They're arguing about this... because of...?"
He thought to himself, slightly surprised. Seriously? Humanity was starting a gender war over his chest? He'd just become a black blur if they censored that. Ridiculous. Just one more reason humanity was doomed to decay.
Chabashira discreetly leaned over and whispered in his ear:
"When we get back, I'll personally keep an eye on every single name Horikita's writing down. I'll make sure they don't forget who's really in charge."
Ayanokouji stared at her for a second.
...Even the teacher's getting in on this insanity?
Meanwhile, the chaos raged on across the room.
"WE WANT BOOBS!"
"WE WANT ABS!"
Ryota took a deep breath and clapped his hands. The sound echoed throughout the entire room, making everyone pause for a second.
He floated to the center with an irritated look.
"THAT'S ENOUGH OF THIS SHIT."
Silence returned. Only the echoes of the previous shouts remained.
"You guys wanna argue censorship? Fine. Let's do it properly."
He pointed first at Ayanokouji:
"You. Do you want your muscles censored now that the girls are staring at you?"
Ayanokouji answered with his usual calm:
"I don't care."
There it was. More dreamy sighs from the girls filled the room.
Ryota then turned to Suzune:
"And you? Want to keep the censorship?"
Suzune looked at him like someone being interrupted mid-calculation.
"Obviously."
"Positive?"
"Yes."
"No debate?"
She blinked slowly.
"Ryota. Censor the private parts and the breasts. Nothing more. The rest is their problem."
The host smiled, satisfied.
"Settled then. Censorship only on private parts. Chest allowed. Boobs censored. Next topic."
But of course, the chaos didn't stop.
"THIS IS STILL UNFAIR!"
"YOU WANT BOOBS, I WANT HIS ABS!"
"JUST TAKE IT ALL OFF THEN!"
Ichika burst out, grinning:
"YOU KNOW WHAT? JUST TAKE EVERYTHING OFF! STRIP EVERYONE! TURN THIS SHIT INTO A WILDLIFE DOCUMENTARY AND LET'S SEE WHO'S THE REAL ANIMAL HERE!"
The whole room froze.
Ryuen was the first to start laughing so hard he collapsed onto the floor, wheezing.
"AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS TURNING INTO A LIVE ZOO! PERFECT!"
Hashimoto shouted:
"'Ayanokouji and Suzune: Japanese Wildlife!'"
Even Ichinose couldn't hold back anymore, bursting out laughing.
Amid the madness, Sakayanagi smiled coldly:
"Pathetic humanity. Fighting over nudity while watching a possible future that could destroy their lives..."
Kamuro crossed her arms, but her eyes sparkled with amusement. Even she couldn't resist the chaotic scene.
Meanwhile, Horikita kept writing down names.
"I'll destroy the social life of every single one of these bastards... and those sluts thinking they can stare at what belongs to me..."
Chabashira smiled subtly.
Kei glanced at Suzune and muttered:
"Deep down, it's your fault. You're the one who started this marathon with him. Now deal with the fandom you two created."
Suzune took a deep breath, meeting Kei's gaze.
"Don't worry. I'll personally handle every single one of those... 'fans'."
The two locked eyes for a second. Rivalry? Definitely. But now it was personal.
And Ayanokouji? Still standing there. Confused. In disbelief. Thinking:
This is why the world's ending... I'm starting to understand what that man was talking about.
After a few moments, they opened the door and let the two girls in. — "I feel like I'm walking into a predator's den," said the short-haired girl from the current Class C. — "You have nothing to worry about, unless your hair is black, you're the current student council president, and your brother is Horikita Manabu..." he didn't finish his sentence before receiving an elbow in the side from the black-haired girl. — "You better not say anything else, Kiyotaka-kun..." At this scene, the two girls were stunned. It was true that they had been caught in a very intimate moment just moments ago, but it was so unreal that they couldn't process it right away. However, the image in front of them was Horikita Suzune wearing only an oversized shirt that obviously belonged to the brown-haired boy, not to mention how close they were to each other. — "You even call him by his first name..." said Kushida. —"Does that surprise you? Just now, you saw us doing something even more..." The black-haired girl struck him again. —"I'm telling you to shut up, Kiyotaka!" At this performance, the two girls could only accept what their eyes were seeing, even though their minds still refused to process it.
The sentence echoed in everyone's mind. Because Ayanokouji, on the screen, had just said it outright. Without hesitation. Like a challenge. Like he was marking his territory.
And he was.
Horikita, who had been focused on writing the names of all the perverts in the room, froze. Her hands trembled slightly, and she slowly lowered her head, staring at the page. The blush rising on her pale skin all the way to her ears.
