It was nearly 8pm, the scheduled time I made with Ichinose to meet in the lobby. I arrived five minutes early, awaiting her arrival. Right on time, Ichinose entered the lobby, waving at me.

"Hey, Takanori-kun! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Hey, Ichinose-san. I wanted to talk about—"

"Sorry for doing this on such short notice, but could you come with me, please?"

Ichinose was acting strangely. I noticed that she changed into casual wear, which was a stark contrast to me. I was still wearing the school uniform.

"You don't want to talk in the lobby? It shouldn't take more than five minutes."

"Actually... to tell you the truth, I already had plans made for tonight, he he..."

Ichinose sheepishly laughed and rubbed the back of her head.

"What do you mean?"

"My schedule was already completely full when you called me earlier today asking to meet up..."

I wasn't surprised by this in the slightest. Ichinose was a very popular girl, so it made sense that she had already made plans with other people beforehand. It didn't help that my call was also on extremely short notice.

"But I didn't want to turn you down! So I accepted and tried to fit you in somehow. I figured that if I bring you along with me to the place I was supposed to go, there shouldn't be any problems."

"Is it really okay for me to tag along? The person you're meeting up with would probably be annoyed."

"It's fine, I'm sure he won't mind! You've met him before anyways."

Ichinose was meeting up with a guy, huh? I hope this wasn't a date or something like that. If it was, then my presence would ruin it. She ran towards the door and beckoned me to follow her.

"C'mon, let's go!"

Well, it couldn't be helped. I nodded and followed Ichinose outside as she guided me towards her intended destination.

As we walked, I noticed the sky had already turned dark and the lampposts illuminated the streets dimly. The air was warm and cicadas were chirping. I never knew Drachma Red could be so scenic at night.

"Where are we heading for exactly?"

"The docks."

"The docks...?"

"Mhm! It'll make sense when we get there."

Ichinose tried to reassure me, but for some reason, I had a bad feeling about this. We followed a path along the pier and eventually reached the docks, like she said.

"Here we are!"

My gut feeling was right. This was bad. Very bad. Really bad. Egregiously bad. Tremendously bad. Ostentatiously bad, even.

Ichinose flung her arms open and laughed happily as she showed me the yacht that was floating on the ocean. It wasn't any old yacht, though.

It was Kaido's yacht.

"...you're meeting up with Kaido-senpai?"

"I made plans to have dinner with him a week ago."

Just my luck... Ichinose had dragged me along to a dinner with a man who hated me. How do I even get out of this situation? In the first place, what was she doing having dinner with Kaido of all people? I knew she was popular, but not this popular...

"This is a bad idea... I don't think Kaido-senpai would enjoy my company."

"It'll be fine! Kaido-nii won't mind if I'm the one who's bringing you along."

I think I nearly choked on my own spit when I heard Ichinose endearingly refer to Kaido like that.

"Y-you and Kaido-senpai are siblings...?"

"Ah, we're actually cousins. We grew up in the same mansion together, so we're pretty much brother and sister."

"Oh, makes sense."

"I miss bathing with Kaido-nii most of all, since he used to wash my back."

Did I need to know this? Well, since they were raised like siblings, I guess it isn't that weird...

"Oh yeah, we're cousins in spirit, not actual cousins, so we're not related by blood or anything."

These two... weren't blood related? And they grew up together? Oh god... oh dear god.

"...ha?"

I could feel the pain peck my brain as I tried to comprehend what Ichinose just told me.

"No chromo."

Breaking my train of thought was Kaido, who was staring down at me from the hull of his yacht with a mildly annoyed expression. To my surprise, he was still wearing his uniform, like I was.

"Kaido-nii! I brought a special guest!"

"I can see that, Natsumi..."

Kaido sighed, ordering Onibitenbu to open the yacht door for us. Ichinose excitedly hurried into the yacht, while I quietly followed behind, dreading the evening to come.

"Good lord, all I wanted was to have a nice dinner with my sweet baby sister, but of course you had to rear your ugly head..."

Once I stepped onto the yacht, Kaido immediately voiced his displeasure and verbally abused me.

"Sorry for the trouble. By the way, screw your dad."

"Vegetable love?"

"Vegetable love."

I like how he knew that straightaway.

"At least we have that in common. Natsumi, explain your— oof!"

