After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

Old school building, Disciplinary Committee office.

Kagura Hikaru sat at the desk flipping through a photo album with a thick black cover, next to which rested an empty lunchbox.

At Yuqiu High School, portrait photos were taken for all students upon admission, entered into the system, and compiled into a photo album of student profiles for each year, becoming part of the school's history.

Copies of these albums were kept in the Student Council room and the school library's storage. What Kagura Hikaru was looking at was one such set, taken from this year's freshmen to seniors, three volumes of Yuqiu High School student albums, which he had obtained through the help of the Discipline Committee member from the library storage.

As for what he was doing, it was needless to say, he was clearly searching for the three male students who had extorted Ruzaki Mami.

As long as they were students at Yuqiu High School, they would definitely be found in the album.

Kagura Hikaru checked each page carefully, not missing a single photo of any male student.

Although a bit troublesome, this approach was more efficient than wandering around the school looking for people.

This was the advantage of seeking help from the Disciplinary Committee.

"Did you find them?"

Ayakoji Chiyoko had appeared behind him at some point, bringing over a chair to sit down with her back to the table, her right leg draped over her left, and one arm curved on the table, adopting a relaxed posture, she turned her head to gaze at Kagura Hikaru beside her.

Kagura Hikaru closed the album, "Yes, I found them."

"So?" Ayakoji Chiyoko watched him with eyes like a cat's.

Those eyes seemed to say, "Don't make too much noise later when I'm choking you if you don't tell me now."

"Sorry, this time it's a personal matter." Kagura Hikaru stacked the three albums neatly, pushed back his chair, and stood up, "Thank you for your assistance, President Ayakoji."

"Sure, no big deal."

Kagura Hikaru had expected her to press on and had already thought about what to say next. But Ayakoji Chiyoko did not do so; instead, she waved her hand casually, "Come to me whenever you need something."

"...Thank you."

Having said that, Kagura Hikaru left the Disciplinary Committee's office.

He didn't expect Ayakoji Chiyoko to be so easy to talk to, which was beyond his expectations, but perhaps not so surprising.

Not long after Kiryu Hina had made a stance on his behalf, Kagura Hikaru had been automatically classified as an ally by the Disciplinary Committee, in the eyes of Ayakoji Chiyoko.

As a comrade, looking up some information was a small matter which she naturally had no reason to refuse.

The longer he knew her, the less he felt that Ayakoji Chiyoko was apathetic. To outsiders, she may appear that way, but to her own people, she proved to be empathetic and understanding—of course, only to those she found useful.

The initial impression of her as an ice queen had been blown away; now, in Kagura Hikaru's mind, she was like a gang leader with a tattooed arm, leading a gang.

A bit fierce, prone to stabbing people, but seemingly harmless once you learned what she liked.

—The above is Kagura Hikaru's delusional arrogance.

After he had left, Ayakoji Chiyoko gestured for a Disciplinary Committee member to come over.

"President, what can I do for you?"

Ayakoji Chiyoko spoke with a tilt of her head, "Follow Kagura Hikaru and find out what he's doing. Report back to me."

"Yes, President."

Dismissing her subordinate, Ayakoji Chiyoko casually picked up her phone to check the recent status of the Society Discussion Meeting and the News Department. Her beautiful thumb glided over the smooth and cold glass screen. She propped her cheek in her hand and squinted her eyes, pondering something.

That look became increasingly similar to that of a Demon Fox wearing human skin—chilling and insidious.

The fact that Kagura Hikaru had something he wished to hide from her made her quite displeased.

Despite the calm façade, deep down she had already stripped Kagura Hikaru naked, tied up his hands and feet, stuffed an apple in his mouth, and was roasting him over a fire, like a suckling pig.

Ayakoji Chiyoko had always disliked it when those around her kept secrets from her, especially the closer they were.

Call her paranoid or neurotic, but once she smelled a rat, she would stop at nothing to probe until she got to the bottom of it, somewhat like an obsessive compulsive disorder.

This peculiar thirst for knowledge was what led her to her current accomplishments and breadth of knowledge, but the downside was that she struggled to make friends.

Everyone has one or two secrets absolutely meant to be kept from others, and most people tacitly agree not to probe too deeply, but Ayakoji Chiyoko would try every means to dig them all out.

Even after uncovering secrets, she wouldn't make them public or anything; she simply believed that knowing them made her feel more secure.

However, for those on the receiving end of her excavation, it was exceedingly fucked up.

The current Kagura Hikaru had unintentionally triggered someone's danger switch and was soon to be the unfortunate victim...

Blissfully unaware of what was about to befall him and mistakenly thinking Ayakoji Chiyoko was an easy-going boss, Kagura Hikaru headed straight for the third-grade classroom after school at 3:30 PM.

Takayama Kenta, third-grade class A; Tachibana Kanichi, third-grade class C; Koyama Rikiya, third-grade class C—the threesome involved in extorting Ruzaki Mami were these three individuals.

He didn't know in whose hands the photo was, but no matter, with "mind-reading," it would be an open book.

Sometimes even Kagura Hikaru felt like a monster hidden among the crowd, arbitrarily peering into people's hearts and picking his prey.

Fortunately, he had enough self-control to use this power for good.

When he arrived at the floor where the third-grade classrooms were located, Kagura Hikaru already had a plan in mind.

He would pretend to be Ruzaki Mami's cousin, entrusted by her to negotiate with the extortionist trio; they, relying on their greater numbers and feeling fearless, would unquestionably agree and lead him to a secluded place.

At that point, they would no longer have the freedom to act wild.

Kagura Hikaru would use both force and mind-reading to make them reveal the hiding places of the photo evidence and delete them one by one, then through a combination of beating and psychological torment, provide a forceful deterrence to make them think twice before coming into contact with Ruzaki Mami again.

This was not the form of law enforcement society advocated, but he was convinced that some bastards just can't understand reason until they have felt pain.

Kagura Hikaru had thought through his plan meticulously, but before he could initiate the first step, something went wrong.

He hadn't arrived late since the third-grade classrooms were located right above the first grade, and he successfully intercepted the targets before they left school.

Yet, when their eyes met, the expected exchange of "What are you looking at?" "What's it to you?" did not happen.

Instead, it was: "Shit, it's that guy!" "Run!"

Seeing Kagura Hikaru, the three third-grade delinquents—Takayama Kenta, Tachibana Kanichi, and Koyama Rikiya—showed expressions of shock and without a word, pushed through the crowd and fled.

Watching their figures about to disappear, Kagura Hikaru could only momentarily set aside the questions in his mind and chase after them.

He didn't even have time to use mind-reading at this moment because his ability had a weakness: it was difficult to focus in noisy crowds, let alone when the targets were far away.

With stairwells located on both sides of the classroom corridors, this meant that one could also descend from the other side.

Kagura Hikaru subconsciously felt that they might slip away.

As he was chasing after them, thinking hurriedly, just as he rushed past one student, another male student stepped in front of him, and Kagura Hikaru, caught unaware, collided with him.

Both took a step back and halted in their tracks.

The male student he bumped into raised his head; it was Ando Naoto, the vice president of the Student Council, whom he had seen before. Ando looked at him in surprise and said, "You are, Classmate Kagura? Why are you in the third-grade corridor?"

However, Kagura did not respond to him and instead looked over his shoulder towards the distance.

The three target individuals had by now rushed down the stairs without looking back, vanishing completely.