Chapter 43

Lunch break.

After finishing his lunch at his desk, Yuki decided to go to the restroom and left the classroom. However, he was caught by a pair of students who were causing a commotion in the hallway.

One had a spiky hairstyle that took too much time to style in the morning, and the other had a sleek head that seemed sensitive to hair loss. They stood in front of him, blocking his way.

"Hey, Yuki. How's the seat killer doing? Are you finally falling behind?"

"Naruto, you don't have to try so hard to act tough. We welcome you anytime."

Kenta and Sonoda started spouting their own nonsense.

It was difficult to ignore them when they stood in his way like this, forcing a battle.

"You two seem to be getting along lately."

"Of course not. I don't want to be lumped together with this perverted idol otaku with glasses."

"Could you stop talking like that? I find it offensive to be grouped with someone like you, a half-baked real-life failure."

The two quickly glared at each other, sparks flying.

The bond of the "Seat Killer Victims' Alliance" seemed to be falling apart.

"He suddenly started talking about idols."

"It's not that sudden. Don't treat me like a newbie."

Sonoda muttered, "Sakami-kun is completely unreasonable," and then took out his phone, stepping closer to Yuki, who stepped back.

Despite this, Sonoda closed the distance and showed him the screen.

"Naruto, take a look. This is my favorite, Miyori."

The screen displayed a photo of a girl smiling directly at the camera.

"Ah, so this is your favorite."

"How about it? Isn't she cute?"

"Hmm..."

Of course, she was cute.

But Yuki wanted to say, "I prefer the close-up of Eri," showing a photo of Eri's perfect face.

However, he didn't want to fuel the fire, knowing it would only make things worse.

As Yuki hesitated, Kenta pushed his way in and peered at the screen.

"...Doesn't this girl look a bit like Eri? She seems to have lingering feelings, you know!"

"N-no! Miyori just happens to look like Eri by coincidence!"

"It's the same thing!"

They immediately started arguing.

As they grappled and shouted, they almost bumped into a girl walking down the hallway. She quickly dodged and glared at them.

"Out of the way. If you want to fool around, do it outside."

Her voice was surprisingly flat and cold, yet it carried well.

She glared at Kenta and Sonoda with her sharp, slanted eyes, her expression stern.

The tension in the air grew, and even the two of them froze like frogs caught by a snake.

"What if you bump into someone and they fall and get hurt?"

She glared even more, completely silencing them. Then she scanned the area and, for some reason, focused on Yuki.

She glared at him for a moment, then turned her gaze forward and walked past, her long black hair swaying.

As she walked away, Kenta shrugged and leaned in to whisper to Yuki.

"Wow, that was intense. Did you do something to her?"

"Who knows? I've never even spoken to her. Who is she?"

"You probably stepped on a landmine without realizing it."

A landmine that left no marks seemed unlikely.

Yuki had no idea who she was, and it was their first encounter.

"Seriously, you don't know who she is? She's quite famous."

"Really?"

Kenta looked at him in disbelief, and Sonoda rubbed his chin and muttered.

"Rinna Hanase... She's rumored to be the most beautiful girl in the class, maybe even the school, but she has a lot of issues."

It sounded familiar.

Yuki already knew enough to count two fingers.

Indeed, from what he had seen, she had sharp eyes, a high nose, and a well-defined face, making her very attractive.

She was tall and slender, giving off a different kind of beauty compared to Eri.

"Anyway, as you can see, she looks great. But apparently, no one has ever confessed to her because they know she would definitely reject them."

"Besides, what's the point of being a discipline committee member if you just act superior and give lectures? Maybe she reads too many manga."

"No, she was a discipline committee member last year. It means she's always been like that."

"Hmm, Sonoda, you seem to know a lot."

"Hmph, that's because I and she... compete for the top spot in our grade. In other words, we're rivals. She's quite aware of me."

"Really?"

Kenta scoffed, but Sonoda turned to Yuki, trying to make a point.

"Being fast at running only gets you so far in middle school. Naruto, what's your 50-meter time?"

"I forgot."

"Listening to that is pointless. He doesn't really care about sports."

"That's not true."

"Last time in soccer, when I passed him the ball, he immediately passed it back."

"If you have the ball, you become a target."

"That's the kind of guy he is. Get it?"

Kenta dramatically spread his arms and made a thoughtful face.

"Anyway, no matter how beautiful she is, it doesn't matter if she has no charm. She seems to dislike men, or maybe people in general. She clearly looks down on others."

"However, she's top of the class and good at sports... I think she's on the track team. With her looks, she's quite something."

"She's another kind of seat killer. If she sat next to you, you'd never have a moment's peace."

"If Eri is the seat killer, then she's the seat breaker."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

According to Sonoda, every boy who sat next to her ended up fearing her, speaking to her in formal language, and becoming unusually serious.

"Of course, that's just a rumor..."

"It would be interesting to see them face off. Like a dragon versus a tiger."

"Yuki, you're always saying weird things... Wait, didn't she just enter our class?"

Kenta approached the classroom door and peeked inside, then turned back with a surprised look, beckoning them over.

Yuki and Sonoda followed.

"Hey, seriously, look at that."

Kenta pointed to the back of the classroom, near the window, where Eri's seat was. There, the two girls at the center of the commotion were chatting amicably.