The Mastermind Behind the Scenes, Starting with *The Fruit of Grisaia*

Her eyes widened as she looked at Sakayanagi Arisu, who wore a look of earnest sincerity before her, and she couldn't help but feel immensely surprised.

Holy crap...

So I've been misunderstanding Sakayanagi Arisu all this time; she's actually a good person who cares for her subordinates.

Did she really concede those 3 points?

No, that's not right!

Kamuro Masumi cast a suspicious glance at Su Wei beside her, then looked back at Sakayanagi.

She would rather believe that those 3 points were Su Wei trying to woo her by intentionally letting her score to build favor, than believe that a wicked woman like Sakayanagi Arisu had suddenly found her conscience!

How could a black-bellied woman who usually just squeezed people dry and walked away without a second thought suddenly change her nature!

Mm, she's just too weak.

She's the type of small fry who just lies there and sticks her tongue out the moment Su Wei exerts any effort!

This move must be a feint to advance.

Kamuro Masumi thought with great malice, firmly convinced of her own deduction.

She understood Sakayanagi Arisu all too well.

If she actually believed it, she'd be in for a long, miserable life!

Sakayanagi tilted her little face, her expression a cute yet indignant mess.

'What is this woman imagining again?'

'...Could she be bad-mouthing me?'

Monster Point Values:

Kabane 1 point, Skill Corpse 2 points, The Silence 3 points.

Calculation Formula:

Monster Hunting Score + Survivor Points - Casualty Points = Current Score

Current Score + Previous Score = Cumulative Score (Debt)

Chapter 29: Yeah, What Should We Eat?

Watching the friendly interaction between Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi not far away.

Ichinose Honami withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Shiranami Chihiro and Shiina Hiyori, who were beside her; after comforting her, they couldn't help but show solemn expressions, clearly still worried about the negative points.

She bit her lip.

'Still, not mature enough.'

'If I had considered things more, been more decisive... it wouldn't have come to the victims having to comfort you!'

It must be said, that is just how our "goody-two-shoes" is.

Rather than blaming others, she is always more accustomed to taking all the faults upon herself and ruminating on that heaviness alone in the dead of night.

Feeling guilty for a distant possibility.

However, Ichinose is, after all, the leader trusted by all of Class B.

She knows very well:

Tears and words have always been the cheapest things.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity here, it is better to take practical action to change the status quo.

She patted her cheeks, forcing herself to pull it together.

Walking up to the Black Sphere with long strides, Ichinose's eyes had become firm once again:

"Gantz."

"If I want to purchase a Reinforcement Suit, how do I go about it?"

Su Wei, who had been closing his eyes to inspect the guests, spoke up to remind her:

"Have Gantz pull up the equipment list, click on the corresponding icon, and confirm the purchase."

"Mm, thank you."

Ichinose followed the instructions.

As 10 points were deducted, a blue light flashed.

A black briefcase with her name printed on it appeared out of thin air, resting quietly at her feet.

Picking up the case, she gave Su Wei a grateful look.

Then, Ichinose turned to look at the two girls with solemn expressions, her eyes sincere:

"Shiranami, Shiina."

"I have already obtained this equipment. So... for the next exam, please take the points that belong to me first."

"Clear your negative points first; ensuring your safety is what matters most."

"Eh? But..."

Shiranami Chihiro's eyes reddened, and just as she was about to refuse, Ichinose stopped her with a look.

Even Shiina Hiyori was taken aback for a moment, then gave a slight nod, not refusing this kindness.

Seeing this, Su Wei thought for a moment and decided to maintain his persona:

"Although it theoretically works the moment you put it on, this thing seems linked to your mental state."

"There's quite a difference between using it casually and using it seriously... Uh, I'm not sure how to describe it exactly; you'll have to experience it yourself when you get back, Ichinose."

It was actually a 'burst mode,' but Su Wei enjoyed being cryptic.

"Hehe~"

To the side, Sakayanagi Arisu decided to temporarily ignore Kamuro Masumi, who was still busy playing mind games with the air.

Her gaze shifted between Su Wei and Ichinose:

"It seems Su Wei-kun has quite a bit of insight into this!"

