Kōenji & Mii chan SS: Invisible Thread

Before breaking away from his group, Kōenji had already checked Wang Mei-Yu’s location through GPS and moved ahead of her, positioning himself near the goal before she could arrive.

For a good while after, he simply leaned his back against the trunk of a massive tree, resting at his leisure until the echoing chatter of the Group 3 students drifted up to his ears.

Ever since this latest special exam had commenced, a single, specific detail had occupied a corner of Kōenji’s mind: the fact that Ayanokōji Kiyotaka and Wang Mei-Yu had been assigned to the exact same group.

Given the cutthroat parameters of this trial, a scenario engineered to force the expulsion of at least one individual, it was only logical that Ayanokōji would select a sacrificial lamb from within his immediate sphere of influence. In other words, from the ranks of Group 3.

Under such conditions, the possibility that one of the Class A students would be chosen could not be dismissed.

No— rather than a possibility, within Kōenji’s mind, it was but an absolute, hundred-percent certainty. The only remaining riddle was which of the four individuals would be the one to face the axe.

As he stood in the shadows, listening with nonchalance to the tense friction heating up between Ibuki, Kushida, and Shinohara, Kōenji’s grasp of the situation crystallized.

1

Assessing the chess board, he deduced that the probability of Wang being targeted was remarkably low. By all conventional logic, the safest, most trouble-free course of action would be to slip away undetected into the foliage.

But, this was Kōenji we were talking about.

Guided by an almost predatory instinct, he sensed that this precise moment called for an intentional, grand entrance.

Think of it as a silent, unspoken ultimatum.

If this little incident served as a catalyst for some anonymous player to start spinning malicious schemes, Kōenji would simply deliver a swift and appropriate retribution when the time came. After all, her existence could never truly be twisted into a vulnerability against him.

At the end of the day, everything he did was entirely for his own benefit.

“My, my. It appears that troublesome affair has finally come to an end.”

The moment the uproar simmered down to a quiet hum, Kōenji allowed his suppressed presence to bleed openly into the clearing, stepping forward to materialize directly before the startled members of Group 3.

1

“You appeared from a rather strange place. Don't tell me you were watching us?” Katsuragi asked, whirling around.

Kōenji casually brushed his golden hair back and flashed a fearless smile. “I simply thought it would be rude to interrupt, so I waited.”

In stark contrast to the suspicious Katsuragi, Ayanokōji's expression remained completely unchanged.

1

He merely stared at Koenji with cool, dispassionate eyes.

“You seem to be alone,” Katsuragi said. “Where are the rest of your group members?”

“I do prefer acting alone, you see,” Kōenji remarked. “I imagine it will still take them a little while to arrive.”

Concluding that lingering any further with the crowd was a waste of his valuable time, Kōenji marched forward, narrowing his focus entirely on the girl who was the sole purpose of his detour.

“My apologies, but I'd like you to listen to me for a moment. Do you mind?” he asked.

Without hesitation, he boldly took hold of Wang Mei-Yu's arm, guiding her a comfortable distance away.

“W-what is it?” Wang stammered.

“This is hardly the proper place. Let us take a short walk, shall we?”

He spoke with an airy indifference, completely unbothered by the fact that the nearby students could easily catch every word.

“Show me your smartwatch, if you please.” After shooting a brief, meaningful glance in Ayanokoji’s direction, Kōenji murmured so.

“Eh, umm? What do you mean?” Wang asked hesitantly.

“The number of tokens you currently possess,” Kōenji replied. “I wish to know exactly how many there are. Though, I suppose it's a different story entirely if you have a reason you cannot show me.”

“No, um, yes... that is fine, but…”

Thoroughly thrown off balance by his overwhelming rhythm, she complied nonetheless, twisting her wrist to display the glowing interface of her digital display.

“Hmm. It seems you have accumulated a solid number of tokens.” Kōenji said, looking at the smartwatch. “However, it is always best to be absolutely certain. Once we factor in the multiplier, this total still leaves you in the danger zone.”

Kōenji operated his own smartwatch and transferred 30 of the tokens he had earned to her, quickly taking care of what needed to be done.

“E-eeeh!? T-this many, eh!?” Wang gasped, shocked.

“It is nothing you need to worry about. Consider this an insurance policy from me. However, it would be quite problematic for me if you were to hand them over to anyone else, you see.”

Saying so, Koenji casually walked alongside her, crossing the goal to officially log their arrival.

“Umm... w-why did you give those tokens to me?” Wang finally asked. “And so many of them at that…”

“Despite appearances, I'm a man who values the debts he owes. The thread remains connected, you see.”

3

“A d-debt? ...Thread?” Koenji flashed a broad smirk at Wang, who tilted her head in utter confusion.