Akiyama Shin watched the silver-haired girl approaching him and Horikita Suzune with the aid of a cane. A flicker of surprise crossed his mind. He remembered her, of course: Sakayanagi Arisu.
The girl from Class A—no, according to the current standings, she was in Class B—who he had accidentally knocked over one morning, only for her to take the blame herself.
Their brief encounter had revealed an uncommonly cool head and an almost perfect response. He had immediately marked her as a meticulous person who required a great deal of caution. Now that she had sought him out, what did she want?
And the fact that she was now in Class B seemed to disprove some of his earlier assumptions.
Perhaps she hadn't fully grasped the point system at the start of the school year. Otherwise, given her abilities, Class B wouldn't have fallen from Class A after just one month.
But despite factional infighting within the class, they had managed to retain 940 Class Points after a month, losing only 60. That was further proof of the overall ability and discipline of Class B's students. It also suggested that Sakayanagi might have been in an exploratory phase at the time.
That only made Akiyama more puzzled. Why would a Class B leader who now clearly understood the rules, and was competing against the other classes, choose to approach Class D, which was practically in ruins?
Sakayanagi Arisu stopped in front of Akiyama Shin and Horikita Suzune. Her steps were steady, showing no hesitation despite her difficulty walking. She bent slightly and lifted the hem of her uniform skirt with elegant grace, offering them an impeccable greeting.
"Good day, Akiyama."
She raised her eyes. Her amethyst gaze held a faint smile as she looked first at Akiyama, then at the cool, black-haired girl beside him.
"And you as well."
Horikita Suzune seemed somewhat unaccustomed to such formal etiquette, but she maintained basic politeness and gave a slight nod as she introduced herself.
"Class 1-D, Horikita Suzune."
"Class 1-B, Sakayanagi Arisu."
"Horikita, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Sakayanagi replied with a warm smile.
Horikita got straight to the point, asking with a trace of guardedness that was difficult to detect.
"Sakayanagi, may I ask what brings you to Class D?"
She didn't believe a Class B student would come looking for them without a reason, especially now that Class D had suffered a heavy blow.
Akiyama said nothing. He merely watched Sakayanagi with calm, dark-red eyes, while his mind raced to reassess the girl before him.
Why had she approached them now?
Was she seeking an alliance?
Akiyama dismissed that possibility almost immediately. As one of the people actually in control of Class B, her most urgent goal was undoubtedly to overtake Class A, led by Honami Ichinose. There was no strategic value in cooperating with Class D, whose Class Points had fallen to zero. They might even drag her class down.
But then Akiyama reconsidered. He couldn't rule it out entirely. Though he didn't consider Sakayanagi's overall abilities top-tier, her eye for people and her intuition were remarkably sharp. She seemed to have noticed that there was something unusual about him from their very first meeting.
Perhaps...
She believed that making a connection with him as an individual... held far greater potential value than working with Class D as a whole?
Was this a long-term investment?
As thoughts raced through Akiyama's mind, Sakayanagi spoke, her voice still gentle.
"There is indeed something I'd like to discuss with the two of you."
Her gaze rested mainly on Akiyama.
"I imagine you both know that the Midterm Exam is coming up, and anyone who fails will be expelled."
She paused, then continued.
"Our Class B is planning to organize a study group to encourage one another and improve together."
"Considering that the students of Class D may also be under considerable pressure right now, I'd like to make a rather presumptuous suggestion. Would you and Horikita be willing to join us for a study group? We could share study materials, help each other with difficult questions, and work together to make sure everyone passes this test."
Horikita was visibly stunned.
Class B was offering to help Class D?
It was like a lifeline thrown to them in their hour of need!
She almost agreed on the spot. This was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to improve Class D's overall academic ability in a short time.
But she restrained herself and turned to Akiyama, silently seeking his opinion.
Without realizing it, she had grown accustomed to relying on his judgment when it came to strategy and dealing with other classes.
Akiyama's doubts only deepened. What did Sakayanagi stand to gain from this proposal?
Class B's students would have to focus on their own studies while also devoting time to tutoring Class D students, whose foundations were probably weaker. It was practically a one-sided act of pure generosity, with almost no visible return. The only explanation he could think of was that she wanted to earn goodwill from Class D—or from him personally.
But what was Class D's goodwill worth right now?
And his own goodwill was practically useless at this stage...
He couldn't figure out the deeper meaning behind Sakayanagi's move.
Still, whatever her motives, this proposal offered Class D a real advantage. Only a fool would turn down a good deal. Since he couldn't work out her intentions, he might as well accept and make the most of the opportunity to strengthen his class.
As for Sakayanagi's true motives, time would tell. Weighing the pros and cons had taken only an instant.
Meeting Sakayanagi's seemingly perceptive gaze, Akiyama nodded and replied evenly.
