The rooftop had become a battlefield.
Not the cold, tense battlefield of territorial disputes. Not the awkward, guilty battlefield of invaded sanctuaries.
This was war of a different kind.
Words. Insults. Roasts. And no one was backing down.
---
It started, as all great disasters do, with Yuki.
"Okay, but seriously—" she pointed her chopsticks at Kaito "—you're telling me you've gone your whole life with that death stare and you've NEVER used it to get free food? What a waste of talent."
Kaito didn't look up from his lunch. "I don't need free food."
"No, but imagine the possibilities! Walk into a bakery, stare at the cashier, walk out with free bread. Infinite pastry hack."
Riko snorted. "That's not how death stares work."
"How would you know? You've never gotten one."
"I've seen it in action. It's not something you weaponize for baked goods."
Yuki gasped dramatically. "Did you just defend his death stare? Riko, are you in LOVE with his death stare?"
Riko's face went red. "That's—that's not—I'm just making an observation!"
Hikari, from her sprawled position, muttered: "Sounds like love to me."
"NOT YOU TOO!"
Kaito's eye twitched. The tiniest movement. But Yuki caught it.
"HE TWITCHED! THE DEATH STARE ALMOST ACTIVATED! Everyone take cover!"
No one moved.
---
The war escalated.
Riko struck first. "Yuki, you literally started a club to investigate a confession you knew nothing about. That's not enthusiasm. That's obsession."
Yuki clutched her chest. "It's called DEDICATION!"
"It's called needing a hobby."
"I HAVE a hobby! It's this!"
Hikari: "Your hobby is chaos."
"Thank you!"
"That wasn't a compliment."
Yuki ignored her and turned on Riko. "At least my hobby doesn't involve planning every conversation three days in advance."
Riko's eye twitched. "I do NOT plan conversations."
"You absolutely do. I've seen your notebook. You have bullet points for social interactions."
"That's called preparation!"
"That's called being terrifying."
Hikari saw her opening. "Speaking of notebooks, Kaito—do you still have that book report you wrote for whoever sent you that love letter?"
The silence was deafening.
Then Yuki exploded. "OH MY GOD YES! THE BOOK REPORT! SHOW US! SHOW US THE BOOK REPORT!"
Kaito's expression didn't change. "It wasn't a book report."
"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SOMEONE WHO WROTE A BOOK REPORT WOULD SAY!"
Riko leaned forward. "Wait, wait—you actually wrote corrections?"
Kaito said nothing.
Hikari: "He's not denying it."
"He never denies things," Yuki gasped. "Silence is confirmation!"
Kaito's eye twitched again.
Yuki pointed. "HE'S DOING THE THING! THE PRE-DEATH STARE TWITCH!"
---
Kaito finally spoke.
His voice was calm. Too calm.
"Yuki. You once tried to confess to a boy by hiding in his locker."
Silence.
"He didn't find you until after school. You were in there for six hours."
Yuki's face went white. "That was—that's not—how do you even KNOW that?"
"Aiko told me. She thought it was hilarious."
Riko's jaw dropped. Then she laughed. Actually laughed.
Hikari: "Six hours?"
"She missed her own birthday party."
Yuki buried her face in her hands. "I hate you. I hate all of you."
Kaito turned to Riko. "And you. You once corrected a teacher's grammar in front of the entire class. In elementary school."
Riko froze. "That was—I was seven!"
"The teacher cried."
"She was WRONG!"
Hikari: "She cried?"
"It was one tear! ONE!"
Kaito wasn't finished. "And Hikari—"
Hikari tensed. "I didn't do anything."
"You once fell asleep in a moving vehicle and rolled out when the door opened."
Yuki's head snapped up. "WHAT?!"
Hikari's face went scarlet. "The door wasn't supposed to open! It was a malfunction!"
"You rolled down a hill. Still asleep."
Yuki was crying with laughter now. "A HILL! ASLEEP! HIKARI!"
Hikari grabbed her hoodie and pulled it over her face.
The war continued. No one surrendered. No one backed down.
(End of Chapter 93).