Third person point of view 

Kunugigaoka Academy's student council lounge was a display of excess—polished mahogany tables, velvet seating, and an atmosphere soaked in superiority. This definitely is an elite school, alright. 

Ginka took in her surroundings with a playful tilt of her head, crossing her arms. ["How grand. I can see where our school funds are well spent."] Her tone was light, teasing—but the meaning beneath it was not. ["This is an abuse of power."]

"Nonsense." A smooth voice cut through the air as Gakushuu Asano stepped forward, his usual self-assured smirk in place. "This is simply the fruit of our labor during school festivities."

Labor. Right. If one considered strategic manipulation and high-pressure tactics labor, then perhaps that was true. Then again, this is all business. 

But Ginka wasn't about to argue.

At least, not yet.

"Asano-kun!" His loyal followers immediately straightened at his arrival, their movements practiced—automatic.

Then, one of them—a tall, smug-looking student with perfectly styled hair—stepped forward, turning his attention to her. "Ah, the infamous Sei-chan~"

Before she could react, his fingers ran through her hair, twirling a strand between his fingers as he smirked. "Sakakibara Ren. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

Ginka laughed politely, though every fiber of her being wanted to slap him into next week.

The audacity.

The sheer disregard for personal space.

But before she could do anything, Gakushuu moved.

A sharp movement. A flick of his wrist.

"Ow—ow! Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Ren yanked his hand back, eyes wide as Gakushuu calmly pressed down on a pressure point in his wrist, his smile never wavering.

"There are limits to how audacious one can be."

A second student—a young man with slicked-back green hair—stepped in, clearing his throat. "No need for tension. I'm Araki Teppei. A pleasure to have you here, Asano-san."

["Oh my, you certainly know your way with words."] Ginka smiled sweetly, observing him carefully. ["Surely befitting your reputation as broadcasting president. I must warn you, though—I don't enjoy answering press questions outside of work hours."]

"Of course not!" Araki laughed, waving his hands. "I wouldn't dare put you in such a position."

She didn't trust him. Not even a little. 

Something feels sketchy. Then again, all of them do. 

But she played along. That was the game, after all.

The last to introduce themselves were Natsuhiko Koyama and Tomoya Seo. All six of them settled down to eat lunch which Gakushu ordered beforehand. They then continue talking further.

As the conversation flowed, the group eventually settled into lunch. It was during this moment that the true nature of the Big Five revealed itself.

"So, how are you adjusting so far?" The words came from Natsuhiko Koyama, his tone pleasant, polite.

But Ginka immediately picked up on it. The slight tilt of his head. The way his words dripped with insincerity.

"Must be hard, right? Since you were homeschooled for so long."

The others smirked faintly. It was subtle. 

Too subtle for even her brother to notice.

But Ginka felt it. They were looking down on her.

Not blatantly. Not openly. But in the way that powerful people do—disguising their condescension as kindness.

They weren't testing her intelligence.

They were testing her patience.

Ginka grinned. Not the idol smile. Not the demure little sister smile. Something sharper.

["Thank you for your concern."]

If this is already the kind of animosity she experiences as a B Class student, whose excellence is only second to A Class.. what more of the lower classes? She couldn't take this arrogance. 

 This is a school that judges your worth based on academic performance. And they are the ones on top leading the student body to think that way. But that alone shouldn't mean everything. 

 The thought only irked her even more. 

["I'm doing quite well, actually. My classmates are very welcoming, and the teachers are exceptional."] Ginka beams with full of fighting spirit. Of course, she isn't gonna take a slap on the face. ["It's tough, but nothing worthwhile ever comes easy."] A pause. Then, she tilted her head, eyes gleaming. ["I suppose you wouldn't know much about that, though."]

The room froze.

The Big Five stiffened.

For a second, Ginka could see the flicker of irritation in their eyes. Then—just as quickly—they masked it.

"The hell did you just say?!"

"Relax," Ren muttered, nudging his friend. "We probably heard wrong."

Ginka clasped her hands together, blinking innocently. ["Oops. Did I word that poorly?"]

Oh, she knew exactly what she was doing.

She wasn't going to let them disrespect her and walk away unscathed.

If they wanted to test her—

She would fight them right back.

A single clap.

"Silence."

Gakushuu's voice was calm, but the authority in it was unshakable. Immediately, the table fell quiet.

