Class A and Student Council Situation?! Dinner with Suzune-chan!

Akiyama Shin woke from his brief rest, the first thing he felt being the weight and warmth of something that wasn't his own head.

He tilted his head slightly and saw the small head of Horikita Suzune resting against his own.

Her breathing was steady, and her long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyelids; she seemed to be in a deep sleep.

Akiyama Shin adjusted his posture with minimal movement, then gently supported Horikita Suzune with his palm as he slowly shifted away.

He then steadied her shoulders, helping her lean back against the bench to sit upright.

Only after doing this did he reach out and shake Horikita Suzune's shoulder with a moderate, steady rhythm.

"Time to wake up."

Horikita Suzune's long eyelashes fluttered a few times before she slowly opened her sleepy eyes.

As her consciousness gradually returned, the first thing that entered her vision was Akiyama Shin's calm face just inches away, and the realization that she had apparently fallen asleep leaning on him.

A distinct flush of red spread instantly from her neck to her cheeks, even staining the tips of her ears a crimson hue.

She sat up straight abruptly, instinctively raising a hand to smooth her slightly messy hair, and looked away while forcing herself to appear composed, her voice carrying a hint of post-sleep hoarseness and an imperceptible panic.

"I... I was just... a little tired."

Akiyama Shin didn't comment on her explanation, instead raising his hand to check the time on his terminal.

"It's already six o'clock, time to head back."

Upon hearing this, Horikita Suzune checked the time as well, surprised that she had slept for so long, and asked instinctively.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'll just head to Keyaki Mall to buy some ingredients and kitchen utensils; cooking for myself is more cost-effective."

As he spoke, Akiyama Shin stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders. As if remembering something, he turned his head to look at Horikita Suzune beside him and asked casually.

"Want to come along?"

Horikita Suzune was stunned for a moment.

Together?

Did he mean going shopping together?

Or did he mean going to his dormitory to eat together?

Her heart rate accelerated inexplicably; if it meant going to the boys' dormitory, this would be a first in her sixteen years of life.

However, looking at Akiyama Shin's indifferent eyes—which held no hint of ambiguity and were purely asking if she wanted to accompany him—she immediately realized that he probably hadn't thought that much into it at all, and was simply asking if she wanted to go shopping.

Her own hesitation and associations just now made her feel somewhat... self-indulgent?

A subtle sense of embarrassment and annoyance made her purse her lips, but she quickly regained her cool expression and nodded.

"Okay."

The two walked side by side toward Keyaki Mall, the setting sun stretching their shadows long across the ground.

On the way, Horikita Suzune still asked out of curiosity.

"So, you actually know how to cook?"

"I'm used to it."

Akiyama Shin looked straight ahead, his tone devoid of fluctuation.

"Back in middle school, my parents often worked late, so I frequently made my own bento to take to school."

Horikita Suzune was slightly taken aback, turning to look at the cold, sharp lines of Akiyama Shin's profile.

She hadn't expected this boy, who appeared so calm and powerful to the point of near-coldness, to have such a history of independence and maturity.

Connecting this to his previous leave of absence due to his mother's serious illness, and the fact that his family situation didn't seem particularly well-off...

An indescribable emotion flickered in her heart; it wasn't pity, but rather something more like a sense of recognition for a kindred spirit.

She, too, had always lived under the shadow and pressure of her brother, struggling to prove herself.

In a way.

She was also lonely.

"Is that so..."

She replied in a low voice, not asking any further questions.

The two purchased basic kitchen supplies at the supermarket, such as pots, bowls, chopsticks, knives, and a sufficient amount of vegetables and meat. When checking out, seeing the total price, which was far lower than dining at a restaurant, Horikita Suzune gained a deeper understanding of Akiyama Shin's financial sense and pragmatic character.

After buying the items, the two naturally returned to Akiyama Shin's Dormitory 501 together.

When Akiyama Shin opened the door and watched Horikita Suzune walk in quite naturally, he realized in hindsight that she might have interpreted his invitation as one to have dinner together.

Yet, at the time, he had truly only asked if she wanted to go shopping; however, he didn't say anything more. Since she was here, it didn't matter if one extra person ate.

To him, anyone who came was a guest, and it was just a matter of adding an extra pair of chopsticks. He carried the ingredients straight to the small kitchen in the corner of the room and began to prepare the meal in silence.

