Chapter VII: And That is Why, Tanaka Takashi... (1/2)

The lack of any action by the killer precisely when Haruki was being observed heightened internal suspicions within the top ranks of the student council. By expanding the range of possibilities, we managed to outline some hypotheses.

One explanation is that Haruki is indeed the killer, and he chose not to act last night out of sheer coincidence or because he noticed Takashi and me watching him. It is not impossible that he already knew everything in advance, which is honestly what my intuition points to. But how?

These questions also apply to the other hypothesis: that the killer is someone else who decided not to act. This leads to the following question: How did they know about the plan? Or was it just a coincidence?

However, we have already assumed as a premise that this time, the plan did not leave the circle of Yukihara-senpai, Takashi, and me.

Why would the killer not act last night? Perhaps because our focus on Haruki was too intense, and they discovered our plan and decided to manipulate it? Considering we are in a supernatural dimension, it would not be surprising if the killer had sensory powers or even the ability to read minds.

If I expand the number of variables so much, reaching any conclusion becomes unfeasible...

"Wow, you really look terrible, Johann. What happened? Couldn't sleep?" Shou asks.

"Yes, I had some insomnia issues," I sneeze, "and maybe caught a cold," I reply.

"Things are so strange these days... Where is the world heading? I never thought I'd hear that from you, the person who usually sleeps earlier than anyone else in the universe," he says, looking at Manabu. "And it seems you weren't the only one with that problem."

Manabu looks as haggard as I do, his dark circles so pronounced they almost seem like sunglasses.

"Well, Jocchi and I stayed up all night playing 18+ Eroges. We managed to complete two whole routes; impressive, huh?" Manabu says in a triumphant tone.

When I ask you to cover for me, this is not the kind of cover I expect.

"You and your peculiar tastes... I swear I'll never understand you. How can you get attached to drawings when so many girls are eagerly waiting for our love?"

What a distorted view of reality. They are certainly not waiting for you.

"That's where you're wrong, Shoucchi. 3D girls are treacherous. True love for a man exists only in the ideal world—in other words, with his waifus."

I think I am overthinking a problem that, at first, is not even mine. I will just rest a bit and wait for the meeting with Yukihara-senpai and Takashi.

12:51 PM

This peaceful morning passed quickly, and soon it was lunchtime. As usual, Haruki volunteers to taste the food.

This is the calmest atmosphere I have seen since the first death. Since no recent death has occurred, the anomaly has begun to take on more significant proportions. The behavioral deviation has become so blatant that analyzing only the present would hardly be distinguishable from an ordinary school day meal.

"Hey, Johann-kun! Wait for us!" Miyu exclaims with her bento in hand.

For the umpteenth time, my plans to eat alone were thwarted. I do not know why I still harbor hopes of ever having peace in my life.

"Do not mind him, Miyu-chan. I'll be more than happy to have lunch with you," says Shou.

The three stooges follow me to our usual table, with Shou dedicating himself to gaining Miyu's attention while she systematically tries to change the subject. Manabu is the only one oblivious to their interaction, his eyes feverishly scanning the manga in his hands.

As I am about to sit down, I see the student council heading toward a random table. Unlike usual, Haruki is walking in front, seemingly trying to cheer up Natsuki, who remains downcast over her friend's death.

She is one of the few who has not been affected, probably along with the other students who protested against Yukihara-senpai yesterday. Assuming Haruki is the killer, he must have an enormous amount of nerve to console the victim of his own crime.

Yukihara-senpai and Takashi follow them with cautious gazes, naturally, due to the supposed coincidence from last night.

While observing them, I notice her gaze shifts to me, and she stops walking.

Her companions notice this and stop as well.

"What is it? Is something wrong, Kaichou?" Natsuki turns and asks.

"It is nothing. You may eat without me. I just remembered I need to deal with a matter with someone."

Takashi quickly notes her trajectory and realizes she is heading in my direction, his face twisting with annoyance.

Is she still insistent on making everyone at school hate me? Wasn't walking with her yesterday embarrassing enough? Everyone will be staring at us during lunch, and I hate with all my being being watched while I eat.

"Hey, guys. Is it just me, or is Kaichou coming over here? This feels so unreal," Miyu asks.

"Under normal circumstances, I'd say it could only be your imagination. But given the location of this isolated table, there's no other possible destination," Manabu replies.

"Well, Johann was with her yesterday. I imagine she must be giving him a quick order, right?" Shou comments.

"Wow, that makes sense. This will probably become a regular thing since Johann-kun is now a council member," Miyu says, staring at me excitedly.

"Temporary member," I correct.

"It is still something to be proud of."

She approaches our table and stops right behind me. I can feel the public pressure demanding I take some action. I never considered witnessing this, so I have no rehearsed behavior for such a situation. Therefore, I simply continue eating as if I had not noticed her presence.

Seeing the brief awkward moment, Miyu cannot remain silent. It was less than ten seconds, but to the outside observer, making someone like Yukihara-senpai wait is a capital sin worthy of death.

"Do you need something, Kaichou? What can we do for you?" she asks with a smile.

"Johann promised he would have lunch with me today. However, I think it would be impolite of me to take him away from his circle of friends. Therefore, may I join and eat with you?"

