"Those five seconds of silence were your time to observe. Asking questions after Katsuragi wasn't adding to what he said, but dividing the class, deliberately giving everyone else the impression that you and Katsuragi were evenly matched."
"You're deliberately dividing the class and creating opponents for your own amusement!"
"Even taking only your own phone and then asking questions right after Katsuragi were just challenges directed at me and Katsuragi."
"If nobody could figure out the rules of this school, you probably wouldn't have done anything at all, would you?"
"Am I wrong?"
As soon as those words were spoken,
everyone was stunned. The way they looked at Sakayanagi Arisu grew uncertain.
What Kijima Tsukur said did seem to make some sense.
But surely it couldn't be true, could it?
They'd only just started school. They knew nothing yet, and there was nothing to gain. Had Sakayanagi Arisu really gone out of her way to make herself an opponent just for fun?
Was this some kind of joke?
What would she get out of it?
Meanwhile, Katsuragi, near the front door of the classroom, frowned and looked back at Sakayanagi Arisu with suspicion.
A few of Sakayanagi Arisu's actions had indeed been a little strange.
But...
It didn't seem like a big deal, either.
If Sakayanagi Arisu just wanted to find someone to compete with for fun,
Katsuragi didn't really mind.
They were all in the same class, and they'd be spending the next three years together. He could just think of it as playing along with his little sister.
Clearly,
they had yet to glimpse the full picture of this school.
Even if what Kijima Tsukur said was true, they didn't think Sakayanagi Arisu had done anything unforgivable.
Just the usual scheming between little cliques of girls.
Totally normal!
"Classmate Kijima, you haven't answered my question."
Feeling the masculine presence radiating from Kijima Tsukur, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't back down in the slightest. Instead, she smiled as she looked him straight in the eye.
"Why did you choose the two of us to be your subordinates?"
"Isn't it obvious? It's ambition."
Kijima Tsukur stood up and explained calmly. "The moment you two stepped forward, regardless of your reasons, you showed the drive to act on your goals. Compared with ordinary people who lack motivation, ambitious subordinates are more capable of taking action. Isn't that only natural?"
"I see..."
Sakayanagi Arisu nodded. People who were more capable of taking action were certainly more useful.
In other words, Kijima Tsukur didn't care what her goal was, or whether she liked to sow division. As long as she was stronger than an ordinary person, that was enough?
"Then I'll ask one last question..."
Sakayanagi Arisu stood, holding her cane, and looked up at Kijima Tsukur. Her voice carried a hint of amusement.
"Suppose everything you said is true. Since you think I was challenging you, what makes you think I'd be willing to become your subordinate?"
"Because..."
Kijima Tsukur's gaze was profound. "This is... fate!"
"Huh?"
Sakayanagi Arisu froze.
She'd considered all sorts of answers, but never this one.
Fate?
Even she couldn't make sense of that response.
"Don't understand?"
Kijima Tsukur looked around at everyone, his gaze sweeping over the students of Class A.
"Whether it's you, Katsuragi, or anyone else, the moment I entered Class A, everyone in this class automatically became my subordinate. That's fate!"
Silence.
A long silence.
Everyone in Class A was dumbfounded.
It was one thing to say he'd make Katsuragi and Sakayanagi his subordinates, but he was claiming the entire class belonged to him—and calling it fate, no less?
Sakayanagi Arisu was bewildered, too.
She'd seen confidence before, but never anyone this confident.
Kijima Tsukur didn't care. He had no need to explain himself to them.
He wouldn't explain the benefits of becoming his subordinate, argue with them, try to win anyone over, or promise them anything in return.
The people in Class A would naturally become his subordinates.
That was fate!
There was no need to introduce himself, either.
Kijima Tsukur turned to look around the class. In the end, his gaze settled on the girl sitting by the door in the last row.
This girl was a little unusual.
She sat alone at her desk. Her nameplate read Yamamura Miki, yet even though she was sitting right there, the people around her seemed to act as if she didn't exist.