The worst part wasn't that he said it directly. It was the tone.
Honest.
That bastard spoke honestly about intimate things. No jokes, no teasing. He just said the truth. Without shame. And that's exactly what left Suzune speechless.
She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to stay in control.
But, of course, Ryuen broke the silence with his usual charm:
"Tsk... This guy really knows how to show who he likes fucking..."
A slow, shameless whistle followed.
And then it happened.
THUD!
A pillow flew through the air like a missile guided by pure secondhand embarrassment and smashed right into Ryuen's face with enough force to knock him back onto the bed behind him.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
He landed with his legs in the air, groaning:
"This girl's got hidden strength..."
Everyone looked. Who threw it?
Obviously, Horikita.
Bright red.
Pure fury in her eyes.
"If you say that kind of thing again... I'll throw the whole damn bed on top of you." — The threat came low, grave, almost like a growl.
Ryuen just laughed, still lying on the bed, not even bothering to get up:
"HAHAHAHA! Now that's a woman! That's what I like!"
"Disgusting pervert," Kei muttered from the side, shaking her head in disgust.
Sakayanagi watched in silence, but the amused glint in her eyes was impossible to miss. For someone who loved watching chaos unfold, this scene was delicious.
"Impressive," she commented softly, staring at Kiyotaka. "You really have no shame, do you?"
Ichinose, on the other hand, was unusually quiet. Eyes fixed on the screen, cheeks slightly flushed, biting her lower lip discreetly. It bothered her in a way she couldn't fully explain.
Kushida, on-screen, looked stunned. Kushida, in the reaction room, looked even more stunned because she never expected to see Ayanokouji—that apathetic bastard—talking like that. It was still too weird for her.
"L-look, this... this has to be fake, right? Who talks like... like that?"
"He would. Are you blind and deaf?" — Suzune shot back immediately, dry, not even lifting her eyes from the paper.
Someone's mad about something.
Direct hit. Kushida flinched, biting the inside of her cheek hard to keep the mask from cracking and cursing Horikita out loud right there.
Chiaki crossed her arms and muttered:
"Gotta admit, I didn't expect that from him... but he basically just rubbed it in Kushida's face that she doesn't stand a chance. Brutal."
The group of girls silently agreed.
Mako-chan went further. She stared directly at Kushida and fired:
"Hard to process, huh? Watching him treat Suzune like that? Now you're starting to realize where each of you stands."
"B-but they're just...!"
"Calling each other by their first names, sharing a bed, her wearing his shirt, and him saying they've done even more intimate things. You're late to this story, Kushida."
The venom was delivered. Cruel. Precise.
Where the hell do these bitches get the idea I wanna be with that apathetic bastard?! — Kushida thought behind a forced smile, so close to exploding.
Kei, off to the side, was staring directly at Horikita. They didn't need to say a word. The looks said it all. Rivalry. Tension. Kei knew Suzune had won in the future. There was no more doubt. No more room for questions. It was right there, plain to see. And what pissed Kei off the most...
Was how natural he was about it. Like her Ayanokouji—no, her ex, she corrected mentally—had kept that side of himself reserved just for Horikita. Just for that weird, antisocial, proud... infuriatingly pretty girl wearing his loose shirt.
"I can't believe you let him call you 'Suzune' in front of everyone. You don't strike me as that kind of girl," Kei muttered sarcastically.
Horikita replied without even looking up:
"And you can't believe how much that's none of your business."
Damn... I might just pause this whole thing at the end. They seriously need to chill—people are getting rude out of nowhere... — Ryota thought to himself, genuinely surprised by how tense everyone was getting.
Takeko Nishino let out a mocking "ooh~." The girls started chuckling under their breath.
Ichika added:
"Battle of the ex and the current. Delicious."
Ayanokouji stayed silent, but Ryuen propped himself up on the bed, wiping the corner of his mouth and smiling.
"Man... I'll tell you... you've got it. Only someone who really likes a girl can say that kind of thing without blinking. That's the difference between regular guys and monsters."
Hashimoto chimed in, shaking his head:
"The guy basically said, 'she's mine, cry if you don't like it,' and somehow made it sound natural."
Kamuro scoffed:
"Yeah. Natural for an emotional psychopath."
Ichinose let out a small nasal laugh, trying to mask her discomfort. But the trembling hand on her knee was obvious.
Ryota slowly floated to the ground again, sighing.
"You all realize we've basically triggered a cold war here, right? Girls fighting over Ayanokouji, guys still stuck on censorship, and I'm here having to moderate this asylum..."
