Chapter 72: Chapter 31

Seijirou walked slowly beside Touka, their steps synchronized, navigating the bustling hallway as students spilled out for lunch.

Touka, having lowered her long bangs back over her eyes, was chatting softly about a book she had just picked up.

Seijirou’s mind, however, was replaying the scene he had just created outside the library doors.

’Why did I do that?’ he wondered, a flicker of self-analysis hitting him.

Antagonizing Taro—revealing Touka’s hidden face, asserting physical dominance, and casually claiming her attention—was an unnecessary move, something he wouldn’t usually waste energy on.

Not to mention he doesn’t even have any beef with Taro, so doing that to him was completely unnecessary.

He pondered for a few moments before he blinked, and then a wry, unsettling realization dawned on him.

He had done it because he thought it would be funny.

The logic was drawn not from real-world morality, but from the cruel, detached perspective of a competitive gamer.

After all, letting others experience the pain and torment you feel while playing a difficult game is a common thing for gamers, he mused.

He was inflicting all the pain and heartbreak he felt while playing the game to this world’s protagonist, Taro.

After all, deep in his heart, he find it unfair that he suffered greatly while playing as Taro, while the real Taro gets away free because Seijirou had decided not to meddle with him.

Even now, Seijirou still remembered the original game well.

While playing as Tadano Taro, his heart was broken the most by Touka’s route.

Unlike the other heroines who might suffer gruesome or dark endings, Touka’s ending was simply one of sublime, untouchable happiness—but with someone else.

She would become a successful, radiant woman, living a fulfilling life.

And Taro, the player, could only watch as his heroine found happiness with a rival, a man who could make her happier than he ever could, simply because that man was far better than he was in every measurable way.

It was the ultimate, gentle heartbreak. And from the forum, there are players who even thought themselves as a protagonist in real life immediately suffered existential crisis after reality, or rather, the game, slapped them in the face.

In the original game, no matter how high Taro’s favorability score was with Touka, even with maxed-out favorability, the two of them could never be together.

Seijirou recalled the painful mathematical metaphor he had mused upon while playing.

’Just like an asymptotic line, the two of you can only grow closer and closer, their lines running almost parallel, but they can never intersect or be together.’

Math really tells the saddest love story, Seijirou mused, a dark smile touching his lips.

It was a beautiful, devastating form of failure.

He then shifted his focus back to the immediate present.

His own actions had been impulsive, but they raised a serious, analytical question: Why was Taro even here at the library, looking so focused? Was he here for Touka? Were they already that close?

This wasn’t supposed to happen yet, according to the original narrative timeline.

"Touka," Seijirou asked suddenly, his voice sharp, "do you know someone in our year named Tadano Taro? Are you two close?"

Touka stopped walking and tilted her head at him, her long bangs swaying slightly.

"Tadano?" She pondered the name before nodding. "Yes, I know him. He is a frequent customer at my family’s café. He’s very kind. We can be considered friends."

"Oh," Seijirou nodded, absorbing the information.

That confirmed Taro was actively pursuing her outside of the established school interaction points.

Then shouldn’t the original villain of Touka’s route—the one who was supposed to steal her away—already be involved with her by now?

Seijirou paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Oh, wait. He had personally terrorized and scared the crap out of that minor rival villain a some time ago for unrelated reasons.

The rival had likely withdrawn completely from interacting with her, thinking that she was his girl.

So, perhaps, Seijirou hypothesized, a smirk spreading across his face, that he, Kageyama Seijirou, the main villain, have taken that other rival’s place as the inevitable, better-suited villain in Touka’s route.

He looked down at Touka, who was gazing up at him with such earnest, gentle admiration that it was almost sickeningly sweet.

’No wonder she seems so attached and thinks I’m such a good person.’ Seijirou thought to himself.

In the game, Touka wasn’t just attracted to the rival; she was absolutely in love with the idea of the man who would take her away, a powerful, charismatic figure who could dominate her world.

It just so happened that person was him now.

Well, whatever, Seijirou decided, dismissing the complex meta-analysis.

The specifics of the altered routes were becoming too convoluted to obsess over.

He gently steered Touka forward. "Come on. Let’s head to the base."

He hurried their pace, walking swiftly toward the abandoned storage unit at the very back of the school grounds—their base of operations, where he could finally unwind and discuss actual business with his crew.