Kaido tried to demand an explanation from Ichinose, but instead, she just hugged him tightly like he was a body pillow. I had never seen Ichinose smile so genuinely before. She was in complete bliss from seeing her older... "brother".

"Kaido-nii... I missed you..."

"I missed you too, Natsumi."

For the first time in my life, I saw Kaido smile with sincerity as he hugged Ichinose back. I looked away, not wanting to ruin their family moment.

"Now seriously, what the hell is he doing here?"

Kaido pointed at me. Ichinose laughed awkwardly. I looked away and whistled to myself innocently. She began explaining to Kaido her situation.

I'm definitely getting sued before summer break starts.

"...is that it, huh? Jesus."

Kaido grumbled after hearing Ichinose's explanation for why I tagged along. He sat in his recliner and Ichinose sat across from him.

"Please let him stay, Kaido-nii!"

"I mean, he's already stepped foot onto the yacht, and we're a few hundred metres away from shore, so I don't really have a choice."

"Thank you so much! Takanori-kun, come take a seat!"

"Is it really okay...? I don't want to ruin your dinner."

"You've already ruined it by coming onto the yacht. Just take a damn seat, loser."

Kaido threatened me into sitting down at the same table as them. I gulped and reluctantly took a seat on one of the recliners.

I think this recliner costed more than my entire life did... I felt poor just sitting in this thing. It was so luxurious and high quality, I started to panic because a cheapskate like me was sitting on it.

"Sakate, the food, please."

Kaido called out to his personal chef and fellow classmate, Onibitenbu, to deliver their meals. I didn't expect anything to come for me, but I didn't mind since I already ate ravioli at Yukina's room.

"Here you go, Kaido, Natsumi-chan! Two prime cuts of A5 wagyu beef, cooked to medium rare!"

Onibitenbu came from the kitchen with two plates of perfectly seared steaks in both of his hands. I could smell the garlic butter that had been basted onto the steaks as he placed them onto the table. It looked mouthwatering.

"Nya! Itadakimasu!"

"Thank you. Itadakimasu."

Without wasting a second, Ichinose and Kaido started eating their dinner.

"And as for you, Yuu-kun..."

To my surprise, Onibitenbu had prepared something for me to.

"Gluten-free crackers!"

He slapped down a paper plate with one measly cracker in front of me.

"...this is a joke, right?"

"Nope!"

Onibitenbu smiled and walked away. This smug A Class bastard...

"I went to the bread bank to get some bread, but they refused to take out the gluten from the gluten-free bread, so I instead took the crackers because they don't have gluten. Of course, I didn't pay for them."

Instead, Kaido explained this to me with a completely serious voice. I'm now wondering if he was allergic to gluten or if he was dumber than I first thought. Did he seriously shoplift crackers? And here I thought Mitsuba smuggling booster packs was bad...

"...itadakimasu, I guess."

I picked up the stale cracker and ate it. It was drier than Gandhi's flipflop. I think I lost half the moisture in my mouth from chewing on this thing.

"Oh yeah, I bought those crackers when I was a 1st Year."

I spat out the rest of the cracker from my mouth when Kaido disclosed that important detail of information. I wonder, can you get food poisoning from two year old crackers...?

"Can I get some water?"

"Manners don't cost anything."

"Can I get some water... please?"

"Sakate, fetch this impolite loser some water."

I think you're being the impolite one here, Kaido... Onibitenbu handed me water inside a paper cup. I took a sip, before spitting the water back into the cup.

"Urgh... why is it so salty?"

"Because it's sea water."

"Huh?"

"Look around you. We're sailing on the ocean right now. You didn't specify what kind of water you wanted, so I had Sakate pour sea water into a paper cup. In other words..."

Kaido grinned like a douchebag.

"You just drank the piss of sea animals."

Now they were just bullying me.

"...can I get some drinking water, then? The type made for human consumption, please."

"Sure thing. Sakate, get me and Natsumi some as well."

Onibitenbu took away my paper cup and returned with three glasses of water. Kaido picked up a glass and drank the water without any issue. Seeing this, I also took a cup and drank it. Thankfully, it was actually water this time.

"So, uh, Ichinose-san... about the war."

I waited until the two of them were done eating before making conversation with Ichinose.

"I can't believe that it's tomorrow... this week flew by so fast! B Class will do our best to support E Class!"

"Thanks, it's appreciated. It's just, there's a single request I'd like to ask of you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Moments before the war begins, I want you to relinquish your commander role to me."