He looked at the ceiling, exhausted:
"Should've brought popcorn."
Suddenly, one of the boys in the back shouted:
"I STILL WANNA SEE BOOBS!"
Instantly, three pillows flew at him, thrown by Kei, Horikita, and Sato. The poor bastard vanished behind a soft avalanche of fabric and shame.
Kei slowly lifted her head, locking eyes with Suzune, wearing a sly smirk as she glanced at him.
"Just to be clear: I don't give a damn if he wants you. But let's be honest—most of those sluts are only defending you because they wanna see his abs."
Horikita finally lifted her gaze, cold as ice:
"I don't care why they're defending it. In the end, the one who'll be with him... is me. Not those desperate sluts begging for attention they'll never get."
....;_; damn, she's savage... — Ryota thought, genuinely surprised.
The silence that followed was sharp. The statement came out low, dry, brutal. It wasn't provocation. It was just... the truth.
The girls nearby instinctively stepped back, a few with wide eyes.
Kei raised a brow.
"Pretty confident, huh?"
Horikita stared her down.
"I am."
Chie let out a soft laugh, clearly entertained.
Sakayanagi shook her head, satisfied with the level of chaos this had reached.
Finally, Ichinose snapped, tired of everyone forgetting why they were there in the first place:
"Guys! Can we focus on the scene?! Do you actually care about who's with who or about analyzing the future?!"
Mako-chan answered for everyone:
"We want everything."
Ryuen burst out laughing again.
Ryota sighed once more, running a hand over his face:
"I'm gonna start censoring you lot. One by one. Keep this up, and the next scene is gonna be completely pixelated."
The group of boys groaned in protest.
The girls, on the other hand, looked like they were about to start another argument about who had more right to Ayanokouji's abs.
Suzune calmly went back to writing names, now more meticulous. She was dividing the lists between perverts, potential sluts, and real threats.
Kei sighed, averting her gaze from Horikita and slumping back into her spot on the bed, grumbling under her breath:
"Ridiculous. That idiot's just a lamppost with muscles. And they're drooling over that."
Ryuen muttered as he laid back on his bed, laughing:
"Lamppost or not... lamppost fucks."
The pillow flew again, straight to his face.
— "So, why are you here, Kushida-san?"
— "Ah, that's right..." said the beige-haired girl. "You really had no idea how much danger you were in... you seriously owe me one."
— "Especially you, Ayanokōji-kun. I always knew you weren't trustworthy, but I never imagined you were the kind of despicable guy who toys with girls' hearts..."
— "I don't want to hear that coming from you..." the boy replied, giving her a blank stare.
— "What do you mean by 'we were in danger,' Kushida-san?" asked the black-haired girl.
— "Do you remember what I told you about Ichinose-san's downfall as the leader of Class D? The bastard next to you should know exactly what I'm talking about."
Ayanokōji had no idea that Suzune was aware of how he had dealt with the pink-haired girl during the year-end exam.
— "Yes, I remember. What does that have to do with anything?"
— "Apparently, a girl from her class named Chihiro-san was in love with her, and after learning what Ayanokōji-kun did, she swore revenge on him — a vow she was just about to carry out a few days ago, if it weren't for that annoying kouhai and me."
— "Wait, I don't get it. What did Chihiro-san do? And who's this annoying kouhai you're talking about?"
(I just want to inform you that these paragraphs were officially the hardest of all to adapt to the current script of the story because there are a lot of changes, and information that I couldn't remember from the work canonically, like if Ichinose's gang already knew that Chichiro liked girls or if she was in love with Ichinose in the first year and such, and they pretend that Chichiro is Bi in this one because I genuinely spent about 4-5 days stuck on them trying to adapt it in the best possible way to fit the story, and I only realized at the end that I made her Bi here, I'm sorry if it ended up being bad, I did my best to make the reactions the best possible, I warn you that possibly those who like funny parts and things like that will like these final parts more, I tried my best to take this subject seriously and give some character development.)
The silence after the scene was absolute, as if the air had been completely sucked out of the room. What had just been revealed was like a bomb of information dropped on everyone's lap.
And at the center of it all... was her.
Chihiro.
All eyes turned immediately to the girl, who seemed unable to process what had just been said.
— "H-How...?" — Chihiro whispered, her voice trembling, the words barely coming out of her throat. Her cheeks were so red it looked like all the blood had rushed to her face. — "T-this can't be happening..."
Her legs wobbled, and if it weren't for her friends quickly grabbing her arms, she probably would've collapsed right then and there.
— "Chihiro... breathe! Calm down!" — one of them said, gripping her shoulder tightly.
