Chapter 2

"I wonder if Kitamura-kun will actually come to school today. You

don't think he's going to take the day off…nuaahh."

It was Friday morning, the day of the week when they were just

waiting for the weekend.

Beneath the incredibly overcast sky, Taiga stuck her hands in her

pockets and hunched her back. A cold wind that seemed to be pushing late

autumn into the start of winter fluffed up her soft hair.

"What are you going 'nuaahh' about?"

"It's cold. I feel like it just suddenly got cold today. I'm wearing a

knit vest under my jacket, but that's not even close to enough… Maybe I

should bring out my coat soon."

"You don't need that yet, it's only November. You just run cold."

"You say that when you're the only one all bundled up…ugh, I'm

gonna die."

"It's too early for coats, but scarves are just right for the season."

Ryuuji walked slightly behind Taiga. Even though it was premature,

he had a scarf wrapped snugly around his neck. It's a matter of having the

right information, he thought. Ryuuji let his sanpaku eyes glint particularly

cruelly. According to the morning weather report, that day would be very

chilly. After seeing that report, he had wrapped himself right up in his scarf,

which had been on standby since he'd laundered it several days earlier.

"If you start wearing a coat today, then you won't have anything to

wear when it's actually winter. Kitamura hasn't replied to my messages. I

messaged him as soon as I woke up this morning, too."

"Right."

They trod on dry leaves as they walked their usual route to school,

lined by the Zelkova trees.

After Ryuuji finished futilely checking his messages, he put his cell

phone away in his pocket, took off his scarf, and put it around Taiga's neck

from behind. Taiga stopped walking.

"Oof."

It wasn't that he'd found a good chance to strangle that impertinent

Taiga and pretend she had frozen to death—it was hard to see the scene as

anything else, but he did it gently, and wrapped it around her hair so that it

didn't hurt. The men's scarf was too long for Taiga's petite body, and even

when he wrapped it around three times and tied it, it still dragged down her

back like a tail.

"Ugh, geh…"

"Wait a second, stop. We'll be in trouble if you get snagged up in a

car… Okay, done."

He fixed up the dragging tail by tying it into a ball behind her neck

and then patted the knot. Taking that as a signal, Taiga, who had been

waiting pretty obediently, started to walk again. Then her pretty face

seemed to soften and melt.

"Ahhh, it's warm… I feel like I'm coming back to life…"

She sounded like a granny slipping into a hot spring. Ryuuji's sharp,

devilish eyes lit up with a triumphant look.

"It's cashmere. Yasuko took full advantage of her salary to get it for

me two years ago as a Christmas present. Isn't it soft?"

"Oh, cashmere… So a rabbit sacrificed its life for this."

"No, it wouldn't be a rabbit. Maybe a goat?"

"I'm pretty sure it's a rabbit?"

"Well, it doesn't matter," Taiga said as she slipped the scarf that

Ryuuji's body heat still clung to around her cheeks. It seemed she was

content. She didn't mind the scarf getting tangled with her hair and messing

it up. Like a cradled cat, she squinted defenselessly. Mmmmm, she said,

sinking to the point that she couldn't help vocalizing her state of mind.

Somehow, it seemed that she had actually been cold, and the scarf was

better than anything else.

On the other side of things, with his scarf stolen, Ryuuji braced his

shoulders against his rapidly cooling neck. Now that his skin was exposed

to the wind, he was suddenly cold. He pulled his jacket together and tried to

grin and bear it. It's not cold, he thought, forcing his back muscles to stretch

out.

"But I'm a little worried about Kitamura-kun…when it's so cold out.

I wonder where he must have taken shelter for the night… I feel sorry for

him."

"He didn't spend the night outside… He must have gone home."

They had no clue where Kitamura, the corpse, had gone after his bout

of madness had caused him to run out of the classroom the day before.

When they called his house it went to voicemail, and he wouldn't answer

his phone, call them back, or answer their messages. Though the

Kitamuras' phone would go to voicemail on a normal day, since they were a

two-income family. Of course, Ryuuji wanted to think Kitamura hadn't

stayed out, but…

Burying herself up to her nose in the scarf, Taiga went into thought.

She knitted her eyebrows. Hmm.

"Since Kitamura-kun's so serious all the time, he must have let his

stress build up without realizing and then suddenly exploded."

For Taiga, who had but three desires (Food: I'm hungry! Sleep: I'm

sleepy! Love: I love Kitamura-kun!), and whose thoughts didn't have much

depth, this was a rare, serious remark. Ryuuji nodded in agreement.

"The way that he deals with things," he said, "that was probably his

way of protecting himself by letting off some steam. But now that I think of

it, it wasn't such a great move for everyone else."

"Letting off some steam, huh? Doing that is important, isn't it? I

should do it, too."

No, you already blow off plenty of steam all the time, he tried to

interject, but he stopped himself. Blowing off some steam, Taiga muttered as

she stuck her fist out into the air (in a jab and straight, one-two

combination) with sudden, dreadful speed. Ryuuji couldn't hide the fear he

felt as he backed away holding the bag that held both of their bento boxes to

his chest like a girl. It might have been fun if everyone lived as headstrong

and as freely as Taiga in their own way, but…

"Oh, it's Minorin! Thank goodness, I didn't want to get left behind

today."

He noticed Minori waving her hands in the air at the intersection

where they normally met, "Heey!" Taiga ran so fast she seemed like she

was about to fly. She clung onto Minori's arm and hung there.

"Good morning! It's cold, isn't it, Minori?! The world is already in

winter!"

"Yeah! You're heavy, Taiga! My arm feels like it's going to break!

Actually, is it that cold? You're already wearing a scarf? That's so weak.

Hey, Takasu-kun. Morning to ya."

I'm the actual weak one, he thought, not that he could tell her that.

Ryuuji tried to hide his embarrassment behind a sullen face. He raised his

hand and returned Minori's full smile with a greeting. Even when it was a

cold, dark morning like this, Minori's smile was as bright as a midsummer

sunflower in full bloom. As he was doing that, Minori slowly started

sniffing.

"Oh? Taiga, your scarf smells like a boy. It smells like when my

younger brother finishes getting ready in the bathroom…oh. Is this Takasukun's? He lent it to you?"

What sharpness. Oh no. Minori found him out. He'd carelessly let his

own kindheartedness be discovered. Ryuuji scratched his face in

embarrassment.

"Ah, you found out," he tried to say. "Guess I can't help it." He

nodded, wearing a sheepish grin fit for an ogre.

"It was cold, so I forced it off of him." Taiga stopped him by telling a

slightly different version of reality. Ryuuji didn't even have time to interject

before Minori went along with it.

"What?! You can't do that, Taiga. Takasu-kun will catch a cold! If

you're that cold, you can wrap my tracksuit pants around your neck! See, I

just washed them!"

"It's fine! I don't want those! Why is it that I'm weak and Ryuuji

would catch a cold?"

"Despite appearances, Takasu-kun is a delicate boy like Gilbertkun…right? Isn't he? My little bird."

