The Greatest Masterpiece (Continued)

Ayanokoji glanced at Shuichi Kanda, then nodded.

"You must have heard about the true nature of the White Room from Sakayanagi, right?"

"Ah, a boring institution dedicated to cultivating geniuses."

Shuichi Kanda answered Ayanokoji's question calmly.

"That's right, the White Room might be a boring place for you." Ayanokoji nodded without any change in expression. "I'm a student in the fourth class of the White Room. Before me, no one had reached the graduation standards of the White Room. Therefore, I was also called the 'greatest masterpiece' of the White Room by the administrator there."

"Hehe, the greatest masterpiece... ah."

Hearing Ayanokoji's somewhat boastful words, Shuichi Kanda let out a sneer.

"Well, I admit you're pretty good at fighting, and you're also quite good at Chess."

"I'm not being complacent because of this. I'm just saying this to let you know how the White Room treats me. And when it comes to understanding and controlling people's hearts, I'm not as good as you."

Ayanokoji shook his head, not angry at Shuichi Kanda's mockery, or rather, in his opinion, this person named Shuichi Kanda was better than him in some ways.

"So what? What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Tsukishiro was sent by my father to take me back to the White Room."

"Really? I first met him in the Student Council room. He was looking for Nagumo then," Shuichi Kanda said.

"So, it's possible that the Student Council President, Nagumo, was also involved in this?"

Sakayanagi seemed somewhat surprised. Despite being the Acting Chairman, he was actually relying on the Student Council President's influence. Typical Ayanokoji, right?

"They will stop at nothing to bring me back, using Nagumo, or rather, cooperating with Nagumo is probably just one part of it. They might even put pressure on Chabashira-sensei to force me to drop out of school."

Shuichi Kanda's face darkened. If it were the beginning of the semester, Shuichi Kanda wouldn't have cared about this; he could just change the homeroom teacher.

But now...

Shuichi Kanda would never allow such a thing to happen.

What is the basis for your claims?

Shuichi Kanda's words puzzled Ayanokoji: "Didn't you overhear my conversation with my father that day? From those words, you should know what kind of person he is, right?"

"Chairman Sakayanagi arrived halfway through, so I missed a large part of it," Shuichi Kanda said casually.

Ayanokoji nodded, and then prepared to recount what had happened that day.

"Originally, I was supposed to live in the White Room until I was 20, but due to some unexpected events, the plan was called off, and I had the opportunity to leave the White Room."

The biggest reason I was able to enroll in this school was thanks to a butler named Matsuo. He was originally sent by my father to monitor me, but he secretly arranged my enrollment without my father's knowledge.

But not long after I enrolled, Matsuo was driven to his death by my father. Not only him, but even his son, who was about my age, was driven to his death by my father's methods.

At the end, Shuichi Kanda paused, holding his milk tea, and then looked at Ayanokoji.

Do you believe what he said?

"I have no reason not to believe he's capable of such a thing, and besides, this world is far more cruel than you imagine, Kanda."

It's crueler than I imagined?

Shuichi Kanda sneered, "Do I need you to remind me of the cruelty of the world?"

"So, you think that Tsukishiro, as your father's henchman, would put pressure on Chabashira-sensei in order to force you to drop out of school?"

"It's not impossible, is it?"

Ayanokoji countered with Shuichi Kanda.

"Chabashira-sensei wouldn't do such a thing."

Shuichi Kanda's calm tone conveyed a strong sense of unquestionable authority.

"I know Chabashira-sensei wouldn't do such a thing, but would you just stand by and watch Chabashira-sensei endure such immense pressure without doing anything?"

Ayanokoji's words caused Shuichi Kanda's face to darken completely.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you Chabashira-sensei back to her classroom and dormitory that day."

Bang!

Shuichi Kanda the plastic bottle containing the milk tea in his hand.

"You were following me?"

Although Shuichi Kanda didn't realize someone was following him that day, his attention was focused on Chabashira, and it's normal that he wouldn't have noticed Ayanokoji's excellent skills.

"I just stumbled upon it by chance and became curious."

So, are you threatening me?

"If I wanted to threaten you, I wouldn't say it to your face," Ayanokoji said calmly. "Besides, what I'm saying now is in your favor. At least if Chabashira-sensei is really targeted, you'll be prepared, won't you?"

Ayanokoji's words made Shuichi Kanda laugh in exasperation.

"Aren't you afraid that Tsukishiro and I will team up and send you away first?"

"You won't."

Ayanokoji's tone was very confident.

Are you so sure?

"That's right. If you make a move against me, I certainly won't sit idly by. If the two of us fight, you can't just quietly make me drop out of school."

If your actions against me are exposed, your reputation in Class C will plummet, and the students in Class C will lose all trust in you.

Even if Class C gets promoted to Class A, they'll probably fall back down, and never be able to climb back up again.

Do you think I care whether I graduate from Class A or not?

"You may not care, but Chabashira-sensei does."

Shuichi Kanda's expression was not good. It was Chabashira's unfulfilled wish to promote Class D to Class A and have them graduate from Class A, so of course she cared a lot about it.

As her bedmate, Shuichi Kanda was willing to fulfill this wish for her.

After accidentally discovering her relationship with Chabashira-sensei, Ayanokoji had clearly gained the upper hand.

Don't you know how to manage people's hearts?

You dare say that again?

