Classroom of the Mediocre Supremacist

However, Sakayanagi Arisu, who had been pretending to be [dejected], now inexplicably dropped that [facial theatrics].

When Hoshino En looked over, she was silently scrutinizing Shiina Hiyori from head to toe.

"You... what do you want now?"

"Nothing, just..."

She turned her gaze to Hoshino En.

"As I recall, I was the one who met Hoshino-kun first, wasn't I?"

"That's true."

"And I was the one who first made plans to hang out with you, right? My father even specifically asked you to look after me, and you agreed."

"Y-yeah..."

"Then why are you so biased? I kept waiting and waiting, hoping you'd reach out to me on your own, but you acted like you'd completely forgotten me. Every day, you're either hanging out with that blonde gyaru in your class, or here on a [library date] with this Shiina Hiyori, or at the Swimming Club ogling the upperclassmen and classmates in their swimsuits..."

"Do I really have no appeal at all? But it's not my fault my body's weak and I can't grow!"

A hint of tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, as if she was genuinely hurt.

And Hoshino En... was indeed feeling a bit guilty from her words.

Not because of her beauty—he'd gained enough immunity to that through his interactions with Shiina Hiyori and his training of Karuizawa Kei.

The main reason for his guilt was Chairman Sakayanagi—the other party had saved him 1.3 million PPT, yet he hadn't fulfilled his request.

On the surface, it seemed like he'd gotten the better end of the deal, pocketing a seven-figure sum without having to put in the effort to serve the young lady, but what it actually consumed was his credibility.

Would the Chairman use his authority to mess with him?

No, he was a [serious] adult, unlikely to go to great lengths against a mere student like him... unless it involved his daughter.

But now he'd offended his daughter too!

Here, he had to retreat for the moment.

A direct apology would seem insincere and might provoke her rebellious side, so he needed to make some excuses first.

Thus, he had to do this—

"But didn't you have Kamuro tailing me? You knew my every move. I thought you'd just jump in whenever you felt like it, so I didn't deliberately bother you..."

"Besides, think about it—me, from Class D, coming to find you, from Class A—wouldn't that cause you trouble?"

Listening to Hoshino En's explanation, Sakayanagi Arisu said nothing, merely watching coldly from the sidelines.

"...Alright, it's my fault. Please forgive me, Sakayanagi-san."

"Mm, I forgive you."

The glacier melted in an instant, and a warm smile bloomed on her face.

"Now we're tied at two-two!"

That was the score left over from April 2nd. Hoshino En had used [accepting the bet] as her condition to even the score back then, but her competitive streak seemed a bit too strong.

"I said we could call it a draw back then, and you held a grudge over that for a full 28 days?"

"I don't accept victories handed to me by others, especially from you!"

Hearing Hoshino En's admission of defeat with her own ears, Sakayanagi Arisu was in high spirits.

"But that being the case, are we still going through with that bet?"

"Of course. Why would I pass up a chance to beat you?"

"And what I said earlier wasn't all an act, you know."

Sakayanagi Arisu averted her gaze with a hint of melancholy.

"Because I was so preoccupied with when you'd come find me, I didn't meddle in class affairs at all this month. Now nearly half the class has been won over by Katsuragi-kun."

"But even without me, you wouldn't have bothered with class affairs, would you?"

Hoshino En never agreed with Sakayanagi Arisu's habit of reversing cause and effect.

"Ichinose from Class B, Ryuen from Class C, and the [warlord chaos] in Class D—I don't think any of them could spark your interest enough to make you take on the thankless task of managing a class."

"Even without me, you wouldn't have put any thought into class competition. At most, you'd have taken in a little puppy like Kamuro and enjoyed your campus life in peace."

"Hey, who are you calling a puppy..."

"Kamuro-san, I'm talking with Hoshino-kun right now. Please don't interrupt."

Sakayanagi Arisu pushed the emerging Kamuro Masumi back down, her gaze playful as she looked at Hoshino En.

"Your insight is interesting, but I might also use Class A to attack Class D in order to face off against you or Ayanokoji-kun. If Class A shows clear hostility, Class D would have no choice but to respond. Even you or Ayanokoji-kun wouldn't escape being dragged in."

"Why do you think I wouldn't consider that?"

Her counter-question carried deep meaning. At least in Hoshino En's view, if she actually did that, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would definitely take the bait—he couldn't stand by and watch his peaceful daily life be completely destroyed.

He'd most likely contribute to the class, and to avoid being noticed by the leaders of other classes, he'd find a convenient scapegoat—like Hirata, or Kushida... scratch that, she's too dumb... or maybe Horikita, whose straightforward personality makes her easy to control.

But for Hoshino En, this tactic was useless. He wasn't someone who could be bound by a mere class—even if he got expelled, he could still go home with at least eight million yen. And besides...

"Sakayanagi, let me ask you—if you wanted to duel me and issued a direct challenge, how likely do you think I'd be to refuse?"

He looked seriously at Sakayanagi Arisu, an unfathomable smile in his eyes.

"Like the chess you brought today—do you think I'd turn you down?"

Sakayanagi Arisu: "..."

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 38, Section 036: Chess, Exhaustion, Taking Photos

"Rather than a tedious class struggle, I think you'd prefer this kind of personal duel, wouldn't you?"

"As expected... you really do understand my heart!"

Sakayanagi Arisu broke into a smile. Hoshino En was certain this was the strangest smile he'd ever seen on her face—it looked like that of a drug-addled mental patient.