"Fine. Class D agrees to take part."
"We appreciate Class B's generosity."
Seeing that Akiyama had agreed, Horikita felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She nodded to Sakayanagi.
"Thank you."
Sakayanagi's smile grew more pronounced, as if she had expected this outcome all along.
"That's wonderful. Then shall we meet at the library after school tomorrow?"
"We can set aside an area and study together."
"Sounds good."
Akiyama accepted simply.
"I look forward to it."
Sakayanagi bowed slightly once more, then turned elegantly and returned to Class B's area, leaning on her cane.
Watching Sakayanagi walk away, Akiyama wasn't naive enough to believe she had acted out of simple kindness. There was more to her helping Class D—or, rather, making a point of showing goodwill toward Akiyama—than met the eye. The truth was that coming to Advanced Nurturing High School, and rising to Class A, might not be Sakayanagi's ultimate goal. What she truly wanted was to challenge the strong and match wits with worthy opponents.
Like Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who came from the White Room and was in Class D. Sakayanagi had unilaterally decided that he was her destined rival and childhood friend. Now Akiyama had entered her sights as well. Though she had never witnessed any of his achievements firsthand, her intuition told her that Class B's leap past the former Class A to the top within a month had to be driven by an unseen hand. And on instinct, she believed that hand belonged to Akiyama.
Helping Class D and earning their goodwill was a way to leave him with the impression that she could be a partner or a potential ally.
Not merely an enemy.
She could sense that Akiyama's dark-red eyes were constantly and calmly analyzing everything around him.
Including her.
She couldn't risk losing the chance to compete with Akiyama in the future, to face him directly.
For her, the fun of this school lay in facing off against the strong. She didn't want to miss out on either Ayanokoji or Akiyama as an opponent.
This temporary assistance was simply a way to make the game ahead more interesting in the long run.
As soon as Sakayanagi returned to Class B's area, Hashimoto Masayoshi, Kito Hayato, Nishikawa Ryoko, and the other members of the Sakayanagi Faction gathered around her.
"Your Highness..."
"Did you just go over to talk to Class D...?"
Hashimoto asked curiously, looking puzzled.
"Is there some special plan?"
Nishikawa blinked as she asked.
Kito didn't say anything, but his eyes were just as questioning.
Faced with her followers' confusion, Sakayanagi only smiled faintly, her expression inscrutable.
"I was merely planting a few seeds of goodwill."
She spoke softly, her gaze once again drifting toward Class D.
"The game ahead needs interesting opponents, don't you think?"
She didn't explain further, but Hashimoto and the others seemed accustomed to their princess's way of speaking.
They were still puzzled, but they didn't press her.
Meanwhile.
Akiyama and Horikita wasted no time. They immediately gathered the Class D students scattered around the field.
"Everyone..."
Hirata Yosuke, the class's coordinator, spoke up first, raising his voice so everyone could hear.
"Sakayanagi from Class B just came over and made us a proposal."
Everyone turned to look. Horikita took over, her cool voice clearly conveying the news.
"Class B has proposed that starting tomorrow afternoon, they hold a joint study group with Class D in the library. We'll all review together and prepare for the Midterm Exam."
A low murmur of surprise rippled through the Class D crowd.
"Together with Class B?!"
"Seriously? Class B is willing to help us?"
"That's great! With Class B's top students helping us, we'll definitely be fine on the exam!"
This is like a lifeline!"
Most of the students, especially those worried about their exam results, looked surprised and grateful. It was a glimmer of light in the midst of despair.
Karuizawa Kei and her group exchanged glances, each seeing the relief in the others' eyes.
Wang Meiyu clasped her hands and whispered,
"That's wonderful..."
Matsushita Chiaki raised an eyebrow and murmured to herself,
"We're supposed to be competitors..."
"What's the point of doing this?"
Hasebe Haruka smiled.
"Looks like our luck isn't all bad."
Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike were even more delighted.
"Haha! We're saved!"
"Looks like Class B has good taste after all!"
Ken Sudō didn't say anything, but his furrowed brow relaxed a little. Having someone help was better than struggling through the textbooks on his own. At the edge of the crowd, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji heard the news and secretly felt relieved.
He didn't want the ordinary high school life he sought to be disrupted by failing the Midterm Exam.
Getting through this crisis in this way was undoubtedly the best possible outcome.
He watched Akiyama and Horikita calmly announce the news at the front of the group, and felt an indescribable emotion stir inside him. Having people willing to step forward and lead the way at a critical moment might be a stroke of luck for Class D.
Seeing the positive response, Hirata pressed on while the enthusiasm was still fresh.
"This is a valuable opportunity!"
"I hope everyone takes advantage of it and participates! We'll meet at the library after school tomorrow!"
"Sure!"
"No problem!"
"I'll definitely be there!"
Before you continue