Wincing at the sun rays that mercilessly cooked your skin alive, you tugged the collar of your uniform and let out a long sigh. Today you definitely had to ditch the blazer due to the atrociously hot weather. You dragged your feet as you made your way to school. In a futile attempt to battle against the heat, you fanned yourself with your hand. Wasn't it supposed to be spring? What's up with the heat?

The weekends have passed by relatively smoothly and today was the morning before school. You had your speech to present today. You were pretty sure you had no experience in the past trying out for student council with how lost you were when you first sat down to write out your speech. It was safe to say that you were grateful when Kashi offered some of his help.

Now? Well, at least you had a speech done. What's next was being able to not only present it fairly well, but to do it alongside using the feature. The idea of it made your nerves shoot straight to the sky so you tried to not dwell on it too much.

You stopped walking when you spotted a familiar child and parental figure. Though it only had been around a week since you've last seen them, with how much that went on made it feel like months. An excited smile on your lips, you ran up to them.

"Tamashiro-san!" you exclaimed with a friendly wave. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Tamashiro had just gotten out of her house when you called out to her. "Who––oh, it's you. Has it been that long?" She was thoughtful for a moment before shrugging. "Well, whatever. I didn't get the chance to thank you for taking Shin to the daycare last week."

She seems much calmer now that she isn't late for work.

"It was no problem," you said as you looked over to Shin. "How are you doing?"

Shin's expression lit up at the sight of you, a wide smile gracing his lips. With an adorable giggle, he cheerfully greeted you and chirpily said that he was doing good. Tamashiro smiled fondly at her son before she looked back at you, studying your appearance.

"Wow, you look terrible."

"It's a hot day."

"Fair point."

Shin glanced at his mother and then back at you. He looked down at the toy fan he had in his hand and a small 'ah!' parted his lips. With a proud smile, he ran up to you and gently tugged your uniform. The child then gestured for you to bend down.

You did as Shin mentioned and he brought his toy fan to your face. You felt a very faint cool breeze blowing from it. Blinking in both confusion and surprise, you then realised that he was trying to cool you down.

"Is this better?" he asked, eyes twinkling expectantly.

You were too touched by his actions to realise that the fan did absolutely nothing against the heat. With a grateful smile, you thanked him and felt your heart tightened when his expression brightened joyfully at your words.

"Do you want to borrow it?"

You shook your head. "No, no. It's fine. It belongs to you."

"That's okay! You're my friend, after all!"

Disallowing any further protest, the child pushed the toy fan into your hands. His eyes were sparkling with an innocent eagerness to help. You didn't have the heart to reject him and you accepted the toy.

"Let's go to the daycare!" he exclaimed.

His mother raised an eyebrow at him. "Wait, hold on there. You're coming with your mum."

The child gave his mother a confused look before looking back at you with a small frown. "So...she's not taking me today?"

On a spiritual level you could feel Tamashiro's conscience crack in guilt at Shin's sad expression. The two of you exchanged knowing glances and nodded to each other.

The woman cleared her throat. "You know what? I'm suddenly running late for work today. Looks like (L/n)-san would have to take you to the daycare."

You tried to stifle your laughter at her tone, it was clear that it was sarcastic. However, Shin didn't pick up own the sarcasm. With a low effort shocked expression, you said, "oh no, what a shame. You should get going soon then."

Shin's expression brightened and he quietly cheered to himself. You chuckled at how adorable he looked and you threw Tamashiro a thumbs up.

You both exchanged goodbyes––not before the female warned you of the consequences if a spec of dust were to have the audacity to touch Shin––and the child excitedly led the way. Bouncy and energetic steps, a smile on his face, and a cheerful presence surrounding him; Shin felt like a completely different person in comparison to the last time you took him to the daycare.

"You seem excited, what's the occasion?" you asked.

"I want to show you the new friends I made!" Shin exclaimed happily. "Ah! Don't worry, I still like you the best!"

You laughed. "So, that makes us best friends then?"

"Bestfriends?" The child stopped walking and appeared thoughtful for a moment before he nodded eagerly. "Yes, you're my best friend! You won't change your mind, right?"

You bent down to his level and held out a pinky. "I won't change my mind, it's a promise."

