Like a Dream, Like an Illusion

That's exactly what we need – a dramatic, impulsive performance! That's exactly what we need – emotional investment!

Only when one is truly angry, and only when one speaks sincerely with emotion, can one so easily stir up Sakayanagi Arisu's emotions.

Unlike Asakusa Toru, who is a proponent of talent, Ryuen Kakeru has always been a realist.

So he was indeed quite compliant.

Submission with hands raised.

When people are emotionally charged, they often express their most genuine emotions at that moment, and their subconscious actions reveal the most details.

Just like the "Dad" that Sakayanagi Arisu blurted out just now.

Ryuen Kakeru's primary interest in observing wasn't Sakayanagi Arisu. Sakayanagi Arisu was much easier to understand than he had imagined. Although she always wore a faint smile that seemed to indicate she was in control, and appeared calm and collected, she was essentially just a first-year high school girl.

High school girls are inherently emotional beings.

Ryuen Kakeru's true target for observation was quite clear from the very beginning.

'School'

Just as he said when he reached out his hand to Asakusa Toru before the start, what he wanted to see was 'the school's true colors'.

Unexpectedly, it was Chairman Sakayanagi who personally handled this small matter concerning the first-year students.

He probably cares about his daughter more than you might think.

Observing Sakayanagi Narimori's reaction when Sakayanagi Narimori Sakayanagi Arisu to be having a heart attack, Ryuen Kakeru became even more convinced of this.

Sakayanagi Arisu is indeed his beloved daughter.

Indeed, if she hadn't been pampered and cherished, how could she have developed such a personality?

Rich girls who are born with weak constitutions are most easily spoiled.

However... what's even more surprising is Sakayanagi Narimori's attitude.

He didn't offer any direct protection to Sakayanagi; it seems that delaying the discussion of the violation until after the exam was simply to maintain the normal conduct of the exam.

That sounds so fair.

His approachable manner and kind face showed no airs of a chairman.

What was he really thinking?

Ryuen Kakeru has been pondering the answer to this question since the beginning.

Was he trying to favor his good daughter, or was he trying to maintain the fairness of the school rules in his capacity as chairman of the board?

While it was said to be favoritism, he did indeed disqualify Class B from the exam; while it was said to be impartial, the punishment was rather mild.

... He didn't even directly reprimand Sakayanagi, but instead tolerated Asakusa Toru speaking up for him.

The attitude was quite ambiguous.

To be honest, this is quite a difficult situation for Ryuen Kakeru.

To display or not to display?

While he hesitated, Sakayanagi Narimori showed his intention to end things there.

So, abandoning all thought and following his instincts, Ryuen Kakeru shouted out.

"Does Chairman Kazuma think everything is over and intends to let it go like this?" Under Sakagami Kazuma's astonished gaze, Ryuen Kakeru spoke up, "May I speak now?"

Before any response could be received, Ryuen Kakeru continued, "What a fine way to just deduct one hundred Class Points and call it a day! What a severe punishment! And to label this violation a major offense!"

"The chairman's subtle and euphemistic writing style is more powerful than I thought."

Ryuen Kakeru... no, Asakusa Toru, who was standing to the side, started clapping.

"Slap slap slap slap slap--"

With a furrowed brow, Sakagami Kazuma questioned, "Ryuen, what are you trying to say?"

Wasn't the chairman's punishment already quite fair? What else are you going to cause trouble for?!

"If you have something to say, just say it." Sakayanagi Narimori said calmly.

This might be the only time in the last three years that you'll be able to speak directly to me.

"The essence of Sakayanagi Arisu's violation wasn't about using a whistleblower report to influence the exam and cross the line, was it?" Ryuen Kakeru chuckled, leaning back even more in his chair. "Her violation should be attributed to..."

"--Why can someone who withdrew from the exam still manipulate it so brazenly?"

Ryuen Kakeru put forward a point that seemed to have never been noticed before.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sakayanagi Arisu said expressionlessly.

Ryuen Kakeru grinned and rattled off a long string of words without even taking a breath:

"I'm saying that even after you withdrew from the exam, you managed to gather a bunch of teachers at four in the morning to surround my base. The school accepted the report without any evidence. And when the exam should have been suspended, you seized my base. The chairman of the board even used such a roundabout way to steer the topic to the so-called 'crossing the line,' which seems severe but only deducts one hundred Class Points for a major violation, in order to make everyone ignore the fundamental problem."

As a listener, Asakusa Toru added punctuation marks to his words without permission.

Are you saying such a long thing because you're afraid people won't understand?

However, although it sounds very appealing and the live performance was quite enjoyable, it still felt... a bit too long.

We've seen enough of the tit-for-tat verbal attacks.

"In short, Ryuen is attacking the privileged class." With a smile, Asakusa Toru explained on behalf of those around him, "Next, it's time to demand hush money."

"If you don't pay, you should go around spreading rumors about how arrogant the Sakayanagi Family is!"

Asakusa Toru leaf called 'discussion,' completely destroying the atmosphere that had been somewhat controlled despite the sharp exchanges.

Some people's expressions began to turn ugly.

Chapter 228 Like a Dream, Like an Illusion

The moment the term "privileged class" is uttered, any explanation becomes meaningless.

Taken individually, each of Ryuen Kakeru's words could be given a plausible reason by Sakayanagi Narimori.

A report made at 4 a. m. is still a report. Even without evidence, it can still be accepted by teachers because of the Private Points they have accumulated. The school has also reviewed and is working to close this loophole by raising the bar for making reports without evidence based on Private Points.

The school responded to the report a bit too quickly, but shouldn't a quick response be a good thing?

You can't just complain about the school being unfair because you're the one who was reported.

