Ariyama stood outside the main gate of Sasura Academy, the crisp morning air pulling at his clothes and hair. The gate was nearly twice his height, and made of glimmering steel, the light of the morning sun hitting the reflective surface.

It was fairly quiet for such a late starting time. He usually got to school around eight, just to give him plenty of time to wander around and catch up with his classmates, but he was very off today. He had only left the house at eight, and now it was just ten minutes till homeroom. Still, it was reassuring to see other students also going through the main gate at the same time. At least Ariyama wasn't the only one running late on time.

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Ariyama briskly jogged into the courtyard. It was made of hard concrete; a few patches of grass with trees growing from them were also dotted around the place.

It looked quite barren, as it always did, but Ariyama wasn't one to question the schedules of other students. Anyways, if it was less than ten minutes before homeroom, most of them would already be in class. It was always a good idea to get to your desk a few minutes before the teacher came in, unless you wanted to get badly verbally abused.

As Ariyama approached the set of steps leading to the two glass doors that led into the main ground floor hallway, a voice suddenly called out

“Hey, Ariyama-kun. How come you're so late today?”

At the voice, Ariyama turned as a girl approached from his left, having just grabbed a can from the vending machine perched against the outer wall. Her hair was long and thick, the color of onyx, which contrasted her crystal blue eyes.

Matsune Sasya.

Why was the most popular girl in school suddenly talking to him all of a sudden? Matsune was one of the top performers in the whole of second year, both academically and athletically. It was no wonder there were stories of her getting up to five confessions from different boys each day. All of which she declined in the nicest way possible.

Not only was she smart, good-looking and athletic, she was also very kind. So much so that all the girls wanted to be her friend, and all the boys just wanted her in general.

Ariyama prided himself in being able to stay out of what was considered the ‘norm’ at school, but even he had once fallen for Matsune's charms, back when they were in first year. He'd never tried asking her out, though. Probably because of the ratio of her accepting confessions to declining them.

It had gotten to a point where he'd sort of fallen out of interest in her. She was pretty, and very kind, of course. But there was just something off about her.

“Oh, good morning, Matsune. How come you're not in class yet?”

“Well, as you can see, I was just getting a quick drink from the vending machine. I'm sure Ijichi-sensei won't mind if I'm a little late right?”

Matsune flashed a bright smile and cracked open her fizzy drink and took a delicate sip. She wore the basic uniform for the girls, all in perfect condition, of course. A blue jacket, black tie and white shirt like the boys, but also a black skirt stopping just above the knees and thigh-high tights, which helped show off her perfect legs. The boys in the school sure loved that.

Even the silver bracelet she always wore on her right wrist gleamed in the morning sun.

Still, Ariyama looked at her with an unimpressed gaze. Even though she was, on the surface, a kind and likable person, Ariyama just couldn't help but find her a little irritating. The way she seemingly had all the students, and the teachers, wrapped around her finger just gave him a bad feeling. If it were any other student, Ijichi-sensei would give them a verbal beating. But because Matsune was Matsune, she could get away with things like this.

“Aah… This is some great stuff. Here, Ariyama-kun, I can buy one for you if you'd like.”

Matsune smiled in a friendly manner as she held out her hand, holding a few yen notes. Ariyama gave her a weak smile. It was hard to try and fake emotions for him. People could always see through his guises, and he doubted Matsune was any different.

“Oh, no thanks, Matsune. I need to head to class anyways, so I should probably get a move on. Talk to you later, OK?”

It was subtle, but Ariyama swore he saw Matsune's face fall a fraction when he said that, but she quickly covered it up with another bright, toothy smile.

“OK, OK, Ariyama-kun. I'll see you around, then! If you ever want to grab a drink from the vending machine, come and find me, OK? I'll pay for you. My treat, OK?”

Damn. When she acted like this, all kind and supportive, it made Ariyama feel bad for thinking badly of her. But still he did so anyway, as if it was out of his power to stop.

“Oh, I see… Thanks for the offer, Matsune. If I think of it, I'll keep it up on my end, OK?”

Matsune giggled childishly.

“OK! Talk to you later, Ariyama-kun.”

With that, Ariyama gave her a single nod, then turned away and headed up the steps into the school.

