Chapter Text
After the mall security as well as Katsuragi arrived on the scene, things started moving rather quickly. The store clerk was dragged away, presumably so they could tend to whatever wounds I had given him. Meanwhile another security guard arrived later to escort me, Sakura and Aoi away from the scene.
When we were escorted out of the mall, surprisingly nobody was around. I was later told that when the incident was first reported, the mall was cleared of any students that were inside. The speed at which that was done still impresses me looking back on it.
Sakura didn't say another word the entire time, only clinging onto Aoi who to her credit never once stopped comforting her terrified friend. We were escorted to the school building, more specifically the hallway that housed the student council room. We were then told to sit on some chairs they had set out for us, and they would call us into the student council room one by one.
All of us were questioned about the events to see what really happened, myself included. Inside of the student council room were several people. The student council President, Horikita Manabu alongside several officials who held high positions in regards to the school.
The principal was there alongside chairman Sakayanagi, as well as members of the Metropolitan Police Department. Lastly, Katsuragi was there as the only other member of the student council. Probably because he arrived at the scene as it ended.
After the three of us were questioned, Aoi and Sakura were personally escorted to their dorms while I had to wait inside the hallway a while longer. As for why I had to stay? I'm assuming it had to do with the wounds I gave the clerk. That probably required some extra paperwork and I wouldn't be surprised if I was punished somehow.
I simply closed my eyes as I listened to the ticking of the clock which was mounted on the wall. At first I started counting seconds out of boredom, but after 1000 seconds I stopped counting and just kept my eyes closed.
By the time the door to the student council room opened I had almost fallen asleep. I quickly opened my eyes to try and pretend like I was diligently waiting for someone to tell me I'm free to go, but relaxed when I saw it was just Katsuragi who appeared.
"You're free to go, Kiyotaka-kun." Katsuragi said.
"Really? I was at least expecting some kind of punishment."
"It was discussed for a while. But all three of your testimonies were pretty much the exact same. Since the suspect instigated the fight, it was ruled self-defense."
"I see, that's good. I'm sorry for almost causing the class trouble."
"I think that was the least of your worries, Kiyotaka-kun. You protected a fellow student, I think that's a lot more important."
Katsuragi had a warm smile on his face, almost like a father watching his kid do something good. In a way I guess that look made sense, as a class leader he probably felt responsible for his fellow classmates. So to see one of them do something like this made him happy.
I got up and was about to walk away, finally going home after this strange day. But that seemed to be wishful thinking on my part.
"Kiyotaka-kun, do you mind if we talk for a while longer?" Katsuragi started following me, walking behind me as we navigated through the school building.
"Sure, what is it you want to talk about? Is it about our midterm results from the other day?"
"Not quite. Do you mind if we go to my dorm to talk?" I stopped walking and turned towards Katsuragi. His face bared a serious expression, even more so than usual.
"Is it that important?" I asked.
"I'd like to think so. We can wait if you're busy, but since you're here, I figured it was worth an attempt."
Truth be told, I didn't really want to talk to him right now. Since he's being so serious about this, my guess is that he'll be asking me to join his side in the battle between him and Sakayanagi. I would prefer to stay out of that at least until summer is over, but I guess I might as well get this over with. Maybe if I turn him down now, I can buy myself some time.
"Alright, lead the way."
Katsuragi nodded and we headed towards his dorm, which turned out to be on the seventh floor in the very back. When we entered the room it was a lot more normal than I would've imagined. What I mean by that is I was expecting his room to be either completely barren or maybe optimized for studying.
But instead his room was perfectly ordinary. He had a few houseplants set up on his window sill, there were a few pictures of his family scattered around and while his desk was littered with study material, that was to be expected from a smart student.
"Would you like some coffee or tea, Kiyotaka-kun?" Katsuragi asked as he made his way to the kitchen.
"I'll have some tea. I've been addicted to coffee lately, I'm trying to switch it up."
"I can recommend some good brands in that case, although maybe someone like Tamiya-san would be more suited for that."
"Does she drink a lot of tea?" Aside from a few classmates, I haven't even talked to most of them. Tamiya was one of said people, and I only really knew her because she was one of the people supporting Katsuragi.
"She always had some with her during our study sessions at least. And it was a different brand each time. They were good though, the tea I'm making right now was one she had with her before."
Katsuragi smiled when reminiscing on his study sessions. During the one I attended I did notice that despite knowing how important these study sessions would be for his candidacy as class A's leader, he still made the most out of it as if he was just studying with friends.
After a few more minutes Katsuragi came out from the kitchen and put two cups of tea on the table in the center of the room. I took a seat on his desk chair, while he sat across from me on his bed and looked me dead in the eyes.