Ichinose's eyes widened.

"Takanori-kun... are you sure about this?"

"Yes. I want to be commander. However, I don't want anyone to know that we're switching until the very last moment, which is why I wanted to meet privately with you in person on the day before the war."

If we called or messaged each other, there would be a log of that conversation that someone could potentially find. I'd like to erase that possibility, but I guess it was pointless now, since Kaido was also listening in to our conversation. However, since he was a 3rd Year, he gained nothing from interfering with the ordeals of us 1st Years. That's why I didn't mind that he was here.

"Ah... wow, you've thought through this quite a bit, huh?"

"Yeah. Sorry to drop such a large request on you like that. You can take your time to think over it. There's no rush. I just need your answer before the war."

One of the advantages I had is that the class had written me off as being commander, since it would be a strict downgrade to go from Ichinose to me. To the others (that weren't in my group), there was nothing to gain from such a decision, which is why I wanted to keep us switching hidden until the very last moment.

That way, it would minimise any protest over me becoming commander, since it would be a last minute decision and the war would begin at any moment. There would be little time for the Matsushita group to argue against it and they'd have no choice but to go along with it. That way, I'd be guaranteed the position as commander, even if I took a forceful route to get there.

The only hurdle was Ichinose herself. There was a high likelihood that she would give me commander just because she was an excessively kind person, but there was a small chance she could be firm and say no. However, what I was more worried about was the fact that her choice would indirectly show which group she preferred.

If she said yes, then it would look she's on my side. If she said no, then it would look like she's on Matsushita's side. There was no "neutral" option. She had to pick one or the other, and that choice would create a divisive opinion within our class. However, I had faith in her judgment. She was rated highly by others for a reason. Even if she seemed like a goofball at times, I could tell that underneath her cutesy exterior, Ichinose was an intelligent and sharp person.

OST: Rob the Frontier

"If you want my opinion, Natsumi. Don't give Yuuto this role."

Kaido interjected with the answer I didn't want to hear.

"To be frank, his request is a selfish one. He hasn't considered the consequences or responsibilities of being commander in the slightest. What has he done that makes him deserving of this role? He's done nothing of worth to show that he has the leadership skills necessary for it. There's no merit in passing such a vital role in the war to someone so unprepared and inexperienced."

For some reason, Kaido's ice cold words scratched at my glass heart.

"I'm right here, you know."

"Good. Shut up and listen closely if you care that much, then."

Kaido's eyes pierced straight into my soul.

"You're stupid, Yuuto. Don't even pretend that you're smart or cunning. You're stupid, plain and simple. And what do stupid people do to try and make up for their lack of intelligence? They get bloated egos. And your ego?"

Kaido tapped his middle finger against the temple of my head repeatedly.

"It's blown way out of proportion. You genuinely think E Class can win against D Class because you've done a couple of training sessions and changed some decks. Get a grip on reality, stupid. Your class will lose in that war. D Class is better than E Class in every aspect conceivable. You won't get the respect or glory you're looking for from being commander. Instead, you'll lose the last shreds of respect your classmates have for you and continue being a laughing stock to everyone else at school. You know, the thing that you've been this entire time."

Kaido laughed, smirking. A swaying shadow of him appeared in my head.

"Your entire plan hinges on the fact E Class will win and that everyone will suddenly think you're the better leader than the dumb goat in your class because of it. Do you know how many variables you need to avoid from going wrong and how many conditions are needed to make it work? What's in your head is a fairy tale. A narrow view of how things will happen if they even go your way."

The shadow overlaps and shrinks as Kaido talks down to me.

"You won't get anything from one victory, stupid. You need to obtain multiple victories to mean anything to those dumbasses in your class, stupid. And as it stands, with the way you are right now, you'll never win at anything except being the stupidest person at this school, stupid."

I could no longer tell which is which. Kaido and him became one.

"You're the worst one for a reason, Yuuto. You're stupid."

I punched him.

I hate you. You're just like him.

When I came back to my senses, I noticed my fist was being squeezed by something.

Kaido, with a narrowed expression, was clutching onto my right fist tightly with his left hand.

He had blocked my punch.

"Have you had enough of being stupid?"

I couldn't say anything. I couldn't move. All I could think about in that moment was... how weak I was.

"Judging from the look on your face, you've finally realised how worthless you really are."

