Youth, She Is Big and Beautiful

So, how should I handle this recording?

I can just find a random opportunity to dispose of the phone; the school will issue a new one anyway, and I can't use someone else's account.

Ayanokoji thought to himself as he lay flat on his bed, tapping the play button on the phone once more.

Based on the content of their conversation, it was clear that Kushida had already provided some kind of information to Ryuen.

Ayanokoji pondered for a moment, the answer seemingly already clear in his mind; he would know for sure once the midterm results were released.

As for the woman she mentioned, Ayanokoji naturally knew who it was.

But he decided to aid and abet, helping this double agent keep her secret for now—after all, this was one of the forms of entertainment he wanted to see.

Class infighting is so interesting.

Isn't this much more fun than competing to move up a class?

Plus, it's girls bickering with each other; the hype is off the charts!

He felt like pulling up a small stool and grabbing some peanuts just to sit in the front row and watch.

If it reached a climax, he would definitely be the one clapping the loudest.

Thinking back to how bored he was when he first arrived at this school, his daily life was really starting to look up.

Filled with anticipation for the future, Ayanokoji felt sleepiness wash over him, and he drifted off with a scummy look on his face.

The next day, Ryuen ran into Hashimoto at the school building again.

"Yo, Hashimoto, why do you look so lifeless? You've even got smoky makeup on; did you awaken some kind of incredible attribute~?"

Ryuen teased with a wicked grin.

?

Seeing this, Hashimoto sensed something fishy.

Why was this guy so smug? Could it be that he had sent people to hide in the bushes beforehand, waiting for him to walk by so they could snatch his phone?

If so, his acting skills were way too good!

No, no, that shouldn't be possible...

Hashimoto was shocked and suspicious, his expression combined with his dark circles making him look completely bewildered.

Ryuen sighed at him, "Stop rewarding yourself so much at night; that stuff is bad for your health."

He patted Hashimoto on the shoulder with a meaningful look and strode away.

As he walked, a question bubbled up in his mind:

I really don't know why that woman Sakayanagi keeps a guy like this by her side.

Isn't he just a total pervert?

Hashimoto, standing in the hallway, was feeling very depressed. He had spent four hours searching near those bushes last night, only returning to his dorm at nearly five in the morning. He had just closed his eyes when his alarm went off, and after looking in the mirror, he realized he looked like a man drained of all vitality.

His originally handsome face and stylish blonde hair now looked completely greasy.

Damn it!

If I find out who swiped my phone, I'll make them disappear from this school!

With this conviction set in his heart, Hashimoto's gaze hardened.

"The black before my eyes isn't black, what kind of white is the white you speak of~"

While waiting for class to start, Ayanokoji hummed a little tune in his heart.

Before long, one of the protagonists from last night, Kushida Kikyo, came over for her customary daily greeting. Of course, she was just doing it as a matter of course, her true goal still being to get close to that woman.

"Good morning, Ayanokoji-kun~ Did you sleep well last night?"

I slept listening to your voice, how could I not?

Ayanokoji almost said it out loud, but after a two-second pause, he maintained his persona and said, "Not bad."

Sure enough, the next second, Kushida flashed a slightly perfunctory smile and turned her head toward Horikita.

"How about you, Horikita-san? How did you sleep last night?"

"It's always like this; there's no difference between good or bad."

An answer that was truly unsurprising, Ayanokoji muttered to himself while eavesdropping.

"Why say it like that? I think sleeping is a very important part of life, you know."

"I don't care about your opinion. If there's nothing else, please don't come over to bother me."

Hearing this, Kushida stiffly furrowed her brows, a look of apparent disappointment washing over her face.

The people around them began to whisper, taking up the cause for Kushida.

Ayanokoji watched silently, his admiration for Kushida's refined acting skills rising to a new level.

If only he had acting skills like that, he would be invincible.

But this was something he could not hope for as a student of the White Room.

No, it was something he could not hope for as Ayanokoji; having walked from a group of many until only he remained, how could he possibly possess such tactful emotional intelligence?

Having been rebuffed once again, Kushida had no choice but to continue playing the role of the aggrieved girl, returning to her seat with a pitiful, wronged expression.

If things went as expected, the next scene would be the people around her gathering to comfort and cheer her up; after these past few weeks, Ayanokoji was already sick of watching it.

Time moved to the afternoon, and Class D had a swimming lesson.

Ayanokoji sat alone by the side of the pool, watching the crowd with an indifferent expression as they engaged in what could hardly be called swimming, but rather splashing about.

Of course, while his face remained calm and ripple-free, he was humming the alphabet song with great interest in his heart.

"ABCDBCBA...E?"

Ayanokoji's pupils constricted slightly, his expression showing a hint of surprise, before his gaze finally landed on the pink-haired girl in the pool.

Airi...

No wonder she always finished last during running in physical education class; it turned out there was a reason for it, she had been carrying a heavy burden all along...

Being a girl, it really isn't easy...

Ayanokoji sighed with emotion in his heart.

Before long, Ike, who had been teasing Shinohara earlier, was chased over by several girls, then cornered and surrounded near the bank where Ayanokoji was sitting.

The next second, they kicked up waves of water, splashing everything in the direction of Ike and Ayanokoji.

However, only Ike was the victim, as Ayanokoji was still a distance away on the bank.

He simply watched silently as Ike, unable to fight back, began to beg him for help, and watched the girls who were using all their strength to kick up water, causing their two peaks to bounce wildly; he sighed in his heart that this was the youth he had never experienced!

Big and beautiful.

"Ayanokoji, save me, Ayanokoji!"

Under the fierce siege, Ike lost his ability to fight right before his eyes, and was subsequently dragged away step by step, sending out one final wail toward him.

Ayanokoji had no choice but to offer a moment of silence for him in his heart...

"Why do you look so old and weary?"

Just as he was wondering why he couldn't find Horikita in the pool, a familiar tone sounded right beside his ear.

"I don't like getting wet."

Ayanokoji said indifferently.

A Tyrannosaurus is a land predator, so it is perfectly reasonable for it not to go into the water.

However, Ayanokoji simply disliked getting himself wet and being crowded into a pool with too many people.

"Ayanokoji..."

"Have you done any sports before?"

"? Why do you say that?"

Horikita asked out of the blue.

"I noticed your arm muscles seem quite solid, as if... you've undergone comprehensive training."

"To tell you the truth," Ayanokoji lifted his eyes slightly, "actually, this has more to do with me being single for 18 years."