The child locked pinkies with you and an adorable giggle escaped his lips. "I can't wait to tell everyone! Let's go!"

You laughed and continued walking with Shin. The two of you made small conversations here and there, mainly regarding his experiences in the daycare. When the two of you arrived at the building, Shin ran towards its entrance. It was only a week ago when he was so hesitant about going in. You felt proud at how much his confidence seemed to have grown since them.

Upon entering the building, you politely greeted the caretaker. Shin ran to his friends with a cheerful bubble of energy dancing around him and a joyful smile on his lips. It seems like he really took your advice to heart.

"Ah, wait. I'm still holding his fan..." You felt pretty awkward holding it in your hands.

Eh, it'll be fine. It's not like anyone else is here.

"(Y/n)?"

It was no longer fine.

You recognised the voice immediately so you weren't surprised to see Kashi when you turned around. With a small wave and smile, you greeted him good morning and the male did the same to you––only with much more enthusiasm.

"I haven't seen you visit here in awhile! It's great to see you here again," he said. "Oh, how did your speech go? Did you manage to finish it?"

"Yup, surprisingly. Thanks for the help, I had no idea what I was doing––"

You just able to finish your sentence when the kids in the daycare noticed Kashi's presence. They excitedly ran up to him and bombarded him with a barrage of song requests. You slowly stepped to the side and watched the chaotic but amusing sight. Shin, however, wasn't part of the crowd. Instead, he ran up to you.

"Oh, here's your fan," you said.

The child shook his head. "You can keep it! It's a present since you're my best friend."

Oh man, how could you deny a gift from him when he called you his best friend with the purest tone imaginable?

Kashi went to get his guitar and the children eagerly followed him do so, you also joined them to watch his performance. The kids welcomed you back enthusiastically, to which you felt touched at. As the idol began his performance, you attentively listened in. To no one's surprise, he was absolutely amazing. Even if you ended up hating the male again someday, you'd always be captivated by his mesmerising voice. However, after witnessing his past, you couldn't help but feel a little sad.

An acoustic guitar, a younger audience...Doesn't a performance like this remind him of his past?

The sound of children cheering and applauding filled the area when Kashi's song came to an end. You looked around and saw innocent smiles, looks of awes, and cheerful shows of compliments. Kids eagerly chanted for another performance and Kashi had to calm them down. As he was doing so, he was laughing and smiling just like the rest of them. The sight only prompted you to continue to dwell in your thoughts.

...Maybe, this was an expectation? Seems like even if you knew his past, there will always be aspects of the idol you'll never truly understand.

Your sights were focused on Kashi as you were spacing out and the male noticed your gaze on him. With a smile, he cheerfully displayed a peace sign at you before resuming his conversation with the kids. And after a few more songs, the two of you had to leave for school. You received a collective wave of goodbyes from everyone along with an especially energetic one coming from Shin.

"Thanks for sticking by. You didn't have to," Kashi said.

"Who would pass up an opportunity to listen to you sing?"

"Aw, you can't just compliment me like that! I wouldn't know how to respond."

"A thank you is a good start."

The male laughed. "Well, thank you."

He looked at the toy fan in your hand and you could basically predict the questions Kashi had regarding it. You coughed awkwardly and quickly, but carefully, placed it in your bag. To which the male chuckled softly in amusement at.

The two of you then engaged in idle chatter. The conversation mainly revolved around you explaining the process of how you befriended Shin and how you received the toy fan in the first place. Kashi listened with great interest and shared a few stories about his time at the daycare as well.

Up ahead, there was a group of girls whispering amongst themselves. From their expression, body language, and from the bits of their conversation you managed to hear snippets of when you walked past, it was evident that they were talking––pretty passionately may you add––about how attractive Kashi's looks were.

A subtle look of discomfort was on the idol's expression and you didn't miss the fact that he quickened his pace a little. You had an inkling of what may be wrong.

"Don't worry, they're not saying anything bad about you."

Kashi tensed. "You could tell?"

"If you're worried if you were obvious, you weren't. I'm just too good."

He chuckled. "I can't argue with that. Sorry if it bothered you. I just...I can't help but assume the worst sometimes."

