Tanaka and Sakayanagi's First Meeting

The cafeteria was bustling with people coming and going.

"Kamuro, thank you for helping me earlier."

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her voice clear as a plucked harp string.

"Let me buy you breakfast."

Kamuro Masumi gently shook her head. She had only helped the girl out of pity and had no other intentions.

"No need."

After her curt reply, she seemed to realize how brusque she sounded and added,

"We're going the same way, anyway."

Sakayanagi Arisu continued unhurriedly, "Please don't refuse. Actually, I was hoping you could help me buy breakfast."

The one-two punch was so smoothly delivered that Kamuro Masumi was at a loss for a moment.

Her classmate wasn't well and had asked her to buy breakfast. It would be hard to justify refusing.

Satisfied as she watched Kamuro Masumi join the crowd and get in line, Sakayanagi Arisu sat down.

Before long, Kamuro Masumi hurried back with a tray held in both hands.

"Which one do you want?"

She had walked too quickly and forgotten to ask Sakayanagi Arisu what she wanted to eat.

And with so many people around, she couldn't exactly ask loudly.

So she bought one each of the cafeteria's two most popular set meals.

One was a Western breakfast with a sandwich, milk, sausage, and a fried egg.

The other was a Japanese breakfast with rice, miso soup, fish, vegetables, and fruit.

"This one, of course."

Sakayanagi Arisu replied.

She had a congenital heart condition and needed to avoid foods high in salt, puffed snacks, animal liver, sugary foods, raw or cold foods... and so on.

As she spoke, she took the Japanese breakfast off the tray.

She ate as if conducting a precise experiment.

Kamuro Masumi's eyebrow lifted slightly as she watched Sakayanagi Arisu use the tip of her chopsticks to push the pickled radish to the side.

Just two days earlier, she had clearly watched this young lady down a black coffee in one go.

So was she careful about her health, or did she have a self-destructive streak?

A little over ten minutes later, they finished eating.

Sakayanagi Arisu took a handkerchief from her pocket and elegantly wiped the corners of her mouth.

"Kamuro, the club recruitment event is this afternoon. Is there a club you're interested in?"

She asked.

"Not at the moment."

Kamuro Masumi replied.

"Then would you like to come with me to the Chess Club?"

Sakayanagi Arisu looked at her expectantly.

Kamuro Masumi knew she was putting on an act, but she was still won over by her adorable appearance.

"You really are impossible to refuse."

She said helplessly, then moved closer to Sakayanagi Arisu of her own accord and offered her an arm.

They chatted now and then as they walked.

Kamuro Masumi's thoughts drifted. Is this how Sakayanagi Arisu plans to show off her abilities? Using the club's senior members as stepping stones and demonstrating her strength through a match.

But she knew little about chess beyond having heard of it, and had never looked into it in depth. That made her feel a bit troubled.

Still, she was the sort of person who knew how to adapt.

She could watch the match and see how the contest went, as well as how Sakayanagi Arisu and the senior members reacted.

That should give her a rough idea of the difference in strength between them.

Sakayanagi Arisu's father was the chairman of Advanced Nurturing High School's board of directors. She was undoubtedly the campus's most privileged VIP player.

But unlike in an online game, she wouldn't lean too heavily on her influence, in order to preserve the appearance of fairness.

Like other children of the most powerful families, she had the innate advantage of learning some information about the school beforehand.

According to her original plan, she had intended to visit a club yesterday and make a little pocket money.

However, Tanaka Yukishin had turned the Secret Exam into something halfway between open-book and closed-book.

For now, her priority was to win over her classmates and expand her faction's influence.

Once she had finished with that, the other matters couldn't be settled in a short time anyway.

So she had picked up her original plan again.

She would make some pocket money and, along the way, open Kamuro Masumi's eyes.

Just then, a chime sounded.

It was the special notification tone Kamuro Masumi had set for Tanaka Yukishin's account.

