Chapter 13: Fragile Allies
The cold lingered long after the assembly ended. Even as students filed out in thick jackets and scarves, their breaths fogging the air in bursts of white, something heavier than snow clung to the school.
The kind of silence that settled not out of peace, but out of fatigue—emotional, mental, political.
Shirasagi High had seen more upheaval in a semester than most schools saw in years. And at the center of it all was Rei Kisaragi.
She stood on the edge of the courtyard, her coat unzipped despite the cold, watching students scatter toward the gates.
The snowfall had slowed to a gentle whisper, and flakes caught in her dark hair like stars caught in ink. Ichika approached, the ends of his scarf trailing behind him like ribbons.
"You didn't flinch," he said, hands buried in his pockets.
Rei didn't look at him. "I couldn't afford to."
There was a pause. Then:
"Still. It meant something."
She tilted her head, just slightly, the only acknowledgment she would allow. The truth was, Ichika's quiet loyalty had become more grounding than she cared to admit.
Ever since the failed rebellion and the forced resignation of Mr. Nakagawa, even their enemies had grown cautious. But Rei knew better than to believe in long-term peace. Those who plotted didn't vanish—they simply adapted.
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...
Winter break arrived like a sigh. The dorms emptied. Classrooms went dark. Rei didn't leave.
While most students returned to family homes, she stayed behind under the guise of "academic preparation." In reality, she didn't have anywhere else to go.
The dorms, at least, were predictable. Cold, but stable. She used the quiet to reorganize council documents, pour over expense reports, and cross-reference meeting minutes.
One night, while reviewing a list of discretionary club funds, she found something odd.
The Art Club had requested a grant to repaint their studio walls—reasonable. The approval was signed not by Arisa, nor by Rei herself, but by someone else: Yuki Mizuno, head of the finance committee. And yet, Yuki hadn't attended a single council meeting since the election.
Rei narrowed her eyes. The dates didn't match. The studio hadn't been repainted at all. She stood slowly, pulled on her coat, and left her room.
The school was silent under snow. Her boots crunched against the frozen path as she made her way toward the old arts building. The hallway lights flickered uncertainly. Most rooms were locked.
Except one.
Inside, she found not cans of paint or tarps, but equipment—audio mixers, speakers, surveillance drones. Nothing an art club would use. Nothing any student should have access to without authorization.
Rei stepped forward and knelt to inspect one of the boxes. It was labeled with a different name: GigaTone Industries.
Corporate.
A chill passed through her—not from the cold. Someone was using school funds to move equipment through student channels.
Rei didn't sleep that night. She compiled documents, took photographs, encrypted her notes, and brought them straight to Arisa the next morning.
The council president read every word, every line. When she looked up, her expression was pale.
"This is industrial-level surveillance. If this gets out…"
"It won't," Rei said. "Because we're going to stop it."
But Arisa wasn't so sure.
"You don't understand," she whispered. "This isn't just a student ring. This goes higher. Way higher. If a company is using our school as a testing ground…"
She didn't finish. Ichika arrived a few minutes later. When he saw the photos, he didn't speak—just clenched his fists.
"This isn't just corruption," he finally said. "It's invasion."
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...
They called an emergency meeting of the full council. For the first time in months, every member showed up.
Some wore indifference like armor. Others, open suspicion. Yuto, the head of discipline, kept his arms crossed the entire time, never looking directly at Rei. But when the evidence was presented, silence fell again.
Yuki Mizuno was not present.
"Where is she?" someone asked.
No one answered.
The next hour became a storm of questions, accusations, and logistical panic. Who approved the purchase orders? Who had contact with GigaTone? Why hadn't anyone noticed the shipment logs being altered?
Rei remained quiet until the end. Then she said:
"We can't go public. Not yet. Not until we know who else is involved."
"And how do you plan to do that?" Yuto asked. "Play spy? Hack into their files?"
Rei's eyes were cold. "Yes."
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...
For the next week, the council operated in secret. Ichika and Arisa worked with Rei to trace funding sources.
Two more clubs were identified as fronts: the Audio Engineering Circle and a little-known Tech Enthusiasts Group. Rei personally met with one of the club leaders—Takeshi, a quiet boy with too much fear in his eyes.
"They said if we didn't help, our scholarships would vanish," he stammered. "They have ties to the board. To admissions offices. I didn't know what else to do."
"Did they ever threaten you physically?"
He shook his head. "Just… made it clear what would happen if I didn't sign the forms."
Rei left him with a warning, and a promise: she would protect him.
It wasn't until Ichika broke into the school's digital filing system that the truth emerged.
GigaTone had been listed as a "partner donor" for over a year. Quiet, off-record funding had trickled into various clubs, approved by a sub-committee of staff members—three of whom were former consultants for the company.
Rei read the list and felt her stomach twist. This wasn't just about control.
It was about influence. Grooming students. Gathering data. Turning schools into incubators for corporate projects.
And Shirasagi High was just one of many.
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...
They met in Rei's dorm room that night. Arisa, Ichika, and three other council members—those they could trust.
"We expose this now," Arisa said, "and we risk the school being shut down."
Ichika shook his head. "No. We risk the students being scapegoated. They'll take the fall, not the company."
Rei stood with her arms folded. "We need evidence that ties the board to this. Emails. Contracts. Anything undeniable."
"And if we find it?" someone asked.
"Then we make it public. All of it. But not through school channels."
They looked at her, "You're proposing we go to the media?"
"I'm proposing we go to war."
No one spoke after that.
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...
The snow didn't stop that week. It fell heavy over rooftops and froze the air to silence.
Rei watched from her window as the first semester ended—not with celebration, but with tension coiled like wire beneath every breath.
She had faced delinquents, slander, and conspiracies. But this was something new. This was a battlefield she couldn't punch through.
It required precision. Calculation. And allies who wouldn't break under pressure.
She closed her eyes, one hand resting on the cracked spine of her notebook.
"Let's see how far this rot really goes," she whispered.
Outside, the wind howled.
Inside, war had already begun...