A Formal Meeting with Ayanokoji

After parting ways with Kamuro Masumi, Shiraishi Makoto sent another message, asking another classmate to meet him downstairs at the dormitory.

Soon, the person Shiraishi Makoto was waiting for arrived.

"This is the first time we've properly introduced ourselves, isn't it, Ayanokoji-kun." Shiraishi Makoto extended his hand. "I'm Shiraishi Makoto from Class A. I remember on the first day of school, we met at the convenience store."

"That might be right, Shiraishi-kun." Ayanokoji reached out and briefly shook Shiraishi's hand, his expression calm and flat. "As you know, I'm Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. I wonder what business Shiraishi-kun has calling me out this late at night."

"It's nothing major." Shiraishi Makoto glanced around, then asked, "I was wondering if Ayanokoji-kun has any thoughts about Class A."

"...No." Ayanokoji waited a moment before replying.

"But Ayanokoji-kun has been acting with the goal of reaching Class A all along."

"I'm just accompanying Horikita-san..."

"True, Ayanokoji-kun doesn't have many friends in Class D either."

"Saying that will make me sad."

The two traded veiled remarks for a while before Shiraishi Makoto's smile faded, and he slowly got to the point: "I'm actually quite afraid of you, Ayanokoji-kun."

"What does that mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I'm worried about what happens when Ayanokoji-kun gets serious."

"...So you do know me, after all." Ayanokoji's expression didn't change, but a faint hint of pressure seeped through.

"That's right. I know you're someone who came out of that place." Shiraishi Makoto admitted it decisively.

There was no need for Shiraishi to hide it from Ayanokoji, because Ayanokoji wouldn't care at all how Shiraishi knew about the "White Room." Besides, Shiraishi now had two channels for learning about the White Room: Kanzaki Ryuji and Sakayanagi Arisu.

Both were children of zaibatsu families, and both had knowledge of the White Room.

Ayanokoji looked at Shiraishi, silent for a moment before speaking: "You don't seem like the type to try and make me leave the school."

"Not necessarily." Shiraishi Makoto paused. "If Ayanokoji-kun starts actively participating in exams and tries to lead Class D to become Class A, then to protect Class A, I would do that."

"So you're here to challenge me?"

"On the contrary, I'm actually here to cooperate with Ayanokoji-kun." Shiraishi Makoto's tone shifted.

"Cooperate?" Even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka couldn't quite see what grounds they had for cooperation.

"On the 1st, your homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae-sensei, approached you and Horikita-san, wanting you to contribute to the class's advancement, right?" Shiraishi Makoto explained.

With that reminder, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka recalled the other person he'd met in the office that day—the current Class A homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie. At the time, Hoshinomiya-sensei had pulled him aside to talk, and it was only when Chabashira-sensei appeared that they were taken away.

Shiraishi Makoto briefly explained the conflict between Hoshinomiya and Chabashira, then continued: "At the time, Hoshinomiya-sensei noticed you two. She looked up your entrance information and found that you scored exactly 50 points on every subject in the entrance exam. So she sent me to judge whether you had the ability to lead a class."

"That's why I came to negotiate with Ayanokoji-kun. I know better than anyone in this school how formidable you are, and I want to avoid the worst-case scenario."

"Sorry, Shiraishi-kun... I'm not quite sure what you mean by the worst-case scenario."

"Why did Ayanokoji-kun think to come to the Advanced Nurturing High School?" Shiraishi countered.

"...I wanted to try what it's like to go to school and live like an ordinary person." Ayanokoji paused for a few seconds before giving that answer.

The "conflict-avoider" was just his disguise, a fake identity card he'd crafted out of fear that his behavior might differ from that of a "normal student."

He was tired of being controlled by his father and longed for freedom. But more importantly, he wanted to learn the "worldly affairs" his father deemed unnecessary, understand the true meaning of "equality," and explore what real "ability" actually was.

"I'll help you, to prevent you from being expelled due to various other factors. In exchange, I want Ayanokoji-kun to hold back when you exert yourself—at least, not with the goal of reaching Class A."

"If I don't do that, you'll have me leave the school immediately, right?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka scratched his head.

"It's not that extreme. You entered this school precisely because it has the background and strength to stand against your father." Shiraishi Makoto smiled. "But if your father gets word of it, he'll probably try every way to bypass the 'rules.' I don't know how long the school can hold out either."

In reality, this school had almost completely withstood the pressure from Ayanokoji's father. But only Shiraishi Makoto, with his god's-eye view, knew that.

Ayanokoji was silent for a moment, then said flatly, "It seems I don't have much of a choice."

"This condition isn't that hard." Shiraishi Makoto's tone softened as well. "It won't stop you from completing your homeroom teacher's tasks. If you don't end up in Class A, it'll just be because the other students in your class weren't diligent enough."

"Then let's leave it at that." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gave a slight nod, accepting Shiraishi Makoto's proposal.

"Then let me give you something first." Shiraishi Makoto pulled an electronic device from his bag.

"This is... a voice recorder?" Ayanokoji looked a little surprised.

"That's right, but I wasn't recording just now." Shiraishi Makoto handed the voice recorder to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. "As I explained earlier, Chabashira-sensei clearly has a strong desire to reach Class A. To prevent her from catching wind of anything from the outside and doing something out of line, it's better to be on guard from now on."

"Then thanks." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka took the voice recorder and tucked it into his bag.

"It's getting late. Let's head back."

The two walked toward the dormitory one after the other, but unexpectedly caught sight of two figures.

"No matter how much I try to avoid you, I can't change the fact that you're my sister. If the people around you find out about your situation, it'll embarrass me. Get out of this school immediately."

"I, I can't... I... I will definitely reach Class A...!"

"How foolish. I'll make you taste some hardship, just like before."

"Brother—I—"

"You don't have the strength or the qualifications to climb up. Understand that clearly."

Just as Horikita Manabu grabbed Horikita Suzune by the collar, Shiraishi Makoto stepped into the light.

"President, even if you're disciplining your little sister, there's no need to be so rough."

"Shiraishi-kun, why are you here?" Horikita Manabu, noticing an outsider present, released his grip on Horikita Suzune's hand.

"I just got back from studying." Shiraishi Makoto held up his review materials. He hadn't returned to the dorm after leaving the library.

"I was merely handling a private matter with my sister. Sorry you had to see that." Horikita Manabu's expression wasn't great—clearly, looking at his troublesome little sister was getting on his nerves.

"No matter how you educate her, you should keep in mind that this is school." Shiraishi Makoto's meaning was obvious. "Why not leave it to me? Things like having Horikita-san expelled."