I don't know who this Gil-whatever-kun is, thought Ryuuji. Wait,

actually, what do you mean by 'despite appearances?' He pulled back the

thoughts that came flooding to him and just shook his head.

"I'm not a little bird, and I'm not that cold. And she didn't take the

scarf from me by force—"

"Keh, what're you pretending for? I used my brute strength to pry it

right off of you. Wearing a scarf like that makes Ryuuji conceited, so I

thought I'd wear it for you instead. Hmph! You should thank me!"

Taiga haughtily stuck up her chin and turned away. She still had her

face half-buried in the scarf as she left Ryuuji and Minori behind and started

jogging ahead of them as though she were trying to run away.

"Oh, hey! Why're you going ahead of us? Seriously, don't go

thinking you're above us! Takasu-kun, are you sure you're not cold? You

don't want to wear these?"

As she watched Taiga's back in exasperation, Minori pulled her

tracksuit from her tote bag and showed a glimpse of it to him.

"Huh?! No, I'm fine! Don't worry about me!"

Of course, Ryuuji's soul hadn't reached a state of deliverance where

he could traipse through the front gate wearing the tracksuit of the girl he

liked (and the bottom half, no less) around his neck. It wasn't that he didn't

have any interest in Minori's tracksuit. If anything, it wasn't an

exaggeration to say that he was endlessly fascinated with it, but wrapping it

around himself and going out into the world where eyes were upon him was

absolutely impossible. It was impossible precisely because he was deeply

interested in them.

"Are you sure? Then it's fine. Well, the one I'm really worried about

is that Mr. Kitamura. Have you been in contact with him? I've been

messaging and calling him since yesterday, but he hasn't replied at all."

"I haven't gotten a response either. I want to think that he's at school,

though…"

"Right…hmm. I don't know what to do if he's taken the day off. We

already have the weekend off, and not seeing his face until Monday kind of

has me worried."

They started walking side by side, and their faint white breaths

layered over each other. As the fog mixed, their worries ran idle and their

despondency grew—the time spent alone together didn't sweeten as Ryuuji

had hoped.

Taiga, who walked ahead, waited at a red light. Though they walked

slightly faster in order to catch up with her, Ryuuji and Minori didn't run.

Minori probably didn't run because she knew they would catch up at the

light. Ryuuji didn't run because, even though their time together wasn't as

sweet as he'd hoped, he still wanted to stay by Minori's side for a little bit

longer. As much as Kitamura weighed heavy on his mind, he also wanted to

spend time with her.

Minori's eyebrows were knitted together.

"Hmm."

She was probably thinking about Kitamura. She pulled out some lip

balm from her pocket. Hah, Ryuuji stopped her as she tried to take the cap

off.

"You can't do that, Kushieda. Don't put that on while you're walking.

You don't know what could happen."

"Wh-what?! You're telling me what to do, you demon of a wife?!

Nothing'll happen! Nothing's going to happen. Oh, I see, are you implying

that I'm old?!"

"I'm not playing house with you. You might accidentally stick the

thing right up your nose."

"U-up my nose? No, that wouldn't happen. You've even got me back

to being serious. That would never happen—never. I would be surprised if

it ever did."

"It happens. Sometimes it happens. I'll keep this until we get to

school."

"What?! My lips will get chapped! They'll get flaky!"

"Sometimes there are things you need to protect more than the skin

on your lips…"

"Woo. ♪ So you say. In that case, this is on me. Take it."

Minori, (seemingly) worn down, tossed the lip balm into his open

palm. He didn't want Minori to feel the misery of that sting in her nose.

With that desire in mind, Ryuuji nodded gravely as he squirreled the lip

balm away into his pocket. He wasn't thinking of sneakily putting it on his

own lips while hiding in the toilet later at all. No, no, no, not at all.

"You girls really all do walk around with lip balm on you. Do you

really need to apply it that regularly?"

It wasn't that he trying to cover up his desire—Ryuuji really did

wonder about it when he asked her. It wasn't much to go on, but he didn't

think there were any guys he knew who carried lip balm around with them

every day.

"Yeah, because I want to use it. It's better to always have your lips

glossy and silky soft. There's no reason for a girl's heart to wish for our lips

to be glossy and soft, but we do. Even Taiga carries one around in her

pocket."

"I know. It's the Nivea Water-In brand, isn't it?"

"How well you know! You know a lot about Taiga, don't you?"

"Yeah."

He couldn't tell her, It's because I got it stuck up my nose. Ryuuji's

eyes went distant as he recalled the intense feeling of the menthol

penetrating his nasal walls. Aha ha, right, Minori was saying. Her soft,

distant laughter somehow erased the trauma of the menthol's attack.

"Right, I really do know… I regret not confiscating it before the

accident…"

"Oh, an accident… W-wait, what?! You can't mean…"

In front of Minori's horrified gaze was Taiga, who had her face

buried in her scarf and was looking intently up at the light. As she waited

for the light to change from red to green, she gently stomped as though

trying to snuff the life out of the cold that surrounded her. She was buried

up to her nose in cashmere. She lightly shrugged her shoulders, stuck both

her fists into her pockets, and even closed her eyes.

She was acting like a baby penguin enduring a blizzard and, despite

himself, Ryuuji felt like laughing. Right when he was on the verge of

bursting out, he stopped himself.

"Is it really that cold?"

Once he caught up to her, he spoke to the whorl of hair on the top of

her head. Her long, still closed eyelashes didn't move. Still in her baby

penguin pose, she snuffled.

"It's cold," Taiga replied, "but it's a little better when I do

this."

***

"Oh! You came just in time, Takasu-kun, over here! Come with me,

hurry!"

"Huh?"

It happened the moment he stepped into school and started changing

from shoes to slippers at the entrance. Suddenly, the familiar spinster of a

homeroom teacher grabbed Ryuuji's arm. He didn't know what could have

happened in one night, but Koigakubo Yuri, who had been so perfectly done

up the day before, was barefaced, and her hair was held up in a shabby bun

with a rubber band. She was in a tragic-looking tracksuit and her eyes were

afflicted with old age.

"Uh, w-wait?! What's going on?! You kind of look like you've

suddenly aged…"

"My age doesn't have anything to do with this! Hurry and come with

me!"

The bachelorette completely ignored Minori and Taiga, who had

come in with him, and started walking faster and faster while still holding

onto Ryuuji's arm. He was stepping on the heels of his slippers, which still

weren't fully on. The bachelorette had someone else captured in her other

hand.

"Yo! Kawashima!"

"No waaay, Takasu-kun! Good morning! ♥ What are you thinking?

This isn't the time to be exchanging greetings! No waaay, this is the worst!

What is this? Did I do something wrong?! What is this?!"

"I've got no clue either!"

Ami had probably been caught as she came to school, just like him.

She still had her bag over her shoulder as she too was pulled away. Her

beautiful face was drawn in an intense scowl, and she couldn't bat off the

bachelorette's hand as she was walked, or more accurately, dragged along.

