Chapter 15 – An Inconvenient Truth
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Two days after Naoto’s summons.
The tension is palpable in Class D. Heavy glances, broken groups, and a truth slowly carving its way through the silence.
Salia hasn’t slept all night.
Since the incident with Kenta, she suspects that everything she’s experiencing is part of a web spun in the shadows.
And every single thread seems to lead to one person: Winner.
> Salia (thoughts):
He was always there, at the right time.
Too precise. Too quiet.
It’s no coincidence that Naoto fell like a dead leaf.
It’s no coincidence I survived the kidnapping.
No. All of this… is him.
She observes him discreetly across the room.
Reading again. Expressionless. Almost empty.
Yet she can feel the intensity.
He doesn’t play by their rules.
He writes his own.
---
At the same time, in a hidden room in the south building
Kenta, the humiliated leader of Class C, is tending to his injuries. His gaze burns with hatred.
> Kenta (to a classmate):
“That guy… Winner. It was him.
I saw that void in his eyes. That look… he’s not normal.
He’s dangerous.”
> Class C accomplice:
“And what do you plan to do?”
> Kenta (dark smile):
“Destroy him from the inside.
If I want to stop falling, I need to rip him out at the root.”
---
Back in Class D.
A rumor spreads through the halls:
Naoto has been provisionally expelled, pending investigation.
Panic begins to rise.
> Student A:
“If the school starts removing students just from group pressure… no one’s safe.”
> Student B:
“And what if someone’s behind all this?
Someone pulling the strings?”
Salia stands up. She speaks aloud.
> Salia (loud and clear):
“I want us to stop tearing each other apart.
We won the special exam, yes.
But not because of one person. Not because of me either.
There’s someone in the shadows.
Someone who’s… been manipulating everything from the start.”
A heavy silence falls over the room.
Everyone stares at her.
> Salia (calm):
“The one who beat Kenta, who saved me…
who flipped the exam…
wasn’t me.”
Winner slowly closes his book.
He lifts his gaze. Calm.
> Winner (thoughts):
She’s figured it out.
But she won’t say my name.
Not yet.
She’s afraid.
And that’s perfect.
---
That same evening, Winner stands alone on the rooftop of the main building.
He stares at the stars.
> Winner (thoughts):
They doubt.
They’re looking for someone to blame.
But as long as they have no proof…
I remain invisible.
And in the shadows…
I am invincible.