Kashi's words sounded gentler than usual, your expression softened at that and you felt a little sorry for the male. After all, you were able to witness a fraction of his past that led him to feel such a way. However, like you noted before, it didn't mean that you fully understood him. You've never experienced what he had personally (at least, from what you remembered anyway). And not to mention that there were likely more things he endured that you weren't aware of.

"Well, when you're having those thoughts, tell me. I know it isn't much and won't immediately solve your dilemma, but maybe having a second opinion can provide some sort of reassurance."

The idol remained silent for a moment, his eyes were clouded in thought for a moment before he looked over to you. "It's weird, I find it hard to trust others. But, the idea of putting that trust on you doesn't seem all that scary." A quiet chuckle left his lips at that.

It was unavoidable that you felt your heart twist in sympathy. Kashi was simply a regular child in the past who got involved with the wrong people. You couldn't even begin to imagine what his experiences were like when he first joined the agency.

You nodded at him, but didn't reply and the two of you fell into a short silence before he spoke up. "Your speech is today, right?"

Was he trying to change the topic? "Yeah."

"Need any help?"

"Have any last minute advice for me?"

The male thought about it for a moment. "Well, I guess I'd emphasise on eye contact. Some students stare at the wall as a trick, but I don't think that's the best thing to do. Try and make an effort to look around at the students as you're speaking. You look more engaging that way."

You thanked the idol for his advice in which he responded with a cheery 'you're welcome!'. He was quick to revert back to his usual self, you weren't sure how to feel about that. For the rest of the walk, he continued to provide more advice in regards to public speaking, to which you were definitely grateful for. The conversation was able to calm your nerves a little.

Though you didn't want to admit it, you were a little scared of using the feature. After all, knowing that you had to prevent so many deaths and injuries all on your own wasn't the greatest feeling in the world. In a way, you wished you didn't have to face the reality of your situation.



===



"(L/n)-san, can you go to the storeroom and get the equipment?"

It was currently PE and your class was playing a sport that you familiarise yourself with just yesterday, basketball. As you complied with the teacher's request, you made a mental note to yourself to not to be in charge of any means of shooting during the game.

As you were pushing the trolley of equipment, another class entered the gymnasium. You heard that it was a fairly common occurrence as the space here was huge and could easily fit multiple classes. Curious, you looked to see what class it was and when you noticed a familiar male with purple hair, your eyes widened in surprise. It was Shichirou. Just when you thought that you had enough on your plate today.

Well, it's not like I'll run into him.

As you were just about to take your eyes off him, you accidentally made eye contact with him. Immediately, you broke it and continued to push the trolley. You did not want to deal with him today.

"Would you like a hand, (L/n)-san?"

...

Goddammit.

"Uh––no? What are you doing here anyway?"

The male laughed lightly at your response, a polite smile on his lips whilst carrying a cordial demeanour. It was scary how well he was able to put on an act, you were almost convinced yourself that he was genuinely happy to see you.

"Ah, sorry. I thought you had already heard. Our classes are combining today."

"We are? What for?"

"A friendly basketball match, your class will be up against mine."

So much for not running into him, huh. Your teacher noticed you conversing with Shichirou and she made the two of you the team captain of the team for your respective classes. You internally cried at that. What were even the rules of this sport?

[ Hey, hey! I've come to help! ]

Oh thank god, you've come at a good time for once.

[ Just so you know, I would normally take offense to that. But, since I like you so much, I'll let it slide~ Anyways, also since I'm so nice, I'll quickly run you through the basics of how to play the game ]

...There's no catch to this right?

[ Oh c'mon, what do you take me for? ]

[ Wait, don't answer that ]

You were given the brief details of the sport, not the whole lot of it, but you at least knew how the game worked. As you prepared yourself to play, you realised that Hayami and Kasumi were in Shichirou's class. Your attention paid no mind to Hayami, but you waved enthusiastically at Kasumi. The brunette rolled her eyes and scoffed at you before turning away.

Hayami was quickly decided as the game's referee and the match began. You had to give yourself some credit, you were doing a pretty good job at your own game of basketball, which was to avoid holding the ball at all costs. When the ball did go to your direction, saying that you panicked was an understatement.

Well, at least you were able to catch it. Okay, okay. I just need to dribble, right?

