Fear.

3 days before the exam.

"Hey Sudo! Stop zoning out in the middle of a game man!"

Sudo looked at his teammate with a blank expression and nodded.

"What has gotten into him?" one of his teammates questioned.

Sudo glanced at the clock and spoke in an emotionless tone, "I'm sorry, I've got to go," before quietly exiting the club without a backward glance. Outside, Horikita approached Sudo out of the blue and handed him a book. "I summarized everything in this book. I can only hope you don't fail, Sudo."

Sudo looked at the book, then turned to Horikita, attempting a smile. Over the past few weeks, he had truly come to appreciate Horikita's support, even if it didn't ultimately matter.

"Thank you," Sudo responded gratefully before beginning to walk towards the dorms. As he walked, he unexpectedly encountered someone he never thought he would see at this time.

His eyes widened as a certain brown-haired boy approached him. "Can we talk? I have a popsicle!" Yuto exclaimed in his usual cheerful tone.

_________________________

Sudo settled into an isolated chair next to Yuto, holding a melting popsicle. "Eat it before it melts!" Yuto urged cheerfully, startling Sudo into immediately placing the popsicle in his mouth and swallowing it out of reflex. Yuto smiled before proceeding to enjoy his own popsicle. "Yum! I knew orange was better," he exclaimed before falling silent.

Yuto sat quietly, his gaze fixed on the fountain before him, the rhythmic flow of water being the only sound between them. After a moment, he broke the silence. "Do you know what flavor your popsicle was?" he inquired, turning to look at Sudo witha girn.

Sudo, who had swallowed the popsicle whole, couldn't register the flavor at all. He shook his head in denial, admitting, "I couldn't taste it."

"I see, did you like the the taste then?"

Sudo looked at Yuto with a hint of confusion, wondering why he was being asked again when he had just stated that he couldn't taste the popsicle. "I couldn't taste it," he repeated.

Yuto turned to Sudo with a deadpan expression, locking eyes with him intensely. "Then how would you say you like basketball after only tasting it half-heartedly? How would you say that you hate studying after tasting it half-heartedly? How would you say that 'YOU' are Ken Sudo with only knowing yourself half-heartedly?" he questioned, his words probing deeper than just the flavor of the popsicle.

Sudo was utterly confused by Yuto's words, unsure of their meaning. Sensing Sudo's puzzled expression, Yuto stood up from his seat, stretching his arms before speaking again. "Nevermind what I said. I came here to apologize to you about what happened that day."

Sudo looked stunned by Yuto's apology. "No, no, don't be. All you did that day was show how incompetent I am," he replied, his tone heavy with self-doubt.

Yuto threw a sharp gaze at Sudo and asked, "Then why the hell are you still mourning about the past?" his words cutting through Sudo's self-deprecation.

As Sudo pondered Yuto's question, he realized that his sadness stemmed from losing to Yuto. But why did it matter so much? It wasn't a national-level tournament or anything significant. He thought of a few potential reasons, His ego. His confidence. His expectations. Looking down with a mixture of fear and nervousness, Sudo admitted, "I refused to accept it."

"Why?" Yuto asked in a steady tone.

"Ego." 

Yuto's slapped Sudo again, bringing back painful memories.

"Wrong answer. It's fear."

Sudo's eyes widened as Yuto continued, "Fear that you might get beaten again. Fear that people might see you as a loser. Fear that kills dreams, Sudo."

Sudo fell into deep thought, grappling with Yuto's words. But before he could dwell on them, Yuto interrupted, "Sudo, are you angry at me?"

"No. Never. I wouldn't dar-"

Yuto cut him off, "That's fear. Now answer honestly, are you angry at me?"

"Of course I am, you fucking bastard!" Sudo yelled.

"Then punch me."

Sudo tightened his fist and began walking towards Yuto, the latter added, "If you do, I'll punch you back." Sudo halted in his tracks, gritting his teeth. "See, Sudo, the very same fear is holding you back. Now-"

Before Yuto could continue, Sudo abruptly punched him in the face. "How does that feel, you fucking bastard!" Sudo roared, his anger palpable.

Yuto looked at Sudo and chuckled, "Nice one, Sudo! Now, as I promised!" With that, he retaliated with a punch to Sudo's face, causing him to stumble and fall.

Sudo looked up at Yuto, his face slightly swollen from the impact, and laughed, "Man, that hurts! But I feel much better now!"

Yuto smiled warmly and said, "Welcome back, Sudo Ken!"

Sudo grinned in return. "You're a better guy than I thought, Kazuki!"

Yuto's smile dimmed as he placed a hand on Sudo's shoulder. "You're still screwed for the exam," he remarked bluntly.

Sudo grimaced and shouted, "Kazuki, you bastard! You ruined my mood!"

_______________________________

2 days before the exam.

"Ayanokoji-kun, I think this is the first time you ever invited me somewhere! You must have a reason, right?" Kushida exclaimed in her usual, cheerful tone. 

"Can you promise me you won't breath a word to anyone?"

Kushida nodded.

As Ayanokoji scanned the cafeteria, his sharp eyes locked onto a particular figure. "Found him," he announced quietly, prompting a puzzled look from Kushida, who followed his gaze without comment. With purposeful strides, Ayanokoji approached the individual in question and settled into a seat beside him, Kushida gracefully following suit.

"Your Kashio Namakame from class 3-B, correct?" Ayanokoji inquired, his tone calm and composed.

Kashio regarded Ayanokoji with evident confusion. "Uh, who the hell are you now?" he responded bluntly.

Kushida looked at Kashio and thought, "Who is this weirdo? And why is he missing his front tooth?"

"I'm Kiyotaka Ayanokoji from class 1-D and I'm here to ask you for your first midterm questions from 2 years ago."

Kashio shouted in rage "And why the hell would I do that?!" 

Undeterred by Kashio's outburst, Ayanokoji remained composed and extended his phone toward him in a calm and collected manner. Caught off guard, Kashio accepted the phone, perplexed by the unexpected gesture. That's when he heard a voice

[Ahhhhh! Kashio, old friend. It as been so long!]

"Who the fuck are you?" Kashio scoffed.

[I see you don't recognize my voice, I'm Kazuki Yuto.]

Kashio's eyes widened in fear as he hastily apologized, "Oh, sir, I'm sorry for raising my voice. What is it that you want from a fool like me?"

Glancing at Ayanokoji, Kashio suddenly recognized him as the same individual whose coffee he had spilled not too long ago. A cold drop of sweat trickled down his side.

Meanwhile, Kushida watched the exchange with growing bewilderment. 'Why is this person so terrified of Kazuki?' she wondered. 'What could Kazuki have done to elicit such a drastic change in behavior?'

[Can you provide your first midterm papers to Ayanokoji over there?]

"Of course, sir. I'll do it right away!" Kashio responded hastily, eager to comply with Yuto's request and alleviate any potential repercussions.

As Kashio hurried off to retrieve the papers, Ayanokoji observed the scene with a thoughtful expression. 'To instill such fear in someone... Kazuki must be adept at manipulation as well,' he mused silently. 'The mere mention of his name sparks fear into his very being. It seems that Kazuki has left a significant impression on him.'