Later on, that afternoon.

Part 1.

"What took you two so long?! Are you living in another world or something?!"

The school's main bar was surprisingly empty and we had to travel a very long way just to be in this dark interorbital-looking area with oval-shaped tables every two meters from each other subsequent to every line. In addition to that; it was windowless which only made sense considering the strong illumination package from above. Nonetheless, this was an absolutely good place to be in as the conditional air resonated deeply within our nostrils.

Furthermore, it had the environment of a traditional bar which was quite elegant; far from the casual basipterygial appearance in modern bars. Attendants wearing well-made black and white uniforms as well who would not dare to show a grim expression on their faces no matter the cost. Instead, despite Carol's angry retort at our sights; as we took a seat, Shizuku and I were greeted with a humble request of our orders by an attendant walking towards our luxurious white-crystalized table in the furthest seat on the east; north side.

"A cola for me."

"Hmm... Then, a cola for me too. Ah, make sure to add the lemon! Otherwise, if there isn't a lemon, it's all ruined!"

Shizuku made the same request as mine; only adding a slight difference.

"Very well. Anything else for you two ladies?"

He was a young attendant; most surely in his early twenties, with his black hair fully slit back. In addition to that, he also had a cellphone in which he was sending the orders, most likely to his work acquaintances.

"No." x2.

With that, the attendant took a solemn gentle bow and made his way to the balcony which was not very far away from us; only ten meters to the opposite direction. Consequently, the very fact that we were ignoring the ones in front of us, caused them to be mildly upset.

"You've got the nerve to ignore us, after we---"

Before Anea could get any more wrong ideas, I spoke with haste and shattered her assumptions.

"Slow down, will you?"

"Then at least apologize for being late, no?"

"It couldn't be helped because we were too busy with your one and only Liyuga, after all..."

In the meantime, we had gotten our requests to our table. They did have Shizuku's lemon slice added to her cup, so she looked like a child smiling happily when she got it. We could pay after we were done, so there was no rush.

Yet Anea didn't take my words very kindly.

"That was very vague... Care to elaborate?"

I was thinking of exploiting the possibility of Anea having a crush on Liyuga, but Shizuku thought differently and instead brought the truth forth after she was done sipping on her ice-cold-looking cola.

"What Yukishiro meant to say is that we were busy attending Liyuga in our classroom tod--"

"We already know that Liyuga went to your classroom this afternoon! What's inexcusable is the fact that you two were late for 15 minutes when we agreed to meet at 6 pm on point!"

There was no guarantee that they knew what Liyuga was up to, but the chances of Liyuga having to tell his class what he was doing this afternoon were high anyway. Carol is highly upset about the fact that we were late yet I didn't really care much and just went straight to the point.

"Liyuga said that a companion of his was going to take care of the "rumor" issue."

"Yes, we also know that. And that's very much the problem..."

"Forgive my ignorance, but... why?"

Midst my sipping session, I couldn't help but wonder whether Shizuku was actually unaware of why it was a problem or if she was pretending to be ignorant.

To this simple question, Anea answered in a passive-aggressive manner.

"Because his "companion" isn't as kind as Liyuga and he will get to the source fairly quickly. He is the right-hand man of the student council's president. But of course, you just had no way of knowing this, did you?"

"No..."

Shizuku answered that rather weakly, so I added something to it; after putting my glass cup down softly.

"Your worries are unnecessary. By tomorrow, his "companion" will be far busier dealing with what's to come..."

"Explain, Yukishiro."

I hate how stupidly aggressive Carol is. She has no remorse whatsoever in her words and her attitude is impulsive.

Regardless, I can't just price her for being rude right now, despite wanting to do so.

"Haven't you noticed how your rumors have been escalating quite highly?"

"Of course! That's because we have been the main source of such said rumors. Or what? Are you saying you helped us out? Is that it?"

I did wonder about whether they should know of Arkalee's doing or not, but if I don't tell them the truth, they will get paranoid and they will think of quitting when we have come this far.

"A person in our class."

"Tell us her name then."

Anea kindly asked us with a calm voice; though to her demanding solemn request, I took a more opportunistic approach.

"I don't mind doing that. If, you tell us the name of Liyuga's "companion". That and his class. Information about him, if possible. I would like to know who I'm dealing with here."

In the middle of this, Shizuku started to take a notebook out of her bag to possibly take notes of what Anea was about to say.

Skeptical as ever though, Carol begged to differ.

"Don't even think about dealing with him. He will get you expelled in no time!"

Upon hearing that, Shizuku took notes of what Carol was saying. She was being very obedient and respectful towards the details; even if it was indirect information. I like that attitude of hers.

