Chapter 19

Mid-July.

Final exams had ended, and Advanced Nurturing High School was beginning to feel the full arrival of summer.

Blazing sunlight scorched the skin, while the deafening cries of cicadas filled the air. The students’ minds were already focused on the summer vacation waiting just ahead.

Thanks to the “both sides punished” verdict I had handed down during the recent violence incident hearing, the suspension on first-year private point distributions had finally been lifted, and peace had returned to the school.

And so, on a weekend Saturday—

I was sitting on the terrace of a stylish, slightly upscale café inside Keyaki Mall.

(...This is bad. I’m getting ridiculously nervous.)

Across from me sat Shiina Hiyori in a cool white summer dress, and Ichinose Honami in a refreshing blue blouse.

The two greatest beauties representing the class.

Sandwiched between them, I sat elegantly with my legs crossed, sipping black coffee while reading a difficult philosophy book.

The whole thing had started yesterday, when Hiyori invited me:

“Honami-san and I are going shopping this weekend. Sousuke-kun, would you like to come too?”

Internally, I had been screaming, “I’m going! Absolutely going!!”

But outwardly, I had calmly replied:

“—Matching my pace to yours would not be a bad way to spend a holiday.”

In an extremely stylish manner, of course.

“Hey, Hiyori-chan. Want to check out that clothing store later too? I feel like buying a few more summer outfits.”

“Fufu, that sounds nice, Honami-chan. I’ve been wanting a new hat myself.”

(————!!)

My heart exploded with joy for what had to be the fifth time today.

(“Hiyori-chan”! “Honami-chan”!! OOOOOH!! They’re totally calling each other like best friends now!!)

After the retrial incident, Hiyori had comforted Ichinose through her trauma and saved her emotionally. I had heard the two had grown much closer afterward, but I never imagined they’d become this close.

The angel who had been completely friendless at the start of school had become genuine best friends with the brightest social butterfly beauty in the school.

That fact alone nearly moved me to tears like a proud parent.

“Aizen-kun, sorry for dragging you around shopping with us. Aren’t you bored?”

Ichinose looked toward me apologetically.

“—What a foolish question. What fool would willingly abandon the privilege of viewing beautiful flowers in full bloom from the best seat in the house?”

(Translation: Not bored at all! Watching you two get along is fun for me too!)

“Ahaha, Aizen-kun’s way of talking is amazing as always. But you’re complimenting us, right? Thanks!”

Ichinose laughed brightly, already completely accustomed to my stylish poetry.

Afterward, we wandered around the mall together, and by evening, we moved to my dorm room.

After the café, I had promised to cook dinner for them.

“Waaah…! Amazing, this really looks like a restaurant…!”

Ichinose exclaimed in admiration upon seeing the dishes lined up on my table.

Today’s menu consisted of chilled capellini pasta loaded with summer vegetables, white fish carpaccio, and homemade lemonade.

It was a carefully crafted meal focused on refreshing acidity and colorful presentation so it could be enjoyed even in the summer heat.

“Fufu. Sousuke-kun’s cooking is always delicious.”

Hiyori puffed out her chest proudly as if she herself had cooked it and picked up her fork.

“Itadakimasu! …Mmm!! What is this? It’s insanely good! The sweetness of the tomatoes and the basil aroma are incredible!”

“—To savor not merely the satisfaction of hunger, but the breath of the season itself… that is one of the few privileges granted to us. Enjoy it to your heart’s content.”

(Translation: I’m glad you like it! Eat as much as you want!)

The dinner proceeded in a warm and cheerful atmosphere.

Eventually, while drinking lemonade after the meal, the conversation naturally shifted toward the future.

(...Summer vacation is almost here. There’s no way this meritocracy school is simply going to let students relax and play around. Judging from how things have gone so far, there’s definitely going to be some kind of outdoor special exam where class points fluctuate drastically.)

Wanting to warn Ichinose as class leader, I quietly set down my glass.

“—Ichinose… Surely you do not mistake this pouring sunlight for mere peaceful slumber?”

Sensing the shift in my tone, both Ichinose and Hiyori became serious.

“The rulers of this white miniature garden would never prepare a tranquil summer for us. …Soon, they will unveil a massive crucible capable of melting the current game board itself.”

(Translation: I think there’ll be some kind of special summer exam where class points can change drastically.)

“...Soussuke-kun is saying this.”

Hiyori inserted a perfect translation.

“He believes the school will prepare some kind of special exam during summer vacation instead of simply giving everyone a break.”

“A special exam… during summer vacation…”

Ichinose’s expression tightened.

After experiencing the school’s harsh penalties during the violence incident, she fully understood now that the school administration showed no mercy.

“But if we don’t know what kind of test it’ll be, there’s no way to prepare, right? It could be a written test… or maybe something physical…”

Ichinose muttered anxiously.

But I gave a fearless smile and slowly brushed back my bangs.

“—There is no need for concern. One does not need to know the shape of the blade emerging from the darkness beforehand.”

(Translation: It’ll be okay even if we don’t know what kind of exam it is!)

“The fragile flesh of an individual can easily crumble beneath a single blade. …But the invisible shield known as ‘bonds’ that you have woven together will not shatter so easily. With your unity, any irrational storm can surely be transformed into calm seas.”

(Translation: With B-Class’s teamwork, you can definitely overcome any exam!)

Hiyori’s gentle translation echoed throughout the room.

“Even if we don’t know what kind of test it’ll be yet, the current B-Class teamwork can overcome any difficulty.”

Hearing those words, bright light filled Ichinose’s eyes.

“Aizen-kun… Hiyori-chan…”

Ichinose clasped her hands tightly against her chest and bowed deeply.

