Sakayanagi and Kamuro

"What kind of fun is this?" He pinched the back of her neck helplessly. "I'm not going to scold you for breaking school rules."

"But I just want to see!"

She slowly moved closer to me from a straddling position, almost like she was being deliberately provocative.

"Who makes me wear maid outfits and shrine maiden costumes all the time? Even my swimsuits have to be the tie-up style!"

"And black stockings, white stockings, hmph, is Secretary now feeling shy?"

She suddenly grinned mischievously and started counting on her fingers one by one.

That's because--

"Why?" She leaned closer, her nose almost touching his cheek. "Is Secretary going to give a speech now?"

She even tried to put on a serious face, mimicking his stern expression at one point, but couldn't hold back her laughter and broke the act.

Her breath carried a refreshing scent, and strands of her hair brushed against his collarbone, tickling him.

Tanaka Yukishin sighed, cradled the back of her head, and gently kissed her.

"It's just an empty title," he muttered between breaths. "There are only a little over four hundred people in the whole school. We don't even have the kind of popularity and aura that celebrities have."

"But I just love it." She chuckled, biting his earlobe, her voice as sweet as melting honey. "Just imagine—Secretary Tanaka sitting upright, approving documents, while I'm secretly under the table."

Before she could finish speaking, he tickled her, making her laugh and wriggle into a ball in his arms.

"Hui," he pinched her waist helplessly, "What weird comics have you been reading lately?"

She giggled and tried to dodge, but he pulled her back into his arms.

The movie had long since faded into background noise, and the cushions lay scattered on the carpet, unnoticed.

"I'll wear a suit next time."

He kissed the top of her head in a conciliatory gesture, his voice full of affection, "Monk's robes are fine too."

"Make a deal!"

She hugged his neck tightly, like a kitten that had stolen some cream, as if she had succeeded.

I gave him a loud kiss on the cheek, my eyes sparkling.

"I want to take a picture! And set it as my phone wallpaper!"

Outside the window, birds of summer nights silently flit past the glow of streetlights.

The intertwined shadows on the sofa are warmer and more vivid than any fictional movie plot.

Chapter 113, Section 112 Classmate Sakayanagi and Kamuro

Sunlight filtered through the trees and fell on the road as Kamuro Masumi pushed her wheelchair slowly forward.

Sakayanagi Arisu tapped her slender fingers lightly on the armrest and suddenly spoke.

"Kamuro, how long will it take you to find information on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka?"

"Immediately"

Kamuro Masumi scrolled through her phone without looking up.

"?"

Sakayanagi Arisu slightly, her silver hair slipping down her shoulder with the movement.

Kamuro Masumi shoved the phone screen, with the selected page already displayed, in front of her.

"Sakayanagi, you probably didn't realize that normal high school students actually have a ranking system. And Ayanokoji is ranked 6th on the handsome guy list, 3rd on the gloomy guy list, and even on the list of boys you wish would die."

"???"

Sakayanagi Arisu's pupils suddenly contracted.

She never imagined that extracurricular activities for high school students in Japan would be so... unique.

"Okay, besides the rankings, are there any real photos of the people on the list?"

Her voice trembled slightly.

Kamuro Masumi smiled slightly, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

"Yes, Sakayanagi, yes. We took nine photos like this for each person, arranged in a 3x3 grid to show everything from every angle."

"No, this already constitutes an infringement of portrait rights and covert harassment."

Sakayanagi Arisu's pupils widened slightly, seemingly surprised that she was so out of touch with normal high school students.

Kamuro Masumi shrugged nonchalantly.

"These kinds of things are hard to explain. The school usually turns a blind eye. Besides, there's a list of female students. Although the list only has three photos of the female students being evaluated, if we were to investigate everything, I personally think that at least half of the Student Council in the school would be expelled."

Sakayanagi Arisu sighed and rubbed her temples.

"... So, where did these photos come from?"

"Taking photos secretly."

Kamuro Masumi said matter-of-factly, "Some are for PE class, some for the library, and some for the cafeteria... Anyway, as long as it's not for commercial use, everyone assumes it's permissible."

Sakayanagi Arisu looked as if she had swallowed a fly.

"... You guys are really shameless."

Suddenly, she noticed a large number of photos of Tanaka Yukishin in Kamuro Masumi's phone photo album.

"Wait, these are..."