"Why are you so afraid of him exactly?"

Alternating speech turn, Anea spoke this time around.

"We are not afraid of him, it's just that... He loves his job too much and he's a guy who takes it pretty seriously."

The more I look at the expression of Anea which is an expressive mixture of seriousness and guiltiness, the more I assume that she has ties with this person.

"Are you familiar with him, Anea?"

"I don't think that's relevant here. Can you not involve him though? I would prefer if we kept this from escalating any further."

In other words, Anea and Carol have a similar approach here.

They are looking to get this over with and pretend this never happened.

However, that would be extremely boring and dull.

"So you want to quit?"

To this, Carol showed no hesitation in replying; as the answer to her was pretty obvious.

"Of course we want to quit. It's just a stupid rumor. Plus, it's your class's issue. Not ours."

"What a shame it has to end this way, right, Shizuku?"

"Indeed."

We looked to be done here. Shizuku and I traded glances yet we both knew that we weren't going to back down.

Anea and Carol flashed their smirks as they thought that their worries would vanish should our little deal be done here.

Nevertheless, we can't just have that.

"I guess you two are getting expelled then."

"H-Huh?!"

"...What is the meaning of this...?"

Contrasting their reactions, Carol and Anea expressed immediate worry; to which I showed absolutely no hesitation in replying.

After all, I just showed them my cellphone and I clicked on one of the recordings to play, in which they heard their voices be played.

"This is a countermeasure that I didn't want to use, but I'm making you two my hostages."

Upon hearing my surely ludicrous words, Carol didn't hesitate to erupt her posture and aggressively slam the table in response before spewing words of spite.

"How dare you record our conversations like that?! Only someone with no shred of respect would ever do that! Have you no pride?!"

"Say whatever you want and it won't make a difference. I can file these recordings to Liyuga and expose you two in no time."

This was Shizuku's suggestion; she feared that their withdraw could damage our overall progression and she was right. Thus, in order to combat such a cowardly approach; we had to take a higher cowardly approach. Therefore, we recorded our previous conversation.

In addition to that, Shizuku's cellphone is recording this conversation.

"...Why haven't you done that then...?"

"Anea! Why are you showing them that attitude?!"

"Because this could damage our reputation. Sure, we can easily avoid this situation in the long run, but it will damage us. And if they wanted to damage us, they would've already done so, wouldn't they?"

"......"

Unable to reason any further why we were threatening them here, Carol retook her seat, glanced at us, and then calmly asked us the question.

"So...? Why haven't you two done it?"

I answered, but only after taking a long sip at my cola. I prolonged it with yet another sip just to further extend their anxiety. Their anxious looks and disturbed eyebrows made me feel like I was in control and I loved that sentiment so much I prolonged it for the third time.

Just as Carol was about to have an outburst, I cut in.

"You---"

"As I've said, my dear Carol, and my dear Anea, it's just a countermeasure. A countermeasure, for your information, is a measure used to counter something. An example: a cowardly approach. Do you get it now?"

"What Yukishiro really wants to tell you is that we don't like it when others give up on us when we didn't give up on them. Right?"

"You could say that, Shizuku."

We giggled at each other, to Anea and Carol's paranoia.

Then, I continued.

"Don't do that ever again or else we will screw you up."

To my cold words containing not a trace of warm emotion, Anea and Carol simply complied.

"Now, I would like to know a few things about Liyuga's companion. Let's start with his name. If you'd like to start speaking, Anea, that would be nice."

Borderline terrified, Anea took a while to answer that.

Something to note here is that these girls have a strong attachment to clout. Well, why wouldn't you? You are in a school and those close to you may look up to you perhaps solely based on your reputation. Isn't therefore the logical decision to do to protect your reputations at all costs?

It's one of the worst feelings ever to be looked down upon when you've built your reputation for as long as you can remember.

Having it stolen away from you in the simple glimpse of seconds is devastating.

I'll emphasize that much in my mind.

"He has a nickname which is P.P. Or his full name; Percy Phoenix."

"He has an English name. Not Japanese therefore?"

Ironically enough, it was Shizuku who started to lead the conversation and I felt like I could leave this conversation to her.

"Australian, I think. I am not sure."

"Thanks, Anea. Nationality is actually relevant..."

So Shizuku said as she took notes.

"Go on."

Whilst doing so, Shizuku focused on her note-taking with an undivided focus accompanied alongside an imperial demanding detail to her details.

"Percy is highly responsible for the peace around the school, you could say, but that's only because he is radical."

"In what way is he radical?"

Although I asked Anea this, it was Carol who replied. Even though I was under the impression that Carol had no knowledge about Percy.

