IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING, THE ASSEMBLY WAS CANCELLED.

As promised, Kiryuu's article was posted all over the school prior to the start of the day. Students and staff members flooded the newspaper club for copies, until eventually, everyone had one, and it was all that was being talked about.

"How dare you!"

"Takumi is such a nice guy who didn't deserve any of this, too! Don't you dare show your ugly ass face around him again!"

"If it wasn't considered animal abuse, I'd smack you right now!"

Ambling through the hallways was like stepping on blazing stones. I might as well have had a "kick me" sign taped onto my back. But, instead of kicking me, people were throwing crumpled-up sheets of papers, erasers, and other stationeries, at my head and back. Of course, they were furious. Of course, they now had it out for me. Deep down, I assumed I'd be prepared for anything, but this drastic change in treatment churned my gut nonetheless.

I'd just crawled my way out of being invisible. I was just starting to get a sense of what it was like to make an honest effort at school—in my academics—and earn the admiration of my peers. Now, it was all flushed down an invisible drain. Let alone back to square one, I was in the negatives.

"Miss Hinomori, I'm sure you know why you're here." The chair in the principal's office was unbearably stiff. Mr. Yakumo had summoned me down to his office before even the first bell, insisting he speak with me. Understandably, considering he'd also caught wind of the article—the gossip. He intertwined his fingers on his desk. "I tried to get in touch with your father, but he stated he was unable to take the time off work to come down here to have a chat about your situation."

That was nothing new. It was a miracle he'd even answered the phone at all.

"At the very least, I left a message." His stare ebbed at my composure. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"No, sir. I'm guilty."

His shoulders sagged. "That is quite unfortunate." He withheld a breath, mulling over my response. "I had hoped you'd at least be willing to offer a proper explanation. Was it mere jealousy that had spurred you to act, or something else entirely? No matter, I suppose. As long as you won't deny it, I'm left no choice but to accept this as the truth. Are you ready for your punishment?"

"Will you expel me?"

"Is that what everyone is saying? Those rumours have truly gotten out of hand." Frowning, he shook his head. "I had no intentions of expelling anyone. Not for something as amendable as this. Just, apologize. To your homeroom teacher—your classmates. I'll be removing your name from the top of your class roster, and giving your spot to Mr. Takumi. While I won't change your grades to zeroes, you will be bumped down considerably in your overall grade rank. On top of that, you will forsake all of your class representative duties and hand them over to a more deserving classmate. Are we clear?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"This petty display of envy better not happen again either. Are we clear on that, too?"

"Yes, sir."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Takumi is truly a gifted child. While I understand your resentment, not everyone can be him. That's an undeniable fact. Don't beat yourself up about it. One day, even someone like you can hope to surpass him, fair and square."

I left the office with plenty of time to spare until classes commenced.

My phone buzzed.

Creeper.

You seriously took the blame!!! Σ(ﾟ口ﾟ;)//
You willingly destroyed your own reputation for Takumi's and Otomo's.
You ruined it. . . You ruined my evil scheme.
I never would've expected you had the guts to do something like this. . .
No. . . My day is ruined. . .

Good.

Then again, I do get to see you suffer and scorned by the masses.
If I look at it like that, I'm happy I played a role in this after all (^з^)

A sociopath.

I was dealing with a whole sociopath.

My phone dinged with another notification.

MOE
ANRI WTF
WTF??!
WHY ARE PEOPLE DISSING YOU ON SOCIAL MEDIA???
SAYING YOU SET TAKUMI UP? WHAT?

Before I could even answer, my ringtone blared, causing me to jump. A phone call.

"Anri, what exactly is going on?" Saeki—the usually soft-spoken and amicable Saeki—teemed with rage. "I'm on my way to school now and everyone is badmouthing you! They're saying horrible things about you! I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!"

"Saeki, please don't." I sweatdropped. "You genuinely can't fight."

"I took karate lessons just for this."

"Yes, and you quit within a week."

"I still remember some stuff," he pathetically defended. I could just imagine him childishly pouting. "You're way too calm about this," he complained. "Is this really okay with you? Hold on. More people are talking badly about you. I'm going to go have a conversation with them."

"No, don't—"

The call ended at an alarmingly fast rate. If it were Moe, I wouldn't have minded, but Saeki— It was like throwing a defenceless gazelle into a den of lions. Sure, I was touched he cared about me, but it was a losing battle.

MOE
I'm giving these internet trolls a piece of my mind.
Who do they think my best friend is?
Stop leaving me on read, by the way! I need answers!

My lips inching upwards, my heart melted into a figurative puddle. I really had great friends. They didn't even need the full story to have my back.

But, this situation wasn't exactly something I could make excuses about and brush under an invisible rug. Surely, this whole misunderstanding would lower their view of me, but at the very least, I hope this meant they wouldn't ditch me for it.

From where I stood, I had a good view of the school gate from the window. Takumi and Naoya should be on their way here. Inadvertently, I made a face. The last thing I wanted was to run into either of them—

"There you are!"

Crap.

I recognized his voice in a heartbeat. My stomach churned into knots. Dreadfully, I craned my neck. At the opposite end of the hall, foaming by the mouth in anger, was the one guy I never wished to see: Takumi.

It was instinctive: I bolted.

With his long strides, it didn't take long before he was hot on my trail.

"Stop running!" he demanded.

