Chapter 20

The only successful case in years, a genius hailed as the greatest masterpiece. What could Chabashira possibly want with someone like that? It really makes one curious." "What kind of nonsense is that? Why are you telling me all this?" "Don't be so dishonest. Hoshinomiya surely wouldn't want to see Chabashira promoted to Class A, would she?" Hoshinomiya laughed upon hearing this. Although she hadn't expected Yuan Yuyuan to see through her, he was a student in her own class, so she wasn't about to lose her composure over something like this. "Goodness, it seems like nothing can be hidden from you. That's right, I truly can't stand to see that woman succeed. Someone like her belongs in Class D, but to suddenly start talking about a 'greatest masterpiece'..." Seeing her eyes drift, Yuan Yuyuan knew she was weighing the pros and cons, so he had no choice but to carefully explain the hundred ways Ayanokoji could be a threat. "You might not understand what kind of place the White Room is. It's an educational institution that functions like a venomous insect jar, and Ayanokoji is the creature cultivated from that place." "But if you put it that way, his opponents are nothing more than a bunch of children." "That's where you're wrong! Don't underestimate them. They've been subjected to what could only be called cruel education since they were young. It wouldn't be strange for the discarded failures to suffer mental breakdowns. Just managing to persist is enough to surpass most people, let alone Ayanokoji, who managed to defeat them all." Hoshinomiya finally realized the gravity of the situation and hurriedly grabbed Yuan Yuyuan's hand. "In other words, even you aren't confident in dealing with that Ayanokoji?" Although Yuan Yuyuan wasn't quite sure how she reached that conclusion, he continued to play up the severity of the situation. "You could say that. After all, he has a teacher helping him cheat. Even I might only be able to watch helplessly as they promote to Class A." "No, based on my understanding of Chabashira, she will only make her move once she sees that Ayanokoji is truly capable of leading Class D to promotion. So, as long as you defeat Class D in the next special exam, that woman will lose hope and naturally wither away." No wonder these two could maintain the facade of bickering rivals on the surface; it seems Chabashira had been hiding her true intentions, waiting to strike once she found a student capable of leading Class D to Class A. Little did she know that her thoughts had already been laid bare by Hoshinomiya. Yuan Yuyuan mentally adjusted Hoshinomiya's danger level upward, but he nodded calmly. "If that's the case, it's manageable. However, we still need to be careful. It would be bad if she decides to give it her all this term and resigns if it still doesn't work out." "That's true. So many years have already passed." Hoshinomiya pushed Yuan Yuyuan's shoulder, realizing something belatedly. "Are you implying that I'm at retirement age? I'm still very young, you know." "I just hope you don't let your guard down. It wouldn't be good for either of us if we were caught off guard by Class D. Besides, don't you think it's only secure if we are the ones sitting in the Class A position? Even Class B is nothing more than a loser. Hoshinomiya shouldn't be like Chabashira, hoping for something for nothing, right?" "Don't compare her to me. But I can certainly put in the effort. For instance, there is a way for everyone to get a perfect score on the next exam. That's all I can tell you. If you want me to risk being fired to help you, then perform well during the exam."

First Semester: Chapter 20, Chapter 19: I Just Don't Want Suzune to be Deceived by Men Outside.

Having finally finalized the cooperation with Hoshinomiya, Yuan Yuyuan left with satisfaction. At that moment, he saw Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji walking out of the counseling room, seemingly discussing something. To think that the two people Chabashira valued most were actually them—he had assumed it would be Ayanokoji, Hirata, and Kushida. Could these two really make others follow their orders? Yuan Yuyuan decided to step forward and greet them. "It's Suzune. Long time no see. Did you also receive a request from Chabashira?" "How do you know about that?" Horikita Suzune looked at Yuan Yuyuan suspiciously, as if she had suddenly realized something, and cast an unfriendly gaze toward Ayanokoji beside her. "Could it be you? Ayanokoji-kun?" "That's not it. We just happened to meet when Chabashira-sensei called me in." "Exactly, exactly. Suzune, don't wrong Ayanokoji-kun." Yuan Yuyuan first defended Ayanokoji, then continued under their puzzled gazes. "I was just thinking about why Chabashira-sensei would suddenly summon Ayanokoji-kun, who has always been hiding his true strength." "How did you know that? Do you two know each other from before?" Unlike the inquisitive Horikita Suzune, Ayanokoji wanted to appear surprised, but his tone and expression remained completely unchanged. "I recall that we have never had any interaction." "That is indeed true, but the name Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is like thunder to our ears in our circles. We are all very curious about who exactly this Ayanokoji-kun is, the one referred to by so... some people as the greatest masterpiece." Considering that there was no benefit in letting Horikita Suzune know his background, Ayanokoji had no choice but to deny it flatly. "Regarding that, I have no idea what you are talking about. I'm just an ordinary high school student with a bit of good luck." "It doesn't matter if you don't know. However, someone already does. Once she clears her schedule from the factional strife, your peaceful school life will be gone forever." Horikita Suzune was a bit confused by their conversation, but one was her aid in reaching Class A, and the other was a hurdle blocking the path to Class A; she knew very well who she should side with. "Tell me, you've been saying strange things from the start. What is your purpose in coming here?" "What's this? Why are you acting like I'm the bad guy, Suzune? Aren't we partners? I'm just worried that you'll be backstabbed by the unscrupulous Ayanokoji-kun. I think even you should be able to see by now that this person is a cold-blooded animal with no emotions." Horikita Suzune looked at Ayanokoji, who showed no change in expression and no desire to refute being called cold-blooded, and then thought about his usual behavior; for a moment, she didn't know how to argue back. Seeing this, Yuan Yuyuan smiled, still not intending to let Ayanokoji off the hook. "Now you understand, right, Suzune? Although Ayanokoji-kun wants to deny it, he knows that I have a thorough understanding of his affairs. He remains silent to prevent me from revealing everything about him. Once I leave, he might even find an excuse to deceive you." It was the first time Ayanokoji felt the sensation of being completely exposed in front of someone, but what he couldn't figure out was how Yuan Yuyuan knew so much about him—unless this person was looking in a mirror. However, he had no information on Yuan Yuyuan, so he had to silently accept Yuan Yuyuan's assessment. "That should be enough, right? Saying too much is counterproductive, isn't it?" "How so? I just don't want Suzune to be deceived by men outside. You understand that, right, Suzune? After all, I've been so good to you." Horikita Suzune hesitated. She remembered that when dealing with Class B, Yuan Yuyuan had voluntarily offered to waive her share of the reward, as well as the 200,000 points he called a hardship allowance. But she knew very well that Yuan Yuyuan had no need to do that. Could he really like her? "I am grateful for that, but please don't treat me like your personal property." "I thought Suzune would be very moved by my efforts. How heartless. Then I won't disturb you two any longer. Don't do anything out of line, Suzune, otherwise, I will be very sad."