And in midst of that reply, her facial expression slightly turned into a far more worried one rather than the angry impulsive expression glued to her person 24/7.

"He is a genius when it comes to getting you expelled. At first, you'll think of him as a pretty kind guy, but if you are even close to infringing the laws of the school, he will get you expelled."

"Now wait just a second... There's something I'm not understanding here..."

Completely focused on her writing; Shizuku posed a future question.

"You've mentioned how he is a genius when it comes to expulsion, but how can someone have such power? Isn't the principal the only one who is allowed to exorcise expulsion?"

To my understanding, only the principal should have such power, so Shizuku's ideology here intertwines with mine for sure.

And it looked to be that way with Anea and Carol; nonetheless, Anea begged to differ just a little bit.

"It's a privilege by the principal himself. Percy is in charge of expulsion; not the principal. This does not mean however that Percy has the superior authority: they just have equal power when it comes to expelling students."

"What... That's a bit too ridiculous... Haha..."

"You said it..."

Our reactions were genuine. I am not sure how it will go if we were to be subjected to Percy's actions then it could be that avoiding expulsion might be impossible. If so, then it's very crucial that we avoid Percy's attention.

Though...

"Anea, answer me this... Would he expel the likes of you the same way he would expel, someone like me?"

"It pains me to say this, but yes. He has no qualms about expulsion."

I am starting to think that we have been very lucky thus far. After all, we have managed to avoid Percy's radar for some reason.

Shizuku then, for a small second, looked at Anea, the center of the attention currently, and asked her the lingering question in our minds.

"Am I missing something here? Why hasn't Percy bothered with our class, Yukishiro?"

"....."

Seeing my sudden silence, Anea intervened, which caused me to look in her direction subsequently.

"Your class is mediocre, so to say. He would not bother with a class of your level. Normally, at least."

"By normally, Anea, you mean how he now has a reason to be bothered?"

At long last, Anea took a hold of her round cup of green tea and took a small sip. The tea was already in front of her when we got here, so it's safe to assume that she got it from before that.

My question was answered with a brutal level of honesty.

"He's pesky. Whatever gets the ball rolling, he will be there. Your class quarrels were nothing a day ago, but now it's a different story because we have contributed to its growth and so did your friend, which you still have to give the name to."

"More like, why isn't she here? What's the deal?"

To Carol's curiosity, I answered fastly.

"Arkalee's overly sensitive and she has a bad habit of bragging about her boyfriend and how much he loves her in a very annoying way."

"And she would drag the conversation for days, so we thought it would be better to not let her come."

They simply took that and moved on.

Then, Shizuku continued.

"What else is there to say about Percy, Anea?"

While this was happening, I couldn't help but notice the intrigue level of disturbance in Carol's face as she was not getting any attention whatsoever. As a matter of fact, for her to get any attention, she had to make lines of her own in this conversation.

"The key thing about him is how he can expel you. We have witnessed this a few times. Whenever there's a fight going on, as soon as he acknowledges who is to blame, that person is expelled. In other words, I would say if you want to avoid getting expelled, do NOT come into his radius of attention. The more you show off, the higher your chances of being expelled."

"This is bugging me, but do you have any idea what drives him to be so tyrannical?"

Anea thought long and hard about this question of mine and after a small sip of her tea, she rightfully answered.

"I believe it's because it's not viewed as tyranny. He only does it if the element of attention is considered wrong by many."

So there is a way to manipulate who he deems is wrong and isn't. He accepts that which is wrong not because his moral compass says so but due to the favoring opinion of all...

No, this seems a bit too immature, I need to assert something here.

"Anea, why do so many people support Percy? Assuming they do, that is."

"I swear, it's as if you two live in another world completely absent from this school as a whole. The ridiculousness in your questions is off the charts."

So is your irrelevance right now, Carol, but of course, I won't tell you that.

Instead, I fully emerged my attention onto Anea, who, once again, took my question quite seriously. It should also be common knowledge by now that Anea perhaps knows a little bit too much about Percy, which is a good thing, in general.

"Again, as I've mentioned, although his actions are radical, they often help people. It's very hard to bully someone under these rules, however, if it's possible, then it must be conducted very secretly. And..."

Looking down on the table, Anea looked to have resembled something from the past.

It didn't even take me a full second to realize that Anea and this Percy guy are perhaps deeply connected. If I had to make another guess, Anea's example of bullying and how Percy gets the other person out of the bullying by expelling the said person conducting the bullying could very well imply that Anea was bullied before.

She does have a more passive attitude; fully fledged like a victim of bullying.

Nevertheless, she regained her composure rapidly.

"He's not a bad person if you are not a bad person. And what we are doing is a bad thing, but we've agreed to do it, so we can't turn back now."