"Who cares about you?! Why is someone as cute as me being taken

away?!"

"Why would no one care about me?"

Taiga and Minori seemed unable to grasp the situation and could only

watch with their mouths wide open as the two were being pulled away.

Cute Ami-chan and uncute Takasu-kun were forced up the stairs by

the bachelorette, who was stronger than they thought and ignored all their

questions. Then they learned the reason why they had been brought along.

It took several seconds to understand who it was when he raised his

head. When they realized it…

"WHAT?!"

Ryuuji let his bag fall.

"Huh?! What?! Whaa…"

Ami opened her eyes wide.

"Aaaaaaaaha ha ha ha ha ha ha! What is that? What happened to

yoooooooooooou~?!"

She clapped her hands together and laughed out loud. Ryuuji turned

to stare at Ami without thinking—was this really the time to laugh? She

might have noticed his look.

"Just kidding. ♥" She stuck out her tongue slightly, but it was already

too late to be acting cute. Ami's inappropriate laughter lingered in the

already gloomy atmosphere as they went into an uncomfortable, cold

silence. It was awkward.

They had been taken into the interview room, which was known as

the "lecture room" among the students.

The bachelorette quietly closed the door behind Ryuuji and Ami.

There were others beside the three of them in the locked room. There was a

middle-aged, male guidance counselor infamous for his strict attitude. He

sat in front of them. Next to him was someone they never would have

expected. Her long, smooth hair flowed down her back.

"Patriar…wait, I mean Kanou-senpai…"

The person glanced at Ryuuji. It was the student president who had a

strange intensity about her—Kanou Sumire.

Though she was a willowy, graceful, composed, and beautiful girl,

the whole school considered her their patriarch for her big-hearted

personality. Her name would likely endure in school history. It might have

been obvious, but even in these strange circumstances, perfect big brother

Kanou's calm eyes were overpowering as she sat there with her arms

imposingly folded.

And then there was the one who was looking up at the two from his

sitting position on the ground.

Ryuuji shouldn't have recognized that person. That was because the

person's head was straw yellow. On top of that, it was clear it had been

bleached with cheap stuff at home, since it was dry and way too blond, as

though it had been left on for longer than it should have been. Ryuuji didn't

know anyone who looked like that. At least, that was what he thought.

Under those disordered bangs, he saw familiar silver-rimmed glasses, and

then behind those was the handsome, intellectual face of someone he knew

all too well.

"Ki-Kitamura, you…"

It was Kitamura's face.

"Wh-what happened to your hair?! It's against school rules…and…

and…"

He didn't know whether it was okay to ask or not, so he just did it.

"…"

He didn't get a response. You can tell just by looking, the gaze that

Kitamura looked up at Ryuuji with practically said.

Kitamura Yuusaku had become a delinquent.

His bright gold hair was an obstinate mess, and his mouth was tightly

closed at his friend's question. His eyes were kind of hardened and, if you

looked closely, his glasses' frames were warped. His jacket hung open

because the top two buttons were undone. His shoulders were dirty with

sand, so much so that Ryuuji wouldn't imagine how he could have gotten

that way unless someone had pinned him to the ground.

Ryuuji had no idea what had happened. Blue lightning danced in his

psycho eyes. It wasn't that he was thinking, You got your dues, you

impertinent fool! I'll hang you in hellfire with a rope made from poisonous

snakes and burn that golden head of yours! He was just scared of learning

what had happened to his straight-laced friend to make him like this.

"Oh, Takasu, Kawashima. What do you think of this hair?"

There wasn't much they could say.

Ryuuji was at a loss for a reply and glanced at Ami beside him. Ami

remained silent as she fiddled with the tips of her beautifully manicured

nails. Her face said this had nothing to do with her as she pretended to not

hear the question. The guidance counselor continued in a humorless voice:

"This guy came to school with this head of hair and made quite the

commotion in front of the school gate, right in front of a teacher. What do

you think of that behavior? Do you know anything about it? He won't

answer anything we ask, so I've called you as his close friend, Takasu, and

you as his childhood friend, Kawashima. I've also called Kanou, who's

watched over him like a big bro…big sister in the student council. Sorry for

calling you in when you're busy, Kanou."

"I don't particularly mind, but I have no power here. I can't

understand it, and he's already quit the student council. I don't have

anything to do with him anymore."

He quit the student council? Kitamura did? Ryuuji almost asked

without thinking, even though it wasn't the type of atmosphere where he

could interject. But he remembered. Actually, in the confusion from the day

before, Kitamura had said something like that.

The completely impeccable student council president gazed at the

golden-haired, delinquent boy with a stone-cold, piercing stare. Kitamura

wriggled as though he were trying to avoid that gaze. He bit hard on his lip

as he hid his face under his drooping bangs.

"Takasu, what do you think? Anything come to mind?"

"Well…uhh…kind of. Yesterday, he kind of said…uhh…"

He could say that Kitamura had been acting weird for a while and

that everyone said it was burnout. He could say the burnout had resulted in

an explosion the day before. Ryuuji didn't know whether saying those

things would help or hurt Kitamura. He wanted time to think, but he didn't

think that would happen.

He had no idea what to do. He looked imploringly over to the

bachelorette. The bachelorette's tired, gloomy eyes looked back at Ryuuji.

"I already told them about what happened yesterday."

After he ran out of the classroom and she hadn't been able to get in

contact with the corpse, she probably ran around the streets trying to find

him after school, and came in early that morning to wait and catch him as

he came in. She probably privately gave up on the associate professor she

had been looking forward to going out with.

The bachelorette couldn't say that. She'd become decrepit in an

instant.

"And you, Kawashima?"

"Uhh, I don't know what to say… It's like I can't even understand it

at all…"

Ami now turned her Chihuahua eyes and made them look cutely

bewildered. Then she donned her legendary, explosively cute, goody-twoshoes iron mask.

"I didn't think there was anyone who would act up so obviously. It

like, pains me. It's like you can't really follow what they're doing, and you

just want to laugh about it all."

Having distracted everyone, she contorted her lips into the picture of

pettiness and steadily bombed her childhood friend with insults. She let her

twisted, black-hearted nature show, and her teasing gaze was a bullet that

pierced Kitamura and left its mark. Ahh. Ryuuji could only look up to the

ceiling. That was right. When it came to it, a girl like Ami was a full-body

bomb even worse than Taiga.

Then, to show the extent of her ill-spiritedness, she took a step

forward.

"Yuusaku, I don't really care what you do, but don't you think you're

living up to other people's expectations a little too much? It's like you're

crying for attention, begging for someone to worry about you. Like,

'someone notice me—I'm suffering so much, look what a mess I am~!' Is

that what you're trying to say? Ahhh, but seeing you like that is making me

feel embarrassed. Actually, acting up and bleaching your whole freaking

head when you're a second year in high school is already painful enough to

look at. You should have finished doing that stuff when you were a second

year in junior high or when you're a salary man pushing fifty and trying to

hide gray hairs. Actually, see-ree-ahs-ly, what's going on with that head of

yours? Did you do it yourself? Sorry, but this is coming from the heart—It.