Another girl nervously squeezed her hand:
— "We didn't even know that you... I mean, that you liked Ichinose-san like that..."
That sentence made things worse.
— "Don't say that now!" — another friend scolded her.
But the damage was already done. Chihiro's face turned even redder, her eyes starting to well up. The secret she had guarded so closely had been thrown into the middle of a chaotic mess. It wasn't just about her liking Ichinose. It was the fact that she had sworn revenge because of it. That made her look like a bad soap opera villain. A crazy obsessive. A traitor.
She wanted to disappear right then and there.
Everyone's eyes instinctively shifted to Ichinose.
The whole room knew that Ichinose had been absent from class for a while. The official explanation had been "personal issues," but now... with everything being shown... it was impossible not to connect the dots.
Nagumo was the first to speak, letting out a low chuckle:
— "Heh. So that 'personal issues' excuse really was about losing her position as leader, huh?"
Murmurs started spreading throughout the room.
But then, with impressive speed, Ichinose stood up. The smile on her face appeared almost instantly — practiced, perfect — as if she had already been prepared for this.
She slowly raised her hand and asked for silence:
— "Everyone... calm down."
The students of Class B immediately quieted. There was respect. There was trust. Even those who had doubts about what had just been revealed couldn't help but be drawn in by her composed posture and gentle smile.
Ichinose looked around, then crossed her arms naturally.
— "I think some of you have already figured it out, right? Ryota explained from the start that we're seeing possible futures. This isn't a fixed timeline. It's not something inevitable. What you just saw there..."
She paused briefly, choosing her words carefully.
— "...isn't what's going to happen. That version of me probably let herself be consumed by sadness. Maybe she didn't talk to the right people. Maybe she chose silence instead of seeking help."
Her eyes locked more intensely onto her own class.
— "But you all know that's not who I am, right?"
The students of Class B began nodding one by one. Small smiles appeared on their faces.
Ichinose took a step forward, taking a deep breath.
— "No matter what that other 'me' went through, or what Chihiro did in that future... I hope it wasn't anything truly serious. And more importantly: trust me here and now. Don't let a video of a possible future shake the trust we've built, please."
The firmness in her voice was impossible to ignore.
— "You're amazing..." — one of the girls from Class B murmured, moved.
The mood among them started to improve again. Confusion was slowly being replaced by loyalty.
And in that moment, Ayanokōji simply observed with that neutral, calculating gaze, not moving a muscle. But internally, one thought became clear:
Good manipulation.
He mentally praised Ichinose for knowing exactly how to maintain control of her class even in a delicate situation. She truly was a natural leader. The way she immediately tied the explanation to what Ryota had said about possible futures was perfect. And more importantly: even while showing vulnerability, she used it to strengthen the bond with her class.
Ryuen, nearby, let out a low whistle.
— "That girl knows how to play the game..." — he muttered with a crooked smile.
Sakayanagi tilted her head slightly, analyzing everything.
— "Truly admirable..." — she said quietly, with an elegant smile. — "She's becoming a more and more interesting player."
Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, Kushida watched the reactions as if savoring a fine dish — but without appetite.
— "So amusing to see people trying so hard to clean up their image," she said, venom dripping from her voice. — "But deep down... do they even believe it themselves?"
Suzune, who had remained quiet until then, lightly leaning against Ayanokōji's shoulder, finally spoke up:
— "Funny... coming from you, that accusation feels almost ironic."
Kushida bit her lower lip and looked away.
But what was truly bothering Suzune wasn't the Ichinose scene or the revelation about Chihiro. No.
What had caught her attention was something else entirely.
— "Kiyotaka..." — she whispered, low enough that only he could hear. — "You noticed it too, right?"
He turned his face slightly toward her, silently.
— "What did that future Kushida actually do? She said she helped us... but didn't give any details." Her mind was racing, trying to predict, to piece together parts of the puzzle that hadn't been revealed yet. — "Why would she help? Under what circumstances?"
Ayanokōji simply tilted his chin a little, showing he was curious as well.
The atmosphere was heavy, and anxiety hung in the air as the entire group digested what they had just seen.
Kei stood in the corner, watching everything with a bitter expression. She could barely look directly at Ayanokōji, still feeling the sting of seeing him and Horikita so close, so natural with each other. Her arms were crossed, foot tapping impatiently on the floor.
— "So now what? Kushida becomes a good girl in the future and Chihiro turns into the lovesick villain?" — she muttered sarcastically.
— "This is turning into a telenovela." — Sato added.
The girls in Kei's group started whispering among themselves, some still glancing at Chihiro with a mix of surprise and sympathy.