I am very glad that she recognizes the degree of seriousness of the situation, unlike the pile of madness that is the individual right next to her.

"It's getting late, so can we do a quick rundown on this, Yukishiro?"

As per Anea's request, I took my last sip of cola and got to the conclusive point.

"Sure. In conclusion, we allow the events of tomorrow to unfold without backing down. Should Percy come after you, do your best, or simply play dumb. We will do our part, right, Shizuku?"

"For sure. Though, there's more pressure on Arkalee than on us, honestly."

I shrugged.

"Wait, what are you two planning?"

Ever curious, Carol couldn't help but ask that.

Rising to the translucent pale surface; my smirk came.

"The opening curtain. Thanks to the help of you two, it will be possible soon."

"Are you two even enduring a tyranny or was all of that just a lie?"

Anea's question had an obvious answer, to which we didn't answer, and instead, Shizuku stuffed her notebook and pen in her bag which prompted us to leave.

As we silently made our way to the exit, I noticed that in addition to the attendant coming in our direction; Anea and Carol had not left their seat and were talking instead.

"You forgot to pay."

We took a full second to answer that and another second to look at each other. And a third second for Shizuku to continue her way to the exit while I delivered my words to the patient attendant.

"There's a beautiful lady who has a very charismatic personality; mostly impulsive, who said that everything was on her. Her name is Carol. Please tell her I said thanks. Gracias~"

"....Ok."

Part 2.

As we made our way to the dorm which stayed extremely towards the south, we watched the blazing dusk.

Barely any students were walking on our sights. As a matter of fact, most were in their dorms.

Whilst walking, Shizuku was reviewing her notes about Percy.

That's when I started to talk about something that had been on my mind to her.

"I had a thought, Shizuku."

"Really? About what?"

"You know, the stupid event in the afternoon. How Liyuga told us that there was like tax evasion."

To be more precise, I had this thought when I was walking with Shizuku to our location where we'd meet up with Anea and Carol.

In my mind, I attempted to connect the actions of Omega thus far with this tax evasion and there was only one logical conclusion to this that I was overlooking.

"I think that it wasn't Omega who did the tax evasion thing... That's not like him... At all..."

It's not like you to not show off. If you do something; as I once remarked, it's chaotic but you make sure the whole world remembers it.

This; however... It's completely different and I failed to capitalize on it.

That aside, Shizuku finally put her notebook inside her bag that she is carrying on her right shoulder and gave me her full attention.

From inside her bag, she took out two gums and gave one to me.

"Mint."

"Me likes it."

My adoration towards the flavor of mint aside, the moment I put the gum in my mind, I got back to the point.

"Did he have, maybe, an acquaintance?"

"Yukishi, well, is Yukishi fine to call you? You call me Shiz, so I think this is fine?"

"I only really have a problem if someone calls me Yuki. I can't stand it."

"Okay, I won't question it, don't worry."

"I like you so much."

"I like you too, Yukishi."

The fading sunlight was something we were basking under at that moment in time.

But really, I like Shizuku. She gets me and we don't even have to go an extensive mile to understand each other. I think that when you really understand someone else without doing too many things; it's a great feeling. It feels nice.

Of course, I much prefer the indirect affection you give me, Omega.

"To answer your question... Well, according to you, he likes to do things openly, right?"

"No, no. The result is pretty open, he does not do things openly. There's a big difference."

"Oh, I get it now!"

Shizuku jammed her closed right fist into her left palm and awed for a bit.

Transiently after, she returned her attention to my entirety.

"Then, there's an obvious difference. This wasn't an open result. As a matter of fact, it took weeks for this to be administered. In other words, this person likes to keep things private. Can we be certain that it wasn't a girl who helped him out...?"

"......"

I stopped my tracks and looked down on the white floor; covered with a crystalized clean mosaic in which I saw my grim reflection midst my wide-open eyes.

Shortly after, I took a deep inhale while looking at Shizuku, who got the message fairly quickly.

"....That was just an assumption..."

"I know, but... I don't want to think about it. Not one bit..."

I resumed my tracks once again and joined Shizuku's side.

Something interesting about this school is that you can travel all the blocks if you go to the upper parts as they all have a connecting bridge. There's just a big counter to this said unity of a bridge. It's restricted to all students while classes are occurring.

It's a very different story when classes aren't occurring, which is the case currently. Also, this bridge only goes all the way to block E.

That's why we can never access it. But, block A is so heavenly and fancy that there are elevators that connect to the bridge that we are currently under. At the moment, we are scrolling by block B.

In addition to this, you can also see the rest of the school from up above.

It feels like I'm looking at ants...