Kamuro Masumi, standing nearby, saw that familiar grin and couldn't help sighing inwardly: That woman's gone crazy again.

She was usually so sharp and composed in class—why did she always get so weird around this guy?

"Kamuro, help set up the board."

And then she heard that woman's order.

Despite her deep reluctance and constant self-reminders that this woman held leverage over her, forcing her to obey, Kamuro Masumi's body moved quickly anyway.

She pulled a chess set from her bag and neatly arranged the board and pieces between Hoshino En and Sakayanagi Arisu.

The board itself was wooden, elegant and grand, its surface showing signs of lacquer treatment—presumably to maintain quality and reduce wear.

The pieces matched the board in craftsmanship. Though wooden, they felt unexpectedly smooth rather than rough; each piece was carved with lifelike detail, exuding a high-end air.

All in all, this set looked even more premium than the ones Hoshino En had seen from seniors in the Chess Club.

"It's just a game of chess—did you really need to bring such a fancy board?"

"I always take duels with those I acknowledge very seriously. Besides, with a quality board, I can better savor the sight of you collapsing onto it in tears after your defeat."

"You talk like you're sure to win."

"I never lose."

Seeing Sakayanagi Arisu so confident, Hoshino En didn't hold back.

He pushed forward the first white piece.

"Don't cry when you lose, then."

30 minutes later—

Sakayanagi Arisu stared at the board, expressionless.

Hoshino-kun had already put her in [check], and she couldn't find any counterplay—she could only move her [king]. But even if she moved it, she could foresee the next [check] result: Hoshino-kun's [knight] was lurking menacingly in that direction.

This wasn't the first or second time—it was the third instance of a similar rhythm. Hoshino-kun seemed about to [check] her, yet she always spotted a lifeline, only to find another [check] trap waiting.

She could try to force him to [retreat] by suppressing his [king], but the previous two or three exchanges had already cost her several pieces. Now that tactic clearly couldn't keep up with Hoshino-kun's [check] tempo.

If she wanted to avoid losing, her only option was to tighten her defense around her [king]. But that would also cost her any chance of victory, leading only to a [draw] or waiting for one side to slip up.

The same situation had occurred three times. Even Kamuro Masumi and Kushida Kikyo could tell something was off, let alone Sakayanagi Arisu.

"You're holding back?"

She looked up at Hoshino En, her gaze sharp.

"How could I be? I still haven't found a chance to [checkmate] you—where's the holding back?"

Hoshino En toyed with the captured pieces of Sakayanagi's in his hand, a smile tugging at his lips.

"There was clearly an opportunity before. I thought you just missed it from a mistake... but you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"You deliberately steered the game toward a [perpetual check] situation, just to make me accept this [draw]?"

Hoshino En smiled but said nothing.

He knew what she meant. He also knew she'd already guessed his intention. But someone as proud as her would never accept such a [loss].

So she wouldn't propose a [draw] now—she'd just keep stubbornly pushing on.

Given her physical condition, honestly, Hoshino En didn't think she could last much longer.

And then, another 10 minutes later—

"Huff... huff..."

Sakayanagi Arisu sat in her chair, her upper body slumped over the table. Her delicate little face lifted stubbornly, eyes fixed on the board.

She struggled to raise her arm, trying to move a piece, but it was clear her body no longer allowed any strenuous action.

"Alright, alright, I'll count this round as my loss. Why are you so stubborn?"

Hoshino En reached out, cupped the girl's cheek, and slipped a candy into her mouth, then grabbed her hand as she tried to keep playing.

Having anticipated that Sakayanagi would come knocking with a chessboard, he'd deliberately bought some extra-sweet fruit candies in advance.

Getting her to eat those candies had taken quite the effort on his part.

"Don't keep going. Take a break."

"Mmph... you... are you humiliating me?"

Though the sweet candy instantly cleared Sakayanagi Arisu's hazy mind, her body remained limp, utterly at Hoshino En's mercy.

"Not at all. It's just that Sakayanagi like this is a rare sight."

"Besides, compared to the 'humiliation' of admitting defeat, I think this feels more like 'shame.'"

With that, Hoshino En used his free hand to pull out his phone and snapped a few shots of the truly delicate Sakayanagi Arisu—flushed face, panting, limbs powerless—click, click.

"Excellent!"

Gazing at the photos he'd just taken, Hoshino En couldn't help but applaud his own photography skills.

For someone like Sakayanagi Arisu, capturing her in such a state was no easy feat.

"Kamuro, want some?"

Hoshino En waved his phone at Kamuro Masumi, that adorable picture flashing before her eyes again and again.

"You could use these photos to threaten Sakayanagi, make her stop using your little secrets against you."

At that, Kamuro Masumi wavered.

But after weighing the pros and cons, she ultimately refused this option that could have granted her freedom.

"Forget it. You're obviously in cahoots with Sakayanagi—how could I possibly trust your word on this?!"

Her words left Hoshino En stunned for a moment.

Once he sorted out her meaning, he turned an incredulous gaze toward Sakayanagi Arisu, still lying there like a corpse.

Are we really that close? Is Kamuro's brain broken now, and her eyes along with it?

If someone said he was close with Shiina Hiyori, he wouldn't object; if someone said he was close with Karuizawa Kei, he could grudgingly admit it; but if someone said he was close with Sakayanagi Arisu—sorry, he didn't think his relationship with this constant rival was all that good.

She clearly treated him as nothing more than a toy to relieve boredom! That was exactly the same as her relationship with Kamuro—how the hell could that be called "good"?