— "I never imagined she liked Ichinose like that..."
— "She was always so quiet..."
— "And look where we ended up..."
Chihiro squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back tears. That feeling of being exposed was cruel. Not just because her secret crush had been revealed, but because of the way it was tied to something dark, something vengeful.
She could barely speak:
— "I-I... I never wanted to..."
But she didn't finish.
Across the room, the students from Class D were stunned.
Hondo was the first to speak:
— "Wait, wait... Chihiro... liked Ichinose? CHIHIIRO???"
Shibata's eyes went wide:
— "That one... I didn't see coming."
Kanzaki, beside them, remained still, simply staring at Ichinose. He was good at keeping his composure, but was clearly trying to reorganize all the information in his head.
Ichika shook her head:
— "This future is completely insane. Nothing makes sense."
Kamuro scoffed from the side:
— "It's not insane. It just shows how much people hide secrets that not even those closest to them would imagine."
But even amidst all of this, Ryuen laughed again, completely relaxed:
— "You're all worrying about the wrong things. What really matters in this whole mess is what Kushida did. That's what's going to blow everything up."
Sakayanagi chuckled softly, agreeing.
— "Exactly. That's the most intriguing part."
Kushida, for her part, felt a mix of nervousness and irritation. Seeing her future self playing the heroine alongside Ayanokōji and Horikita was simply... unbearable.
She clenched her fists tightly.
— "I would never do that..." — she muttered under her breath. — "Not for them..."
Ichinose, on the other hand, seemed to have completely regained control of the situation.
She looked at Chihiro, who was still trembling.
— "Chihiro..." — she called softly.
The girl slowly lifted her gaze, still frightened.
Ichinose gave her a gentle smile.
— "I don't hate you. It's okay."
Those words were the final straw. Chihiro couldn't hold back anymore. The tears began to fall, silently, and she was immediately embraced by her friends.
The trust of Class D's students was restored. Their respect for Ichinose had only grown.
And even with the atmosphere somewhat more under control, Ryota stood in the corner, smiling to himself.
He knew this was only the beginning.
The revelation about Kushida was still coming.
And when it came... the chaos would be even greater.
— "Now things are really going to start getting interesting..." — Ryota murmured, crossing his arms and staring at the screen ahead.
And no one there was prepared for what was still to come.
— "You and I know her very well..." said the blue-haired girl. — "Who are you talking about...? Wait, don't tell me it's—" — "Yes, it's who you think it is, Amasawa Ichika." Suzune's face fell at the mention of that name. — "What did you do that required her help?" Suzune asked with a worried expression.
— "A few weeks ago, I heard a rumor that I couldn't believe, and honestly, I hesitated to ask you because I never imagined it to be true. The rumor said that the student council president was in an illicit relationship with a boy in your grade." — "Obviously, the rumor didn't spread due to how ridiculous it sounded, since everyone knows how strict and proper you are." — "However, when I investigated who spread those rumors, I was surprised to find that it was the same Chihiro-san."
The silence that fell over the room after those words was suffocating.
The revelations were like a rain of knives, each one piercing deep, with no time for those present to recover from the last. And now... now there was a name.
Amasawa Ichika.
The mere sound of that name was like a snap in the air. Several glances crossed instantly.
Suzune, who had remained so composed until now, finally let the accumulated tension show. She grimaced instinctively, her brow furrowing slightly, her eyes filled with a quiet irritation.
— "...That troublesome girl..." — she muttered through clenched teeth.
Kushida raised an eyebrow, intrigued:
— "Oh? An acquaintance of yours, Horikita-san?"
Suzune didn't respond. She didn't want to feed Kushida's provocations at that moment. Her eyes stayed locked on the screen, her thoughts racing. It wasn't just the name that bothered her. It was what it represented.
Meanwhile, the unwilling protagonist of this mess... could barely stand.
Chihiro was crumbling.
Every word, every new piece of information was like another stone being placed on her back, sinking her deeper. First the secret. Then the obsession. Now... spreading rumors about a nonexistent relationship between the student council president and a student?
Why? Why?
— "...Why would I do that...?" — she whispered, almost inaudibly.
But no one answered. Not because they didn't want to—but because they didn't know. Not even she knew.
The tears began to fall. Not the pretty, quiet kind. These were ugly tears—shaky, paired with a face contorted by confusion and shame. There was no escape, nowhere to run.
And the worst part: the looks that had once been of curiosity or surprise were now full of judgment.
Chihiro could feel it. Every gaze, even the neutral ones, seemed to say:
What kind of girl would do something like this over unrequited love?