"So we are leading with two figures here? Is that it, Yukishi?"

"It is the case. I figured it would make sense to think about their behaviors a little bit and since you seem to take notes on whatever catches your interest, what do you think about this...?"

"Let's see..."

This time around, she took out her notebook again and went to the earlier pages.

I've been meaning to ask her what that notebook is exactly so I went ahead and did that.

"What is that notebook, Shiz...?"

"My diary. Except, well, it's more like a diary of impressions. I record my thoughts on others."

"I see..."

I wonder if she has me in there...

"Okay, soooo... If we go by someone who is openly chaotic, then we have Kawahara on the top, don't you think?"

"It doesn't seem correct to make Kawahara the top suspect though."

"Why not though?"

"Because it's a really obvious choice. I would say that Kawahara is the scapegoat here. Wouldn't you say so, Shiz?"

"Oh, I see what you mean, Yukishi! That's fair. But... On the other hand, you want to know someone who does things very privately and keeps it all to himself? I'm guessing you want to do the Omega discovery yourself?"

What Shizuku just said is correct.

I would like to uncover Omega's identity myself if possible, but I don't mind getting some sort of help whenever it comes to discovering this other person's identity.

"It would be my biggest pleasure, Shiz."

"Ah, you have a pretty soft heart, don't you?"

"N-No..."

"Oh, you blushed!! Ahhh, hahaha! You're so cute when you're embarrassed!"

Embarrassed, I looked the opposite way of Shizuku for a while...

"Don't torment me... I'm being kind by allowing you to go this far!"

"I know, I know! It's nice, real love."

Swirling around the floor, Shizuku managed to look at my flushed face that I was hiding and joined my left side; making our physical perspectives change.

"I'll tell you a small story. I think that if there is someone who is fairly chaotic and has the courage to do something like tax evasion, then it would be him!"

At that exact moment, Shizuku said the word "him" out loud, we had crossed over to block C.

It was now 7 pm.

Nevertheless, my attention wasn't directed towards the vanishing orange dusk, but to Shizuku, who had a story about someone; a particular male.

"Him...?"

"Sagasuga! Do you remember back in February? I got paired up with him. You got paired up with Rayazaki."

"Oh right, the guy who I purposely screwed up. Go on."

Still, Sagasuga?

I am quite curious now.

"Mhm. I was very nervous at first because the exam revolved around a weird system of compatibility. The physical one, so to speak."

"It was pure hell. And nonsensical. I wish to forget about it as soon as possible."

"I thought so too! But what caught me off guard was Sagasuga. He's rather... perfect?"

"Someone's got a crush on Sagasuga. Time to tell the whole class about it."

Although I was just joking about that, Shizuku didn't take what I said seriously and proceeded to explain what she actually meant by her previous words.

"I am serious. It freaked me out a little bit."

"What do you mean? Are you saying he's objectively perfect...?"

"That could be it, Yukishi. Everything he did at the time struck me with a sense of dullness because it was all according to his thought process. If he were to run a full mile, he would make sure that he wasn't out of breath or that his movements were too rushed. It's as if it was all according to some sort of hidden concept. What really caught me off guard was how there was nothing linking to that said perfection. If you are perfect, you feel the need to constantly exhibit it."

A hidden concept...

"Do you have any idea what that concept could be? Did he ever mention something about it, Shiz?"

"I once non-ironically asked him if he was made out of stone because he always had a very monochromatic expression and his reply was: "I am what the environment is shaping towards."..."

"Are you sure he wasn't just trying to flirt with you?"

"My gut tells me that wasn't the case. Actually, we did get pretty physically close together. I think I had a crush on him for like thirty minutes. Do you know when you just have a crush on someone for a very short span of a period? Sagasuga is going to be the guy I will remember whenever I'm making time for the train to arrive at the station. Haha!"

What Shizuku just said is so horribly relatable that I refused to speak even a word about it.

It would be the end of me if I were to admit that I used to have a daily crush back in elementary school.

"But where I'm getting at is... He's suspicious. The more perfect you are, the more of a narcissistic sociopath you could be. If he was doing teamwork with someone who has a contrasting behavior, then Sagasuga would not be a show-off and would do things very secretly."

"So you believe it's Sagasuga? The one behind the tax evasion?"

"I know it sounds stupid, but hey, it's already a stupid situation, so what does it even matter anymore..."

She shrugged but ultimately didn't give up on her point and continued.

"Don't worry though. It will all become clearer once the boys come back. Speaking of which... What the hell are they even doing? Are they going to spend their time there forever? It's almost been a week, for crying out loud."

"I know right?! What the hell!"

Part 3.

April 16th. 7:30 am.

Crowded.