“Really… thank you. About the dummy camera incident too. If you two hadn’t stopped me back then… I might’ve been crushed by my past trauma and made an irreversible mistake.”

Her voice trembled slightly.

“I was so desperate to lead everyone as class leader… but honestly, I’m just weak. Just a normal girl scared of her past mistakes.”

Her honest, unfiltered feelings.

Ichinose raised her head and gave us a dazzling smile despite the tears in her eyes.

“I may be unreliable… but please keep supporting me from now on too. Aizen-kun, Hiyori-chan. I need both of your strength.”

(————!!)

Internally, I burst into tears while giving her a standing ovation.

(Ichinose-san!! Of course!! You’re not unreliable at all—you’re the best leader ever! Use me as much as you want!!)

Unable to suppress my overflowing emotions, I spoke quietly yet with absolute strength.

“—The sun cannot prove its brilliance alone. …If you insist on continuing to shine while wearing yourself down, then I shall gladly become the ‘shadow’ cast behind you.”

(Translation: Of course! I’ll support you with everything I’ve got!)

“If there are enemies standing in your way, then I shall slaughter them all with these hands. You need only continue shining your blinding light forward.”

(Translation: If anything troubles you, just tell me!)

“…Soussuke-kun.”

Hiyori gently accepted my excessively dangerous poem and turned toward Ichinose.

“Soussuke-kun says, ‘Of course. I’ll continue supporting Honami-chan with all my strength, and I’ll help with anything troubling you.’”

Then Hiyori softly took Ichinose’s hand herself.

“And of course, I will too. Whenever you’re suffering, I’ll always listen to you. So please don’t carry everything alone anymore, okay?”

“Aizen-kun… Hiyori-chan…!”

Large tears finally spilled from Ichinose’s eyes.

With a relieved smile mixed with tears, she nodded strongly.

“…Yeah! I’ll do my best!”

That small promise exchanged in my room on that summer night further strengthened the ship known as B-Class.

Watching the precious friendship between Hiyori and Ichinose, I quietly resolved within myself:

(I’ll absolutely protect this peaceful everyday life.)

---

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

Inside a room in the student dormitory.

In the dimly lit room sat a man leaning deeply into a sofa with a sinister grin.

The leader of Class 1-C—

Ryūen Kakeru.

“...Kukuku. So the student council pulled that move on me, huh?”

At Ryūen’s feet were Ishizaki, Komiya, and Kondou—the three who had recently been suspended—bowing low in apology.

“S-sorry, Ryūen-san…! We kept insisting we were the victims, but then that first-year vice president suddenly started talking about ‘punishing both sides equally’…”

“Yeah, I heard. You idiots got one-week suspensions, Sudou from D-Class got two weeks, and both classes lost fifty class points each, right?”

Ryūen swirled the ice in his glass while narrowing his sharp serpent-like eyes.

This violence incident—

Originally, it had been Ryūen’s perfectly constructed trap to crush D-Class.

He had manipulated things behind the scenes, instructing Ishizaki and the others to provoke Sudou into attacking them.

They carefully chose a place without surveillance cameras and ensured there would be no witnesses.

If the hearing dragged on long enough, Sudou—the one who resorted to violence—would either be expelled or forced to pay an enormous amount of points.

“You know, I intentionally designed this sloppy-looking trap because I wanted to see if there was anyone intelligent hiding among the trash heap known as D-Class. …If there was someone clever there, I thought maybe they’d show me an interesting counterattack from that hopeless situation.”

The ice clinked in Ryūen’s glass.

“But when I opened the lid, D-Class didn’t even manage a decent counterattack. They just screamed and got dragged into the hearing completely helpless. …Boring as hell.”

Deep boredom filled Ryūen’s eyes.

Yet the next instant, that boredom transformed into manic delight.

“To think that before D-Class could even fight back… that ‘student council vice president’ would crush everything from above instead.”

In Ryūen’s mind appeared the figure of the man occupying that extraordinary position.

Aizen Sousuke.

The monster who had exposed the S-System on the very first day of school, extorted massive points from upperclassmen through gambling, stole Ryūen’s pawns, and even manipulated Horikita Manabu into letting him join the student council.

“…That bastard saw through everything.”

Ryūen’s twisted speculation bared its fangs in the darkness.

“He understood the entire incident I orchestrated, and D-Class’s incompetence too. That’s why he cut the meaningless hearing short and issued that brute-force ‘both sides punished’ ruling that nobody could complain about, crushing both C-Class and D-Class simultaneously.”

“R-Ryūen-san…? Then that means…”

“Kukuku… AHAHAHAHAHA!!”

Suddenly, Ryūen burst into crazed laughter while clutching his stomach.

“This is interesting as hell…!!”

His eyes held unprecedented viciousness and a twisted craving toward a powerful opponent.

“To solidify your class’s advantage, you used the lower classes tearing each other apart and legally shaved points off both of them. …You’re ruling the board from the safety of the absolute authority called the student council while looking down on all of us.”

A complete misunderstanding.

Aizen Sousuke had simply thought:

“This is annoying, so let’s just punish both sides equally.”

He had absolutely no deeper scheme whatsoever.

But to Ryūen, it appeared as nothing less than the complete domination of the board by a cruel demon king.

“...Fine then, Aizen Sousuke. If that’s how you want to play, I’ll sink my teeth into your throat with everything I’ve got.”

Ryūen drained the rest of his glass and grinned savagely.

“Summer vacation… there’s definitely going to be a huge special exam. And when it comes, I’ll enjoy front-row seats watching you get dragged down from your throne and fall into despair.”

One sought to protect the peace and precious friendships of B-Class.

The other sought the joy of hunting down and crushing the Demon King.

And so, carrying these absolute misunderstandings beneath the surface, Advanced Nurturing High School headed toward a turbulent summer vacation.