Sakayanagi Awaits Kujo

It had not been many days since the end of the Behavior Norms Exam.

Before the class points were announced, no one had expected that this month-long special exam would determine the course of their lives for the next three years.

The school's points for the new month were deposited into the accounts of every first-year student right on schedule.

Only then were the first-years finally willing to believe the rumors.

This school was a place where, if a class possessed 1,000 class points, each student in that class would receive 100,000 points every month.

Class points and private points were two sides of the same coin; without a sufficient number of class points, students could not guarantee their own campus life.

At the same time, this school had a regulation that could also be considered a benefit to the students—that is, graduating from Class A provided a golden ticket to any path they chose, even entry into top-tier corporations after graduation.

But the current first-year cohort was completely different from those of the past.

Now, every single first-year student held at least 100,000 private points.

If it took 20 million points to transfer into Class A, then for the nearly 160 students in the grade, excluding the 40 already in Class A, the other 120 would need 2.4 billion points to graduate from Class A.

There was a rumor circulating among the first-years this year.

There was such a fool.

In order to give everyone a perfect ending.

He had chosen a path that offered absolutely no hope.

However, these were truly just rumors.

The only one who saw through the truth was a sickly girl with a strong exterior.

South of the school.

The seaside walkway.

A fool was currently strolling along the path with his clever girlfriend and a girl as exquisite as a porcelain doll.

Hiyori was wearing a coat with a floral hem today, walking side-by-side with the other girl.

If one were to look only at the surface, from any angle, the two girls appeared to be close, intimate friends.

Unfortunately, before reaching such a conclusion, one would first have to ignore the fact that the exquisite girl herself possessed a special status that ordinary students did not.

The daughter of the school's chairman, the leader of Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu.

"I was so startled when Kujo-kun said he wanted to meet your parents at first, right, Sakayanagi?"

Hiyori was the first to break the slightly stagnant air between the three, her voice still carrying a trace of the wind that had brushed past her.

Sakayanagi Arisu elegantly tucked a strand of silver-white hair, ruffled by the sea breeze, behind her ear, a smile playing on her lips:

"My father's affairs are not something just anyone can know. It is only natural that your boyfriend, Shiina, who has such vast connections, would want to use me to create some convenience for you. Am I right? The well-connected Kujo?"

Hearing this, Kujo was speechless.

The other party was a young lady from high society; he could not afford to offend her.

Moreover, Kujo needed the Sakayanagi before him to pass a message to the truly well-connected chairman of the school.

"I have already confirmed that school rules can be changed using points. I want to talk to your father. If I need to increase the difficulty and rewards of an exam, how many points would it take?"

Hiyori watched Sakayanagi nervously, trying to catch a ripple of emotion on her friend's flawless, smiling face.

Sakayanagi let out a soft "Heh," not answering directly, but instead tilting her head with interest:

"I will relay your question to my father. But before that, could you satisfy a little curiosity of mine first?"

"Go ahead."

Hiyori understood and obediently stepped back a few paces, leaving space for the two of them.

The tip of the silver cane in Sakayanagi's hand tapped lightly against the paving stones, emitting a crisp, rhythmic "tap, tap" sound.

"After graduation, have you considered staying at this school?"

The girl's voice carried a touch of magic, and she continued, "If you are willing to stay at this school, I believe you can accomplish things that those fools currently cannot. Of course, I also know you have a good relationship with Koenji from Class D; any choice you make is your own freedom."

Hearing this, Kujo did not reject her, but simply called out to the nervous Hiyori, saying:

"I still have to take care of my lovely Hiyori after I graduate."

Hiyori quickly hid behind Kujo, looking exactly like a cute little animal.

"The compensation will certainly not be a problem. Although I do not mean to boast, whatever conditions others can offer, I can provide as well."

Kujo had the utmost respect for a generous young lady of wealth like Sakayanagi.

The other party was a local titan of finance; generally speaking, one should definitely maintain a good relationship with her.

But Kujo also understood the final outcome for the girl before him.

"Sakayanagi, why are you in such a hurry to recruit a student like me? Is it because Ayanokoji is in Class D, and you plan to drop out after defeating him?"

Hiyori stood to the side, unable to understand a word of what was being said.

She gripped the hem of Kujo's shirt, silently cheering him on.

Sakayanagi's expression remained fixed in her signature smile.

"I am delighted that you understand me so well, Kujo."

Sakayanagi performed a graceful curtsy for Kujo, offering praise:

"A very, very long time ago, I came to understand that while there are many people in this world gifted with talent, it is wrong to extinguish a person's every emotion for the sake of that talent. The education I received in the past would never allow me to stand by and watch such a thing happen."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, the ultimate product of the White Room.

Ever since she first laid eyes on him as a child, Sakayanagi had harbored a small wish to play a game of chess against him.

Chess was Sakayanagi's most formidable weapon.

And the first time she saw Ayanokoji, he had been playing chess with the other children of his cohort.

If only she could defeat Ayanokoji at chess.

No.

If only she could defeat Ayanokoji in any exam whatsoever.

Even if it were just once, Sakayanagi could negate everything the White Room stood for.

A genius among geniuses, secretly cultivated for over a decade within the sunless depths of the White Laboratory.

The true ceiling of the Classroom of the Elite world.

