Suddenly, the door slammed open with a loud BANG.

"YOSH! THERE'S FINALLY SOMEONE HERE!"

The booming voice jolted Hikaru awake. He shot up from the couch, his heart racing as he blinked in confusion. Standing in the doorway was Aoi, her hands on her hips and a bright grin plastered across her face.

"Aoi-san… can you not yell…" he groaned, rubbing his temples.

"Hehe, it's my favorite junior, Hikaru-kun!" Aoi declared, completely ignoring his plea. "Why are you sleeping? As the Student Council President, I can't have you being lazy!"

"I'm just tired, gosh. Let me sleep…" Hikaru muttered, flopping back onto the couch.

Aoi marched into the room, her footsteps echoing loudly on the polished floor. She stopped right next to the couch, looming over Hikaru with her hands firmly planted on her hips.

"Sleep on your own time! This is the student council room, not your personal nap spot!" she declared, puffing out her chest with exaggerated authority.

Hikaru cracked one eye open and let out a tired sigh. "It's lunchtime. No one's here but us. Can't I just relax for ten minutes?"

Aoi huffed but then strolled to a nearby table, sitting on its edge and crossing her legs with a dramatic flourish. "Fine, I'll give you ten minutes. Go on, rest," she said, her tone sounding almost generous, though her grin betrayed a teasing intent.

Hikaru was silent for a moment, lying back on the couch. However, his gaze wandered—unintentionally—toward her legs. Her skirt was shorter than he expected, and with the way she was sitting and crossing her legs right opposite him, it revealed more than she likely realized.

"Pink…" he mumbled without thinking, his tired state betraying his filter.

Aoi froze, her smile vanishing as her cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "W-What did you just say?" she asked, her voice rising slightly, though her flustered tone betrayed her embarrassment.

Realizing what he had just said, Hikaru's eyes shot wide open, and he bolted upright. "N-Nothing! I said nothing!" he stammered, waving his hands defensively.

"You…!" Aoi grabbed a nearby notebook and raised it threateningly. "You better explain yourself right now, Hikaru-kun!"

"I swear, I didn't mean to—!" Hikaru barely dodged as the notebook came flying toward him.

Before Hikaru could say another word, the door swung open, revealing Riku stepping into the room with a casual expression, a drink in one hand and a lunchbox in the other.

"Yo, Hikaru, President—" Riku began, but his sentence was abruptly cut short as a flying notebook smacked him square in the face. The impact echoed through the room, and Riku staggered back, nearly dropping his lunchbox.

"W-What the heck?!" Riku yelped, rubbing his forehead as the notebook fell to the floor. He glanced between Aoi, who was frozen mid-throw with a fierce blush on her face, and Hikaru, who was on the couch trying to dodge the chaos with a mix of terror and amusement.

Aoi, however, wasn't done. She grabbed another object—a pen holder this time—and hurled it at Hikaru, who barely ducked in time.

"You're so dead, Hikaru!" she shouted, her face still flushed. "How dare you look!"

"I didn't mean to! I swear!" Hikaru yelped, scrambling to shield himself from the onslaught.

Riku blinked, thoroughly confused as Aoi continued to lob random items at Hikaru. "What the heck is going on here?!" he demanded, stepping further into the room but staying just out of the line of fire.

"HE SAW MY PANTIES!" Aoi yelled, her voice high-pitched with a mix of embarrassment and fury.

Riku froze, his expression shifting from confusion to sheer disbelief. "Wait... what?!" He looked at Hikaru, whose face was now buried in his hands.

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"It was an accident!" Hikaru exclaimed, trying to dodge another flying object. "You were sitting right in front of me—how was I supposed to not notice?!"

"That's not an excuse!" Aoi shot back, grabbing an eraser and aiming it like a weapon.

Riku sighed, setting his lunchbox down on a nearby table. "You know what? I'm just gonna eat and pretend I didn't walk into this mess."

Aoi grabbed Hikaru by the collar, her hands tightening around his neck like a vice as she leaned over him. "SAY SORRY! SAY SORRY!" she yelled, shaking him vigorously.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" Hikaru cried out, flailing his arms as she throttled him. "I DIDN'T MEAN TO LOOK!"

Riku sighed dramatically, stepping closer and slamming his drink onto the table to get their attention. "Oi, can you two stop acting like toddlers for a second? I've got something weird to ask about."

Aoi paused mid-necklock, her hands still gripping Hikaru's collar, but her attention shifted to Riku. "Weird?" she asked, letting go of Hikaru, who promptly fell back onto the couch, gasping for air.

