That afternoon, the Special Service Division room felt like a bunker in the middle of a demilitarized zone. There were only the three of us. The air inside felt colder, not because the air conditioning was working too hard, but because the plan being brewed over that old wooden table felt like preparing for a military coup.
The twilight sun seeped through the gaps in the curtains, creating long stripes that split the room into zones of light and darkness, exactly like the caste lines in our school.
"Negotiating with Shirayuki Madoka?" Kurokawa raised an eyebrow, setting her teacup down with a sharp, precise clink of porcelain.
Her cold eyes stared at me as if I had just suggested we try to tame a dragon with leftover biscuits.
"It's like trying to negotiate with an erupting volcano. It's completely illogical, a waste of energy, and most likely, we'll just end up as ash."
"I know," I replied while continuing to scribble in my notebook, drawing vicious circles that symbolized the social structure of Class 2-B.
"But if we let this cold war continue, Minami will remain a target of isolation. And honestly, I don't want my precious break time interrupted by Madoka's sharp glares that seem like they want to skin my back and hang it on the class bulletin board."
I glanced at Minami. She sat at the end of the table, her fingers twirling the edge of her skirt. The cheerful face that was usually her reliable mask had now faded, leaving the exhausted look of a soldier who had been on the front lines for too long.
"Izumi is right, Reina-chan," Minami chimed in with an anxious tone. "Madoka isn't actually mean. She's just... very protective of her group. To her, the group is everything. She feels I've betrayed the 'mood' she worked so hard to build. She feels like she's lost a part of herself."
Kurokawa let out a long sigh, a sigh containing a thousand years of boredom toward human drama.
"Fine. If the goal is stability, we need leverage. Madoka is the type of person who moves based on hierarchy. She won't listen to a social 'bacteria' like Nakamura-san, or an 'outsider' considered arrogant like me. She only hears one voice in this world. A voice that has the same frequency as her status."
"Akabane Kazuya," I muttered.
I hated saying that name. It felt like sugar that was too sweet on my tongue—sickening. Kazuya was the personification of everything I didn't have: popularity, looks, and the ability to be liked by everyone without trying.
"Exactly," Kurokawa said. "Akabane Kazuya is their center of gravity. He is the balancer. If Kazuya agrees to be the mediator, Madoka will have no choice but to sit at the negotiating table, for the sake of maintaining the perfect group image in Kazuya's eyes."
The next day, I had to do something absolutely disgusting to my pride: intercept the school prince.
I waited near the vending machine, a place neutral yet strategic enough. Before long, that glowing figure appeared. Akabane Kazuya had just finished being swarmed by girls, looking fresh, perfect, and not at all sweaty even though he had just finished PE.
"Akabane. Got a minute?" I asked in the flattest tone possible, trying not to sound like a beggar asking for a favor.
Kazuya turned. His face showed genuine surprise before shifting into that very annoying friendly smile. "Nakamura-kun? It's rare for you to talk to me voluntarily. What is it? Is there a problem?"
"Listen, this time I'm speaking as the Special Service Division. We need your help to handle Madoka," I said, getting straight to the point.
Kazuya's smile faded instantly, replaced by the lines of exhaustion he had been hiding behind his hero mask.
He put a coin into the machine, took a canned coffee, and let out a long sigh. "About the incident on the basketball court yesterday, right? Honestly, Madoka is very angry. She feels you destroyed everything. The balance at our table is shattered, Nakamura-kun."
"I didn't destroy anything. I just pointed out the cracks that were already there from the start," I replied cynically.
"Listen, Akabane. I know you want the class to stay peaceful. You're the 'Hero' whose job is to keep everyone smiling so you can sleep soundly at night, right? But your peace is fake. It's built on Minami's suffering from having to pretend to be someone else. If you want a peace that's a bit more real, help us talk to Madoka."
Kazuya stared at me for a long time. There was a flash of doubt and a bit of hidden admiration in his eyes.
"If I intervene directly, our group's atmosphere might waver. I could be seen as taking sides."
"Or you can let your group slowly crumble from within because of suppressed resentment," I played my last card, stabbing right at his weak point.
"Minami is part of your group too. Are you going to let her be thrown away just because she dared to be honest? If a hero can't protect his own friend, then he's just an actor."
Kazuya fell silent, then he nodded slowly, as if he had just accepted a heavy burden on his shoulders.
"Alright. After school, behind the pavilion. I'll bring her there. But I don't guarantee she'll be willing to talk calmly."
