He Could Never Win

"That was incredible. You've opened my eyes." Sakayanagi Arisu gave Yagami Shizuka an approving look.

"It was nothing much. We're only at school, dealing with an ordinary class." Yagami Shizuka didn't think much of it.

It didn't matter if a few people refused to join. Their points were practically worthless anyway.

He had anticipated all of this long ago.

A scheme like this was easy to pull off because it was being used on students. Whether it would work on adults out in the real world was another matter.

After school, the seven of them gathered at the café again.

"That was amazing! It really worked—we took a class that couldn't get on the same page and united it in just one day." Morishita Ai pulled out her notebook, showing off the results of her efforts.

"I'm thoroughly impressed, too." Katsuragi Kohei bowed to Yagami Shizuka. "I never expected it to happen so quickly. You really are capable, Shizuka. Honestly, if you wanted the class representative position, I'd hand it over right now."

"Haha, we've learned something new today. I had no idea you could do things like that." Hashimoto Masayoshi sounded impressed.

"Actually, Arisu was the one who told me to do all of this," Yagami Shizuka said modestly.

"Don't look at me. I'm not taking credit for this. It had nothing to do with me, so don't pin everything on me." Sakayanagi Arisu didn't want to take credit. If anything, all those looks made her uncomfortable.

"If you ask me, Shizuka deserves the most credit." Shiraishi Asuka also tried to shift the praise to Yagami Shizuka.

Only Nishikawa Ryoko felt a little embarrassed. "Um... am I really supposed to be here? I feel like I didn't do anything.

"You didn't give me any instructions, either. No one even told me what I was supposed to do."

Only then did the others remember that the true hero of the operation still had no idea what she'd done.

"Don't be modest, Ryoko." Shiraishi Asuka showed her the messages in the Seven Star Gathering group. "Without you, we'd still have to argue with those shortsighted people."

"You mean I... I... I told those people... but... I didn't mean to..." Nishikawa Ryoko thought they were about to blame her. "I couldn't help it. Maybe I shouldn't be in the group after all. I might leak your information."

"No, no. You've already fulfilled your role." Yagami Shizuka explained why. "I added you so you'd spread what I said. I did it on purpose, so you can relax and stay in the group.

"Don't worry. You can share anything I post in the group. If there's something you shouldn't tell anyone, I'll message you privately."

After hearing Yagami Shizuka's explanation, Nishikawa Ryoko finally understood. She'd played such an important part without even realizing it. Pouting, she muttered, "Next time something like this happens, could you tell me beforehand? It's not like I can't be trusted."

"Sure," Yagami Shizuka said casually.

Even so, he had no intention of bringing her into any serious discussions. Her biggest asset was her mouth.

The end of the month arrived in the blink of an eye.

On the last day of the month, they were hit with a surprise quiz.

Thanks to Yagami Shizuka's advance warning, they weren't nervous. The quiz was just meant to gauge where they stood and assess their academic ability.

The real battle was still to come.

Poke—

Feeling a force at his waist, Yagami Shizuka immediately twisted aside to dodge. But he wasn't quick enough to avoid the blow.

"Teacher! I'd like to report that someone has openly brought a weapon into the classroom," Yagami Shizuka said, raising his hand in a prim, proper manner.

After handing out the papers, Mashima Tomoya looked at Sakayanagi Arisu, who was sitting properly at her desk.

It was obvious that the cane in her hand was the weapon Yagami Shizuka had reported.

Some students were already whispering that the two of them were a couple openly flirting in class. How shameless.

"Quiet. Even though this quiz won't count toward your grades and there's little at stake, I still expect you to take it seriously. Cheating is a serious offense, so don't do anything foolish."

After Mashima Tomoya's warning, the classroom fell silent.

Once Sakayanagi Arisu got her paper, she still risked losing points by talking to Yagami Shizuka. "How about we compete and see whose score is higher?"

"Is there any point? What do I get if I win?"

"If you win, I don't mind going on a date with you. But if I win, you'll have to listen to me from now on. You'll discuss things with me instead of making decisions on your own," Sakayanagi Arisu said matter-of-factly.

She might have thought Yagami Shizuka wanted to date her, so he'd give the quiz his all no matter what.

Either way, she figured she had nothing to lose.

Perhaps she'd even gain the upper hand.

Yagami Shizuka didn't mind either way. He could accept winning or losing. But just as he was about to decide, a golden light appeared.

[Victory may be decided in an instant, but do you really think you can win Sakayanagi over with a score? Do you think she'll admire you once she sees what you can do? You poor fool. Choose one of the following.]

[1. I can give you all the answers to this test. You'll score higher than anyone else in the entire year, making every class take notice of you. Sakayanagi Arisu will acknowledge your ability and try to start a relationship with you.

"But she won't be discouraged. Instead, she'll focus on surpassing you, and a rift will form between you.

"Whether you deliberately lose or win, you won't be able to escape the fact that she sees you as a rival."]

[2. A true genius isn't defined by a single victory or defeat, but by being truly unbeatable. With my help, you can control your score however you like. You can make your test score one point lower than Sakayanagi Arisu's every time.

"Although she'll lose the competition, when she sees your ability, she'll never believe she can beat you.

"What's more, she'll feel a warmth unlike anything she's ever felt before.

"Choose this option to truly win Sakayanagi Arisu over."]

That was amazing. So it could be done like this.

It was true that always scoring one point below her was far more intimidating than simply beating her.

How could anyone possibly beat an opponent like that?

Yagami Shizuka turned to Sakayanagi Arisu. "I'm content to watch you from behind. I'll always be right behind you. I've never wanted to beat you."

"What do you mean?" Sakayanagi Arisu sounded unhappy, thinking Yagami Shizuka was afraid to accept her challenge.

Yagami Shizuka said nothing. The test had already begun.

Controlling his score wasn't easy. Even an expert could control their own score, but not make sure it was a few points lower than someone else's.

That was exactly what Yagami Shizuka was doing now.

The questions were simple, so the test wasn't difficult.

The day passed quickly.

That evening, many students went to karaoke to unwind. They'd been cooped up for too long.

Tomorrow would be judgment day—and the day their points were deposited. Even if they had to hand over all their points, they were still happy.

They still had three years ahead of them. They couldn't give up already.