"Yeah, weird," Riku repeated, crossing his arms. "Doesn't anyone else think things have been... off lately?"

"What kind of 'off'?" Aoi raised an eyebrow, brushing imaginary dust off her uniform. "If you're talking about ghost stories, count me out."

Riku took a deep breath, sitting down and leaning forward, his tone more serious than usual. "I'm talking about stuff like… a samurai slicing through the street near the park two nights ago."

Hikaru stiffened slightly but quickly masked it by pretending to yawn, slouching deeper into the couch.

"A samurai slicing the street? Are you sure you weren't just dreaming?" Aoi asked, her voice skeptical. "That sounds like something out of an old movie."

"I'm not joking," Riku said, shaking his head. "And that's not all. There was also a report about a giant puma in the same area that was somehow… taken down. They said something about claw marks and… bullets. Lots of them."

"Bullets?" Aoi frowned, crossing her arms. "I heard about that from the news. Some people are saying it's a hoax or exaggerated rumors."

"I thought the same thing," Riku admitted. "But if you really think about it, doesn't it seem strange? I mean, we've been hearing gunshots lately too, haven't we? Like, late at night?"

Aoi frowned, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it… there have been some reports about gunfire in the outskirts. I assumed it was just fireworks or someone messing around."

Hikaru, on the other hand, kept his face as neutral as possible, pretending to zone out while the conversation went on. Inside, he was screaming. A samurai? A puma? Bullets? Great… this is about what happened that day, isn't it? He mentally kicked himself for getting involved in the first place but stayed quiet, not wanting to give himself away.

"So? What do you think?" Riku asked, looking between the two of them. "Doesn't this seem like something weird is going on?"

Aoi leaned back, waving her hand dismissively. "It's probably just random stuff. Rumors always get blown out of proportion, especially around here."

"Yeah," Hikaru chimed in, forcing a laugh. "Definitely just rumors. I mean, a samurai? Come on, that's a bit much."

Riku narrowed his eyes at Hikaru. "You seem awfully dismissive for someone who was just zoned out a second ago."

Hikaru raised his hands defensively. "What? I'm just saying it's probably nothing. People exaggerate things all the time."

Aoi gave Riku a light punch on the arm. "See? Even Hikaru agrees. It's nothing to worry about."

Riku didn't look entirely convinced but eventually shrugged. "Alright, fine. Maybe I'm overthinking it. But if something else happens, don't say I didn't warn you."

As the conversation died down, Hikaru let out a silent sigh of relief. That was way too close…

Just as the tension in the room began to settle, a loud knock echoed through the door. The sudden noise caught all three of their attention. Aoi, ever the bundle of energy, shot up from her seat and strode toward the door with her usual flair. "Waaait~!" she called out, dragging the word in a playful, sing-song tone as she approached.

Hikaru immediately sat up straighter, all traces of his earlier exhaustion vanishing in an instant. Something about the knock felt... off.

Aoi swung the door open mid-step. "Welcome to the student coun—" she started but abruptly stopped, her words catching in her throat as her eyes took in the person standing in the doorway.

It was Lina. Her expression was calm, composed, yet her piercing gaze swept across the room with purpose before settling firmly on Hikaru. She stood out starkly against the school's mundane backdrop, her perfect posture and air of quiet authority making her presence almost unnerving.

"I'm here for Hikaru," Lina said, her voice steady and matter-of-fact.

"Hikaru?" Aoi blinked in surprise, glancing back at him before looking at Lina again. "What for?"

"Something private." Lina's tone was curt, leaving no room for further questions.

Aoi tilted her head, placing one hand on her hip as her eyebrows raised in suspicion. "Private, huh? That sounds a little sketchy. Hey, Hikaru, do you know her?"

"Ah, yeah! Wait a second," Hikaru stammered, quickly rising to his feet. He avoided Aoi's gaze as he walked toward Lina, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

Lina stepped aside to let him through. "Let's go to the rooftop. We need to have a serious conversation," she said, her voice quieter but still carrying an air of authority.

Hikaru nodded reluctantly, his heart pounding in his chest. "Got it."

Aoi crossed her arms, watching the two of them leave with a curious frown. "Serious conversation, huh?" she muttered under her breath. She leaned toward Riku. "Hey, does Hikaru have some sort of secret life we don't know about?"

Riku shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. "Beats me. But that girl gives off some major 'don't mess with me' vibes."

As the door closed behind them, Aoi tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Weird…"

To Be Continue.