Ginka watched in fascination. Even among his own subordinates, he commanded absolute obedience.

"Fighting over such trivial matters is pointless."

Ren laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Come on, guys. Lighten up. It was just a joke, right?"

["No one understands my humor~"] Ginka giggled behind her hand, her voice perfectly sweet.

She couldn't help but muffle a laugh. He believed in her tenderness too much he couldn't sense sarcasm in her words. 

 Nothing special happened throughout the first week. But she no longer wanted to hang around with them and informed her brother that she would rather bond with her classmates. Gakushu ended up preferring that way as well, thinking that his minions are not worthy of her time. 

"You're so loud even without talking." Morikawa Mika, a new found friend that sat in front of Ginka in class. They ended up bonding throughout the week sharing their love for reading.

She talked about the adoration she had for the characters and how the stories made her feel, while Mika was more on hidden messages or predictions she had in mind for the next series. It ended up being lengthy conversations. 

Ginka just smiled, typing on her phone. ["Let's go home together!"]

"No way."

She blinked. There was not an ounce of hesitance.  ["Why not?"]

"I don't know, maybe because you attract too much attention?" Mika gestured toward their classmates, many of whom were shamelessly staring.

Ginka pouted, ["But I want to go with you this time. I haven't talked to you much compared to everyone else here. It's like I'm neglecting you."]

"That doesn't really matter." 

 ["It does! Please?"] Mika can't believe that this idol that fans would pay thousands to see is whining for attention like this. ["You haven't finished telling me about your new discoveries for the sequel. How about we tackle them on the way home?"]

"But don't you have a family driver or something?" 

 ["I'd feel bad to bother him since he'll still have to drive back and forth to school to pick up both my brother and father. The train would do just fine."]  

Mika sighed. Loudly. Now out of excuses. 

"Fine."

And so, they walked together.

And so their discussion continues. Ginka waves goodbye to her classmates and told them she'll be heading off now. The moment they reached the school gates, she tucks her hair in a beanie then wears a mask. 

 "That must be such a drag." To hide her face all the time. 

 ["Not really. I'm actually thrilled to meet my fans on any day but.."] She gives an assuring smile, ["I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable. You don't really like drawing attention, yes?"] 

 Mika averts his gaze unable to counter that comment. Exact reason why she tried avoiding her the past days. All eyes were all on them when she's around. It was very bothersome.But she was one of the few who actually enjoyed listening to her rambling and gave off the same energy when their similar interests are taken into account. 

 She could somehow feel at ease. 

 "Seiun-san?" Mika looks to her side to realize that the said person has disappeared. Where on earth did she.. 

SMASH. 

The sound of glass shattering. And there—standing among a group of terrified students—was Akabane Karma.

A broken bottle in his grasp.

"Oh? So you wouldn't want to, even if you die?" His tone was casual, teasing. But the look in his eyes? Deadly. "Then how about dying right now?"

The D-Class students fled in terror.

And Ginka was impressed.

"God, he's really crazy." Mika whispers and stares at him like a cat on guard, "Let's get out of here." 

"Karma-kun.." 

"I have an even better toy, so I wouldn't get this chance if I were suspended again." He mutters in satisfaction, tossing the bottle into the trash. His gaze then drifts towards Ginka. He could recognize those eyes at any day. "Are you alright, Asano-san? The shards didn't fly your way, now did they?" 

"You guys know each other?" 

 ["We've ran into each other once."] She chuckles awkwardly. It's best not to talk about that spectacle. ["And I'm fine. I was far enough for them to reach me. Nice seeing you again."] 

 "Asano-san? You mean the idol twin of the student council president?" The bluenette gasps in bewilderment. To think he was face to face with such important person..

["That's right."] 

 "But you aren't gonna report us now, are you?" The redhead was already thinking of threats to use. Perhaps he shouldn't have thrown away that bottle yet to scare them off. He can't let a word get away that he's causing trouble before his fun was about to begin. 

"I honestly do not care enough to bother." 

Ginka simply smiled. ["What's there to report? You weren't in the wrong."]

Nagisa and Mika stared at her in disbelief. Is she that simple-minded?

"That's... not how this works." Miku facepalms. 

But Karma laughed.

And for the first time, he actually looked at her. "So you're just an airhead who pretends to know nothing, huh?"

Ginka smiled sweetly.

But deep down— She wondered if he had just seen straight through her.