"First, tell me how you got into my room! I locked the door from the inside!"
Keima Katsuragi closed the door, then immediately demanded an explanation.
Every student's room came equipped with an electronic lock, which could only be opened with their Student Terminal.
How had Elsie managed to get into his room?
"I just made a key!"
As she spoke, Elsie pulled out something that looked like an access card.
Using the Feather Haori, Elsie could conjure all sorts of things.
Lock-picking tools were no exception.
"What? Didn't I tell you not to use that power whenever you felt like it?"
"I didn't use it whenever I felt like it! I made it in my own room! There definitely aren't any cameras in there!"
"If there were cameras in your room, that'd be illegal! And even if there aren't any cameras inside, the ones in the hallway might've caught you opening my door!"
"Don't worry, I covered my face!"
As she spoke, Elsie pulled out a black plastic bag.
"You don't seem all that bright."
"I can't help it! God of Conquest! Help me!"
"What are you even trying to do?"
"I mean, what am I supposed to do about midterms and finals? The teacher said anyone who fails will be expelled! If I get expelled, I'll be in trouble!"
"That's why I told you last time to study properly!"
Keima Katsuragi sighed, utterly exasperated.
"I can tutor you, but you need to understand the basics first... How much of the book you borrowed last time have you read?"
"I've read almost all of it! Before you got back, I also went to the library and read quite a few books with Shiina! I'm even planning to borrow a few more this weekend!"
"Seriously? You got through them that fast?"
Keima Katsuragi looked surprised.
"They seemed pretty interesting! I think I've got a handle on the words and everything!"
"Interesting? W-wait a minute. What books did you read?"
Keima Katsuragi suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Murder on the Orient Express, Who Killed Me, And Then There Were None..."
"What do those books have to do with studying? Are you studying or plotting murders? And where did you find the time to read all those books?"
"Of course I read them during class! I'm following God of Conquest's example!"
Elsie proudly patted her chest.
"?"
Keima Katsuragi stared at Elsie, falling silent for a moment.
So this girl had been doing weird stuff in class too?
He took a deep breath, then continued:
"Can't you just pay attention in class?"
"But God of Conquest plays games during class too!"
"Th-that's true, but I understand the material! You don't know anything, so why aren't you paying attention? At the very least, you need to keep up with the lessons—"
"S-so that's how it works!?"
"What are you surprised about? You got a whopping eight points on the last quiz. That's not something just anyone can manage!"
"I-it's not entirely my fault! The test was too hard! And the person above me only scored eight points more!"
"In other words, he got twice your score!"
Keima Katsuragi slumped into his chair, looking as if all his strength had left him.
"Quizzes and monthly tests might not matter much, but if you fail your finals, you'll be expelled!"
Elsie crawled over to Keima Katsuragi and clutched his hand.
"If I get expelled, there'll be nobody to keep an eye on God of Conquest! If God of Conquest gets hooked on games, it'll be terrible! The world will be destroyed! So you have to help me, God of Conquest! If I fail my exams, it's the end of the world!"
"That's a pretty ridiculous way to put it... But the finals aren't what you should be worried about."
"Then what is?"
"First, figure out how to get through midterms. In theory, they're at the end of next month!"
"Ahhh, God of Conquest! Help me!"
Elsie was practically wailing.
"Bringing an idiot up to an ordinary person's level in less than two months... That won't be easy."
"If even God of Conquest can't help me, then I'll have no choice but to do that..."
"What are you going to do?"
Keima Katsuragi had a bad feeling.
Elsie pulled a few books out of her Feather Haori and flipped through them quickly.
"I've learned quite a lot from these books."
Keima Katsuragi furrowed his brow.
He could clearly see the titles.
They were all the mystery novels Elsie had mentioned earlier.
"If I just get rid of the people who write and grade the tests, everything should be fine! I've already learned quite a few useful techniques..."
Elsie's face lit up with a smile that looked like it was about to crack.
"Turn back into the idiot you used to be!"
Keima Katsuragi hurriedly snatched the books from her.
