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"Splash—"

Cold tap water poured down, washing over her palms.

Inside the restroom.

Sae Chabashira kept her head lowered, expressionless, as she reached out to cup the water and rinse her mouth, over and over again.

The cool liquid flowed through her mouth, carrying away some of the lingering taste, but... no matter how much she washed, it wouldn't go away.

Yet she remained silent, mindlessly spitting out the water.

Cupping it again.

Spitting it out.

The cycle repeated.

This mechanical motion continued for who knows how long, until only a faint scent of disinfectant remained in her mouth.

However, The smell still lingered in her nasal cavity, refusing to dissipate.

She could feel it with every breath.

"Haa..."

She was likely out of options.

Slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, Sae Chabashira turned off the faucet and lifted her head to look into the mirror.

The face in the mirror seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

Her cold, beautiful features were flushed with a faint red, her high ponytail was slightly disheveled, and a few strands of hair clung to her forehead, making her look utterly disheveled.

Her brownish-gold eyes had lost their usual calm sharpness, replaced by complex and indecipherable emotions.

Shame.

Helplessness.

And a trace of numbness after accepting reality.

"Bastard..."

Sae Chabashira gritted her teeth, staring at the stranger in the mirror, and cursed under her breath.

She didn't know.

Whether she was cursing that lawless guy.

Or cursing herself.

"..."

Suddenly.

Sae Chabashira's gaze involuntarily fell upon her left arm, the skin fair and delicate.

It's so similar~

She reached out with her right hand and slowly gripped her forearm.

"...I'm going to die, aren't I?"

Her gaze grew unfocused, and Sae Chabashira quickly shook her head, trying to shake that image from her mind.

But it was futile.

To distract herself.

She pursed her lips slightly and reached out to touch her lower abdomen.

Through her shirt and suit jacket, a faint, gentle warmth radiated from there, leaving her stomach feeling warm.

It seemed she had consumed some kind of supplement.

However.

Sae Chabashira's expression turned even more wretched; she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady her emotions.

Calm down.

What had happened could not be changed.

Regret or self-loathing at this point was meaningless; what she needed to do now was organize her thoughts.

Just consider it...

A down payment for a transaction.

Right.

Just a transaction.

The price she paid in exchange for a possibility.

It was fair.

Extremely fair.

"..."

Sae Chabashira opened her eyes and re-examined herself in the mirror; this time, there was no longer any fluctuation in her gaze.

Then.

She recalled the scene from just moments ago.

Chie Hoshinomiya had been standing right beside the desk, her line of sight directed straight down. By all logic, from that angle, she should have absolutely seen her huddled at his feet.

Even if she couldn't see the whole picture, she still should have seen the outline of part of her body.

She had nearly thought she was about to be ruined, and would even be arrested and thrown into a cell.

But.

Nothing happened.

That woman acted as if she were blind, let out a sound of confusion, and was then easily dismissed by a few of Xu Nuo's nonchalant words.

This was unscientific.

Unless... Xu Nuo had done something at that moment.

A sleight of hand?

Psychological suggestion?

Or did he simply utilize a blind spot in her vision?

Sae Chabashira did not understand.

However, this ability to adapt to the situation, this calm and composed demeanor under zero pressure, all served to prove—

he was at ease.

That absolute confidence of someone dancing on a tightrope.

It was a psychological fortitude that simply could not be possessed by a mere student; even some politicians lacked it.

"This guy..."

"Who, exactly, is he?"

Sae Chabashira's brows furrowed tightly. She suddenly realized that she might have underestimated this student.

No.

It should be said that she had misjudged him from the very beginning.

Her impression of him... the so-called genius, the younger man concerned for her.

Perhaps, it was all a disguise.

A protective color used to cover his true self.

The real Xu Nuo.

What kind of person was he, really?

"..."

Sae Chabashira shook her head; she didn't know either.

Because the file didn't say, but she knew one thing: this student was dangerous.

Extremely dangerous!

He was a ferocious carnivore.

If she didn't handle her relationship with him well, she feared she would be devoured until not even her bones remained...

But.

Her golden eyes narrowed slightly, and then she shook her head again.

Whatever.

There was no turning back now anyway.

Rather than worrying about such trivialities, it was better to think carefully about how to utilize the resources currently at hand.

She only needed to be careful.

Before Class D rose to Class A.

She must never surrender her final bottom line.

Furthermore...

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."

Sae Chabashira whispered the name softly.

It was something that guy had mentioned casually before leaving, completely indifferent to his own disheveled state at the time.

"This down payment—"

"Is only enough for me to stay in Class D, keep it up, Little Sae... If you want to increase the stakes, you can come find me anytime. Of course, I'm not the kind of man who draws his sword without mercy."

"I'll give you a hint."

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, he possesses quite the talent."

"And,"

"He really doesn't want to be expelled."

Just like that.

His tone was light and airy, as if he were merely making small talk, showing absolutely no awareness that he had just sold someone out.

However.

Sae Chabashira knew.

The weight of this sentence was far heavier than it sounded on the surface; after all, this was their first transaction.

Therefore, That guy would never deceive her.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka...

Sae Chabashira took a deep breath, searching her mind for the student information corresponding to this name.

Class D.

Male.

Entrance exam scores...

Right, he scored exactly 50 points in every subject.

It had caught her attention at the time because it was so uniform that it seemed unnatural, as if it were the result of deliberate control, yet it was incredibly conspicuous.

It was bizarre.

But so what?

Scoring 50 or 100 made no difference in this school; he was assigned to Class D regardless.

Most likely, he was just another defective product.

So, she had quickly put it to the back of her mind.

As for his performance in class...

His presence was very low.

Extremely low.

So low that if she didn't deliberately try to recall him, Sae Chabashira couldn't even remember what this student looked like.

Brown hair?

Or black?

Amber eyes?

Harmless?

In short, he was just a background character, a passerby no one cared about, yet such a person had been brought up by him.

What did this mean?

There must be some unknown secret hidden within this Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, perhaps... he was another trump card for Class D to turn the tables.

In any case, He was definitely not simple!

She didn't know his specific abilities yet, but she knew she had to re-examine this student.

Although the price was heavy.

But at least, On this desperate road toward Class A, she had finally caught a glimpse of a faint light.

Xu Nuo.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

And this group of eccentric students in Class D...

Sae Chabashira finally straightened her slightly messy collar, her gaze turning cold and sharp once more.

"...Let's go."

She whispered to her reflection in the mirror.

Immediately, She pushed the door open and stepped out.