The Game, a Father's Heartache

Which class is that guy in? When did they meet? How far have things progressed in their relationship?

Even with everyone's attention focused on her, Kamuro Masumi had no time to answer their questions.

Hearing Hoshino En's last words, which sounded like something she had just remembered, she had the illusion that she was being used as a tool.

While that's true, could you please not make it so obvious?! Her character isn't supposed to be the type who's always available and works tirelessly!

"En-kun, you're so mean! Why do you have to make me cry?"

Sakayanagi Arisu followed Hoshino En on the way to the Special Building. The moderate pace that Hoshino controlled made her feel very comfortable.

"You were the one who couldn't hold it in first. I just thought, 'If you want to cry, don't hold it in. Crying is the best thing,' so I just gave you a little push."

"But I really didn't expect you to cry so loudly and unceremoniously in front of the rest of Class A."

"I don't care!"

Sakayanagi Arisu squeezed Hoshino En's right hand, pouting and puffing out her cheeks.

"You made me lose face in front of my classmates, it's all your fault, En-kun, you have to take responsibility!"

"Yes, yes, my young lady."

During their conversation, they soon arrived at the Chairman's Office.

But Hoshino En didn't rush to take Sakayanagi Arisu inside.

"Sakayanagi, I have a question for you—"

He turned to the side, squatted down slightly, took her hand with one hand, and placed the other hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eye.

Do you want to go?

His question did not receive an immediate response from Sakayanagi Arisu. She looked at the man in front of her, at his deliberate act of crouching down to take care of her, just like her father, and her eyes immediately turned cold.

She didn't react, so Hoshino En continued, "The Chairman's concerns are not without merit: even if you haven't had any accidents for a long time, no one can guarantee that you won't have any problems now or in the future."

"As your father, he would consider the most dangerous situation, so it's perfectly reasonable for him to keep you firmly within his sight."

"So, you brought me here just to persuade me to stay in school, like Father did?"

Her words, laced with underlying anger, surprised Hoshino En slightly.

"What are you thinking? If I wanted to do that, why would I have brought you here?"

He used the hand that was resting on her shoulder to pinch Sakayanagi Arisu's cheek, forcing her downturned lips into a rather unattractive one-sided smile.

"Because the next decision is quite important, I'm 'saving' my progress here to avoid having to 'dead' the save file later."

"What... what do you mean?"

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't quite understand this "pseudocode" that incorporated single-player game settings.

What I mean is --

Hoshino En Yuuki released her right hand from Sakayanagi Arisu's, stood up, pulled her into her arms, and gently stroked her short silver hair.

His cheek was pressed against Sakayanagi Arisu's face, his lips near her ear, and his warm breath brushed against her neck.

"I'm on your side, so I need to know what you think—forget about your rigid old man, what are your own thoughts?"

"If you're more worried about your health, then we'll turn around and leave. You can stay at school and have fun in the second or third grade if you get bored."

"If you want to go out and have fun, then be prepared to 'eliminate' the biggest obstacle in your way—your dad who still treats you like a child. Just like when you're playing against the 'geniuses'."

"Little Sakayanagi, you're not Chairman Sakayanagi's puppet. Just because he said you shouldn't go, are you really going to give up? Kamuro has reminded you to be careful so many times, but I've never seen you listen."

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't say anything, but Hoshino En felt her body go limp and she nestled into his arms.

"En-kun... what you're doing... is against the rules!"

After a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out these few words, albeit unsteadily.

"And what are your thoughts?"

After a moment, Sakayanagi Arisu finally reacted: she wriggled out of Hoshino En's arms, took his right hand in her left, threaded her fingers through his and intertwined them, and put on a classic confident and proud smile.

"Is there even a need to consider this?"

She took the initiative to push open the door to the Chairman's Office in front of her.

First Semester of First Year:

Chapters 144 and 135: The Game, The Old Father's Heartache

Open the door--

Behind the door, Sakayanagi Arisu's father, the current Chairman of Kodo Ikusei, Sakayanagi Narimori, sat behind his desk with a serious expression.

As the door opened, his gaze shifted from the computer screen on his desk to the doorway.

He saw his daughter, with her usual "everything is under control" smile; he saw the boy he had asked to take care of his daughter, who had a playful smile on his face, as if watching a good show.

His gaze shifted downwards, and he saw their hands clasped together. He saw his daughter holding his father's hand tightly, their fingers intertwined.

For a fleeting moment, he seemed to see Arisu, dressed in a white wedding gown, taking Hoshino En Enishi's hand as she waved goodbye to her father.

He suddenly felt a void in his heart, as if a piece of a complete jigsaw puzzle was missing.

Moreover, the missing piece wasn't just a corner of the puzzle, but the brightest spot right in the middle.

"Chairman Sakayanagi, greetings."

Sakayanagi Arisu nodded to him, and the distant address and deliberate distance made the middle-aged man's heart tremble.

He flashed a friendly smile, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

"Arisu, there are no outsiders here, Hoshino- san is well aware of our relationship, so you don't need to—"

"However, I am not here as your daughter Sakayanagi Arisu, Chairman Sakayanagi, but as a first-year student at the Kodo Ikusei, so it would be best to maintain a proper distance."

But his own daughter rejected his kindness and expressed a definitive tone of hostility.

"As for the purpose of my visit—I'm sure the Chairman has already seen it from the school's surveillance footage, hasn't he?"