She quickly pulled out her Student Terminal and opened her contact list.

Her fingertip slid across the screen, and a message appeared.

Tanaka Yukishin's message read: "Bring me two breakfasts. Room 402."

Kamuro Masumi's expression shifted slightly, then she smiled.

Perfect. I'll have Sakayanagi Arisu meet this monster.

If she wanted to recruit her, she couldn't let her walk around with a hidden landmine.

Should she be direct?

Why not invite her to come along? She could at least give her a little warning.

"Sorry, I need to bring breakfast to my big brother. Sakayanagi, would you like to come meet him?"

Kamuro Masumi asked.

"Big brother?"

The first person to come to Sakayanagi Arisu's mind was Katsuragi Kohei, but she quickly dismissed the idea.

Kamuro Masumi might seem a little absentminded, but she wasn't stupid. Her earlier attitude had been completely inconsistent with that.

Then who could it be?

A third party lurking in the class, the leader of all the unaffiliated students?

Or a rival, a student from one of the other three classes?

Perhaps an acquaintance from middle school, or a blood relative?

Or a senior?

Kamuro Masumi didn't keep her guessing. After all, she was counting on Sakayanagi Arisu to be reliable and help her deal with the hidden landmine she was carrying.

"It's Tanaka Yukishin from Class 1-D."

"Class 1-D!"

Sakayanagi Arisu was astonished.

That was a rival class, and this wasn't the first month of school at the start of an ordinary Secret Exam.

After the Sender incident, Kamuro Masumi was still openly telling her this, despite her being the leader of the Class A faction.

She couldn't help but grow curious about Tanaka Yukishin.

Was he powerful—very powerful—and had he won Kamuro Masumi over with his strength and personal charm?

Or did he have something on her?

She had never considered the possibility that both were true.

Chapter 35: 36 Tanaka and Sakayanagi's First Meeting

Sakayanagi Arisu gladly accepted Kamuro Masumi's invitation.

Whether for personal reasons or for the good of the class as a whole, she had to win Kamuro Masumi back.

The two walked slowly, supporting each other.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering dappled shadows across the path.

The flowers along the tree-lined walkway were bright and dewy. A breeze passed, carrying their fragrance.

When they reached a bench, Kamuro Masumi carefully helped Sakayanagi Arisu sit down.

Then she turned and headed toward the cafeteria.

402.

In the room, Tanaka Yukishin and Karuizawa Kei were cuddled up together, enjoying a quiet moment of closeness.

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked at the door.

Karuizawa Kei instantly tensed, a hint of panic in her eyes.

Seeing this, Tanaka Yukishin's lips curled into a teasing smile.

"What happened to the courage you had yesterday, when you said you'd go to school with me?"

Karuizawa Kei glared at him indignantly.

Yesterday had only been about staking her claim.

How could that be the same thing?

If someone saw a boy and a girl in the same dorm room, it would be a huge problem.

Seeing the danger in Karuizawa Kei's eyes, Tanaka Yukishin stopped while he was ahead to keep her from getting so embarrassed that she lost her temper.

"All right, all right. If you're worried, hide under the blanket. I'll send whoever's outside away."

He stood, pulled a pair of shorts and a shirt from the wardrobe, and put them on as he walked toward the door.

Looking through the peephole, he saw Kamuro Masumi.

He opened the door just wide enough for himself to fit through.

"Big brother, breakf—"

Kamuro Masumi's words faltered when she saw Tanaka Yukishin.

But that was only natural.

If Tanaka Yukishin's first impression on her had been a perverted lech, followed by a demon who toyed with people's hearts, and then a cunning fox who loved making a game of her, the Tanaka Yukishin before her now was a lion just waking from sleep.

During her brief infatuation with his looks, she had thought it might not be so bad to become Tanaka Yukishin's sidekick.

Standing beside her, Sakayanagi Arisu raised both hands to cover her eyes.