At the same time, while Mazumi Mami and her group discussed club and Student Council matters inside the gymnasium, a black luxury car was driving smoothly along the road out of campus.
Inside the car, Sakayanagi Arisu leaned against the soft backseat, her slender fingers lightly gripping her cane.
Through the window, she watched the school gates gradually recede into the distance. Her expression was calm, but a faint glimmer flickered deep in her eyes.
Across from her, the school's chairman—and her father—Sakayanagi Narumori was carefully examining the bottle of Milky Nutrient Solution in his hands.
Light streaming through the car window shimmered warmly against the transparent bottle.
About seven-sixths of the liquid remained, almost the same amount as when his daughter had received it that morning—except for the sip she had taken.
"Arisu," Sakayanagi Narumori said, breaking the silence in the car. His voice was serious and concerned.
"Is what you said true? After drinking the nutrient solution that young Master Mazumi gave you, did you really feel better?"
Sakayanagi Arisu straightened slightly. Her tone was calm but firm. "It's absolutely true, Father. I couldn't possibly mistake this feeling."
She paused, her gaze growing more resolute. "After drinking this nutrient solution, my overall condition really did improve. I'm sure you can see the difference just by looking at me."
Sakayanagi Narumori studied his daughter's face in the rearview mirror.
Her small face, usually pale and tired, now had a touch of color and vitality he hadn't seen in a long time.
Her violet eyes also looked clearer and brighter than usual, and the air about her no longer carried that sense of weakness masked by sheer willpower.
"You do look much better than before."
Sakayanagi Narumori spoke slowly, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I thought the change was because you'd moved to a new environment and felt differently... I never imagined it was the effect of this nutrient solution."
He gently shook the bottle in his hand, his gaze turning thoughtful. "We tried so many methods and brought in so many top medical resources, yet your condition never improved like this."
"To be honest, Father, I'm surprised too."
Sakayanagi Arisu said softly, lowering her head to look at her slender fingers. "Our family stands at the very top of the Sakurajima Protectorate. The resources at our disposal should be among the best in the country. But..."
She lifted her eyes, her gaze touched with something close to wonder. "There's always someone greater, and a higher sky beyond the sky. There are still people above us. But above Mizuki Heavy Industries, there's no one. The level of resources they can access is far beyond anything we can imagine."
She paused, then continued her analysis. "Besides, this is the nutrient solution personally used by the heir to Mizuki Heavy Industries. The ingredients and technology it contains probably involve many fields we don't even know exist. That must be why it's so effective."
Sakayanagi Narumori fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "You're right. Our Sakayanagi Family, when you get down to it, is just a 'nouveau riche' family that rose to prominence in the past few decades. Compared to an ancient family like the Mizuki Family, with its thousand-year legacy, there's still an insurmountable gap in our foundations."
There was a touch of self-mockery in his voice, but mostly he sounded calmly accepting.
Then he changed tack, his tone turning cautious. "Still... is it really all right for us to take this nutrient solution out of the school so openly to have it analyzed?"
He frowned. "The Mizuki Family does have some business ties with our family, so they wouldn't fall out with us over something like this... But all the same, this is something young Master Mazumi uses himself. Are you sure he actually told you that you could take it to be analyzed?"
Sakayanagi Arisu answered without hesitation, calm but certain. "Yes. He said it himself: 'If you're worried, you can have it analyzed.'"
The corner of her mouth lifted in an amused smile. "So, Father, there's no need to worry too much. I don't think young Master Mazumi will mind such a trivial matter. The fact that he was willing to give me this nutrient solution means he's confident that even if it's analyzed, none of his core secrets will be revealed."
At that, Sakayanagi Narumori's tense expression finally relaxed, and a relieved smile appeared. "That's good to hear."
He carefully placed the nutrient solution in the car's temperature-controlled storage compartment, then turned to her, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. "Still... young Master Mazumi must have had a reason for giving you something so valuable, right?"
He paused meaningfully. "Did he ask you for anything?"
Sakayanagi Arisu fell silent for a moment, then nodded lightly. "He only wants me not to oppose his opinions in class—and to follow his instructions when appropriate."
"Oh?"
Sakayanagi Narumori raised an eyebrow. "Then it seems he's aiming to become the class leader."
He smiled knowingly. "He's already figured out the essence of this school on his second day... No wonder he's the scion of a family with a thousand-year legacy. He certainly has a keen sense for these things."
"I don't deny that."
Sakayanagi Arisu replied calmly. "He really is outstanding."
She paused briefly, then added, "You could even say that by this morning, he'd already figured out the connection between Class Points and Personal Points, as well as how the system works."
She briefly and clearly recounted what had happened in class that morning.
After hearing his daughter's account, a keen glint flashed in Sakayanagi Narumori's eyes. "He's already figured out the rules to that extent on his second day at school... and his entrance exam results were among the best. I suppose you could call him a genius."
"That's certainly true."
Sakayanagi Arisu lowered her eyes, her voice soft but firm. "He really is a genius."
Sakayanagi Narumori caught the change in his daughter's expression, and a meaningful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Oh? It seems my darling daughter has a very good impression of him."
He deliberately drew out his words. "What do you think? Should I put in a word for you? When it comes to family background and talent, the two of you are certainly well matched."
At that, a faintly helpless look crossed Sakayanagi Arisu's face. "Father... I didn't know you were interested in this sort of thing..."
"Of course I am."
Sakayanagi Narumori laughed heartily. "I'm not some old-fashioned old man. I care about my daughter's happiness."
He dropped the joking tone and asked seriously, "So, what do you really think of him? Since young Master Mazumi was willing to give you such a precious nutrient solution, he must have a good impression of you. If you both make a little more effort, it's not impossible for the two of you to become a couple."
Sakayanagi Arisu fell silent for a moment, gazing at the streets rushing past outside the window. Her voice was as soft as if she were talking to herself. "Let's put that aside for now... I still haven't defeated him. And until I do... I don't have much time to think about things like that."
Silence settled over the car for a brief moment.
After a long while, Sakayanagi Narumori spoke softly. "It's been eight years... and you still can't let that go."
His tone grew much gentler. "Are you really that hung up on the chess game you played against Kiyotaka all those years ago?"
Sakayanagi Arisu's fingers tightened slightly around her cane, her knuckles turning white.
Her gaze sharpened, and her voice held an almost stubborn conviction. "Yes. I have to defeat him. I'll prove to him that a true genius is born knowing. A 'genius' manufactured artificially like him is nothing but a fake."
Sakayanagi Narumori looked at the burning obsession in his daughter's eyes and sighed softly. "All right. If you're set on it, I won't say anything more."
His tone turned earnest. "But don't get too deeply involved."
He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "I do feel sorry for Kiyotaka... but I don't think someone who grew up in that kind of environment can still be considered 'normal.'"
His voice lowered. "What a person is denied in childhood will haunt them for the rest of their life. Kiyotaka was deprived of too many things a normal person needs from the time he was young—familial love, freedom, the right to choose, a sense of self..."
"Being deprived of these things will leave indelible marks as he grows up. Once he's older, those deficiencies will only deepen, becoming harder to make up for."
He looked earnestly into his daughter's eyes. "So, daughter—don't get too deeply involved."
Sakayanagi Arisu remained silent for a long time, then finally nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Good. As long as you understand."
Sakayanagi Narumori's tone returned to its usual warmth. "Then I won't say anything more."
The black car drove smoothly into the dusk, carrying the father and daughter—and the bottle of nutrient solution, laden with hopes and mysteries—toward an unknown analysis result.
Back on campus, night was slowly falling too—and a new game of chess had only just begun.