The rooftop was quiet. Too quiet.
Yuki had dragged Riko and Hikari up there after school, claiming she needed to "talk about something important." Now she stood before them, arms crossed, expression uncharacteristically serious.
Riko's heart still raced from the confession scene. Hikari's jaw was tight.
Yuki looked at them both. Then she spoke.
"Okay. Direct question. No dodging."
Riko tensed.
"Do you two like Kaito?"
The world stopped.
Riko's face went white. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. Her brain—usually so sharp, so analytical—completely short-circuited.
Hikari's usual deadpan expression cracked. Just slightly.
Their jaws dropped in perfect synchronization.
---
Scene Change
Earlier that day. Before the confession.
Kaito walked toward the back of the school with measured steps. He wasn't nervous. Wasn't confident. Wasn't expecting much.
Just another interaction. Another variable to process.
The girl was already there—Suzuki Mei from Class 2-C. She stood with her back to him, hands clasped tightly.
He stopped at a respectful distance. "You wanted to talk."
She turned. Her eyes were red-rimmed but dry. Determined.
And then she did something unexpected.
She bowed. Deeply. Formally.
"Sato-senpai." Her voice trembled but held. "I need to thank you."
Kaito waited.
She straightened, meeting his gaze. "You don't know me. We've never spoken. But what you did—stopping Takeda, reporting him, making the bullying stop—" Her voice cracked. "You saved me. You saved all of us in Class 2-C."
Kaito said nothing.
She continued, words rushing now. "I've wanted to thank you for weeks, but I couldn't. I didn't know how. I thought about writing a letter, but then everyone would think—" She gestured vaguely. "So I wrote one anyway. But it wasn't—I didn't mean it as a—"
She took a breath. "I admire you, Sato-senpai. Sincerely. Not because you're handsome or smart or any of that. Because you're kind. Quietly kind. When no one was watching."
Kaito's expression didn't change, but something shifted behind his eyes.
She bowed again. "That's all. I'm sorry for wasting your time. It's not a confession—it's just... thank you. For being you."
Silence.
Kaito considered her words. Processed them. Then spoke.
"It's okay."
She looked up.
"If you want to admire something, no one's going to stop you." His voice was calm. Not cold—just calm. "But next time, use a normal letter. Everyone misunderstood this one."
A pause. Then, so quietly she almost missed it: "It was my fault for pranking them, after all."
Suzuki blinked. Then—unexpectedly—she laughed. Small. Surprised.
"Your... fault?"
Kaito's expression remained neutral, but something almost like amusement flickered. "My cousin. She enjoys chaos. I let her."
Suzuki laughed again, covering her mouth. "So the whole school thinks I confessed to you, and it's actually because of your cousin?"
"Yes."
She shook her head, smiling now—a real smile. "You're even stranger than they say, Sato-senpai."
"Probably."
She bowed one last time. "Thank you. For everything. And... tell your cousin she owes me."
She walked away, lighter than she'd arrived.
Kaito watched her go. Then he turned and walked toward the school building, unaware of the conversation happening far above him.
The unseen truth was spreading. And nothing would ever be the same.
(End of Chapter 71)