You Want to Bury Me Too?

"It was through this indomitable will that he was able to stand before Naoe and earn my respect."

"And what these kinds of people are best at, and what they like best, is always taking risks."

"Moreover, the public opinion we're creating right now isn't actually a bad thing for him or for the White Room."

The way to avoid a lose-lose situation is to make the other party believe that they can break free from this net woven by desire.

"But what I'm more curious about is why Ryo is so convinced that I'll be on your side?"

At this point, Sakayanagi Narimori's smile vanished, and he stared at Kitagawa Ryo with a serious expression.

As the Head of the Family of the Sakayanagi Family, which enjoys considerable prestige in both political and financial circles, no matter how much Sakayanagi Narimori dotes on his daughter or how much he feels guilty about Kitagawa Ryo's background, he is still, after all, the Head of the Family of the Sakayanagi Family.

Noticing the change in her father's tone, Sakayanagi Arisu beautiful eyebrows and spoke up to help Kitagawa Ryo out of the predicament:

"Because Dad said that as long as Liang can quit taking medication, he'll be part of our family, a family!"

Sakayanagi Narimori gave a wry smile. When he had this thought, he had no idea that the child he casually brought out of the White Room would have the ability to drag the Sakayanagi Family down in an instant.

"Because there are only two ways to surpass others."

"To elevate oneself, and to belittle others."

Kitagawa Ryo replied in this way, returning the same resolute gaze to Sakayanagi Narimori.

"... It's hard to imagine what you've learned all these years in that White Room."

After a moment of silence, Sakayanagi Narimori covered his forehead and chuckled:

"Okay, I accept you."

"So what are your plans for the future?"

A rather comical scene unfolded before Sakayanagi Arisu: a forty-year-old man, his most respected father, bowing his head to ask a child a question.

Actually, Sakayanagi Arisu had already changed her impression of Kitagawa Ryo when Kitagawa Ryo surpassed her to take the top spot on the rankings, but when she actually saw Kitagawa Ryo calmly discussing such an adult topic with her father, Sakayanagi Arisu was still somewhat dazed.

It seems that the person standing here now is not the sickly Liang who needed his care, but rather an adult who is equal to his father.

Faced with Sakayanagi Narimori's question, Kitagawa Ryo, who was already prepared, revealed his plan.

He looked at Sakayanagi Arisu with a smile, about to speak, but suddenly the image of another girl popped into his mind.

I remember it was a sunny afternoon.

Have you heard of Ellery Queen, the mystery novelist?

"Ellery Quinn?"

Kitagawa Ryo took a sip of his black tea and casually flipped through the book the girl had taken out:

"Of course I've read his works, whether it's the 'National Series' or the 'Tragedy Series', by such a famous mystery novelist."

"Hmm..."

The somewhat troubled silver-haired girl, Shiina Hiyori, shook her head, then slumped onto the table in front of her, muttering to herself:

"Just how many mystery novels has Liang read? And he still claims he's not a mystery novel fan."

"What if I said I read these things to have more in common with Hiyori?"

Kitagawa Ryo smiled and put down his tea, leaning on the table as well, as if deliberately trying to meet Shiina Hiyori's gaze to see her reaction.

"That Liang really is too... hard-working."

Deliberately drawing out her words, as if to hide her shyness, Shiina Hiyori tapped Kitagawa Ryo's head lightly with the spine of the book in dissatisfaction.

"Actually, Ellery Queen's life story would be quite fascinating as a mystery novel."

"Liang is about to start showing off again."

"They only show off this kind of knowledge in front of Hiyori."

"Hmm..."

Seeing Shiina Hiyori's charmingly vulnerable expression, which he had so easily broken through, Kitagawa Ryo abandoned his intention to tease her further and instead began to tell the story of Ellery Queen.

He already knew that Shiina Hiyori mystery novel enthusiast, couldn't possibly be unaware of the other's story, but sometimes what matters isn't the story itself.

Resting his head on his hand in the warm afternoon sun, Kitagawa Ryo spoke casually, his tone as gentle as the sunlight:

"Ellery Queen is actually a pseudonym shared by two cousins, meaning there are actually two different people named Ellery Queen."

"In 1932, the two first published 'The Greek Coffin Mystery' under the pseudonym Ellery Queen. After this work brought them instant fame, they then published 'The Tragedy of X' under the pseudonym Barnaby Ross, and in doing so, they vehemently challenged the former."

"Both mystery novels were of exceptionally high quality, and the controversy sparked intense public attention, causing a major uproar within the United States mystery novel community."

"Immediately afterwards, the two put on masks and used two pen names to engage in public debates and rebuttals, putting on a show while releasing new works. Due to their soaring popularity, every subsequent work became a hot commodity."

"This trick wasn't exposed until four years later."

"Of course, it's undeniable that their detective novels in recent years have been very classic, but the scams they've been involved in over the past four years have brought them even greater popularity and profits."

"This is me, the self-inflicted competition!"

Chapter 100: You Want to Bury Me Too?

"So, does Liang mean we should continue acting out this charade?"

After hearing Ellery Queen's life story, Sakayanagi Arisu realized what Kitagawa Ryo meant.

"Yes, just like the two brothers in the story, one uses the name Ellery Queen, and the other uses the name Barnaby Ross."

Kitagawa Ryo took a sip of black tea to moisten his throat before speaking:

"The only difference is that Ellery Quinn is from Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, and Barnaby Ross is from the White Room."

To put it more profoundly, it could also refer to the power behind both of them. Although Kitagawa Ryo was vague in his words, Sakayanagi Narimori understood his meaning.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo said in his answer to his question, the Sakayanagi Family is a powerful and influential family in both political and financial circles. In many cases, even Sakayanagi Narimori himself cannot act according to his own will. Therefore, the only reason why the Sakayanagi Family supports Kitagawa Ryo's seemingly hasty operation is simply for profit.

