Chapter 39: The Asset and the Successor

School is the weirdest part of this new life. The dojo is war. That is hell. That is real. The classroom, however, is the cover.

I walk into class 1-B. My body is a roadmap of new, screaming bruises. My disarm training has left my wrists and elbows on fire. But my mind is clear. I am not scared of her anymore. I am not flustered. I am an asset.

I sit. She is already there, reading, the perfect goddess. The bell rings. The "Ayako-Sama!" chorus erupts from the gates. She does not flinch. I do not flinch. It is just noise.

"Good morning, Minatawa-kun," she says, her voice polite.

"Good morning, Katsumi-san," I say, my voice level.

The game is over. The secret war of whispers and smirks was childish. This is professional. We are a unit. We are cover for each other. The morning is a blur. Tanaka-sensei drones on about history. I am not listening. I am aware. I am aware of the door, the windows, and her. And she is aware of me.

Lunch arrives. My phone buzzes.

DEMON: Student Council Room. Now.

I get up. Taka and Ken watch me. "Dude, again? Enforced volunteering?"

"Yeah," I say. "Procedural update."

"You are weird, man," Taka says. I just walk.

I get to the Student Council room. It is empty. She is there. She locks the door.

"Report," she commands.

"What report?"

"Your historical attachment," she says, her voice ice. "Hina Aizawa. She is at school today."

"I saw her," I say.

"She approached you?"

"No," I say. "She looked at me in the hallway. She looked angry. And sad."

"Good," Ayako says. "Her anger is irrelevant. Her sadness is a weakness. We can use that."

"Wait, use it? Ayako, she is Hina. She is nice."

"She is justice," Ayako corrects, her eyes flint. "And justice is looking at me." She taps a file on her desk. "Her father. Detective Aizawa. He has used the mall incident. He has opened an inquiry into Bokumuchi-kai entertainment venues. He is targeting the Oasis."

"Crap," I whisper.

"This is your fault," she says, her voice flat.

"My fault?!"

"You are the anomaly," she says. "You connected me to her. You brought justice to my door."

"So," she says, "you will fix it."

"Fix it? How?!"

"You will talk to her," Ayako commands. "You will manage this variable."

"Manage? You mean lie to her?"

"I mean ensure our cover," she hisses. "You will convince her that I am nothing. A weird girlfriend. A psycho rich girl. You will make her believe you are safe." She steps closer. "You will make her stop looking."

This is a test. A loyalty test. Me or her. My past or my present.

"I... I..."

The door handle jiggles. Someone is knocking.

"Katsumi-san?"

That voice. It is Hina.

Ayako freezes. I freeze.

"Katsumi-san? I know you are in there," Hina's voice says through the wood. "I saw Shou-chan come in."

Ayako looks at me. Her eyes are black.

"Manage," she whispers.