Kamuro Masumi Wants to Escape

It didn't take long.

In dormitory 301, six people were gathered together.

Honami was cooking in the space designated as the kitchen, with Kei assisting her.

Kamuro sat behind and to the side of Sakayanagi, looking every bit like a lackey.

Meanwhile, Kushida was whispering softly to Makoto:

"Ayanokoji asked me to tell you that he'll be waiting for you at the usual spot today."

Makoto: "?"

Seriously, what is wrong with him? Does he really look like the kind of person who would break his word?

Besides, why would Ayanokoji tell Kushida something like this? What is he trying to imply?

It was no wonder Makoto was overthinking it, because in his eyes, Ayanokoji was actually a very repressed person whose inner thoughts were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Simply put, he was unpredictable because he was desperately trying to lean toward being a normal person.

But what is a normal person? What is the definition of that?

No one could provide an accurate answer.

Thus, Ayanokoji's thoughts were like a stage of unpredictable fate; until the dust settled, Makoto could not know what they were.

"Alright, I understand."

Although he had thought through all that nonsense, not much time had actually passed, and Makoto responded quickly.

However, he noticed that the look Kamuro was giving him from across the room had become strange.

Her eyes contained 30% confusion, 70% disbelief, and 90% suspicion.

Afterward, she glanced at the side of Sakayanagi's face in front of her.

Upon realizing that the other party had no reaction to this, Kamuro silently withdrew her restless heart.

Well, if the emperor isn't worried, why should the eunuch be?

She took a sip of the black tea Honami had brewed for everyone when they first arrived and adjusted her attitude.

Watching the show.jpg

"Makoto, I can call you that, right?"

After responding to Kushida's whisper, the two moved apart, and Sakayanagi spoke up suddenly.

Her gaze never left Makoto.

"Of course. Can I call you Arisu? It's a nice name."

Makoto felt he had been influenced by the name he held in this life; was he really this kind of person before?

"Feel free. I quite like my name, too~"

"It's just like a fairy tale."

The pronunciation of Arisu was very similar to Eris.

"So, what did Arisu want to see me about?"

Makoto rubbed his chin, taking the initiative to guide the conversation forward.

Sakayanagi did not disappoint and asked directly:

"What is your opinion of Ayanokoji?"

What is my opinion? I'm sitting here, that's my opinion!

"What do you mean by that?"

Makoto spoke with a face full of confusion, and Kushida beside him looked equally surprised.

Could they have been overheard?

Had she really spoken that loudly just now?

"You and I both know that Ayanokoji is by no means a good person."

Sakayanagi said unhurriedly, and noticing the change in Kushida's expression, she smiled sweetly, "So, how do you intend to deal with him?"

"Don't use such a terrifying word as 'deal with'!"

Makoto first retorted, then turned to answer Sakayanagi's question, "Of course, I intend to turn an enemy into a friend. We don't have any deep-seated grudges between us."

"Is that so? How do you plan to do that?"

Sakayanagi's face was full of interest; she was very curious.

"In fact, I've already done it. I think if there were fewer schemes and more sincerity in human communication, life would be beautiful everywhere~"

"As for the specifics..."

Makoto carefully weighed his words.

"I promised to let him live a peaceful life as a normal person."

"?"

Sakayanagi's expression seemed to say, "That's it?" She had expected some earth-shattering or heaven-defying condition, but it turned out to be just this?

As if sensing Sakayanagi's confusion, Makoto continued to explain:

"This is the utility of information. Isn't it the same for jobs in society later on? For example, as a salesperson trying to push your company's products, understanding potential clients becomes a necessity. I simply hit Ayanokoji's pain point with precision."

Sakayanagi certainly understood the importance of information; the reason she had become interested in Makoto in the first place was to find out where he obtained his intelligence.

"So Ayanokoji has such an aspiration, does he?"

Sakayanagi couldn't help but purse her lips and chuckle. How truly... interesting and reasonable a wish that was for him.

Kamuro was eating her melon in a daze.

Ayanokoji? Who was that? Why hadn't she heard of him?

Kushida, meanwhile, silently thought about probing Ayanokoji in the future.

She hadn't expected that, aside from his close relationship with Horikita, he possessed such a side to him.

"I advise you not to pry into him."

Seeing the look on Kushida's face, Makoto knew she was brewing some mischief, so he spoke up to warn her, "This is for the best for both you and me."

"Why?"

Kushida asked, feeling unwilling to let it go.

"Do you think someone who dreams of being a 'normal person' could be just any ordinary character?"

Couldn't she even tell that much? Could this possibly be the wish of a normal person?

"In any case, just treat him as you usually do. I believe you can do it."

Patting Kushida on the shoulder, Makoto expressed his full confidence in her.

This wasn't baseless confidence; it was purely an affirmation of Kushida's personal abilities.

At the very least, when it came to camouflage, she had reached perfection.

Amidst the conversation between the group, time flew by before they knew it.

Kei finally found an opening to interject:

"I studied really hard today, but even after the study session this afternoon, there are still many things I don't quite understand. Could you help tutor me, Makoto?"

Kei spoke the words above very fluently, as if she had prepared a draft beforehand.

She didn't care at all about the talk of Ayanokoji that the others were having just now; whatever he did was his own business. She only cared about this.

"...Then let's study together tonight. Honami will be there too."

Because the dormitory room was small, the conversation of the group had been fully taken in by Honami.

Seeing that she didn't express any rejection, Makoto readily agreed to Kei's request.

No objection meant consent; he already understood that.

"Mm-hmm."

Kamuro's face showed a strange expression; she felt as if she had discovered some incredible secret.

And were they not avoiding her at all?

Or was she also a part of their play?

Kamuro was filled with doubts.

Wait!

She suddenly realized that among the other five people present, she seemed to be the only one who hadn't yet fallen victim to his clutches.

Needless to say, Honami was already at the point where she could openly display affection with Makoto in front of the Class A entrance for all to see.

Kei had just written her intentions clearly on her face—she just wanted to be close to Makoto.

Kushida sat beside Makoto without any reservations, and the distance between them earlier had been quite ambiguous as well.

Sakayanagi... although she couldn't see through this person, she felt it was only a matter of time...

Then, what about herself?

Kamuro suddenly felt a wave of malice.

It was from another dimension, a malice born from her own imagination.

...Masaka?!

Enveloped by this terrifying atmosphere, she now wanted to run away.