Horikita Suzune stood in the center of the room, drawn in by the extreme tidiness and the faint, crisp scent lingering in the air.

She touched her hair with a sense of unease, watching Akiyama Shin's back as he busied himself in the kitchen, before walking up to him and asking.

"Do you need any help?"

Akiyama Shin didn't turn his head, skillfully washing the vegetables.

"No need, you're the guest, just sit and wait."

"That won't do."

Horikita Suzune's tone was insistent, carrying her usual earnestness and stubbornness.

"I don't have the habit of getting something for nothing."

Akiyama Shin's movements faltered slightly; he paused what he was doing and turned his head to glance at her casually. Seeing her stubborn expression, he pointed toward the dishes waiting to be washed in the sink.

"If you insist, then after we finish eating, the dishwashing will be left to you."

Horikita Suzune looked at the pile of dishes, then back at Akiyama Shin, and finally accepted the arrangement with reluctance.

"Fine."

She walked over to the chair by the desk and sat down, watching quietly as Akiyama Shin busied himself in the kitchen.

His movements were fluid and precise—chopping vegetables, prepping ingredients, heating the oil, and tossing everything into the pan in one go; he was clearly extremely skilled at this.

Soon, the enticing aroma of food began to fill the room, a rich scent of stir-fried char that was quite different from typical Japanese cuisine.

Taking advantage of a gap in his cooking, Akiyama Shin took out his terminal to check the time, only to find a massive pile of unread message notifications popping up on the screen.

"Is the message latency on this terminal really this bad?"

"It wouldn't happen to be a product under some iPhone brand, would it?"

He couldn't help but mutter a complaint under his breath, but he still opened the message list. Most of it was irrelevant chatter from the class group chat, which he ignored, focusing instead on his interface with Kushida Kikyo.

After everything they had experienced from last night through this morning, Kushida Kikyo seemed to have completely torn off her mask in private, no longer bothering to play the angel in front of Akiyama Shin.

The messages were filled with various interrogations and "affectionate" greetings.

[Kushida Kikyo]: Are you a fucking idiot? Provoking the Student Council President in a place like the gymnasium?!

Do you even know what kind of person Horikita Manabu is?

What if he gives you a hard time later? What if he targets you? Did you get water in your brain?!

[Kushida Kikyo]: And... what exactly is your relationship with that woman, Horikita Suzune? Why are you hanging out with her again?! I'm telling you! Even though I don't mind how many women you have later! I just hate her!

You are my man now! I won't allow you to abandon me to go find other women! Especially her!

The lines were full of cursing, but the underlying concern and intense possessiveness were practically overflowing from the screen.

Akiyama Shin looked at these messages with a blank expression, simply replying with two short sentences.

[Akiyama Shin]: Are you worried about me?

[Akiyama Shin]: Are you jealous?

At this moment, Kushida Kikyo, who was eating in the cafeteria with Wang Meiyu and a few other girls, felt her terminal vibrate. She took it out secretly to look and happened to see these two replies from Akiyama Shin.

!!!

Her cheeks turned bright red instantly, her heart felt as if it had been struck hard by something, and the hand holding her chopsticks trembled.

"Kikyo-san, what's wrong? Your face is so red?"

Wang Meiyu, sitting next to her, asked with concern.

"N-nothing!"

Kushida Kikyo hurriedly put away her terminal, forcibly suppressing the agitation and shame in her heart, and put that sweet smile back on her face.

"Maybe it's just a bit hot in the cafeteria~"

However, she was screaming internally.

This narcissist!

Asshole!

Who's worried about you!

Who's jealous!

Go to hell!

Her fingers tapped rapidly on the terminal.

[Kushida Kikyo]: Get lost, you narcissist!

Akiyama Shin saw this reply but didn't pay it any mind, casually opening the chat box with Kamuro Masumi.

The message Kamuro sent wasn't long, consisting mainly of a screenshot and a single sentence, with a photo attached.

The content of the screenshot was a chat log from the Class A group, where a student named Katsuragi Kohei—a tall, serious-looking bald boy in the profile picture—was speaking in the group.

The main content was that he had applied for the student council, but was rejected by President Horikita, his words laced with a hint of confusion and frustration.

Exiting the image, the text message from Masumi Kamuro read as follows.

[Masumi Kamuro]: Class A hasn't discovered any of those rules you mentioned yesterday yet, though I'm not entirely sure myself. However, everyone is speculating that this school might involve competition, and the class seems to have split into two factions.

