The Next Day
It wasn't a special day, nor a significant event. Just another ordinary school day, no different from the dozens before it.
Students arrived one after another, filling the classroom with the usual morning chatter. Meanwhile, Sae Chabashira, their homeroom teacher, maintained her usual habit of not stepping inside until necessary.
As always, Kure Ragna entered the classroom at 7:40 AM sharp. He handed Kei Karuizawa a packed breakfast before heading to the hallway, where he leaned against the wall, eating his own meal while quietly waiting.
At 7:55 AM, a familiar red silhouette appeared at the top of the stairs.
Airi Sakura.
Today, she arrived much later than usual.
Typically, she would slip into the classroom around 7:45 AM, blending in with the crowd to avoid drawing attention. But today was different. The exhaustion on her face was evident—her dark circles barely concealed by her glasses.
Yet, despite the fatigue, there was something different about her expression. A quiet confidence.
Noticing her arrival, Kure Ragna casually waved his sushi at her in greeting.
"Yo."
"G-Good morning, Kure Ragna…" Airi responded, her voice still timid but carrying a warmth that hadn't been there before.
A simple interaction, yet a significant change. Before, she would have barely managed a nod before hurrying away.
"So, did you find anything strange in your shoe locker this morning?" he asked with a knowing smirk.
Airi hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
"No… Nothing."
As if feeling her response wasn't enough, she quickly added, "It was completely empty. Not a single letter!"
"Good."
Kure Ragna gave an approving nod, making an 'OK' gesture before taking another bite of his sushi.
This result didn't surprise him. The problem had been handled—cleanly and efficiently.
It had been a simple case of fighting fire with fire.
To put it briefly, he had made Airi dress up as she did in her modeling days, holding a sign that read: "If this doesn't stop, I'll expose everything." He took a picture of her like that.
Then, he spread out the mountain of letters she had received, took another picture, and combined them into a single document. Finally, he mailed that document to the digital store where the letters had been coming from.
Airi herself wouldn't have had the resolve to take such a bold step. But Kure Ragna? He had no problem playing the bad guy.
His logic was simple: if the problem started because of fanatics, then it would end with fanatics.
If these obsessed followers thought they could act recklessly in the shadows, then it was time to turn the tables. Let them fear exposure. Let them tear each other apart before he even had to lift a finger.
Of course, there was a small flaw in his plan—if the stalker was smart, they might have realized that, given the school's strict network restrictions, there was no real way to leak this information to the outside world.
But it seemed the stalker lacked that level of intelligence.
By now, Kure Ragna imagined the poor fool was sitting in that store, shaking with rage, realizing there was nothing they could do but suffer in silence.
A satisfying thought.
That said, his job wasn't completely done yet.
---
Afternoon – After the Second Class
Since they had a study session yesterday, today was a well-earned break.
A welcome change for most.
However, two particular classmates—Ike and Yamauchi—looked particularly dejected.
The reason? Their beloved "angel," Kikyo Kushida, had taken a leave of absence during yesterday's study session. And though she was back today, the break meant they had no excuse to spend time with her.
Worse, when they tried to greet her in the morning, she had almost ignored them.
Almost.
Of course, in their minds, it wasn't intentional. After all, their "angel" would never ignore them on purpose… right?
Surely, it had nothing to do with them standing outside her dorm yesterday, ringing her doorbell for half an hour.
Absolutely not.
(Though, funnily enough, Kushida hadn't even been in her dorm at the time.)
At the front of the classroom, a group of girls was chatting excitedly about where to hang out.
"The milk tea shop at the shopping center just started selling cold drinks. I saw people raving about it on the school forum!"
"Oh, that place? I went there with Kure Ragna and Karuizawa the other day," Kushida chimed in. "It's really good. If you go as a couple, you can even get a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Actually, some get an even better discount."
Her words sent shockwaves through the group. The chatter died instantly.
"…Wait, Kure Ragna? But isn't he—"
"Ah, no, I went with both Kure Ragna and Karuizawa," Kushida clarified, smiling. "It's not like you have to do anything. Just having a guy with you gets you the discount. That's how we got an extra two drinks for free."
"What? You can actually do that? Why don't we bring Kure Ragna with us today?"
"Yeah! Think about it—free drinks!"
"What are you guys even saying?!"
Kei Karuizawa, who had been listening in silence, couldn't take it anymore. She snapped, her voice loud enough to turn heads.
The girl who had made the suggestion flinched. "W-Well, I mean, it's just borrowing him for a bit. It's not like it means anything…"
"No. Absolutely not."
Karuizawa's voice was firm. There was no room for argument.
However, when she turned to look toward the back of the classroom, expecting Kure Ragna to back her up—
She found his seat empty.
While she was still processing this, Kushida casually added, "If you're looking for him, he left about two minutes ago. Seems like he's been busy with something lately."
---
Meanwhile…
Airi Sakura hurried across the campus, her heart pounding.
As always, she had taken her usual route—the quieter paths where fewer students walked. It had always helped her avoid unnecessary attention.
But today… something was wrong.
Even though the crowd had thinned, she could hear footsteps behind her.
No matter how fast she walked, the sound remained. Matching her pace.
It was as if she were being hunted.
A deep sense of unease settled in her chest. It felt like walking through a dark forest at night, knowing something was lurking just beyond her vision.
Please… someone… anyone…
She squeezed her eyes shut, silently praying for help.
And then—
Buzz!
Her phone vibrated.
Startled, she glanced down at the screen.
A single message.
[Keep moving forward. —Kure Ragna]
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