I'll tear your mouth apart, you believe me?!

And you, you white-haired little girl over there, why are you smiling so brightly?

Seeing the displeased expression on Shuichi Kanda's face, Sakayanagi Arisu felt extremely happy. Why is it always me who gets bullied by you? Now I can finally see you get the short end of the stick.

"If that's all there is to it, you could have just called me out alone. Why call her?"

Shuichi Kanda took a tissue out of his pocket, wiped his hands, and then said with a displeased look.

"Sakayanagi is also a collaborator; her father is currently in confinement for alleged misconduct, and she is now on our side."

"Are you saying that this was also the work of your father's gang?"

Ayanokoji nodded.

This annoyed Shuichi Kanda; these guys could easily take down even the chairman of the board, let alone a teacher.

However, there is very little I can do at this time.

So, are we being forced to get on this pirate ship?

"Using me will come at a price."

"I'm not using you. I think our relationship is more like a partnership. You need to protect Chabashira-sensei, and I need to make sure I don't get expelled. In this way, our enemies are the same."

Shuichi Kanda a cold expression, then looked at Ayanokoji.

"In the end, what you just said sounds more like alarmism. What evidence do you have that Tsukishiro would go to any lengths to target you, even to the point of affecting Class C and Chabashira-sensei?"

"In fact, he has already made his move."

"What's the meaning?"

"During the Class Vote exam, he sent a message to Sakayanagi asking me to drop out of school," Ayanokoji said. "Moreover, the rules for the Class Vote exam weren't like this at first. Initially, there was a system of voting for criticism of others."

"Heh, looking back now, having you drop out was the best choice," Shuichi Kanda couldn't help but mutter.

Ayanokoji didn't reply, since Shuichi Kanda innocent bystander in this matter, and it was only natural for him to grumble.

"So, what are you planning to do? Since you called me out, you must have already made a plan, right?" Seeing that Ayanokoji didn't speak, Shuichi Kanda wanted to end the conversation quickly and go back to his dormitory.

"I've already sought help from Mr. Mashima, and he promised to handle any future Special Exam or written tests properly and not allow Tsukishiro's illegal interference."

"Isn't that enough? If Tsukishiro kills you within the rules, then it means your 'masterpiece' isn't anything special."

"If that's the case, then that's good." Ayanokoji nodded. "But I think he'll probably try something underhanded that Mashima- sensei can't interfere with. If that happens, I hope you can lend me a hand."

"So, you're planning to lure him into making a move against you outside of school, and then retaliate?"

"As expected of you, you understood it so quickly."

Ayanokoji nodded, indicating that Shuichi Kanda was right.

"I understand, I'll help then." With that, Shuichi Kanda stood up. "We don't need a paper contract, do we?"

"Of course, I trust your character."

Hmph, you believe in my character?

You probably don't believe I'll keep my promise, but rather that I won't abandon Sae- chan, you wretched Ayanokoji!

After Shuichi Kanda left, Sakayanagi finally snapped out of his euphoric state.

Do you really think he'll help us?

"He will," Ayanokoji answered without hesitation. "Kanda is like a mirror; he'll be kind to those who are kind to him, and he won't be kind to those who are unkind to him. So, he can't possibly watch Chabashira-sensei struggle to survive under the pressure from Tsukishiro."

Sakayanagi Arisu nodded, then looked at Ayanokoji's face thoughtfully.

"But you've really offended him this time. Aren't you afraid he'll settle the score later?"

Thinking about this, Ayanokoji also felt a bit of a headache.

"Therefore, I will make amends in the areas he cares about."

"Oh?"

Sakayanagi's eyes lit up. She had just learned that Shuichi Kanda still valued Class C quite a bit, so Ayanokoji, you're going to...

"I will do my best for Class C in the upcoming exams."

"I knew it! In that case, I look forward to your efforts!"

Seeing Ayanokoji display his skills again put Sakayanagi in a good mood.

Today might be the happiest day of her year since the start of the school year. Not only did she see that annoying Shuichi Kanda being bullied, but she also received news that Ayanokoji would stand up for the class.

After leaving the private room, Shuichi Kanda immediately took out his phone and sent a message to Chabashira Sae.

[Has Sae- chan seen that Acting Chairman Tsukishiro recently?]

After sending the message, Shuichi Kanda put his phone in his pocket and didn't receive a reply until he had walked to the supermarket.

[I only saw them once, when they started their job. Is that wrong?]

[That's good. That guy's after Ayanokoji, and I was worried about dragging you into it. If he contacts you, you must tell me. Even if he finds out about our relationship, I have a way to handle it.]

Shuichi Kanda sigh of relief, but was still a little worried, so he gave him a few more instructions.

Chabashira Sae, who was preparing to go home to visit her family during the spring break, smiled when she saw this.

Don't worry, I won't hide it from you.

Chabashira put away his phone and a smile appeared on his face. It felt so good to have someone to rely on.

However, I'm getting a bit old...

Thinking of this, Chabashira's face showed a hint of inferiority.

Shuichi Kanda felt slightly relieved after seeing Chabashira's reply. As for Ayanokoji, although he was caught off guard, there were still ways to resolve the situation, so he should try to calm him down first.

After buying the groceries, Shuichi Kanda hurried towards his dormitory before the rain started.

It's getting late, and by the time we finish cooking, it will probably be noon. We can't let Kamuro go hungry.