(2/3)
Yoko Okino had barely slept all night.
Her mi repying what had happened.
She never imagihat a man she had only dated for a single month in high school, someone she hadn't seen for over seven years would suddenly try tle her to death.
When she finished giviatement at the Metropolitan Police Department, she also learned why they had broken up all those years ago.
Ba high school, she had been scouted by aertai agency, which had immediately arranged for her training and preparation for debut.
At the time, her boyfriend had been seen as a liability.
So, without her knowledge, the agency had paid him off to leave her.
If she had found out back then, she probably would have been furious.
But after struggling in the idol industry for years, she had e to uand how the business worked.
For female idols, image was everything.
The industry favored pure, untarnished girls, those who seemed i and untouched.
No matter how talented someone was, ohey were beled as a "sdalous woman", their career would be permaly limited.
And oneoook that route, there was n back.
Looking at it from her current perspective, that retionship had been so short.
It hadn't even sted a full month.
And in high school, they had been too young and immature to have done anything serious.
Because of her own self-discipline, she hadn't made any mistakes that could e back to haunt her.
---
Now, she couldn't uand that man at all.
Even if her breakup had been arranged by her agency, he had accepted the money a.
It was just a one-month high school retionship that had ended over money.
So why was he ag like this now?
Was he pretending to be a heartbroken lover?
Or was this about money again?
Yoko Okino had no idea.
After all these years, the first thing he did when they met again was try to kill her.
She sighed.
"I should be thinking about how to thank that boy."
Dwelling on that man's twisted reasoning ointless.
She o focus on the person who had actually saved her.
---
If that boy hadn't stepped in st night, she might have ended up in the news.
And not in a good way.
If things had gone differently, every neer in the try would be running headlines about how she was murdered by her high school boyfriend.
The thought alone made her shudder.
She g the time.
She had been so shaken that she hadn't dared to go home, staying at the police station all night instead.
"8:23 AM."
"High school students should be in css by now."
"Well, I'll wait until the afternoon."
"I o properly thank him."
Teitan High School – Faculty Office
Meanwhile, at Teitan High School, Kaguya was discussing something with a teacher.
"You want to start an occult research club?"
The teacher was a little surprised by her sudden request.
"Yes."
"I, Sanzenin, and Saginomiya are all very ied in the occult. We frequently discuss reted topics."
Shinomiya.
Sanzenin.
Saginomiya.
That bination of names made the teacher break into a nervous sweat.
These girls weren't just students.
They were heiresses, the kind every teacher in the school had to be mindful of.
But if they only wao start a club, that erfectly reasonable.
"…Alright. There's no issue with your request. The club will be approved soon."
"Thank you, sensei."
Kaguya gave a polite bow.
Seeing that, the teacher visibly rexed.
Despite their status, these girls weren't difficult to deal with.
The club application was quickly submitted and just as quickly approved.
They were even given a spacious with great lighting to use as their clubroom.
---
The Occult Research Clubroom
By the time the clubroom was ready, it was fully furnished.
The setup was nothing like a normal .
It had elegant décor, and in the ter of the room was a massive U-shaped sofa.
Three rge bookshelves lihe walls, filled with manga, novels, and various reference books.
There was also a colle of fieas and teacups.
On the opposite side of the room stood a giant ft-s TV, with multiple gaming soles ly arranged below it.
Rather than a clubroom, this looked more like a high-eertai lounge.
sidering that Shinomiya and Sanzenin were behind it, it wasn't surprising that they had mao set this up in just one m.
"…This is a clubroom?"
Ran looked around, pletely stunned.
The size, yout, and atmosphere of the room felt out of p Teitan High School.
It was a far cry from the usual dingy clubrooms most students got.
"This doesn't feel like a club at all."
"That's normal."
Sonoko wasn't fazed at all.
"Shinomiya and Sanzenin both ied ian High School wheransferred here."
"With that kind of influe's only natural that the clubs they start wouldn't be treated like normal clubs."
"Besides, as club members, we now have a perfect excuse to take breaks from css."
"The reason? Club activities."
Club activities…
Ran's eyes widened in realization.
"Wait… the school actually lets you skip css because of this?"
Sonoko ughed.
"Sounds crazy, right?"
"Yeah."
"The school allowed it for two main reasons."
First, because Shinomiya and Sanzenin financially support Teitan High School.
And sed—
"All three of them are prodigies."
Ran was stunned.
"Sanzenin and Saginomiya both skipped grades at Hakuou Academy, which is ae school for nobility."
"The way they think is pletely different from normal people."
"Meanwhile, Shinomiya has been ranked sed in Shu Academy for two years in a row."
"These three are just… built different."
Ran slowly nodded, gng at the trio.
Kaguya had fwless etiquette and a anding presence.
Nagi and Isumi were petite in both age and stature but despite their size, their intelligence was undeniable.
Setting aside the mystery of the diary, these three were truly exceptional.
Thinking about it that way, it made sehat the school gave them so much freedom.
"They probably don't eveo worry about academics…"
Ran sighed.
Meanwhile, the only boy in the club, Ren looked geroubled.
Uhese overachievers, he wasn't particurly good at studying.
He didn't have some supernatural talent enius-level IQ.
So being surrounded by these academisters was giving him a headache.
"Pfft~"
Sonoko grinned, amused by his distress.
"Well, it 't be helped."
"If you fall behind, Amamiya, you'll just have to get Shinomiya, Sanzenin, inomiya to tutor you."
