Gently Burying a Genius Is Also a Form of Gentleness

The girls grew nervous the moment they heard next month might be miserable.

They certainly didn't want their wonderful school life to last only one month.

Under pressure from the girls, the boys were forced to adopt a more proactive attitude; at the very least, they wouldn't intentionally commit mistakes that were clearly avoidable.

It was accurate to say that Class A wasn't truly Class A yet, because at the very beginning, all four classes started with one thousand points.

Theoretically, any class had the hope of becoming Class A directly.

Even later on, every fifty class points would be extremely important, and Sakayanagi didn't want to squander those one thousand points right at the start, which was why she entered a wager with Katsuragi to make the students realize the importance of class points.

"Hey, isn't Sakayanagi-san planning to say something?" Yagami Shizuka turned his head to ask.

He sat in the second seat of the second row, while Sakayanagi Arisu sat in the third seat of the first row.

Yagami Shizuka could lock eyes with her the moment he turned his head, and he could always sense Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze.

Yet, every time he turned back, he thought he was overthinking it; Sakayanagi Arisu was always reading intently, so how could she possibly be looking at him?

It was truly strange; he had undergone specialized training and possessed the ability to see behind his own head, so how could he be mistaken?

"You should already be confident in defeating Katsuragi, right? Do you need any help?" Yagami Shizuka continued.

"Hmph!" Sakayanagi Arisu let out a huff, not intending to pay him any mind. After a while, she snuck a glance back, her peripheral vision flashing quickly, followed by an even louder huff.

"Sorry, I might have startled you this morning," Yagami Shizuka said, full of apology. "How about this: I'll help you take down Katsuragi, and you go on a date with me once, how does that sound?"

Sakayanagi Arisu still didn't speak; she believed the best way to deal with a rogue was to ignore him, and after a while, the other party would naturally give up.

She had already made up her mind that she would prioritize getting Yagami Shizuka expelled in the future.

Then again, did he even have the talent worth her burying him?

As for Yagami Shizuka's offer to help her, she didn't take it to heart.

To her, it didn't matter whether she won or lost this battle.

Moreover, she didn't believe Yagami Shizuka had the capability to do so.

If the guy really turned out to be useful, then what harm was there in going on a date with him?

At this moment, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't yet know that Ayanokoji had entered the school, and even if they met, she wouldn't recognize him immediately.

She didn't like Ayanokoji from the start either; her initial goal was to defeat Ayanokoji, and it was only after failing to beat him that she slowly grew to like him during her second year.

In that sense, there was still plenty of time.

He had plenty of time to tease this girl who fancied herself capable of burying every genius.

"Hello, my name is Hashimoto Masayoshi." A man with long, blonde hair tied in a ponytail and a frivolous demeanor greeted Yagami Shizuka. "To dare tease our Princess, you truly live up to being the boldest person in our class."

Here he was—the man who caused Kamuro and Sakayanagi to be expelled, the man who swayed with the wind, and also the subordinate Sakayanagi Arisu trusted most from the very beginning.

Hashimoto Masayoshi was handsome and eloquent; he was the equivalent of Kushida Kikyo in Class A.

Like Kushida Kikyo, he had no moral integrity, was extremely selfish, would easily betray his classmates, and would change his master at will.

At first, he felt Sakayanagi was strong, so he was willing to work for her; later, when he discovered Ayanokoji was stronger, he leaned toward Ayanokoji.

Upon learning that Ayanokoji was powerful, he suggested to Sakayanagi that they recruit him, but Sakayanagi refused because she simply loved dueling with Ayanokoji, which was why he wanted to betray her.

He ended up completing his betrayal first, cutting off his own retreat before begging Ayanokoji for help, forcing Ayanokoji to assist him and causing Sakayanagi's expulsion, with the condition of the deal being that Ayanokoji would transfer to his class.

Regardless of the reason, this type of behavior made people dislike him.

No country likes a traitor, and unlike Katsuragi, who was forced into a corner, he defected to Ayanokoji of his own volition.

Things should have been that simple, but they weren't.

Hashimoto Masayoshi might be selfish, but he was definitely not a fool; everything he did was through careful deliberation, not just for the sake of mere survival.

Although he betrayed Sakayanagi, he never betrayed Class A.

Because, at that time, Sakayanagi was blinded by her obsession; if she insisted on having her way, Class A would only face two outcomes.

Either Sakayanagi would lose to Ayanokoji, or she would intentionally lose to Ayanokoji.

In either case, their class would never be able to graduate as Class A.

It was precisely because he saw this clearly that he betrayed Sakayanagi, and he didn't offer any explanations later when he was labeled a traitor by Class A.

Compared to Hashimoto Masayoshi, who was wholeheartedly trying to ensure his class graduated as Class A, the Sakayanagi Arisu of that time was the one who betrayed the class.

Yagami Shizuka was a man who dealt in facts; he wouldn't give Hashimoto Masayoshi the cold shoulder before the betrayal, and even after the betrayal, it didn't matter—traitors had their uses too.

With his hints, the last thing he had to worry about was a traitor.

"Hello, my name is Yagami Shizuka, nice to meet you." Yagami Shizuka shook his hand in a friendly manner.

"You seem pretty impressive! You're handsome, and you can even make Sakayanagi-sama hit a wall." Hashimoto Masayoshi generously draped an arm over Yagami Shizuka's shoulder. "Do you really like Sakayanagi-sama? Actually, I also... could you let her go to me?"

"Not a chance." Yagami Shizuka waved his hand. "I already said she's mine, so she's mine. If you want her, you should have made your move earlier; otherwise, let's see who has the better skills."

"Haha! I was just joking, of course." Hashimoto Masayoshi laughed. "I was actually hoping you could introduce me; I'd like to get to know Sakayanagi-sama too."

"Then just go yourself. She isn't as unapproachable as you think. She's actually gentle, kind, and amiable; she'd be willing to be friends with you."

"Are you serious? Is the Sakayanagi you know the same one I know?"

Sakayanagi Arisu, who had been listening to the conversation between Yagami Shizuka and Hashimoto Masayoshi from the side, alternated between joy and a furrowed brow.

She, too, cared about how others evaluated her.

Gentle and kind... she admitted that Yagami Shizuka's praise was a bit exaggerated.

At the very least, she possessed gentleness.

Because of her heart condition, she couldn't get angry even if she wanted to, so she had no choice but to be gentle.

Yes, gently burying a genius was also a form of gentleness.

As for kindness... well, such a cruel thing as leaving a genius's corpse out in the wilderness was something she could never do; not only would she not do it, she would personally bury them.

Therefore, she was truly kind.

He understands me.

Ever since she entered the school, she had been keeping an eye on her classmates, constantly scouting for loyal subordinates to facilitate her own actions.

Among them, Hashimoto Masayoshi was quite suitable.

She needed someone skilled in social interaction to handle errands for her.

She didn't concern herself with whether Hashimoto was trustworthy; in her eyes, as long as a person could do things for her, that person had utility.