Kaido let go of my fist and shoved me away.

"Kaido-nii... Takanori-kun..."

Ichinose looked shocked by my unforgivable behaviour. I don't blame her. I raised my hand against her precious brother. I slumped in the recliner, unable to look at either of them.

"Don't you dare ever try that again. If you do, I'll get you expelled from the school."

Even though it was a warm evening, the air had grown incredibly cold. This was the first time I've ever heard Kaido this angry and scathing before. His voice was a husky whisper. Deep enough to cut into me, but low enough to imbue fear into me.

"E-expel me...?"

"Don't make me repeat myself. If you continue acting like a stupid brat, I'll call the Headmaster and pay for your expulsion, right here, right now."

Kaido forced me to look into his ice coloured eyes. It was like staring into a white abyss of pure hatred.

"I'm not joking either. Let me remind you that at this school, you can pay for anything with points. As long as it gets you out of here, I don't care how much it costs. Your entire student life is in my hands."

"You're bluffing... y-you wouldn't waste that many points just to get rid of me..."

"You think I'm bluffing?"

Kaido took out his phone and showed me the number of points loaded on his account.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Kaido had one billion points.

"I have more than enough points to secure your expulsion. Don't take me lightly, Yuuto."

I sunk down in despair.

"Learn your place and apologise while crawling on the floor."

I got down in a dogeza position in front of Kaido.

"...I'm sorry. It won't happen ever again."

I tried to say it sincerely, but it sounded hollow and lifeless instead.

"Sakate, change routes to the Drachma Red docks. I want to get this stupid loser off my yacht as soon as possible."

Onibitenbu changed the autopilot path to return back to the docks. Ichinose helped me get up from the floor.

"Natsumi, what are you doing? Just leave him be."

"Takanori-kun doesn't deserve to stay on the floor."

I sat down in the recliner, not sure what to think anymore. My mind was a hazy mess. Memories of the past and present were bleeding into each other and blending into one, yet Ichinose's kindness was like a spot of light that illuminated a clear path for me in my foggy mind.

"I've come to my decision. Kaido-nii, while I respect your opinion... I disagree with it!"

"Is that so."

Kaido took a sip of water. A look of acknowledgement glinted in his eyes.

"Takanori-kun, you can be commander for the war. I'll do everything I can to make sure it happens!"

"Ichinose-san... t-thank you... really, thank you... thank you!"

Even though "thank you" was one simple phrase, it was still difficult to get out when it came to important matters like this. Words wouldn't be able to describe the enormous amount of gratitude I have for Ichinose right now.

All I could do was repeat it, hoping she'd understand how much her simple choice meant to me, especially after being beaten down by Kaido's harsh but true words...

"As a token of repayment, you should get your group to go vote for Natsumi in the GEN presidential election that's happening next month."

"K-Kaido-nii, don't say such embarrassing things for me!"

"GEN presidential election...?"

I regained my composure a little as the topic switched to something I hadn't heard of before. Apparently, Ichinose a candidate for an election at school?

"I'm not surprised you don't know about it, most 1st Years don't. Basically, at the end of the first semester, the students get to vote one of the candidates who entered the election to become the next Student Council President. Over the summer break, the faculty counts the votes and the new Student Council President is announced at the start of the second semester. Natsumi entered herself as one of the candidates, so she'll be eligible to vote for in June. Everyone gets only one vote, so make it count by voting for her."

So it was basically just like any democracy without corruption. You got to vote for for who you wanted to be President.

"I actually wanted to get some help from Kaido-nii, since I don't know much about how it works, but he does."

"This year, there's four candidates, Natsumi being one of them. The other three are Kishou, the current President, a 3rd Year E Class student named Itteki, and a 2nd Year A Class student named Kurosaki."

One name jumped out at me. It was Kurosaki, who Ken spoke highly of. She was running for President?

"I wouldn't worry about the latter two, though. Itteki's an airhead and Kurosaki entered as a joke. Natsumi's main opponent is Kishou, since he's projected as most likely to win. To Kishou, Natsumi's not even a threat, but with my help, I'll make sure she makes him sweat a little."

Kaido had complete confidence that he could make Ichinose a worthy threat in the elections. He really resembled a strategic businessman right now.

"Natsumi's strategy is banking on the fact the 1st Years are more likely to vote for her than him. The real swing votes will come from the 2nd Years, but it's more likely they'd lean towards Kishou because he's their upperclassmen. The 2nd Years Natsumi should try to get on her side are those who want the King and President to be different people to have more "balance" in the school."