Inside, it was still very barren. Checking his watch, Ariyama saw he had about seven minutes until homeroom. Plenty of time to get to class.

Still, he had a weird eerie feeling as he walked the desolate halls of the school, which were always so busy. It made Ariyama feel oddly alone, as if he was the only person left on the planet.

“It's not time for dumb thoughts like that.”

Ariyama washed away his useless thoughts, as he always did, and continued on. His mind sure did like to wander.

“Hey, wait up, Ariyama!”

Another person interrupting him this morning? Dammit.

Ariyama, putting a passive expression, turned around and saw three guys running up to him from the other side of the corridor. They all looked so nearly identical, people usually thought they were triplets. But no, they were just as unassuming as each other.

All clad in their school uniforms, Kajima, Machira and Sudo all ran up to him.

Wheezing, Kajima – the de facto leader, with his black hair buzzed – looked at Ariyama like he always did; with a look of admiration.

But Ariyama knew his admiration was fabricated.

“Phew… Man, Ariyama, you are one fast guy alright! So how's it going?”

That was from Sudo, the bulkier of the three.

Ariyama wanted to tear the stupid grin off his face.

“Sorry you three, I need to head to class, or else I'll be late. So if you'll excuse me–”

But Kajima blocked him with his forearm.

“Hey, hold on a sec, Ariyama. Please. See, we've got a bit of an issue. We were out last weekend, and went to this new games shop that opened last month. After we searched the place, now we're looking into buying this cool new console…”

Ah, here it comes.

“And seeing as you definitely have some, how should I say, spare change on you, would you be able to lend us some? I promise we'll pay back.”

At that, both Sudo and Machira nodded vigorously.

Ariyama, however, flexed his jaw, trying to stay composed.

“You said that about the last bit of money I lent you, no? And Kajima, I haven't gotten it back since.”

Kajima's face lit up red.

“I-I-I understand… but that was our mistake. I promise it won't happen again, as long as you just give us some cash.”

Ariyama heard the slight irritation growing in Kajima's tone, so he decided to try and exit the conversation before things got too freaky.

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“Oh, is everything OK over there, guys?”

At the sound of a female further down the hall, everyone's heads turned back as Matsune Sasya walked in from outside, probably deciding to finally get to class, just on time as she always did.

This was perfect. Because if there was one thing the three idiots loved more than Ariyama's money, it was Matsune.

Blushing already, Ariyama having been completely forgotten, the three bolted for Matsune, calling her name in glee.

Ariyama smirked to himself as he turned to continue down the opposite direction. He felt bad for leaving Matsune to deal with those idiots, but as long as they were off his case, he was happy.

And yet, those three were only some of the people pining for Ariyama's affection, just to get his money. He'd tried to distance himself more and more, as he became more insightful about who was being friends for what reason. But clearly, his efforts were still for naught.

As he made his way to the stairs, he thought back to his encounter with Matsune. It was short, but not exactly sweet. Matsune, as usual, was all bubbly and smiley, while Ariyama had to force his smiles.

Maybe. Maybe she was just genuinely a good person. Everyone in the school thought so, at least on the outside, so even if it did turn out to be all a front, there was no way for Ariyama to prove it, unless he had some hard evidence.

And even that might not work on some of her biggest fans.

Ariyama cursed himself as he reached the second floor, heading across the hallway towards his classroom. How much of an idiot was he being? There was no proof of Matsune being anything more than a sweet girl, so it more reflected on the type of person he was, more than anything.

Why was he blaming Matsune for maybe having something fake about her, when he himself had just the same thing.

But the difference is, if the truth about where his family's wealth had come from got out to the public, would he even still have friends?

Ariyama wasn't too popular, not being invited to parties over the weekend nearly ever, but people still knew of him. They knew him as ‘that one rich kid with a lot of time on his hands.’ He didn't go to any clubs after or before school, so that's probably why they thought that.

But what if everyone figured out how his family's ill-gotten wealth was accumulated? What would they think of him then? Ariyama supposed it would definitely change their opinion, and maybe showcase who was being friends with him for the money, and who was being friends with him for him.