Seriously. Doesn't. Suit. You!"

Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. ★ Kitamura's childhood

friend pointed at him and held her stomach as she burst out laughing again.

Her body was wracked with genuine laughter; the only thing missing were

tears. She didn't have a shred of kindness or worry for him. She didn't have

a shred of restraint or reserve. The rude words Ami spat even painfully

pierced Ryuuji's chest where he listened from the sidelines. He almost

instinctually jumped in front of Kitamura to protect his friend from her

sharpness. But he couldn't, and Kitamura, who had been cruelly attacked by

his childhood friend, obstinately looked away and bit his lip.

Whew. The bachelorette let out a tired sigh. She rubbed her dull and

dry, makeup-free panda eyes and gently put her hands on Ryuuji and Ami's

backs.

"Could you go back to the classroom ahead of me? Sorry, and thank

you. I'll come after I talk to Kitamura-kun a little more. I had the assistant

homeroom teacher take care of the classroom. Please don't tell the others in

the class what happened. Do you understand? If I can, I want to bring

Kitamura-kun back to class as though nothing had happened."

"Okay… We understand."

As though to speak over Ryuuji's obedient agreement, Kanou

Sumire's low voice seemed to have a biting ring to it as it came out of her

mouth:

"I think it would be best if you came back, too, Koigakubo-sensei."

She stood up, slight and thin. Her beautiful eyes clearly lit up as she

glared down at Kitamura, who was still sitting with his legs folded beneath

him. Her gaze lacked human warmth. She stood with impeccable posture.

Ryuuji could only see her as an android who had surpassed humanity,

lacking weaknesses of any kind.

"Even humoring this huge idiot is a waste of time. It seems like he

doesn't intend to open up, so all we can do is leave him be. According to

the school rules, 'Hair unbefitting of a student is prohibited.' This is

obviously a violation of that rule. Until he fixes his hair, he can't attend

school. I think that is fitting."

"Kanou-san, you can go back now, too. I'm going to stay here for a

little longer to speak with Kitamura-kun. Thank you for coming."

The bachelorette slowly shook her head, and as though to protect

Kitamura, took him by the shoulder to stand him up. She brought a chair

over to have him sit, keeping him between her and the guidance counselor.

Her movements more than adequately said "I'm not going soft on him."

Once she saw that, Sumire's eyes fluttered and traced an elegant path away

from Kitamura.

With that, it was clear their work there was done. Following Sumire,

who had bowed and stood up, Ryuuji and Ami also bowed. They could only

reluctantly leave Kitamura, still with his head down, in the interview room.

The other classes had probably long since started homeroom. The

hallway had gone quiet, and there was no sign of anyone.

Ryuuji gave Sumire a quick, haphazard bow and tried to head to the

classroom.

"Senpaaai?"

Ami's voice rang sickly-sweet through the unnaturally quiet hallway.

Sumire turned to face Ami straight on, with Ryuuji at the side. Even Ryuuji

understood her challenge. Ami purposefully put on her cute and poisonous

goody-two-shoes smile. For some reason, it seemed she was trying to taunt

Sumire. Hey hey hey, Ryuuji thought. He was scared. She, of course, left

him in the lurch.

"Kanou-senpai, aren't you being incredibly cold to Yuusaku? Ahh,

poor Yuusaku. Even though he was so lovey dovey with you, senpai. I don't

think you ever were that cold to Yuusaku before. Did something maybe

happen between you and Yuusaku recently? Maybe, even though no one

would have ever expected it, you're the reason why Yuusaku is acting up?"

"Who knows…"

She acted as anyone would have expected. With a slight smile like a

man's, which only reached the corners of her mouth, Sumire refused Ami's

bait. She simply turned her back to them again and made to leave. Without

thinking, Ryuuji yelled at her back. "S-sorry! Kawashima was kind of

rude…but she just has a really caustic personality."

That's a terrible thing of you to say! He interrupted Ami even as she

protested and apologized. As though it were nothing, Sumire lightly raised

her eyebrows.

"It's all right. So she's caustic. Why's that a bad thing? Even if it

doesn't amount to much, I think everything Kawashima just said about

Kitamura is right. I had no idea Kitamura had such a good childhood friend.

You can come to me if you ever need anything."

"Yes. Um…senpai, if anything comes to mind, then…"

"You want me to tell you? Well, actually, there is something."

In surprise, Ryuuji popped up his head, which had been lowered in a

bow to send her off. Next to him, Ami, whose head he had been holding

down, completely stopped struggling. The impeccably flawless student

president slowly compared Ryuuji and Ami with quiet eyes. She took her

time shrugging her shoulders.

"There are things I know, but if it is what I think it is, I think I'd be

even more disappointed in Kitamura."

She had an expression that wasn't quite a smile or a scowl. Then,

with just that and a, "Well, then," she turned her back to them and made her

way towards the third-year classrooms. She walked with steady, wide

strides, like a man.

Something that would disappoint Kanou Sumire even more—Ryuuji

searched his brain with those keywords as he watched Sumire's retreating

back.

"What was that? She's just a cold-blooded girl putting on airs as

though she's better than everyone else. What a teeerrible impression."

As she combed through her straight hair with her fingers, Ami spoke

louder than necessary in the quiet school. Ryuuji turned around in a fluster

and glared at Ami.

"Y-you idiot! Someone definitely just heard that!"

But it was already too late. Ami snorted.

"I don't mind if anyone heard. It's true anyway. That girl is definitely

the cause of this, and she's turning a blind eye to it. She just gives a hint

about it and up and leaves. 'Actually there is.' She didn't tell us anything in

the end. She's the same as Yuusaku right now. If she phrases it like that,

someone will want to know more, and she's thinking someone will put in

the effort to figure it out. She's making too many assumptions. It's like she

thinks she's the center of the universe or something."

Unable to hide her irritation, Ami's cold eyes were beautiful, like

clear hazel blown glass. The words she spat out were prickly in a way that

made him want her to put her ironclad good girl mask back on.

"What horrible things come out of your mouth."

Just saying that took all his strength. He wanted to hold his head and

crouch down. Kitamura was acting like that, and the student president was

the way she was, and Ami was acting like this. Ryuuji just couldn't process

it all anymore.

"It just gets me all riled up," she said.

"What are you saying?! You were the only one who made a bad

impression! What was that in the first place? You're talking as though it

were all Kanou Sumire's fault."

Ami turned around, making a cute face, but still seemed to have no

intention of sparing anyone.

"Huuh? Takasu-kun, how do you not get it? Of course it's her fault.

There's no way anyone other than the student president could be

responsible for Yuusaku becoming weird like that. And also, from the way

that girl talked—hmph, he probably confessed to her and got rejected.

Ahhh, this is laaame. God, please give back the precious time that I've

lost."

"C-confessed?! Of course he didn't do that! Why would you assume

that?!"

