Everyone in the theater room watched the people Ayanokouji Kiyotaka mentioned walking towards a room that was in the corridor. They were all wondering what was going on, why did Ayanokouji call those people? What did he want to talk about? And more importantly, why did all the class leaders choose Ayanokouji?

Such questions popped up in their minds, but no matter how hard they thought, they didn't get the answers.

"Well, our class didn't get an invite, princess," said Hashimoto as several Class A students gathered around Sakayanagi.

"Fu fu, it seems so. Maybe it's because our class isn't that close to Ayanokouji-kun," Sakayanagi replied with her usual smile.

"Should we send someone to approach him?" asked Hashimoto. In his heart, he was much more willing to do so.

"That's an interesting idea. Masumi-san, will you do it?" Sakayanagi asked Kamuro who was sitting beside her.

"Hah? Why should I do that?" Kamuro said. Her expression looked very reluctant at Sakayanagi's request.

"Come on Kamuro, don't you have frequent contact with him?" said Hashimoto.

"I didn't do that on my own will!" growled Kamuro, her gaze fixed on Hashimoto. Hashimoto just whistled, not wanting to push Kamuro any further.

Indeed Kamuro had been in frequent contact with Ayanokouji but that was not her wish, but an order from Sakayanagi.

"Fu fu, I was just joking, you don't have to. Besides, I believe whatever relationship Ayanokouji-kun has with them, it comes naturally," said Sakayanagi amused.

Sakayanagi then looked back at the corridor behind the theatre, honestly she was curious about what Ayanokouji was doing and what he wanted to talk to them about. She also couldn't deny that there was jealousy inside her for not being invited.

But she put those feelings aside for now, she had to be patient, she couldn't be greedy. For now, she was satisfied with what she had got, she couldn't wait to see the life Ayanokouji had experienced while at this school.

While class A is having discussions, class D is also having their own discussion. Ryuuen was currently surrounded by his usual followers.

"Ryueen-san, are we not going to do anything?" Ishizaki asked a little anxiously.

"Haaah, what do you mean?" Ryueen said casually as he leaned back on the chair to make his body more comfortable.

"What's with that relaxed attitude of yours? Don't you mind what Ayanokouji did just now?" said Ibuki who was annoyed at Ryuuen's attitude.

"Ku ku, what's wrong Ibuki? Do you feel jealous that you weren't invited?" Ryuuen said amusedly looking at Ibuki.

"Hah!? No shit, that's not what I meant!! Shiina was just invited by Ayanokouji, she could be manipulated by him," Ibuki snapped.

Ryueen and the gang already knew how great Ayanokouji was at manipulating people, so it was only natural for Ibuki to feel anxious when one of the important people in her class got close to Ayanokouji. She didn't want Manabe's incident to happen again.

But contrary to Ibuki's expectations, Ryuuen just sighed.

"Why are you worrying about trivial things like that. Look, do you think Ayanokouji is a fool to decide to blatantly manipulate Hiyori in front of me?"

"That..." Ibuki hesitated in replying to Ryuuen's words because he was right, "But what if he really did?"

"Then let it be, it's no big deal after all," Ryuuen said completely unperturbed, "If you're really worried, just ask her when she comes back."

"That... I think you're right," Ibuki said relentlessly. She knew she couldn't win an argument against Ryuuen and what Ryuuen said was also true, she could ask Shiina later.

"If you understand then shut up, you're ruining the mood," Ryuuen said. Ibuki glared at him but didn't say anything, she then sat down and crossed her arms dissatisfied.

Meanwhile in Class B since their class leader is currently absent, they gather around Kanzaki. Create their own discussion.

"Hey, Kanzaki. Do you think Ichinose is okay?" Shibata asked who was sitting next to Kanzaki.

"I'm also worried about Honami-chan, because Ayanokouji-kun was so scary earlier," said Amikura worriedly. She remembered Ayanokouji's cold stare earlier.

"Yeah, I didn't expect Ayanokouji to have such a side," said Shibata in surprise.

Kanzaki folded his arms while listening to his friends discussing. He was also like them, he didn't expect Ayanokouji to have such a cold side. That adds one more mysterious thing about Ayanokouji. Looks like his decision to choose Ayanokouji was the right choice.