To your surprise, you managed to not lose your grip on the ball and you successfully arrived at the hoop. Your teammates encouraged you to take the shot, but you knew very well that taking the shot was the last thing you should be doing.

"(L/n)-san, over here!"

It was Kashi's voice. You immediately reacted and passed the ball to him. The idol swiftly got your team the point and a series of cheers and claps came from the students. With an excited grin, you high fived him.

"Thanks for the carry."

Kashi laughed. "It was a team effort."

The game continued and you progressively got more invested in it to the point where you actually began to actively call out for the ball. You just avoided shooting at all costs, but you noticed that your speed wasn't anything to sneeze at. It was nice to know more about your physical capabilities.

Interrupting the energy of the game, a whistle blew. All the students stopped to look over to Hayami.

"(L/n)-san, that's a foul."

You blinked in surprise, did you unintentionally do a foul? Even the student you were defending seemed to be confused.

Well, it's not like I know the rules of the game all that well. You shrugged and didn't argue against Hayami.

However, this continued on repeatedly during the match. At one point, students began to argue that the fouls Hayami issued to you were unfair. You reassured them that it was fine since you didn't want to cause trouble.

Well, it was fine until you had accumulated enough fouls to be disqualified from the game. So, here you were sitting on the bench while watching the other students play. Just when it was getting fun as well. A disappointed sigh escaped your lips.

"Oh what the heck. When I finally have the chance to come over here, you're not playing?"

You turned around. "Kai?"

The male took a seat beside you. "Yeah, who else?"

"Just surprised to see you so soon. You have class here as well?"

"No duh, why else would I be here? We're taking a break right now so I thought I'd go see you." He grinned proudly. "Be grateful, I don't just do this to anyone."

"Wow. Amazing. It's such an honor."

"Oi, I know you're being sarcastic!"

You shrugged innocently, which only annoyed the male further. "Well, you won't be seeing me play for a while."

"What? Why?"

"...I got disqualified due to too many fouls."

There was a short moment of silence before Kai suddenly bursted out laughing. "Hah! I knew you sucked at basketball."

"What is this injustice, you didn't even see me play."

"My intuition is never wrong, don't even try me," he said confidently. "Hey, you know what? Come stop by the basketball club."

"So you can flex on me?"

"Well, if you put it that way––wait, hold on. That's not the point. I'm trying to be nice here!"

"...How?"

The male pointed to himself. "I'll help you with your awful skills! Even if you don't even know how to hold a ball, after one lesson from me you'll be a skilled player in no time. Never as skilled as me, of course. That's asking for the impossible. You'll have better chances flying to the moon."

You didn't know whether to feel thankful or insulted, so you gave him a thumbs up in response. It wasn't long after until the two of you were interrupted when someone from Kai's class called out to him.

Kai shot them an annoyed glance. "Tch, I'm earning all the points for them. Can't they play themselves?" He sighed exasperatedly before standing up. "You better remember to come by, you'll be stupid not to––what am I saying? Of course you'll stop by! Who wouldn't want to hang out with me?"

Before you could say anything else, Kai went to join his class. You laughed quietly under your breath at the male's behaviour, he really did resemble his sister in a way.

[ Character found: Kasumi Kai ]

The younger brother of Kasumi Himari, a second year and a prodigy in the athletic field. He had gone overseas for business regarding his future career as an athlete and has recently returned back to Japan.

He's popular in the school for his outstanding performance in basketball and swimming, earning the school a name in those respective fields ever since he was a first year. Eventually, that caught the eye of many scouts and sponsors. Not only that, but his physical appearance has attracted some modelling agencies.

Though some students are put off by his personality, they can't help but acknowledge and respect his abilities. Out of him and his sister, basically everyone calls him the better sibling.

You had received his information shortly after your conversation with him last week when you first encountered him. Your thoughts? Well, it was nice to know that his goal when he was younger to be an athlete was fulfilled. Though, there wasn't anything you could see that could be any use for you.

"(L/n)-san, are you close with Kasumi-kun?"

A few girls approached you and you quickly realised that the basketball match was taking a quick break. The students in front of you seemed to be very interested in your relationship with the male.

"I only met him last week, but I guess we're friends? He gave me his number, after all."

The girls exchanged surprised looks amongst each other, which only made you confused. Were you missing something?

