So It Doesn't Matter, Right?

As soon as we boarded the cruise ship, the announcements for the conference and invitations from Ryuen began.

He accepted the invitation without hesitation.

However, the meeting was scheduled for noon, and he had plenty of free time before then.

Two days have passed since the Uninhabited Island Special Exam began. It's not a long time, but it's not short either. However, it's clear that these two days of exams have been surprisingly long for many people.

Before he even got back to his room, Asakusa Toru was dragged away by his girlfriend and his accomplice, Miss.

Effort needs to be rewarded; at this moment, the girls felt only one emotion.

Please reward me handsomely.

Praise me, commend me, reward me.

I'm studying really hard for my exams, and I'm trying my best to do what I'm supposed to do.

So please reward me properly.

Thanks to this, Asakusa Tetsu arrived somewhat late, without even having time to eat, to meet Sakayanagi Narimori with Ryuen.

Then, carrying the reward he received from yesterday's diary, while teasing the Little Princess, he casually bound her to his dream.

I've been waiting for this opportunity to enter her dreams at night and properly correct Alice's rotten personality.

After giving himself a perfunctory, pretentious message on a whim, Asakusa Toru returned to his room.

He originally thought he would be ambushed and killed by Ms. Kushida, but unexpectedly, it was Sakura Airi who blocked the door instead.

After a little time management, the usually easy-to-deal- with Sakura Airi, exhausted, curled up, waved the white flag, and announced her defeat.

Asakusa Toru, who had just opened his terminal, didn't even have time for lunch. Faced with a string of unread messages from Little Kikyo, he rushed to the girl's room without much delay.

Then, after a fierce struggle, with the warm, soft body embracing him from behind, Asakusa Toru wrote down today's diary entry in high spirits.

But...

Come to think of it, she's been unusually quiet lately.

Chapter 231 So it's okay, right?

Asakusa Toru had expected to be met with complaints when he opened the door, and he was prepared to once again take on the role of the emotional dumping ground.

After all, continuing a team-based Special Exam with those God-man from Class D would be considered a work-related injury.

Although they left quickly, there was definitely no shortage of negative emotions.

Even if it's not a complaint, it should at least be a stronger desire and demand.

Kushida has never hesitated to express her needs in this regard.

However, somewhat surprisingly, the first thing she did was stand on tiptoe and bite her shoulder.

This kind of behavior, which is like leaving a mark, is often a manifestation of possessiveness. Although Kushida Kikyo has done this before, to be honest, her current behavior is still subtly strange.

Especially after she finished, she still had some energy left to hug herself from behind and wrap her legs around hers.

However, Asakusa Toru didn't think about it too much.

If there's a problem, just say it directly, talk more, or like before, block the door and express your grievances and needs, or as agreed, treat him as a confidant and directly complain and seek comfort.

This feeling of seemingly knowing something but not saying anything at all only makes the other person internally struggle to think deeply and constantly try to figure out their true intentions.

Asakusa Toru had no intention of wasting his time; he had done his best to respond to everything.

As for more... perhaps their entanglements haven't reached that point yet.

It means that they will open up to each other completely, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings without any secrets.

So, adhering to the attitude that if she didn't want to talk, wasn't willing to talk, or was too lazy to talk, then he simply took out his Diary and started writing.

Kushida Kikyo became even quieter.

"..."

My breathing was steady, and my heartbeat was calm—an unexpected yet perfectly reasonable outcome.

Did he act?

I acted, but only for a short while.

My past self was foolish; faced with various clues right in front of me, I subconsciously ignored the connections between them, and when faced with seemingly suspicious behavior, I arbitrarily rationalized the underlying logic.

At this point, Kushida Kikyo no longer intends to care too much about such matters.

She had only one thought.

Was it a coincidence that we were on the rooftop that day?

The sound of the wind howling that noon still seems to echo in my ears, and I can still recall the cool feeling of the wind brushing against my skin.

However, the twisted and shameful feeling of blood rushing to my head and my face contorting in rage is surprisingly not so easy to recall.

I try hard to recall, but all I can remember is the warmth and scent of that first embrace when I hesitated and opened my arms to seek it.

'I was destined to leave that handprint.'

If the girl were to try to reconsider her choice from the same perspective she had back then, she would be able to realize this very clearly.

And following this line of thought, when he pressed that handprint and uttered those threatening words, he was destined to make the same choice.

... Without a doubt, whether by coincidence or not, nothing will change.

Ultimately, he knew his true nature from the very beginning.

"... So it's okay, right?"

"Hush," the girl murmured.

Even if we pretend we know nothing and greedily enjoy this time of snuggling together for warmth, it's okay, right?

"Ha, you guys didn't see it back then, the chairman's face was absolutely awful!"

"Sakagami was completely dumbfounded! He never expected me to dare say that!"

"But the funniest one was definitely Sakayanagi. He put on airs and acted all tough, but he just stood there dumbfounded and couldn't say a word."

"The school's reaction was more interesting than I expected."

Inside the private dining room, the core members of Class C gathered, and Ryuen Kakeru laughed loudly as he described the scene.

It is both a boast of oneself and a denigration of the enemy, and more importantly...

"So, Shiina," he said, his expression slightly hardening, "What do you think?"

This is the opinion of the class strategist.

Of the people present, Kamuro Masumi, who was a guide dog, was the least important. If it weren't for Sakayanagi's frail health and need for such a person, the number of people at the meeting would likely have been reduced to just him and Sakayanagi, rather than allowing another person to be brought along.