"I think Ichinose is fine," said Kanzaki, attracting the attention of his friends, "There are Hirata and Kushida, plus Chabashira-sensei. There's no way anything bad will happen, we'd better just wait for Ichinose to come back so we can ask her."

After hearing Kanzaki's words, they all pondered. They thought that Kanzaki's words made sense.

"Well, I think you're right. Let's wait for Honami-chan and ask her later," said Amikura, the others nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile in class C split into several groups as they discussed, because their class leader and the person who could unify the class at this time were not present, making them currently split into several groups.

But even though they were separated, what they discussed remained the same. It relates to a student named Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

Matsushita occasionally looked towards the corridor with a curious look, several questions now popping up in her head. The biggest question is who exactly is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?

Her suspicions of Ayanokouji had strengthened again after the recent events. Being singled out by all the class leaders and that cold stare gave Matsushita the chills. Seeing it all made Matsushita think that what Ayanokouji had said to her when they talked this afternoon was a lie.

Ayanokouji said that he was holding back and had used around 80% of his power and knowledge, but can those words be believed? And also Ayanokouji calls Karuizawa by first name, how far is their relationship?

Matsushita subconsciously held her head while thinking about those questions, she thought that she had excelled in her conversation with Ayanokouji but now she felt that she had been manipulated unconsciously when they spoke.

"Are you alright, Matsushita-san?" Shinohara asked, maybe she saw the wrinkles on Matsushita's face.

"Eh? Oh, I'm okay. I was just thinking about Satou-san, that's all," Matsushita replied with a smile, reassuring Shinohara that she was fine.

"I see, you thought about her too. I'm also worried about Satou-san, the stares that Ayanokouji-kun sent to us earlier scared me. I don't really know him but I didn't expect him to have that kind of side," said Shinohara, she turned to the corridor worriedly.

That too was something Matsushita thought, what was Ayanokouji doing now? Why did he bring Satou and the others? What does he want to talk about?

Matsushita shook her head to dispel the questions. There was no point in questioning that since she would ask Satou later, for now she had to at least lessen Shinohara's worries.

"I think it's fine, Shinohara-san. There were Hirata-kun and Kushida-san, plus Chabashira-sensei was also there. I'm not sure anything bad will happen," Matsushita said.

"I think you're right, Matsushita-san," said Shinohara with a sigh. She then leaned her body to make herself comfortable.

Matsushita did too, she was also pretty sure nothing bad had happened. Now all she needed to do was wait quietly until the event started.

That's what she expected.

But...

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!!"

BAM!

Everyone flinched from whatever they were doing in shock at Sudou's angry shout, almost all of them stood up and turned to the source of the voice that was in the C class meeting room.

"That's Ken's voice, what happened?" said a surprised Ike, he then walked towards the corridor while being followed by Miyamoto and the others.

Shinohara and Matsushita came out of their shocked state when they saw Ike and the others walking towards the corridor. They then looked at each other anxiously when they realized something.

"Satou-san!" they said in unison. Without thinking they rushed after Ike. On the other hand, class B students also headed for the corridor because they were worried about Ichinose's condition.

"Please stay in your seats."

Eve's voice echoed through the room making them stop.

"Hah? What do you mean? I just heard Ken's angry scream, and I know Ken being angry is not a good thing," said Ike in surprise. Miyamoto and the other boys nodded at Ike's words, because they were often the targets of Sudou's anger.

"My friend is also inside. She must be scared if she sees Sudou-kun angry," said Shinohara.

"Honami-chan too, we're afraid something bad will happen to her," said Amikura worriedly.

Hearing all their complaints, Eve just sighed. Then she spoke, "I can assure you that everything is fine, nothing bad happened."

"Hah? So what are they doing inside? Why was Sudou-kun just now so angry?" Shinohara asked in disbelief.

"It's just because of his emotional outburst, he's not mad at anyone at all. And what they're doing inside, they're just talking. That's all," Eve replied.

Everyone was confused by what Eve said, they didn't understand what made Sudou go berserk when all they did was talk.

Before they could ask further, the sound of the door opening caught their attention.

They turned to the source of the sound and saw that Chabashira had just left the room and was walking to their place.

