CHAPTER 2
Would rather not have this foreshadowing.
“I know it’s a little late, but let’s get this celebration started! Cheers!”
“““Cheers!”””
Following Alisa’s lead, the six of them, divided by gender on opposite sides of the table, clinked their glasses together. It was after school, and the members of Fortitude, including Masachika, were celebrating at a karaoke spot. In seating order from the back of the room sat Masachika, Takeshi, and Hikaru on the guys’ side, then Alisa, Sayaka, and Nonoa on the girls’ side.
Although Alisa subtly averted her gaze as she and Masachika awkwardly clinked their glasses together, the other four began chatting as if they hadn’t noticed.
“A lot went down, but I’m really glad it all worked out in the end!”
“You can say that again… I was worried for a second there.”
“Hikaru, how does your stomach feel?”
“I’m fine now. Thanks, Alya.”
Hikaru smiled in a troubled manner while he rubbed his stomach where the delinquent had punched him.
“I still can’t believe that actually happened. Getting beat up by delinquents was something I thought only happened in comic books.”
“You simply can’t reason with some people. I am a bit surprised that someone, especially nowadays, would suddenly punch someone from another school like that, though.”
“I know, right? I totally thought Japan was safer than that…but I guess it just depends on where you are.”
Says the girl who tried to gouge a stranger’s eyes out…
Masachika looked away, inwardly scoffing at Nonoa’s comment. It wasn’t like he could criticize her, though, having knocked some thug’s front teeth out to save her. Plus, he hadn’t told Alisa about what had happened, and he didn’t really want others to know about it, either, so he decided not to bring it up.
“If anything, I’m surprised there are students who are willing to start trouble at other schools just for a few bucks.”
“I don’t know, man. Like, you’ve heard of sugar daddies, right? There are even students who do illegal work on the side for cash, too. I mean, it looks like there are people willing to do anything for money.”
“…Yeah, I guess it all depends on the environment you grow up in.”
Masachika decided to change the subject, glaring at Takeshi for even bringing up “sugar daddies” out of the blue like that.
“Anyway, did you guys make up with Nao and the others?”
Takeshi and Hikaru seemed caught off guard by Masachika’s question, and they exchanged glances and somewhat bitter expressions.
“Yeah… For the most part.”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean things are going back to how they used to be, but, well, we promised to hang out again soon.”
“Really? I’m glad to hear that,” said Masachika with a nod, deciding to leave it at that.
He had no intention of delving deeper into their relationship or revealing his role in mending their friendship. After the school festival, he made time to apologize directly to Nao for being a little harsh, but even then, he didn’t inquire about what had happened to Luminous.
I should probably keep out of their business. I’ve already done too much… Besides, it looks like Takeshi and Hikaru are feeling a bit better, so that’s all that matters.
Masachika thought that while grabbing one of the countless french fries from the pile. Nonoa, however, surprisingly expressed interest in the subject.
“So? Like…? Is Luminous gonna get back together or what?”
“Oh, uh… I guess?”
“We still need to search for a new singer, since ours transferred to a different school, though.”
“Word,” replied Nonoa, making it hard to tell if she actually was interested. Takeshi’s gaze then shifted toward Alisa before he hesitatingly asked:
“By the way…would you be interested in continuing to sing in our band…? Maybe…?”
“Huh?! I…”
Alisa looked away, but Masachika knew exactly how she felt. Fortitude was a band formed solely for the Autumn Heights Festival, and Alisa wasn’t an actual member of Luminous, either. She was essentially a stand-in. Therefore, they couldn’t expect her to simply drop her current life to become a singer. The situation was even more complicated, given that the original members of Luminous were in the process of making up, too.
“…She’s going to be too busy with student council work, since we don’t really have that many members this year. Of course, someone with unlimited stamina like Chisaki can tackle two clubs at once…but I think that’d be a little too much for Alya, since she has a lot on her plate.”
Noticing Alisa was in trouble, Masachika stepped in to assist. Right away, Takeshi grinned sheepishly.
“Yeah, I figured. Sorry, Alya. I just had to ask, since your singing was incredible.”