"Then stop chasing me!" I shouted back, fearful for my well-being.

Likely because it was so close to class time, the halls were considerably cleared. I charged up and down stairs, in and out of hallways. Since I couldn't exactly storm into a random classroom, my hiding places were limited. Ironically enough, my mind flooded with memories of the day before—from when I hurled rocks at Naoya to get him down from the side of his house. Except now, the roles were reversed—and Takumi was infinitely scarier than Naoya.

It was cat and mouse. Hence, it was a losing struggle.

"What were you thinking?!"

For one reason or another, I found myself pinned against the bookshelf at the school library. Takumi had successfully trapped me, huffing and puffing from exhaustion. Since we were in the library, I inwardly assumed I'd be saved. That we'd be forced to have a civil conversation, free from the unwanted attention of others.

Yeah, I was wrong. It'd be a miracle if I made it out of this alive.

"I was thinking that there were no other options," I admitted once I was able to muster my voice. The librarian was nowhere in sight—likely tucked behind the front desk; far, far away. I was stuck. "The principal was planning on holding an assembly to make an example out of you, and subsequently punish you for good," I tacked on. "Time was running out. Talking to teachers and the principal would've been meaningless. Instead of ruining your perfect reputation any further, mine is already a wreck, so I thought—"

"Are you an idiot?!"

His question chilled me to the bone. It wasn't exactly intimidating, considering he was whispering. After all, he was a goody-two-shoes at heart, and shouting in the library went against his morals.

I braced myself to look at him. His stormy eyes were filled with unspeakable anguish. It was such a sad expression—the saddest I'd ever seen on him. My heart squeezed.

"We both know the answer to that."

At the end of the day, I didn't know Creeper's identity. I'd have pinned this on him if I could. If I waited to uncover it, it would all be too late.

He balled his fists. "There should've been something else you could've done."

"I checked all the angles. This is the best ending."

"Best ending? Best? This is? How?" he remarked. "The entire school hates you!"

"And it doesn't bother me. Can you calm down?"

"No," he refused. "I have the right to be angry. I can't believe you. Why didn't you confide in me?"

"Because I knew you'd disagree with whatever I planned. Just like you are now."

"Why wouldn't I disagree? First Nao, and now you—I-I don't need you two to be doing stuff like this for me."

"Takumi—"

"I'll give up my trophies and awards—I couldn't care less about them if it means accepting an outcome like this. I'd rather lose it all— I never should've received them anyway, not when you exist—"

"Stop that."

His voice caught in his throat.

"Sure, I have you beat in terms of pure intelligence, but that's it. I don't own a single award or certificate to my name. I haven't volunteered a day in my life. Heck, I skip class on a whim. Nobody at this school, or elsewhere in the world, thinks anything of me. Not even my own family members. You're the only one who does, Takumi. You're the only one who ever has. Why can't you understand something so simple?"

"I do understand," he snapped back. "So why can't you see how much that frustrates me? I'll never measure up to you for the rest of my life. Nobody besides me gets that. Now, it'll be impossible for anyone else to ever accept that you're the real 'genius'; not me. I was just starting to face you fair and square. Finally, after all these years. And now. . ."

"You seriously underestimate yourself." I released a subconscious sigh. "I'm just one person. There's hundreds, if not thousands, of other people you've left in the dust through your hard work."

"Ann. . ."

My attention flickered left. From behind the nearby shelf, snuffling with copious tears swelled in his eyes, loitered a familiar redhead. My guess was that he was with Takumi all along, and had simply followed us here.

"Give up, Naoya." I shrugged. "Unlike you or Takumi, I have absolutely nothing to lose from all this, besides a real chore of a job like class rep. We'll just be going back to how things were before our second year started: with Takumi in the spotlight, and me in the background where I belong."

"Talk some sense into her, Nao," Takumi interposed. "She isn't listening to reason. I swear, when I get my hands on the scumbag who left those test answers in my desk. . ."

Albeit being the furthest from violent, he menacingly cracked his knuckles.

Naoya flinched, sweating buckets.

I jumped in. "Who cares about who did what."

"What?"

"Let's just focus on the present. I said I'd take the blame, remember? Besides, who knows? Maybe this person had a good reason."

"Have you lost your mind? What kind of maniac would do something this sick and twisted, and not even take responsibility for it? 'Good reason'? Screw their 'reason'! People have been murdered for less. I won't feel satisfied unless this cowardly piece of ******* **** rots the rest of their life away in a jail cell—"

I gaped. My knees wobbled. "No. . . Please. Say it ain't so. Takumi swore. . ."

His cheeks tinged pink. "Of course I swear! I'm not a child!"

"Never do that again."

"Whose side are you on?!"

"St-stop! Just stop!" Naoya's yell echoed within the silent library. "It was me!"

"Nao?" Takumi's eyebrows furrowed. "Stop trying to take the blame—"

"I'm not!" he argued. "It was me! Ann was just protecting me!"

"What?"

Once the first word left his mouth, more and more followed, gushing forth like a broken dam. "This is all my fault. I caused this. I'm the one who framed you."

"Wh—what?" Takumi sputtered again. "Why?"

"B-because," Naoya stuttered, his cheeks glowing a bright crimson. "B-because I love you, Ren!"

. . .

My jaw dropped a foot. Possibly more. Oh, damn. We were really doing this.

_____________

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