"Ara~"

Kamuro Masumi quickly locked her screen, but couldn't hide the smile on her lips. "This is a private collection with Tanaka-kun's permission, you know."

As a "delivery person" who regularly delivers groceries to Tanaka Yukishin, Kamuro Masumi cleverly takes advantage of this opportunity to take a large number of photos of his daily life after obtaining his consent.

A silhouette of someone wearing an apron and cooking in the kitchen.

His profile as he intently reads in the sunlight.

Even the moment of wiping away sweat after exercise...

"As long as he doesn't spread it or do anything weird, my brother doesn't care at all."

"I'm so proud of myself," said Kamuro Masumi.

"... shameless."

Sakayanagi Arisu a soft snort, then frowned as she looked at her empty search history.

"Okay, then tell me where to find this list. I've searched the forum for ages and still can't find it?"

"Puff--"

Kamuro Masumi couldn't help laughing.

"Sakayanagi, your thinking is all over the place again. Just like you said, this kind of thing violates portrait rights and has the nature of covert harassment. This kind of shady content is obviously being spread in private girls' groups."

As she spoke, she added Sakayanagi to a group called "Maiden Treasures".

Upon seeing this name, Sakayanagi Arisu made her classic subway old man emoji face.

She suddenly realized how vast the gap was between her understanding and that of ordinary high school students.

In this closed campus, it's perfectly normal for teenage boys and girls to spark a romance.

But reality is often cruel—not every girl can get together with the boy she likes.

After all, the quality of girls is generally guaranteed, while the quality of boys varies greatly.

Having been tempered (tortured) by school life, the girls' views on choosing a partner, while still retaining their innocence, have also become mixed with some realistic considerations.

They began to think.

If a relationship is destined to be short-lived, is it even worth starting?

Therefore, most people opted for a compromise – virtual meal replacements.

They treat handsome guys on campus as imaginary lovers to fill the emotional void of their adolescence.

They maintain a polite distance when they meet in real life, but privately they discuss them enthusiastically in group chats and even collect their photos.

Of course, some people will choose to take the initiative.

However, her opponents are either seniors or juniors from the same cohort.

Because of separation, long-distance relationships are a major obstacle.

Therefore, the vast majority of couples in this school are in the same grade.

Only a very small number are from different grade levels.

Upon opening the list, Tanaka Yukishin's nine-grid photo collage is prominently displayed at the top.

Each photo is a work of art, showcasing the boy's unique charm from every angle.

"Although Tanaka-kun is handsome, aren't there any boys in other grades who are more handsome than him?"

While saving the nine pictures, Sakayanagi Arisu sent out a question.

Kamuro Masumi raised an eyebrow as she watched Sakayanagi Arisu's skillful movements.

"I'm not sure. My current group is for first-year high school students. There are also groups for second- and third-year students, as well as a school-wide group. Once I accumulate more contribution points and level up, I can join the school-wide group."

????

It was only then that Sakayanagi Arisu noticed the difference in their ranks.

Seeing that her group level was the initial level 1, while Kamuro Masumi was already level 98, just one step away from the maximum level of 100.

She fell into deep thought.

No, what did you, Kamuro Masumi, do?

Why are you so many levels higher than me?

Furthermore, these groups should be divided into grade levels and school-wide groups.

Aren't the girls at this school a bit strange?

It's more meaningful to focus your energy on improving yourself.

Her gaze casually swept across the phone until a photo of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka appeared.

It's him!

It really is him!

This appearance is exactly like the boy I saw when I was a child, his face enlarged to the same proportions.

Her finger stopped on the photograph.

That was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's profile, with indifferent eyes and an expressionless face.

How did he get here?

According to the rules of the White Room, he should still be there...

Kamuro Masumi noticed her unusual expression and tilted her head to ask, "What's wrong? Are you engrossed in what you're looking at?"

Sakayanagi Arisu quickly composed herself and said calmly.

"It's nothing, I just feel... he looks a little familiar."

"Oh? Could it be that Miss Sakayanagi has met him before?"

Sakayanagi Arisu gently closed her phone, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Perhaps.

Kamuro Masumi stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.

"Hey, could it be... you're interested in him?"

Sakayanagi Arisu raised her eyes, her gaze icy.

"Kamuro, aren't you too idle?"

Kamuro Masumi immediately raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay, I'm not joking anymore."