There are only two ways to surpass others: improve yourself or belittle others.

Kitagawa Ryo's actions perfectly align with both of these points.

"Actually, this can also fulfill Arisu's wish at the same time."

Kitagawa Ryo looked at Sakayanagi Arisu and chuckled, saying:

"To generate a continuous stream of buzz, the two sides must be evenly matched, or at least appear to be evenly matched on the surface."

"No one will care about the provocation of an unknown nobody, because it's just a simple case of staged accident."

"The Ellery Queen brothers were initially successful because of several detective novels they published under the pseudonym Barnaby Ross, such as the Tragedy Series <The Tragedy of X> and <The Tragedy of Y>, which were once considered among the best detective novel series in the world."

"Only when geniuses clash with geniuses can there be enough hype and buzz."

Kitagawa Ryo pointed to himself, then looked at Sakayanagi Arisu provocatively:

"As the biological daughter of the Chairman Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, Arisu's status and abilities make her the best candidate."

"Oh."

Faced with Kitagawa Ryo's deliberately provocative attitude, Sakayanagi Arisu's reaction was quite calm; she simply propped her head up and responded with a soft "yes."

"So why did Ryo say he was Fourth Generation?"

Sakayanagi Arisu thought Kitagawa Ryo had some deeper meaning in lying about his identity in the White Room, changing from Fifth Generation to Fourth Generation, but she didn't get an answer to that question even after quietly listening to all of Kitagawa Ryo's plans.

"Forehead."

Taken aback by Sakayanagi Arisu's question, Kitagawa Ryo gave a slightly embarrassed smile, nodded thoughtfully, and said:

"Well, Arisu will find out later."

"..."

Somewhat dissatisfied with Kitagawa Ryo's evasive attitude, Sakayanagi Arisu wrinkled her nose, snorted coldly, and gave a look that said, "I'll find out sooner or later."

Sakayanagi Narimori looked at the scene before him with a smile. At first, he only felt a sense of guilt and atonement towards Kitagawa Ryo, the child who came out of the White Room. However, Kitagawa Ryo's personality and abilities were somewhat beyond his expectations, and he seemed to get along very well with Arisu.

In that sense, Kitagawa Ryo's background actually made things easier for him.

Sakayanagi Arisu was naturally unaware that her father was already brainstorming the possibility of Kitagawa Ryo marrying into the Sakayanagi Family. She was somewhat concerned about how to play the role that Kitagawa Ryo had assigned to her.

"Arisu can just play herself."

"Your persona was already established during the Cultural Festival. The ideas you expressed back then were completely opposite to those of the White Room, which is why I said you were the most suitable candidate."

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head dismissively, then winked at Sakayanagi Arisu:

"Then you can throw in a few famous lines, create some buzz with the media, and there won't be any problem."

"Famous lines?"

Sakayanagi Arisu frowned, looking at Kitagawa Ryo with some confusion.

"How about this, I'll show you."

With a smile, Kitagawa Ryo took the cane from Sakayanagi Arisu's hand and walked directly to the shadowy corner of the wall.

Since Sakayanagi Arisu recovered her health, this item has become just a simple decoration. However, because it was a gift from her father, Sakayanagi Arisu still likes to carry it with her on a daily basis.

The cane tapped lightly on the floor, and with that soft thud, Kitagawa Ryo's ambiguous laughter emanated from the shadows, revealing half a blurred face.

"Only I am suited to burying hypocritical geniuses."

"So far in my life, there's been a little bit of fun."

"I will prove to everyone that genius is not created through education, but is determined at the moment of birth."

Thanks to his talent as a [Fraudster], Kitagawa Ryo's imitation of Sakayanagi Arisu's tone was spot-on, except for the lines he spoke...

Sakayanagi Arisu felt a dull ache in her heart. If she hadn't known that her congenital heart disease had been cured, she probably would have thought that her old ailment had relapsed.

Sakayanagi Narimori laughed heartily twice, then clapped his hands and gave a brilliant commentary:

"That's something Arisu would say."

"Father!"

Having been betrayed by her own father once again, Sakayanagi Arisu stopped calling him "Dad," whom she usually adored, and protested with a face full of anger, shame, and annoyance.

Although it does sound like their own style, what the two of them say in private and what they say to millions of netizens across the country are completely different things.

"But that's exactly how it works!"

Seeing Sakayanagi Arisu pouting and looking uncooperative, Kitagawa Ryo helplessly spread his hands:

"Besides, it's not Arisu; I have my own lines too."

Hearing that Kitagawa Ryo was also going to do something like that, Sakayanagi Arisu breathed a sigh of relief, jumped off the sofa, and retrieved her cane.

"Where are the cool lines?"

You say one sentence, I'll reply with one sentence.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Sakayanagi Arisu finally spoke with difficulty, mimicking the tone Kitagawa Ryo had just used to imitate her:

"... Only I am suitable to bury hypocritical geniuses."

Then, she opened her eyes wide and pricked up her ears, intending to watch Kitagawa Ryo's performance.

"Hmph, do you think you can bury me?"

Kitagawa Ryo glanced at her sideways and responded with disdain.

Hahahahahahahaha.

Sakayanagi Narimori laughed rather rudely, pounding the sofa. He hadn't laughed so heartily in a long time. He took off his glasses to wipe away a few tears of laughter as he continued to laugh.

While Sakayanagi Arisu was closer, didn't react as strongly as her father, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"What kind of cringeworthy line is that?"

"But it leaves a very lasting impression, doesn't it?"

Kitagawa Ryo pouted.

As for embarrassing past experiences, it's fine as long as it's for two people.