Then It Won't Be a Problem

Class D.

Ayanokoji, who was posing as an ordinary high school student, was dozing off,

when a sweet voice suddenly sounded beside him.

"Ayanokoji-kun, do you have a moment?"

The one calling out to him was Kushida Kikyo. Ayanokoji replied, "No problem."

The result was Kushida's radiant smile,

as she said she wanted Ayanokoji to invite Horikita Suzune to a café. Ayanokoji, still posing as an ordinary high school student, agreed without much difficulty.

Their plan was simple, but it only worked on ordinary people. If Sakamoto found out about it, he would definitely laugh out loud.

Because Horikita Suzune was a rather simple-minded girl with Down syndrome. She would directly ruin the mood, become the queen of awkward silences, snap at Kushida, and leave.

Then their relationship would probably only get worse.

The two walked down a road they did not usually take. Hashimoto's expression grew increasingly strange, confusion and hesitation twisting together across his face until he finally stopped.

"Sakamoto, as your subordinate, I'm supposed to follow your orders. But I still don't understand. The weekly exam last time, the girl yesterday... what exactly is your purpose?"

"Well, you can think of it as a game. Any kind of game."

Sakamoto kept walking ahead without turning back.

"Then where are we going now?"

"Class D..."

Though completely confused, Hashimoto chose not to ask any more questions. There was no beginning or end to these matters, so he could not make sense of them.

"Hey, Teacher!"

As the two walked in silence, a greeting suddenly came from afar.

They turned to look and saw Saito, a second-year student.

"Teacher."

Saito stopped in front of Sakamoto, panting heavily, both hands braced on his knees to ease the strain from running.

"Teacher! After discussing it together, every member of the Chess Club has decided to offer four hundred thousand points to ask you to teach us chess!"

Sakamoto gave a polite smile. The Chess Club members were all like this, carrying that cringeworthy passion of hot-blooded teenagers.

Sensing the awkwardness, Saito's voice involuntarily weakened.

"We know that four hundred thousand points is nowhere near enough to hire a master of your level, Teacher Sakamoto. This is everything our Chess Club can offer. If you think it isn't enough, we can make up for it over the next year. We'll do anything!!"

As Saito spoke, his voice grew more and more agitated, as though his saliva was about to spray onto Sakamoto's face. The Chess Club had few members to begin with, and they had to hand over part of their points every month. These four hundred thousand points were everything they had. Even Hashimoto, who was usually thick-skinned, could barely keep a straight face and took half a step back.

Sakamoto made a shushing gesture, and only then did Saito stop talking.

"I have seen Senior Saito and your companions' dedication to chess. But unfortunately, I have no interest in teaching chess."

Saito froze where he stood.

"Is our sincerity still not enough? We can..."

"Shh... It's time to catch a mouse."

That gentle yet unquestionable voice interrupted Saito.

Hashimoto immediately sprang into action, rushing toward the vending machine in front of the building by the roadside. Before the long-haired girl with a ponytail could escape, he grabbed her wrist. She could not break free.

"Let go of me! Let go!"

The single-ponytailed girl's face was exposed. It was Kamuro Masumi from Class A.

Seeing that the target had been caught, Sakamoto was in no hurry.

"Senior Saito, we have something to take care of here."

"Oh, all right. I'll be leaving first, then. You carry on."

The second-year senior pretended not to see the scene before him and ran off in a flash.

Seeing this, Kamuro struggled harder, trying to wrench free from Hashimoto's tight grip.

"Hey, you bastard, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Hashimoto had no intention of letting the target escape. While restraining her movements with one hand, he pressed her for answers.

Looking at the approaching Sakamoto and Hashimoto right in front of her, Kamuro Masumi realized this was a trap.

It really was a trap. The two had prepared this plan in the morning, leading the stalker to the side of this open road. If she wanted to hide, she could only stay near the buildings along the road, and with such a limited target area, it was easy to drag her out.

They had caught the person who had been following them for two days.

The little mouse from last night—Kamuro Masumi.

But it had been close to sunset then, and the light was dim. With the woods nearby, Hashimoto might not have been able to catch up to her. As for having Sakamoto go personally, what kind of boss took the field first?

The little animal on this side, however, was nowhere near as nimble. She had been caught the moment they reached for her.

"You came here on purpose!"

"So you do have a brain. Yet you still did something this stupid. Talk! What's your purpose?"

"Why should I tell you? You're the ones treating a girl like this!"

Even after being caught, Kamuro Masumi refused to yield and immediately fired back.

"Kamuro, understand the situation you're in."

"Tell me, what do you think might happen to a cute young girl all alone in a place hardly anyone comes to?"

The girl realized that the situation was indeed looking bad, but she still stubbornly replied,

"Don't forget this is a school. There are surveillance cameras," she said, pointing at the camera on a nearby building.

"You mean that?"

Sakamoto walked over and covered the camera with his hat.

"Then it won't be a problem."

Sakamoto spread his hands and smiled at Kamuro.

Chapter 12: Then It Won't Be a Problem