For some people, like the trio who'd corner him just moments ago, it was obvious they wanted his money. But what about his other, closer friends? Did the same apply to them?

If that was the case, all he needed to do was something on his own. Fulfill his own wish, whatever it was. Then, he'd have something to be proud of, something that he could take pride in the fact he did it himself, and didn't rely on others and their underhanded tactics to produce results.

And people would for sure like him, even if his wealth wasn't in the equation.

He wouldn't be like his father. He'd be better, in every way. All he needed to do was accomplish something he himself was proud of.

But he didn't know what that was, his wish. Did it need to be something big? Probably. It definitely did, right? Something so big and impressive that everyone would look upon him and then they'd have no reason to leave him. Even if he lost the wealth his father gained.

At least then, he'd have cemented himself as his own person, without leeching off others’ success. If you could even call his dad's schemes successful.

He finally reached his classroom with a few minutes to spare, and swiftly opened the door that led to the back row, where he always sat, slipped inside.

As he expected, the heating was on to battle the cold air of the winter, and nearly everyone was in, chatting to each other or sitting on their own eagerly awaiting Ijichi-sensei's arrival. Well, eagerly wasn't the right word. Ariyama doubted anyone even liked the stern, no-nonsense history teacher. He was also their homeroom teacher, and so they saw him more than any of the other staff.

Careful to not get called out for his lateness, Ariyama hefted his bag and quickly ran to his desk, the very left of the second-last row.

“Yo, Saato. Little late this time, eh?”

Ariyama didn't have to turn around to know who spoke those words. Apart from his mother and father, there were only two others who called him by his first name. One girl and one boy. And this was a man's voice.

“Hey, Yasuke. I was just a little late, as you said. I suppose I slept in a little too much.”

Yaranagi Yasuke was, in simple terms, a delinquent at school. He wore his shirt untucked, his shoes were not matching his uniform, and he had gotten to the point where he just didn't wear his tie anymore. His red hair was buzzed close to his head and he had an assortment of piercings; three on his earlobe, one on his nose and one on the corner of his eyebrow.

He was also the closest thing to what Ariyama could call a ‘best friend’. They'd known each other since elementary school, and had gone to Sasura Academy together, which was around the time Yaranagi converted to a different group of people, most of whom were upperclassmen with less-than-superb reputations.

Still, after falling into a crowd of boys much older than him, and going through the full transformation into a thug, Yaranagi still talked to Ariyama like he did when they were kids, even if the stuff he'd talk about sure wasn't kid-friendly.

It still surprised Ariyama every now and then that he still even liked him.

Maybe, just maybe, Yaranagi Yasuke would be one person who'd stick by Ariyama, even if everyone figured out about his family's situation.

Yaranagi leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk, the one at the very left back corner of the classroom. As to why the teachers left the most disruptive student at the most secluded spot in the room, Ariyama hadn't a clue. Did they want him to cause chaos in every class? Or maybe it was because of his father.

Yaranagi's father was supposedly a powerful Yakuza member, so if Yaranagi had some complaint about a certain teacher, they'd have a member of the Yakuza to deal with. Ariyama knew Yaranagi wasn't the type of person to tattle to his parents about school life, but the teachers didn't know him as well, so they didn't want to take chances.

“So, Saato, is that really the only reason? Hmm..?”

Yaranagi smirked deviously. Ariyama could only guess what he was getting at.

“Seriously, Yasuke. That was the only reason.”

“Hm, if you say so. But I did have to go for a bathroom break a few minutes ago, and I just so happened to glance out the window. Guess who I saw? That's right, it was Ariyama Saato talking to the school babe, Matsune Sasya.”

Ariyama couldn't help the blush that formed on his face. It wasn't out of embarrassment, but rather out of frustration. Of course Yaranagi just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

“U-uh, so what if we were talking? I was already later than usual by that point, you know…”

“That so? Well, I didn't see you before that. For all I know, you two were talking for ages. For so long that you forgot the time and ended up just about making it to class.”

“OK, that's complete rubbish. It's a reach if nothing else. I'm telling you the truth. I arrived here with about ten minutes to spare, and just so happened to meet Matsune. We talked for a bit then I left.”

He couldn't help but get a little flustered and angry. He hated when people misunderstood him.

