Chapter 44

"Seeing Hana no Machi in such a state... I've never seen it before."

Kodama squinted, pinching the bridge of his glasses with his fingertips. Then, Keitaro, who seemed to find it amusing, nudged Yuki with his elbow and said,

"Hey Yuki, go and listen to what they're talking about, will you?"

"No, I don't want to. It's too much trouble."

"Did you hear us talking? Don't ruin the flow. Just go back to your seat with your usual poker face and try to eavesdrop a bit."

Before Yuki could even argue about what he meant by "usual poker face," Keitaro pushed him into the classroom. Reluctantly, Yuki trudged back to his seat in the last row. Once he sat down with his usual poker face, he could hear the conversation of the two next to him without even trying to eavesdrop.

"Come on, come on. Tell me, tell me."

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you."

The voices that reached his ears were Miki's usual tone and Rion's unexpectedly gentle voice, as if she were a different person. When he sneakily glanced sideways, Rion was smiling broadly, and it was hard to believe she was the same person from earlier.

"Didn't you take notes properly? You're so irresponsible, Miki."

While scolding her with words, she kept smiling sweetly. Miki, sitting in her chair, was clinging to Rion's arm in a cloying manner, almost as if they were about to start making out. The sudden change from the earlier confrontation was quite eerie.

"Hey, Yuki-kun, isn't it great? The secret weapon."

Miki turned to Yuki, pulling Rion's wrist up. It seemed that the "secret weapon" she was talking about was Rion.

"Rion from Class 4. She's super smart. I'm going to get her to help me study, and I'll win with this!"

While Miki was talking, Yuki felt Rion's sharp gaze on him the whole time. It was a bit scary, so Yuki tried not to look at her.

"Wow, you two are close."

"Of course, we're max heart. Not even Ribon or Chao can compare."

"Hey, what are you talking about, Miki?"

Despite her words, Rion didn't seem to mind. Her mouth was busy, either pursing or smiling. It seemed she trusted Miki a lot, but perhaps they had a deep connection.

"Are you childhood friends or something?"

"No, not really... We were in the same class last year and had adjacent seats. It was lucky for us girls."

In most classes, the seating arrangement alternates between boys and girls, but it seemed they ended up next to each other by chance. It didn't seem like they had been friends for a long time.

(...Wait, adjacent seats?)

Yuki's eyebrows furrowed. The level of their friendship didn't really matter, but this changed the situation.

(Adjacent seat killer vs. adjacent seat breaker... The intense battle had already begun...?)

It was reasonable to assume it had already ended. From Rion's current state, the outcome was clear.

(In other words, she was utterly defeated by the adjacent seat killer and is now completely fallen...?)

This was the natural conclusion. It seemed the adjacent seat killer was indiscriminate in their targets.

"Adjacent seat killer, indeed..."

"...Why do you look so serious?"

Miki, who was completely oblivious, asked. Yuki had never seen Rion like this before, so it didn't seem like they were particularly close. The image of Rion being called out as a secret weapon before a test and being used came to mind.

(Poor victim... another one...)

Rion was completely under the adjacent seat killer's control. When Yuki looked at Rion with pity, she asked with a wary look,

"What are you staring at?"

Her tone was cold, unlike the person from earlier.

"Do you have something to say?"

Of course, Yuki wanted to say something, but he couldn't tell Miki, "You're being deceived," in front of her. She was already brainwashed, and there was no way she would believe Yuki. As Yuki remained silent, sensing the tension, Miki stood up and said,

"Hey, Rion, no, no! Don't make that scary face!"

She then went behind Rion, wrapped her arms around her from behind, and hugged her tightly.

"Nyuh!?"

A strange sound, like that of an unknown creature, came from Rion's mouth. Her cheeks, ears, and forehead quickly turned red.

"Hey, Miki, stop it, stop it!"

"It's fine, it's fine!"

Miki, who had attached herself to Rion's neck like a corrupt official, poked her head out and said,

"See, Rion is actually a moe character. She's not scary, right?"

"Your face is as red as Miki's."

"When did my face ever turn red?"

"You do it all the time."

"That's just being passionate. It doubles my attack power."

While saying incomprehensible things, Miki repeatedly grabbed and released Rion's arm.

"Squishy, squishy, soft arms. How do you like it? Envious, aren't you?"

"Can I try too?"

"No way."

Even though it was a joke, Yuki received a sharp rebuke. Miki then leaned her face close to Rion's neck and sniffed.

"Sniff, sniff, ah, what a good smell. How do you like it? Envious, aren't you?"

"Miki, you smell good too. I like that smell."

"Bluh!!"

Miki suddenly made a strange sound and her face turned red instantly.

"Pervert, pervert! Rion, this guy is a smell fetishist, so be careful!"

"...Why do you know Rion's smell?"

The blood drained from Rion's face, which had been so red. The pressure was intense, as if an ominous sound effect was playing. Yuki realized he had said too much and looked to Miki for help, but she said,

"No way! You brought this on yourself!"

She abandoned him. Rion's expression became even more wary.

"Miki, if anything happens, tell me immediately."

"Okay, thanks, Rion."

"Really, being so familiar with 'Miki, Miki'... And why do you look at me like I'm some pitiful creature?"

She repeated these words with a hostile gaze directed at Yuki. Miki quickly intervened, waving her hands in front of Rion's face.

"Rion, don't do that! It's because that guy is staring at you with a strange look."

"Well, he's a bit different. Yuki, you should apologize properly."

"Sorry."

"See, he's a good kid. There, there."

Miki made a gesture as if petting Yuki's head in the air. Rion's face twisted even more. It was scary.

(She's really messed up...)

Since he had decided to watch over and rehabilitate Miki, it was his duty to take care of the victims. Introducing her to other victims might be a good start. He pointed to the entrance where Keitaro and Koda were likely watching.

"There are friends over there. Do you want to join them?"

"...What?"

Rion turned to the entrance with a sharp look. Keitaro and Koda quickly hid, like experienced soldiers.

"Friends... over there?"

"Yeah, over there..."

He sent another glance, and Keitaro frantically motioned for him to stop and come back. It seemed they could sense Rion's intimidating aura from a distance.

"Excuse me."

It was a tough opponent to face without a plan. Yuki crouched and slipped past the two, returning to Keitaro and Koda.