The Hateful Cheater Sakayanagi Arisu (The Cheat Was Never Turned Off)

Then Manabu Horikita's voice seemed to pause for a moment before he posed a question, his tone carrying a probing, meaningful edge:

"...So, how much do you know about the 'S System,' exactly?"

(Sakayanagi Arisu cheated in advance. She definitely cheated. She absolutely cheated. The cheat was never turned off in the first place, my father the chairman.)

Even through the door, Lin Mu could sense the atmosphere in the office turn tense and heavy in an instant. Seems they'd touched on some little secret!

But that tension was about to be broken.

Lin Mu raised a hand, curled his fingers, and knocked on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Then his clear voice, tinged with a lazy nasal drawl, carried plainly through the door. His tone was casual, as if he'd merely happened to pass by and stopped to say hello:

"Sorry to interrupt. May I come in and listen? Student Council President Horikita, and... Classmate Sakayanagi."

The conversation inside the office came to an abrupt halt.

Dead silence.

Even without X-ray vision, Lin Mu could imagine the two people inside exchanging startled, scrutinizing looks.

Clearly, neither of them had expected to be interrupted so suddenly, much less that the person outside would not only know they were in here,

but also identify them correctly. And judging by the voice... was it that white-haired boy from Class D?

After a brief silence, Manabu Horikita's emotionless voice rang out:

"Come in."

The lock clicked softly as someone opened the door from inside. The person who appeared in the doorway was Akane Tachibana, the student council secretary.

She looked at Lin Mu, who stood outside with a handsome, stern expression and no particular emotion on his face, though he still had a lollipop sticking out of his mouth.

A clear flash of surprise crossed Akane Tachibana's eyes, but her good manners helped her quickly compose herself. She put on a polite smile and stepped aside to let him through:

"Please, come in."

Lin Mu nodded and walked inside.

The office was more spacious and simply furnished than he'd expected. Aside from the desks, chairs, and filing cabinets, there was also a set of sofas for visitors.

Manabu Horikita stood by the window with his arms crossed, his gaze sharp behind his glasses as he looked at him.

Sakayanagi Arisu sat elegantly on a single-seat sofa, holding a steaming cup of tea. Her silver hair shimmered in the light filtering through the blinds.

Standing beside her was a tall, stern-looking, bald boy: Kohei Katsuragi, another leader of Class A.

At that moment, Katsuragi looked at Lin Mu with wariness and disbelief.

Lin Mu had barely come to a stop when Sakayanagi Arisu set down her teacup before Manabu Horikita could speak. A mischievous smile curled at the corners of her lips.

Her amethyst eyes turned toward Lin Mu. Her voice was as soft as a wind chime, yet clearly teasing:

"My, my. It seems Lin Mu's 'fortune-telling' really is as famous as they say.

You can even 'divine' our location with such precision when we're discussing... a few little private matters?"

She deliberately emphasized the words "fortune-telling" and "divine," making no attempt to hide her curiosity and probing.

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow and smoothly picked up the thread, speaking lightly, with a hint of the sales pitch he used at his fortune-telling booth:

"So, has Classmate Sakayanagi changed her mind and decided you'd like me to tell your fortune?

My offer still stands: it's free, but only this once. Next time, I'll have to charge according to the price list."

He blinked, looking as if she'd better seize the opportunity while it lasted.

Watching the two trade lines as though they'd completely forgotten about him—the student council president—and the rather peculiar circumstances, Manabu Horikita furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly.

He cleared his throat, deliberately interrupting their conversation, which had strayed somewhat off topic.

He raised a hand to adjust the rimless glasses on his nose, then fixed Lin Mu with a sharp, intimidating stare. His steady voice carried the authority and scrutiny peculiar to the student council president:

"If I'm not mistaken, you're Linmu Fujimiya from Class D.

You entered the student council's temporary office area without permission and interrupted an ongoing discussion about official business... May I ask what you want?"

His question was direct and formal, an attempt to regain control of the situation and the conversation.

Lin Mu first made a small, apologetic wait-a-moment gesture toward Sakayanagi Arisu, then turned to face Manabu Horikita's intimidating gaze head-on.

He wore an utterly harmless, almost innocent expression. The plastic stick of the lollipop in his mouth swayed lightly as he spoke.

His tone was laid-back, but every word was reasonable. He wasn't intimidated in the slightest by the other boy's authority:

"You make it sound serious, Horikita-senpai. I was just wandering around the swimming pool since I had nothing better to do."

He pointed toward the door. "Besides, it's free activity time during swimming class. I don't think the school rules say students can't walk around the public areas of the teaching facilities, do they?

I just found the hard plastic seats down there really uncomfortable. They hurt my back, so I came up to find somewhere to rest. By chance, I ended up near this office, and then I happened to hear some familiar voices inside..."

He spread his hands, wearing the candid expression of "I'm just an ordinary student looking for somewhere comfortable to rest." "I don't think that... counts as breaking the school rules, does it, senpai?"

He'd answered neither humbly nor arrogantly. His explanation was perfectly sound (nonsense currently being generated), his manner open, and his words even carried a hint of "the student council ought to be considerate of ordinary students."

Manabu Horikita had been braced for some startling response, and for a moment he found himself at a loss for words.

But Kohei Katsuragi, standing beside Sakayanagi Arisu, had tensed every muscle in his body. His gaze at Lin Mu had shifted from wariness to outright disbelief and apprehension.

He couldn't believe Lin Mu had come here by chance. This white-haired boy from bottom-ranked Class D, who looked lazy and carefree, had not only keenly noticed them observing him,

but had also dared to come straight to them. Faced with such a direct question from Student Council President Horikita, he'd handled it with such composure, even... as if he had everything under control?

What was going on with Class D?

The atmosphere in the office once again fell into a delicate silence.

It was as if an invisible contest filled the air, their gazes crossing.

Manabu Horikita scrutinized him, Katsuragi remained wary, Akane Tachibana watched, and Sakayanagi Arisu continued to regard Lin Mu with interest, as if enjoying an entertaining performance.

After a moment, Sakayanagi Arisu was the one to break the silence with a soft laugh.

She elegantly lifted her teacup and took another sip. Then she looked at Manabu Horikita, a flawless, faintly playful smile on her lips, and stepped in to smooth things over:

"Student Council President Horikita, since Lin Mu only came up to find somewhere to rest and just happened to be here, why not let him sit down and take a break?

After all, we were only chatting about some trivial school gossip. Having one more person listen might even give us another perspective. Don't you agree?"

Her gaze swept between Manabu Horikita and Lin Mu, and her smile deepened.

"Besides, I'm becoming more and more interested in Lin Mu's 'fortune-telling.'"