“O-oh, no. It’s okay. I’m just sorry I can’t help.”
Alisa also looked a little apologetic, but just when the atmosphere had gotten a bit heavy, a cheerfully out-of-place voice cut through the silence.
“Then can I do it? I legit want to try singing.”
““What?!””
Nonoa’s hand was in the air, catching both Takeshi and Hikaru by surprise. Their eyes went wide.
“Nonoa… Are you sure?”
“Hmm? I’m not in the student council or disciplinary committee like Alisa and Saya, so why not? Like, I don’t see a problem?”
“No, of course not. It’s just… Takeshi’s asking if you’re going to be comfortable joining a new band. We already know each other, but they’re basically strangers to you…”
“What? I don’t care,” Nonoa replied nonchalantly. After Hikaru and Takeshi exchanged glances, Takeshi timidly spoke up.
“If you’re fine with it…then we’d love to have you. Of course, we have to ask the other two first, though…”
“A’ight. Just let me know when you figure it out, okay? Oh, hey. I guess I should, like, show you guys what I can do, since we’re here, right?” Nonoa picked up the tablet and selected a song that happened to be one of the cover songs that Luminous was familiar with. “Check, check.”
She adjusted the microphone’s volume as she stood, followed by Sayaka, who swiftly grabbed the tambourine on the couch and got into stance.
Hmm? The tambourine?
Just as Masachika turned to face them…an extremely powerful, impressive performance began. Gone was Nonoa’s usual languid demeanor as she belted out a powerful rock song with a raw, energetic voice. Meanwhile, Sayaka kept an unusually straight face as she played the tambourine with incredible skill and speed. Four pairs of eyes darted back and forth between Nonoa and Sayaka, but when the song came to an end, the room erupted with applause.
“Wh-whoa, that was badass.”
“Yeah… She doesn’t sing like Alya at all, but she’s really good in her own way.”
“Thanks.”
But amid Takeshi’s and Hikaru’s genuine praise, Masachika couldn’t help but comment.
“Wait, wait, wait. Yeah, that was great, but…where did that come from? Not only was the singing incredible, but what was up with the tambourine? Why the hell are you two showing off your secret skills now? Feels like I’m staring at two people who already defeated the last boss and have the best equipment.”
Sayaka pushed up her glasses and replied in a matter-of-fact tone, “Well…there aren’t many songs I can sing, so I learned to do this to keep things from getting awkward when we go do karaoke together.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
Masachika, being the perceptive person that he was, correctly understood that Sayaka wasn’t actually limited in the number of songs that she could sing; rather, her preferred songs were heavily skewed toward the otaku genre.
“I just didn’t, like, see the point of telling anyone?”
“Yeah, that tracks for you.”
Masachika, being the perceptive person that he was, correctly understood the unspoken sentiment behind the words “I just didn’t feel like telling anyone.”
“Anyway, did I pass?” asked Nonoa as she lowered the microphone.
“Yeah, you did!”
“Yes, that was perfect.”
Takeshi and Hikaru immediately nodded.
“Hooray.”
Nonoa sluggishly raised a fist, her cheering monotone and her eyes heavy-lidded like always. At a glance, it was questionable whether she was genuinely happy, but Masachika somehow knew that Nonoa was thrilled.
“…I’m just surprised you got addicted to playing in a band like this.”
“Hmm? Really?”
Once Masachika voiced his honest opinion, Sayaka promptly joined in, agreeing with him.
“Yes, I was genuinely surprised as well. I wasn’t expecting her to get that into the performance. I heard she advertised the show at her maid café while waiting on customers as well.”
“Wait. Really?”
“Whaaat? I wasn’t advertising? I would never mix my personal life with business, especially since my class was after the so-called special award.” Nonoa dismissively waved her hand at Sayaka’s claim, but her eyes darted away. “Like, people were just asking me when I was gonna be working at the café, so I was telling them that I wasn’t going to be there much longer because I was going to be performing in the schoolyard.”
“…Oh.”
“Ha-ha… Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t really count as advertising.”
“Uh… Sounds kind of like stealth marketing to me.”