*

*

*

Rei rushed away from the crowded hallway, her lungs burning slightly from the exertion.

She needed silence and air, running and escaping those gossipers were too much for an average girl like her to handle.

She finally rounded a corner near the less-frequented east wing staircase and stopped, leaning against the cold concrete wall.

She breathed heavily, looking around to ensure no one had followed her, before letting out a profound sigh of relief.

For now, she had managed to escape from all her friends and classmates, who had been relentless in their demand for gossip and details about the Basuta incident, but she was utterly exhausted by the forced pleasantries.

She decided to sink down onto the worn steps of the staircase for a moment, letting the quiet solitude calm her frayed nerves.

"Ah, damn it. This is the downside of being beautiful, all news about me has been blown into proportion."

Rei knew she was beautiful, and she is confident that she wouldn’t lose to anyone when it comes to looks alone. She was simply to shy to actually express her confidence, which caused her to look humble and unaware of her own beauty.

Her parents had always told her to be confident, after all, she worked hard to be what she is now.

After all, in middle school, she was obese and ugly that if she showed her photo from back then, no one would believe it is her.

"I need to leave, those guys will surely find me here soon...huh?"

Just then, President Kobayashi Rindou happened to pass by, looking as regal, composed, and effortlessly perfect as ever. Rindou’s posture was flawless, her uniform immaculate, her expression serene—the very picture of a model student leader.

But this time, Rei’s perception of her had fundamentally shifted.

Rei had realized that behind that flawless calmness lay something fierce, something akin to a sleeping beast.

Rei would never forget the cold, savage efficiency Rindou had displayed when she and Seijirou had moved to rescue them from Basuta and his cult members.

The President’s actions had been brutal and decisive, shattering the illusion of gentle leadership.

"Do you need something, Tachibana Rei?"

Rei flinched visibly, hearing Rindou’s voice cut through her thoughts.

She realized with a jolt that she had been staring intently at Rindou, her observation far too intense for a casual glance.

Stuttering slightly, Rei quickly formulated an excuse. "P-President! I... I wanted to ask if you knew where Kageyama and the others are. I still wanted to properly thank them for helping me and the other students the other night."

Rindou paused, tilting to stare at Rei, her blue eyes observing her with an intensity that seemed to penetrate her very motives.

It felt as if Rindou suspected Rei was secretly badmouthing her, which immediately caused Rei to break out in a nervous sweat.

Finally, Rindou gave a slow, deliberate nod. "I know where they are. I was heading there anyway to check on the security arrangements. You may follow me."

Rei quickly nodded her thanks and rose to follow, her heart still beating a nervous rhythm against her ribs.

After walking for a few minutes, navigating a series of winding paths and overgrown hedges behind the gym, they arrived at an old, battered, abandoned storage house—a decrepit structure tucked away at the very back of the school building.

As they approached, Rei could distinctly hear the unmistakable sound of loud laughter and some muffled shouts coming from inside.

Suddenly, Rindou reached out and, without knocking or warning, forcefully threw open the rusted metal door.

Rei quickly peeked inside over Rindou’s shoulder, and the sight that greeted her almost made her burst out laughing, completely shattering the severe atmosphere of the morning.

The interior was unlike the outside, and is neat and tidy, but seems like currently serving as a chaotic, impromptu clubhouse.

In the center, Renji and Sakai were sprawled across a faded, colorful mat in a bizarrely intimate and suggestive position—Renji had his leg hooked over Sakai’s neck, trying to contort his large body into an impossible position.

It was clear from the mat beneath them that they were enthusiastically playing a game of Twister.

On top of a rickety pool table pushed against the far wall, Shou was fast asleep, utterly oblivious to the noise, his long body stretched out amidst some spare billiard cues.

And then there was Seijirou.

He was sitting comfortably on a worn, dark-colored sofa, his arms spread wide across the back.

Suzune was leaning intimately against his right side, her head resting on his shoulder.

On his left, an unfamiliar girl with long bangs—the same girl Taro had been crushed over, though Rei didn’t know that—sat reading a book with quiet concentration.

The whole scene was a perfectly chaotic mix of power, relaxation, and absurd high school delinquency.

A soft, almost mischievous smile touched Rindou’s lips.

"That looks... fun," she commented dryly, stepping inside, her presence immediately cutting through the noise.