"Kiyotaka-kun, can we talk some more about the incident that happened today?"
For once Katsuragi actually caught me off guard. I was completely expecting him to talk about the class leader situation of class A, but instead we're back here.
"What do you want to talk about specifically? I told everything during my testimony, didn't I?"
Katsuragi's eyes narrowed as he looked at me, scanning my body up and down as if he was looking for something particular. Did he think I had a weapon on me or something?
"I wanted to talk about the clerk's injuries. Both you and Sakura-san from class D said you hit him exactly three times. Once in his side, once in his face, and once on the side of his head. That's the truth, right?"
"That would be correct."
Katsuragi sighed as he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. I couldn't see what was on it clearly, but the back did have the logo of the school's medical facility on it.
"A broken rib when you hit him on his side. The bones in his nose were fractured in several places, and he had a severe concussion when he was admitted into the medical center on campus."
Ah, so that's why. Katsuragi didn't doubt that I attacked him. What was suspicious to him was the damage that was done in just three hits from a highschooler. So he was checking my body earlier, more specifically my muscles.
I will admit when the clerk rushed towards Sakura, I had to be fast and not waste any time to make it to her before he did, so that explains the broken rib. Thinking back, I don't think I punched hard enough to break his nose, but the concussion seems plausible if he hit his head on the concrete a certain way.
I could lie and say that it were consecutive hits to his side and face. That still wouldn't be ideal, but it would be easier to explain than me breaking several bones in his body in a matter of seconds. But after giving an official testimony to both the school's top brass as well as the police, trying to lie now would only cause trouble.
"I practised martial arts before. I just got lucky, I suppose. Or unlucky, depending on how you see it." Katsuragi looked at me skeptically, clearly not buying my explanation. Not that I blame him, neither did I.
"Kiyotaka-kun, if you don't want to, you don't have to explain yourself. But I just want a straight-forward answer. Did you inflict those wounds in only three hits? Yes or no."
Katsuragi's full of surprises today, isn't he? He could tell that I was hiding something, but rather than pressing me for an answer, he just wanted to know the most barebones things. I wonder if that has to do with him trying to get me to come to his side instead of staying neutral.
"I did."
Saying this much wasn't the end of the world. If someone like Totsuka found out it might've spelled more trouble, but I know that Katsuragi won't spill this to anyone just because he feels like it. He respects other people too much for that, he's too kind.
"I see."
That was all Katsuragi said, because after that we sat in silence, occasionally sipping the tea in front of us. This silence wasn't anything new between us. During our hangouts with Ichinose and Kanzaki there'd be moments where none of us said anything, but those were comfortable silences. It was the silence of people who played big roles in their classes being able to just sit there and do nothing. To relax with friends.
But this silence was different, it was eery and slightly uncomfortable. It wasn't a silence because Katsuragi was done talking, it was a silence that was born from Katsuragi's inability to ask whatever he wanted to ask next.
"If you have anything else to ask, now would be the time, Kouhei." I told him, finally breaking the silence.
Katsuragi took a deep breath before locking eyes with me again.
"Kiyotaka-kun, why did you come to this school? I could understand you not particularly caring about the privileges of class A. There are plenty of students similar to you, who don't care what class they're in."
He stopped talking for a moment, collecting his thoughts as if he was thinking of the right words to say.
"But the way you're so determined to live a peaceful school life is odd. Wanting a quiet life is fine, but you seem to go an extra mile to ensure it. Why is that?"
It doesn't surprise me that Katsuragi has finally started getting suspicious. He's been keeping a close eye on most of our classmates, and if I was watched a lot, you'd notice the inconsistencies.
I've made my stance clear on several occasions that I don't want to participate in the faction battles that are taking place. Morishita from our class has also remained neutral, but I was adamant on making it clear I did not care for any of it. Katsuragi had obviously noticed this.
But despite that, I'd just gotten involved with a student from class D when I really didn't need to. I could've tried convincing Katsuragi that Sakura was a friend of mine and that's why I helped her, but during the testimonies back at the student council I had to detail my relationships with Sakura and Aoi, so he already knows we'd barely met.
So why would I help a girl I met yesterday? To go out of my way so much just because of a weird hunch I had based on minor inconsistencies in an email from a camera store.
It's simple, because Aoi told me to come with her to check on Sakura. In my mind, to live this normal student life, going along with the request of an upperclassmen was less trouble than being looked at negatively by them, which could cause trouble later on.
If word got out that Aoi tried getting me to come along and I refused, even when I knew about the danger Sakura was in, I would've been labeled heartless. And my school life would get a lot less normal. I'd be shunned by classmates and everyone else.