[Masumi Kamuro]: One is the Katsuragi Faction led by Kohei Katsuragi, and the other is the Sakayanagi Faction led by a white-haired... little girl who seems to have trouble walking. [Image]

Opening the image, it showed a girl sitting in a chair with hair as white as snow draped over her shoulders, her features as delicate as a doll—Arisu Sakayanagi.

Shin Akiyama replied with a "got it," then put down his terminal and returned his focus to the dishes in the pan.

At the same time, his brain began to race, integrating and analyzing the information he had just received.

So, there is factional strife in Class A...

Kohei Katsuragi and Arisu Sakayanagi, huh...?

This internal friction is bound to disperse the cohesion and energy of Class A. Although they might not fully understand the school's specific rules yet, they can infer the existence of competition. At the very least, they should be observing discipline well on the surface, making them a formidable opponent that warrants vigilance in the short term; he could not afford to slack off.

As for whether Class B can surpass Class A, it will depend on the leadership of Honami Ichinose and Ryuji Kanzaki, and whether they can effectively utilize these intelligence advantages.

As for the student council...

The purpose of Manabu Horikita going to the gymnasium today was clearly to recruit, but an elite from Class A like Kohei Katsuragi was rejected. This didn't make sense; Shin Akiyama felt something was very off.

Furthermore, Shin Akiyama felt that even if Manabu Horikita believed Katsuragi still needed tempering, he could have easily let him join the student council first to observe him. Rejecting him outright might have two main reasons behind it.

One: Manabu Horikita had no intention of letting any first-year students join the student council this term.

Two: He might be intentionally limiting... or perhaps balancing the internal power of the student council?

After all, the student council is not decided by the president alone; there must be other second-year members within it.

Moreover, since it has been confirmed that there is competition between classes, what about between grade levels? The possibility is extremely high.

As a platform for absorbing talent from all grades, does internal maneuvering between grade levels exist within the student council as well?

Manabu Horikita rejecting Katsuragi might be to prevent the first-year faction from intervening too early and breaking the internal balance of the student council, or perhaps to keep someone in check?

This speculation remains to be observed and verified later.

"Dinner is ready."

Shin Akiyama's voice interrupted Suzune Horikita's train of thought.

He placed several steaming dishes onto the dining table.

Mapo tofu, shredded pork with green peppers, tomato scrambled eggs... all typical home-style Chinese dishes, bright in color and mouth-watering in aroma.

"This is... Chinese cuisine?"

Suzune Horikita looked at the dishes on the table with some surprise.

"Yeah, my mother was a Chinese woman who married into a family far from home, so I'm more accustomed to eating these."

Shin Akiyama handed her a bowl of rice.

Suzune Horikita looked at the excellent-looking dishes before her, picked up her chopsticks, and tentatively picked up a piece of mapo tofu to put in her mouth. Instantly, the spicy, numbing, and savory flavors exploded in her mouth; the tofu was tender and smooth, the minced meat crispy and fragrant, making her eyes light up slightly.

"It's delicious."

She evaluated it honestly. Although she was sucking in air slightly from the spice, her hand didn't stop moving.

"Thank you."

Shin Akiyama accepted the compliment calmly and humbly, and then the two began to eat in silence.

For a while, only the faint clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the sound of chewing remained in the room, the atmosphere possessing a strange harmony.

"You..."

Suzune Horikita seemed to want to find a topic to break the silence.

"You were looking at your terminal earlier, was there something going on?"

"Just some unimportant news."

Shin Akiyama did not elaborate.

Suzune Horikita glanced at him and did not press further.

She found that when spending time with Shin Akiyama, there didn't seem to be a need for much unnecessary conversation; this quiet companionship actually made her feel a rare sense of relaxation.

Dinner ended in a subtle calm, and Suzune Horikita kept her promise, taking the initiative to clear the dishes and wash them in the kitchen.

Shin Akiyama sat at his desk and took out his terminal once more, his gaze lingering on the photo of Arisu Sakayanagi that Masumi Kamuro had sent, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

Arisu Sakayanagi...

Disabled...

Yet able to force a character like Kohei Katsuragi into a factional opposition...

This woman is likely even harder to deal with than Katsuragi.

The only thing Shin Akiyama didn't know was that Arisu Sakayanagi was, in fact, a true god of internal strife.

