"Rinji, even if the student council area isn't under school rules, we're still Shuchiin's role models. Don't keep smoking here."
"Ah, sorry."
Leaning against a stone pillar on the first floor, Rinji took a couple deep drags, then dropped the cigarette and crushed it underfoot when Shirogane walked up.
"If Iino finds you again, she'll lecture you for hours," Shirogane said with a smile, leaning against the pillar beside him.
"We've been working together for two terms already."
"Yeah, next term will be the last. And for you too, President—you'll spend it preparing for studying abroad." Rinji smiled.
"Ti really does fly," Shirogane said, lowering his head slightly, then lifting it again to et Rinji's gaze.
"I hope next term, you'll fully blend into the council."
"You're joking, President. I'm already working hard, and my secretary work is solid…"
"You know I don't an work."
"…"
"Fujiwara and Ishigami must have noticed it too. You treat us as comrades, but you also keep a deliberate distance. It's only gotten stronger over ti, even if you hide it. It's my fault for realizing too late."
"No, it's not your fault," Rinji said. "It's just that the more I spend ti with you, the more I feel keeping distance is best."
"Can you tell why?"
"We see different worlds," Rinji answered. "A man accustod to blood can't easily fit into a group of gentle people."
"…"
"The more I talk with you, the stronger the mismatch feels."
"Rinji, didn't you once tell you're a cruel guy?"
"Yeah, exactly."
"Exactly why you should blend in even more," Shirogane said with a smile. "Just as you trust , I'll trust you. I won't pry into your past. All I know is that now you're part of the student council."
"President…"
"I believe you'll beco like us. A gentle person."
Shirogane smiled and put a hand on Rinji's shoulder.
"I believe you'll transform into a hero."
---
"Alright, I'll do my best."
On the rooftop, Rinji leaned on the fence, staring at the darkening sky.
A cigarette between his fingers burned slowly, the ashes drifting to the ground.
"But what do I do in a situation like this? If I don't resolve it, I can't return to the council. But if I do… I might never…"
"Takamine."
i's voice ca from behind.
Since leaving the library, she had followed, worried. Now she found him smoking on the rooftop.
"So it's you, i."
Rinji glanced back with a faint smile, tinged with helplessness.
"Are you lost, Takamine?"
"Yeah. Pretty lost."
He smiled, turning back toward the gloomy sky.
"I really do want to return to where I belong. People are waiting for . But I don't want it to end like this."
His smile turned bitter.
"Why is that? The old would've acted without hesitation. This feeling of hesitation—it's the first ti. Why? Because I want to enjoy youth with the council? Or because I want to beco the person Ai imagines?"
i said nothing.
She simply stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him from behind, pressing her cheek to his back.
"Takamine, just do what you want."
"Is that so…"
"If you really can't go ho, then stay."
"…"
"Misaki and I both need you."
"i… you know that's impossible. I want to go back, to the place where I belong." Rinji closed his eyes. "But…"
"I understand."
Whispering softly, i slowly released him.
Standing behind him, she said gently, "I'll search for the answer with you."
"…Thanks."
Rinji smiled and clenched his fist. He needed to be resolved.
---
"I really… I really thank you for your help."
At the door of a house in Yomiyama, a middle-aged man bowed repeatedly to a young man.
The young man was Isaac, Rinji's father of this era. The man was Kubodera, Class 3-3's horoom teacher.
"If not for your financial support, I couldn't have sent my mother to Tokyo for treatnt… The burden of caring for her, plus what's happened at school…" Kubodera clutched his head, face twisted in pain. "Without you, I might have done sothing irreversible."
"You're the horoom teacher of North Yomiyama High's Class 3-3, right? I've heard about it," Isaac said with a smile. "Don't worry about the rest, just take care of your students."
"Thank you so much, you're truly a great man."
"Hahaha, not at all."
Isaac laughed. "By the way, I hear you'll be going on the class trip soon?"
"Yes, it's an annual tradition."
"For their safety, keep a close watch. Best to keep everyone together, not let them wander. That'll reduce accidents."
"You're right."
"Good. Then head back to school, your students must be waiting."
"Yes."
Kubodera left, and Isaac's smile faded.
"Son, I hope by then you'll truly be ready."
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