If I knew that Aoi would force me to come with her when I warned her about Sakura's situation, things would've played out differently. I would've probably just told Aoi to go to the store at the same time as Sakura.
And if for some reason Aoi arrived later and the clerk had gotten his hands on Sakura in that scenario...
Well, that's too bad.
"I just want to live a quiet life, I don't think that's too much to ask for, is it?" I simply responded, making it clear I didn't want to have an in-depth discussion about this.
"So if that's all you came here for, that means the fact that you can't leave campus, and nobody else can get in plays a role in your peaceful life, correct?"
I have to admit, at this point Katsuragi had just slightly impressed me. Putting together the pieces I had given him just now, that quickly, was more than I had expected from him. He was quite clever after all.
"Something like that."
Soon after replying to him one last time, I took a final sip of my tea and stood up, showing that I was ready to leave if this was all he would be talking about. I didn't mind giving him this much info if it stopped him from being suspicious of me, but I wouldn't go further than this.
"Ayanokouji-kun, I have a proposal."
My last name again? Was this his attempt at conveying he was serious about what he was about to ask?
"I'm listening, Katsuragi."
He got up onto his feet, and proceeded to bow lightly towards me.
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, will you help me to take the spot of class leader? While I don't doubt Sakayanagi-san's abilities, her approach would leave a bad taste in my mouth. She's made it clear she'd be willing to do a lot for victory. And I don't want to witness what she'd sacrifice for it."
"I believe I already told you-"
"I'm not asking you to put in a tremendous amount of effort. However, you're observant. The incident today, where you immediately asked your upperclassmen if the mall had any blindspots, shows you're clever."
"Where are you going with this?"
"Ayanokouji-kun, all I ask is that you be my advisor so to speak. All I'll ever ask of you is opinions on plans and strategies I come up with. Nothing more than that. That way, you can still live a quiet life while participating just enough to not have the class on your back."
This... wasn't a bad idea. Far from it, actually. If I stayed neutral, I would eventually start attracting attention from the class along with Morishita as the two students who didn't participate. I don't think Sanada and Yamamura would particularly care, and I'd stay friends with them. But in the worst case scenario, the rest of the class might start avoiding me.
So if I was forced to participate in this struggle for the leadership position, this would be my best bet. Putting in minimal effort while still getting maximum results. Although it's happening a lot sooner than I expected, I guess this is fine for now.
"Alright, I'll accept. If you have any plans or strategies for our class, I'll at least take a look at them. Just don't expect too much."
Katsuragi looked up and offered his hand along with a smile. I shook it firmly, establishing our cooperation from here on out.
"It's a pleasure to be working with you, Kiyotaka-kun."
"Back to first names, I see?"
"I don't think Honami-san would like it if I called you Ayanokouji-kun again."
"That's true."
I looked at the clock that was mounted on the wall to see it had already passed 6pm. At this point I was actually getting quite hungry. Katsuragi must've noticed this, since he followed my gaze to the clock and headed to the kitchen afterwards.
"Would you like to stay for dinner, Kiyotaka-kun? It's not much, but I was planning on heating up leftovers from last night. There's enough for both of us. See it as a meal to celebrate our cooperation."
"What's for dinner?"
I'm not a picky person, but that doesn't mean I don't have preferences. If he was making something I frankly wasn't in the mood for, he could keep the food for himself. It'd save him some points down the line.
"It's nothing fancy. It's just some leftover Chinese food I got from a shop in the mall last night."
"I can live with that."
Katsuragi quickly heated up the leftover food and soon enough both of us were eating. Even though the two of us had hung out plenty of times with Ichinose and Kanzaki, this was the first time both of us were together alone in a casual setting.
"I'm kind of surprised. I expected someone as diligent as you to cook his own meals every day."
It's true, I did expect Katsuragi to cook more often. If it was just this time, that wouldn't be a problem. Most people eat out every now and then when they don't want to cook. But I did notice that in Katsuragi's trashcan were remains of several boxes of takeout.
"Believe it or not, nobody's perfect, Kiyotaka-kun. As ashamed as I am to admit it, my cooking skills are less than ideal. My sister's a much better cook than I am. Frankly, I would pay a lot of points to have it sent to me somehow."
Wait a second...
"You have a sister?"
Now this was news, we've talked about family before with the HKR crew, but never once did Katsuragi mention a sister.
"A twin sister, believe it or not. Ever since she learned to cook she was obsessed with it, constantly making meals for me and our parents. I wasn't expecting to miss her cooking as much as I do."
