Dusk settled over the campus, the lingering purple-red of the sky staining the clouds. On the tree-lined path leading to the dorms, cherry blossoms bloomed, their pink and white petals fluttering down like a soft, flowing carpet across the sidewalk.
At the far end of the path, Sakamoto appeared. He did not walk along the main path, but instead balanced effortlessly on the narrow curb. In his left hand, he held three items—a plain white bar of soap, a basic plastic toothbrush, and a bottle of unscented shampoo—as though they were priceless treasures. In his right hand, he gently tapped a can of white-packaged juice with his fingertips.
Each step onto the curb was a demonstration of flawless control. His body remained steady, center of gravity precise as a gyroscope. Toes touched lightly, heels lifted fluidly, gliding like ice beneath him. His shoulders and back stayed perfectly straight, the hem of his wine-red school uniform fluttering in harmony with the falling cherry blossoms. Every movement seemed a choreographed performance, as if he were walking on a balance beam in front of an enormous, unseen audience.
Scattered students on their way home paused, astonished by the spectacle. Several girls covered their mouths and whispered,
"Wow… so handsome…"
"Like a gymnast!"
"How does he do it?"
Astonished gazes followed him, the serene figure framed by twilight and the falling petals, creating a striking picture. Yet Sakamoto appeared entirely unaware, his gaze fixed calmly on the distance ahead.
Midway down the road, a long bench rested quietly beneath a cherry tree. Sitting upright upon it was a silver-haired girl, slender and poised, a dark wooden cane leaning casually against her chair, its tip glowing warmly in the evening light. Sakayanagi Arisu rested her chin lightly on one hand, the other hand tapping rhythmically against the cane's smooth tip. Her gaze was calm as water, the faint curve of her lips suggesting a playful strategy—a chess player quietly waiting for her opponent to step into the trap.
Sakamoto approached the bench, remaining perfectly balanced on the curb. Cherry petals brushed past his serene profile as he addressed her.
"Good evening."
Sakayanagi's voice was soft and pleasant, breaking the silence first.
"Sakayanagi Arisu," she said, nodding slightly as her silver hair caught the twilight. "Our first formal conversation, Sakamoto-kun."
He paused on the higher ground, bowing with fluid elegance. "I am Sakamoto. A pleasure to meet you, Sakayanagi-san," he said, his voice clear and composed.
"What a delightful way to return home," she replied, her fingertips still lightly tapping the cane. Her gaze swept over the "artwork" he held and the can of juice, a smile deepening.
"The… 'magic' in the convenience store was equally splendid," she continued, tilting her head slightly to meet his eyes through his glasses. "What a truly brilliant guiding technique. Leaving aside the little interlude at the convenience store… regarding the S system, regarding the points… the puzzle Sakamoto-kun left in class is truly thought-provoking."
She chuckled softly, leaning back. "The students in Class A were practically itching with anticipation after your phrase, 'use it where it truly matters,' and the paper plane flying toward the upperclassmen. Someone couldn't resist and went to inquire among them. The result? Something interesting—'class points.'"
She paused, observing him. Sakamoto remained perfectly still on the curb, a living sculpture, only the evening breeze stirring his hair.
"Every class in the upper years has these 'class points,' as a symbol of collective honor, or perhaps a basis for resource allocation. Unfortunately, the first-year classes don't. The upperclassmen are tight-lipped, and no substantial information could be extracted. But one student remembered your words—'points can buy anything.'"
A cunning curve appeared on her lips. "So, someone decided to use points to buy information. Unexpectedly, another student was willing to sell—a second-year. The asking price… ridiculously high. But not long after, that seller proactively lowered the price. Ultimately, Class A successfully obtained core information about the 'class points' mechanism—including its correlation with individual point distribution, how it influences a class's rise or fall, and even its survival."
Sakayanagi-san's gaze sharpened.