Such was my view as I looked out of the window from the inside of my room.

Shizuku and Arkalee were already in my room. Shizuku on my bed and Arkalee right at my side.

I didn't even need to look at her to realize that she was feeling nervous. I would too if I were in her position. But as it stands, she has an audience outside. An emotional outside who is outraged at the fact that a single class has been made out of slaves.

They want to know the credibility of the rumors and they have been shouting for Ikkiri ever since 7 am.

I cannot imagine Ikkiri's paranoia right now, but the time is nigh.

Therefore, I turned around and looked at Arkalee. Ultimately, I placed my two hands on her shoulders and said my imperial words.

"Arkalee, you are going to go there and cry for them. It's what you do best. However, this won't do. Don't you think so, Shiz?"

"Yes, yes! Arkalee doesn't look like a victim, really..."

Arkalee was confused about what we were talking about so she stepped in.

"...? Don't I just have to freak out? I even called out my friends and they are there! Once I tell them the lie, they will support me! Isn't that our deal?"

I looked at Arkalee with mischievous eyes and Shizuku was beginning to sneak behind her.

Accordingly, Arkalee just had to obey our orders.

What were our orders exactly though? This was something discussed previously, the day before this day. We told Arkalee to make herself be the victim of Ikkiri and her imperial tyranny which was ruling over the class; otherwise, the rumors would lose credibility, and right here and now, beneath this beautiful cerulean gray less sky without a single cloud at sight; stands a crowd approaching 100 or so students outside of the dorm protesting against our rights simply due to the fact that this school is quite sensitive when it comes to things like these.

It's not an overreaction because order and peace are essential for a society to function and we LIVE in a society.

It does not feel right for a human being that's within a society to allow something bad to go on.

"Yes, our deal... But Arkalee... I think we have different perspectives here."

"Huh...? What are you talking about Yukishiro? I haven't been understanding a single word that has come out of your mouth over the past seconds...!"

"Arkalee, I'll be honest here. You can't just be a victim without something actually happening to you. It's not a realistic perspective. Lying without evidence is a dangerous gamble. And I don't like to gamble at crucial moments, so we are going to have to do things a bit differently!"

The moment I exclaimed; I closed my window's curtains and turned the lamp's light on.

That way, only a small yet intense light was spread throughout the room.

At this moment, everyone should be downstairs; after all, they are undoubtedly more preoccupied with the screaming voices coming from outside. They are demanding Ikkiri to explain herself but the poor girl has not a fucking clue why this is happening! I want to roll on the floor so badly, but I must do what's meant to be.

"Shizuku, hold her arms tight."

"Yup."

Just like that, with an impulse of strength, Shizuku rendered Arkalee useless on her knees.

Arkalee had not the slightest clue why Shizuku was doing this, but as soon as she saw what I took out of my desk's drawers, she started to panic, and most surely; she wanted to scream as loud as possible.

"W-W-W-W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! YUKISHIRO, DROP THAT KNIFE! RIGHT NOW!"

Correction; she was screaming as loud as she possibly could.

I approached her slowly and spoke the truth while crossing the small metallic's sharp edge on the coast of her throat.

"I'm giving you the choice here. Choose a spot of your body that will be the knife's target."

"NO! I AM NOT DOING THIS!! LET GO OF ME, SHIZUKU!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Because Arkalee was screaming so much, I closed in the knife on her right hand's palm since Shizuku allowed her right arm to be free for a while.

Then, I slowly cut the surface of her palm, which would cause her to scream, but Shizuku tapped her mouth with the hand that wasn't holding the arm.

"Ghhhhhh!!!"

"Now listen here, Arkalee... You are misunderstanding! I am telling you that you need to look like the victim, but literally!"

She was crying such heavy tears that her entire figure starting to resemble a waterfall.

Still, I didn't want to deal with Arkalee's spite later on, so I started to manipulate her mentally by using her weak point.

"You're not seeing this through our eyes, Arkalee. We couldn't tell you earlier because you wouldn't agree with this methodology. Right, Shiz?"

"It's as Yukishiro says. We don't intend to infuriate you, it's just that it's very crucial for you to look like a proper victim right now. And no, telling lies won't do. We will have to damage your body..."

However, this caused Arkalee's paranoia to grow even larger as she looked restless with her movements. Plus, the blood in her right palm was no joke.

No way that would be enough, of course, so I spoke once again to the teary Arkalee; our future perfect victim in just a matter of minutes.

"Listen, Arkalee. Would Hyunda ever forgive Ikkiri if he were to know that Ikkiri damaged you severely? Let me answer that for you. No fucking way he would. As a matter of fact, wouldn't he shower you with his attention forever to come? As long as you act traumatized by this event, he will be forced to give you his attention. And tell me something, Arkalee, isn't this the perfect scenario for you...?"

