The hot breeze of the sunny month of July was just beginning to settle in. Unexpectedly, all the members gathered at the clubhouse. Everyone inside the club office was in a gloomy state of thought and impatience to clarify how each member had bothered to gather. Such a thing only presaged two outcomes: either big news or the end of the world. The last time Glenn had set foot in a circle office was weeks ago.
In Tomoyuki and Ryou's mind, Glenn could only have come to the club for reasons of a new questionnaire or breaking news, but by his thoughtful look, no one could expect anything expected of the dark-eyed man, for such a thing could bring about change, say, the becoming of all the planets in the solar system in one orbit.
Yumiko hid her confusion under the guise of modesty, and wrote her homework on her notebook. Glenn, on the other hand, looked back from the blackboard to Ryou's lowered gaze and noticed the swarthy atmosphere around the boys sitting at the shared desk.
"Glenn-kun…" addressed Ryou with a quiver on his lips, and Tomoyuki swallowed his saliva in impatience. "How did you end up here, in the Literature Circle office?"
"Where else would I be?" didn't understand Glenn's seriousness.
"But you…" retorted Tomoyuki quietly and discreetly, "In the club office… with your foot…"
"What they mean is that you rarely show your face in the clubhouse," pronounced Yumiko, and Glenn glared in surprise.
"So that's what you mean," he laughed, covering his mouth, but the heat of anxiety around Tomoyuki and Ryou had not diminished.
"Why did you step foot in here?" Ryou's voice broke in with an important tone.
"Am I really not in the club that often?!"
The boys' and girls' stone faces instantly disappeared as Glenn closed the book he was holding with his hand. The book slammed down, leaving behind a disturbing ringing sound that left only the five schoolboys alone. Glenn's face changed to an important expression.
"I wanted to talk to you. We all turned eighteen here, didn't we?"
"Actually, I'm still seventeen," Tomoyuki objected embarrassedly, chuckling. "I'm the youngest among you."
"I'm seventeen, too," turned Akiko's moderate gaze, making Ryou twitch slightly. "Hayashi-kun… Didn't you know?" she stared worriedly, and lowered her eyes sadly.
"No, I just… I really didn't know you were a year younger than me."
"That's all right… Some people go to school early and others start late. There's nothing you can do about it," she declared, and her eyes sparkled with passionate embarrassment, as if playing with Ryou's instincts. "If you want… I can call you Sempai…"
"D-don't! That's too much. The difference between Tomoyuki-kun and me is nine months."
"So everyone else here is eighteen," Glenn ducked, and ran his sly eyes over Yumiko and Ryou. "It seems, Ryou-kun, you're a little younger than me."
"Why do you need such details?" pouted Akiko, stroking the tips of her long hair.
"I was beginning to wonder who was how old. Now let's get serious. About the incident with Yumiko-chan and Ryou-kun."
The environment around the guys froze, and their pupils dilated. Indeed, everyone had long wanted to have a conversation about this topic, for no one really knew where the false information that all the schoolchildren still believed had leaked out of.
"We're dealing with someone who wants to crush either Yumiko-chan or Ryou-kun."
Tomoyuki imperceptibly swallowed his saliva, and Yumiko couldn't believe what she heard. Ryou's gaze stiffened, and he himself began to silently ponder what the dark-eyed man had said, folding his fingers and putting them up to his nose.
Who could it have been, Ryou thought from the moment the girls started coming to him again. Who could have told them such nonsense? Who could have gotten such a thing into their heads? Who would… take an interest in his personal life?
"At first, I could barely control myself when I heard about the rumors," Glenn closed his eyes smilingly, making Tomoyuki increasingly uncomfortable with his words. "A certain individual at the school started a false rumor and escaped into obscurity. Who would have thought that it would be a couple who would come under fire, who were the talk of the whole school on the second day of education."
"There's nothing wrong with me," Yumiko put her left hand to the elbow of her right hand. "The important thing is that Hayashi-kun is once again being kept up. I'm sorry, Hayashi-kun," Yumiko's frail shoulders slumped, and the girl was covered in pity.
"I bet only a mouse with a lack of self-righteousness would go for such an act. I'll be sure to find that jerk," rattled Ryou with a sharp, snake-like stare. Tomoyuki found the sight of him creepy, and he became alarmed.
"Let's save the hate for later," Glenn flashed a smirk. "There have also been rumors that a certain Glenn and Ryou have become close friends with the bully brat Yamada. Yamada-kun seems to be very prominent at school. Now we don't have to worry about any need for help with physical power."
Tomoyuki didn't know that the boys had made contact with the beloved tough guy. Glenn broached the subject with Yamada with great gusto, thus making it clear that all it took was one flick and the school's chief bully would immediately come running to help his friends. Akiko's body grew hotter, realizing that Tomoyuki's plan had ended in failure in the end. Slightly glancing over at the young man, Akiko caught up with how creepy Tomoyuki's situation was. Glenn seemed intent on bringing Tomoyuki out into the open, and shaking all the self-serving powers out of him.
