When he heard Makoto's explanation, Ayanokoji's usually placid eyes finally flickered for the first time.
"How much do you actually know about me?"
He couldn't keep playing dumb, even if he wanted to. Makoto had bluntly dragged out the deepest secret he'd been hiding.
He still didn't know whether the White Room had been exposed, but it felt like it had.
It was an unpleasant feeling.
"I just want to make a deal with you."
Faced with Ayanokoji's question, Makoto finally revealed the purpose of his visit.
"Answer my question first."
Ayanokoji wasn't buying it. He stepped closer to Makoto, stopping at a carefully measured distance.
From here, he could react to an attack in time, but one more step forward would put Makoto within his own range.
It was a distance that let him advance or retreat with equal ease.
He'd already figured out why Makoto dared to make a move here—
There were no security cameras.
"There may not be any cameras here, but are you sure you want to attack me?"
Makoto looked relaxed on the surface, but his muscles were already tensed. If anything seemed off, he'd bolt.
He'd run beneath a camera and see if Ayanokoji still wanted to hit him.
"So, what's your answer?"
"The White Room, right?"
At that, Ayanokoji finally dropped his aggressive stance.
The fact that Makoto had approached him despite knowing this was enough to show his sincerity.
"So what kind of deal do you want to make with me?"
Now that everything was out in the open, the deal Makoto had proposed was worth discussing.
"You help me over the next three years, and I make sure you can enjoy a normal school life. How does that sound?"
As far as Makoto was concerned, it was a very good deal for Ayanokoji.
"Do you think I'd believe you?"
Ayanokoji asked in return. He couldn't understand where Makoto got the confidence to think he'd agree to this deal.
"Your homeroom teacher threatened you today, didn't she?"
That was a fact. Chabashira Sae had long had her eye on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, hoping he could lead the class to Class A and help her claim the Class A homeroom teacher position.
"Did you tell her about me?"
Ayanokoji suspected Makoto was the one who'd tipped her off. He hated tattletales. (Not really.)
"How could I? She just guessed. Don't you think getting exactly 50 points on every exam is a little too deliberate? You're practically telling your homeroom teacher, 'There's something wrong with me. Come investigate!'"
"...I'll give your proposal some serious thought."
Ayanokoji knew Makoto wasn't lying. He'd been called to the office today for exactly that reason, and had been forced to listen to Chabashira-sensei's pointed remarks in the break room.
It had also made Horikita Suzune take him seriously for the first time. He'd wanted to run, but he couldn't~
He found it strange that Makoto knew his homeroom teacher had called him in today. He figured the Class B homeroom teacher must have let it slip.
As for his exact scores, finding them out was easy. They weren't important information to begin with.
What really puzzled him, though, was Makoto's attitude. It didn't seem like he'd come to threaten him. If anything, it was more like he'd come to... help him?
"Mm, take your time. I'll be here whenever you're ready."
Makoto didn't take Ayanokoji's promise to think it over as a polite way of saying no. He figured Ayanokoji just needed a little time to weigh the pros and cons.
"Then I'll head back. Thanks for the warm milk."
Even as he left, Ayanokoji didn't forget to thank Makoto.
"Don't mention it. I'll treat you to one every day from now on."
If giving a bottle of warm milk every day could bring a guy closer to the girl he liked, countless guys would probably do it.
Of course, Ayanokoji wasn't a girl, and Makoto didn't like him.
He meant the kind of liking between a man and a woman... or between two men...? Anyway, there were no feelings like that involved.
After saying goodbye to Ayanokoji, Makoto followed him back to the dormitory.
"How did you get in?"
When he opened the dorm room door, Makoto stared at Kushida in bafflement. How could she possibly have a key card for his room? That made no sense. Would Honami really allow that?
"Of course I copied the card from Honami's. It was surprisingly easy. I just had to put it back before she noticed."
Kushida casually admitted to something that was basically a crime.
"Aren't you worried this'll ruin the trust between you and Honami?"
Makoto thought it was the kind of thing that eroded trust. If Honami found out, Kushida might not be able to remain friends with her.
Come to think of it, he was in danger too...
If he didn't tell Honami that Kushida had shown up in his room tonight...
Makoto hurriedly shook his head. No, no, he couldn't think about that...
"Who cares about that? Anyway, what did you go out for just now?"
Kushida pressed herself tightly against Makoto so he could smell her sweet fragrance.
This was the trump card she'd prepared. She was sure it'd work.
"What are you trying to do?"
Makoto took a step back, putting some distance between them. How dare this wicked woman try to shake his resolve? He firmly suppressed his body's instinctive reaction.
"I want to get to know you better, Makoto. Is that so wrong?"
Kushida had become quite the skilled actress. Even around such people as Ike and Yamauchi, or even Horikita Suzune, she could keep her true thoughts completely hidden.
Her big eyes seemed to sparkle, and her cheeks had turned pink at just the right moment. She looked every bit like a girl in love.
"And then what? What do you want to do after you get to know me?"
Makoto didn't fall for it. The woman before him was the famous two-faced girl, and he couldn't trust her current act for a second.
It was all acting. There were no feelings behind it.
"Tch."
Kushida dropped the exaggerated act and kicked at the air with an irritated look.
"Tell me, do you really have no other intentions toward me?"
"Why would I? Is Honami not pretty enough, or is living off someone else not appealing?"
Makoto asked in puzzlement.
"So you're saying you're a good guy?"
Kushida glared at Makoto with a menacing look, all traces of her earlier sweetness gone.
"I've always been a good guy."
Makoto nodded, his expression perfectly open and honest.
"So what? You're not going to use my true nature to threaten me into betraying my class?"
Kushida gave him a knowing smile. She felt he was about to let his true colors—well, his true intentions—show.
"I couldn't threaten a girl into betraying her class."
Makoto spoke with righteous conviction. He already had Ayanokoji. What did he need Kushida for? He'd just let the former make good use of the latter.
He wanted to be a good guy.
Before you continue