"Don't bring things from books into the real world!"
"But God of Conquest loves playing games too!"
"Sure, I love the world of games more, but I don't confuse the two worlds—especially since the real world is far less pure than the world of games."
Keima Katsuragi adjusted his glasses, his expression utterly serious.
"Got it... But if I get expelled, the world will be destroyed... God of Conquest, I'm glad I met you!"
"Don't say things like that! Sigh, I'll do my best to tutor you. I did promise you before, after all. But you have to study seriously, understood?"
"Got it, God of Conquest! You really are the best!"
Elsie changed her expression in an instant, wearing an innocent smile once more.
"You went to pursue your target today too, right, God of Conquest?"
"More or less. I went shopping with Sakura."
As he spoke, Keima Katsuragi took out the card.
[Name: Airi Sakura]
[Affection: 34%]
"It went up so much today!"
Elsie's eyes widened in surprise.
Airi Sakura's progress had surged in just one day, and since Elsie hadn't been there, she had no idea what had happened.
"God of Conquest, how did you do that?"
"I just went shopping with her."
Keima Katsuragi spoke slowly.
"With girls like her, there's no need to force them to change who they are. Just stay by their side and let their wariness toward you gradually fade. In games, girls with uncomplicated personalities like this are the easiest to win over. It isn't difficult. As long as you put your heart into it, you'll succeed. That's my philosophy."
"As expected of God of Conquest!"
Elsie nodded, then glanced down at the card. Her eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Oh! God of Conquest! Look! Didn't her affection go up? What's going on?"
Keima Katsuragi looked over and saw that Airi Sakura's affection had risen to 35%.
Meanwhile, in Airi Sakura's room.
She took off her glasses and let her hair down. When she was alone, the timid-looking Airi Sakura disappeared.
In her place was Shizuku, the cheerful gravure idol.
She picked up the new camera she'd bought that day and took several lovely selfies.
Her already adorable features looked even better with the right angle and lighting, while her impressive figure was boldly on display.
Airi Sakura as Shizuku was like a completely different person from her usual self.
After taking the pictures, Airi Sakura spent a long time choosing one. In the end, she uploaded her favorite to her blog.
When she enrolled, Airi Sakura had learned that simply uploading pictures without interacting with online fans didn't violate the school rules.
Once she was done, Airi Sakura cradled the camera and lay down on her bed. The soft mattress cradled her, and all the stress of the day seemed to melt away in an instant. A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
During these first few days of school, Airi Sakura had been struggling to adjust. She'd even felt too awkward to shop freely.
Until today...
Airi Sakura thought back to going shopping with Keima Katsuragi.
She'd been especially nervous when the shop assistant came over to talk to her.
Thankfully, Keima Katsuragi had stepped in just in time...
And afterward, Keima Katsuragi had even helped her pay, sparing Airi Sakura another awkward situation.
Keima Katsuragi usually seemed so aloof and unconventional, but he was actually very kind.
Lots of people had told Airi Sakura to be more cheerful and outgoing, saying she was too gloomy. But Keima Katsuragi was the only one who'd let her stay as she was.
Come to think of it...
Even behind his glasses, Keima Katsuragi had rather nice features...
Airi Sakura usually kept her head down and didn't dare meet anyone's eyes, so she hadn't remembered what most people looked like.
But Keima Katsuragi was the first person she could say she remembered clearly.
Airi Sakura raised her camera to take a few more selfies for later, but noticed that her cheeks in the lens seemed a little red.
Airi Sakura quickly calmed herself, then sat down at her desk and opened her blog to browse.
As a popular online idol, her photos had already received plenty of likes and comments.
[User 2231] You're so pretty!
[User Walking in the Rain] Mommy Shizuku!
[User 28913289] That face is pure authority!
As she watched the stream of complimentary comments grow, the corners of Airi Sakura's lips curled up slightly.
Just then, Airi Sakura saw a comment.
[User Anonymous] Two days later, I got to see you up close again today, Shizuku. You know, being by your side makes me so happy~
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