The Scheming Akiyama Shin and Sakayanagi Arisu?! This Mind Game Was So Intense It Made Me Cry!!

The next morning.

The faint light slipped through a gap in the curtains, falling on the two people sleeping in each other's arms. Unlike yesterday, they didn't have another round of intense morning exercise.

Akiyama Shin was still full of energy, but when he saw Kushida Kikyo curled up beneath the covers beside him, still fast asleep, with a hint of fatigue and weariness lingering between her brows, he muttered,

"Last night... might've been a bit much..."

He glanced at Kushida Kikyo's peaceful sleeping face. He felt no particular stirrings in his heart; it was simply an objective assessment of the situation.

As Kushida Kikyo slowly woke, she felt the lingering soreness in her body. Then she glanced at Akiyama Shin, already awake beside her and acting as if nothing had happened, and couldn't help grumbling inwardly again.

This guy... does he have endless energy?

Is this guy... even human...?

The two got up one after the other without a word, washed up in their room, then left at different times.

They hadn't left together because rumors about Akiyama Shin had recently begun circulating in Class D.

The gist was always the same: people wondered whether Akiyama Shin was a playboy, since he seemed to have an ambiguous relationship with Horikita Suzune while also getting very close to Kushida Kikyo, the center of the class.

He seemed to be playing both sides.

It was only the third day of school, and most students in Class D were still lost in the dream of Heaven Academy, unaware that any potential crisis existed.

With no clear goals or pressure, the students' greatest source of entertainment—aside from planning how to spend their points—was gossip based on groundless rumors.

By contrast,

the atmosphere in the other classes was completely different.

The students in Class A had already used their elite instincts to sense that the school might pit classes against one another. They had even begun to form two factions, led by Katsuragi Kohei and Sakayanagi Arisu.

Although the first signs of internal strife had emerged, Class A's students were generally disciplined. It was almost impossible for them to commit any major violations in the first month that would cost their class points.

Class B, meanwhile, had gained an information advantage by purchasing crucial intel from Akiyama Shin.

If they made effective use of that information and strengthened their self-discipline and cooperation, it wasn't impossible for them to overtake Class A in class points during the first month.

After all, with a leader as approachable as Honami Ichinose and a kind, united atmosphere throughout the class, Class B had the strongest cohesion of any first-year class.

Overtaking Class A should have been inevitable.

Akiyama calmly assessed the situation.

The situation in Class C was still unclear, but judging by their homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma, they probably wouldn't be as aimless and disorganized as Class D.

As for Class D...

Akiyama Shin sneered inwardly.

Even if he laid out the complete rules before them right now, this disorganized rabble lacked the unifying force of someone like Honami Ichinose. They would probably struggle to take effective collective action in the short term.

You couldn't make anything of mud—unless they suffered firsthand.

About ten minutes after Kushida Kikyo left, Akiyama Shin finished getting dressed and strolled out of the room at an unhurried pace.

The morning air on campus was fresh, and a gentle breeze brushed his face.

As he walked, he let his thoughts sink into deep consideration of his plans for the future and the state of the classes. His gaze went slightly unfocused as he headed toward the school building.

But as he passed a corner, distracted, he unexpectedly collided with a relatively petite figure coming toward him.

"Ah!"

A small, pained squeak sounded, followed by the light clatter of something hitting the ground.

Akiyama Shin snapped back to his senses and looked down.

A girl was sitting on the ground.

She had beautiful, shoulder-length silver hair and wore a delicate black beret.

Her school uniform fit her well. Below her skirt were slender legs covered in white thigh-high stockings, and beside her lay a cane that was clearly meant to help her walk.

Akiyama Shin froze, but immediately recognized her as the girl in the photo Kamuro Masumi had sent him yesterday—the leader of the Sakayanagi Faction in Class A.

Sakayanagi Arisu.

Seeing the cane beside her and her sitting helplessly on the ground, Akiyama Shin realized that he had been distracted and knocked her over. She also seemed to have trouble walking.

Without hesitation, he slowly crouched down to meet her gaze, then held out a hand and asked in a calm, emotionless voice,

"Are you all right?"

Sakayanagi Arisu lifted her eyes to look at Akiyama Shin.

Her doll-like face showed little pain or irritation. Instead, she gave him a gentle, composed smile.

She held out her small, pale hand and lightly placed it in his palm.

"I'm fine."

Akiyama Shin pulled her to her feet with a little effort, then picked up her fallen cane and handed it to her.

"Thank you, classmate."

Sakayanagi Arisu took the cane, planted it elegantly, then smiled and introduced herself.

"I'm Sakayanagi Arisu from Class 1-A. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Class 1-D, Akiyama Shin."

Akiyama Shin gave her his name and class as well.

When she heard that Akiyama Shin was from Class D, a barely perceptible hint of surprise flickered in Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes, but she soon regained her composure.

