Chapter 7: Girl Talk: War Declaration

Kamizawa High – Rooftop

The setting sun painted the sky blood-orange. A faint breeze swept across the empty rooftop, carrying the scent of chalk dust and cigarette smoke that still lingered from earlier.

Three girls stood in a tense triangle.

Mitsumi Kageri: arms crossed, still in her kendo uniform, cheeks flushed with the remnants of anger.

Minami Agatsuma: glasses glinting, her calm expression as unreadable as ice.

Chihiro Arima: ponytail swaying, hands on her hips, grinning like the troublemaker she was.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Finally, Mitsumi slammed her shinai against the floor. “Alright, enough! What the hell do you two think you’re doing?!”

“Breathing,” Minami said flatly.

“Existing,” Chihiro added with a wink.

“DON’T GET SMART WITH ME!” Mitsumi’s voice cracked like a whip. “You’re making the rumors worse! He almost got in trouble because of you idiots!”

“You say that like you weren’t part of it,” Minami murmured, adjusting her glasses. “Kendo headband? Very subtle.”

“At least I didn’t flash my panties in the hallway!” Mitsumi shot back, face burning.

Minami’s lips curved into a thin smile. “Accidents happen.”

“And what about you, Miss Childhood Memories?!” Mitsumi turned on Chihiro, who only laughed.

“What about me? I was just being honest,” she said, tapping her chest with exaggerated innocence. “Besides… I’ve known Takkun the longest. That gives me a head start.”

“Head start my ass!” Mitsumi’s fists clenched. “He called me cute!”

The words echoed like a gunshot.

Minami’s eyes narrowed. “He said that?”

Mitsumi smirked, arms crossed. “Damn right he did.”

Chihiro pouted dramatically. “Ehhh, that’s unfair. But you know…” Her voice dropped to a teasing lilt. “Even if he said you’re cute… he hasn’t held you like he held me when I fell during practice.”

Mitsumi’s face turned scarlet. “W-WHAT?!”

Minami, expression unreadable, slid her fingers over the frame of her glasses and murmured, “You’re both noisy. But it doesn’t matter. In the end…” Her eyes glinted dangerously. “…you’re both in the way.”

The rooftop fell silent again. The breeze seemed colder.

---

The Truce

“Fine,” Mitsumi growled finally, stabbing her shinai into the floor. “If this is how it’s gonna be, then let’s make it fair.”

“Fair?” Chihiro tilted her head.

“A truce,” Mitsumi declared. “For now. No sabotage. No tattling. We compete clean.”

Minami raised a brow. “And the prize?”

Mitsumi smirked. “Sensei’s heart.”

Chihiro’s grin widened. “Oooh, I like this. A love war. Count me in.”

“Agreed,” Minami said coolly. Then, after a pause, added, “…But don’t misunderstand. A truce isn’t friendship. I plan to win.”

“Same,” Mitsumi shot back.

Chihiro blew a kiss toward the sky. “Sorry, girls. Takkun’s already mine.”

---

Operation: Make Zako Fall

They huddled in a circle, their shadows stretching across the concrete like conspirators plotting a coup.

“Name of the operation?” Chihiro asked.

“Operation: Make Zako Fall,” Mitsumi declared, her voice sharp like a battle cry.

Chihiro raised her fist. “For love!”

Minami’s lips curled into a faint, almost sinister smile. “For victory.”

Their hands stacked in the center. Three voices rang out under the crimson sky:

“Let’s do this.”

And in that moment, an alliance was born… but so were three betrayals waiting to happen.

Because behind their smiles, each girl whispered the same vow:

I’ll win. No matter what.

---

Meanwhile – Zako’s POV

Zako sat in the empty faculty room, nursing his third coffee of the day. The sunset spilled through the blinds, turning the smoke from his cigarette into ribbons of molten gold.

He scrolled through his phone lazily. Notifications from ClassLine buzzed with memes, gossip, and screenshots of something called #SenseiHarem trending in the group chat.

“…I should’ve been a bartender,” he muttered, lighting another cigarette. “At least booze doesn’t flirt back.”