Ami turned and pulled ahead of Ryuuji. She purposefully sighed

loudly. Her shoulders heaved and slumped to show him her mood.

"Now, Takasu-kun, it's not that I hate that you're always slow to pick

up on important things, but don't you think that's going to prove to be a

fatal flaw someday?"

"Hey…"

What are you saying? Ryuuji thought. He would lose the argument if

he said it, so he didn't. Around this place, there was a cannon and a

cannonball called Taiga. Ryuuji wished he could shoot it at Ami to really

show her how he felt. Ami's assumptions were just foolish and petty.

Right. Girls always made things out to be about love, no matter what

it was. Girls were always frivolous like that.

It was true that Kitamura sincerely idolized Kanou, the patriarch.

Ryuuji knew that Kitamura's life had been all about his student council

activities since they were first years. Ryuuji also knew Kitamura had taken

it on himself to being her cheerleader. She's the best, most respectable

president there ever was! He was a club captain and a class representative,

among many other things, but no matter how busy he was, Kitamura would

happily prioritize any task for the student council, on any day, without so

much as a word of complaint. Ryuuji knew Kitamura had put his all into it.

As someone who had been Kitamura's friend since they were first years,

Ryuuji knew this better than anyone; he'd seen it up close.

At the core of that passion was Kitamura's feelings for the perfect

Kanou Sumire. Even Ryuuji somehow knew that. He also knew that Kanou

Sumire had a charm that no one could hold a match to. She was excellent

and flawless. Kanou Sumire was practically a superhuman, and anyone who

encountered her couldn't help but admire her, adore her, and have their

heart stolen by her. It wasn't difficult to imagine that the intensity and

power of those feelings would have been even stronger in Kitamura, who

was with her in the student council on a daily basis.

In the end, even if Kitamura had those feelings for an upperclassman,

they were just adoration and respect for someone in a position higher than

him. It didn't have anything to do with them being the opposite sex. It

wouldn't have been strange for a man to passionately admire another man

who occupied a position you aspired to have.

There were probably more people like Ami, who would chalk

anything up to love. It was silly and shallow. Kitamura wasn't the kind of

person to fall in love. Right. Kitamura was higher than that—one would

describe what he had as aspiration. Kitamura was devoted to his excellent

leader and was expressing his sincere admiration. That had to be it.

Everyone at school revered the impeccable student president like an older

brother, after all.

As Ryuuji was thinking that, it suddenly hit him. For a second his

blood froze over.

Kitamura was saying that he would go as far as quitting his student

council duties, even though they had been so precious to him. The situation

was probably much, much worse than Ryuuji had imagined it to be.

"Huh?! Hey, isn't that Kitamura?!"

That was the first thing that came out of the mouth of someone sitting

in a window seat.

The assistant teacher had started the morning homeroom. The

incident happened right when they finished taking attendance. A

commotion started to envelop class 2-C.

The whole class stood up all at once, not listening to the assistant

teacher's chiding as they lined up at the window to look down. Taiga, who

somehow hadn't become a cannonball, was desperately latched onto the

back of someone in front of her and grabbing their hair to get above their

head. She looked at the scene.

I've had enough! I'm going home!

Don't go home, you idiot!

C-c-c-calm down! Anyway, let's cool off!

The argument between the three unfolded at the stairs of the

entryway. The participants in the stormy exchange included the bachelorette

(age 30), the middle-aged guidance counselor, and…

"H-he's blond?! What's with his hair?!"

"No way! It really is Maruo!"

"That can't be true! Kitamura's gone delinquent!"

"Hey, get back to your seats! Don't look outside! Look, I'm serious!

Sit down!"

One by one they were dragged away from the window by their

collars, while Taiga remained preoccupied with the scene below. Someone

was dashing to the school gate now. The teachers grabbed him by the collar,

and the button on his school jacket popped off, followed by the button of

his long-sleeved shirt. Even though he was stripped almost half-naked, he

didn't know when to give up. He flailed his hands and feet, still trying to

get out of the teacher's grip. That someone was unmistakably Kitamura.

Though his hair was bleached past recognition, it was definitely

Kitamura Yuusaku.

"Everyone, get back to your seats quietly now—AHH…"

Taiga didn't even realize what she was doing as she gave the rookie

male teacher a sharp, reflexive elbow in the gut. She held her breath. A

single question rushed from her throat, Why?

***

In the end, Kitamura had been pulled back into school and confined

to the interview room again.

"Yuri-chan's English class and morning classes are all self-study, so

they've probably been cross-examining him this whole time."

Noto, the source of the information, took his fork. He seemed

sincerely worried. His eyes blinked behind his black-framed glasses as he

squeezed ketchup over what seemed to be a microwavable chicken nugget.

They should have been enjoying a nice afternoon break. Instead, the

three of them had dark expressions on their faces. Noto and Ryuuji had

spread their bento onto a desk and were sitting across from each other

alongside Taiga, who had set up camp on the edge. For Ryuuji, however,

the situation had gone past dark into scary.

"I want to bring Kitamura-kun back to class as though nothing had

happened."

The bachelorette's thoughtfulness had been for nothing. It was

already a well-known fact in the class that Kitamura had come to school

with blond hair. Despite that, Ryuuji wanted to do what he could to make

sure the details didn't get around for Kitamura's sake. That was what he

was hoping, but he didn't know if it would have any results.

"I wonder if they're punishing him by calling his parents. Actually,

where's Haruta in a time like this?" As he nibbled on a nugget, Noto put his

head in his hand. He didn't seem to be enjoying his food at all.

"He's probably buying bread or something from the school store.

Kitamura's parents both work, so I don't think they would call them here all

the way from their jobs… Actually, shouldn't his parents have realized

something was up the moment he bleached his hair? Taiga, mayo?"

"Ngh."

You're really mothering her, Noto muttered as Ryuuji squeezed

mayonnaise over Taiga's chicken nanban in front of his eyes. Ryuuji also

squeezed some on his own, and in order to keep Taiga from sticking her

elbow in it or getting it on her sleeves, he automatically made quick work of

cleaning up the empty mayonnaise packets. He even collected Noto's

ketchup packets. Thanks, thanks. Noto gave Ryuuji a slight wave with his

fork.

"But, seriously, what a shock. I wonder what got into Kitamura. He

ignored all my messages. I feel kind of left out."

"Yeah, and I can't believe he suddenly went blond."

"Yeah, that wasn't…oh."

Right then, one of Noto's cold nuggets was replaced by a piece of

Ryuuji's homemade chicken nanban. Most of Ryuuji's heart was dedicated

to Kitamura, but his psychotic eyes, which seemed to blow blue fire as they

glinted, were taken over by his friend's freezer-meal bento for a moment.

There was no hesitancy in his chopstick's movements as he traded the

dishes.

"Thanks, I was just thinking that looked good."

"Help yourself. It's not all that great though."

"It is that great, Takasu. You're seriously great at cooking. Huh?"