"Sakamoto-kun, you didn't directly tell us the answer, but rather guided us to explore, to trade, to verify it ourselves. This 'guiding technique' is truly astonishingly clever."
She leaned forward slightly, her voice lowering.
"Sakamoto-kun… do you intend to become the leader of Class A? In this… elegant and mysterious way?"
The evening breeze stirred, cherry petals fluttering around them. Sakamoto remained silent. He neither answered nor looked at Sakayanagi-san, his gaze fixed instead on the outline of the dormitory building in the distant twilight. Then, in a movement that was both unexpected and graceful, he shifted.
His toes lightly tapped the curb, and with the ease of a feather, his body spun upward. A fluid side spin—like a gymnast executing a difficult balance beam turn—landed perfectly on the open ground in front of the bench. The items in his hands remained perfectly still, as if unaffected by his motion, his posture as composed as if he had merely stepped over a small puddle.
Now at eye level with Sakayanagi-san, his gaze lowered slightly.
"Guidance?" His voice remained steady, carrying an indescribable depth. "What I have done is merely to follow the situation, to throw out a brick to attract jade. The truth is like these cherry blossoms."
He raised his right hand, the white juice can catching the twilight. He did not drink. With his left hand, slender fingers plucked a falling cherry blossom petal from the air and gently placed it atop the juice can. The petal trembled slightly, a delicate marker of fleeting motion.
"Only by personally touching and feeling its trajectory can one comprehend the profound meaning of its fading and blooming. As for leadership…" He paused, gaze calm and unshakable. "I have no intention of leading anyone."
Sakayanagi-san's gaze flickered, though her expression betrayed no surprise. She leaned back slightly against the bench, fingertips tracing the tip of her cane.
"Speaking of which, there's another interesting matter," she said, her voice carrying a subtle probing quality. "Regarding your 'lateness' today… I spent some points to gather information from the upperclassmen."
Sakamoto's gaze remained calm, but a single eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.
"A second-year student reported seeing you in the upperclassmen area this morning… lingering and observing?"
Sakayanagi tilted her head, silver hair falling over her shoulder. Her smile was sweet, but her eyes were like tempered blades.
"Sakamoto-kun, you were one step ahead of all of us. Your lateness wasn't an oversight, but… a carefully planned observation?"
Her gaze sharpened further.
"However, everyone has two sides, Sakamoto-kun. What core is hidden beneath your elegant and composed exterior?" She looked directly into his eyes, not concealing her scrutiny. "Are you an observer who sees through everything? Or… a chess player intending to control the game? I am very much looking forward to… seeing your true face."
It was a declaration of war. Sakayanagi Arisu, a potential chess player of Class A, had already labeled Sakamoto an opponent she would face.
Yet his reaction was utterly unexpected. He said nothing, looked nowhere, and with a light tap of his toes, spun back to the edge of the curb as fluidly as a feather. Upon landing, the "artwork" in his left hand and the juice can remained perfectly still.
He took a step and walked past the bench, smooth and steady. The evening breeze ruffled his clothes, scattering cherry petals onto his shoulders.
As he passed, that calm, clear voice, like a gentle whisper through the twilight, reached Sakayanagi-san:
"Beneath the surface, there is also the surface."
By the time his words faded, Sakamoto had merged into the twilight and cherry blossom rain. Only a tall, mysterious silhouette remained for a moment, the faint, clean scent of soap in the air—and the cherry petal he had placed on the juice can, finally drifting to the ground before her.
Sakayanagi Arisu sat upright, fingertips resting lightly on her cane, motionless for a long moment. Her gaze, as deep as an abyss, tracked the figure that had vanished into the twilight. The playful curve on her lips remained, but there was now a hint of seriousness, a stronger drive for inquiry.
"Beneath the surface, there is also the surface…" she murmured softly. "I really was… underestimated."
The evening breeze blew, and cherry blossoms fell like rain. This first encounter on the cherry blossom path—silent, subtle, and unnoticed by others—had already drawn an invisible line.