Feigning illness, Yuki Himeno slipped out of the karaoke room alone to catch some fresh air.
Haa...
Freedom.
Stepping out of the building, Himeno greedily inhaled the cool night air. The fog in her head, induced by the stifling atmosphere inside, finally began to lift.
Class A had an obsession with parties.
Trivia parties, exam prep parties, even a reunion party on the first day of school.
Himeno, a creature of solitude, despised these frequent gatherings. They left her drained, both mentally and physically.
Unfortunately, her classmates were overly enthusiastic. Aside from Ren Katsuragi, no one ever explicitly refused to join in. To avoid sticking out, Himeno forced herself to attend every single time.
Finding a small raised flowerbed nearby, Himeno hopped onto the ledge. She crouched down, resting her chin in her hands, and watched the street, which was now mostly void of pedestrians.
She knew she had to go back soon to keep up appearances, which made her cherish this fleeting moment of peace all the more.
It turns out that when people drift into a daze, they tend to accept things handed to them by strangers without thinking.
Feeling a lollipop suddenly slide into her mouth, Himeno snapped out of her trance. "Katsuragi-kun?"
The newcomer was Ren Katsuragi.
He had just left a restaurant. Realizing his stock of snacks for feeding Airi was running low, he had come to this food street to restock. He hadn't expected to find Yuki Himeno crouching on a flowerbed, lost in thought.
Seeing how detached she looked—her aura completely at odds with the typical cheerfulness of her classmates—Ren decided to approach her.
"Isn't Class A having a party today? Why is Himeno-san out here?"
Since Class A was holding a party, naturally, Ichinose had invited Ren as well.
"Did you join the party halfway through, Katsuragi-kun?" Himeno asked, licking the lollipop, slightly puzzled. She assumed he had simply arrived late.
"No. I turned down Honami-chan's invitation."
Lifting the bag of snacks he had bought, Ren unwrapped a lollipop identical to the one he'd given Himeno and popped it into his mouth.
To keep the atmosphere casual, Ren didn't face her. Instead, he leaned back against the flowerbed next to her, joining her in watching the sparse pedestrian traffic.
"Was Himeno-san a delinquent back in the day?"
He noted her attire: a gray jacket over black stockings, hair tied in twin-tails, and a row of studs piercing her ear. Given how incompatible her vibe was with the "good students" of the class, combined with this outfit, Ren had mentally profiled her as a "former delinquent."
"Is the distinction between a delinquent and a good student important to you, Katsuragi-kun?"
Himeno looked at him in surprise, clearly not expecting the question.
"Not at all. Just a little curious. You don't have to answer."
"I wasn't a delinquent. I just thought it looked good." Himeno absently touched the studs in her ear.
Why did I get piercings back then?
For aesthetics? Or something else?
"What about you, Katsuragi-kun? Why do you keep your hair long?"
Ren was curious about her piercings; naturally, she was curious about his long hair.
As someone with long hair herself, Himeno knew the maintenance required. If he kept it for style, it didn't quite fit his practical personality. And if he really liked it... shouldn't it be less... messy?
"Why keep it long? Habit, I suppose." Grabbing a handful of his hair, Ren gave a faint smile.
The brutal training of "Defying Heaven" had taught him to utilize everything at his disposal. In the beginning, before he had grown strong, his long hair had served as a natural blanket against the cold.
Ring, ring...
Just as Himeno was mulling over the word "habit," her phone rang.
It was a classmate.
"Moshi moshi. Himeno-san? Are you feeling better?"
The concerned voice continued immediately. "If you're really feeling unwell, I can come out and walk you to the infirmary."
Since Himeno had been gone for a while, they were checking in. How could a lively class party be missing someone?
"Um..."
Himeno hesitated. She didn't want to go back. But feigning sickness and making a classmate leave the party to escort her made her feel guilty.
Seeing her dilemma, Ren took the phone from her hand. "Moshi moshi. I'll take Himeno-san to the infirmary. You guys have fun."
"Eh? Is that Katsuragi-kun?" The voice on the other end was surprised; they hadn't expected the two to meet.
"It's me."
"Okay, then I'll leave it to you, Katsuragi-kun."
The call ended. Ren handed the phone back. "Done."
"Thanks."
Realizing she didn't have to return to the party, Himeno looked like she'd been saved. Accustomed to solitude, she simply couldn't adapt to the suffocatingly harmonious atmosphere of the group.
"If you don't like parties, why not just skip them?"
Hugging her knees, Himeno rested her chin on them, her mood visibly dampening. "It's not that easy. Not participating means not fitting in."
If it were an occasional event, she wouldn't mind. But Class A's parties were relentless. So frequent that her scalp tingled, feeling like ants were crawling all over her skin.
"Do I fit in?" Ren pointed at himself.
"Are you joking, Katsuragi-kun?" Himeno gave him a puzzled look.
Did he fit in? It didn't matter whether he fit in or not.
Or rather, Ren Katsuragi was the "crowd."
"Since I fit in without participating, why can't you?" He looked at her seriously.
"Going with the flow has its pros and cons. If a person is mediocre and lacks goals, following the herd isn't a bad way to find direction."
Himeno obviously didn't fall into that category. She possessed clear judgment and her own logic.
Surrendering her individuality just to blend in... that would be her greatest failure.
"Let's change the subject. Do you think everyone in Class A can graduate as Class A smoothly?"
Comparing herself to him was too high a bar, so he shifted to her goal for attending this school.
"Don't rush to answer. The premise involves graduating as Class A without my help."
Seeing she was about to answer instinctively, he interrupted. Indeed, with him there, everyone could just coast along. But that wasn't what he wanted.
"It would be very difficult... Ichinose has the charisma, but she lacks toughness. The hope is very slim."
"Then have you ever considered resisting Ichinose?"
"That... no..."
"But isn't your goal to graduate from Class A? Since the odds of Ichinose leading everyone there are low, why not resist and choose a more suitable leader?" He guided her patiently.
"I can't do it."
"Because Ichinose has the support of the class, and as an outlier, you choose to go with the flow to avoid standing out?"
"Yes."
"What if I told you I'm standing behind you now? I will be your crowd."
"Why would you do that?"
Himeno looked at him, eyes wide with confusion. She didn't understand his reasoning.
With his ability, he could easily carry Class A to graduation himself. But he didn't. Instead, he was discussing class politics with her today.
And now, he was offering to back her.
"If you don't like frequent parties, refuse them."
"If you think Ichinose is unfit to hold Class A in her current state, go and wake her up."
"No need to worry about anything else. Just follow your thoughts. Do whatever you want."
"Himeno-san, do you want to try?"
After Ren stepped back from Class A, Ichinose had indeed begun to step up as a leader. But her ability wasn't outstanding enough yet. The class needed a rebel.
Someone to constantly remind Ichinose that internal competition was necessary.
If Ichinose hadn't been so lacking, Ren might have even considered transferring Arisu Sakayanagi to Class A to fight her. Since Ichinose chose the path of growth, she had to withstand the pressure.
Ryuji Kanzaki was the first rebel Ren had designated. Yuki Himeno would be the second.
Damn, that sounds so cool.
Himeno was moved.
If she really had Ren Katsuragi as her backer, she wouldn't need to drift with the current anymore.
And...
The thought that she would share the credit for leading Class A to graduation...
Jumping off the flowerbed, her pleated skirt swaying gently with the momentum, Himeno—no longer caring about appearances—looked at Ren with shining eyes.
"Ren-sama, I want to try."
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