Do You Know Who My Father Is?

There was no point in trying to communicate with an idiot.

Once Yuki Gyakukai realized that, he stopped paying attention to them and turned to leave.

In any case, as far as he was concerned, the matter had most likely been settled.

For a while afterward, everyone studying in the library looked at the students from Class 1-D with strange expressions.

From time to time, they whispered among themselves, staring in disbelief at Sudou and the others, who were utterly mortified.

"They only had to answer, 'You'll go to jail, right, elementary schooler?' or something like that to pass."

"Exactly. What kind of idiot calculates how much 3 × 4 is?"

"Don't even get me started. When those two idiots said twelve, I felt like all the wrinkles in my brain had been smoothed out."

"..."

Tap, tap, tap~

The sound of wood striking the floor wasn't particularly crisp as it approached Yuki Gyakukai.

Wearing her school uniform and a white beret, Sakayanagi Arisu slowly made her way over, leaning on her cane.

To his surprise, several girls from Class B (formerly Class A) were accompanying her.

Yuki Gyakukai had assumed that once the white-haired little girl failed to find any dirt on Kamuro, she'd have no one to do her bidding.

It seemed he'd been mistaken. There were still plenty of good people in their class, people who'd help her of their own accord even without being threatened.

"Good day, everyone from Class A."

With a smile, Sakayanagi Arisu greeted them politely.

"Hello." As the saying went, you didn't slap a smiling face. Since she'd greeted them, he should show her the proper respect.

Though he had no idea why Sakayanagi Arisu had come over,

Yuki Gyakukai still chose to welcome her. Considering her physical limitations, it wasn't suitable for her to stand there for long, so he gave up his seat.

Sakayanagi Arisu beside him couldn't help but look surprised, but she didn't refuse. Leaning on her cane, she slowly sat down.

She set her cane aside, then looked at the boy beside her and covered her mouth with a hand as she chuckled.

"I didn't expect you to have such a gentlemanly side, Yuki. Earlier, you called me a mean little dwarf. I thought you disliked me."

"I'm not that petty. It was just a nickname; there's no need to take it so seriously."

He continued leafing through the book in his hands, making casual conversation with Sakayanagi Arisu, who he still had no idea why she'd come over.

"So, what brings you here? Weren't you doing just fine over there a moment ago?"

"Oh?" Sakayanagi Arisu's smile deepened behind her hand. She gave Yuki Gyakukai, who was still reading, a meaningful look.

"I was sitting quite far away, yet you still noticed me. Don't tell me you're interested in me..."

At her teasing tone, Yuki Gyakukai, who'd been peacefully reading, looked up and raised an eyebrow at the white-haired little girl.

"Where do you get all these narcissistic ideas? My fiancée is right here, you know. Besides..."

He paused, making no attempt to hide it from the others as he looked her slight, childlike figure up and down.

"White-haired little girls get bonus points, but you're way too flat. You're practically indistinguishable from an elementary school student, and you're so frail that I can't get interested in you at all."

Sakayanagi Arisu narrowed her eyes at that assessment.

She'd never known anyone could come up with such a vicious way to describe her.

She'd always known her body was weak, but that didn't mean she was helpless.

It was like the heavens had closed one door on her, only to open a window.

And the window they'd opened was her unparalleled intelligence. Sakayanagi Arisu considered herself a genius who surpassed everyone else, no matter the time or place.

Though her frail body confined her soul, her fervent thoughts would never be restrained.

Even her father often said, "The heavens must have envied your talent so much that they imprisoned you in this cage."

"That was a rather harsh assessment, Yuki," Emi Tamiya said, speaking up from beside Sakayanagi Arisu. She had the air of a noble young lady, with beautiful features and a gentle demeanor.

Out of sympathy, she'd been looking after Sakayanagi Arisu, who didn't have many friends, ever since the start of the school year.

"It's fine, Tamiya. Yuki isn't wrong, really. It's just the first time anyone's put it that way."

She didn't sound as though she blamed him, but with her eyes narrowed like that, it was hard to believe she didn't mind.

"I don't really care, but Yuki, has no one ever told you not to casually comment on a girl's appearance? It's a very bad habit."

Yuki Gyakukai felt a little speechless. She was the one who'd provoked him, but she was also the one who couldn't take it.

"I see. Then I apologize. Sakayanagi Arisu, the moment I saw you, I thought: Long live white-haired little girls! Flat chests are the best! I love ironing boards!"

Why are you shouting so loudly?!!

Feeling the eyes gathering around them, Sakayanagi Arisu narrowed her eyes. At that moment, she wanted to kill the man in front of her a thousand times over.

She didn't even need to think about it. The school forum would be full of posts about this in no time.

At this rate, she'd probably never be able to shake off that nickname for the rest of her years at school.

Tears...

The students from Classes A and B who'd gathered around and watched the whole thing were dumbstruck.

This was an angle no one had ever imagined. Yuki Gyakukai was the one speaking, so why were they the ones feeling embarrassed?

Their toes were curling so hard they felt like they could dig up the entire library floor.

"Fiancé, what are you doing?"

Tap, tap, tap. Tomie approached with a dark expression, looking like a little bundle of jealousy.

Her icy gaze fixed on Yuki Gyakukai. Before he could explain, her little hand expertly reached for his side and gave him a sharp pinch.

Hiss!

"You've been naughty. Why are you calling another girl cute right in front of me?"

Tomie glared at Yuki Gyakukai through gritted teeth, as though she'd bite him the next second if he didn't explain himself.

"I was... I was just joking, Tomie... Hiss... Let go first, or I'll bruise again."

Honestly, Yuki Gyakukai was terrified. It wasn't as bad as the time he'd written tally marks on Masumi Kamuro's thigh, but he was still terribly flustered.

"I'm sorry, Tomie. This misunderstanding happened because of me, so please let Yuki go."

You mean little troublemaker—you're still egging things on?

In the end, Yuki Gyakukai had to move heaven and earth to soothe Tomie.

"Don't worry... Tomie... I know that tonight... we're lifting weights again, right..."

That string of words left the girls who'd been watching the spectacle with flushed faces.

They all turned away, cheeks burning, too embarrassed to look. Seeing how completely Yuki Gyakukai deferred to her, they couldn't help envying Tomie.

"Ahem. Is it really appropriate to talk about that in front of me?"

Sakayanagi Arisu, whose face had been pale the whole time, heard the increasingly explicit remarks. Her mind couldn't help filling in the blanks, and her cheeks turned scarlet.

"What's there to be embarrassed about? Tomie and I are engaged."

Looking at Yuki Gyakukai's unconcerned expression, Sakayanagi Arisu felt agitated and powerless for the first time.

"Do you know who my father is?"

"Huh? Didn't your mother tell you?"

Yuki Gyakukai had no idea what had gotten into him. His brain short-circuited, and the words just came out.