She spoke again in a gentle tone, but what she said made Akiyama Shin frown inwardly.

"I wasn't watching where I was going just now, so I caused you trouble, Akiyama. I'm very sorry."

Hearing that, Akiyama Shin's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Was it her fault?

Anyone could see that he, Akiyama Shin, had been lost in thought and knocked into her while she was walking normally.

And yet Sakayanagi Arisu, the one involved and the one who'd been hurt, was taking the blame herself?

Such abnormal behavior had to have a reason.

His mind started racing as he analyzed Sakayanagi Arisu's psychology in depth.

Generally speaking, there were two common psychological reasons for habitually blaming oneself for mistakes.

The first was extreme insecurity, a defense mechanism developed after living for a long time in an environment where one was constantly criticized or bullied.

The second was a desire to avoid conflict and trouble by showing weakness and smoothing things over.

But Sakayanagi Arisu clearly didn't fit the first category. From their brief interaction, Akiyama Shin had sensed a composure and calm that seemed to come from deep within her.

She spoke elegantly, smiled gracefully, and her eyes showed no sign of evasiveness or timidity. Instead, she seemed serene.

That was hardly the bearing of someone who had been repressed for a long time and felt inferior.

Besides, her ability to form her own faction in elite-filled Class A and stand as an equal to Katsuragi Kohei was proof enough that her intelligence and ability far exceeded those of an ordinary person.

Then... was it the second reason? To avoid trouble?

Even so, that explanation seemed far-fetched.

Given her status in Class A, there was no need for her to be so humble toward a Class D student—especially over an accidental collision.

More importantly, when she'd heard that Akiyama Shin was from Class D, surprise had flashed across her face, however faintly. He hadn't missed it.

That meant she might know something about Class D's position, perhaps even something touching on the core rules of this school.

So why would someone who knew some of the rules... and was in Class A... take the blame for a Class D student?

And if she already knew some of the rules but hadn't revealed them within Class A, choosing instead to let factional conflict take shape... what exactly was her purpose?

Akiyama Shin didn't think Sakayanagi Arisu was trying to hone Class A the way he was testing Class D. Class A had no need to grow through such inefficient infighting.

Then was she making things harder for herself... enjoying the thrill of competing with others under restrictions? Or was there something deeper at play—some scheme even Akiyama Shin hadn't seen through yet?

Akiyama Shin realized that, for the moment, he couldn't fully see through the true intentions of this seemingly delicate girl.

The feeling that she was beyond his control instantly put him on the highest alert.

As Akiyama Shin sank into his analysis, his gaze unconsciously lingered on Sakayanagi Arisu's face.

Still wearing that unchanging smile, she spoke softly, her tone just teasing enough.

"Akiyama, even if you're very handsome, and I might indeed be somewhat cute, it's not very polite to keep staring at a girl like that, is it?"

Her gentle voice pulled Akiyama Shin back from his deep thoughts.

Akiyama Shin paused, then realized he'd been rude. He immediately looked away, his expression returning to normal.

"Pardon me."

He apologized coolly, then said nothing more.

"Well then, goodbye."

With that, he gave Sakayanagi Arisu a slight nod and turned to continue toward the school building. He had already committed the silver-haired girl firmly to memory.

Sakayanagi Arisu of Class A—a rival he needed to watch closely and study in depth.

As she watched Akiyama Shin walk away, Sakayanagi Arisu's smile remained gentle.

But a thoughtful glimmer passed through the depths of her eyes.

Akiyama Shin... Class D...

She hadn't fully mastered all the rules of this school either. Her surprise at Akiyama Shin's class had more to do with another reason.

The greatest masterpiece from the White Room, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, was also in Class D.

"A single Class D... housing both Ayanokoji-kun and this Akiyama-kun... This is getting more and more interesting~"

The collision just now hadn't been entirely accidental. She had deliberately chosen that moment to walk toward Akiyama Shin, who was obviously lost in thought.

Yesterday, Akiyama Shin's brief confrontation with President Horikita in the Gymnasium had seemed impolite, but the probing and nerve behind it had caught Sakayanagi Arisu's attention. No ordinary freshman could have done something like that.

When she'd run into him today and seen him lost in thought, Sakayanagi Arisu had grown curious. After all, she didn't believe that Akiyama Shin could be so inattentive.

Sakayanagi Arisu had wondered what Akiyama Shin was thinking about, and whether he was thinking so deeply that his awareness of his surroundings had diminished. His behavior just now had further confirmed her guess.

He was someone accustomed to complex logical deductions, and once immersed in them, he temporarily lowered the priority of the real world.

That trait...

was fascinating, and dangerous.

Having confirmed this, Sakayanagi Arisu looked forward to life at this school even more.

It seemed there might be even more evenly matched opponents than she'd imagined.

Leaning on her cane, she slowly turned and walked toward Class A, a faint smile on her lips.

"Akiyama-kun... I'm looking forward to meeting you again..."