With just a single sentence, Hayama Hayato froze in place.
As soone born into an upper-middle-class family in Japan, he understood all too well the vast gap between his own household and the prestigious Yukinoshita family.
Sure, his father worked as a legal advisor for one of the Yukinoshita Group's subsidiary companies. But that title—"legal advisor"—could be removed at any mont with a single word from the higher-ups.
That fact wasn't sothing to be taken lightly. Even though Hayato had known the two Yukinoshita siblings since childhood, it only served to highlight the insurmountable distance between them.
"Yukinoshita Akira-san, we're classmates, aren't we? There's no need to take things this far," Hayato said with a stiff smile, trying to keep his composure.
By now, the classroom was starting to fill with students.
An open confrontation between Hayama Hayato and Miura Yumiko—the golden duo of the popular crowd—and Yukinoshita Akira, the untouchable, aloof boy, had naturally beco the center of attention.
No one dared intervene. Everyone just watched the unfolding drama in silence.
So students, victims of bullying from the popular clique in the past, couldn't hide their satisfaction at seeing Hayato and Yumiko under pressure for once.
"Hayama Hayato. Do you even realize the person you've been chasing and imitating all this ti… is soone you'll never even be able to reach? You're not even worthy of being noticed by them. Do you know why?"
"Wha… what are you talking about?"
"You really don't know? You should be the one who knows best, Hayama Hayato."
"I..."
"You can't even answer, huh? Then let remind you. The mont you chose to remain silent… to do nothing... That was the mont you lost all rights to approach her. If it weren't for your father's ties to the Yukinoshita Group, she probably would've treated you like a disposable toy by now."
Those words cut through Hayato like a blade straight to the chest.
Back in elentary school, he and Yukinoshita Yukino had once been in the sa class.
When Yukino was being bullied, he had tried—briefly—to help. But after failing, he backed away and chose to stay silent.
That regret had haunted him ever since. He often wondered: if he had stood his ground and protected Yukino back then… would she have beco soone else today?
"I... this… you..."
He couldn't even form a proper sentence anymore.
Akira's words had dismantled every wall he had built around himself—ripping open wounds he had tried to cover with a fake smile.
Miura Yumiko, on the other hand, looked completely lost. She hadn't witnessed that past and couldn't grasp the aning behind their exchange.
"Hayato, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Yumiko. Really."
"You sure…?"
"I said I'm fine."
Holding back the storm in his chest, Hayato clung to his image as "Hayama the golden boy." But to Akira, that mask was nothing short of disgusting.
With a cold, disdainful gaze, Akira turned away and walked past them without another word.
"Hey! Don't just walk away like that, you jerk!"
Miura Yumiko couldn't hold back and shouted.
"Won like you really get on my nerves. Keep pushing, and you'll have to face the consequences."
The air tensed instantly.
A crushing pressure suddenly descended upon Miura Yumiko.
Her arrogant expression froze. The look in her eyes, as she stared at Akira, had shifted—shaken, shocked… afraid.
Fear was a primal instinct. And Yumiko was no exception.
"You…"
"I truly don't understand what goes on in that brain of yours, girl. That guy is clearly using you as a shield, and you just walked right into it. Are you stupid… or just plain pathetic?"
"You're the pathetic one! Psycho!"
"Hmph… so you don't deny that Hayama is using you as a shield?"
"I…"
Yumiko went silent. Her gaze, involuntarily, drifted toward Hayato beside her.
But Hayato wasn't even looking at her.
Her chest suddenly felt hollow.
As the so-called "queen" of the popular group, Yumiko wasn't dumb.
Hayato's behavior—the way he never outright accepted her feelings but also never denied them, the way he let rumors circulate unchecked—all of it had been suspicious.
Never underestimate a woman's intuition. Beneath their romantic exterior lay an instinct sharp enough to sense emotional politics like characters in a palace drama.
"Let spell it out for you. From the beginning, Hayama Hayato never had feelings for you. There's soone else in his heart—but that person doesn't feel the sa way. You were just a convenient shield. Do you get it now?"
Akira leaned in, saying those words softly—so only the two of them could hear.
In that mont, Yumiko's entire world ca crashing down. Even their awkwardly close posture didn't faze her anymore.
And with that, the two central pillars of the popular clique—Hayama Hayato and Miura Yumiko—had both been utterly crushed by Yukinoshita Akira.
He returned to his seat, his presence radiating an overwhelming aura of dominance.
Every student stared at him with a mix of shock and awe.
That was Hayato and Yumiko… the absolute rulers of the class. And just like that, Akira had brought them down—effortlessly.
"Yukinoshita Akira… that guy's seriously terrifying."
Sitting in the far-right row, Hikigaya Hachiman muttered to himself, still processing what he had just witnessed.
Akira clearly existed on a level far beyond that of ordinary students like them.
Hayato and Yumiko, visibly shaken, slinked back to their seats.
But Yumiko's heart had already shifted. Doubt and disappointnt toward Hayato had begun to take root.
Without Hayato as its center of gravity, the once-dominant popular group started to wobble.
After all, Hayama had always been the glue that held them together.
Now that bond was cracking—and it would never be the sa again.
"Hayama-kun… Miura-san…"
Yuigahama Yui, a mber of the group herself, couldn't hide her unease.
She didn't want this to happen. Weren't they all friends? Why did it have to co to this?
Unfortunately, her feelings alone weren't enough to change anything.
"Yumiko, are you okay?" Ebina Hina asked gently as she approached her closest friend.
"I'm fine, Ebina. I just want to be alone for a bit."
"…Alright."
Hina let out a quiet sigh, her heart just as heavy.
She, too, was a part of the group—and like Hayato, she wore a social mask.
She had known for a long ti about the awkward tension between Yumiko and Hayato. But to maintain the group's harmony, she had kept silent, letting things play out.
And now… things had finally unraveled.
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