"Hey, wait. Are you talking about Kushida Kikyo?" Horikita Suzune asked hesitantly.
After all, she had personally helped Kushida escape Hirata's face-to-face invitation to the fundraising plan last time.
In theory, Kushida was indeed the most likely suspect.
But Horikita Suzune, who had come from the same middle school as her, just couldn't bring herself to believe it. Kushida was the sort of woman who would never make a move unless she had no other choice, and she couldn't imagine her approaching Hirata and Karuizawa on her own.
And for her to manipulate both of them without giving anything away? That clearly didn't add up. It didn't seem like something Kushida would do.
Of course, that was what Horikita thought. Since Ayanokoji had already given her a hint, he had no intention of getting involved in what she did next.
Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to let her get some practice on her own once in a while.
It was already the middle of the night on the way back, but Ayanokoji wasn't heading home...
Along the coastal path, the sea breeze swept by. Though it was very late, he could still hear birds calling in harmony with the waves from time to time.
"You came~"
Under the quiet moonlight, a girl in a pale white dress stood leaning against the railing that ran along the shore.
Her soft, quiet words and exquisite features, illuminated by the moon, made her look like a celestial maiden who had no dealings with the mortal world.
Her clear, limpid gaze held a captivating air of otherworldliness. All it contained was a serenity as gentle as a breeze and as calm as the clouds, without a trace of her usual competitive spirit.
Even Ayanokoji, whose expression rarely changed, couldn't help staring for a brief moment when he saw her.
"I never imagined that even the usually cool and distant Sakayanagi Arisu had this side to her."
"Wait, did she dress like this just to meet me?"
Puzzled by the thought, Ayanokoji shook his head slightly and replied in his usual calm voice, "Yeah. What did you want to see me about?"
At that, Sakayanagi Arisu smiled. "Can't I see you if there's nothing in particular?"
"..."
"If there's something you want to say, just say it. I'm pretty tired."
His emotionless expression seemed to dampen her mood. "You really don't know how to set the mood, Ayanokoji-kun."
When he didn't seem inclined to say anything, Sakayanagi turned her gaze to the endless night sky. Her expression gradually grew serious.
"About the information on that person from before, could you..."
"I don't know much either~"
Sakayanagi hadn't even finished speaking before Ayanokoji cut her off.
"You must know something. Please, tell me~"
Seeing her suddenly serious gaze, he looked away and said calmly, "Is this because of the upcoming final exam?"
Sakayanagi shook her head gently. "No. It's just an exam. I'm not worried about that."
"It's just that his methods against Class C have made me more and more curious, and a little worried about what he might do next."
"Oh~ So even the strongest leader in Class A has someone she's worried about?" Ayanokoji teased her, something he rarely did.
He wasn't even sure why he'd said it~
"Hehe~ In that case, there are quite a few people I'm worried about," Sakayanagi said, giving him a meaningful look.
Ayanokoji met her gaze calmly. "I don't know much about that person either, but I'd advise you not to provoke him."
"Mm, thanks for the warning~"
"But if even Ayanokoji-kun is taking the trouble to warn me about him, now I'm even more curious about how strong he is."
As she spoke, her gentle tone suddenly changed. "Hehe~ But since Ayanokoji-kun went out of his way to warn me, you'll have to tell me a little about his abilities. Otherwise, I might get too curious and make a mistake."
"So you can't refuse to answer this time." Sakayanagi tilted her head, her sly gaze revealing a rare, girlish innocence as she pouted.
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Ayanokoji felt a strange, indescribable sensation. But after a moment of silence, he replied calmly, "When something is beyond your understanding, thinking about it will only make things more confusing. That's my answer to myself, and the only answer I can give you~"
"Thank you... I think I understand~"
"But let's be clear: if you're telling me not to provoke him, Ayanokoji-kun can't provoke him first either."
Ayanokoji didn't answer this time.
In his frighteningly calm gaze, someone he might have anticipated long ago had perhaps already become the first pawn in the game he was testing...
Meanwhile, over in Class C, things went just as Rinya had expected after he gave the two girls their instructions.
Ishizaki gritted his teeth and agreed from his hospital bed, while Ibuki Mio used her painful martial arts during Ryuen Kakeru's absence to win herself a group of loyal followers.
Just as everything was slowly starting to improve...
The school suddenly announced that the three-day final exams would begin ahead of schedule.
For some reason, in addition to written exams on the first two days, the third day had been changed to a two-on-two joint physical exam.
In short, the four first-year classes would be randomly assigned in pairs by lottery and take a series of physical tests.
That wouldn't have been a problem before, but Class C was now down by half its students, most of them key players.
In other words, any class drawn against Class C was practically guaranteed to win a two-on-one matchup.
That same day, quite a few students complained to the school.
But to their despair, the school seemed like a completely different place this time. Not only did the administration refuse to listen, it also used the pretext of promoting physical health to increase the Class Points rewards and penalties.
Every participating student on the winning side would receive Private Points according to their ranking, ranging from ten thousand to one hundred thousand. Both classes would also gain one hundred Class Points each.
The losing side wouldn't lose any Private Points and would still receive a guaranteed ten thousand Private Points just for signing up. But the penalty for losing was that both classes would each lose two hundred Class Points.
At present, since the school had reviewed the results of the midterm exams, the Class Points rankings were as follows:
Class A: 1,004 Class Points.
Class B: 700 Class Points.
Class C: 540 Class Points.
Class D: 87 Class Points.
The most suffocating part of the new rules was the school's added penalty. If a class didn't have enough Class Points to cover the deduction, it would vote for one student to be expelled.
This exam was clearly aimed at Class D, unless Class C happened to draw the worst possible matchup.
In a first-year boys' dorm room.
"Master... For this physical exam, we really can only rely on the luck of the draw~" Kushida sighed as she looked at the announcement on her phone, her face full of helplessness.
"Hehe, luck? Maybe the pairings have already been decided."
"Huh~ How could that be?" Kushida exclaimed in surprise. Her master never said things without reason.
Rinya merely smiled faintly and didn't explain.
"All right. The physical exam is the day after tomorrow. I'll leave a stream of energy for you tonight. Get ready, then decide when to use it based on the situation."
"Mm~"
The girl, still lost in thought, suddenly blushed all the way to her neck. Her voice grew as faint as a mosquito's.
After all, the last time had been so embarrassing that she could hardly bring herself to talk about it. Even now, she didn't dare think back on what had happened.
Rinya, however, didn't notice the girl's reaction. His mind was still occupied with the unfamiliar man he had met not long ago, when he had called Ayanokoji out.
"Chairman Sakayanagi going missing, and the school's sudden changes to the exams... It seems they're all part of his doing~"
"Ayanokoji, you've finally made your move against me, haven't you~ Hehe." The boy's eyes gleamed with amusement~
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