As expected, Arkalee was starting to show a less disturbed reaction and she was most surely beginning to wonder about the success of this whole scheme.

I looked towards Shizuku and she got the signal. Thus, Arkalee was free once again.

She took deep breaths at first and as she did such, I continued.

"Ikkiri is so screwed. NO ONE can overlook an actual physical wound. I am extremely aware of how dangerous this is, but... If you don't do this, then you will never be in the lead."

"....I don't want to, to, to----I'm so scared----! Please, I...! But, I.......!!"

Arkalee slowly began to reach out to the knife that I am holding with her right hand which is massively bleeding but kept going back and forth; ultimately indecisive.

"I will be so ugly once I'm damaged and Hyunda won't----!!!"

"If he really loves you, he will stay with you. No matter what happens to you."

"Arkalee, only you have the power to truly screw Ikkiri. It's now or never. Decide."

Per Shizuku's ultimatum, Arkalee kept on looking at the knife meekly.

I thought that she was not going to do it ultimately and I was thinking of cutting parts of her face to truly add up to the horror but Arkalee did something that blew both my mind and Shizuku's away straight up.

Full of fear, she must've thought about the ultimate reward she would achieve should this work and so, she took that chance and the emotional impulse to forcefully grab my knife and stab herself in the abdomen!!

"GAAAAAHHH!!!! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! I'M GOING TO DIE, HELP ME!!!"

A strong wave of blood started to flow from Arkalee's abdomen at the speed of light; consuming all of her uniform shirt's surface.

Seeing the scarlet color aroused me transiently yet this was it. Before Shizuku could panic, I issued the plan of action.

"Shizuku! Grab her from the left side! I'll grab her from the right side! We are carrying her to the outside, right now!!"

"This is gonna work, right?! She's not going to die halfway, right?! Holy shit, holy shit!"

"Shizuku, we can't panic! Not here! Quick, just grab her, or else we will leave her to die!"

Rapidly, we didn't hesitate to support Arkalee's body with all of her weight onto our shoulders and started to carry her out of the room.

Then, as we were going to the stairs, I issued Arkalee, who was screaming beyond her lungs with agonizing sounds running ramparts all over the halls, the orders.

"Arkalee, this is it! Start cursing against Ikkiri and blame her! Everyone will believe you!"

"Now or never! Shit, is she going to die, Yukishiro?!"

Step by step, we descended fastly; dragging Arkalee's body completely soulless through every step of the way.

Ikkiri was still inside of the cafeteria being protected by Akimiyashika and Hinagiku while the other girls were missing in action.

This gave me the window of opportunity to strike.

"DAMN YOU, IKKIRI!!!"

Impressively enough, Arkalee had such a deep hatred inside her heart to the point where she was cursing as loud as she could towards Ikkiri who had supposedly stabbed her.

I was wrong to assume that she was just a lunatic crybaby. She is so much more, what the hell! She literally stabbed herself in her abdomen just to play the victim! The level of brutality that she's capable of is probably unpredictable!

This is super thrilling!

"YOU STABBED ME IN THE GUT JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE A LITTLE JEALOUS BITCH WHO CAN'T GET OVER AN OLD CRUSH?!"

Along the way, we came across Gale, who was already on the first floor, near the bottom of the stairway that would lead from the second floor to the first floor.

Shizuku showed absolutely no hesitation in telling her to join our side.

"Gale!! Arkalee got stabbed by Ikkiri, help us! We have to bring Arkalee to the school's hospital!!"

"W-What? That--- Oh my God, she's bleeding so heavily!!"

That's when I said; while landing on the first floor with Arkalee's body glued to my shoulder.

"Call the others and tell them that Ikkiri stabbed her! Don't believe anyone who says otherwise! She's lying!"

"I--------"

Usually, you would doubt something this outrageous.

But do you need more evidence, when, in front of you, there's a girl bleeding a scarlet waterfall from her abdomen? Plus, the cafeteria stays on the second floor, so...

If I come down from the second floor to the first one, then you'd assume that's what happened at least.

"I understand! Please get Arkalee to the school's hospital!"

"We will!" x2.

"I FUCKING HATE YOU IKKIRI! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME!!! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! WHY WERE YOU EVEN BORN INTO THIS WORLD ANYWAYS?! YOU USELESS ABOMINATION OF SHIT!"

"Pfft!"

Accidentally, I laughed at that. I literally just couldn't hold myself back. This whole situation was far too hilarious not to.

But as we were dragging her body to the outside, Shizuku reprehended my behavior quickly.

