Absolute Victory?

"Indeed, as you said, in the face of past exam papers, the two of us can easily get perfect scores. On points, we've tied. By conventional logic, this bet should end in a nullification."

"But..." His tone shifted.

"'A tie' often means 'a double loss.' I don't like losing, and I think Classmate Sakayanagi feels the same."

His twisted logic successfully piqued Sakayanagi Arisu's curiosity.

She didn't speak, only quietly watched him, waiting for him to continue.

"So, I have a new proposal. One that can turn this bet with no winner into a 'win-win' situation."

"A win-win?" Sakayanagi Arisu's brow arched slightly.

"That's right."

Kazehara Tetsu spread his hands, his posture relaxed. "What was the content of our bet? If I lose, I become your subordinate and serve you. If you lose, you become my girlfriend. Right?"

"Now, the situation is that we'll both likely get perfect scores—a 'tie.' Since it's a tie, why don't we just take what we each need?"

He leaned forward, closing in on Sakayanagi Arisu, lowering his voice until his warm breath nearly brushed her earlobe.

"I work for you. And you become my girlfriend. See, that way, both of our goals are achieved, and no one loses. Isn't that the perfect 'win-win' scenario?"

Sakayanagi Arisu was amused into a laugh by his shameless reasoning.

"Classmate Kagihara, the thickness of your skin truly leaves an impression on me."

Her voice carried a mocking edge. "Dressing up your own desires as a 'win-win' proposal—you're a natural-born swindler."

"I'm just stating a possibility that benefits us both." The smile on Kazehara Tetsu's face didn't waver.

"Then, I reject that 'possibility' right now."

Sakayanagi Arisu said without hesitation. "The game must have a winner. A tie is the outcome I can least accept."

Kazehara Tetsu looked at her purple eyes, burning with the fire of competition and brooking no argument, and his smile slowly faded.

He understood that any attempt to blur the bet's outcome through verbal tricks wouldn't work with this woman.

What she wanted wasn't the result itself, but the indisputable sense of superiority that came from utterly crushing her opponent in the process of reaching it.

"I understand."

Kazehara Tetsu slowly straightened up, his expression returning to its usual calm. "It seems I underestimated Classmate Sakayanagi's obsession with 'victory.' In that case, let's stick to our original agreement."

He turned around and stood shoulder to shoulder with her again.

The corner of Sakayanagi Arisu's mouth finally curled back into a satisfied arc.

This was the duel she wanted.

Not some ambiguous "win-win," but a true battle where everything was on the line.

"But, Sakayanagi..."

Kazehara Tetsu's voice rang out again. He didn't look at her, speaking as if to himself. "Even though the rules are set, I still have to remind you of one thing."

"This victory will belong to me."

His words were less a declaration and more a statement.

A dispassionate statement of an established fact.

Sakayanagi Arisu let out a light laugh, crisp as shattering ice.

"Is that so? Then I'll be watching closely, Classmate Kagihara."

Her tone brimmed with absolute confidence. "I'm looking forward to seeing the expression on your face when the results are announced."

She said no more, gripped her cane, turned, and walked toward the rooftop door.

Kazehara Tetsu stood still in place, not moving, until the iron door leading to the stairwell slowly closed in front of him.

The calm on his face was finally replaced by a playful smile.

"My expression, huh... I'm afraid it'll disappoint you quite a bit."

In the time that followed, the midterm exams proceeded as scheduled.

Each exam felt like a copy of the last.

The Class A students walked into the exam hall, transcribed the answers they had long since memorized onto the test papers, and then waited, bored, for the bell signaling the end of the exam.

Finally, the long exams were over.

When the bell for the last subject rang, the classroom erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

It was a heartfelt joy, the relief of being freed from monotonous labor.

Students poured out of the classroom in twos and threes, discussing their weekend entertainment plans.

Sakayanagi Arisu packed up her things and walked unhurriedly toward the door.

As she passed Kazehara Tetsu's seat, her footsteps paused.

Kazehara Tetsu was leaning back in his chair, staring out the window, as if oblivious to the noise around him.

"The exams are over, Classmate Kagihara." Her voice rang out, pulling Kazehara Tetsu's attention back.

Kazehara Tetsu turned his head, looked at her, and a relaxed smile spread across his face. "Yeah, it's over. A pastime that wasn't particularly interesting."

"For me, it was quite interesting. Especially when I think about the results to come—it only gets more intriguing."

The corner of Sakayanagi Arisu's mouth curled into a confident smile. "I can't wait to see the report card, and then... exercise my rights as the victor."

Her words drew curious glances from a few people nearby.

"Is that so?"

Kazehara Tetsu's expression didn't change at all. He even yawned. "Classmate Sakayanagi is so sure she's the victor?"

"Otherwise? Does Kazehara-kun think that in this exam, which was practically open-book, your score could be higher than mine, when I've perfectly memorized every answer?" Sakayanagi Arisu asked back.

Her logic was flawless.

With a perfect score as the ceiling, the two could at most tie, and a tie—given her earlier refusal—was no longer an option.

From a mathematical probability standpoint, she stood undefeated.

"Who knows?"

Kazehara Tetsu shrugged, his tone so light it bordered on provocation. "Maybe some miracle will happen."

"Miracles are words the weak use to comfort themselves. The truly strong only believe in the power in their own hands."

"Then let's wait together for the results to be announced."

Sakayanagi Arisu gave him a long, hard look, then turned and left the classroom.

She had absolute confidence.

For every subject, she had conducted the most rigorous checks.

A perfect score was the only possibility.

And Kazehara Tetsu, no matter how much he bluffed, could never get a score higher than "perfect."

From the moment he released the past papers to the whole class, this bet had already sealed his defeat.

So Sakayanagi Arisu simply couldn't understand.

Where did that baseless, almost foolish confidence of Kazehara Tetsu come from?

She walked out of the teaching building. The afternoon sun was a little dazzling.

She squinted slightly, but in her mind, Kazehara Tetsu's last words kept echoing.

"Then let's wait together for the results to be announced."