Katsuragi had a smile on his face that I'd never seen before. A mix of sadness and happiness at once. He missed his sister and by extension her cooking, but he was also proud of her, and talking about her to someone must've been nice for him, albeit a bit embarrassing since he seemed hesitant to admit he wasn't good at cooking.
"Is that the girl in the photo over there?"
I pointed towards a photo Katsuragi had on his shelf. In it, he was shown with his ANHS school uniform outside of an apartment, with a girl slightly shorter than him by his side, smiling as much as he was. It was a refreshing sight compared to the usual serious expressions he has.
"That photo was taken the day I left for campus. I was nervous coming here, like most people I assume. But my nerves calmed down when I met a certain student that would turn out to be my first friend in this school."
It took me a second to process what he meant, but it was clear he was referring to me. It's true that Katsuragi was the first person I talked to when coming to school. Him and I spent some time together on our first day, and that meant more to him than I'd originally thought.
"First friend, huh? I'm glad I was able to help."
Katsuragi and I continued making small talk while eating food, until it was finally time for me to leave. I'd definitely overstayed my welcome at this point, and I'd been served enough tea for three people. He was a good host at least.
"One more thing before you go, Kiyotaka-kun."
Katsuragi went to his bed on which he'd thrown his school blazer, and took something out of its right pocket.
"A security guard picked this up at the mall after Sakura's incident. They checked the contents privately, and just told me to return it to Sakura Airi, but I forgot. You know her more than I do, so I thought you could bring this to her."
He showed me the palm of his hand and handed me the SD-card that was in it.
"It's probably from the camera she had on her. I'll be sure to give it to her on Monday." I said as I stuffed it in my pocket.
"That'd be appreciated, thank you."
After a final goodbye I left Katsuragi's dorm and made my way back down to the fourth floor, finally coming home after a very long day. Although the SD-card Katsuragi gave me reminded me of something. Specifically, the name that the clerk called Sakura several times for some reason, as if he knew her personally.
"Shizuku-chan, was it?" I muttered to myself.
The clerk told her that he's been a 'lifelong fan' and that 'he was the reason she was popular'. But thinking back on it, what did that mean? Being a fan of a highschool girl seems kind of weird, unless Sakura did something that would have her garner attention.
Out of curiosity I took out my phone and decided to search 'Shizuku-chan' on the search engine installed on my phone. As expected, that didn't give me any concrete results. Shizuku-chan was a little too vague for the internet to show me exactly what I was looking for, when I didn't even know myself.
If the clerk knew about Sakura, who in this scenario is working under an alias, 'Shizuku-chan', it would make sense that she had a presence online one way or another. Maybe this would be a good time to try out the social media I've heard Hashimoto talk about before.
ANHS has very strict rules on social media and online communication, but there is one particular social media you're still allowed to use. All you have to do is make a request to the school to make an account on it, and if you're accepted you'll be given an account which the school can access if needed. Of course they never do unless it's an emergency, since otherwise it'd be a breach of students' privacy.
After spending about 30 minutes requesting a social media account and setting it up, I tried searching for Sakura Airi first. Unsurprisingly, I didn't find anything. But when I searched for Shizuku-chan, I found what I was looking for.
A profile belonging to a cheerful looking girl with blue eyes, pink hair and an objectively nice figure. If you had shown me this profile alongside a photo of how Sakura looks in public, I would've believed they were different people.
When I checked how many followers she had, I was quite surprised by the number. 740 followers on a social media that was basically only accessible by students and adults who are present on campus was no small feat. It was quite impressive if anything. Most of her followers were adults though, with only a few students following her.
I'm not sure if I should be concerned about that or not.
There was still a slight chance I was wrong about this though, and it was all a coincidence. For all I knew, Sakura just looked like this Shizuku-chan and the clerk had mistaken her for this cheerful girl. But I don't think I had to look far for confirmation.
I turned on the computer in my room and with an adapter I bought for convenience, I opened the contents of the SD-card. Immediately, I was sure that Sakura and Shizuku-chan were the same person. The pictures on here were similar to the ones on her social media.
All of the pictures on this SD-card were ones that weren't on her profile though, meaning she hadn't posted them yet. So there was no doubt she was Shizuku. With my curiosity satisfied, I was going to unplug the SD-card and call it a night, but then I opened a certain photo.
"Is that Sudou from her class?"
A picture of Sakura in a hallway, taking a rather normal selfie compared to some other photos she'd taken. But the background was a lot more interesting. Four boys were fighting in the background, more specifically it was Sudou from class D with some boys I hadn't seen before.
It looks like trouble just follows you around, doesn't it, Sakura?