Akiyama Shin woke from his brief rest, the first thing he felt being the weight and warmth of a head that wasn't his own.

He tilted his head slightly to see Horikita Suzune's small head resting against his.

Her breathing was steady, and her long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyelids; she seemed to be in a deep sleep.

Akiyama Shin adjusted his posture with minimal movement, gently supporting Horikita Suzune with his palm as he slowly shifted away.

He then steadied her shoulders, helping her lean back against the bench to sit upright.

Only after doing this did he reach out and shake Horikita Suzune's shoulder with a measured touch.

"Wake up."

Horikita Suzune's long eyelashes fluttered a few times before she slowly opened her drowsy eyes.

As her consciousness returned, the first thing that came into view was Akiyama Shin's calm face inches from her own, along with the realization that she had apparently fallen asleep leaning on him.

A distinct flush spread from her neck to her cheeks, even staining the tips of her ears a deep crimson.

She sat up straight abruptly, instinctively raising a hand to smooth her slightly messy hair. She looked away, feigning composure, her voice carrying a hint of post-sleep huskiness and an imperceptible trace of panic.

"I... I was just... a little tired."

Akiyama Shin didn't comment on her explanation, instead raising his hand to check the time on his terminal.

"It's already six o'clock. Time to head back."

Hearing this, Horikita Suzune checked the time as well, surprised that she had slept for so long. She asked instinctively.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'll just head to Keyaki Mall to buy some ingredients and kitchenware. Cooking for myself is more cost-effective."

As he spoke, Akiyama Shin stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders. As if remembering something, he glanced at Horikita Suzune beside him and asked casually.

"Want to come along?"

Horikita Suzune froze at the words.

Together?

Did he mean going shopping together?

Or did he mean going to his dormitory to eat together?

Her heart rate accelerated inexplicably. If it meant going to the boys' dormitory, it would be a first in her sixteen years of life.

However, looking at Akiyama Shin's indifferent expression—completely devoid of any romantic subtext and purely asking if she wanted to accompany him—she realized immediately that he probably hadn't thought that far ahead at all; he was simply asking if she wanted to go shopping.

Her own hesitation and train of thought suddenly made her feel... rather self-indulgent?

A subtle sense of embarrassment and annoyance made her press her lips together, but she quickly regained her cool, detached expression and nodded.

"Fine."

The two walked side by side toward Keyaki Mall, the setting sun stretching their shadows long across the ground.

On the way, Horikita Suzune asked out of curiosity.

"So, you actually know how to cook?"

"I'm used to it."

Akiyama Shin looked straight ahead, his tone devoid of fluctuation.

"Back in middle school, my parents often worked late, so I usually made my own bento to take to school."

Horikita Suzune was slightly taken aback, turning to look at Akiyama Shin's sharp, cold profile.

She hadn't expected this boy, who seemed so calm and powerful to the point of coldness, to have such an independent and precocious past.

Thinking back to how he had taken a leave of absence due to his mother's serious illness, and that his family situation didn't seem particularly well-off...

An indescribable emotion flickered in her heart—not pity, but perhaps a sense of recognition for a kindred spirit?

She, too, had always lived under the shadow and pressure of her brother, striving to prove herself.

In a way.

She was also lonely.

"Is that so..."

She replied in a low voice and didn't ask anything further.

At the supermarket, the two purchased basic kitchen supplies such as pots, bowls, chopsticks, and knives, along with a sufficient amount of vegetables and meat. When checking out, seeing the total price—far lower than dining at a restaurant—Horikita Suzune gained a deeper understanding of Akiyama Shin's financial sense and pragmatic character.

After buying the items, the two naturally returned to Akiyama Shin's Dormitory 501 together.

When Akiyama Shin opened the door and saw Horikita Suzune following him inside so naturally, he realized belatedly that she might have interpreted his invitation as one for dinner.

He had truly only asked if she wanted to go shopping, but he didn't say anything more. Since she was already here, having one extra person for dinner didn't matter.

To him, anyone who came was a guest; it was just one extra pair of chopsticks. He carried the ingredients straight to the small kitchen in the corner of the room and began to prepare the meal in silence.

Horikita Suzune stood in the center of the room, drawn in by the extreme tidiness and the faint, crisp scent lingering in the air.