"That's amazing, (L/n)-san," one of them said. "I don't think anyone has ever befriended him. How did you do it?"

"Yeah, he's pretty hard to approach. You don't see him getting friendly with the other students. He really only interacts with his club members"

"Because of his personality, the coach really hates him. But, he can't kick Kasumi-kun off the team because he's too good."

"The team members respect him though, I heard that he's very good at training the first years."

"Ah~ Watching him play really is a treat. Though he doesn't have the best personality, he for sure has the looks."

"Right? He definitely has the body of an athlete!"

The girls seemed to have forgotten that they were originally sharing a conversation with you as they all went on a tangent about Kai's appearance. You sat there silently as you awkwardly listened in, unable to join in the discussion. You even contemplated walking away, but you had no idea where you'd go.

Luckily for you, the break was over and they had to return to the court. You've never heard such a passionate discussion about someone's looks other than Kashi. Actually, now that you thought about it, do some people talk like this about Shichirou? You mentally gagged at the thought, best if you didn't know.

Since you were bored out of your mind, your sights wandered around the gym. And, conveniently enough, the court that Kai's class was playing on was close by. All you really had to do was face the other direction and you had front row seats to the game he was playing.

As soon as your eyes laid sights on Kai, the guy shot a goal effortlessly from halfway through the court. Meanwhile, you were here completely sure that if someone were to lay the hoop right in front of you and all you needed to do was literally drop it in, the ball would somehow bounce off the rim and right in your face.

You had to admit, it was so much more fun watching him play than your classmates. Mainly because he was so skilled and there was something satisfying about seeing the other team try and match up to Kai's skills only for him to score a point without a sweat. Students would clap and cheer, team members would compliment him, and the opposing side would marvel at his capabilities. However, the male wouldn't bat an eye no matter how well his play was.

As you continued to watch him, a thought crossed your mind. After this class ends, I'll have to give my speech. Taking in a deep breath, you tried to calm down. Thinking about the possible outcomes only made inauspicious scenarios enter your mind. You really hoped that everything goes well.

===

You've gotten changed out of your gym uniform, zoned out when you were walking, attempted to convince yourself a million times that you'd be fine before you finally entered the hall. And, seeing the crowds of students that filled up the space made you realise just how many eyes were going to be on you. The hall was bustling with numerous conversations amongst the students. The entire school was here, after all. Thinking about that did not help calm your nerves.

You and the other candidates were sitting on the seats in the front row. The order of which you guys were seated in determined the order of who would present their speech. Well, guess who was first?

You.

There was still some time for you to prepare yourself as the other students needed some time to settle into the hall. You didn't even want to go through your speech and get in some last minute practice, you were pretty sure that it would only make you more apprehensive.

Okay, breathe. You're literally in a game where you're supposed to prevent literal deaths. Why are you so nervous about a speech? Wait, no. This speech is supposed to be a crucial moment since I need to see who'll be involved as a victim this chapter. Fuck. Now I'm more nervous.

You felt your phone in your pocket vibrate and you snapped out of your restless thoughts. A distraction, that was exactly what you needed right now.

Utari Kashi: hey! Good luck on ur speech, I know you'll do super well :D

(L/n) (Y/n): Thank you! Where are you right now? I need emotional support

Utari Kashi: Look to your left!

You looked up and searched for Kashi in the crowd of students. It didn't take too long to spot him, his braided blue hair really stood out. The male made eye contact with you and he waved enthusiastically with a bright smile.

Utari Kashi: Are you up first?

(L/n) (Y/n): Oh god don't remind me.

Utari Kashi: Haha, I'm assuming that's a yes?

Utari Kashi: That's okay! Better to get it done and over wth, right?

(L/n) (Y/n): If you put it that way, you have a point

As you were texting Kashi, the conversations amongst the students seemed to gradually die down in volume. Your heart rate picked up, the speeches were probably starting soon.

(L/n) (Y/n): Time to head into battle

Utari Kashi: You've got this! (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

Utari Kashi: ∠(｀･ω･') sending you off!

With a quiet chuckle, you turned off your phone. You felt a little more relaxed now thanks to that. As you waited for the principal to make an appearance and introduce the assembly, someone took a seat next to you. You looked over to say hi, however, you paused when you realised that it was Hayami.

