The school bell rang, and classmates began packing their bags and leaving the classroom one by one.

Yueci Porcelain was also tidying her bag at her seat.

She double-knotted the plastic bag around the takeout box holding fried rice before placing it inside her backpack.

This was to prevent the container from opening and spilling during movement.

Cooking class had been the second period of the afternoon—over an hour ago—and the rice inside had already gone slightly cold.

*I’ll just pop it in the microwave when I get home.*

Yueci zipped up her backpack.

A cute little charm dangled from the zipper pull.

Hiru Kawakami stared at it for a few seconds, feeling it looked familiar.

Noticing Hiru’s gaze, Yueci unhooked the charm and held it out for her to see.

A tiny rabbit carved from eraser material clutched a carrot in its mouth.

“You gave this to me before.”

“I added a string to it.”

A thin white nylon cord was threaded through the rabbit’s back.

At this, Hiru’s cheeks flushed pink.

“I-I just made it casually…”

“It’s nothing presentable…”

“Why would Yueci-san… still hang it on her bag…”

Her shyness made her stutter.

Yueci let out a soft chuckle, the corners of her lips curling upward slightly.

Hiru stared blankly at her smile.

She was still wearing those thick black-rimmed glasses, still sporting that shamate hairstyle…

But perhaps from growing accustomed to it, Hiru began to think this look suited her well.

“If you think it’s not presentable,” Yueci said gently, “wouldn’t it be better hidden away privately?”

“After all, it carries your feelings.”

“This is the first gift you’ve ever given me, isn’t it?”

Yueci’s gaze was utterly sincere.

For a moment, Hiru didn’t know how to respond. She opened her mouth but no words came out.

Finally, she pressed her lips together, turned her face away awkwardly, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

*Why is my heart pounding so fast in my chest?*

Yueci stood up, ready to leave after packing her bag.

Hiru quickly followed suit.

Walking side by side toward the school gate, neither initiated conversation, yet neither felt any awkwardness.

The rabbit charm swayed gently beneath Yueci’s backpack with each step, looking rather endearing.

Not far behind them, Yasuyama Kazuko watched their retreating figures and snorted disdainfully.

She’d disliked this underclassman from the start. Today, seeing her get along well with Yukiho Doi only deepened her hatred.

She despised Yukiho Doi but didn’t dare provoke her.

Unlike Sato Yoko—a single-minded fool who’d sabotaged Yukiho’s leg before a dance competition—Yasuyama wasn’t reckless.

Even if Yukiho truly came from poverty, her enrollment at Light proved she had wealthy backing.

Yasuyama hadn’t spread the rumors herself. Instead, she’d whispered Yukiho’s background to a notoriously gossipy first-year teacher named Koishima Hidemi.

*She’ll blab it everywhere without pause.*

Besides, Yukiho Doi was clearly unhinged.

The gruesome memory of poor Sato Yoko’s death still haunted her.

If Yukiho snapped and came after *her*…

For many reasons, Yasuyama avoided crossing Yukiho.

Her malicious gaze settled on the two slender backs ahead.

Yueci Porcelain, however, was a bona fide scholarship student—penniless, with no one to turn to if wronged.

*Perfect target to vent my frustration.*

Yasuyama pulled a sharp pair of scissors from her bag.

Too many students lingered after school.

*Just snip that charm off. Let her suffer a little.*

Silently, she crept closer to Yueci.

Yueci sensed someone approaching but assumed it was just another student heading for the gate.

*Snip.*

The thin nylon cord snapped cleanly under the blades.

The sound vanished into the noisy after-school chaos.

Yueci frowned slightly, sensing something off. She glanced back.

Yasuyama stood there, hands shoved deep in her uniform pockets, face tense.

Catching Yueci’s stare, she glared back.

“What’re you looking at?”

Then she stiffly turned away and strode off in another direction.

Yueci’s brow furrowed thoughtfully.

Once far enough away, Yasuyama pulled out the rabbit charm.

*Almost got caught.*

If word spread to Xiao Qi through some big-mouthed classmate… that’d be troublesome.

*“Meow~”*

A crisp cat’s cry drew Yasuyama’s attention.

A sleek black cat of medium size had appeared on a nearby tree branch.

Seeing it, Yasuyama scowled in disgust.

She loathed cats.

Their presence always reminded her of Yukiho Doi’s striking feline eyes, stirring unease.

For some reason, Light’s campus always teemed with cats.

The school never bothered to deal with them, letting the strays roam freely.

Yasuyama shot the black cat a venomous look and turned to leave.

Suddenly—

The cat on the branch blurred into motion.

Before Yasuyama could react, it slammed into her.

Knocked off balance, she crashed to the ground.

The black cat snatched the rabbit eraser lying beside her hand.

With a nimble twist, it leaped onto the nearby pavement.

Yasuyama scrambled up and chased after it.

The cat ran swiftly despite the prize in its mouth.

The pursuit led straight to the school gate.

Spotting Yueci just outside the gate, Yasuyama froze—*that eraser wasn’t even hers!*

Hearing the commotion, Yueci turned curiously.

A jet-black cat darted toward her, something clamped in its jaws.

Behind it sprinted a familiar girl—Yasuyama Kazuko, the one she’d seen earlier?

Uncertain what was happening, Yueci almost decided to stay out of it.

But as the cat drew near, she recognized the object in its mouth.

Her calm shattered.

She checked her backpack zipper—empty.

Connecting the dots, she realized instantly: *Yasuyama stole my charm. The cat stole it from her.*

Seeing Yueci, Yasuyama stopped, a smirk of schadenfreude spreading across her face.

No time to deal with her now.

Yueci frowned at the fleeing cat and sprinted after it.

*That was Hiru’s gift. I can’t lose it.*

---

Koishima Hidemi stepped wearily out of the police headquarters.

Though security footage had indeed captured her encountering the deceased student last night, she’d proven her alibi solid.

*Damn them. So I didn’t help that student—why treat me like trash?*

Must she rescue every beggar who cried for help? Ridiculous.

Worse, Eiko Sakurai would surely keep her word.

A court summons would arrive soon. Another trip to the station loomed…

Since Detective Kato Eisuke had driven her here in his police car, she couldn’t drive back herself.

Fuming, she kicked the pavement and pulled out her leather wallet to check her cash.

But opening it, she froze.

All the bills were gone.

Only a slip of paper with printed letters remained—

**[I know who’s framing you.]**

On the back: an address.