if I find out anything…for a low, low price.>
{If only the police would catch this guy already…}
{It would make things so much clearer and help us avoid fighting with the Yellow Scarves…}
{Well…I won’t let it happen.}
{Even still…I won’t let it happen.}
{Nice talking to you.}
—KANRA HAS LEFT THE CHAT—
{And now…}
—TAROU HAS LEFT THE CHAT—
—THE CHAT ROOM IS CURRENTLY EMPTY—
—THE CHAT ROOM IS CURRENTLY EMPTY—
—THE CHAT ROOM IS CURRENTLY EMPTY—
Chapter 3: Why…?
Raira Academy, near the front gate
Raira Academy was a private high school located fairly close to Ikebukuro Station.
Though it was a private school, its scholastic rank and tuition were only average, which, combined with its proximity to downtown, made it quite a popular school to attend. Parents typically expressed resistance, but for students coming from distant regions, it held a distinct, powerful allure.
And like any other school, it served as a meeting place for students of all different types, facilitating the creation of groups of like-minded teens, and occasionally very
unlikely
combinations as well.
After the closing bell dismissed the student populace, these little groups of varied friends gathered and dispersed to their own destinations.
“So I was wondering,” the boy said, straight-faced, in the sunset light that flooded the campus, “what makes you so cute and sexy, Anri?”
The boy and girl listening to him instantly gave their typical reactions.
The bespectacled girl blushed in consternation and mumbled, “Uh…what?”
While the reserved-looking boy shook his head in disappointment. “Not sexy… You shouldn’t say that, Masaomi.”
Masaomi, who was recognizable by his brown hair and earrings, grinned impishly. “Ahh, I see… So Mikado admits that she’s cute, even if he doesn’t think she’s sexy!”
“Wha…? Uh, no. I mean…”
“No? So you’re saying she’s not cute to begin with?”
“No, that’s not what I—! Y-yes, she’s cute!”
The girl’s face got redder and redder.
“Okay, so you will admit she’s cute… But what I’m saying is, she’s not just cute, but really sexy, and that’s what makes her a total babe. So by viewing her as a sex symbol where you don’t, I understand her more…which means I love her more! And therefore, I win!”
“Hey, who made you judge of that?!” protested his childhood friend, Mikado Ryuugamine. Masaomi side-eyed him and turned to the girl, Anri Sonohara, who was looking flustered between the two boys.
“Well, anyhoo, I’m glad that Anri’s fully recovered from her injuries.”
“Yes, that’s a very good thing!”
“Uh, um…thank you, both of you…”
Prompted by the boys’ smiles, Anri clumsily put on the best grin she could manage.
Mikado Ryuugamine.
Masaomi Kida.
Anri Sonohara.
It was the trio that perhaps most powerfully exuded an aura of “closeness” to other students at Raira Academy. In terms of romantic couples, Seiji Yagiri and Mika Harima in Class A were most famous, but the peaceful romantic triangle between these three was so well-known that some even took bets on which of the two boys Anri would end up with.
Mikado Ryuugamine was a reserved, proper boy. His hair was as black as it was when he was born, he didn’t have any piercings or