Right, Shichirou mentioned that she was trying out.

It was awkward to look over to her and then to look away without a word. So, you tried striking up a conversation.

"Nervous?" you asked.

"Not particularly."

She showed no desire to continue the conversation so you slowly backed yourself away from trying to further engage with her. Man, you already had a bad impression of the female upon your first meeting with her. Her actions now weren't really helping.

You sighed and leaned back in your seat as your eyes began to wander around the crowd of students across you on your left. It was then you spotted Kai. It didn't take long for him to notice that you were looking at him.

Kasumi Kai: The hell? You're trying out?

Oh, he texted me.

(L/n) (Y/n): Yuh

Kasumi Kai: What kind of half-assed responsr is that?

Kasumi Kai: Response*

(L/n) (Y/n): I don't know what else to say tho

Kasumi Kai: Aren't you new to the school or something? You've got guts, huh?

(L/n) (Y/n): Not sure about guts, I'm hella nervous right now

Kasumi Kai: Hmp! That's your fault then.

(L/n) (Y/n): Damn, this friendship feels toxic

Kasumi Kai: Oi, oi. I'm a great friend!

Kasumi Kai: Good luck! There, happy? If someone as awesome as me said it to you there's no way you'll do bad!

Kasumi Kai: Consider yourself the captain already!

"Who are you talking to?"

You tore your gaze away from your phone and was surprised when Hayami asked you a question. You thought the female's probability of starting a conversation on her own with you was basically impossible given her stoic personality.

"Oh, I'm––"

Kasumi Kai: Hey, don't leave me on read.

You quickly typed down a reply and turned off your phone.

(L/n) (Y/n): Whoops, sorry. I need to go. Thanks for the good luck!

"Just a friend," you answered. The female seemed clearly dissatisfied with your response, so you awkwardly added in, "Uh, it was Kai."

At your words, Hayami narrowed her eyes. "You're on a first name basis with Kasumi-kun?"

You blinked in surprise, that was an interesting reaction. "I mean, yeah. We're friends."

"You can't just freely call him like that. You barely know him."

Oh? Why do I get the feeling that she's annoyed?

"He's cool with it though. Plus, who are you to tell me?" you asked, purposefully making your tone have a touch of arrogance to provoke a reaction out of the female. Maybe you sounded a bit too mean, but you wanted to see what kind of response she'd give.

Hayami crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. It looked like she was trying to subdue her anger by pretending to be unaffected by your words. You've encountered two good actors already; Kashi and Shichirou. So, seeing through her act was child's play to you.

"He only focuses on sports, don't think that you've suddenly occupied all his attention."

"I don't think that, but okay."

"You––"

Ending your conversation with the oranged haired student, the hall went completely quiet and the sound of a microphone starting rang throughout the space. Just to get on her nerves one last time, you shushed her and told her to pay attention to the front. The look on Hayami's face when she was trying to hold back her look of exasperation was hilarious to you.

You felt your phone vibrate and you quickly glanced at the screen. Ah, it's the character information feature. I'll check it out later. You waited patiently as the principal introduced the assembly, he went over the basics of what the speeches would be entailing and explained how the selection process worked.

"Now without any further delay, please give a round of applause for our first speaker, (L/n) (Y/n)."

A round of applause followed suit and you felt many eyes pinned onto you when you stood up and walked towards the stage. There was a podium and a mic in front of you. The principal whispered to you to start whenever you were ready. For some reason, that made you feel pressured to start as soon as possible.

You looked at the audience and felt your heart tighten in apprehension. The hall was dead silent and everyone's attention was fixated on you. With how much focus was on you, you felt like people would notice if you briefly moved a pinkie.

Clearing your throat, you took in a slow and deep breath before gently exhaling out. Away from the mic, of course. You opened the window of abilities from under the podium and swiftly accessed the analysis feature. Immediately, you felt its effects and your vision blurred and darkened for a split second before it returned to normal.

You glanced to the crowd, ready to utilise this feature as efficiently as possible. Your sights quickly glossed over the audience and you made sure to cover the entire room, and what you saw made your eyes widened in intrigue.

Well, then. There certainly was a fairly odd pattern amongst the crowd.