"Then I suppose you two will just have to use the time before the next trial begins to properly 'explore' the correct way to use the Combat Suit~"

"After all..."

Sakayanagi hinted meaningfully:

"There are some things that can only be truly felt once you've worn them."

Ichinose Honami, however, didn't catch the double entendre and simply nodded earnestly.

It was Shiranami Chihiro who, as if suddenly remembering something, had her expression change. She hurriedly leaned into Ichinose's ear to remind her:

"Right! Ichinose!"

"When you go back to test it... make sure you wear clothes over it!"

"Just like Su Wei, remember to put on a tracksuit to cover it up!"

"Eh?"

Ichinose froze, and suddenly, the shameful image of her trying on Su Wei's bodysuit in the equipment room that day flashed through her mind.

With a whoosh, the girl's cheeks turned a deep crimson.

She looked around guiltily.

She realized that Yamada seemed to have left with Ryuen Kakeru, and now, aside from the few girls, only Su Wei—the person involved—was in the room.

"Phew..."

Ichinose let out a sigh of relief, then lowered her voice, blushing as she gave Shiranami a reproachful look:

"I know that even without you saying it!"

"I'm not an exhibitionist..."

After all, not everyone could accept walking around in that kind of hyper-embarrassing latex bodysuit.

Even Su Wei was no exception.

Without a layer of clothing over it, what was the difference between that and walking around in a bikini?

He couldn't understand how anyone could get addicted to wearing latex; nor could he understand why some people were willing to sell photos of their own harem in wedding dresses and swimsuits...

As if worried about being discovered, Ichinose didn't want to linger on this topic.

She picked up the case, turned to Su Wei, and bowed slightly:

"Um, Su Wei-kun."

"I don't know when the next trial will be... just in case, please continue to offer your guidance in the future."

Su Wei was silent for two seconds, then nodded in tacit agreement.

Though what he was thinking was:

I'm not some kind of devil, why think of me so poorly?

You have to realize, the ones I've arranged for you are all genuine enemies of humanity.

Even for the "Ape-Men"—those absolute scumbags—that I plan to arrange next, I'm willing to give everyone a chance to observe them, sparing you all from many unnecessary moral dilemmas. Who knows, one day you might even ascend to the Throne of Heroes for such a feat!

Speaking of the Ape-Men... there were actually only two of them.

The protagonist, Charlie, and his own brother, Omeros.

Although these two had only been in this world for a few short days, they had already embraced Japan's extremist animal rights organizations at light speed.

The only difference was that one actively planned terrorist attacks, while the other pretended to be passive but didn't actually resist.

Since that was the case, Su Wei's approach was simple.

Use the monsters that were already planning to attack humanity to wipe out this group of extremist animal rights terrorists in one fell swoop, then contain them along with the two Ape-Men to serve as teaching aids for future exams.

A one-stop service, perfectly arranged!

How many good people as thoughtful as I am are left in this world?

Right, none!

Though the Ape-Man performs better than an ordinary human in the original work, it's hard to say if it would have any chance of fighting back against the Black Sphere weapons...

I suppose I really must add Gotou as a bonus dungeon for next time.

Su Wei rubbed his chin.

At this moment, aside from Horikita Suzune, who was asking for trouble by checking her own evaluation on Gantz and spiraling into a breakdown, the others had already gained enough experience and left one after another without needing further confirmation.

Soon, only a few people remained in the room.

"Su Wei-kun."

Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly stepped forward, naturally hooking her arm through his and pressing her entire body against him.

Su Wei looked down, puzzled: "What is the meaning of this?"

Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her small face upward:

"I believe you heard what I said to Kamuro-san."

"I am being serious, you know. During the next trial, I will no longer force her to participate."

"So, from here on out... I'm afraid I'll truly have to rely on you entirely, Su Wei-kun~"

Su Wei sighed helplessly: "With your ability and points, you could find anyone you wanted to use, couldn't you?"

"That's not the same."

Sakayanagi Arisu smiled:

"Bodyguards are everywhere, but not just anyone can be someone I feel at ease relying on."