Kaido was extremely knowledgable about the current status of the election. When he explained it like this, it sounded like Ichinose had a real fighting chance at becoming President.

"It's easier said than done... right now, I'm trying to spread awareness among the 1st Years."

"And I'm making sure all the brats in 3-A vote for Natsumi. Though, that girl Xuelan will probably vote for Kishou regardless..."

Xuelan was the Student Council Secretary, so I guess it made sense that she'd vote for the current President to keep him in power.

"Actually, speaking of the Student Council... Ichinose-san, do you know how the GEN government works? I asked Hina-sama earlier today, but she said she wasn't allowed to tell me."

"Wow, Takanori-kun, you talked to the Jack?! How did that happen?!"

Ichinose was more interested in the fact that I somehow made conversation with Royalty.

"It's... a long story. I know that the three main powers are the Royalty, Council, and Faculty, but she wouldn't tell me how it all works."

"Well, she's right about that part... I'm part of the council as a regular member, but not even I know how the system works completely. I just know that, as the council, we have the power to suggest changes to the school to the Royalty. It's up to them whether or not they'll actually carry it out."

Kaido sneered as he listened in to our conversation.

"Those goodie two shoes Royalty are all sticks in the mud. I couldn't care less whether or not the peasants of the school know how their "government" works, so screw it, rules are meant to be broken. I used to be in the Royalty, so I've got full knowledge of how it works."

Before entering his 3rd Year, Kaido was the Ace of the school. Hagane had replaced him by the time I enrolled.

"Natsumi, I'll tell you how things operate in the bigwigs. Remember to keep the source anonymous though, 'kay?"

"Really?! Thanks Kaido-nii! You're the best!"

"I know I am."

Kaido patted Ichinose's head like she was a cat. I know Kaido has a girlfriend, but they're not blood related...

"Wait, what about me..."

"You're not relevant, Yuuto. If anything, I'd rather keep this information hidden from you to make your life harder. Consider yourself lucky that you were here at the right place at the right time."

"Right..."

"Yuuto's right about one thing, for once. The three major powers that make up the "government" are the Royalty, Student Council, and Faculty. They all have different roles. The Royalty creates change, the Council suggests change, and the Faculty ensures that change is fair. All three powers need to be in agreement before a change can be made."

That meant that Hina had to somehow convince even the teachers to remove surveillance cameras from the safe room. It didn't sound easy at all to make changes...

"The Royalty is the school's choice. They forcibly put who they consider to be the best six students in the school into these roles. You can't decline being Royalty, which is annoying when you want a peaceful yacht life..."

It seemed like there was some bitter resentment Kaido had towards being an Ace.

"On the hierarchy, Royalty is more powerful than Faculty. The only people to top them are the Headmaster and School Director. You know, the really important people. The major perks of being Royalty come in the form of ruling over GEN and making changes however you like. After all, it is their job is to create and enforce changes. Their check to balance them is the Student Council, who represent the common folk they're ruling over. They have the power to veto a change the Royalty is making and get the Faculty to judge whether or not that change crosses a line. Depending on the verdict, the change will either continue to be implemented or be shut down."

It sounded complicated, but breaking it down, it seemed the system was just a game of rock-paper-scissors. If Royalty was rock, then the Council was paper.

"The Student Council is the people's choice. As mentioned earlier, they're meant to represent the common folk, the majority of the student body attending this school. That's why it's always up to the people to vote who they want to be the President, the face of the Council. Hierarchy wise, they're above regular students but beneath the Faculty. The person with most power in the council is the President, who gets to choose who joins the council and which suggestions for changes get submitted."

It makes sense why Ichinose was aiming for that top seat. Not only would it probably bump her rating on the S System and potentially tip her over into A Class, she was also a naturally charismatic and kind leader who was good at working with other people. She was prime President material.

"However, it's mainly through discussion with all the members that the President comes to their conclusion for what to suggest. It's a team effort, basically. Their check to balance them is the Faculty, who can veto their decisions. At the end of the day, the Student Council is made up of students, and sometimes dumbass students don't know what's an actually good change for a school, so the adults get involved."

Ichinose nodded, agreeing with Kaido.

