Shu Ouma finished his talk with Gai and stepped out, and Inori picked up right where she'd left off — playing the part of a warm, dependable upperclassman. The two of them walked side by side through the nighttime lockdown zone, down a cracked and crumbling road toward the tram station at the edge of the district.
Shu still couldn't bring himself to start a conversation with Inori. Even when he wanted to break the silence, he had no idea what to say. He kept sneaking glances at her profile, thinking she looked like she had something on her mind. Better not bother her.
"How did it go?"
Inori spoke first.
Shu startled, then realized the question was aimed at him and scrambled to answer.
"Pretty well, actually! Gai seems like a decent guy. He told me to come here every day after school starting next week for training... and for now he said to follow your lead..."
"Is that all?"
Inori stopped walking and turned to look at him.
"Yeah... nothing else, really. He just said to work hard and stuff..."
Shu's voice dwindled as he spoke, his gaze drifting away to avoid meeting hers. The obvious effort to hide something was painfully transparent — but Inori had already guessed why he was keeping quiet, so she let it go.
"He told you not to trust me, didn't he?"
"H-huh? What?"
Shu went pale.
No way — does she read minds?
Gai had said something along those lines, warning Shu to be careful around Inori and not to be taken in by her sweet appearance. She was the only member of Funeral Parlor who could operate entirely outside his authority, ignoring his orders whenever she pleased.
"It's fine. He's the head of an organization — he's bound to be wary of someone he can't control. Makes sense, right?"
"Y-yeah, yeah, totally, I haven't given it a second thought, please believe me, Inori!"
Shu raised his hand and swore to this with complete sincerity.
"I'll be more loyal to you than to Funeral Parlor! Inori!"
The words burst out of him in a rush of feeling.
The pink-haired girl standing in front of him was the whole reason he'd worked up the nerve to join an outfit like this in the first place. Everything — all of it — had been for a chance to make her notice him.
"Is that so?"
Inori smiled.
Shu's heart lurched. She really is the most beautiful girl in the world, he thought. No matter how long he looked at that face, it was always dazzling.
What happened next threw him completely off balance. Without a hint of hesitation, Inori leaned in close to his face, eyes shimmering with quiet laughter, and spoke in a low, magnetic voice that carried a pull he couldn't name.
"So what you're saying is — you'd fight for me alone. Is that right, Shu?"
He hadn't expected anything like that. Flustered, he took two quick steps back and scratched his head.
"Yes... I — I'd do anything for you!"
"Good. Hold yourself to that."
Inori covered her mouth and let out a soft, barely-contained laugh.
"Any~thing~."
...
A wave of unease rolled through Shu's chest. This was a vote of trust from the girl he admired — he should have been thrilled, over the moon. It meant her opinion of him was climbing fast. And yet... why was he so afraid?
Must be my imagination. That's all it is. She's so sweet, so kind — I can't keep being scared of her like this. That's not right.
He quietly lectured himself.
Inori was pulled out of a full class period's worth of sleep by the bell.
She hadn't gotten much the night before. Matsuri had suddenly come down with a fever out of nowhere — probably stress compounded by something she'd eaten — and Inori had spent the entire night looking after her, not crawling into bed herself until Matsuri was lying still and calm.
Matsuri had still tried to drag herself to school that morning for review sessions, but Inori had talked her out of it.
Worrying about her health aside, the timing of the sudden illness had actually sidestepped quite a few complications.
"Shu," Inori said with a small smile as school let out, drawing wide-eyed stares from everyone nearby. "Walk home together?"
Shu clearly hadn't seen that coming — the idea that Inori, who always kept to herself at school, would invite him of all people. Joy flickered across his face before a problem registered.
"I... I kind of told Satta I'd help with the film club footage..."
"Let me handle Satta. You go." A tall boy with long hair shook his head helplessly.
It was Yahiro Samukawa. In the original story, he would have been the one to sell Shu out — but Shu hadn't been involved in that earlier battle, which meant Yahiro had never gathered the evidence to do it. He'd faded quietly into the background ever since.
"Thanks, Yahiro!"
Shu had of course wanted to say yes from the moment she asked. With Yahiro offering to cover, there was nothing left to refuse. He fell into step beside her.
Today Inori seemed to be in a good mood. A faint smile stayed on her face the whole way. Even as Shu walked alongside her through the school grounds — pushing the limits of propriety by any normal measure — she showed no sign of annoyance. That alone made something bloom in his chest.
Does this mean she's acknowledged me? Was it what I said last night?
From campus all the way to the tram station, people turned to stare. Envious, astonished eyes followed them at every step. It flustered Shu, but underneath the embarrassment was a dizzy sort of pride. Just walking next to Inori — the famous singer — was enough to turn heads like this.
I have to work harder. I have to show her something worth watching.
He was deep in this thought when they boarded the tram. Matsuri hadn't come to school today, so the class president, Kanon Kusama, was sitting alone. When she saw Shu and Inori walk in together, she blinked — and immediately started trying to figure out which of the two Matsuri should be wary of.
It was rush hour. The car was packed with students and commuters, not a seat to be found. Inori moved deliberately to a spot directly facing the doors and stood there. Shu didn't think much of it and came to stand beside her.
"Shu."
She said his name.
"Whatever happens next — don't panic."
"Huh?"
He blinked at her.
"This is my plan. I need you to play the role of someone who resents Gai. Earn their trust. If they give you anything, don't refuse — just take it."
"Inori — what are you even talking about?"
He gave a strained laugh and rubbed the back of his ear, completely lost.
Inori kept her gaze on the scenery sliding past the glass door. The light fell soft and shifting across the side of her face, giving her something dreamlike, almost unreal.
She didn't answer him. She only smiled again — but this time the expression was wrong, off in a way Shu couldn't put words to, and he felt a trace of malice move through him.
Then the tram pulled into the next stop.
He noticed immediately that the platform outside was wrong. Instead of the usual press of passengers, there were only a handful of figures — and they were in full combat gear.
GHQ soldiers.
"Inori, it's GHQ—"
"You said you'd do anything for me, didn't you?"
He'd been about to warn her — but she was already behind him, stepping close, her voice dropping to just above a whisper at his ear.
It should have been wonderful. Inori's voice was almost unearthly in its beauty.
But in the reflection off the glass, Shu could see her face — and the expression she wore was something he'd never seen from her before. A smile that turned the word smile into something else entirely — completely overturning everything he thought he knew about her.
Don't trust Inori.
Gai's warning surfaced in his mind.
The doors opened.
Shu was shoved out.
Several GHQ soldiers were on him before he hit the ground, pinning him in place no matter how desperately he shouted and struggled. The passengers inside the tram froze, struck silent. Inori turned away with a satisfied smile and walked calmly forward, disappearing into the crowd.