"Ugh…"

Taiga turned a sad gaze on Noto and groaned.

"Oh, d-did you want some? That's fine, if you're okay with cold

stuff. They're my mom's favorite when she feels like cutting corners."

Once he noticed her expression, Noto put a nugget on the lid of

Taiga's bento. It seemed he didn't intend to comment on Ryuuji and Taiga's

identical bento. Taiga slowly placed a bacon-wrapped asparagus that Ryuuji

had made on top of Noto's meal. She still didn't say anything, but her eyes

said it all. We traded… Yeah, it's a trade… It was the first time she and Noto

had shared a human-like cultural interaction.

"Haah…"

"Urgh…"

Then the moment was overshadowed when they both sighed

simultaneously. Taiga and Noto couldn't help but be worried about

Kitamura, too.

The changes in Kitamura's behavior hadn't simply been the result of

burnout. That was what Ryuuji now thought. If he noticed Kitamura was

being strange earlier, he might have been able to do something about it

before it had reached the teachers. Now he was too late on all fronts, and

Kitamura had gone delinquent. He was sure if it were the other way around,

Kitamura would have noticed immediately. Kitamura would have been

persistent about figuring out what had happened.

What kind of friend am I? he thought.

"Take that! Get walkin', ya disgrace of a samurai! My magistrate,

I've brought in a crook!"

His shoulders, which had been slumped dejectedly, jolted up.

"You're terrible! Why're you saying that in an accent?! I'm not even

from Hokkaido!"

"You imbecile! Apologize until blood pours from the throats of every

person born and raised in Hokkaido! Take that! Give yourself up to Jyun,

Hotaru, and the Northern fox! It's like 'From the Northern Country' got a

2007 reboot. 'But the kids are still eating!'"

BASH!

The private detective who had suddenly appeared before them had

the crook by the nose. The classroom was instantaneously turned into the

scene of an Edo-era courthouse. The peasant was thrown to the floor at

Ryuuji, Noto, and Taiga's feet.

"Noto, Taka-chan, help me! Kushieda is terrible! I haven't done

anything wrong! I haven't burned down my dad's log cabin or anything!"

"Make your excuses in the afterlife, capiche?"

"Kah-what? I don't know what that means! Your gags always go over

my head!"

The crook was Haruta, the long-haired, disheveled, airheaded idiot,

and the private detective holding him to keep him from escaping was

Minori.

"H-Haruta, what did you do?!"

"Um, Kushieda, at least stop stepping on him…and who's supposed

to be the magistrate, anyway?"

"Everyone has a magistrate in their hearts! Each and every person has

their own precious magistrate in their heart!"

As the two boys helped up their friend, who was close to tears, and

automatically defended him, they opened up a seat and offered it to the

demonic private eye. Blam. Minori sat. She thrust Haruta's chin up to

encourage an explanation out of him.

Haruta sniffled as he spoke.

"I really didn't do anything. I just got a phone call from Kitamura last

night. And I was like, 'Oh, it's you Kitamura, what's up with you today?'

and Kitamura was like, 'I'm not up to anything, sorry for taking you by

surprise.' And then suddenly he was like, 'You had rad blond hair this

summer. How'd you do that? Haruta-chan, that was super bangin'. You

gotta teach me your ways.' So I told him that I bought this super strong

bleach at this one place, and put on three times the recommended amount,

and then I wrapped my head in tin foil and put a dryer to it and ended up

with spick-and-span blond! That's all I did~!"

Ryuuji thought for a bit.

"I feel like you've really embellished what Kitamura sounds like in

your head."

Wait, this isn't the time or the place for that. This time, he pressed

Haruta with an expression exactly like that of a wounded Tasmanian devil.

"Why didn't you ask him why he needed to know that stuff?!"

"Eek! Your face is terrifying!"

Noto immediately joined Ryuuji with a matching glare at Haruta.

"Yeah, that's right! Yesterday, Takasu and I were trying to get hold of

Kitamura all day, and we were super worried! How were you having a

casual conversation with him?!"

"But I didn't think Kitamura was going to bleach his own hair~! Ahh,

I thought it looked pretty good on him… Maybe it was because I only saw

it from far away?! Ah!"

He was too careless. Faced with his bottomless stupidity, Minori blew

a fuse. Bop! She head-butted him.

"Wh-why you! You smell worse than a buffoon! That's not the issue!

Why didn't you suspect anything was wrong when Kitamura-kun went

home like that and then called you?!"

"Eeeek! You can't tell me all this stuff at once. I'm going to forget

everything you told me earlier~! You're making me forget!"

"Damn it! You're jelly! You're spooge! If you would have just

actually listened to Kitamura-kun—if you would have just listened! Why

you P. Diddy butter and jelly sandwich! Damn it, I'm going to drag

everything you remember out of your head until there's nothing left!"

"Waah, I'll be in trouble if you do! I have a life, too~!"

She grabbed his collar and shook him. Unexpectedly, Taiga was the

one to stop her.

"Well now, Minorin. There's no use condemning an idiot with logic."

Surrounded by enemies on all sides, tears gushed from Haruta's eyes.

"T-tigeeeer~! I can't believe you would be the one to stand up for

me! I'm, like, suuuper happy~! I'm moved! From now on, I won't call you

Aisaka. I'll call you Tiger! You can call me by my first name, Koji, too!"

"Don't act all chummy around me, you no-name, stray pig!"

"No! Eek!"

As he tried to cling to her, Taiga gave him a merciless kick to the

chin. Her eyes wriggled like a fang-baring snake in its nest, coiled around

itself and filled with disdain and irritation. Her quivering lips were the color

of blood, from humiliation she could not hide.

No, she didn't intend to condemn an idiot using logic. It was obvious

the only thing burning in Taiga's pitch-black heart was jealousy.

"Anyway, this is getting on my nerves! Why would he go to you and

not me? I was thinking about him and sent him an, 'Are you okay?' and got

noooothing!"

"Whoa! You sent him something, too?! Hoo-hoo—oh of course!"

Haruta let the true extent of his idiocy show as he pointed with both

his hands at Taiga while still sitting on the floor. He didn't think twice about

sticking his neck out into a topic so delicate no one else would touch it.

"Why looky here, maybe, just maybe, you were actually together just

as the rumors told! Hot hot! Tiger and Kitamura are on fire! Aha ha ha ha…

guh."

"Ryuuji, can I kill him? Can I?"

She grabbed Haruta by the face and hoisted him up. Taiga laughed.

"Aha ha." As she laughed, her pupils grew so cavernous, bats could have

roosted in them. As she laughed, she bit too hard on her lip and made

herself bleed. Aha ha ha aha ha ha aha ha ha, she went, like a broken doll,

her head bobbling from side to side. Ryuuji was so frightened, he couldn't

even stop her.

"Fugah ngah…nn…guh…guh…guh…"

She pulled Haruta up until he was on his knees and, unable to

breathe, he started to twitch. His arms, which had been struggling to escape,

went limp and dropped to his sides. He might seriously die. Even as Noto

and Minori desperately tried to get her to let go, their voices didn't reach

her maddened ears. The sound of something snapping came from under her

right hand, which was holding his face.

"Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hah hah hah hah hah hah hah

hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah, hah haaah."

Oh, she's serious… Everyone was standing stock-still.

"Hey hey, Takasu-kun! Is it true that Maruo is actually quitting the

student council?!"

Haruta's body hit the ground, but that sturdy-faced idiot almost

immediately sprang back up. In surprise, Taiga, Noto, and Minori turned to

the owner of the urgent voice. Ryuuji stood up without thinking when he

heard the phrase 'student council'.

"I heard just now from Ami-chan! Is Maruo really going to quit the

council when he's put so much work into it?! I heard the reason why he's

rebelling has something to do with the student council president. Is that for

real?!"

The owner of the voice was Maya. She was fussing with her milk teacolored hair, seemingly unable to compose herself. Normally she wouldn't

even approach them when Kitamura wasn't around. Behind Maya's back

was Nanako, whose eyebrows were lowered in worry, and behind both of

them was Ami. There was no mistaking that she had let the whole situation

leak… That mastermind. The bachelorette had asked her to keep her mouth

shut, but that jerk had let everything slip.

Ryuuji glared at her. Ami gave him a quizzical look with wide eyes

and shrugged her petite shoulders as though she were trying to say, "What

about it?"

This—this—this girl is just so—

"What? Why? What did you hear? What do you know, Ami-chan?

Actually, Takasu, what are you hiding?" Noto asked while pushing up his

black-framed glasses. If only he had time to make an excuse.

"Huh, Noto, didn't you hear about it from Takasu-kun? You know

what? This morning, Takasu-kun and I were called into the lecture room,

and we saw Yuusaku there. The student council president herself was there,

too. They told us a ton of stuff. Apparently, it started when something

happened at the student council? The president hinted that she knew all

about it. Right, that's right, Takasu-kun. You saw, right, Minori-chan,

Taiga? Yuri-chan-sensei took us there by force."

Minori was the one who replied next. "Yeah, I saw it but…does

Kanou-senpai know why Kitamura-kun is rebelling? Does it have

something to do with the student council? Hey hey, this is the first I've

heard of it. Takasu-kun, you told me and Taiga that the teachers just asked

you why Kitamura-kun was acting weird. What's the meaning of this, you

blushing bride? Are you trying to imply us old folk wouldn't be able to

handle it?"

"Uh…"

His heart hurt, and he was losing feeling in his legs. He would sooner

faint than answer, but it wasn't so easy to conveniently lose consciousness.

Noto's gaze as he turned away was also accusatory. Liar! it cried. As for

Taiga, poisonous red beams filled with bloody murder were coming from

her eyes. Seeing that situation, Ami donned an abhorrently cute, angelic

smile.

"Why Takasu-kun, I wonder what could bring you to lie. Poor

Minori-chan and poor everyone else, they all fell for it. And you even did it

to your friends. Even though everyone's worried and we're all supposed to

be in this together. I see. You're just that kind of person, Takasu-kun."

"Takasu-kun! The magistrate in your heart is crying!"

There was nothing mentally worse that being accused by Minori,

whom he loved, with those words. Ryuuji desperately glared back at Ami.

"Wh-why you! You backstabber! Everyone, listen, you've got it all

wrong! The teachers told us to keep quiet and not make a big deal out of it

for Kitamura's sake! They wanted to get Kitamura back on his feet as

though nothing had happened! You just ran your mouth off!"

"You just don't know when to give up. I barely said anything. Is it

really a problem? Actually, it was already a big deal to begin with. It's not

like we actually know what's going on either. Actually, Yuusaku was the

one who yelled that he was quitting the student council when he ran off,

anyway. It's not like it's news. You all remember, don't you?"

"It was the first I heard of it…"

"Yeah, the first I knew of it, too…"

"Did he actually say that?"

"Well, I was so taken aback by Maruo yelling… I don't remember…"

"I don't recall it either…"

"I just don't remember yesterday at all…"

They folded their arms and faced each other, going into an emergency

conference.

"Keh." Ami coldly glanced at them, showing her true nature as her

lips contorted. Ryuuji lightly prodded her shoulder.

"Hey look, it was news to everyone! Why are you so loose-lipped

about everything? This is the reason why the spinster asked us to keep

quiet. This is exactly what she wanted to avoid. What are you doing,

rocking the boat?!"

"Huh? I'm just so oblivious, and I'm the type of person who can't tell

a lie. I was just careless."

"You sham angel! You're warped! You're evil!"

That's what he said. He said what he had wanted to say for so long, at

last. As he shook slightly from the feeling of accomplishment, Ami's face

clouded precipitously before his eyes.

"Takasu-kun, don't go assuming the wrong thing. I'm not evil. I'm

just an honest person. Actually, it looks like there are some people who are

happy that they found out Kitamura wants to quit the student council. Isn't

that all thanks to me being honest and telling them about it?"

Ami pointed at Taiga, whose shoulders were shaking with laughter

she couldn't hide. Hee hee hee. Uwah, Ryuuji pulled Taiga over and hid her

so that the others wouldn't be able to see her laughing. He questioned her in

a low voice.

"T-Taiga, aren't you having the wrong reaction to this?! This isn't

anything to laugh about!"

However, Taiga continued to laugh. She narrowed her eyes like a

beast lurking in the dark.

"I am worried about Kitamura-kun," she said. "I wish from the

bottom of my heart that he'll go back to being his normal and happy self.

But, but…but! If Kitamura-kun says that he wants to quit the student

council, I'm celebrating that! He'll finally be free from the grips of that

aggravating housefly of a bossy elitist baboon!"

What selfishness. She was just happy because it benefitted her. See.

He heard Ami's high-pitched laughter. Taiga was definitely just as bad as

Ami. Ryuuji scowled like a severed head that had taken one last leap in

order to sink its teeth into the carotid artery of the one who beheaded it. He

couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something particularly

terrifying about the evilness of girls.

"Anyway, the key to why Maruo is acting up is the student council. Is

that right?! Yeah, he snapped when the election was mentioned. Now we

know why! This is pretty bad! The student council is Maruo's life. In which

case, I wonder what we can do for Maruo!"

Maya stood up passionately, her hands balled into fists. Nanako

soothed her, there there. Her own cheeks grew red, and it seemed that she

really wanted to do something.

"That's right, Ami-chan! Do you have any good ideas?!"

"Whaaat, me?"

"That's right, Ami-chan! You're Maruo's childhood friend, plus we

can always count on you! Please, do something to help us get Maruo back

on his feet!"

It seemed this was the one time Ami wasn't going to use her goodytwo-shoes iron mask. She folded her arms and tilted her head. Ryuuji had

some words he wanted to say that he couldn't get out.

"Dimhuahua isn't someone you can depend on."

"Gyah!"

