Sakayanagi: I Found You.

Shangguan Che pushed open the dorm room door and flopped onto the soft mattress, letting out a long sigh. "I finally got through that without a hitch. Today was more exhausting than running the 800 meters."

He rubbed his temples and was just about to get up and wash when his phone chimed. Hirata had sent him a message.

[Shangguan, Class C dropped the complaint! Sudo won't be punished at all. The information you gave us really helped Horikita's plan!]

[I was busy replying to messages from everyone in class, so I'm only telling you now. Sorry!]

Shangguan Che looked at his phone screen and couldn't help smiling.

Hirata really was a "heartthrob." The girls in class always went to him with their problems. Was that the charm of a sunny guy?

If it were him, he definitely couldn't be that patient. Part of it was that their personalities didn't match, but mostly, he just didn't have the mindset to "help people for no reason."

[It's fine. You've been busy too. Get some rest. We have class tomorrow.]

He replied quickly, knowing that Hirata had been run off his feet dealing with Sudo's situation these past few days. Next, he'd probably have to help Sudo and the others catch up on their missed lessons, so finding the time to message him at all was no small feat.

A few seconds later, another message from Hirata popped up: [By the way, I didn't mention in the class group chat that you gave me the information, and I didn't tell Ayanokoji or Horikita that it came from you. Is that okay?]

Shangguan Che looked at the message, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

Why was Hirata being so cautious, as if he were afraid of making him angry? Weren't they close friends?

Actually, Shangguan Che had his reasons for not asking Hirata to keep the source of the information secret. First, anyone with eyes could tell from Sakura's report and the hearing today that his information-gathering skills were out of the ordinary. There was no point trying to hide it.

Second, he'd read Ryuen Kakeru's file and knew that Ryuen would come looking for payback after taking a loss. Hirata and Horikita were both "showy" figures in class, so Ryuen would probably target them.

"One's the girl who sits next to me, and the other's a close friend. I can't exactly make them stand in front of me and take the hit." Shangguan Che muttered as his fingers flew over the screen. [Just handle it that way. If anyone asks, tell them I gave it to you. You don't need to explain anything else.]

After sending the message, he added: [We're friends. I won't get mad no matter what you do, so be bold and confident. I'll help you.]

Hirata replied almost immediately: [Okay, thanks, Shangguan! I'm going to get some rest now~]

[Bye.]

[See you tomorrow!]

When the chat showed "Read," Shangguan Che tossed his phone aside and rolled over.

He used Clairvoyance to check on the school and saw that Mashima-sensei had already submitted Sakura's report. At last, he could relax.

"Now it's time for me to have some fun!" Shangguan Che opened a game on his phone and started playing, eager to get going.

Meanwhile, in the Class A dormitory, a "war of words" was underway in Sakayanagi Arisu's room.

Kamuro Masumi stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed, looking thoroughly indignant. "Don't call it eavesdropping! I was just keeping an eye on that red-haired girl like you told me to!"

Sakayanagi Arisu sat in her wheelchair, idly turning a pen in her hand. "Yes, yes. My little Masumi would never eavesdrop."

"Why are you talking to me like I'm a dog?!" Kamuro bristled and reached for the pen in Sakayanagi's hand.

"Masumi." Sakayanagi called her softly, with a hint of unquestionable authority in her voice.

Kamuro froze, then asked irritably, "What now?"

"Did you notice anything strange?" Sakayanagi's gaze turned thoughtful.

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

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

Kamuro immediately objected. "What's strange about that? Mashima-sensei was the only one in the office at the time. They couldn't just hold back their report, could they? You're not so clever after all, if you couldn't figure that out."

At last, she'd found a chance to make fun of Sakayanagi, and her eyes lit up.

Sakayanagi didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled. "Little Masumi, did you forget that we're in the middle of class competition?"

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

"Put yourself in their shoes. If I dragged you to the office right now and reported that you'd secretly bought snacks and hidden them in your dorm, would you want a teacher from another class to find out?"

Sakayanagi patiently led her through it. "We don't know the teachers from the other classes at all. What if Mashima-sensei had a big mouth and spread word of Sakura being harassed throughout the school? What then?"

"Of course I wouldn't want that!" Kamuro blurted out, then paused. "Now that you mention it, it is kind of strange..."

"Most people wouldn't do that. Of course, my Masumi is an exception." While Kamuro was distracted, Sakayanagi reached out and rubbed her cheek, her voice fond. "You're just so cute."

