The moment the second round ended——when Tanaka's eyes nearly met Ayane's through the elevator mirror, when he'd instinctively covered his face——not much time had passed since then. Back in Crescent Hall, Tanaka's ears were still warm. (Get it together. The game's not over yet.) He told himself this, moving back under the crescent-shaped chandelier. The ceiling light reflected off the glasses on the round table, scattering tiny particles of light across the venue. As participants returned to their seats, Manager Gotou took the microphone and stepped onto the stage. "[serious]Round three will be a tournament-style confrontation mission. First, we'll draw the pairings——" That's when it happened. The doors to Crescent Hall opened late. The sound seemed to stop for a moment. A single man walked in. A high-quality navy jacket. Black hair with just a few red streaks woven through the short cut. A refined face with a smile carved at the perfect angle. A small scar on his right cheek——but even that was positioned in an oddly photogenic way. Around 178 centimeters tall. Slightly taller than Tanaka. The man surveyed the venue and bowed deeply. "[gentle]Nice to meet you all. I'm Sakaki Ren. I apologize for being late——I'd be happy if we could all get along" That's when it happened. A sound. Crash. More precisely, three cups fell simultaneously. Then one female participant half-rose from her chair. Another dropped her smartphone on the floor. Every other female participant's gaze pointed in the same direction. Kotone whispered beside him, her expression grave. "[cold]……This isn't my premonition. This is real" In the corner of the venue, a man in black sunglasses——another participant——slumped his shoulders. "[sad]It's more effective than my hypnosis……Why……" Watching this unfold, Tanaka thought honestly. (What the hell is that spec……) He didn't want to admit it, but he had to. The destructive power was undeniable. Appearance, bearing, tone of voice. Everything aligned without a single flaw, as if calculated to perfection. ——In the next instant, something moved quietly in the depths of Tanaka's mind. As Ren surveyed the venue, his eyes moved across every participant for exactly 0.5 seconds each, evenly. Like taking inventory. And——the moment his gaze caught Tanaka, the movement of his eyes paused ever so slightly, and the corners of his eyes narrowed just a fraction. (This guy's acting.) He couldn't put it into words. But he was certain. A person whose smile is too perfect doesn't use a smile as an "expression"——they use it as a "tool." A natural smile doesn't hold this steady. But——if someone asked him to explain the basis for this to anyone, Tanaka couldn't do it. It was just a vague, bad feeling. That's all. Against the wall, Ayane observed Ren with an expressionless face. Ren's gaze shifted, meeting Ayane's eyes. And he offered her that perfect smile. Ayane's gaze wavered slightly away. A defensive reflex taken unconsciously by someone unfamiliar with people. Tanaka's brain registered the change, but he dismissed it as "probably nothing." --- Just as the pairing announcement was about to begin. A figure with a staff ID around their neck approached from the wings of the stage. Black hair neatly parted down the middle. A calm, dark brown gaze with a light smile. Tanaka froze. (……Yuusuke??) "[gentle]Hey, Shouta. Having fun?" He parted through the crowd with a casual gesture and approached with a wink. The laminated card hanging from his neck read "Assistant Director: Tanabe." "[angry]Fun? You're the one who invited me. Why are you on the staff side?" He asked in a low voice, but Yuusuke brushed it off coolly with a "come on now." He stepped forward to the stage and took the microphone from the director, who said, "Director Tanabe, if you would." Director. Tanaka's ears couldn't believe it. "[gentle]I'm Tanabe Yuusuke, director of the Tokyo branch of Links Circle, which is hosting the ninth Pairing Game. Thank you for being here" A light bow. Applause rose from the venue. Tanaka's mind went completely white. (I thought he was my friend……. I wasn't invited as a friend. I was invited by the organizer. That means……I'm a test subject.) As confusion piled up like sediment, the tournament bracket appeared on the screen. His gaze was drawn to it. Tanaka searched for his first-round match. He found it. "Tanaka Shouta vs. Sakaki Ren" "[surprised]Wait, that matchup in the first round!?" The words escaped him involuntarily. Several gazes turned his way. Embarrassing. But that wasn't the priority right now. "[gentle]It's the result of the lottery draw. Good luck, Shouta" Yuusuke smiled brightly and pointed at the screen. There was no malice in that smile. No malice——which made it all the more terrifying. Kotone whispered quietly beside him. "[cold]……A lottery, yet this pairing. Everyone saw who touched the lottery box last" No one spoke. But several gazes in the venue turned toward Yuusuke. Only Tanaka remained frozen, unable to think of anything else. --- In the central battle area of the venue. The round table had been pushed to the side, creating space for spectators. Participants naturally formed a circle. Tanaka and Ren stood facing each other. "[gentle]Tanaka, thank you for this match" Ren extended his hand. A handshake request. Tanaka reflexively reached out—— And stopped. For some reason, he pulled back a step before their hands could touch. It was unconscious. He didn't even understand why. Ren's eyes narrowed slightly. "[sarcastic]……Oh, did you not want to?" "[serious]No, my apologies" He hurriedly reached out again. Ren's palm was dry. Cold to the touch. That's all Tanaka could register. The match began. Ren stood directly in front of Tanaka, fixing his gaze straight ahead. Deep red eyes. A strong stare. This was the move aimed at complete hypnosis——the three-second eye contact that was the condition for his skill——but Tanaka