“I don’t think it counts as stealth marketing…”
Nonoa’s straightforward explanation elicited subtle smirks from everyone other than Sayaka, who simply let out a small sigh of resignation.
“But haven’t you been mixing your personal life with ‘business’ from the start? I heard you made a fuss so that you could do the maid café with Sayaka,” Masachika said.
“I sooo wasn’t making a fuss. I was just, like, ‘I wanna do whatever our class ends up doing with Saya’ when asked about our class attraction for the festival, and then everyone just made it happen.”
“Class D’s world really does revolve around you, huh?”
Speaking of blurring the lines between personal life and work, there was a certain maid who’d helped with her mistress’s class attraction as well, so Masachika decided to drop the subject out of fairness.
I didn’t really think much about it because she really blended in at the time, but Ayano’s in Class C…
It hit him out of the blue yesterday, but when he asked Yuki about it, she told him that Ayano was apparently treated as her stand-in while she was out. It was a seamless swap that seemingly went unnoticed by most.
“Takeshi, Hikaru, what about you two? Did you have time to go check out their maid café?”
“Y-yeah, we stopped by for a second after our performance.”
“Nonoa wasn’t there, though.”
“Oh, seriously…? Did you two enter the raffle?” Masachika grinned while thinking back to the countless guys salivating over the chance to get their picture taken with their favorite maid. But Takeshi didn’t seem to want to make eye contact with him, so Masachika blinked repeatedly in utter astonishment.
“Wait… Did you really?”
“They actually bought three raffle tickets,” Sayaka revealed.
“Seriously?!”
Masachika’s eyes were as wide as saucers, and he was trembling in shock.
“Well, uh, I mean…,” stammered Takeshi, but before he could finish his unclear sentence, Sayaka continued with a sigh:
“On his third draw, Takeshi managed to pull a winning ticket, too… And out of anyone he could have chosen, he chose me. I was surprised, to say the least.”
“Y-yeah, you know? I just wanted to take a commemorative photo. It’s not every day we get to see you dressed like that, after all,” Takeshi blabbered, channeling his inner auctioneer…but there was something about him that seemed a bit off to Masachika.
Hmm? What’s he so worked up about…?
Though Masachika was bewildered, Alisa nodded in agreement, as if she didn’t notice anything wrong with their friend’s behavior at all.
“It really was a fresh look… Masachika seemed to prefer Nonoa, though.”
“No, Sayaka basically forced me to do that.”
“Hmm? Did you take a picture with Nonoa or something?”
“Yeah… Now that I think about it… Sayaka, how did you rig it so I’d pull the winning raffle ticket?”
Masachika quickly changed the subject, only to be met by Sayaka’s feigned innocent gaze.
“Good question. I completely forgot.”
“Come on.”
“…? What happened?”
“I just magically happened to draw the winning raffle ticket, so I was curious. That’s all.”
“Wait. Were the odds of pulling a winning ticket that low? Takeshi got a winning ticket on his third try, right?” Hikaru confirmed.
“I saw around four people who drew over seven raffle tickets and didn’t even win once,” Masachika said.
“Wow…”
The three guys in the group all shifted their gazes toward Sayaka, who simply shrugged back.
“We didn’t receive any complaints from the school festival committee.”
“That’s exactly what someone guilty would say.”
As Masachika glared at her reproachfully, Alisa suddenly spoke up, as if she had remembered something.
“Now that I think about it, did nobody get hurt during the incident at the festival? I heard that a group of thugs went to Class D to start some trouble…”
“Nothing major happened. They creeped the girls out, but the vice president of the disciplinary committee apparently handled things.”
“The vice president…? Oh, Kiryuuin…? Violet Kiryuuin?”
Alisa uncomfortably calling Sumire by her supposed real name brought a sharp, smug grin to Masachika’s lips.
“No, Alya. You have to call her Madam Violet. She loves it when you call her that. It feels more friendly to her.”
“It sounds to me like you’re kind of mocking her, Masachika.”
“Yeah, man. You must not value your life.”
Masachika was spouting nonsense with a completely serious expression, earning him dumbfounded looks from his two best friends. In reality, Sumire’s reputation within the school was more than deserving of the title “Unattainable Beauty,” since she was out of everyone’s league.