Although in traditional manga, the "invincible strongest" exists only to be broken.

Ayanokoji's existence, however, was a setting that no human in this world could surpass.

In the original story, from beginning to end, Ayanokoji never once truly cared about Sakayanagi's existence.

Sakayanagi's expectations would ultimately fall flat when it came to Ayanokoji.

Sakayanagi possessed a firm desire and the perseverance of someone who had waited for years.

Kujo would not resort to clumsy methods to change Sakayanagi's ultimate fate; perhaps doing nothing was the correct course of action.

However, Kujo still couldn't help but speak to the girl before him:

"If Ayanokoji doesn't feel the pressure of expulsion, he won't make a move."

Sakayanagi's hair fluttered in the breeze as memories of the past flooded her mind.

Then, looking at the intimate pair of Hiyori and Kujo, a light, airy voice escaped her lips:

"So you really do know Ayanokoji's true identity. With that, all my doubts have been cleared. Kujo, thank you for providing me with the answers."

From Sakayanagi, Kujo sensed the same unwavering obsession she held in the original story.

This girl named Sakayanagi Arisu possessed a self that was full of charm.

"Kujo, although everyone outside says you want all of this year's first-years to graduate from Class A, that isn't actually the case, is it?"

Hearing this, Kujo turned his gaze toward Hiyori, and Hiyori looked back at him.

Hiyori wanted to confirm from Kujo whether Sakayanagi's words were true.

And Kujo was worried that Hiyori might take Sakayanagi's words to heart.

Sigh.

Kujo asked Sakayanagi:

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I have been watching you constantly. I know every word you say and every action you take."

"So you bribed those part-timers?"

"There was no need. Because you have been helping them, I only had to mention your name, and they naturally spoke of your deeds."

"..."

Kujo was speechless.

Those people were certainly capable of that.

The people at this school were far too idle.

"Then, Miss Sakayanagi," Kujo decided to lay his cards on the table, "what have you 'guessed'?"

"You loathe the very rules that currently govern this school."

Sakayanagi gently stroked her lips with her fingertips, looking somewhat pensive:

"Your wish is not to lead everyone to graduate from Class A, but to completely shatter the shackles that dictate 'only Class A graduates receive privileges,' so that everyone who walks through these gates in the future, regardless of their class, can enjoy equal rights upon graduation, is that it?"

Watching the calm, unruffled expression on Kujo's face, Sakayanagi tilted her head slightly and corrected her phrasing:

"Or rather... you want to fundamentally dismantle the cruel competitive mechanism that keeps this school running?"

Kujo remained silent for a moment, which eventually turned into a long, drawn-out sigh:

"Being too smart... makes life lose a lot of its fun. Isn't it tiring to analyze others every single moment?"

"Coming from you, that sentence is truly filled with a strange sense of irony."

Sakayanagi chuckled softly, her cane tapping the ground once more as she cast her gaze toward the undulating surface of the sea.

"Hmm... let me think, where was I? Ah, right."

Her voice suddenly took on a faint, imperceptible ethereal quality.

"Since I was born, I have always been watching this place. Fortunately... in you, I see a certain possibility. I am telling you these things simply because... I want to tell you."

As the daughter of the chairman, she could overlook the entire school landscape from the comfort of her home.

"I will not leave."

Sakayanagi withdrew her gaze from the distance and looked back at Kujo, her eyes becoming incredibly firm.

"I will stay here as a witness, watching with my own eyes where your path... and the path of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, will eventually lead."

Her tone was filled with certainty:

"Between the person I have taken an interest in and the person I admire... whose 'ideal' will be the one to endure until the very end in this school?"

Her implication was as if she were saying that Kujo and Ayanokoji would eventually become enemies.

Kujo understood.

In the original story, what truly made the students feel fear was not the school's overt rules.

The school only needed to maintain a certain dropout rate to ensure the prestige of Class A.

Ayanokoji's father, the various forces eyeing the situation like tigers, and Nagumo, who was obsessed with pushing the difficulty of exams to new heights.

They would join forces to turn this school into Ayanokoji's hunting ground.

By then, Ayanokoji would become the enemy of the entire grade, and even a girl as pure and innocent as Hiyori would be discarded by him without hesitation.

The obsession of Horikita Suzune in Class D to reach Class A, the plan of Ryuen in Class C to gather 800 million points and promote the entire class, the dream of Ichinose in Class B to protect her companions, or the idea Katsuragi once held about guarding the status of Class A.

Everything was just a continuation of the past, and in the end, nothing would change.

What was this about needing 20 million points to ensure graduation from Class A?

How was that any different from gathering 3,600 [Daos] to return to the real world?

It was nothing more than a farce.

At least, that was what Kujo believed.

"By the way? Kujo, why did you choose to announce the school's rules right at the start of the school year?"

If the timing had been a bit later, let alone surpassing Class A, putting distance between himself and Class B or Class D would not have been difficult.

"That was merely Ryuen's arbitrary decision. At first, I only provided him with information; I wasn't prepared to be targeted by you all."

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Sakayanagi decided to help Kujo in this exam.

She never believed that coincidences or accidents existed in this world.

Opportunities are always held firmly in one's own hands.

To battle Ayanokoji, Kujo's existence was necessary.

That was Sakayanagi's thought.