She touched her hair with a sense of unease, watching Akiyama Shin's back as he busied himself in the kitchen, before walking up to him and asking.

"Do you need any help?"

Akiyama Shin didn't even turn his head, skillfully washing the vegetables.

"No need. You're a guest, just sit and wait."

"That won't do."

Horikita Suzune's tone was insistent, carrying her usual earnestness and stubbornness.

"I don't have the habit of getting something for nothing."

Akiyama Shin paused slightly, stopping his movements. He turned his head to glance at her casually, and seeing her stubborn expression, he pointed toward the dishes waiting to be washed in the sink.

"If you insist, then after we finish eating, the dishwashing will be left to you."

Horikita Suzune looked at the pile of dishes, then back at Akiyama Shin, and finally accepted the arrangement with reluctance.

"Fine."

She walked over to the chair by the desk and sat down, quietly watching Akiyama Shin work in the kitchen.

His movements were fluid and precise; chopping vegetables, preparing ingredients, heating the oil, and tossing them into the pan—it was all done in one go, clearly showing he was extremely skilled at this.

Soon, the enticing aroma of food began to fill the room, a rich scent of stir-fried charred goodness that was quite different from typical Japanese cuisine.

Taking advantage of a gap in his cooking, Akiyama Shin took out his terminal to check the time, only to find a mountain of unread message notifications popping up on the screen.

"Is the message latency on this terminal really this bad?"

"It wouldn't happen to be some product under the iPhone brand, would it?"

He couldn't help but mutter a complaint under his breath, but he still opened the message list. Most of it was irrelevant chatter from the class group chat, which he ignored, focusing instead on his interface with Kushida Kikyo.

After everything they had experienced from last night through this morning, the Kushida Kikyo in private seemed to have completely torn off her mask, no longer bothering to play the angel in front of Akiyama Shin.

The messages were filled with various interrogations and "affectionate" greetings.

[Kushida Kikyo]: Are you a fucking idiot? Provoking the Student Council President in a place like the gymnasium?!

Do you know what kind of person Horikita Manabu is?

What if he gives you a hard time later? What if he targets you? Did you get water in your brain?!

[Kushida Kikyo]: And... what exactly is your relationship with that woman, Horikita Suzune? Why are you hanging out with her again?! Let me tell you! Even though I don't mind how many women you have later! I just hate her!

You are my man now! I won't allow you to leave me to go find other women! Especially her!

The lines were full of cursing, but the underlying concern and intense possessiveness were practically overflowing from the screen.

Akiyama Shin looked at these messages with a blank expression, simply replying with two short sentences.

[Akiyama Shin]: Are you worried about me?

[Akiyama Shin]: Are you jealous?

At this moment, Kushida Kikyo, who was eating in the cafeteria with Wang Meiyu and a few other girls, felt her terminal vibrate. She took it out secretly and happened to see these two replies from Akiyama Shin.

!!!

Her cheeks flushed bright red instantly, her heart feeling as if it had been struck hard by something, and the hand holding her chopsticks trembled.

"Kikyo-san, what's wrong? Your face is so red?"

Wang Meiyu, sitting next to her, asked with concern.

"N-nothing!"

Kushida Kikyo hurriedly put away her terminal, forcibly suppressing the agitation and shame in her heart, and put that sweet smile back on her face.

"Maybe it's just a bit hot in the cafeteria~"

However, she was screaming internally.

This narcissist!

Asshole!

Who's worried about you!

Who's jealous!

Go to hell!

Her fingers tapped rapidly on the terminal.

[Kushida Kikyo]: Get lost, you narcissist!

Akiyama Shin saw this reply and didn't pay it any mind, casually opening the chat box with Kamuro Masumi.

The message Kamuro sent wasn't long, consisting mainly of a screenshot and a single sentence, along with an attached photo.

The content of the screenshot was a chat log from the Class A group, where a student named Katsuragi Kohei—a tall, serious-looking bald boy whose profile picture matched his appearance—was speaking in the group.

The main content stated that he had applied for the student council but was rejected by President Horikita, his words laced with a hint of confusion and frustration.

Exiting the image, the text message from Masumi Kamuro read as follows.

[Masumi Kamuro]: Class A hasn't discovered any of those rules you mentioned yesterday yet, though I'm not entirely sure myself. However, everyone is speculating that this school might involve competition, and the class seems to have split into two factions.