That afternoon, a blood-red sun shone on the back area of the school, creating long shadows that looked like giant fingers.
Kurokawa stood tall in the middle of the area, her chin tilted up with the elegance of a queen waiting for an envoy from a defeated enemy nation.
Beside her, Minami stood restlessly, wringing her hands repeatedly. I chose my favorite position: leaning against the wall of the old building, trying to blend into the shadows so as not to be too conspicuous.
Before long, Kazuya appeared. Beside him, Shirayuki Madoka walked with stomping steps. She looked very reluctant; her arms were folded tight and her face showed an expression of pure disgust upon seeing my and Kurokawa's presence.
"Why do I have to be here, Kazuya?" Madoka protested loudly, her voice shrill in the quiet afternoon air. "I have no business with these weirdos. Especially that dying sloth-eyed guy."
"Madoka, please. Just for a moment. For me," Kazuya said with a soft voice that somehow always had the magical power to calm Madoka's anger.
Kurokawa took one step forward. The atmosphere around them suddenly froze.
"Madoka-san. Let's talk objectively, without unnecessary shouting. You feel Minami-san betrayed you, but actually, you're just having an identity crisis. You're afraid of losing control over the people around you because you don't know who you are without them."
"What did you say, huh?!" Madoka exploded. She took a step forward, ready to argue, or perhaps get physical.
"Wait," I interrupted before Madoka started shouting louder. I stepped out of the shadows.
"Madoka, you want your group to stay intact, right? You want Kazuya, Minami, and the others to stay at the same table until graduation. But the method you use is forcing a 'mood.' You force them to be your shadows. If you keep this up, you'll be the one driving them all away one by one."
"What do you know about us?! You're just a loner who has no friends!" shouted Madoka, her eyes starting to well up with anger mixed with unsaid pain.
"I know what it feels like to be alone better than anyone here," I said in a cold, piercing voice.
"And that's why I know that you are actually the person who fears it the most. That's why you're so hard on Minami. Because if she can stand on her own, if she can be happy without asking for your permission, you're afraid that you aren't actually needed. You're afraid that without her, you're just a lonely girl shouting in the middle of a crowd."
The atmosphere suddenly went silent. Even the sound of the wind brushing the leaves seemed to stop. Madoka was stunned, her lips trembling but no words came out. Kazuya just looked down, staring at his own shoes.
It seemed my words had hit the nail right on the head.
"Madoka..." Minami stepped forward. She wasn't afraid anymore. She gently reached for Madoka's trembling hand.
"I don't want to leave. I don't want to look for new friends. I just want to be able to be myself when I'm with you. I want to be able to say I don't like something without fearing you'll hate me. Is that a wrong request?"
Madoka stared at Minami, then her eyes moved to Kazuya who gave a small encouraging nod. Finally, Madoka turned her gaze aside, snorting loudly to hide the embarrassment and the tears that were almost falling.
"Whatever! Do what you want! You all are truly annoying!"
Madoka snapped her hand away, but she didn't leave. She didn't run. "But don't expect me to be nice to you if you start saying weird things again, Minami! And you, Nakamura... keep that disgusting face of yours away from me!"
"With pleasure," I muttered.
"Yes! Thank you, Madoka!" Minami smiled widely, a truly real smile, and tried to hug Madoka. Madoka protested and tried to push her away, but she didn't actually dodge.
Kazuya turned to me. For the first time, I saw a smile that didn't look like a toothpaste commercial on his face. It was a tired but sincere smile.
"Thank you, Nakamura-kun. You have a... very unique and harsh way of solving problems. You act as the villain so others can be the protagonists."
"Don't thank me," I replied as I began to walk away, hands in my pockets. "I only did it so my life stays quiet and there's no more shouting in my class. This was purely selfish."
Behind me, Kurokawa followed with calm and rhythmic footsteps.
"A very harsh negotiation, Nakamura-san. Truly a surgical method without anesthesia. But, it seems you're becoming adept at using Kazuya's 'kindness' as a tool for your personal goals."
"Don't call it adept. Just call it efficient utilization of available resources," I replied without turning back.
Night began to fall over the school. The caste in Class 2-B didn't actually crumble today. Madoka will still be the queen, and Kazuya remains the prince.
But at least, the high walls they built are starting to have windows. And for someone like Minamikata Miwa, that window is more than enough to start breathing again.
I looked at the night sky where stars were beginning to appear. Tomorrow will still be exhausting, but at least I can enjoy my canned coffee in peace without having to see basketball drama again.