"There have been some... questionable suggestions made during council meetings, nya ha ha... one time, someone suggested that there should be more egg sandwiches available at lunch... and another time, someone suggested that the school day should start at 11am while keeping it ending at 3pm..."

I found it hard to believe that Kishou would let those sorts of people onto the council. Then again, he rejected Shigeru from joining, so who knows how he accepts and declines others.

"Finally, we have the Faculty. They're just the regular old staff members who work at GEN. Compared to the roles the Royalty and Council have, they're much smaller in comparison. Hierarchy wise, above students, below Faculty. Their main role is to observe and make sure either side doesn't go out of control with their changes. Being adults, they dictate how far the students are allowed to change things and establish the balance between the two sides like a scale."

It sounded like the Faculty were the judges who had final say over changes.

"Their check to balance them is the Royalty, who can veto their decisions and argue for why that change doesn't step out of line. Usually though, they're pretty lenient all things considered, but it's nice to know the adults don't have full control over us... yet."

Kaido sipped on his water ominously.

"And that's how government works. Any questions?"

"I'm curious, what kind of big changes have the Royalty made to this school?"

Ichinose was the first to ask. Kaido thought about it for awhile.

"The biggest change is probably individual movement. A few years ago, you could only move up and down the hierarchy together as a class, so you were kind of screwed if you were sorted into a crap class filled with bad students. Eventually, individual movement was rolled out to help those people, and the hierarchy's worked smoothly ever since."

It was terrifying to imagine that there was a time where students were bound to the classes they were in permanently. If I was stuck forever in E Class and had to fight up to A Class, I would probably feel discouraged from even trying.

"This one's not really related to how the system works, but it's more just a general question about the history of the school."

It was a long shot to ask Kaido, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

"One of your classmates, Isen-senpai, interviewed me recently for the newspaper club."

"Oh, that gopher finally did what I asked him to? You're welcome, by the way."

Condescendingly, Kaido took credit for being the one who cleared up the rumours. I mean, I guess he isn't technically wrong, but... ah, there was no point in trying to sweat over the small details. I just wanted answers to the questions Isen left me with.

"Apparently there was an incident regarding the newspaper club. Isen-senpai didn't want to tell me about it, so I was wondering if you knew what happened?"

"You mean the Satsubatsu scandal?"

"What's that?"

"Some cheeky newspaper club member ran a fake story on the front page of the school newspaper accusing the Queen, Satsubatsu, was only in her position because her daddy, the Headmaster, put her there. The story caught on like wildfire and somehow managed to force Satsubatsu to willingly resign from her position just to calm them down. But her daddy intervened and did his thing, sent the member who wrote the story to E Class, tightened up the newspaper club's quality control as it's supervisor, and restored her place as Queen."

This sounded exactly like what I was looking for. I pressed on for more answers, specifically the identity of who wrote the story.

"When did that happen? I haven't heard any rumours about Satsubatsu-sama being a false Queen."

"Last year. The rumours are mostly cleared up by now, but you'll have some 3-E dumbasses who still believe in it. Maybe some in 2-E too, but who knows."

"How about the person who wrote the story? Who are they?"

"Some guy named Kiya Iemitsu. It's a shame, because he actually wrote some entertaining bad articles. Journalism these days is a joke, and that clown managed to turn it into an entire circus."

To my surprise, I had already met him earlier today. Kiya was the boy with circular glasses who answered the door for me and Akihiro when we visited the 3-E classroom this morning. I looked up his account on the school app. On his public bio, it read "ex-newspaper club member" and "current whistleblower" at the top.

"Which class was he in before being sent to E Class?"

"A Class, believe it or not."

"I feel kind of bad for him now..."

Ichinose commented as she peered over my shoulder to look at Kiya's public account.

"Don't be, the dude was dumb and got what he deserved. There's no point feeling bad for bad people. Let them face the consequences by themselves and continue on with your own life. You don't have to concern yourself with others all the time, Natsumi."

Even though they were close, Kaido and Ichinose had starkly contrasting views on other people. Kaido took a cold and detached approach to others, not caring about them unless they mattered to him. Meanwhile, Ichinose took an warm and accepting approach to others, caring for anyone no matter who they were.

"Nya ha ha, I guess..."

Ichinose tried to laugh it off, but it was obvious she disagreed with Kaido's apathetic approach to others. I wondered, who were the people he considered "close" in his life?

"We're reaching the Drachma Red docks soon, thank god. Another second with you and I might've blown my brains out."