Possessing a good family background, stunning looks, and a great personality, she would have been hailed as one of the school’s three most beautiful girls, had she not humbly declared, “It would be presumptuous of me to even consider myself in the same league as my lady!” Therefore, it was no wonder that Takeshi and Hikaru were dumbfounded by Masachika’s audacity to essentially mock such a respected and envied goddess. Masachika himself, however, remained completely unfazed.
“It’s a testament to her character. That’s all.”
“I guess you could say that,” said Hikaru, sighing with exasperation before suddenly turning to face Sayaka, as if he had recalled something.
“By the way, is Sumire going to be the president of the disciplinary committee now? Taiki Kaji ended up resigning after taking responsibility for the lapse in security, right?”
Masachika’s eyebrow twitched. Taiki Kaji had been the student council president in middle school and was an upperclassman with whom Masachika got along especially well. Taiki had been coerced by Yuushou into helping some outsiders break into the school during the festival, but the incident was never made public. Instead, as far as the student body was concerned, Taiki had merely resigned, claiming he wanted to take responsibility for failing to prevent the disaster.
Although there was no concrete evidence proving Taiki had been involved in the intrusion, Yuki’s wishes had determined his fate. After all, Taiki had wanted to confess his crime and atone for it, but Yuki stopped him. At any rate, she had personally called Masachika after the school festival to explain the situation.
“I mean, to be honest, I have nothing to gain if he—if Taiki—ruins his reputation at school, so I told him that if he wanted to do me a favor, then he should keep his mouth shut about his role in the security lapse and help me with my election campaign.”
Although it wasn’t really something to normally discuss with a rival, Masachika ultimately decided to keep the matter to himself, respecting Yuki’s wishes. Of course, if he had wanted to, he could have probably used the “debate” and what they’d wagered as leverage to force Yuushou to testify about his accomplice. If Masachika had been solely focused on winning the election, he should have dragged Taiki down with Yuushou as well. However, he chose not to because Taiki was someone whom Masachika deeply respected.
I’m not innocent, either. I grew distant from Taiki, since I didn’t know how to act around him after he lost the election. He must have been devastated by the outcome, since he was so positive that he was going to win, too. He was torn away from his beloved fiancée and abandoned by those who used to support him…so it’s no surprise he went off the deep end.
And throughout all this, he had someone who was telling him that he was a friend and that the election results were nonsense, so what was he supposed to do when the only person who seemed to care about him suddenly told him that there was a way he could fix everything?
Yuushou is seriously a wizard when it comes to manipulating people’s negative emotions…
Masachika grimaced bitterly as he thought about his schoolmate, whose scheming nature went far beyond some sort of charming label like “the black-hearted prince.” However, Sayaka shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring Masachika’s reaction as she replied to Hikaru’s question.
“Naturally, Sumire Kiryuuin would be next in line to take over…but she doesn’t seem to be too enthusiastic about the idea, since Yuushou is her cousin and all… There aren’t any strong candidates right now, either, so the committee is going to put the decision on hold for the time being.”
“Oh… But, yes… There aren’t really that many people who would be better than her for the job, so it makes sense. Plus, Taiki was the student council president in middle school while she was just a regular member, so their relationship in the disciplinary committee must have felt natural to them.” Hikaru nodded as if it made sense to him.
“Then how about you be the president, Saya?” Nonoa blurted out suddenly.
“No way.”
“What? Why?”
“Almost everyone worships Sumire, so they’d simply end up resenting me, even for suggesting I could take over as the president of the disciplinary committee,” Sayaka explained with a matter-of-fact tone. That was when Alisa suddenly spoke up.
“But you beat her in a debate in middle school, right? So if anyone is better than her for the job, it would be you.”
“I…”
Surprised by Alisa’s unexpected opinion, Sayaka quickly averted her gaze. Although Alisa was baffled by her unusually uneasy reaction, Masachika understood exactly why she reacted that way.