"Now to Ryou," the dark-eyed man added, staring thoughtfully at Ryou's notebook. "If we increase the density of rumors about the latter by getting close to Yamada-kun-all the girls will be chomping at the bit from the handsome man. We can also resort to another force, reducing Ryou-kun's influence among the girls. To do that, he can use Yamada as a defense against girls."
"In other words, either appear as a bully or gain influence among them."
"This way, we'll shoot two birds with one stone at a time: we'll get Ryou-kun and Yumiko-chan's peace of mind back, and increase the overall influence in the school. Isn't that a joy?"
The boy and the girl agreed to the dark-eyed man's words. Yumiko was pleased with Glenn's quick-wittedness and his sincere desire to help the boys of the club, albeit indirectly. The modest girl was glad to have such a trustworthy friend.
"Now, what I wanted to explain to you," Glenn transformed, lowering his tone and removing the slackness from his face. His monotone speech could only be used when it demanded proper attention, and everyone in the literary circle knew it. "Among us there is…" he added briskly, staring blankly at the flinching Tomoyuki with sharp and gloomy eyes.
Clearly, Glenn meant to say "traitor," but he was keenly playing with the young man's feelings, that he sat silently and could not open his mouth. Tomoyuki's eyes were confused in concern, and his downcast hands trembled. His ears groaned at the endless influx of Glenn's negative and judgmental rants, and his gaze cried out in fear of revealing himself. Sitting with her hair down, Akiko could do nothing to help the young man.
"The instigator," Glenn finished firmly.
"Among us?" misunderstood Ryou, to which the dark-eyed man comported himself and waved his hands.
"Wrong. I meant at our school."
The anxiety around Tomoyuki and Akiko subsided, but the boys were unwilling to lift their fearful eyes.
Yumiko had been quietly glaring at the two boys the whole time, who were hiding their moods. The girl guessed who Glenn's important talk meant, but she hoped her guesses were just nonsense. She wanted to believe in Akiko and Tomoyuki, who had become companions for her in a short time. Yumiko was silently worried about them.
"If at our school, how will we reveal this person's identity?"
"Alas, people are capable of changing their views to suit their positions. So, there's no way we can uncover the instigator. It's pointless for us to look for him, so we'll let it go."
"Do you really want to brush it off?" asked Ryou, frowning. "People like this are like a virus, spreading air from the outside and casually ruining people. We should get rid of the rat that brings disease into our midst."
"That's exactly why we won't do anything about it," Glenn grinned foxily to the side, as if to suggest that everything was under control. "This little rat will come running to us on his own, and he'll reveal himself, too. Ryou-kun, would you forgive the rat if he came up to you and sincerely apologized?"
"Just let him dare. I'll smash the hell out of him. Such things only bring pain."
Tomoyuki's lips quivered, at the same time showing gritted teeth. He was stumped.
"Now for the good stuff," Glenn cheered, making Ryou uncomfortable. "You guys are a little overthinking, aren't you? It's like there's a cloud over you."
After pausing for a moment, Glenn yawned with exhaustion. Yumiko noticed an exhaustion in his yawn that hadn't been seen in his face before.
"There's going to be a Fireworks Festival on July 7."
All the club members responded with surprise.
"Indeed, there's a festival in a few days," Ryou mused. "I've never seen fireworks in Tokyo before…"
"Since this is our last year of school, I'd like to have more highlights. We've all been in contact with each other since the beginning of the first trimester, and I'd like to invite you all to come to the festival with me. We can capture the evening ahead together."
Tomoyuki thought deeply. On the one hand, Glenn's goals might have seemed innocuous and the young man was only inviting his friends on a whim to spend time with them, but on the other hand Tomoyuki understood that in this way the dark-eyed man was determined to bring their relationship with each other closer and wipe his plans off the map.
"That's a great idea," Yumiko said, "I'd like to have more highlights with all of you, too. But to tell you the truth, I've rarely been there, because I hardly ever leave the house."
Akiko still looked at Yumiko with the same hateful, routine look on her face. Tomoyuki nodded optimistically. The young man contemplated creating something, but already in the direction of the nasty Akiko.
"This is the perfect time," winked Tomoyuki. "We can enjoy the Fireworks Festival to the fullest."
Ryou agreed and announced that he would go with them to the festival. Akiko agreed, too.
"Great," Glenn reasoned with a kind smile. "We'll discuss the details in general chat. We won't likely make it before recess."
The teenagers began packing their things and putting stationery in their bags and briefcases. Akiko thought that this would be the best moment to get closer to Ryou, and there was no way she could miss this chance.