didn't understand that. He just felt something unpleasant and naturally looked away. At his forehead. His shoulder. The knot of his necktie. Back to his forehead. Three seconds didn't pass. The artificial smile peeled away from Ren's expression for just an instant. "[cold]……That's rare" The truth leaked out. In the next moment, the smile was back, but Tanaka's brain had recorded that 0.2-second shift. Ren lowered his voice and switched tactics. "[serious]Can I ask you something? Tanaka, you haven't looked directly into my eyes once since we started, have you?" "[serious]……That's not really——" "[cold]You don't actually lack a skill——you're just running away from your own skill, aren't you? You know it yourself, so you can't face it directly" The words pierced something deep in his chest. (Am I……running away from my skill? But if I'm not even aware of it, how can I be running? And do I even have a skill in the first place? If I do, if I'm running——) Confusion filled his mind, and his gaze became unfocused. In that 0.8-second window. Ren captured Tanaka's eyes directly. "[cold]Kneel" ——Tanaka's knees buckled. He didn't do it himself. His body moved on its own. Before his will could catch up, both knees were on the stone floor. The watching participants stirred. "[surprised]……It worked" Kotone's voice was small. The sunglasses man bit his lip hard. Ayane started to rise from the wall——the motion stopped. Her expression didn't change, but her hands clenched. Ren crouched beside the kneeling Tanaka. In a voice only barely audible to the entire venue, he said quietly: "[whispers]Weak people should at least be aware of their own weakness" With that, he stood up. A triumphant smile on his face. The hypnosis broke. Tanaka tried to stand. His knees trembled violently. The gazes of those around him pierced him. (No excuse for this. Complete defeat.) "[serious]……I understand" That was all he could say. Embarrassment and anger and something he couldn't explain mixed together, hardening in his throat. When he looked up, Ayane was watching him. Her lips pressed into a straight line, just staring. Tanaka couldn't understand what that gaze meant. --- At the edge of the battle area, Tanaka was slumped. The trembling in his knees remained. The sensation of the stone floor lingered in his feet. Worst case scenario. Yuusuke approached, clipboard in hand. His face was calm, his manner as usual. "[gentle]Come on, cheer up, Shouta. Facing someone like that in the first round——anyone would struggle" "[sad]You're the one who invited me……" Yuusuke patted Tanaka's shoulder. The contact lasted about 0.3 seconds. "[gentle]The next round is a confession mission, so I think you'll have a chance" "[surprised]……A confession mission? I just got forced to my knees without a skill, remember?" "[gentle]They say life gets interesting when you're in a tight spot" He answered breezily and headed back to the stage. Watching his back, Tanaka thought vaguely. (Was Yuusuke always like this……) There was a small sense of dissonance in his mind. Something foggy, something he couldn't grasp. ——When Yuusuke had invited him, at first he'd really hated it. Five thousand yen to pay, it was out of place, he'd tried to refuse——that feeling. But when he tried to recall it now, the edges of the memory blurred. Wait, had he really hated it that much? Maybe he'd just thought, "Well, since Yuusuke invited me, I might as well come." That's how it went, right? Tanaka tilted his head and let it go in his mind with "whatever." There was no headache. He felt no contradiction. Just a thin fog spreading quietly, as if it had always been there. On the opposite side of the venue, Kotone narrowed her eyes, looking around. "[cold]……Just now, someone's memory was rewritten. But whose?" The man beside her——Kurokawa, a telekinesis user——answered with a somewhat pitying expression. "[gentle]Maybe your premonition was off again……?" "[angry]It wasn't!! This time I really felt it!! Not a premonition——my body sensed it!!" Kotone stood up and insisted passionately. Kurokawa nodded with a vague expression, "Ah……yes……" A small comedy was unfolding in one corner of the venue. But only the reader knew. Something significant had just happened. --- The results of the first tournament match were confirmed, and an announcement for the next round echoed through Crescent Hall. At that moment, Ren began walking through the venue. Where he was going became clear immediately. Toward Ayane against the wall. Tanaka, still dragging the tremor from his knees, watched from a distance. Ren stood in front of Ayane. This time he didn't use hypnosis——just a smile. But this man's smile was not "just" anything. A perfectly refined, gentle smile. "[gentle]Mizuki, would you be willing to pair with me for the next round?" Ayane's eyes flickered with confusion. She met Ren's smile head-on and fell silent. Tanaka started to stand. He was about to call out "Um……" when—— "[whispers]That guy without a skill is trying something again" "[whispers]He was on his knees just now……" Whispered voices pierced him. Tanaka's feet stopped. Ayane answered, her expression still confused. "[cold]……If the next round's rules involve a confession mission, there's a possibility I'll participate as a separate pair target. However——" It wasn't a clear refusal. Ren took a step back, still smiling, and said: "[gentle]That's fine. I just wanted to reach out" And then Ren naturally positioned himself beside Ayane. Tanaka received three things simultaneously. ①Yuusuke wasn't a friend——he was the organizer who'd invited him. ②Ren had forced him to his knees in front of everyone. ③Ayane was now standing beside Ren. (This is the worst……) But Tanaka's logic optimization didn't stop. As Ayane stood beside Ren, she glanced in his direction once. Their eyes almost met——then hers looked away. (Was that look of dislike? Confusion? Or is she avoiding me……?) The a