Because it was actually Nonoa who took down Sumire at the debate, not Sayaka… Plus, if you knew what really happened, you’d probably agree that it was a really horrifying battle that felt like a showdown between a villain and pure evil itself…
It was the debate that had revealed Nonoa’s true nature to Masachika and Yuki. Although they had suspected she was more than just a lazy, disinterested, flashy girl, after the debate, they were certain that there was something wrong with her. She was a dangerous opponent, which was why they had a gut feeling that Sayaka and Nonoa would be their main rivals in the election until the very end…
And yet we’re now hanging out like friends… Life’s full of surprises, huh?
While Masachika was lost in his old man–like thoughts, Sayaka, who seemed to have collected herself, cleared her throat softly.
“…That was three years ago. Besides, they wouldn’t allow a first-year student to be the president of the disciplinary committee anyway.”
“Really?”
“Really. Plus…”
A mischievous grin suddenly appeared on Sayaka’s lips.
“The most important trait for a member of the disciplinary committee to have…is apparently combat power.”
“…Really?”
“Don’t take what she’s saying seriously, Alya. It’s not. The only reason why the disciplinary committee’s like it is right now is because of Violet and Chisaki. I guarantee it.”
“…? I get Violet, but why Chisaki?”
“Oh, she was actually a member of the disciplinary committee all throughout middle school and her first year of high school.”
“O-oh, I do vaguely remember hearing about that…”
“Also, it was Chisaki who turned Violet into the kind of person she is today. In other words, she’s the root of it all.”
“I wonder what happened to her to make her change the disciplinary committee into essentially a martial arts faction?”
“Well, uh…”
Masachika hemmed and hawed in response to Alisa’s question. If he were to answer honestly, he would have to say something like, “The bullies were forced to join the disciplinary committee after Chisaki gave them a good beating and were then mentally and physically toughened up, almost as if they had been sent to a reform school. That was how it ended up like this.” But Masachika hesitated, unsure whether he should tell her…when all of a sudden, Takeshi spoke up, sensing Masachika was uncomfortable.
“Speaking of Chisaki, did you hear what she did to those thugs that sneaked into our school? I heard it was chaos.”
“What do you mean ‘chaos’?” joked Masachika, despite having a good idea of what happened. Although he didn’t know in detail what kind of rampage Chisaki had gone on, when he’d curiously decided to check on the intruders in the disciplinary committee room after the debate…a single male student came running out of the room, pale as a sheet, muttering, “Human…human bodies weren’t made to bend like that…”
Those words, in addition to the student heaving, prompted Masachika to turn around, sending him back to where he’d come from.
“I’m sure Sayaka has an idea of what happened.”
Masachika shifted his gaze toward Sayaka, who simply shrugged while looking away.
“Eh, it doesn’t matter. Let’s talk about something more positive. Hikaru, are you not going to show Masachika?”
“Huh? Oh, right.”
Hikaru took out his phone and went through it for a few seconds before showing Masachika the screen.
“Check it out. I was planning on sending this to everyone later, but…”
“…? Hmm?”
Masachika tilted his head, listening to the commotion coming from the phone’s speaker being handed to him, but the moment he saw the screen, his eyes opened wide. There, over the heads of the crowd, was Alisa in her band outfit, but suddenly, the roars of the audience were pierced by a powerful overture as Alisa’s voice filled the air.
“I asked my friend to take a video of us playing. I know it’s a little far away, and everyone’s heads and arms are kind of in the way, but it’s better than nothing…”
Admittedly, the live footage really wasn’t of the highest quality. But because it was raw footage taken from an extremely hyped audience, the heat of the moment was incredibly palpable. The audience swayed and jumped in time with the music, and you could see Alisa, who initially seemed a bit stiff, gradually getting into the groove.
Whoa… This is incredible…
Masachika smiled as he watched Alisa move around the stage, soaking up the cheers of the crowd. The sight of her exchanging glances and working together with her friends to pump up the audience was a far cry from the title “solitary princess.”
She’s so radiant…
Although he was so proud of and happy for Alisa as he watched her on the screen, he couldn’t wash away the tinge of loneliness that it made him feel.
It’s nothing like the audience’s reaction when I played in the auditorium.
