Arisu ran.
If she didn't, she felt like she might fall apart.
The rain from just a little while ago had left the air cool and refreshing.
Yet her head was burning with heat, too scrambled to think straight.
*—Are we… y'know… just normal friends?*
That uncharacteristically uncertain voice.
That careful, hesitant question — so unlike Ryuzaki — refused to leave her mind.
*…O-oh my god, he's actually insane!*
No matter how she looked at it, that was totally a line you say right before confessing — just checking where things stand first.
Ryuzaki, who normally clung to his textbooks and smiled that guileless smile whenever he talked about how much he loved studying.
And now that same guy had blindsided her with something like *that*.
That was cheating.
She thought her heart had dropped out of her chest.
How long had she been running?
"Hah… hah…"
Not that long, actually.
It only felt like an eternity because Arisu had the stamina of a dying houseplant.
She was gasping so loudly that passersby shot her sideways glances.
But right now, Arisu had no bandwidth to care about any of that.
Ryuzaki had confessed.
Well — technically it wasn't a full confession, but it was close enough to one that it counted.
That was the point.
*…What exactly are Ryuzaki and I to each other?*
What was Ryuzaki to her?
A friend?
Yeah. A friend.
One with the very special distinction of being the first guy she'd ever been friends with.
They'd only known each other for a few weeks.
They'd barely become friends — was it really okay to jump to something more in such a short time?
Arisu twisted a strand of hair around her finger, fidgeting.
And then, all at once, her eyes went wide.
Wait.
Were they really *just* friends?
A panorama of everything she and Ryuzaki had done together flashed before her eyes.
Tailing him.
Collapsing.
Being helped by him.
Waking up in his bed…
Hiding in his wardrobe — the one that smelled so much like him — to avoid her parents…
Staying at his place until late at night, eating ramen together…
And today, going out just the two of them like this…?
…Was that normal for guy friends?
She'd never had a guy friend before, so she genuinely didn't know.
Arisu carefully pulled out her phone and opened the search bar.
A moment later.
"……!"
Her face went scarlet in an instant.
Because she'd realized it.
Every single thing she and Ryuzaki had done together — it was all the kind of thing you did when you were flirting, or already a couple.
…Come to think of it.
Hadn't she been the one who started all of this?
……
Had she… been the one leading him on?
Her head started to spin.
Sure, she could brush off all the teasing she'd done today — *are you falling for him, are you smitten* — as just jokes.
But this was undeniable.
*So… I, I've been… toward Ryuzaki…!*
W-what was she supposed to do now…!?
At this rate, she'd go down in history as the world's worst girl — the one who threw herself at a guy, then shot him down the moment he worked up the courage to say something.
And to someone like Ryuzaki, of all people. Someone so earnest, someone who tried harder than anyone.
"Uwahhh…!"
What was she supposed to do?
S-should she just… accept it?
Arisu swallowed hard and tried to steady her breathing—
…Damn it!
It wasn't steadying at all — it was getting *worse*!
*Ryuzaki… he looks a little scary at first glance, but… in a way, he's also kind of dependable… and mature… and weirdly innocent…*
Just then, a particular scene surfaced in her mind.
That time when she hadn't been quite herself.
Ryuzaki had grabbed both her arms and said those words.
*—Hey. What the hell do you think you're doing?*
Gulp.
*…And there's that wild side of him, too.*
She swallowed without meaning to.
The more she thought about Ryuzaki, the dizzier her head got, and the shorter her breath became.
What was this?
Was she coming down with something?
"Nnnngh…!"
Why was her body doing this…!?
"Mommy. That lady over there turned into a fire truck. She's super red."
"Oh my, don't stare, sweetheart."
This feeling… she'd never felt anything like it in her life.
***
He watched Arisu go until she disappeared from sight.
*—Th-that's the kind of thing you ask after you've gotten a little closer! You idiot!*
Her parting words kept circling in his ears.
"So we're not friends yet?"
He'd been quietly hoping.
It stung, just a little.
Still — she hadn't said no.
It sounded more like *not yet*, and he supposed he'd have to take comfort in that.
He hadn't realized making a friend could be this hard.
Subjectively speaking, it felt considerably more complicated than preparing for the college entrance exams.
He'd have to hold off on calling her a friend until they were a little closer.
In that case…
He closed his eyes.
"……Hff."
He drew in a long breath and let it out slowly.
He let the excitement that had been building all day — spending the day with Arisu — settle back down into something calm.
Then he opened his eyes again.
The gaze that had been nagging at him came into sharper focus.
*Still following me.*
He'd been feeling it for hours.
It was the same familiar sensation as when Arisu had tailed him — that same prickling awareness.
Who was it?
Arisu had been with him all day, so she was out.
Lee Sae-a… had no reason to follow him around.
And even if she did, she wasn't the type.