"Chabashira-sensei!" they shouted at the same time. They then rushed to the teacher.

"Chabashira-sensei, what happened-"

"Sae-chan, what happened inside?" Hoshinomiya asked who immediately cut off Shinohara's words.

Chabashira just stared in bewilderment as the crowd approached her, "Looks like Ayanokouji was right about the commotion that Sudou made causing a stir outside," she thought.

Chabashira sighed. It was for this that Ayanokouji had asked her to come out sooner, to calm the commotion. If she didn't calm the current situation, some students might barge into the meeting room.

Chabashira stood at the end of the corridor near the stairs, intending to stop the students from barging into the meeting room. But then Hoshinomiya found something unusual about Chabashira as she approached.

"Sae-chan, you... are you crying?" Hoshinomiya shouted with wide eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Everyone widened their eyes in surprise at Hoshinomiya's words, especially for class C because Chabashira was their homeroom teacher.

Ike and the others examined their teacher's face more closely and they saw Chabashira's eyes were slightly red and still wet from crying.

"I-Impossible, that's true! Sae-chan-sensei, what happened?" shouted a flabbergasted Ike. He and the other C class students did not expect that their cold and cruel homeroom teacher could cry.

"Ah, I'm fine," said Chabashira while rubbing her still wet cheek, "More importantly, what are you doing here? The event is about to start, return to your seats."

"We came here because we heard Sudou-kun raging inside. What happened, sensei?" Matsushita asked.

"Sudou is just feeling irritated and he's calmed down for now, that's all. They just talk to each other inside, no violence happens. Now go back to your seats, you will only disturb them if you barge in."

"But..." Ike said uncertainly.

Chabashira sighed, "I can assure you they are fine, if you still don't believe me, just ask them when they come out."

Those were reassuring words from Chabashira, Ike and the others couldn't say anything more and in the end they gave up.

"Alright, sensei. We understand."

After that, Ike and the group returned to their respective seats. Their faces looked dissatisfied but even so there was nothing they could do now.

After the Class C students backed away, Chabashira then turned to the Class B students who were still standing nearby.

"You come back too," Chabashira said to the class B students. But it seemed they were still hesitating.

"Um... sensei, is Honami-chan really alright?" asked Shiranami shyly.

"Yeah, she's fine. You don't have to worry," Chabashira said.

Class B students breathed a sigh of relief hearing that, they were happy that their class leader was okay. From their reactions, it could be seen how important Ichinose Honami's existence was to them.

"Thank you, sensei. Everyone, let's go back," said Amikura representing class B.

After that they started to return to their seats, Chabashira watched them leave with a sigh. She then turned her head in a certain direction to take care of the final matter.

"Why are you still here, Chie?" Chabashira asked.

Unlike all the students who had left, Hoshinomiya was still standing where she was. From the look the class B teacher's homeroom teacher gave her, Chabashira could tell that the current Hoshinomiya wasn't in her cheerful personality.

"You're hiding something, aren't you?" Hoshinomiya asked with a smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes and looked flat.

"...What do you mean?" Chabashira asked back.

"You don't need to pretend, Sae-chan. I have known you for several years now, so I know that you are not a person who cries easily. The last time I saw you cry was during 'that' incident. So seeing you just cried, I'm sure that something is going on. Now tell me, what really happened?"

Chabashira looked at Hoshinomiya with a flat gaze, she knew that Hoshinomiya wouldn't just believe her story. The enmity that had existed between them over the years was already too deep.

Chabashira didn't answer anything, there was no way she could just say Ayanokouji's past. It was a story not just anyone should hear.

Chabashira walked forward and passed Hoshinomiya, "That has nothing to do with you," she said without turning to the homeroom teacher for Class B.

Hoshinomiya didn't say anything and remained standing where she was, moments later Chabashira heard Hoshinomiya say, "I see..."

Chabashira peeked behind her and saw Hoshinomiya walking after her with the smile she wore everyday, as if the cold personality she displayed earlier never existed.

Chabashira returned to her seat and then she sighed tiredly. What she had seen just a moment ago drained her stamina and emotions greatly, she didn't expect that Ayanokouji had gone through such a cruel time.