Masachika inwardly let out a bitter laugh while comparing their completely different performances in his mind. After the video eventually came to an end, he handed the phone back to Hikaru.
“That was incredible. The audience went crazy. I can see why nobody can leave you guys alone during class,” teased Masachika, hiding the dark emotions swelling in his heart. However, Hikaru, exchanging an uneasy glance with Alisa and Takeshi, smiled back warily.
“Yes, we are getting a lot of attention…”
“It’s kind of exhausting, though…”
“Hard agree,” said Takeshi, Hikaru, and Alisa, making Masachika tilt his head curiously.
“Seriously…? You too, Takeshi? I thought you’d at least be, like, ‘I’m finally popular!’ and be thrilled that you’re finally getting attention from the opposite sex.”
After Takeshi’s eyes widened in surprise at Masachika’s remark, he glanced at Sayaka for some reason before shaking his head vigorously. However, it wasn’t only Masachika who found this overreaction bizarre. Hikaru seemed curious as well.
“…Now that you mention it, Takeshi has been acting really calm, despite being surrounded by countless girls.”
“What? Come on, guys… It’s not like I want to be popular with just anyone. I only want to be popular with one girl…”
““…??””
Masachika and Hikaru exchanged puzzled glances as Takeshi mumbled something that sounded unconvincingly pure. Then, as if he was unable to bear their scrutiny, he took a big gulp of his drink and looked the other way.
“Besides, we have midterms coming up, now that the school festival is over! Things are going to get rough! And then we have field day after that…,” Takeshi said with a crack in his voice.
The blatant attempt to change the subject made Masachika suspicious, but he still played along.
“Oh, right. We have too many things to do this time of year.”
“I bet the student council’s really busy, huh? You have to work during field day, too, right?”
“No, field day isn’t going to be that busy… The field day committee’s going to handle most of what happens then, so the student council just has to help with a few small things. The main thing we need to do is decide on the events we’re participating in on field day,” replied Masachika.
“We’re in high school, so, like, obviously you’re doing the Run, right?” Nonoa interjected.
“Oh, right… Uh… We would need a little time to prepare for that, though…”
“The ‘Run’?”
Thanks to her puzzled expression, Masachika could easily imagine a question mark appearing over Alisa’s head. This made him realize that he had completely forgotten to tell her about it.
“It’s a little form of entertainment we do during the lunch break on field day. It’s essentially a game of ‘chicken fight,’ or a cavalry-style among people running for student council president, hence the name the ‘Run.’ By the way, we really only do it for fun, so it doesn’t matter if you lose, and it doesn’t mean you’re out of the presidential race, either.”
“You’re totally better off winning it, though,” suggested Nonoa, making a somewhat tone-deaf remark. Masachika seemed troubled but eventually replied:
“Yeah, I guess winning would be ideal. Plus, we have a bit of momentum going right now, to be honest. The student council speeches we did before the semester, the trivia show during the school festival, the time we removed the disturbance at the festival and kept everyone calm—people are talking about us way more than about Yuki and Ayano, and I want to keep this momentum going and keep our names on everyone’s lips.”
“I agree. The momentum is shifting in your favor more than I thought it would,” Sayaka commented suddenly. Masachika’s and Alisa’s expressions became serious, making Sayaka frown. “…What?”
“I just wasn’t expecting to hear you say something like that…”
“I’m simply stating facts,” insisted Sayaka, while she faced forward. Meanwhile, Nonoa, sitting next to her, leaned into her with a laugh as she slipped her arm around Sayaka’s and rested her head on her shoulder, gazing up at her through her lashes.
“…What, Nonoa?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Sayaka sighed softly, having roughly figured out what Nonoa was trying to say and knowing that prying would only make things worse.
Like something straight out of a yuri comic…
With a complex mix of emotions as he watched the scene unfold, Masachika faced Alisa once more.
“Anyway, Sayaka’s right. We rose up from a huge disadvantage, and now it’s time to push back. I know it’s supposed to be just for fun, but let’s do the Run, and let’s win so that we can keep this momentum up.”
Alisa nodded with a serious gaze, only to be interrupted by Takeshi, who seemed to be having a little trouble reading the room.
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