Arisu Sakayanagi: Found You.

Pushing open the dormitory door, Shangguan Che threw himself onto the soft mattress and let out a long sigh: "Finally managed to muddle through. Today's ordeal was more exhausting than running an eight-hundred-meter dash."

He rubbed his temples, and just as he was about to get up to wash, his phone chimed. It was a message from Hirata.

[Shangguan, Class C dropped the complaint! Sudo-kun didn't receive any punishment at all. The information you provided was a huge help to Horikita-kun's plan!]

[I've been busy replying to messages from classmates, so I'm only telling you now. Sorry about that.]

Shangguan Che looked at the phone screen and couldn't help but smile.

Hirata really is a "crowd-pleaser." The girls in the class love going to him whenever they have issues. Is this the charm of a sunshine boy?

If it were him, he definitely wouldn't have that much patience. A clash of personalities is one thing, but the main thing is that he lacks that "helping others for no reason" mindset.

[It's fine, you've been busy too. Get some rest, we have class tomorrow.]

He replied quickly, knowing full well that Hirata had been running around like crazy these past few days for Sudo's sake. He would likely have to help Sudo and the others catch up on missed schoolwork next, so it was already impressive that he could squeeze out time to send a message.

A few seconds later, another message from Hirata popped up: [By the way, I didn't mention in the class group chat that you provided the information, nor did I tell Ayanokoji or Horikita that it came from you. Is that okay?]

Shangguan Che looked at this message, feeling a bit amused.

Why is Hirata's tone so cautious, as if he's afraid of making him angry? Aren't they close friends?

Actually, Shangguan Che hadn't asked Hirata to hide the source of the information initially, but he had his own considerations: first, with Sakura's report and the disciplinary hearing today, anyone with a sharp eye could see his information-gathering skills were extraordinary; it wasn't something he could hide even if he wanted to.

Second, he had read Ryuen Kakeru's file and knew that guy would definitely seek revenge after suffering a loss. With Hirata and Horikita being the "standouts" in the class, they would likely be targeted by Ryuen.

One is a classmate sitting at the next desk, the other is a trusted friend. I really can't bring myself to let them stand in front of me as shields. Shangguan Che muttered to himself, his fingers tapping rapidly on the screen: [Handling it that way is fine. If anyone asks, just say it was me. Don't explain anything else.]

After sending the message, he added: [We're friends, after all. No matter what you do, I won't be angry. Be bolder, be more confident. I'll help you.]

Hirata's reply came quickly: [Okay, thanks Shangguan! I'm going to get some rest now~]

[Bye.]

[See you tomorrow!]

Watching the chat interface change to "Read," Shangguan Che tossed his phone aside and rolled over.

He used his Clairvoyance to scan the school and saw that Mashima-sensei had already submitted Sakura's report. He finally felt at ease.

"Next, it's time for my entertainment!" Shangguan Che opened a game on his phone and began playing with great enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, in the Class A dormitory area, a "bickering match" was unfolding in Sakayanagi Arisu's room.

Kamuro Masumi stood in the center of the room, arms crossed, her face written with "defiance": "Who said I was eavesdropping! I was clearly following your instructions to keep an eye on that red-haired girl!"

Sakayanagi Arisu sat in her wheelchair, twirling a fountain pen in her hand, and said slowly: "Yes, yes, my little Masumi would never do something like eavesdropping."

"Why does your tone sound like you're teasing a dog?!" Kamuro bristled, reaching out to grab the pen from Sakayanagi's hand.

"Masumi." Sakayanagi called out softly, her tone carrying a hint of unquestionable authority.

Kamuro's movements froze, and she asked irritably: "What now?"

"Did you notice something strange?" Sakayanagi's gaze grew deep.

"What's strange?" Kamuro frowned, trying hard to recall everything she had heard outside the teachers' office that afternoon.

"Why did those two students from Class D go to our class's Mashima-sensei instead of reporting it to their own teacher, Chabashira-sensei?" Sakayanagi posed the question.

Kamuro retorted without even thinking: "What's strange about that? Mashima-sensei was the only one in the office at the time. They couldn't just hold it in, could they? You're not as smart as you think, not even thinking of that."

She had finally seized the chance to mock Sakayanagi, her eyes lighting up.

Sakayanagi didn't get angry; instead, she smiled: "Little Masumi, have you forgotten that we are in a period of class competition?"

"So what?" Kamuro still didn't understand.

"Put yourself in their shoes. If I dragged you to the office right now to report that you were secretly buying 'snacks' and hiding them in the dorm, would you want teachers from other classes to know about it?"

Sakayanagi coaxed her along, "We don't know the teachers from other classes at all. What if Mashima-sensei is a blabbermouth and spreads the news about Sakura being harassed to the whole school? What then?"

