The sky was completely blotted out by the incessant falling of the rain. It was so loud and heavy that even hearing the sound of one's footsteps was nearly impossible.
As I walked down the pavement towards the dorm with an umbrella in my hand, I noticed someone coming from the opposite direction. It was Ichinose. When I saw her walking down, I was a bit taken aback. There was something off about her.
Ichinose had been the leader of Class B when we started as first years. She was the ideal leader that everyone worshipped and she was fairly capable as well which had yielded her the results she wanted in the way she desired. But as time progressed, she was made to understand the hard way that the rules of survival in this school - in this world - were completely different from the model notion she had.
And although she did realize that, she held steadfast to her beliefs and value system. She didn't want to change and still advocated and strove for her ideals. It was foolish but it was entertaining to watch her fall from grace. Because of her stubbornness, she had fallen down and taken her whole class with her as a result. Now, the class that everyone was wary of at the beginning was at the very bottom of the list and even Class D that started at the bottom as defects had overtaken them.
I had believed that Ichinose as a leader and as a student had already finished and probably someone new like Kanzaki will take the reins of the class in his hands. I was starting to focus on Kanzaki and how to crush him. You could tell that Ichinose had lost her edge by her hunched-back posture and lack of vitality as compared to before.
But, now, the Ichinose who was walking towards me was different. She didn't look the beaten and thrashed Ichinose. There was some vigor in her eyes. She was walking with unfaltering steps. There was no hesitation in her gait that I used to sense before.
I continued to walk and soon stood face-to-face with her and that was when I realized what was giving me the creeps about Ichinose. It was her smile. She was smiling. Not the usual, cheerful kind of smile that she flashed at her friends. It was something else. It was a bit eerie and didn't fit the clean image that Ichinose had maintained. She also had her umbrella a bit lowered that prevented me from getting a glimpse of her eyes though I instinctively knew that it won't be anything pleasant.
"Did something good happen to you, Ichinose?" I asked her in a loud voice so that my words won't be lost in the rain.
"You can say that, Ryuen-kun." She replied.
"Ho? Can I ask what might be the cause of it?"
"Sorry I can't give you the answer right now."
"Right now?"
Her smile deepened a bit. "Yeah. You may get the answer soon enough."
Before I could ask anything more, she bowed, "Well then, see you around, Ryuen-kun." and walked past me.
Just as she walked past, something tickled my nose. It was a smell. It was faint but I didn't miss it. It was a smell I was familiar with. It was the smell of danger that I got from a certain someone.
Just then, from the corner of my eye, I could see the very person whose face had flashed in my brain walk toward the dorm. I watched him till his figure disappeared behind the entrance.
"Ayanokoji..."
My brain started connecting the dots. Although it was not as strong as what I smelled from Ayanokoji, there was no doubt that Ichinose had the same smell on her, as if Ayanokoji had rubbed off on her.
I looked back at Ichinose. She was walking down the road with almost giddy steps and with that eerie smile still plastered on her face.
The rain was getting heavier and the dark clouds were gathering still.
"What the hell is that bastard up to now?"
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