"You!" Kamuro realized what had happened and jumped back, wiping her cheek in disgust. "Stop putting your hands all over me!"

Sakayanagi only smiled and stopped teasing her. "Back to the point. That boy kept his head down when he passed you, right?"

"Yeah. Why?" Kamuro nodded.

"He was most likely behind the whole thing." Sakayanagi spoke unhurriedly.

"Either he wanted to use the harassment incident to become the red-haired girl's only support—she looks so timid, after all—or... the two of them, like you, didn't consider how it would affect the class competition."

"That boy is awful! Using someone else's predicament like that!" Kamuro exploded. She hated people who "played clever little games."

Sakayanagi laughed to herself.

Just as she thought, Kamuro was still so easy to fool. But aloud, she soothed her. "Little Masumi only needs to believe what she wants to believe."

"What now? Was I wrong?" Kamuro looked at her warily.

"No, I was just saying." Sakayanagi's smile faded, and a calculating gleam flashed in her eyes. "It's getting late. I should head back to my dorm."

Kamuro pursed her lips. She was still a little reluctant to leave, but knew that if they kept talking, Sakayanagi would only "play her" again. She turned and headed out. "I'll never understand how you people think. My dorm's right here anyway. See you!"

"Won't you come in for a while?" Sakayanagi turned sideways, leaving room by the door.

"No!" Kamuro disappeared down the hallway without looking back.

Sakayanagi watched the closed door, a meaningful smile on her face.

Kamuro could be impulsive, but she was obedient, which made her easy to control.

Leaning on her cane, she slowly made her way to the desk. She took her phone from a drawer and called a number saved as "Dad."

As soon as the call connected, a gentle male voice came through. "Arisu, did you miss Dad? Dad missed you too~"

"Dad, I missed you too." Sakayanagi's voice instantly turned sweet and soft, and a rare but genuine warmth entered her eyes. "But I have something important to tell you."

"Of course. Go ahead. I'm listening." The man's voice immediately turned serious.

"Chairman, have you heard about the student from Class D who was harassed?" Sakayanagi got straight to the point.

"I just got the report. We've identified the suspect. He's an employee at the Sakura Electronics Store near the school." Sakayanagi Narimori's voice carried a faint, barely perceptible chill.

Anyone who dared to harass a student at his daughter's school—and had nearly been caught by Arisu—was as good as dead.

"He also followed that red-haired girl." Sakayanagi added, suddenly understanding.

No wonder she'd seen a suspicious shadow behind the school building that day. It had been that employee.

"Do you have proof?" Sakayanagi Narimori asked.

"You can check the surveillance footage at the XXX intersection during the XXX time slot. It clearly shows him." Sakayanagi gave him an address.

"Wait." There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, then he spoke again. "Found it. The guy really was following her. Arisu, you're amazing. You managed to spot such a hidden clue."

Sakayanagi smiled and replied modestly, "It's thanks to you, Dad. I wasn't sure at first either."

"My Arisu is so modest." Sakayanagi Narimori's voice was full of pride. "I'll deal with that employee tomorrow. He won't get anywhere near the school again.

"By the way, the Class D students uncovered a lapse in the school's screening process. Someone like that was hired as a staff member. The student who reported it must be rewarded. You helped too, so Dad has a present for you."

"Make sure you reward everyone fairly, Dad." Sakayanagi's voice was sweet, though she was already weighing her options.

"Of course." Sakayanagi Narimori paused, then added, "But the suspect was reported by a Class D student, and they have a complete chain of evidence. You probably won't get much of a reward."

"That's all right. I trust your judgment, Dad." Sakayanagi ended the call and lightly tapped her fingers against the desk.

For Class D to find evidence in such a short time, aside from Ayanokoji and Koenji, the only one who could have known about the situation was that boy, Shangguan Che.

The person behind Hirata.

(Shangguan Che: What the—?!)

"Shangguan Che..." She murmured his name, a flicker of interest in her eyes. "The story about Hirata and him spread to the other classes these past few days. So he was the boy who reported the incident with Sakura. How interesting."

She turned toward the night sky outside the window. "Maybe I can have some fun with him next."

Meanwhile, Shangguan Che was still "battling" his game in his dorm room, completely unaware that Class A's "strategist" had set her sights on him.

He cleared the final level, stretched, and tossed his phone aside. "That was great! Time for bed. I've got to study with Hirata and the others tomorrow."