"Of course I wouldn't want that!" Kamuro blurted out, then froze, "When you put it that way, it does seem a bit strange..."

"A normal person wouldn't do that. Of course, with the exception of my Masumi." Taking advantage of Kamuro's daze, Sakayanagi reached out and rubbed her cheek, her tone doting, "Who told you to be so cute?"

"You!" Kamuro snapped back to reality, jumped back a step, and wiped her face in disgust, "Stop touching me!"

Sakayanagi just smiled and stopped teasing her: "Back to the point, that boy kept his head down the whole time he walked past you, right?"

"Yeah, so what?" Kamuro nodded.

"This matter was most likely orchestrated by him," Sakayanagi said slowly.

"Either he wants to use this harassment incident to become the only person that red-haired girl can rely on—after all, she seems very shy—or... they, like you, didn't consider the issue of class competition."

"That boy is too despicable! To actually exploit someone else's predicament!" Kamuro exploded instantly; she hated people who played "little tricks" the most.

Sakayanagi laughed inwardly.

Sure enough, Kamuro is still so easy to fool. She pacified her verbally: "Little Masumi just needs to believe in what she wants to believe."

"What now? Did I say something wrong?" Kamuro looked at her guardedly.

"No, just a passing thought." Sakayanagi put away her smile, a flicker of calculation in her eyes, "It's getting late, I should head back to my dorm."

Kamuro curled her lip. Although she was still a bit unwilling, she knew that if she kept talking, she would only be "played" by Sakayanagi, so she turned and left: "I really don't understand the minds of you people. Oh, I'm at my dorm now, goodbye!"

"Won't you come in and sit for a while?" Sakayanagi turned her body to the side, leaving space at the doorway.

"No!" Kamuro disappeared at the end of the corridor without even looking back.

Sakayanagi looked at the tightly closed door, a meaningful smile appearing on her face.

Although Kamuro was a bit impulsive, she had the advantage of being obedient, making her a very easy subordinate to control.

Leaning on her cane, she slowly walked to the desk, took her phone out of the drawer, and dialed a number saved as "Dad."

As soon as the call connected, a gentle male voice came through: "Arisu, do you miss Dad? Dad misses you too~"

"Dad, I miss you too." Sakayanagi's tone instantly became soft and sweet, though her eyes held a rare but genuine warmth. "But I have something important to tell you right now."

"Alright, go ahead, Dad is listening." The male voice immediately turned serious.

"Chairman, do you know about the harassment of the Class D students?" Sakayanagi got straight to the point.

"I just received the news. The suspect has already been identified; it's an employee from the Sakura Electronics store near the school." There was a hint of imperceptible coldness in the voice of Sakayanagi Narimori.

Daring to harass students at the school his daughter attended, and nearly being run into by Arisu—that guy was dead meat.

"He also stalked that red-haired girl," Sakayanagi added, feeling a sudden sense of clarity.

No wonder she had seen a suspicious dark figure behind the school building that day; it turned out to be this employee.

"Is there evidence?" Sakayanagi Narimori pressed.

"You can check the surveillance footage from the XXX intersection at the XXX time slot; it was captured very clearly there." Sakayanagi provided an address.

"Wait." The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds before the voice returned. "Found it. This guy did indeed stalk her. Arisu is truly amazing to have discovered such a hidden clue."

Sakayanagi smiled, her tone modest: "It's all thanks to you, Dad. I wasn't even sure at first."

"My Arisu is just being humble." Sakayanagi Narimori's tone was full of pride. "I'll deal with this employee tomorrow; he will never be allowed near the school again.

By the way, this time a Class D student discovered the school's oversight in hiring such a problematic individual as staff. The student who reported it must be rewarded. You also played a part, so Dad has prepared a gift for you."

"Dad must reward them fairly, okay?" Sakayanagi's voice was sweet, but she was calculating in her mind.

"Of course." Sakayanagi Narimori paused and added, "However, since the suspect was reported by a Class D student and there is a complete chain of evidence, the reward you can get might not be much."

"It's fine, I trust your judgment, Dad." Sakayanagi hung up the phone and tapped her fingers lightly on the desk.

For Class D to find evidence in such a short time, excluding Ayanokoji and Koenji, there was only that boy who knew the situation, Shangguan Che.

The person behind Hirata.

(Shangguan Che: A-choo!!)

"Shangguan Che..." She whispered the name, a flash of interest in her eyes. "The incident between him and Hirata has already spread to other classes over the past few days. So he was the boy who reported it along with Sakura. How interesting."

She turned her body to look at the night sky outside the window: "Next, perhaps I can have some real fun."

At this moment, Shangguan Che was still "battling" in his dorm room, completely unaware that he had been targeted by the "brains" of Class A.

He cleared the final level, stretched his arms wide, and tossed his phone aside: "Awesome! Time to sleep. I have to study with Hirata and the others tomorrow."