Taiga said it for him. As she said it, she took one of Noto's cold

French fries and stuck it right up Ami's nose. Daringly and aggressively,

she twisted and pushed it in further.

Ohhh, uncensored! Noto and Haruta stared at Ami's nostril. Ryuuji

had a flashback to his own menthol trauma and unconsciously held his

nose. Taiga had found another ruthless technique to subject Ami's body to.

"Dimhuahua, you're dim, you're stupid, you're idiotic. Dimhuahua,

your brain lacks grace, elegance, and more, but most of all it lacks kindness.

The only thing you're good at is impressions, and you don't even look like

the people you can do."

"That hurt! Are you an idiot?!"

"Ugh…"

Ami hit Taiga's head hard. She held her nose, letting her tears fall.

Ami-chan, here's a tissue, pass that around, Maya and Nanako kindly

offered her a pack of pocket tissues. Then Minori grabbed Taiga's small

head and shook her.

"Why you! Why you, Taigaaaa! You can't be violent like that!"

She used her other hand to assiduously push back the hair that had

fallen onto her cheek.

"Why would someone have to look like the person they're doing an

impression of?! Third year! Class B!"

"Shut up, Kushieda! This isn't the time for that! There's salt coming

out of Ami-chan's nose!"

"M-Maya-chan, don't mention that!"

Ami shamelessly stole the tissues from Maya's hand and glared at

Taiga with wet eyes.

"Tiger…you've seriously made me angry, today of all days!"

"What are you acting all high and mighty about when you've got salt

all up in your nose, you baldie?"

"I'm not balding."

"I hope you go bald."

"I won't!"

The boys, who had relevant anxieties about the future, all went silent

as the words pierced their hearts. Heredity…stress…friction on the scalp…

aging…a fate they could not avoid…Vegeta's M…that or Nappa… The

boys' unsettled hearts turned like kaleidoscopes. However, Taiga and Ami

exchanged grating and increasingly thorny jeers without any reserve for the

boys' sensitive feelings.

"Ahh, come to think of it, you're a hairy little ball like Mojacko.

Yeah, you definitely won't go bald. If you're that dedicated to your hair

being extra full-bodied and bushy then I hope you get a Stuttgart growth of

it."

"Whaaat did you say?! Ugh, seriously, you're getting on my nerves!

I'm fine being bald! I'll go bald! I'm balding!"

This time Ami's loud voice didn't just affect the boys near her. It

crossed through the class and made the hearts of everyone with a Y

chromosome sink.

"Seriously, I don't care anymore! I don't care anymore! You can give

me your worst, you spoiled brat of a tiger! Actually, according to rumors,

you're supposedly Yuusaku's new girlfriend, aren't you?! Keh, how stupid!

Sure, you've got brains and kindness and sharps or whatever, I don't know!

The only thing you haven't got enough of is height!"

"Whaaat?!" said Maya. "Ami-chan, how could you?!"

What did you just say? Taiga bared her teeth even more, but Ami

dauntlessly brushed her aside. It might have been because she had already

gone as far as to abandon her iron mask, but she let her true nature come

dripping through as she contorted her pretty face and sounded off.

"I don't care what Yuusaku does to begin with! That spoiled honors

student is just toeing the line. He's crying like a baby, but he's not actually

in any danger. He's just trying to get attention! Worrying about that idiot

will just make you look like an idiot! Maya and Nanako were worrying, so I

told them what I know, but to be honest, you must know in your hearts that

that's what he's doing!"

The evil Chihuahua wore a victorious expression. She snorted and

looked coldly at Ryuuji, who had been the most worried about Kitamura.

"Actually, did you all forget? It's already winter of our second year.

We have to seriously start thinking about our college tests soon, don't we?

Well, I think that blond guy ran away at a convenient time because he was

selfish. You don't have any extra time to waste on someone like Yuusaku,

do you? While you're all doing that, all our other classmates—our rivals—

are getting ready for college exams and thinking about the future. They're

going to leave you further and further behind. But, Yuusaku, that honors

student, is leaving you behind and wasting your time for his own benefit.

He's studying tons by himself. Maybe he'll get into a good school? Even if

he doesn't become the student council president, he's done well enough,

and he's the one everyone's betting on for the future.

"If someone like that so much as cries, somebody is bound to try

saving him. He knows that well enough, too."

She said the last part as though it were only to herself.

They lost their ability to reply in the face of reasoning that was so

solid. Ami clapped her hands lightly together and smiled with her goodytwo-shoes mask back on.

"So now, everyone! The lunch break is going to end soon, and we

need to prepare for our next class! Time is limited. If you keep acting like

everything's a festival, life can't go on. Now, Noto-kun, hurry and eat your

bento. Look, Haruta-kun, wipe that drool away. Takasu-kun, you'll get

arrested with that face you've got, so go plastic surgery it away."

"Sh-shut up!"

Ryuuji glared futilely at Ami's back as she stood and walked away,

laughing like a true villain. Minori poked Ryuuji's back. He turned around

to see her face but didn't know what to say now that he had been caught in

a lie.

"Takasu-kun, or rather, the magistrate in Takasu-kun's heart, how

about we try going to Kitamura-kun's place after school?"

"Huh?"

Ryuuji was at a loss for words at Minori's unexpected proposal. She

played with the ends of her hair with her fingertips.

"Well, I really am worried for him. Don't you want to at least see his

face? I don't know what happened at the student council, but let's go

together. A girl going to visit a guy by herself is awkward. Ahmin probably

won't come with the way she's acting. Taiga, would you come?"

Before she could ask, Taiga slipped between Minori and Ryuuji and

poked her head out. "Nnnngh." She shook her head side to side.

To Minori, she gave her official reason, "I think having fewer people

go will make it easier to talk to Kitamura-kun." Then she did a 180 and

whispered her selfish, true motives to Ryuuji, "I really want to see

Kitamura-kun's house, but right now, there's something even better that I

want. Honestly, I want Kitamura-kun to completely cut off all ties to the

student council! So, you go and get it done, you dog."

Ryuuji would go with Minori after school. Under normal

circumstances, the opportunity that had fallen into his lap would have made

him feel like he could float in mid-air just by meditating.

However, the hardship of the mission weighed on his heart more than

his delight. He wasn't planning on listening to Taiga's selfish wishes. For

starters, Ryuuji didn't think he could get Kitamura to obediently tell him

what had happened just by going on a house visit. He had no idea what the

guy was thinking. According to Ami, it had something to do with a

romantic relationship involving the student president, but he couldn't

possibly believe that.

He still didn't understand Kitamura's reasoning. The truth was that

Kitamura was rebelling, and it was just speculation that it had to do with the

student council or the president herself. Since he was going to see Kitamura

at his house, Ryuuji just needed to help with his rehabilitation, no matter

how little he could do.

When the afternoon class began, Ryuuji's face made him look like a

poisoned demon. None of the teachers could look him straight in the eyes.

He wasn't reprimanded even when he looked out the window, and the

boring period of classical literature dispassionately droned on.

School continued without the missing class representative.