Dark Clouds Gathering

"Wait, hold on, are you saying it's Kushida Kikyo?" Horikita Suzune's voice was hesitant.

Although she had personally helped her escape the fund-raising plan Hirata had invited her to face-to-face last time.

Theoretically, she was indeed the most suspicious person.

But Horikita Suzune, who had come from the same middle school as her, simply couldn't believe that this woman, who would never tear off her mask and take the initiative unless absolutely necessary, would dare to approach Hirata and Karuizawa alone.

Moreover, being able to manipulate both of them without revealing a trace felt wrong to her, and it didn't seem like a style she would adopt.

Of course, thinking was one thing, but since Ayanokoji had already given her a hint, he didn't want to worry about what she would do next.

"Perhaps letting her exercise on her own sometimes is a good choice."

It was already late at night on the way back, but the direction Ayanokoji was walking was not toward his home...

On the coastal path, the sea breeze whistled past. Although it was very late, one could still hear the occasional chorus of birds and crashing waves.

"You're here~"

Under the quiet moonlight, a girl wearing a pale white dress could be seen leaning quietly against the railing by the sea.

Amidst the soft, ethereal whispers, her stunning face, set against the moonlight, looked like a fairy from heaven who cared nothing for worldly affairs.

Her clear, water-like gaze was filled with a moving, ethereal quality, and her eyes held only a kind of bone-deep indifference; there was not a trace of the usual competitive spirit.

Even Ayanokoji, who was always as calm as an ancient well, couldn't help but be momentarily dazed when he saw her.

"I never thought Sakayanagi Arisu, who is usually so cold and aloof, would have a side like this."

"Wait, could it be that she dressed like this specifically to wait for me?"

Thinking this strangely in his heart, Ayanokoji couldn't help but shake his head slightly, his expression remaining indifferent as he said, "Hmm, is there something you need from me?"

Hearing this, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but smile. "Can't I look for you if there's nothing wrong?"

"..."

"If there's something, just say it. I'm quite sleepy."

Ayanokoji's expressionless demeanor made the girl look slightly bored. "You really are insensitive, Ayanokoji-kun."

Seeing that the other party didn't want to say anything, Sakayanagi Arisu turned her gaze toward the endless night sky, her expression gradually becoming solemn.

"Regarding the information about that person from before, can you..."

"I don't know either~"

Before Sakayanagi Arisu could finish her sentence, Ayanokoji interrupted her.

"You must know something, please tell me, okay~"

Looking at the girl's suddenly serious gaze, he turned his head away and said indifferently, "Is it because of this final exam?"

Hearing this, Sakayanagi Arisu shook her head gently. "No, it's just one exam; I'm not worried about anything."

"It's just that his methods regarding Class C make me increasingly curious and somewhat worried about what big moves he will make next."

"Oh~ even you, the strongest mastermind of Class A, have people you worry about?" Ayanokoji teased, which was rare for him.

Although he didn't know why he said that either~

"Hehe~ if you put it that way, then there are indeed quite a few people I worry about." Sakayanagi Arisu looked at him with deep meaning.

The latter met her gaze calmly. "Regarding that person, I don't know much either, but I still advise you best not to provoke him."

"Hmm, thanks for the reminder~."

"But I'm becoming more and more curious about his strength, since even Ayanokoji-kun has to specifically warn me."

As she spoke, her tone suddenly softened. "Hehe~ but since Ayanokoji-kun has taken the initiative to warn me, you have to reveal some of his strength, otherwise I might easily get curious and make a mistake."

"So, you aren't allowed to refuse to answer this time." Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head, her cunning eyes revealing a rare, innocent, and girlish look of coquetry.

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Seeing this, although Ayanokoji had a strange feeling he couldn't describe, after a moment of silence, he still said indifferently, "For things that can no longer be seen through, the more you think, the more chaotic it becomes. This is my answer to myself, and it is the only answer I can give you~"

"Thank you... I think I understand now~"

"But we have to agree: the person you told me not to provoke, Ayanokoji-kun, you shouldn't provoke him first either."

Hearing this, Ayanokoji did not reply this time.

In his gaze, which was terrifyingly calm, a person he might have anticipated long ago had likely already become the first pawn he used to test the waters...

As for Class C, ever since Rinya gave instructions to the two girls, things went exactly as he expected.

Ishizaki gritted his teeth and agreed in the hospital, while Ibuki Mio, during Ryuen Kakeru's absence, managed to recruit a group of loyal followers through her bone-chilling martial arts.

Just as everything was slowly moving in a good direction.

On this day, the school suddenly announced that the three-day final exam would be held early.

And for some reason, in addition to the written exams on the first and second days, the third day was changed to a two-on-two joint physical exam.

Simply put, it meant dividing the four classes of the first year into groups by drawing lots to conduct a series of physical fitness tests.

If it were before, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but now, because Class C was missing half of its people, and most of those missing were key players.

It could be said that for this exam, whoever ended up matched against Class C was essentially facing a losing battle of one against two.

Because of this, many students reported their grievances to the school that very day.

Yet, to their despair, the school seemed like a completely different entity this time; not only did the higher-ups refuse to accept their feedback, but they even used the pretext of promoting physical health to increase the rewards and penalties for Class Points.

For the winning side, every participating student would be awarded between 10,000 and 100,000 private points based on their ranking, and each of the two classes would receive an additional 100 Class Points.

As for the losing side, while their private points would not be deducted and they would still receive a guaranteed 10,000 private points for participating, the penalty for failure was a deduction of 200 Class Points from each of the two classes.

As things currently stand, following the school's review after the midterm exams, the Class Point rankings are as follows.

Class A: 1004 Class Points.

Class B: 700 Class Points.

Class C: 540 Class Points.

Class D: 87 Class Points.

What left everyone truly suffocated this time was the school's newly added, ruthless penalty: once a class no longer had enough points to cover a deduction, they would be forced to hold a vote to select one person for mandatory expulsion.

It could be said that, aside from Class C, which happened to be in a dire situation, this exam was clearly targeted at Class D.

Inside a first-year male dormitory room.

"Master... it really seems like this physical exam will just come down to the luck of the draw~" Looking at the announcement on her phone, Kushida sighed, her face filled with helplessness.

"Heh, luck, is it? Perhaps it was already decided long ago."

"Ah~ how could that be?" Kushida looked at her master, who never spoke nonsense, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Hearing this, Rinya just smiled faintly and did not offer any further explanation.

"Alright, the physical exam is the day after tomorrow. I'll leave a strand of Qi for you tonight; get ready, and use it as the situation demands when the time comes."

"Mm~"

Hearing this, the girl, who had been deep in thought, instantly blushed down to her neck, her voice becoming as thin as a mosquito's.

After all, the previous experience had truly made her too shy to speak of it, and even now, she didn't dare to recall those scenes.

However, Rinya did not notice the girl's change in demeanor at this moment; his mind was still lingering on the mysterious man who had recently called Ayanokoji out for a meeting.

"The disappearance of Chairman Sakayanagi, the sudden changes to the school's exams—it seems these are all his plays~"

"Ayanokoji, have you finally made a move against me? Heh." The boy's eyes were filled with amusement~

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