She wanted to explain. To scream that it wasn't her, that it wouldn't be her. But the words died in her throat.
Her breathing quickened. Shallow. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her vision blurred, as if the world itself was melting in front of her.
And then, just as her knees gave way—someone caught her.
The hand on her shoulder was firm. Steady.
— "Hey." — The voice was calm. Controlled. — "Don't fall now."
Ayanokōji.
He couldn't let her break down right there. Not out of pity, not out of personal sympathy—but because this was about to turn into a full-blown social collapse in the reaction room. If Chihiro completely broke, it would be like opening the floodgates. Total chaos.
Ayanokōji glanced at Ichinose. She was already standing, about to move in to help, but he could tell right away: she wouldn't be able to handle this alone. Even she was starting to lose control.
So, he acted.
— "Breathe slowly. This isn't you. This isn't now." — His words were chosen with surgical precision.
Ichinose immediately knelt beside Chihiro, offering support.
— "Chihiro... please, look at me, okay?" — Her voice was soft, nearly desperate to keep the situation from spiraling. — "You're not that girl. That's not you."
But Chihiro only cried harder.
— "I-I... I would... I'd do something like that...? I'd become... become that...?" — she stammered, gasping.
Ayanokōji kept his hand steady on her shoulder, but his expression remained unchanged. Cold.
Suzune, still lightly leaning on his shoulder, watched the scene with a storm swirling in her chest.
She couldn't feel anger. Strangely, there was no disdain or bitterness toward Chihiro. Maybe... it was pity. Or maybe it was a more rational understanding of what was happening.
Was Chihiro pathetic? Maybe. But not in a hateful way. In a... fragile way. A walking mistake, consumed by emotions that clearly overwhelmed her.
Suzune let out a long sigh.
— "So it was her..." — she murmured, now realizing. — "She was the one who saw us that night..."
The mystery of how that ridiculous story had started was now clear.
And did that irritate Suzune? Not exactly.
What she felt was more like disappointment.
Nearby, Kushida crossed her arms, a light, almost amused smile on her face.
— "It's amazing... people will really do anything when they let emotions take over." — She leaned slightly and whispered just loud enough for only them to hear, a venomous tone in her voice. — "You really hit rock bottom, huh?"
Ichinose turned to her, expression serious—almost angry:
— "Kushida-san, that's enough."
There was something new in Ichinose's eyes. Raw determination. She wasn't here to play the martyr or the fragile one. She was here to defend.
— "She's not okay. Throwing poison at her right now doesn't help anyone."
Kushida's smile grew, and she lightly shook her head.
— "Oh, but I'm not doing it to help... I do it because it entertains me."
Suzune sighed again, tired of the idiotic games.
Meanwhile, Ichika... watched everything with a peculiar expression.
Unlike the others, there was no shock, no anger, no pity in her eyes. There was curiosity. A mischievous glint.
She raised her index finger to her lips and smiled.
— "So in the future, I helped my senpai...?" — she murmured to herself. — "Interesting... I wonder what I did. Did I threaten someone? Was I kind? Wow, I can't wait to find out..."
Her pupils shimmered dangerously at the thought.
Across the room, Ryuen let out a low chuckle.
— "This has turned into a circus. First the lovesick girl spreading dumb rumors... now a panic attack straight out of a soap opera. Beautiful." — He crossed his arms and watched everything like a spectator at a good match.
Sakayanagi, comfortably seated, analyzed each move like a strategist viewing a new chessboard.
— "I'm almost excited to see the next chapter of this tragic play."
But despite the comments, the tension between Chihiro, Ichinose, and Ayanokōji was the true center of the room.
Ichinose held the girl's hand.
— "It doesn't matter what that version of you did. You didn't do any of that. You're here, now. With us."
Chihiro opened her mouth, but only sobs came out.
Ayanokōji made a subtle hand gesture, catching Ichinose's attention, and whispered softly:
— "She's carrying three different kinds of guilt at once. It's not going to be easy pulling her out of this."
Ichinose looked at him, surprised.
He continued, unfazed by the stares:
— "She's blaming herself for what she saw, for what she did in the future, and for what she doesn't understand about herself."
Suzune nodded slowly, absorbing the analysis.
And then, something unexpected happened.
One of Class B's students, a tall brown-haired boy, stood up and slowly approached.
— "Chihiro." — he called seriously. — "You're one of us."
Every eye turned toward him.
— "We don't care what that crazy future version of you did. You're here now. We trust Ichinose, and if she says she believes in you, then... we do too."
Another student stood up right after.
— "Yeah. Don't let this crap break you."
A girl, emotional:
— "We've got your back."