Sakayanagi Arisu pointed with her Cane at the still-lit computer screen in front of Sakayanagi Narimori.

"Please allow me to take this month's Special Exam."

"No!"

Sakayanagi Narimori resolutely refused.

Although it was somewhat heartbreaking, he still wore a serious expression. Square-rimmed black glasses perched on his face, which, combined with his square face, made him appear even more resolute.

"Your physical condition is not suitable for taking this kind of exam. As the school's Chairman, I have an obligation to ensure the safety of every student."

"... Is it because this exam is being held on Uninhabited Island in the wild that you're worried my body won't be able to handle it?"

"That's right!"

Sakayanagi Narimori wasn't surprised that his daughter knew the location of the exam. For large-scale exams like this Special Exam, the Class A homeroom teacher would always subtly reveal information to the Class A students that wouldn't affect the fairness of the exam—a "privilege" reserved for Class A students, and it had always been this way.

"But even at school, it's not necessarily safe."

"How could that be! I'm at school—"

"As the Chairman, you're incredibly busy. How could you possibly watch over me every single moment? Even if something really happened to me, you probably wouldn't be the first to know!" (Shan)

"Besides, the school has a very high tolerance for students using various means to achieve victory. Like what happened to Sudo- kun in Class 1-D last month, can you guarantee that no one will use the same methods on me?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's barrage of remarks left her elderly father speechless.

Hoshino En watched as the Chairman opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent, his warm smile almost crumbling.

Pfft! What a dramatic debate about "filial piety and parental love"! It was definitely the right thing to do to chime in!!

Unfortunately, the person opposite him is the school's big boss, and he doesn't have any means to keep him in check, so he can't openly film the video.

Seeing that Sakayanagi Narimori had nothing more to say, Sakayanagi Arisu understood—the time to close the net had come.

"Father, although I haven't grown much taller, I'm not a child anymore."

"I am well aware of my physical condition, so please don't worry about it."

"But--"

Sakayanagi Narimori wanted to say something more. Although his daughter's words made a lot of sense, he was still worried.

But before he could finish speaking, Hoshino Enoki, the "third party" who had interfered in the father-daughter relationship and had been invisible since entering the room, Hoshino En him.

"Chairman, I heard from the seniors that for this Special Exam, the school won't send us directly to the Uninhabited Island. Instead, they'll first put us on Cruise Ship, sail it to the vicinity of the Uninhabited Island, and then we'll take a small boat to the Uninhabited Island. Is that right?"

"That's right. Because we need to consider the possibility of unexpected situations involving the students, we'll first transport them by Cruise Ship to prevent the situation from worsening due to lack of timely assistance..."

As he spoke, Sakayanagi Narimori's voice gradually stopped; he seemed to understand what Hoshino En was trying to express.

Then he heard Hoshino En add in an exaggerated tone, "So! In order to protect the safety of the students, it's reasonable to have a professional doctor on the Cruise Ship, right?"

"Even if Little Sakayanagi gets into trouble at school, you'll still have to rely on the doctors, right? So as long as they get there, that's enough. You don't need to be there at all!"

Sakayanagi Narimori: "..."

What do you mean by that? Do you think I'm too old to lift a knife anymore? Is that it?!

"Don't say that, En-kun, that's very rude of you."

Sakayanagi Arisu tugged at the hand that was intertwined with Hoshino En's, and said reproachfully.

"Father is still very useful."

Hearing his daughter defend him, Sakayanagi Narimori's mood improved somewhat.

However, Hoshino En immediately saw through Sakayanagi Arisu 'Matoba words in defending her father.

"Someone as confident, proud, and assertive as you, would you really become dejected and shed tears just because Daddy isn't around?"

"Look into my eyes, tell me the truth!!"

Well...

"It seems unlikely."

Sakayanagi Arisu speaks the truth.

"That's right! Someone like you isn't some little princess who needs to be pampered by a pedantic old man. You should be surrounded by your peers, a majestic and noble queen overlooking all living beings!!"

Sakayanagi Narimori: "..."

What are you implying, you little rascal?!

"Oh dear~ even if you say that, I won't give you a reward~"

Despite saying that, Sakayanagi Arisu was still very happy to hear this. She leaned on her cane in her right hand, slightly tiptoed, and brushed her lips against Hoshino En's apple at the highest point she could reach.

This isn't a reward?!

Sakayanagi Narimori was furious when he saw this.

After all this, Arisu, you still don't consider this a reward?!

At what point would you consider it a "reward"?

... It's all because of this brat!!!!

He looked at Sakayanagi Arisu Hoshino En.

It's all because of him that Arisu not only became rebellious, but also her thoughts and bottom lines became so strange.

He now felt that this boy with the lewd purple hair was a scumbag with blond hair who deceived innocent young girls.

The Chairman's death stare did not escape Hoshino En's gaze; he was now a tiny bit flustered, just a tiny bit.

Hoshino En: "..."

It seems like we've been targeted by the final boss.

This is not a safe place to stay; let's get out of here quickly.

"Chairman, are you still going to refuse Little Sakayanagi's request?"

He asked Sakayanagi Narimori a question that was no different from the prelude to the end of the dialogue.

But Sakayanagi Narimori didn't react for a long time. He just stared straight at Hoshino En with a fierce look that made Hoshino's scalp tingle.

"Father?"