Student Council RoomThe Ludo duel raged on.
"I roll the dice—three! Come forth, my Tamashii! Red Airway, I activate its effect!" Ishigami Yu announced with theatrical flair. "When a plane passes through the Red Airway, one piece on the path gets sent to the opponent's graveyard! Once per turn only!"
"Ah! My plane!"Shirogane Miyuki clenched his fists as his final piece, so close to victory, was bumped back.Damn that Red Airway!
He rolled again.A six.He launched a new plane.But it was too late.
"Heh. My turn now," Sakurai Saki said, a cold smirk on her face. "This time, I'm taking the win."
She picked up the dice—Three seconds until the roll.
"Ehh~!"
Fujiwara Chika suddenly lost her balance——stumbling into Sakurai's lap.
"Oh no! What a lucky accident! Hug her! It's Chika-chan! Soft~ Kiss kiss~"What the hell are you thinking?!I want to win!
Sakurai growled, brushing the thoughts away and tossed the dice.
They danced across the table—Clack. Clack. Clack."Four! I win!"
Sakurai arrogantly slid her final piece into the goal.Victory.
Shirogane's jaw tightened.Damn it!So close!It could've been a great bonding moment for Kei Shirogane and the others—and he blew it!
Ishigami Yu stared up at the ceiling, teardrops sliding down his face.Lost.Utterly lost.
So this…Is this what true defeat feels like?He'd lost plenty before—but this time, he really wanted to win.
Coach…Teach me Ludo.
Meanwhile, Fujiwara Chika still lay contentedly on Sakurai's lap, showing no sign of getting up.Sakurai-kun's lap is surprisingly comfortable… Mission complete!
Nearby, Kaguya Shinomiya stood silently, wine-red eyes blank.
"Eh? Kaguya-san~" Chika called from her rather compromising position.
Sakurai glanced down, voice cool. "Fujiwara-kun, you 'accidentally' fell over to stop my roll, didn't you?"
She'd been on his lap for a full minute now.
"She planned this for a lap pillow!" Ishigami muttered."A girl in love… truly something."
"Eh? N-Not at all!" Chika's eyes darted wildly. "That was purely accidental!"
"Even pretending Chika-chan is cute~"You say 'cute' too much. It's not even cute anymore.
Ishigami cut in, "Fujiwara-senpai, interfering to win—how despicable."
"Yes, Fujiwara Secretary, you must follow the rules next time," Shirogane added, sounding like a teacher scolding a child.
Thank goodness no one saw my little trick, Ishigami thought.A subtle flick to control the roll isn't cheating… right?
Shirogane pondered the same thing.That slight angle shift? Definitely not cheating.
As for Sakurai—Psychic powers aren't cheating. Obviously.
"Oh, by the way!" Chika chirped, digging into her bag. "Here—movie tickets!"She handed them to Sakurai with a wink. "Go watch it with your friends this weekend~"
"Mm."Sakurai handed them over to Shirogane."Take Kei. I'm not into anything that's showing lately."
It wasn't exactly a lie.But not the whole truth, either.
He just didn't want to go alone.Sitting in a theater full of couples…In a dark corner…Watching a tragic love story…Surrounded by public displays of affection…
It's too cruel.
"Consider it a gift for Kei," Sakurai said flatly, ending the conversation before Shirogane could protest.
"Thank you." Shirogane accepted the tickets.
"Kei Shirogane? Is that the President's little sister?" Fujiwara's ears perked up.
"Kaguya-san~ Come sit, don't just stand there."Chika shuffled over, leaning into Sakurai.
He was pushed to the edge of the couch.Kaguya sat down without a word.
Luckily, the sofa was large enough.Any smaller, and Sakurai might have walked out.
Fujiwara-kun… you're too close.
"Waaah! Chika-chan! Get away from him!" someone wailed."Your chest—it's touching his arm! I can't watch!"
Are you some kind of obsessive fan?It's just an arm. And some soft mass.Calm down.
"Ah, yeah, Kei's my sister," Shirogane sighed. "But she's in her rebellious phase now. Girls are hard to understand… she barely talks to me."
Brother complex much?
Sakurai added, "She just doesn't want to appear too close to you. But she still cares—trust me."
"That's tsundere behavior!" Chika chimed in. "Super popular archetype!"
"Heh," Ishigami scoffed.Fujiwara-senpai… tsundere is so out of meta.
"Tsundere?" Shirogane blinked. "What's that?"
Chika straightened, suddenly full of energy."It's when girls say one thing but mean another! Like, 'I love him so much, but when we get close I instinctively punch him—what do I do?!' That kind of thing!"
She turned dramatically——and pointed straight at Kaguya.
"Kaguya-san is totally a tsundere!"
"No, no, this is just a pure ice queen."Ishigami waved a hand, eyes half-lidded."Even if she was a tsundere, her 'tsun' is way over-leveled!"
"Pfft—Kaguya-chan's expression right now is priceless!" Chika giggled. "That murderous look—too intense! Hahaha!"
Please don't laugh inside my head. Thanks.Shirogane instinctively leaned away from Kaguya, whose wine-red eyes had gone several shades colder.
"This—this is exactly what amateurs do!!"Ishigami Yu suddenly raised his voice, arms flailing in frustration."Fujiwara-senpai, don't just quote some half-baked definition from Wikipedia! Do you really understand what a tsundere is?"
He pointed a trembling finger at her."The contrast is what makes them shine! The 'tsun' isn't the point! The important part is the dere! The softness underneath! The warmth breaking through!"
His face twisted with righteous mockery."Normies are truly hopeless…"
Kaguya's icy glare slowly drifted from Fujiwara to Ishigami.A long, deadpan stare.Target acquired.
"…"
Ishigami froze.That silence was louder than thunder."…Sorry. I was too arrogant."
He stood up in a hurry, trying to maintain some dignity."I'll be training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Don't wait for me."
He grabbed his bag and casually slung it over one shoulder."Ah, beautiful weather today. Warm breeze. Blue skies."
Packing faster now."S-Senpai, everyone—I just remembered I have urgent business. Yep. So I'll be leaving first."
Five minutes later, Ishigami had vanished from the battlefield.Fallen in action. Or fled, depending on your perspective.
Sakurai Saki silently took the now-vacant seat beside President Shirogane."Gulp."Shirogane instinctively braced himself.
Sakurai's face remained emotionless.Stoic. Cold.
The mood shifted.The pressure in the room spiked.
Now it was two versus two.And Ice Queen Kaguya...had officially joined the battle.
An unprecedented crisis had arrived.And nobody was safe.