That moment was the spark needed for other members of Class D to begin speaking up. One by one, they started to stand, offering their support—some even physically approaching Chihiro.
Chihiro continued to cry, but now... it was different. It wasn't pure despair anymore. It was confusion mixed with relief, with the faint sting of hope.
Ichinose smiled, and even Ayanokōji couldn't help but tilt his head ever so slightly.
Her manipulation wasn't perfect. But in that moment... it worked.
Ayanokōji let out a quiet sigh, returning to his seat with his Suzune after resolving a problem that, in his opinion, shouldn't have even existed in the first place.
Suzune rested her face in her hand, then leaned her head once again against Kiyotaka's shoulder and murmured:
— "That girl has talent. That's going to be a problem."
Across the room, Kushida rolled her eyes.
Kei, who had been silent until then, let out a short, ironic laugh:
— "This whole story's starting to get too weird even for me."
Sato quickly followed up:
— "Yeah... I don't even know who's the villain and who's the heroine anymore."
Ryuen still had that cynical smile on his face:
— "And the fun part hasn't even started yet..."
He glanced at Ryota, who remained silent, smiling mysteriously.
Everyone knew: that bomb had only been the tip of the iceberg.
And the reveal about Ichika's involvement... was merely a prelude to what was still to come.
The tension in the room hadn't faded.
It was only just beginning.
Suzune's face looked slightly concerned, though she still maintained her composure.
— "But things got complicated a few days ago when we saw Chihiro-san following you, Horikita-san."
— "She was following me? W-wait, don't tell me that!..." Her face began to lose color as she imagined what might have happened next.
— "Exactly what you're thinking... At the time, I didn't think much of it until Amasawa-san stopped me a few hours later to hand me Chihiro-san's smartphone. It had a multimedia file."
— "When I listened to it, I couldn't believe what I was hearing..."
— "It was your voice—screaming and moaning this bastard's name..."
— "It was a disaster. A complete disaster..."
— "When I asked Amasawa-san about it, she simply said: 'You better tell senpai to be more careful, because next time I might not be around to help.'
After that, I focused on exposing the rumors and tried to contact you, but you were always busy—or so I thought—until I remembered that you had taken Ayanokōji-kun's room keys from my place. That's when I realized where you might be..."
— "If it weren't for Amasawa-san... who knows what could've happened."
The silence that fell over the room was even heavier and thicker than before. It was as if the air had been sucked out, and everyone there was struggling to breathe in a vacuum of pure discomfort.
The words still echoed in everyone's mind:
"A multimedia file."
"Your voice screaming and moaning this bastard's name."
It wasn't just a rumor. It wasn't just hallway gossip. This... this was premeditation. This was pure malice.
— "...No..." — The low voice cut through the silence.
It was Chihiro, finally whispering, almost lifelessly, as if trying to wake up from a nightmare.
She blinked slowly, her vision still blurred with tears. Her mouth opened slowly... and then a nervous laugh escaped.
— "...No... no... I didn't do that... this can't be real... it can't be..."
Her hands were trembling. Trembling so hard it looked like she could collapse at any moment.
She looked down at her hands as if they were dirty. As if she could see there the marks of crimes she didn't even remember committing.
— "Rumors... fine... I could believe that... but... this?" — She laughed again, louder this time, but it was a hollow, desperate laugh. — "This is a crime. This is jail. This is juvenile detention. This is... the end."
She could barely process it. The words collided in her mind. Recording something like that... spreading it... ruining someone's life out of pure jealousy... she could be many things, but a criminal?
It couldn't be real. She didn't want it to be real.
— "No... no... this... this is impossible... I wouldn't... I wouldn't do this...!"
But there it was. Her own voice echoing in her memories. The description was clear, cold, objective. No room for doubt.
— "Shōnen-in..." — she murmured almost soundlessly, her body cold. — "They'd send me to a shōnen-in... juvenile detention... youth rehabilitation...!"
The fear took over. It wasn't just shame anymore. It wasn't just guilt. It was pure existential panic.
Suzune, still standing beside Ayanokōji, watched the scene with a mixture of shock and disbelief. Even she hadn't expected such a grotesque level of madness.
She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, trying to restrain her own impulse to speak.
But she couldn't.
— "...This is absurd..." — she finally said. — "This isn't just some teenage girl's dumb mistake anymore. This is a crime, Chihiro."
Her name was spoken with surgical coldness. There was no hatred, no anger. Just a statement of fact.
Suzune opened her eyes slowly, staring at the trembling girl on the floor.
