"If you're going to interpret my intentions as a signal that I'm trying to appeal to Katsuragi's Faction, why would I do something that could cause a misunderstanding?"
Kazehara Tetsu's gaze slid across her delicate face. "After all, I wouldn't want to upset my 'investor.'"
"Oh? So you rejected him for my sake?"
The conclusion seemed to please her.
Looking at her, Kazehara Tetsu suddenly smiled.
"Of course. I actually like your body more."
Sakayanagi Arisu remained perfectly calm in response to Kazehara Tetsu's flirtatious remark.
"Hehe... Classmate Kagihara, do you like using words to disguise your true thoughts?"
Her voice was even. "Using such a blunt, even vulgar desire as a smokescreen is certainly an effective way to mislead people. It makes most people focus on your frivolous exterior and overlook your real intentions beneath the surface. But that doesn't work on me."
She had dissected his sincere words with precision and without mercy, recasting them as a clever strategy.
Kazehara Tetsu slowly straightened and leaned against the bookshelf behind him, letting out a sigh.
"Sometimes the truth is harder to believe than a lie. It's an interesting paradox."
A trace of helplessness entered his voice. "Classmate Sakayanagi, can't I just be a shallow man who's simply after your beauty?"
"A shallow man wouldn't call himself shallow. I'm much more interested in your Academic Ability..."
Sakayanagi Arisu immediately steered the conversation back to what truly interested her. "When only a few people could answer even one or two Bonus Questions, you solved them all—and finished in an incredibly short time. Kazehara Tetsu, you've been hiding your true ability in Academic Ability. No... perhaps it's more accurate to say you've been hiding more than just that."
"Chess tests logic, calculation, and psychology. Exams test the accumulation and application of knowledge. You beat me on the chessboard, and I admit you were better. Now I'm curious to find out who has the advantage academically."
A flame called "competitiveness" burned in her eyes.
Ever since Kazehara Tetsu appeared, she had recognized someone as her "opponent" for the first time.
What she wanted was to achieve an absolute victory over him.
"So? Do you want to see who gets the higher score on the Midterm Exam, Classmate Sakayanagi? But just comparing scores would be too dull. We need something at stake to make it exciting, don't we?"
Kazehara Tetsu tossed the question back to her.
"Something at stake?"
The corner of Sakayanagi Arisu's mouth lifted slightly. She seemed to have expected him to say that. "Of course. If we're going to compete, the stakes can't be trivial."
Her expression turned serious.
"We'll use the combined scores for all subjects on this Midterm Exam. If my total is higher, Classmate Kagihara, you'll become my possession. Whether it's against Katsuragi or another class, you'll work to help me achieve my goals."
It was an exceptionally harsh condition.
That was her true aim: to turn this unpredictable variable into her Chess Piece.
Kazehara Tetsu's smile didn't fade. If anything, it grew brighter.
"What a... tempting offer."
"Becoming Her Highness's Exclusive Knight? That doesn't sound bad."
He took a step forward and bent down until his eyes were level with Sakayanagi Arisu's. The distance between them shrank once more.
"I accept your wager."
"But, Sakayanagi, a wager goes both ways. If there's a penalty for me losing, then there should naturally be a price for you... if you lose."
Sakayanagi Arisu met his gaze without flinching. "Naturally. If you win, I can give you all the Personal Points at my disposal, or grant you any one request within my power."
She offered a generous reward in terms of both material wealth and influence.
Kazehara Tetsu slowly shook his head.
"Points? I can earn those myself. A request? Too vague. I don't like that."
He stared into Sakayanagi Arisu's flawless face and named his stake.
"If my total is higher than yours, even by just one point, then from that day on, you, Sakayanagi Arisu..."
The corner of his mouth curled into an utterly wicked smile.
"...will be my girlfriend."
No evasion, no testing the waters—just the most direct declaration possible.
If Sakayo's proposed stake was control over his "abilities," then his was possession of her as a "person."
For a brief moment, the smile vanished from Sakayanagi Arisu's face.
She had imagined Kazehara Tetsu might propose all sorts of conditions: that she become his ally, that she make some kind of promise, or even something more outrageous.
But she hadn't expected the words "girlfriend."
The word felt completely out of place in their conversations until now.
Kazehara Tetsu had turned their contest into a war of conquest, a man against a woman.
The Reading Area was so quiet that even a pin could be heard dropping.
Sakayanagi Arisu didn't answer right away.
Her mind raced as she assessed everything that came with this wager.
Accept or refuse?
From a rational perspective, it was an extremely risky bet.
If she lost, she would lose her personal independence and autonomy.
But on the other hand... the very fact that Kazehara Tetsu had proposed this condition revealed his "desire."
He wanted her.
The feeling of being desired by a man she respected filled her with an unprecedented excitement, mixed with a thrilling sense of danger.
More importantly... would she lose?
In Academic Ability, the field where she was most confident, how could she possibly lose to anyone?
For her, this wager was an opportunity.
Not only could she bring Kazehara Tetsu completely to heel, but she could also crush his arrogant desire for her underfoot and make him understand who was truly in control.
The winner took all.
She would win.
After a long while, just as Kazehara Tetsu began to think she would refuse, a smile bloomed on Sakayanagi Arisu's face once more.
It was more beautiful than any smile before—and more dangerous, too.
"That's an interesting wager, Classmate Kagihara."
Her voice had returned to its usual composure.
"Since you have such high 'expectations' of me, it would be rather ungracious to refuse."
She raised her eyes, a glint in their violet depths.
"Fine."
"I accept the wager."
[ Ding ]
[ Mission: Defeat Sakayanagi Arisu on the Midterm Exam ]
[ Reward: 300 Points ]