I almost choke upon hearing this... not bad. What is she trying to achieve by approaching me so indiscreetly? I do not even need to look at her face to realize she is speaking with her usual irony.

At first, my reaction might seem exaggerated, but the response of the three is even more severe—they practically have a meltdown.

Manabu freezes completely, which does not surprise me, as I do not recall him ever having a casual conversation with a girl, except for Miyu, of course. In fact, I am not sure if he even realizes she is a girl.

On the other hand, Shou seems to be trying to come up with a sentence or joke to entertain her but can only stutter in response to the president's question.

"Y-y-yes, of course. Please, have a seat," Miyu saves the day for the three.

Since the tables only have four chairs, Shou, in an epiphany of chivalry, automatically grabs an unused chair from a nearby table. Then she sits next to me. Due to the table being sized for four students, her proximity crosses into my personal space.

Silence hangs in the air.

This atmosphere is terrible; can none of you say something stupid to break the tension? Perhaps they do not want to expose their mediocrity in front of her. I regret to inform you, but there is no need to worry about that—everyone already knows.

The only sound I hear is the murmuring from the tables closest to ours. I imagine seeing a queen open the sewer lid to interact with the filthiest rats in her kingdom must be shocking.

Irritated, I decide to force her to lay her cards on the table.

"Yukihara-senpai, be honest. What are you trying to achieve with this performance? Cause some chaos or just torment me psychologically?" I stop eating and ask.

She looks up indifferently, waits a few seconds, and, with her serene tone, replies:

"Performance? I am sorry, Johann. I have no idea what you are referring to. Did I miss some information? And chaos? You know very well I am the person who values order the most in this environment."

"If you have any orders for me, you could give them after lunch. Or better yet, you could have Takashi pass the message along. There was no need to interact with me in public, yet you did. I can only conclude that you acted deliberately. Just admit your intentions and what you hope to gain from this."

In response, she stops eating, sets her utensils down on the plate, and fixes me with her feline-sharp gaze.

"P-please excuse him, Kaichou. He did not mean to offend you. Being rude like this is just his nature. I have explained to him countless times that he should be more polite to others, but he never changes. I think he may have some sort of social dysfunction," Miyu stammers awkwardly.

"Yeah! Johann is a complete idiot; don't take him seriously. I keep warning him about this, but he's hopeless. He should take after someone like me," Shou adds nervously.

She seems to ignore their comments about my behavior and continues staring at me.

"I genuinely cannot recall the last time I witnessed such rudeness, Johann. You invited me to lunch, and now, for no reason at all, you are throwing me out? Who do you think you are to act with such manners?" she pauses, looking offended. "Honestly, have some decency."

I can't believe this... She is blatantly lying. I've lost my patience with this girl.

"What are you talking about?! Yukihara-senpai, I didn't invite you to anything. You invited yourself. At least be honest."

Clearly, she is trying to play the victim to gain public support, making it impossible for me to counter her.

"Johann-kun, don't be rude to Kaichou! Why are you acting like such a jerk?! Show some respect for her! Not just because of her position, but no one deserves to be treated this way!" Miyu exclaims.

As I expected, it worked perfectly. She has everyone wrapped around her finger like puppets.

I decide to ignore Miyu's hysteria and wait for Yukihara-senpai's response.

"Could you inform me if Johann suffers from bipolar disorder or some kind of split personality? He is acting so differently today—it is like he is a completely different person," she asks, turning to the three of them.

She's trying to deflect my accusation with an absurd question like that?

"Not that I know of. Johann is always grumpy. What changes from one day to the next is just the intensity of his bad mood, though today he's worse than usual," Shou replies.

"This is very strange because yesterday, his behavior was the complete opposite. He treated me courteously and insisted that I join him for lunch. I even thought it was sudden and that he was trying to speed up our familiarity. But even I, who have received countless confessions, have never seen a boy speak as poetically as he did. And now he is tearing apart all the vows he declared as if they were nothing. I feel so deceived, so innocently led astray," Yukihara-senpai lies with the skill of an actress, withdrawing with a sense of feigned sadness.

I don't even have words to describe this. My ears refuse to endure hearing another word of this nonsense.

"How awful! Johann-kun, this is too much, even for you! Kneel and apologize right now!" Miyu yells, even more agitated.

"Yukihara-senpai, just when I think you can't go any further, you manage to elevate this lie to new heights."

Miyu and Shou have taken her side—Miyu because she considers it the most incredible honor any devoted schoolgirl could achieve, and Shou simply because he's a servant to any pretty face.

Manabu, meanwhile, seems completely detached, lost in his own world, likely oblivious to the nature of the conversation. In the end, none of the three have any idea of the true personality of this serpent in human form.

"All right, do not be angry with him. We will finish this discussion in private later. I do not wish to ruin your lunch," she pauses and then turns her gaze to me, "And by the way, why do you always stop calling me 'Mikoto' when we are in company?" Yukihara comments with a smile.

Was that really necessary? Even Manabu is revived from his stupor. Now, all three of them are staring at me, wide-eyed. They're looking at me as if I'm some kind of demon who has deceived their pure-hearted queen. However, her character is the exact opposite, and that smile she showed after speaking reveals her entire diabolical plan.