— "Do you have any idea what it means to record and try to spread an audio like that? Even if it were fake... even if it were forged... that kind of thing destroys a person. And not just them. It destroys families. Careers. Everything."
Kushida smirked at the corner of her lips. It wasn't a wide smile, it wasn't amusement. It was that sly, poisonous kind of smile.
— "So pathetic... all over some unrequited little crush. That's rock bottom."
Ichinose turned instantly:
— "Kushida! I said that's enough!"
But this time, Ichinose's tone was different. It wasn't just defensive. It was almost a desperate cry for order. She was shaken too. Much more than she let on.
— "This isn't the time for you to throw your poison around! She's already destroyed!"
Chihiro was still gasping, staring at nothing. The tears now poured in streams. It was as if her body was slowly imploding.
Ayanokōji remained still, cold, observing.
But Suzune... Suzune felt her fist clench for a few seconds.
Her face still held composure, but it was like glass about to crack.
— "...She followed me... she recorded me... she was going to destroy my life..."
Suzune didn't speak loudly. She spoke low, deep, like a whisper of restrained hatred.
Kei, who had been completely silent until now, clicked her tongue.
— "Tch... Pathetic."
She crossed her arms, looking away as if she were about to vomit, reminded of how her old school had girls who would easily do stuff like that just for a chance at some guy or similar things—disgusting.
— "That's why I've always hated girls like that... acting all sweet, but rotten inside. There's always one. Always."
Ichika, on the other hand, was more entertained than outraged.
She smiled at the corner of her lips, her eyes curious like someone watching a forbidden show.
— "So that's what I had to help prevent, huh...? Wow... senpai must've been so grateful to me afterward..." — she let out a low, teasing laugh, clearly enjoying herself.
But there was a detail there:
The gleam in her eyes wasn't just amusement.
It was pleasure in knowing she had been the piece that stopped a total disaster. That she held the keys to that scandal. That in the future, Amasawa Ichika had the power in the palm of her hand to collect a favor from her beloved senpai.
Ichinose knelt beside Chihiro again, grabbing her trembling hands.
— "Hey, look at me, Chihiro. This... this isn't you. That person on the screen... that's not you right now. You're here with us. With me. I trust you."
Chihiro shook her head desperately.
— "No...! No! It's not just a mistake! It's not just a slip-up! This... this is unforgivable...! I... I'm going to be expelled! I'm going to jail! I'm going to lose everything...!"
Ayanokōji tilted his head slightly, calmly analyzing her mental state from afar.
— "She's on the verge of total collapse," — he said flatly.
Suzune turned to him with a tense look, but no trace of pity.
— "She's cracking. She's not going to come back from this easily."
Ayanokōji gave a small nod.
And then Ryuen let out his characteristic laugh. Deep, mocking.
— "Hahahaha... This really is turning into a circus. But I have to admit, this has gone beyond even my sense of amusement."
He stared at Chihiro as if analyzing an insect trapped under glass, since even he himself wouldn't dare do such a thing; honestly, that kind of idea never even crossed his mind.
— "You really did all this because of that weakling Ichinose? Seriously? You didn't even think for a second about the consequences? Ah, but of course not. People like that never think."
Sakayanagi, who had been silent until then, finally gave a polite smile.
— "Crimes of passion... always the most tragic and the dumbest."
The tension was suffocating.
But unexpectedly, Sato was the one to speak now, frowning:
— "...Okay, but... how did no one notice this before? I mean... this was supposed to be a huge scandal..."
Ichinose sighed heavily, seeing the big problem she'd have to deal with during the break.
— "Amasawa covered it up. She must have threatened Chihiro not to spread it... But why?"
Ichika, overhearing this, smiled even wider, satisfied.
— "Ah... the motives of my future self. I want to know what my bargaining chip was... Did I really do this to help you, senpai, or just for pure whim?"
Suzune looked straight at Ichika.
— "...You helped. At least with that. Even if it was for fun or a bargain... you stopped something worse."
Ichika beamed from ear to ear.
Chihiro was still nearly fainting in Ichinose's arms, sobbing.
She couldn't move anymore. She had no strength left.
— "My... my future... my future is over... Everyone now knows I could do something like that, no one will trust me anymore."
Ichinose squeezed her hands tighter.
— "Your future isn't over. It hasn't happened yet. You're not that girl. Not yet. And you won't be."
Suzune let out a heavy sigh.
— "This goes way beyond school gossip. This is destruction."
Kushida, in the background, still smiled, satisfied with the chaos.
But everyone knew: this was only the beginning. The real bombs were still to come.
Ryota, silent, kept watching everyone with that mysterious smile.
The chaos was just starting.