As for the use of euphemisms in writing, Sakayanagi Narimori was even more wronged.

He had already mentioned this in a previous conversation with Sakayanagi Arisu: the school's attitude is that it allows for a certain degree of exploitation of vulnerabilities.

This is simply part of the exam; it's about recognizing the essence of the rules and applying them appropriately, not something to attack.

Sakayanagi Arisu did withdraw from the exam, but she did use some tricks to manipulate the students who remained on the island by acting as the one who withdrew, thus indirectly participating in the exam.

However, the rules do not explicitly state that students leaving the room cannot speak.

Using a walkie-talkie to relay a message is essentially no different from sending a single student close to the cruise ship and Sakayanagi Arisu shout a message down from the ship.

He can explain it, and so can Sakayanagi Narimori.

But.

If it comes to the privileges of the privileged class or the aloofness of the Sakayanagi Family, then he's afraid he can't engage with that.

This is a topic that cannot be discussed.

It's not about whether it's sensitive or not, it's just that discussing this with students, whether it exists or not, will only cause a lot of trouble.

Most importantly, Sakayanagi Narimori still dares not say that there is absolutely none.

He may choose not to do it, but what about other people who hear the surname Sakayanagi?

This was something that was simply impossible to avoid.

So.

"Ryuen," he called Ryuen Kakeru's name softly, "I don't know what caused this misunderstanding, but Advanced Nurturing has never been anyone's private school."

"It won't be mine, and it won't belong to anyone else."

"Advanced Nurturing will only ever be Advanced Nurturing; if we have to define it, it can only be the Advanced Nurturing of you students."

"So please don't make baseless accusations or label anyone." He paused, then continued, "Therefore, if you have any objections to the school's handling of the matter, you can raise your concerns with your homeroom teacher afterward, but the punishment that has already been decided will not be changed."

The video call was automatically disconnected as soon as the words were spoken.

Silence fell over the room.

To put it bluntly, Sakayanagi Narimori's act of hanging up voluntarily seemed a bit like running away, but the people on the field didn't seem to care much about that.

The two homeroom teachers were pondering Sakayanagi Narimori's attitude, Sakagami Kazuma was considering whether to remind Ryuen to talk less nonsense, and Mashima Tomoya was marveling at the bravery of this year's freshmen.

Ryuen and Asakusa are probably the first people to dare to speak to the chairman like that.

Asakusa Toru seemed to regret that the fight hadn't actually happened, giving the impression that it had come to an abrupt end.

Ryuen Kakeru, however, followed his newly formed instincts and began to ponder Sakayanagi Narimori's last words.

What does it mean to say, "If there are any objections, you can raise your demands"?

This means he wouldn't and couldn't do something like offering hush money in public, but is it possible to have a private conversation with him afterward through the class advisor?

One or two of them are too much of a riddle.

Each of the four had different thoughts about Sakayanagi Narimori's last words, except for Sakayanagi Arisu.

She was still reeling from Ryuen Kakeru's earlier, pointed and scathing remarks.

Asakusa Toru added punctuation marks to that high-speed divine incantation without permission, but Sakayanagi Arisu's words didn't automatically stop.

So, she first sorted out the paragraphs a little before starting to break down Ryuen Kakeru's words into her mind.

My reason for being able to interfere with the exam after withdrawing was because I was smart. The Special Exam rules didn't clearly define any restrictions on those who withdrew. Since the list of items for exchange included communication devices, there was no reason not to allow their use.

As for calling for someone to report it at three or four in the morning, so what? The point is to seize the time difference so as to catch them off guard. Reports should be handled immediately. It would be a dereliction of duty for the teachers not to handle them immediately. This is what should be done. If they go in the morning or delay until the morning to deal with it, the news will leak and give Ryuen time to deal with the evidence, right?

Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't understand why one or two people were reacting so strongly.

The reason the school accepted the report without evidence is obviously because I used points as collateral! You've already been caught red-handed with solid evidence, so what are you complaining about?

I'm the one who should feel wronged! You only lost 100 Class Points? I'd say 300 wouldn't be an exaggeration!

... So that's how it is. A deduction of 100 Class Points is already considered a 'major violation'?

Why is it so easy to get Class Points the Special Exam class?

The Behavioral Norms Exam has a maximum score of 1,000 points, and this Uninhabited Island Special Exam also has a maximum score of around 1,000 points. The midterm exam, on the other hand, can increase your score by almost 100 points just by taking a test.

While minor deductions may occasionally be made for breaches of conduct, this serious violation seems far too lenient.

What else?

Suspend the exam?

... Um.

Hiss...

Sakayanagi Arisu's thoughts became slightly sluggish.

She suddenly hesitated.

Eh, has the exam been temporarily suspended?

Logically speaking, the teacher didn't announce anything or force Ryuen to stop his actions; he was simply asked to cooperate with the inspection. Once the body search was complete, he could go back to his own stronghold at any time.

To be honest, I didn't actually let Kito Hayato seize the Ryuen while the teachers were searching his body!

It's been so long since Ryuen was searched! Wasn't he just letting the teacher search him to buy time for Asakusa Toru?!

Since she couldn't see what was happening on-site, Ryuen Kakeru thought it was foolish of him to think that the exam was still suspended and he couldn't update the time for the stronghold occupation!

As long as he doesn't do anything suspicious, even if the teacher just searches him for a minute or two, he can go back to his own base as long as he says something.

And nobody stopped him.

Therefore, she was not wrong.

Who told you the exam was suspended? No one ever said that. Cooperating with the investigation based on the report is what you should do, and the exam will continue as scheduled.

Having figured this out, Sakayanagi Arisu felt much better.