Back in the classroom, the energy was heavy with helplessness.
"I messed up," Ryuuto sighed, leaning back in his chair with his hands on his knees. "I deleted the plan from my screen, but Sazanami -san has already seen it. It's over."
"Forget it for now," Shiori replied, crossing her arms. "Kiyoshi-kun and Yueko-chan are gone. It's just us. We have to figure out how to handle that viral video. If we don't do something, Reikou-kun is going to suffer the most."
Ryuuto nodded solemnly. "Let them handle the library situation themselves. For now, we need to find a way to flip the script on social media."
The Breaking of the 0.5-Meter Barrier
In the silent library, time had seemingly stopped.
Reikou and Meiyu were so close that their breaths mingled. For the first time, Meiyu had completely forgotten her "0.5-meter protocol." She was still holding Reikou's mouth, her eyes locked onto his in a gaze that neither could break.
Then, reality snapped back.
Meiyu’s face flared red. In a panic, she shoved him away perhaps a bit too hard.
SMACK!
Reikou flew backward into a bookshelf. A dozen heavy encyclopedias tumbled down, burying him until he looked like a "Book Tree." When he finally poked his head out, his face was beet-red and swollen.
"Why are you making such a donkey face?!" Meiyu barked, covering her own mouth to hide her embarrassment.
"Is that really what you say after hitting me?!" Reikou asked, his voice suddenly dropping into a low, serious tone.
The air grew heavy. For a moment, Meiyu was actually intimidated by his gaze. But she quickly regained her composure and sat him down. They were face-to-face now, the atmosphere feeling more like a peace summit than a library study session.
"Tell me everything," Meiyu commanded.
Reikou sighed. "Actually... it wasn't really a 'plan.' I was trying to analyze your probability. I wanted to see every detail how you react, how you move to figure out what you are avoiding because of your family reputation."
He explained his logic if everyone else was doing something and she wasn't, then that "thing" was likely a rule she had to follow.
Meiyu sat in silence, her mind racing. ‘He almost trapped me... and I didn’t even realize it. He looks like a fool, but his instinct is terrifying.’
"Reikou-kun," she said, her voice softening but remaining serious. "I don't want you to suffer because of me. That video makes you look like a threat, when in reality, you were helping me. I wanted a normal life for five minutes, and that opportunity turned into my biggest mistake."
Reikou didn't hear her words. He was just watching her lips move, a small, dazed smile on his face. ‘She looks so serious, but she’s actually so kind,’ he thought.
"Show me that paper," Meiyu demanded.
Reikou hesitantly handed over his "Observation List." Meiyu scanned the messy handwriting. Most of it was nonsense, but one point made her heart skip a beat.
[Rule Guess #1: Meiyu never smiles much... because she's waiting for a reason to.]
He had guessed it correctly. For the first time, Meiyu felt a strange, warm flutter in her chest.
Meanwhile, the whistle blew at the stadium.
GAME OVER.
Score: 6-1
Shiranagi High had completely dismantled Velmont. The stadium was a sea of chanting voices: "SHIRANOGI! SHIRANOGI!" In the center of the field, surrounded by the celebrating opponents, stood Kiyoshi. The "Ace" looked small. His confident grin was gone. He covered his face with one hand, a single tear tracing a path through the dirt on his cheek.
"I lost..." he whispered. "All the training... all the 'Hee-Hee-Hee' smiles... it all turned into defeat. Maybe football is over for me."
He stood alone in the noise, a fallen hero.
Huff... Huff...
Outside the stadium gates, a girl was sprinting. Her breath was heavy, her uniform disheveled, but she didn't stop.
"Kiyoshi-kun!" Yueko whispered to herself, her heart racing faster than her feet. "I'm coming! Just wait for me!"
[End of Chapter 15]
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