Her hair was tied in a single ponytail, and she looked utterly lacking in confidence. At a glance, she seemed like the kind of girl who was insecure, had no presence, and didn't know how to refuse people.
She had a nice figure and was very cute, but her self-conscious expression made her look a little gloomy.
Tap, tap, tap.
Before anyone could react,
Kijima Tsukur walked up to her and looked down at Yamamura Miki.
"You can cook, right?"
"Um... a little..." Yamamura Miki replied in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
Kijima Tsukur nodded.
"That'll do. I'm not completely helpless, but I'm not good at housework or handling little problems in daily life. From now on, you'll take care of me."
"Huh?"
Yamamura Miki froze. She wondered if she'd heard him wrong. What was this guy saying? Did he want her to be his housekeeper?
It took Yamamura Miki a good while to process what he'd said. She shot to her feet and let out a loud cry.
"Whaaaaaat????"
"Holy crap..."
Only then did everyone around them notice the girl. Remembering what Kijima Tsukur had just said, they were all dumbfounded. Even the students of Class A couldn't help swearing.
"What the hell..."
"What did that guy just say?"
"He just said he wasn't good at handling daily life. They've only just met, right?"
"He's asking a girl he just met to take care of him?"
"Is this guy seriously that much of a—?"
Kamuro Masumi's eyes widened, and she was struck dumb.
This was so absurd that even absurdity itself had walked in through the door and declared it too much.
He'd only just met her, and he was already acting as if it were perfectly natural to ask a girl he didn't know to take care of him. This guy was on another level.
"Wait... wait..."
Katsuragi hurried over and stepped between them.
Was he kidding?
This was happening on the first day of school. Wasn't this practically the beginning of sexual harassment?
He looked at Kijima Tsukur solemnly and first made sure of one thing.
"Classmate Kijima, did you know this girl—uh, Classmate Yamamura—before?"
"No."
"Then I'm sorry."
Katsuragi stood between them, his gaze instantly sharpening.
"I won't stand by while anyone bullies a classmate. Even if you're interested in a girl, you should spend some time getting to know her first. Asking someone you've only just met to take care of your daily needs is not okay."
"Bullying?"
Kijima Tsukur frowned slightly, then relaxed and explained.
"I see. You think I'm bullying her. Don't worry. I never force anyone to do anything. Just as I said, you're all my subordinates. Taking care of me is her fate."
"..."
Katsuragi opened his mouth, shut it, opened it again, then shut it once more.
He really didn't know what to say. Someone couldn't take it anymore and blurted out:
"Impressive..."
Kamuro Masumi finally couldn't help saying those two words, while Sakayanagi Arisu behind her looked equally amazed.
Kijima Tsukur's logic seemed invincible. It sounded like it would work anywhere, no matter what happened. He could just say, "It's your fate!"
There was no getting through to him!
"Fine. I won't force anyone."
As he spoke, Kijima Tsukur stepped around Katsuragi and looked at the girl in front of him, who was at a loss.
"Could I ask you to do it?"
There was no way she'd agree!
Everyone around them rolled their eyes, utterly speechless.
If a girl he'd only just met agreed to take care of him, they'd jump right out of here.
"..."
Yamamura Miki's eyes darted away. She was completely at a loss.
Taking care of a boy was something only a girlfriend would do. If she agreed, she'd probably never be able to find a boyfriend again.
Well, that wasn't really something she needed to worry about.
But this was only the first time they'd met. They hadn't even had a chance to get to know each other.
Kijima Tsukur was very handsome, but she felt like there might be something wrong with his head. She'd never even been in a relationship before. She wasn't some flashy girl who treated boys like prey.
How could she possibly agree to such an outrageous request?
But this was the first time in her life someone had asked her for a favor like this...
She'd been rather timid since childhood, and she'd always had a naturally faint presence. Even people standing right beside her rarely noticed her, and she didn't really have any friends...
Before you continue