Saving the Fallen Girl (Mist)

"How does it feel after waking from a dream?"

"Dreams always come to an end, don't they?"

Is this the gap between reality and dreams? I saw Classmate Sakayanagi quite excited yesterday, but after the match concluded today, that passion was nowhere to be seen.

"Actually, it's quite simple to defeat him. You just need to use subjects outside his cognitive range as the test criteria. To put it bluntly, there are quite a few people in Class D who could beat Ayanokoji."

Beating Ayanokoji is far too simple; he is merely human, not an omniscient entity.

"For example?"

"If you made Ayanokoji compete against the shut-ins in Class D on otaku culture, Ayanokoji would be beaten to a pulp. It's just that he's like a Saint Seiya—he won't fall for the same trick twice."

Using bizarre categories to create a mismatch in competition against Ayanokoji is enough. The Road Tyrant wouldn't instill such knowledge into Ayanokoji; these trivia points are essentially the same as polluting a question bank.

"A Saint Seiya who won't fall for the same trick twice? That is truly a vivid and apt description."

Classmate Sakayanagi sipped her tea while casting her gaze toward a deck of cards resting in my desk drawer.

"He has strong learning capabilities, so calling him a genius isn't exactly wrong, but I cannot see a future for that guy.

Stay in the new White Room as an instructor? I don't believe he has the aptitude to become a qualified teacher; at the very least, he could never reach the teaching level of someone like your Class A homeroom teacher, Mashima.

Being able to do something oneself and being able to teach it are two different concepts. The latter cannot be achieved simply by having strong learning capabilities.

Go into politics? I wanted to laugh just proposing that option. The fate of someone who only 'learns' emotions in the political arena is something everyone knows.

The political field isn't like an institution or a school that will grant him a second chance forever. A single minor failure could directly define his future. Besides, if he were really sent into politics, it would be better to just train an AI, put a suit on it, and let the AI go instead."

In my eyes, Ayanokoji cannot compare to an ordinary laptop. Of course, if it were a physical brawl, Ayanokoji would still win easily.

But what is the use of being well-versed in both literature and martial arts? This isn't some bizarre world; beyond seven paces, the gun is fast, and within seven paces, the gun is both accurate and fast!

"Let's have a round."

"Huh?"

Classmate Sakayanagi's sudden proposal left me at a loss.

"Let's have a round, following the rules of this special exam."

Classmate Sakayanagi propped herself up and took the deck of cards from my desk drawer.

"Classmate Ryuen, I'll have to trouble you to act as the referee."

Classmate Sakayanagi handed the deck to Ryuen.

"You're actually choosing to let me be the referee?"

Ryuen drew cards from the deck while marking them with a pen.

"The ones I've drawn a circle on are black cards; the ones without are white cards."

I swapped positions with Ryuen and sat across from Classmate Sakayanagi.

"No need to flip a coin; I'll take a slight loss."

After looking at the cards in my hand, I shot Ryuen a glare, interrupted his attempt to flip a coin, and chose to play my card directly.

It was a K with a circle drawn on it. I was curious to see what Ryuen was planning.

"Masaryu, playing first—that's truly rare. I'll counter with this 7."

Classmate Sakayanagi actually picked a 7 from her shuffled hand and handed it to Ryuen.

"What a pity, Sima wins this round. 1:0."

After announcing the result of the round, Ryuen placed both cards back into the small box for the cards.

"It seems Classmate Sakayanagi didn't play a 9."

I can say whatever I want about my cards and analyze the match however I please. As long as Classmate Sakayanagi plays a card without a circle, I can say she didn't play a 9; as long as she plays one with a circle, I can say she didn't play an 8. As long as Ryuen doesn't make a mistake, it works.

"Masaryu's choice truly opened my eyes."

Upon hearing the result of this round, Classmate Sakayanagi only felt that the opponent's play was bold; losing a round wasn't something to be sad about. This is how these games go; one gets used to it.

"Then for this round, I'll play this."

I handed a K without a circle to Ryuen.

"Then I'll play this second 7."

Classmate Sakayanagi handed a 1 to Ryuen.

"Sima wins the second round as well. 2:0. Sakayanagi, you're not doing so well, are you?"

Ryuen's schemes are far more malicious than mine. Among the nine cards he gave me, there were three Js, three Qs, and three Ks. If I understood correctly, these three represented lose, draw, and win.

This kind of house-playing competition is truly boring, just as I find it hard to understand why Classmate Sakayanagi is obsessed with the mindset of needing to beat Ayanokoji in a competition.

"The final result is actually 3:3, a draw for both sides. How joyous, how joyous!"

In the end, the match between Classmate Sakayanagi and me concluded in a 3:3 draw under Ryuen's manipulation.

"Classmate Ryuen, would you allow me to inspect that deck of cards?"

Classmate Sakayanagi's expression was very gentle now. She must have realized something was wrong, as Ryuen had stopped acting for the final few rounds.

"If you want to inspect them, then go ahead. First you make me act as the referee, and now you're questioning my impartiality? How times have changed."

Ryuen feigned deep disappointment as he handed Sakayanagi another deck of cards, the same one we had used for our own games in the activity room earlier.

That deck was identical to the one used this time, right down to the shape of the markings.

"This deck isn't the one we were just using, is it?"

Sakayanagi rubbed the cards between her fingertips, sensing the subtle differences.

"It certainly isn't the one we just used. I warned you from the very beginning that such a dull competition would put me at a disadvantage."

I wasn't particularly happy as I said this; looking at Sakayanagi's current obsessed state, I felt like grabbing her cane and hitting her with it again.

"Tell me, Sakayanagi, have you learned anything from the setup that just took place?"

Frankly, it was already impressive enough that the Ayanokoji family had managed to rise to power; the fact that they could continue to climb in this plot felt truly absurd to me.

"Two people teaming up to bully a little girl—is Masaryu-kun trying to teach me that one must use any means necessary in battle?"

Sakayanagi looked puzzled; such a prank was not fun in the slightest.

"Sakayanagi, you come from a prestigious background, don't you? What era do you think this is? The days of armies facing off and sending champions to duel before the battle have been dead for over a thousand years.

Or do you think the advantages your family name provides are a burden? Do you believe human conflict must be conducted under conditions of absolute fairness?"

Even if Sakayanagi won one-on-one against Ayanokoji, so what? What would it prove? How many people has the White Room actually cultivated?

Regardless of the outcome of a duel between Sakayanagi and Ayanokoji, Sakayanagi loses either way.

The population bases of both sides aren't even on the same level. Even if Sakayanagi crushed Ayanokoji, it would only prove that she crushed one outstanding graduate selected from an institution of a few hundred people.

It would only prove Sakayanagi is talented, not that there is something wrong with the White Room. Furthermore, if Sakayanagi could win but not crush him, it would be like a form of predatory marketing, with the White Room endlessly leaching off Sakayanagi's future status.

If Sakayanagi lost, then she would be finished, serving directly as a stepping stone for them to make a name for themselves.

How could a battle where you lose the moment you even look at your opponent have dragged on for so long?

Wouldn't the best approach be to simply mobilize the resources around you and wipe out the entire White Room? If you can't wipe out the White Room, isn't it simple enough to just wipe out Ayanokoji?

Given the Ayanokoji family's background—which can only be described as political upstarts—a couple of slaps would be enough to knock them down. For someone with dirty gloves to think they can sit at the table? Isn't that a joke?