[Masumi Kamuro]: One is the Katsuragi Faction led by Kohei Katsuragi, and the other is the Sakayanagi Faction led by a white-haired... little girl who seems to have trouble walking. [Image]

Opening the image, it showed a girl sitting in a chair with hair as white as snow draped over her shoulders, her features as delicate as a doll—Arisu Sakayanagi.

Shin Akiyama replied with a "got it," then put down his terminal and returned his focus to the dishes in the pan.

At the same time, his brain began to race, integrating and analyzing the information he had just received.

Class A actually has factional strife...

Kohei Katsuragi and Arisu Sakayanagi, huh...?

This internal friction is bound to disperse the cohesion and energy of Class A. Although they might not fully understand the school's specific rules yet, they can infer the competitive nature of the environment. At the very least, they should maintain good discipline on the surface, making them a formidable opponent that warrants vigilance in the short term; he cannot afford to slack off.

As for whether Class B can surpass Class A, it will depend on the leadership abilities of Honami Ichinose and Ryuji Kanzaki, as well as their ability to effectively utilize this intelligence advantage.

As for the student council...

Manabu Horikita's purpose in going to the gymnasium today was clearly to recruit, yet an elite from Class A like Kohei Katsuragi was rejected. This doesn't make much sense, and Shin Akiyama felt something was very off.

Furthermore, Shin Akiyama felt that even if Manabu Horikita believed Katsuragi needed more seasoning, he could have easily let him join the student council first to observe him. Rejecting him outright likely stemmed from two main reasons.

One: Manabu Horikita had no intention of letting any first-year students join the student council this term.

Two: He might be intentionally limiting... or perhaps balancing the internal power dynamics of the student council?

After all, the student council isn't run solely by the president; there must be other second-year members within it.

Moreover, since it has already been confirmed that competition exists between classes, what about between grade levels? The possibility is extremely high.

As a platform that absorbs talent from all grade levels, does internal maneuvering between grades exist within the student council as well?

Manabu Horikita rejecting Katsuragi might have been to prevent the first-year faction from intervening too early and upsetting the internal balance of the student council, or perhaps it was to keep someone in check?

This speculation remains to be observed and verified later.

"Dinner is ready."

Shin Akiyama's voice interrupted Suzune Horikita's train of thought.

He placed several steaming dishes onto the dining table.

Mapo tofu, shredded pork with green peppers, stir-fried tomato and eggs... all typical home-style Chinese dishes, bright in color and mouth-watering in aroma.

"This is... Chinese cuisine?"

Suzune Horikita looked at the dishes on the table with some surprise.

"Yes, my mother was Chinese and married into the family from afar, so I'm more accustomed to eating these."

Shin Akiyama handed her a bowl of rice.

Suzune Horikita looked at the aesthetically pleasing dishes before her, picked up her chopsticks, and tentatively picked up a piece of mapo tofu to put in her mouth. Instantly, the spicy, numbing, and savory flavors exploded on her palate; the tofu was tender and smooth, the minced meat fragrant, making her eyes light up slightly.

"It's delicious."

She evaluated it honestly. Although she was hissing slightly from the spice, her hand didn't stop moving.

"Thank you."

Shin Akiyama accepted the compliment calmly and humbly, and then the two began to eat in silence.

The room was left with only the faint sound of bowls and chopsticks clinking and the noise of chewing, the atmosphere possessing a strange harmony.

"You..."

Suzune Horikita seemed to want to find a topic to break the silence.

"You were looking at your terminal earlier, was something the matter?"

"Just some unimportant news."

Shin Akiyama didn't elaborate.

Suzune Horikita glanced at him and didn't press further.

She discovered that when spending time with Shin Akiyama, there didn't seem to be a need for much unnecessary conversation; this quiet companionship actually made her feel a rare sense of relaxation.

Dinner ended in a subtle peace, and Suzune Horikita kept her promise, taking the initiative to clear the dishes and wash them in the kitchen.

Shin Akiyama sat at his desk and took out his terminal once more, his gaze lingering on the photo of Arisu Sakayanagi that Masumi Kamuro had sent, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

Arisu Sakayanagi...

Disabled...

Yet capable of forcing a character like Kohei Katsuragi into a factional standoff...

This woman is likely even harder to deal with than Katsuragi.

However, what Shin Akiyama didn't know was that Arisu Sakayanagi was, in fact, a true god of internal strife.