"If you want to go, then..."
"Of course I want to, but would you agree?"
"I agree."
"Tell the truth," Yagami Shizuka said skeptically.
"I agree."
"Tell the truth."
Sakayanagi Arisu glared at Yagami Shizuka, then could only say, "I don't agree."
"See? As long as you don't want me to go, I won't." Turning back to Horikita Manabu, Yagami Shizuka immediately regained her confidence. "I'm very sorry, but my Arisu won't agree, so I can't join the Student Council."
Horikita Manabu glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu, who wore a stern expression. "If you change your mind, you can come find me at the Student Council."
With that, Horikita Manabu turned and left. Tachibana Akane hurried after him. "President, why wouldn't Sakayanagi Arisu agree?"
Horikita Manabu said nothing. Anyone could see that Yagami Shizuka was the one who truly didn't want to go. It had nothing to do with Sakayanagi Arisu.
When Yagami Shizuka returned to the classroom, a large crowd immediately gathered around him.
"Why did you turn him down? The Student Council President personally invited you, and even offered you the vice president position."
"Exactly! I'd jump at the chance."
"Katsuragi wants to join and can't even get in."
Yagami Shizuka could only say helplessly, "There's nothing I can do. My Arisu doesn't want me to go. She'd be unhappy if I did."
That one sentence left everyone speechless. They couldn't exactly go ask Sakayanagi Arisu why.
Why had she refused? How would she know? All she knew was that Yagami Shizuka clearly didn't want to go, yet he'd shoved the blame onto her.
Still, the words "As long as she doesn't agree, I don't care even if it's the Student Council President position" warmed her heart.
Quite a few people had begun to suspect that Yagami Shizuka wasn't as simple as he seemed. Otherwise, the Student Council wouldn't have personally invited him, let alone offered him the president's position.
Yagami Shizuka didn't care about any of that.
He didn't go to the Cooking Club either. He simply said the Student Council was stopping him from going.
That was because he'd seen the prompts and already knew Horikita Manabu's prediction in advance.
Since he wasn't going to either, he had plenty of free time.
The whole class was eager to learn, and no one dared break the rules. Yet one person was asleep.
That's right, that person was Yagami Shizuka, but no one could catch him sleeping.
He propped his forehead on one hand, appearing to sleep while deep in thought, and spun a pen with the other, as if he were pondering something the whole time.
You might think he was asleep, but he was actually half-awake. If you called on him to answer a question, he could even take the answer a step further.
Without proof, there was no way to show he was breaking the rules, so they couldn't deduct even a single point.
To catch him breaking the rules, the teachers would even suddenly change the subject and give him difficult questions that even high school students couldn't answer.
But, unfortunately, Yagami Shizuka had already written the answers in his textbook ahead of time.
When the teacher came over, all she could see was that he'd completed the lesson preparation early. She even had to praise him.
[The next class is math. The teacher will ask you to solve a problem on the board. You receive the following prompts.]
[1. Solve it perfectly, then provide a second solution. Choosing this option will give you the solution process and further prompts.
Remember to ask the teacher first whether she knows the second method. She doesn't. Teacher Takasugi isn't all-knowing, either.
You've studied diligently, and have decided to show mercy and teach this teacher properly.]
[2. Don't solve it. Admit your ignorance, and the teacher will deduct two Class Points on the grounds that you weren't paying attention in class.
The deduction will be hidden, so you won't have a chance to argue.]
[3. You've become the target of a coordinated campaign by numerous teachers. They only want to deduct two points from you, and claim they'll leave you alone once they've done so.
You can give in, but their greed will never end. If you give them an opening, those two points they deduct will become an outlet for their resentment.
So, let them keep feeling afraid.]
What's going on? Were these teachers really so childish?
Why pick a fight with a student like me?
I only took a nap. It's not like anything bad will happen.
With no other choice, Yagami Shizuka followed the prompts again and wrote down the answers in advance, waiting for the teacher to call on him.
"Yagami... Yagami." A blue-haired girl with two braids came over holding her textbook. "Hi, my name is Nishikawa Ryoko. It's nice to meet you. Um... could you explain that problem the teacher just went over again?"
Since he was so outstanding, it couldn't be helped that a cute girl had taken an interest in him.
Still, several girls in Class A were no pushovers, and that was something he especially needed to keep in mind.
"No problem." Yagami Shizuka patted his chest.
Nishikawa Ryoko was very pretty, and quite a few boys were already growing jealous of Yagami Shizuka.
Before Yagami Shizuka could start explaining, Nishikawa Ryoko changed the subject. "Have you noticed that the teachers seem to be picking on you?"
"Have they?"
"They have! They call on you every class, and sometimes the questions have nothing to do with the lesson. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to answer them."
"Now that you mention it, I guess they do." Yagami Shizuka thought for a while, then nodded. "Maybe the teachers think I'm sleeping. Heaven can bear witness, I've been paying attention the whole time. I haven't missed a single class."
"Yeah, I think so too." Nishikawa Ryoko changed the subject again. "How about we go to the film studio this afternoon? It's so boring to do nothing but study all day."
[Waiting for me to give you a prompt? If you rely too heavily on my guidance, you'll lose your ability to judge the world around you. If you insist on getting a prompt, here are your options.]
[1. Young man, you're in love. Take this chance and you'll get yourself a cute girlfriend.
Dream on!
Wake up, young man. Your beautiful dream will only come true in your dreams.
Nishikawa Ryoko will give you countless chances to go on dates, but she won't be willing to spend a penny. What she wants is for you to be her cash machine.
When you confess, she won't just reject you outright; she'll mock you and spread rumors that you like her and pursued her.
Sakayanagi Arisu will believe the rumors and stop paying attention to you.]
[2. Refuse, and ask Sakayanagi Arisu for help. She'll get rid of this trash for you and protect you.]
Looks like I can only choose option 2.
That was close. Women really are difficult. It'd be better if she went after someone else.
"Sorry, I've already made plans for this afternoon, so I can't go with you," Yagami Shizuka said, rejecting her outright.
Sakayanagi Arisu, who had been listening patiently nearby, thought, Good. At least you know what's good for you.
"What about tomorrow? It's the weekend!"
"I have plans tomorrow too."
"The day after, then."
"The day after is even worse. I've already got plans then too," Yagami Shizuka said, refusing her again.
"Can you tell me who you've made plans with?" Nishikawa Ryoko asked skeptically. She could already tell that Yagami Shizuka clearly didn't want to go on a date with her.
"Well..." Yagami Shizuka looked past Nishikawa Ryoko at Sakayanagi Arisu.
Sakayanagi Arisu was taken aback, but quickly realized Yagami Shizuka wanted her help.
"If you don't want to go with me, Yagami, you can just say so. There's no way Arisu would agree to go on a date with you," Nishikawa Ryoko teased, wearing a fake smile.
"Why not ask her whether we have plans?"
"Arisu, is it true?" Nishikawa Ryoko really did ask. She didn't believe Sakayanagi Arisu would actually want to go on a date with a man she'd only known for a short time.
"Yes, it's true." Sakayanagi Arisu nodded. "I've booked all his time. You can go now."
Before you continue