As night deepened, far from Room 601, where Mazumi Mami and the others were staying, the atmosphere in a refined single room high up in the dormitory building was quiet and tinged with loneliness.
The bathroom door opened softly, and a faint, elegant fragrance of bath gel drifted out with the warm mist.
Sakayanagi Arisu stepped out slowly, dressed in a soft, pure white bathrobe.
Her long silver hair hung wet over her shoulders, its ends still dripping with sparkling droplets that slid down her slender neck and disappeared into the collar of her robe.
The bathrobe's belt was tied loosely around her waist, outlining a delicate figure that, though still slender, was beginning to take shape.
The hem of the robe fell just past her knees, leaving her straight, fair calves exposed.
Barefoot, she stepped gingerly onto the fluffy absorbent mat outside the bathroom.
Her feet were small and dainty, with elegant arches and toes as round and lovely as pearls. Her toenails were neatly trimmed and clean, their healthy pale pink showing through.
The hot water and the slight exertion of her bath had lent the skin on the tops of her feet a faint blush, making them look exceptionally delicate.
She seemed unaccustomed to being barefoot. First, she tentatively touched the soft pile of the mat with her toes, savoring its fine texture, then slowly planted the soles of her feet.
Her slender ankles turned slightly, her small heels leaving almost invisible traces on the mat.
Water droplets slid down her calves. Some soaked into the mat, while others followed the graceful curve of her arches and fell silently.
She let out a faint breath. Even the few steps from the bathroom to her room were a burden for her.
By habit, she reached for the metal cane leaning against the wall, but hesitated. In the end, she chose to brace herself against the wall and slowly make her way to the chair in front of the vanity.
A composed, middle-aged woman dressed in a traditional maid's uniform had been waiting nearby, holding a soft absorbent towel and a quiet hair dryer.
She was the personal maid Sakayanagi Narumori had assigned to care for his daughter. She wasn't a student.
"Miss, I'll dry your hair now. Once I'm finished, I should be leaving as well."
The maid's voice was respectful and gentle. "I'm not a student here, so I shouldn't stay too long. I wouldn't want to draw attention or cause you any trouble."
"Mm, thank you for all your help, Aunt Suzuki."
Sakayanagi Arisu nodded lightly, her voice more tired than usual.
She closed her eyes and let the maid gently wrap her wet hair in a towel, pressing it carefully to absorb the water. Then the maid switched on the hair dryer, patiently drying and smoothing each lock of her beautiful silver hair with a suitable temperature and airflow.
The whole process was quiet and efficient.
"Everything I do is for you, Miss."
After finishing, the maid put everything away and bowed. "Please get some good rest. I'll come again at the agreed time tomorrow. If you need anything, please contact me at any time."
"I understand. Good night."
"Good night, Miss."
The maid slipped out of the room without a sound, gently closing the door behind her.
Sakayanagi Arisu was alone in the room.
Her dry silver hair fell over her shoulders like a waterfall, gleaming softly under the light.
She sat quietly in the chair. The slight relaxation she'd felt after her bath had already vanished. Her amethyst eyes stared into empty space, her expression unreadable as complicated emotions churned deep within them.
After a long while, she opened a drawer in the vanity.
Resting inside was the bottle of milky-white "nutrient solution" Mazumi Mami had given her.
The elegant glass bottle reflected the room's light with a warm, mysterious sheen. Its glow entered her eyes, as if carrying a silent promise and temptation.
Ever since childhood, Sakayanagi Arisu had been the center of attention, a lauded "genius."
That attention came not only from her prestigious Sakayanagi Family background, but also from her extraordinary intelligence and precocious mind. In many people's eyes, she was practically the very definition of "perfection."
But in the end, heaven was fair—or perhaps cruel.
Along with an exceptional mind and family background, it had given her a frail, restricted body.
Her congenital heart condition was an invisible shackle that constantly limited her movement and vitality.
Her heart struggled to pump blood, leaving her weak and dizzy. Even standing for too long could make it hard to breathe, and simply curling her toes could feel like an impossible luxury.
She had to rely on that cold cane to walk each day, just to support her frail body, which seemed liable to fall apart at any moment.
Even ordinary tasks like bathing were almost impossible for her to manage alone.
She hated this body. She hated it deeply.
That hatred didn't come from vanity, but from the fear and helplessness of being unable to control her own body.
If she couldn't control her body, how could she ever fully control her own fate?
That was why, when she decided to enter the school where her father was chairman of the board, she fiercely resisted his suggestion that her personal maid care for her at all times.
She wanted a "normal" high school life, even if it was normal in name only—a life she could direct as much as possible, without relying on other people's pity or special treatment.
In the end, father and daughter had each given a little and reached their current agreement: the maid would only help her with the things she was least capable of doing, such as bathing. Everything else in school life—including her studies, social interactions, and even facing the school's uniquely brutal competition—would be left for Sakayanagi Arisu to decide and handle herself.
