Sakayanagi Arisu stared up at Dongfang Yi, her expression somewhat displeased.
Her instincts told her she needed to carefully reconsider her plan to take the person before her on as a lackey, but...
He was the most suitable candidate so far.
Forget it. They were all just pawns anyway. As long as he was useful, that was enough.
"I'll give you a chance to earn my forgiveness for your offense."
Though her voice was gentle, it carried an unmistakable air of arrogant authority.
Was this girl really that unable to take a joke?
Dongfang Yi thought to himself as he loomed over her, but he widened his eyes and put on a suitably surprised expression.
"Wasn't it because the wind on the rooftop was so strong and the temperature so low that it was hard to move, and there was a risk of falling, that Her Highness the Princess wanted to get somewhere warm as soon as possible?"
It was both a rhetorical question and an explanation.
An explanation of his nonexistent sincerity and loyalty.
In other words: I may have been a little rough, but it was all for your sake!
After all, Sakayanagi Arisu really had been freezing. The tsundere loli had stood in the wind for several minutes in a short skirt and white lace-trimmed thigh-highs. Her hands and calves were as cold as if they'd just come out of the refrigerator.
It had only been a short while, though, so she hadn't noticed yet.
If he hadn't thought she'd catch a cold if he didn't bring her down soon, he wouldn't have bothered.
It definitely wasn't because he suspected she wanted him to pat her head or anything! Definitely not!
"..."
Feeling that he was looking down on her, Sakayanagi raised her cane and tapped Dongfang Yi lightly on the shin, somewhat vexed. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough strength to even get past his defenses.
It was like being tickled.
"Don't presume to interpret my intentions from now on."
Her tone was firm, but her voice was very gentle.
Clearly, the girl had tacitly accepted Dongfang Yi's explanation.
"Yes, Your Highness the Princess. I'll be more careful from now on."
Dongfang Yi lowered his head and looked Sakayanagi Arisu straight in the eyes, his expression sincere.
Utterly, completely loyal.
The angle was perfect. That hateful loli, who said one thing but meant another, belonged down there looking up at him.
After having the little squirt take advantage of him for so long, how could he not get some payback?
Still, from this angle, she really was a barren little plot of land. He could see everything at a glance.
Though Dongfang Yi was pleased with himself, he still wore an apprehensive expression.
Because this loli was someone he couldn't afford to provoke for the time being,
Just look at the Black Room's greatest masterpiece: in the previous volume, she'd just bumped into someone, and by two volumes later, she'd vanished without a trace.
And that was without her even using her father's connections.
If he wanted to live the life he wanted, he couldn't afford to get expelled just yet.
The reason was simple: his family was truly out of money. He'd already squeezed every last bit of value out of their land.
However, Dongfang Yi had already sorted out the logic before coming here and had more or less figured out why Sakayanagi Arisu was so eager to take him on as a lackey.
Simply put, it was because of the two identities he currently had: a popular café employee with exceptionally good looks, and the suspected boyfriend of Sakura Airi from Class D.
Dongfang Yi knew that a café could serve as cover for gathering information. Sakayanagi Arisu surely knew even better how much gossip could be picked up in such a place. After all, the White-Haired Loli loved drinking office-worker beverages and eating little cakes in cafés.
Of course, being a café employee alone wasn't enough to make the Little Princess recruit him personally. But Sakura Airi's presence had quietly raised his importance by a level—
A channel into Class D would help the White-Haired Loli keep an eye on and learn about Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
So Dongfang Yi had no right to refuse. He was bound to be brought into her fold.
He had actually wanted to struggle a little at first, but since this girl could even order the café manager around at will, there was no point wasting any more time.
Better to give in now and avoid further trouble.
"You really want to work for me?" Sakayanagi Arisu held her neck high like a swan and took a step back, leaning against the wall.
By the Pythagorean theorem, given the fixed difference in height between Dongfang Yi and the White-Haired Loli, the farther apart they were, the smaller the angle at which she had to look up.
That way, she could lower the angle a little and speak without craning her neck. That would be exhausting.
But Dongfang Yi hadn't had his fun yet. How could he let her off so easily?
He eagerly stepped forward with the vigor and energy unique to a young man, braced his left hand against the wall, and executed a perfect kabedon. He began reciting:
"It's my honor to work for Your Highness the Princess! To be honest, ever since I first saw you on the first day of school, I've admired your magnificent presence. That magnificence doesn't come from your body, but from your wisdom. I mean, your excellence is beyond my reach..."
His fervent aura of loyalty washed over her, pinning Sakayanagi Arisu helplessly in the corner.
The wall was behind her. The White-Haired Loli had nowhere left to retreat.
The height difference between them was once again the same as before, but with the wall in the way, Sakayanagi Arisu could now see no more than Dongfang Yi's smooth, jade-like neck and collarbones.
She should have been annoyed, but her gaze happened to fall on the boy's collarbones, and for a moment she couldn't look away. A strange, peculiar feeling rose within her, as if her mind had gone blank and everything had returned to nothingness. It washed away the anger she should have felt. Even Dongfang Yi's words of praise, which he was struggling to come up with beside her, grew indistinct.
She didn't know what this feeling was.
She felt a little dazed, probably because she'd been exposed to the spring breeze for too long and had caught a chill.
"You certainly have a rich vocabulary, Dongfang."
Kamuro Masumi had caught up. Her mouth twitched slightly. After seeing three different sides of Dongfang Yi in such a short time, she wasn't sure which one was the real him.
Come to think of it, could this guy be some kind of perverted loli-con?
Her gaze grew more scrutinizing and suspicious.
"No, these are all words straight from the bottom of my heart."
Dongfang Yi turned around, his eyes bright, and continued to emphasize his loyalty.
Only, he couldn't suppress the curve at the corner of his mouth.
What loyalty? As if.
Kamuro rolled her eyes. She didn't even need to analyze it to know the guy was lying.
His expression was exactly the same as when he'd gotten free bread in the hallway! That smug look was especially hateful!
But she kept her eyes down and merely clicked her tongue, saying nothing more.
Sakayanagi Arisu hadn't asked her to do anything, so there was no need to get involved.
Besides, it was quite nice to see the Dead Loli get flustered.
Still, with a third party present, Dongfang Yi couldn't keep teasing the White-Haired Loli. It wouldn't end well if he really made her lose her temper.
He stepped back and made room, giving the Little Princess a chance to gather her thoughts.
But he still had to give her a way to save face and steer her thoughts in the right direction. He couldn't let her realize that Dongfang Yi had been teasing her.
"Speaking of which, what exactly does Your Highness the Princess need me to do?"
Dongfang Yi continued playing dumb.
Sakayanagi Arisu regained her composure after he stepped back, but the irritation in her heart only grew.
Although she knew that the difference in their height was the source of the pressure she felt, she couldn't believe she'd stopped thinking just because a member of the opposite sex had come close. As a self-proclaimed genius, she could not tolerate that.
She was a born genius. She should be able to remain calm at all times, shouldn't she?
Still, that wasn't important for now.
She narrowed her eyes and looked at the two people waiting to hear what she had to say. Her gentle voice picked up the conversation again:
"Dongfang-kun was right earlier. This school does indeed have an examination system closely tied to Class Points. Of course, the class rankings also have different values."
Before you continue