"Yukishiro.... This isn't funny..."

"......."

I simply focused on opening the door of the dorm which brought forth Olivia's attention.

She didn't even know how to react to Arkalee's body bleeding like that and stood there paralyzed.

Shizuku showed no hesitation in calling her out though.

"Olivia?! What the hell?! Can't you see Arkalee's bleeding?! She's been stabbed by Ikkiri!"

No response whatsoever, at least not immediately.

Only after we had entered the outside, did Olivia show a verbal reaction.

"Arkalee!"

As we arrived outside, multiple people were waiting for Ikkiri to come out of the dorm to interrogate her, but all it took was my crystal clear analysis of the scenario.

Students from various classes; varying from years of age surely stood there reunited unable to react for a split second. It didn't matter to those who were occupying the benches; those who were on their cellphones; to those who were recording this whole event, what mattered in this bright scenario full of radiant morning light was to convey the message.

A message so powerful that would make everyone here believe that Ikkiri had been the culprit behind this.

Part 4.

9 am. Classroom.

It was beyond me how even after all the fuss that went down, all the questions that I was asked while I was being filmed through the cellphones, how, despite everything, all in all, we are having classes.

And our teacher does not look happy. Not one bit.

All she said in these thirty minutes was for the ones present to take a seat and that those who would not come today would have to explain themselves and give a very valid reason for their absence.

After all, this program is essentially partial to our school.

Despite that, Yuka-sensei looked extremely mad and simply looked at us with her fingers crossed/intertwined with each other. Her grim apathetic expression without speaking a single word struck fear onto us.

At the current moment, only I, Shizuku, Tateyana, Gale, Sana, Lus, and Kanawari were present in the classroom. Akimiyashika and Hinagiku stayed in the dorm because the students were beyond outraged by what had happened and were attempting to break into the dorm. However, the boys' guard, George Kentucky, stepped in to make sure no one would be there to harm Ikkiri.

I must say that I did not count for his interference... It was quite unexpected... And unfortunate.

Against that, some students are forcefully skipping classes just because they want to have a word with Ikkiri. They all looked so ready to kill, but.... but... I did all this for yet another purpose... He did not show up though...

What's going on...? Was that not the perfect bait? Arkalee is now in the school's hospital. She had to take an emergency surgery in the hope she would survive.

In conclusion, we have spent thirty minutes not doing absolutely anything, as we are all too afraid to speak.

Though I think like that, there is one person who isn't really afraid of what is going on. She is so supremely focused on reviewing the subjects that have been taught over the last weeks by Yuka-sensei that she is taking Yuka-sensei's silence as a way to study.

Lus is weird...

I glanced at Shizuku who was at my right and she did the same.

Then, I looked at Gale who had her back against me since she was in the front middle line; facing the board.

Tateyana was looking at the outside scenario through the window...

Kanawari and Lus were extremely close to the front door yet were divided by three tables ultimately; standing in the last line.

And Sana, right in front of Lus.

This classroom never looked this empty and surely, slowly, absolutely, even the smallest sound would sound gigantic.

If I were to focus my audition completely, then I could hear Lus's pen scribbling on her notebook's paper surface.

".........."

Are we going to stay like this forever....?!

I can barely look at Yuka-sensei because she looks like a ghost who is there at the bottom corner starring at your soul as if all your secrets were naked.

That was when I started to beg myself.

Something.

Something, something.

Something happen! I can't take this infinite silence! I want something to happen!

"...!!"

That was when I thought to myself that my wish had come to realize itself. Not even Lus was able to ignore the immense sound coming from the door that was being knocked to.

Although being right next to it, Lus did not open the door and everyone else; myself included, was ensure what was the best decision to take right now.

But I knew that if I were to let this chance slip by that nothing would change, so I took that chance and got up to announce my decision.

"....I will be attending the door if that's alright."

It scared me that silence still remained despite my words towards Yuka-sensei.

My footsteps have never sounded so loud. Seriously, all in all, I was hoping that it was Ikkiri. Or Akimiyashika. Or Hinagiku. Because Yuka-sensei is probably waiting for Ikkiri to come here so she can have a conversation with her.

Yet the single transient moment I slid my fingers into the door's manipulator, that one momentary trail of light my eyes were chasing; when I started to notice that there was not a skirt on the individual's clothing, I knew that it couldn't be a girl from our class.

Furthermore, students were prohibited from entering this block unless they were from our class.

Exceptions, however, are immune to this circumstance.

And even though I knew not who he technically was; everything about him, his aura, and most surely the confident carefree smile he was wearing told me that I already knew who he was despite not knowing.

"Thirty whole seconds to get to the door? I can see why this block's the center of trash talk recently."