Yaranagi held up his hands defensively.

“OK, OK. No need to get all defensive, bro. But there's no need to deny the fact if you have feelings for her. We both know everyone does. I know I do.”

Ariyama raised a brow and leaned a little closer to him, a mild surprise etched onto his face.

“Well, I'm surprised you're so confident in telling me that. Most guys I know would at least keep it to themselves…”

Yaranagi just chuckled, his mouth spreading into a wide grin.

“Nah, when it comes to her, I'd never deny the fact I find her smoking hot. I dunno if I'd ever ask her out though. Probably not, since she's known for rejecting anyone and everyone. But I can still admire her from a distance.”

Yaranagi moved his gaze from Ariyama over to the other side of the classroom. Ariyama followed in the direction of his eyes, and saw the one and only Matsune, sitting in a perfect posture at her desk on the right side of the room, at least five girls and boys surrounding her, fighting each other over who got to talk to her first.

Ariyama whistled in fake surprise. It wasn't like seeing Matsune like this was anything special. Like seeing a bird fly or seeing the sun in the sky or seeing Yaranagi manage to break nearly every bit of classroom etiquette every single day.

“Oh wow, Matsune is getting fawned over? No way. I'm so shocked. Don't I look so shocked, Yasuke?”

Yaranagi grumbled and gave him a venomous glare. “Shut up. You really think you're cute, aren't you?”

Ariyama swallowed a little, his face heating up as he blushed softly. “I'm sorry.”

“And stop apologizing. You're acting like I'll beat you up for this or something.”

“Sorry– I mean, right…”

“But to be honest, if you weren't you, and you were someone else right now, I might just beat you up anyways.”

“Wow, Yasuke. It's not cool that you're so mean to nearly everyone who isn't me or your thug buddies.”

“You shouldn't be complaining. You're not the one at risk of being beaten up. Someone like Takemichi on the other hand…”

Yaranahi turned sharply to the boy wearing glasses at the seat right next to him, giving him a dangerous scowl. Takemichi Yuno squeaked in fear like a mouse and turned his attention back to his textbook. Yaranagi looked back at Ariyama with a chuckle and a grin, which was rewarded with a sigh of tiredness.

“Seriously, Yasuke? That poor guy–”

“Hey! There's nothing ‘poor’ about that snot-nosed idiot. I hear he's fairly well off, thanks to his daddy's money.”

Yaranagi suddenly grinned.

“Hey, kind of like me, but my dad's more influential than well-off. In that case…”

Yaranagi looked at Ariyama with a knowing, playful look in his eye. “Yeah, he's more like you, then.”

Ariyama just smiled, but internally he shivered, his hands subconsciously clenching tight like a vice on his lap. He hated when people brought up his wealth, even if it was what most people knew him for. Ariyama just had an anxious feeling and worried that one day someone would mention his family's wealth and then say, “Oh right, all that money you have is from your dad doing some shady stuff, huh rich kid? I guess I'll have to stop being your friend now. I don't want you helping me out with illegal money”.

Even just thinking of someone doing that, publicizing his most close-kept insecurity and leaving him at the will of the power of school society. He'd be demoted for sure, losing all those people he'd known over the past few years. Why else were they all so nice to him, only to ask for a bit of spare change nearly every time. They probably thought he hadn't caught on, but what was worse was that he had caught on, but did nothing about it.

That's why he needed that big opportunity.

If he could do something, of his own accord and without the help of anyone else, it would ensure that his classmates would stay friendly with him forever more. Because then it wouldn't matter if they figured out the truth, as Ariyama would be known for so much more than his money by then.

That's what he hoped, at least.

The idea itself didn't seem too challenging. Just do something that makes everyone think he's ‘cool’ and more than just a kid with some extra funds.

The problem was coming up with the action itself. What would be cool and flashy enough to show off his other talents? In fact, what even were his talents?

Ariyama wasn't good at sports like basketball. He could play a little piano, but he knew a piano solo wouldn't be big enough. It had to be something unbelievable, like saving someone's life from an out-of-control vehicle or stopping the school from exploding. But the chances of those scenarios happening were next to zero, so Ariyama had to think realistically.