She felt lucky that Ayanokouji hadn't taken any action or at least hadn't done anything since she had used the boy for her own benefit. If Ayanokouji had wanted to, she would have been fired by now.

Chabashira got rid of those thoughts in her head, for now at least she could help ease Ayanokouji's burden in whatever trouble he had now.

"Mashima," said Chabashira who was sitting next to her, Mashima turned to Chabashira, "Pay close attention to this event, take this opportunity to get to know a student named Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."

Mashima could feel a strong conviction from Chabashira's words, then he replied, "It seems you have made up your mind. Okay, I understand. I will help as much as possible if Ayanokouji's words are proven."

Chabashira nodded in gratitude at Mashima's words. With that said, the deal was made, now all they did was wait for the truth to come out.

Everyone returned to waiting for their seats, even so they still couldn't shake off their curiosity about what really happened.

The first was Sudou's outburst of anger that made him make such a loud punching sound and the second was the rare phenomenon where the famously cold and calm Chabashira was crying.

But no matter how hard they thought, they couldn't find any answers.

Except for one person.

Sakayanagi Arisu watched Chabashira with an analytical gaze. Ever since Sudou's emotional outburst, she had been racking her brains to analyze what was going on in the room. But she didn't come to a definite conclusion.

Then it was only after seeing Chabashira come out of the room and see what had happened to her that she knew what was going on. The only answer she could deduce from Sudou's outburst of anger and Chabashira's cry.

"I see. So you told them about that place, Ayanokouji-kun..."

Sakayanagi closed her eyes and leaned her body back on the seat as she thought that.

Actually she is happy that Ayanokouji is willing to share his past with others but the question now is what is his goal?

Does Ayanokouji want to use them for his own benefit or does Ayanokouji want to move forward and want to connect with them sincerely?

Honestly she wished it was the last. It's possible that with Ayanokouji starting to open up to the people around him, she hopes that one day Ayanokouji can understand what human warmth is.

"Well, whatever the outcome, things will get interesting from now on."

Sakayanagi smiled at the thought. Big changes are bound to happen when the new school year begins, and she will enjoy them to the fullest.

= = =

It's now five minutes past eight, but Ayanokouji and the others still haven't come out. Five minutes past the scheduled eight o'clock event, the students were starting to lose their temper.

"Hey, Eve. It's already past eight, when will the show start?" shouted Ike on behalf of everyone.

"Fu fu, I'm glad you guys can't wait to watch. But let's wait for those inside to finish their business," said Eve.

Right after that, the door opened from the C class meeting room. Indicating that their meeting was over.

"What a great time," Eve said.

Everyone turned and saw Ayanokouji and his group had left the meeting room, they then walked to their respective seats.

"Alright, everyone. I went back to my class first," Ichinose said to Ayanokouji and the others.

"Me too," said Shiina following.

Ayanokouji and the others nodded at the two of them.

After that, Ichinose and Shiina returned to their respective seats. Arriving at the seat, Ichinose was immediately surrounded by her friends.

"Everyone, sorry I'm late," said Ichinose greeting her friends apologetically.

"Honami-chan you're back, are you okay?" asked a worried Amikura, followed by the others.

"Hmm? I'm fine, what's the matter?" Ichinose asked confused by the worries of her friends.

"We heard Sudou's scream earlier, we thought he was rampaging inside. So we were worried that you were in trouble," Shibata said.

"Raging..." Ichinose pondered on Shibata's words, before long she understood what he meant, "Ah, so that time. Indeed he had a tantrum at that time, but I'm fine. Ken-kun isn't angry with us."

"Ken-kun!!?" All of her friends shouted at the same time, they were all shocked by Ichinose's words.

"Honami-chan, since when did you become close with Sudou-kun? You even call him by his first name," Amikura asked flabbergasted. Not only her, the other class B students also wanted answers.

"Ah ha ha, it's a long story," said Ichinose while rubbing her head shyly.

After that Ichinose told what happened in the meeting room, she told how they talked to each other about their respective pasts, and one thing led to another which made them close and eventually formed a hangout group.

"That's exactly what happened," said Ichinose ending her story.

Ichinose's friends didn't speak, it seemed they needed some time to process what Ichinose just said.

"So, Honami-chan... you mean you and those in