On the contrary, Asakusa might have benefited from Sakayanagi's influence in this regard.

Otherwise, I really might not have been able to bring him along.

As for the remaining three, the homeroom teachers of the two classes each had different stances and inclinations, but essentially they were still biased towards the school's side of 'teachers'.

Their attitude can serve as a supplementary basis for judgment.

Most importantly, of course, is the person of Sakayanagi Narimori, and the true meaning behind his last words.

"... Shiina?"

"Ah, um, I'm listening." Seemingly a little lost in thought, Shiina Hiyori smiled apologetically, gathered her thoughts, and said, "My opinion is generally the same as Ryuen's."

"The chairman's attitude is very clear: the school will treat ' Classmate Sakayanagi to a certain extent. This is something that would be understood even if it were announced and publicized, and it would also be beneficial for public relations."

Physical discomfort is a significant advantage; even from a humanistic perspective, it can help Advanced Nurturing a kind and loving school environment.

If we ignore the surname Sakayanagi...

"But he won't admit much, and he probably won't do it as openly as he did during this exam, because if he really intended to do that, this meeting wouldn't have happened in the first place."

"So I think you can choose to trust the chairman." After a pause, Shiina Hiyori added, "Trust his role as 'chairman'."

Rationality, consideration, deliberation.

Sakayanagi Narimori was Sakayanagi Arisu's father, but he was definitely more than just Sakayanagi Arisu's father.

The chairmanship he inherited from his elders could more easily become a constraint for him.

Educational philosophy, action plan, and style of doing things.

In other words...

"It might be more appropriate to offer 20 million, while keeping 10 million as a bottom line in negotiations." Quite naturally, Shiina Hiyori offered a tentative figure, assuming that Ryuen Kakeru was simply trying to get hush money.

Twenty Million Personal Points are of considerable importance in Advanced Nurturing.

Especially those points that are not collected piecemeal from each student in the class, but rather obtained all at once from the school or even the chairman of the board, are even more special.

The phrase "Twenty Million Personal Points" is directly linked to the words "Class A".

However, although it was supposed to be a test, it couldn't really be just a test. A high price was normal, and pursuing profits was reasonable. While testing the waters, they naturally wanted to ask for as high a price as possible.

You should know that this is the only opportunity to directly ask the chairman for 'hush money'.

Perhaps no one at this school has actually done it yet.

"No." Faced with Shiina Hiyori's suggestion, Ryuen Kakeru shook his head and grinned widely. "I want to quote 40 million, and negotiate with 20 million as my bottom line."

He was saying things that sounded like he was asking for an exorbitant price.

But this seems to be based on evidence.

"If it were a normal exam, I could easily get at least 130 Class Points to survive. Staying at my base and occasionally raiding Asakusa, I could still scrape together another 20 or 30 points." Ryuen Kakeru's eyes gleamed as he began to calculate. "At the minimum of 150 Class Points, we have 32 months left, and there are 40 people in the class..."

"Nineteen million two hundred thousand points." Shiina Hiyori, who spoke first, stated the final calculated figure.

Hearing that his calculations were the same as his own, which were a few beats slower, yielded the same number, Ryuen Kakeru's smile widened even more:

"So, even if I ask for 20 million, it's just taking the money I was entitled to 'a few months' earlier. Adding some compensation for emotional distress would be enough to make amends, right?"

"Ryuen -ge! Ryuen is mighty!" Although he didn't understand anything, Ishizaki Daichi understood one thing.

Ryuen wants to demand 40 million from the chairman!

"... I wish I could actually get it." Ibuki Mio pouted.

Ryuen Kakeru said with a light laugh:

"Hehe, you'll see the results soon."

The group ate the free meal provided by the cruise ship, exchanged glances, and burst into laughter.

Hearing the laughter of her classmates and feeling the familiar atmosphere spreading, Shiina Hiyori gently lowered her head.

In her hands, the familiar Diary had long since been turned to its last page.

"Reading completed for today, Reading Points +1"

The sound echoed clearly in her ears, indicating that Shiina Hiyori had already read today's diary.

Of course, she had read yesterday's diary as well.

Yesterday's diary entry was still about the Uninhabited Island Exam. It focused on the two main characters who were most fiercely competing, Ryuen Kakeru and Sakayanagi Arisu, and included some sharp comments and criticisms of their actions. I also introduced a senior student from the same school on the side of the road.

He didn't mention his confession.

Today's diary entry is still about the Uninhabited Island Exam, focusing mainly on Ryuen Kakeru and Sakayanagi Arisu. The phrase "Dragon boy is the best" almost made Shiina Hiyori burst out laughing. During this class meeting, she almost couldn't help but laugh several times when she saw Ryuen Kakeru's face.

'Funny characters'

Originally, Ryuen Kakeru, who had a certain air of authority as a class leader, was unknowingly labeled with this tag.

Of course, there wasn't much space dedicated to Ryuen Kakeru; the diary entry today was, as expected, mostly about Little Princess Alice.

It's clear he really likes Little Alice.

It even stirred a slight pang of jealousy in Shiina Hiyori.

Her tone was sarcastic and her criticisms sharp, but for some reason Shiina Hiyori could also detect a hint of disappointment in her words.

If it weren't for that, if it were just dislike, he probably wouldn't Sakayanagi Arisu so many times, right?

Only...