She knew this was the greatest concession her father could make, and the best arrangement for her at present.
But deep inside, that sense of unwillingness had spread like a poisonous weed.
"And yet... I'm still so unwilling to accept it..."
She murmured to herself, unconsciously gripping the soft fabric of her bathrobe. "This feeling... of not even being able to fully control my own body..."
During the day, Mazumi Mami's calm yet strangely persuasive words had echoed clearly in her mind once more:
"This isn't your limit. I believe you can do better."
"All you lack is a healthy body. And, as it happens, I have some 'experience' with that."
"If you're willing... to 'listen' to my advice when necessary, you'll have the chance to try to change things."
"This bottle contains enough for seven days. Once you've used it, I believe you'll reconsider my proposal, Classmate Sakayanagi."
His gaze—the look that seemed to see through everything while still offering her an equal invitation—was especially vivid in her mind now.
Sakayanagi Arisu reached out and picked up the bottle of nutrient solution.
The cool glass felt smooth beneath her fingers.
She unscrewed the elegant cap but didn't drink it right away. Instead, she raised it beneath her small, upturned nose and gently sniffed.
An indescribably fresh scent filled her nostrils.
It didn't smell like any medicine or fragrance she knew. It was more like the pure scent of a forest after rain, with soil and new leaves mingling together, touched by a faint warmth that made her feel at ease.
Just smelling it seemed to loosen her taut nerves a little. The familiar, faint tightness in her chest eased as well. It was as if she were surrounded by vibrant nature, even her breathing becoming lighter.
"Could it... really be having an effect?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Sakayanagi Arisu's violet eyes.
Over the years, she had received top-tier treatment and taken countless rare medicines. The resources of the Sakayanagi Family gave her access to the most advanced medical care in the world.
Yet all their efforts had been like stones sinking into the sea. Her health had always hovered near a fragile baseline, never improving in any fundamental way.
And yet, for some reason, the simple-looking bottle of milky-white liquid in her hand gave her a strange, unprecedented confidence. It was as if it held a power beyond ordinary understanding.
"So this is the hidden strength of Mizuki Heavy Industries...?"
She murmured, understanding and gravity flashing in her eyes. "As expected of a giant conglomerate with a legacy spanning over a thousand years. Its foundations run deeper than anyone can fathom."
Her hesitation lasted only a moment.
Her longing for good health had long since overcome all her doubts and pride.
"Here goes. True or not... I have to give it a try."
She took her usual glass and carefully poured in about one-seventh of the nutrient solution, as Mazumi Mami had instructed, then added a suitable amount of warm water.
The milky liquid slowly spread through the water, turning it a paler shade.
Without thinking any further, she put the cap back on the bottle.
She lifted the glass and drained the mixture in one go.
The liquid slid smoothly down her throat, warm and mild, without any particular taste.
But almost at once, a gentle, steady warmth spread from her stomach and quickly flowed through her limbs.
It wasn't hot, but it carried a strange vitality. Wherever it went, it felt as if dry earth were being watered. Even her fingers, cold for so long, seemed to grow warmer.
A tingling, slightly itchy comfort spread through her body, as if countless tiny lives were carefully repairing and nourishing her weakened parts.
"This... really is extraordinary..."
Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help exclaiming softly. She could clearly feel her body responding in a way it never had before.
This was completely different from the medicines she'd taken in the past, which had only offered temporary relief or weighed her down with severe side effects.
"As expected of the medicine used by that young master of the Mizuki Family..."
But even as she marveled, an intense, irresistible wave of exhaustion suddenly swept over her.
"But... why am I suddenly so sleepy...?"
She thought it might be the pressure from the intense chess match with Mazumi Mami that day finally catching up with her.
Or perhaps, now that her body had encountered a truly effective means of "repair," it instinctively wanted to enter a state of deep rest to support the process.
Before she could think it through, her eyelids had already grown heavy.
"I'm so sleepy..."
She struggled to her feet, bracing herself against the furniture as she staggered toward the bed.
Almost by instinct, she pulled back the covers and wrapped herself in them, not even having the chance to change out of her bathrobe.
In the last moment before she fell asleep, she vaguely sensed that the warm current hadn't stopped when she drifted off. It had become gentler, continuing to circulate through her body and seep into every part of it.
Her fingers, usually pale and cold, seemed to be slowly regaining a healthy color.
Even her faint, labored heartbeat seemed steadier and stronger in her sleep...
Deep inside her body, certain gears—ones tied to vitality and vigor that had long been stalled—seemed to have quietly received a spark of new energy. They began turning again, incredibly slowly, but with unwavering resolve.
The night grew darker, and the girl underwent some unknown change in her sleep.
And the threads of fate, because of that small bottle of "nutrient solution," wound ever more tightly around the boy in another dormitory room.