Shuchiin Academy.Today was the opening ceremony.
"Looking up at the azure sky~""On that distant Mount Fuji's peak~"
A sleepy-eyed boy sang along from the rows of the auditorium.
When will Mount Fuji erupt?Hopefully in the next second.
Sakurai Saki wouldn't have minded if the world ended right then.He was severely sleep-deprived.
So much so, he'd considered quitting the Student Council.
"The deepest lake in Japan is Lake Tazawa, and the highest mountain is Mount Fuji."And if there's a list of the most sleep-deprived people in the country, I'd be top three—minimum.
Sakurai hated working. But he still did it.Handing out flyers in front of Shibuya's 109?Done that.Mascot costume in a theme park?Lived it.
Now, another job had been added to the list—tutoring a classmate.Nakano Miku's grades weren't just bad.They were catastrophically bad.
If Japan had a national ranking for fools, Miku might've taken the crown.Though… maybe her dad was giving too much money.
Sakurai blinked. Everyone was staring at him.
"Sakurai-kun, please come to the stage for your speech!"
On stage stood his homeroom teacher from Class 3-A, looking like he hadn't slept in centuries.
Obayashi Hikaru.Top-tier educator. Advanced placement classes.But he had a kidney-deficient aura that made students uneasy.
Sakurai stood and headed for the stage, hands empty.
The speech? Already memorized.Besides, he didn't care for this kind of thing.
Still, the formalities had to be handled.
That's all they were—formalities.
He had no love for "youth."High school was just a stepping stone to earn money in the future.
He stepped up with a smile as brilliant as morning sun.The hall quieted immediately.
"Hello, everyone at Shuchiin Academy. I'm Sakurai Saki, general affairs manager of the Student Council. Due to President Shirogane's illness, I'll be giving the senior class speech today…"
Below the stage.
Fujiwara Chika, with her light pink bob and wide-eyed charm, was silently counting on her fingers.
"What's up, Fujiwara-san?" asked the blonde girl beside her.
"I'm counting Sakurai-kun's tardies."
Hayasaka Ai glanced at the stage.
Sakurai Saki—third in the second-year academic rankings.Shirogane Miyuki was first, Shinomiya Kaguya second.
But Ai, as his occasional gaming partner, knew more.He could easily be first—if he studied more than two hours a day.
How could someone game every night and still outperform others?Did he have a 48-hour day?
"My total's three," Chika whispered. "Sakurai's at two. With this morning's, we're tied!"
Last year, he teased her every day. This year, she was determined to get even.
Ten minutes later.
Sakurai stepped down, nodded at the teachers, and returned to his seat.
"Hello, everyone, and welcome to Shuchiin Academy. I'm Adolphe Pescarolo, principal of this institution…"
As the principal droned on, Sakurai's mind drifted.
What would his ability be today?
Sakurai was a superpower user.More precisely—a random ability user.
Every morning at six, a new power awakened.Each lasted only for a day.
Known abilities so far:
Super Strength: Ten times the strength, one-third the speed.
Super Speed: Ten times the speed, one-third the strength.
Invisibility: Body disappears, clothes remain.
X-Ray Vision: Can see through walls and bodies—but not clothing.
Teleportation: Can teleport long-range, but only to unoccupied places.
Time Stop: Freezes the world, max duration: 24 hours.
Today's ability?Death Note.
Death Note: Write a name and any message containing the kanji for "death" (死) on paper. That person will die.If multiple names are written, the victim will be chosen at random.Side effect: User is forgotten by everyone for a day. This effect stacks.
Sakurai sighed.He had no intention of using it.
Too dangerous.And frankly, there wasn't anyone he hated enough to kill.
After the ceremony, Sakurai made his way toward the Student Council room.
"Good morning, Sakurai-kun."
Pushing open the door to the Student Council Room, Sakurai Saki nodded briefly at Vice President Kaguya Shinomiya, who was already seated, sipping tea with practiced elegance.
"Good morning, Shinomiya-san."
That was all. No warmth, no banter—just protocol.
Without another glance, he strode past her and settled into the president's chair. Kaguya, lounging on the sofa like an aristocrat surveying her domain, made no effort to respond beyond a curt nod. Neither of them minded the silence. It was familiar.
Their relationship wasn't hostile. Just... cold. Distant.Not the kind where casual conversation happened.If it weren't for Shirogane Miyuki's personal invitation, Sakurai wouldn't have set foot in the Student Council.
He and Shirogane were close—two transfer students who'd found solidarity in being outsiders.Kaguya, on the other hand, was Shuchiin royalty.Promoted from the middle school division, backed by the Shinomiya Zaibatsu, and wrapped in layers of tradition and expectation.
Their worlds rarely overlapped, and when they did, friction sparked.
Today, with Shirogane absent due to illness, Sakurai had volunteered to cover.Shirogane had stubbornly insisted on coming in, fever and all, but Sakurai couldn't let him push himself that far.Besides, club recruitment season was beginning.Someone had to handle the paperwork.
Concert Band. Table Tennis. Bowling. Baseball.He skimmed and signed each one, rhythmically processing the stacks.
Until one stopped him cold.
[Death Metal Club]
His hand froze above the page.He couldn't write that.
Not with today's ability.
If I so much as write "Death Metal" and a name in the same sentence…He pictured it vividly: students found dead with snapped guitar strings coiled around their necks, metal lyrics scrawled like curses on the walls.
Sakurai slowly put the pen down.
He stared at the form, weighing his options. Then, reluctantly, turned toward the one person he would've preferred to avoid.
"Shinomiya-san, could you take a look at this recruitment form?"
He tried to sound neutral.If anyone else had been in the room—Fujiwara, Ishigami, Shirogane—he'd have gladly asked them instead. Even Fujiwara, who turned everything into a competition, would have been less of a headache.
But it was just the two of them.
The heir to the Shinomiya empire—and the boy who could kill with a pen.
Kaguya didn't even glance his way at first.She sipped her tea with infuriating calm.
"President Shirogane entrusted this task to you," she replied coolly. "Please handle it yourself."
Her tone was arctic.She had entered Ice Kaguya mode.
Sakurai kept his expression polite.
"I'm not sure how to proceed," he said. "The Death Metal Club is asking for one of the prime booths at recruitment. It's a delicate call."
Kaguya finally looked at him—eyes sharp, mouth just barely curved.
"I assumed you were the type who could handle anything. Apparently not."She stood with fluid grace, setting her cup aside. "Let me see it."
I really can do anything, Sakurai thought wryly.Like killing your father and brother in a heartbeat. You should be grateful for my mercy, Shinomiya-san.
Of course, he said none of that.He only smiled.
"Thanks, Shinomiya-san. You've been a huge help."
He handed her the form, his grin dazzling, perfectly polite.
And utterly insincere.