Sharply changing the topic, Kaido pointed out that the Drachma Red portion of the island was now in view. That meant my time on Kaido's yacht was coming to an end.

"I kind of wish I could stay longer now, if it means I get to see your brains all over the floor."

"You have some weird fetishes, Yuuto. By the way, how's that romance with your mom coming along?"

"...who told you I had a crush on my mom when I was four?"

"I have my sources. The daughter of an illegal immigrant in my father's now non-existent country being one of them."

God damn it, Taiga.

"Speaking of people who use Claret, it's story time. Natsumi, Yuuto, take a seat, get comfy, and listen well. If you don't, I'll sue you. Papa Kaido is going to tell you a story from my younger days before bedtime."

"Yay nya!"

I shuddered at "Papa Kaido". Somehow, Ichinose was excited for this, that twisted woman. I was simply dreading at what cringe would come out of Kaido's mouth next.

"Long ago, back in my 1st Year, I verbally owned some dumbass upperclassmen who were flirting with, at the time still very shy, Emma. However, doing that landed me an invite to some 3rd Year's house, so I went there to verbally abuse the guy with Sakate. Emma and Strelzia tagged along, those dumbasses. Anyways, the dude tried to scare us when we went inside his house, so I guillotine kicked him in the head."

Kaido as a 1st Year sounded more violent than Yukimura...

"Later, I found out that he invited us there to apologise on those dumbass flirts behalf. Turns out, he was a pretty cool dude and we became friends. Even though he had a thick monkey brain, he helped me understand the system and get information on other students, while I helped him gain leadership in his class. Worst of all, that guy was an even bigger condescending asshole than me, which shouldn't be possible, but here we are."

The lack of self-awareness hurt me on a physical level.

"Eventually, he would become my first and only rival at this school."

When Kaido said that, I felt an overwhelming wave of pressure wash over me.

"You might already know him, actually. After he graduated, he became a professional cardfighter and travelled overseas to develop his career. Fans all over the world affectionately nicknamed him the King of Kings. And his name is..."

My eyes widened as Kaido uttered that title. Even I had heard of this cardfighter when I was in middle school. That man... he was Kaido's rival? How was I meant to live up to that?

"Chisaki Shiguru."

It suddenly became suffocating... I felt like I was drowning, struggling to breathe...

The barrier to being recognised by Kaido had suddenly shot up in my mind... I would never live up to Chisaki... there was no feasible way I could become his rival now if that was what he was comparing me to...

The first task Mikazuchi-sensei gave me was one I couldn't even complete... he gave me an impossible task to do because he didn't have faith in me... he gave up on me from the very beginning... and I don't blame him...

I should just give up while I still can and focus solely on rising to A Class... that was for the best.

"On the day Chisaki-senpai graduated, he left me with a copy of his most prized card. Claret Sword Dragon."

Kaido took out an SSR rarity Claret Sword Dragon from inside his blazer pocket.

"He passed it down to me, his rival, as a token of gratitude. Ever since then, it's been a source of strength and a good luck charm for me. Looking at this card reminds me of the time I spent with Chisaki-senpai, both as a rival and a friend. You could say it's my greatest treasure."

Kaido then extended Claret Sword Dragon to me.

"And that's why I want you to have it."

I was speechless.

"...but we're not rivals. I can't accept one of your most precious things like that..."

"If I waited until we became rivals, then I'd graduate long before I could give you this card. Think of it as me passing it down from one generation to the next. Nothing more, nothing less."

"...is it really okay?"

"Don't make me regret doing this, Yuuto."

For some reason, I felt like crying.

I took the Claret Sword Dragon from Kaido with shaking hands.

I didn't deserve this.

I put the card carefully into my blazer pocket.

Why me? Why now out of all times? I thought you hated me...

"We're at the docks. It's time for you to leave."

So why did you have to go and do this, Kaido?!

"Right... thanks for tonight."

"It wasn't a pleasure having you this evening."

"See you tomorrow at school, Takanori-kun!"

"Good luck on the election, Ichinose-san. Sorry for being a bother, Kaido-senpai."

I quickly said my goodbyes, turned my back on the two of them, and disembarked the yacht.

I could hear them sail away in the distance while I stood alone on the dock.

I stared at Claret Sword Dragon and wiped away my tears.

I swear I'll become your rival someday, Kaido.