Anyone else…
*No one's coming to mind.*
He was freshly reminded of just how bleak his social circle was.
He started walking.
In a crowd this size, identifying someone was next to impossible.
He left the main street and turned into a quieter alley.
Once he confirmed the area was completely clear of people, he casually took out his phone.
And then, in one fluid motion, he let his gaze slide sideways.
*—Click!*
He activated his ability.
The moving world froze in an instant.
And he saw her.
In the stillness of the stopped world, the one person who was looking directly at him.
A beautiful girl with platinum-blonde hair and crimson eyes.
She carried the air of a glass doll that might shatter at any moment, yet it coexisted seamlessly with a quiet, bewitching allure.
Not someone in Ryuzaki's memories.
But he knew exactly who she was.
Beatrice.
The covert agent of Nexus's Academy City branch — the organization that ruled the western district.
The younger sister of the branch director, who was effectively the boss in all but name. And in the latter half of the original story, the main villain.
Right.
The *latter half*.
*Why is she showing up already.*
Summer break hadn't even started yet.
*The episode she appears in was definitely…*
The arc where Nexus tries to swallow the Ryuzaki-kai whole, and the protagonist's group gets dragged into the middle of it.
…
Wait.
Something felt off.
Could it be.
*Are they trying to absorb the Ryuzaki-kai earlier than in the original?*
If so, it would at least explain why Beatrice had already shown her face.
*Why is the timing different from the original?*
He thought about it for a moment.
The answer came faster than expected.
Because of me.
In the original timeline, Nexus had been careful not to touch the Ryuzaki-kai during this period.
As long as Ryuzaki Genma was standing firm, a direct confrontation would have been too costly.
But things were different now.
Word had apparently reached them that the heir — him — had gotten into a serious falling-out with Genma.
And if they could approach that heir and successfully bring him into the fold?
*They could bypass the wall that is Genma and swallow the Ryuzaki-kai from the inside.*
So that was why she was lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opening.
It was a solid plan, honestly.
The original Ryuzaki had been a shameless womanizer who couldn't resist a pretty face.
With Beatrice's looks, reeling him in would have been child's play.
But he wasn't that Ryuzaki.
*As if I'd fall for that.*
Frankly, what happened to the Ryuzaki-kai wasn't really his problem.
But when he thought about the fallout that followed the organization's collapse in the original story, he couldn't just stand by and watch it happen.
He released the ability.
With a faint throb behind his eyes, the frozen world lurched back into motion.
Beatrice had already vanished in the blink of an eye.
Without the ability, he wouldn't have even caught a glimpse of her.
He didn't bother giving chase.
She'd come to him on her own soon enough.
And so, feigning indifference while keeping every nerve on edge, he made his way slowly home.
*—Click, click.*
Before long, the measured sound of heels against pavement reached his ears.
"Hey. You."
And there she was — Beatrice, beautiful and unhurried, stepping directly into his path.
***
Beatrice had been trailing her target in silence, and now she stepped out with an air of casual indifference.
*This should be about right.*
It had been nearly thirty minutes since the target had parted ways with that unknown girl.
The lingering warmth of their time together would have faded enough by now — this was the ideal moment to make her approach.
"Hey. You."
Beatrice drew closer with a faint smile on her lips.
The expression that lived on the border between blank and warm — that perfect blend of haughtiness and charm that had captivated countless men in an instant…
"Yes? Can I help you?"
…Nearly cracked.
*…He's using formal speech?*
She'd heard he'd changed, but she hadn't imagined it would be like *this*.
People usually got worse, not better.
For a moment, Beatrice wondered if she'd been tailing the wrong person entirely.
But there was no mistake.
Looking again, it was unmistakably the same rough, intimidating face from the photograph.
*Stay composed.*
She was Beatrice — the girl who had seduced countless men and turned every disadvantageous situation on its head.
A variable like this wasn't enough to throw her off.
Without changing her expression, she took one step forward.
"Are you free tonight?"
"I am."
"Good. Lucky me."
She lightly pressed the tip of her index finger against his broad chest.
"I… find you rather interesting."
She slowly dragged her finger downward, gazing up at him with a smoldering look.
"Wouldn't you like some company?"
Beatrice was certain, deep down.
*He's hooked.*
People could change, but their nature didn't.
No matter how different he'd become, no one could keep their head around her.
All that was left was to reel him in, just as planned—
At that moment, the target took one step back.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I need to get home and unbox a new workbook."
"……?"
"I'll be on my way. Take care."
He gave a polite little bow and walked right past her.
Beatrice stood there alone.
*I just got… rejected?*
She couldn't quite believe that she had been soundly defeated by a workbook.
A strange smile crept onto her frozen lips.
"…Ha."
Beatrice — the girl who had bewitched countless men.
For the first time in her life, she had been turned down by one.