Sakayanagi's Review

"Hmm?"

Sakayanagi Arisu gave a soft, teasing hum.

"You know exactly what I mean. You were definitely doing that on purpose!"

"But..."

She eyed Su Wei curiously.

"I'm not a fujoshi, but I've always wondered: don't you boys ship 'girls' love' a lot, too? What you call 'yuri' and all that?"

"Why did you react so strongly to that?"

Su Wei stopped walking.

"That's wrong."

"First of all, a border skirmish and a territorial invasion are two different things."

"Second, I hate yuri fans just as much."

"And just like liking something, hating it doesn't need a reason."

This guy was into yuri pairings. Straight-up yuri fetishists, stay away from me!

Just kidding. If he hadn't wanted to explore something different, not only would Shiranami Chihiro's feelings never have existed, but neither would Tachibana Akane's admiration for Horikita Manabu.

Even so, Su Wei had never let Karuizawa Kei consider pretending to be Hirata Yosuke's girlfriend.

Just like with Galaganmuli.

Even if I don't come looking for you, you should still wait right where you are!

Anyway, he wasn't chasing realism or had some weird quirk about believing characters had lives of their own that he shouldn't intrude on...

The whole of Japan—the two capitals and thirteen provinces—rested on his shoulders. What was wrong with enjoying himself a little? He deserved it!

Looking at Su Wei's overly serious expression, Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head.

She didn't quite understand.

After all, in Japan's broader social climate, both male-male and female-female relationships belonged to niche circles where people kept to themselves. They weren't the sort of thing you brought up in polite company.

As an elite of high society, she naturally had neither the opportunity nor the need to seek out those subcultures.

She could only guess that perhaps Su Wei had been grossed out by those two groups while he was still in Huaxia?

But...

Wouldn't it be better if he really had been grossed out?

That would make him worth digging into, wouldn't it?

Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curled into a faint smile. Far from being put off by his cold expression, she leaned even closer, adopting an even more intimate posture.

She was practically resting half her weight against Su Wei.

"Well, I don't understand what you're talking about."

"But since you're so worked up... why not tell me about it?"

"I've got wine. Have you got a story?"

"If you don't drink, I'll send you 50 points. Tell me, and give me a laugh?"

Su Wei: "..."

"Get lost."

Chapter 31: Sakayanagi's Review

In the end, Sakayanagi Arisu still hadn't managed to get to the bottom of things and learn about Su Wei's past.

After they parted with a few simple words, she watched Su Wei wave goodbye without even looking back. The girl lightly tapped the ground with her cane, a flicker of regret in her eyes.

But that was all.

Whether you were trying to conquer a game or win someone's heart, the key was to take things one step at a time, like slowly warming a frog in water. Pushing too hard would only make the other person resent you.

Besides, if she really angered him and he quit, Sakayanagi Arisu would be the one to lose out.

After all, once the second Black Sphere Exam had ended, she'd made a grand gesture and spent another 50,000 points to buy ten hours of Su Wei's private time.

If this ended up being a bust...

Given Su Wei's nasty attitude of "Why should I provide a service for money I earned fair and square?" she wasn't counting on getting a refund.

"What an insensitive man."

Watching Su Wei's retreating figure, Sakayanagi Arisu said this, though the corners of her mouth hinted at a smile.

Although Su Wei acted cold and uncaring, and had a tongue sharp enough to kill.

Sakayanagi had still noticed a few clues in the little details.

For example... his seemingly casual warning to Ichinose Honami just now.

For example... the fact that Kamuro Masumi hadn't gotten a negative score in this exam.

That was right.

Ever since she learned about the new mechanism added to the Black Sphere Exam, Sakayanagi had deliberately held Kamuro Masumi back, making sure she didn't get any kill points.

She'd wanted to test one thing:

In this cruel game, if someone survived but ended up with a negative score because they hadn't contributed enough, what kind of judgment would the Black Sphere give?

It was a necessary experiment, and information they needed to lay the groundwork for Class A's future.

Although she didn't know exactly how everyone had handled the Hidden Boss at the end.

Given Ryuen Kakeru's self-serving nature and Ichinose's inability to do more than she could manage, it was clearly unlikely that they'd deliberately set aside points for the completely useless Kamuro Masumi.

That left Su Wei as the only variable.

Considering the high score Su Wei had left over at the end, and the fact that Kamuro Masumi had only just scraped by with a passing score...

Did he have a thing for that idiot Kamuro?

Or was it charity from the strong?

Or... had he realized she was using Kamuro as an experiment and chosen to warn her this way?

"If it's the latter..."

"Then you're much kinder than I thought."

Sakayanagi Arisu sighed and slowly pressed her lips together.

Her cherry-colored lips pursed slightly, bringing out a hint of a smile.

The next day.

The atmosphere in the Class 1-D classroom felt off.

Most of the students were still basking in the joy of having their points deposited, but Hirata Yosuke, one of the class's central figures, had his brows tightly furrowed. Dark circles stood out beneath his eyes.

Kushida Kikyo had just entered the classroom and hadn't even made it back to her seat when Hirata called out to her.

"Kushida, wait a second."

Hirata Yosuke lowered his voice, his tone edged with anxiety.

"I wanted to ask if you know how to contact Horikita. I looked for her all day yesterday, but couldn't find her..."

After learning why he'd come to her, Kushida Kikyo blinked and glanced toward Horikita Suzune's empty seat in the back row.

It was completely vacant.

As the leader of the Black Sphere Mutual Aid Group, and now practically best friends with Ichinose Honami, Kushida Kikyo naturally knew better than anyone what had happened last night.

The trial that had involved the entire school building had accidentally drawn in both Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Hirata Yosuke.

She thought it over, then gave him an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Hirata. I'm not actually that close to Horikita... You know how she's always on her own."

"I see..."

Clear disappointment crossed Hirata Yosuke's face, and he even seemed a little dejected.

"Sorry to bother you. I'll just ask her myself when she gets back..."

"But—"

Just as Hirata was about to turn away, Kushida Kikyo suddenly changed the subject.

"About the Black Sphere Exam, you don't necessarily have to go to Horikita."

"You can ask me, too~"

"Huh?"

Hirata Yosuke looked up sharply, his pupils shrinking. "Kushida, you know about it...?"

Kushida Kikyo didn't keep him in suspense.

After glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, she took out her phone, deftly opened the Black Sphere Mutual Aid Group chat, and held it out to Hirata.

"Actually, Su Wei and I were the first in our class to enter the Black Sphere Trial."

"And those who signed up before everyone else were designated as 'fixed members' by the Black Sphere."

"Of course, I'm a bit of a special case... a lucky person who was chosen at random."

"You can read the group announcement for the specific rules."

Hirata Yosuke took the phone and quickly scanned the screen.

There was no doubt about it.

Compared with the screenshots Amikura Mako had hurriedly shown him yesterday, Kushida's materials were much more detailed and systematic.

Everything was covered, from the scoring rules and equipment exchanges to the revival system and even the monsters' weaknesses.

After a quick read, he finally understood why Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo had stayed silent before.

"Fixed members can't take up a spot in their class's exams, and there are also completely random mandatory slots each time..."

Hirata Yosuke handed the phone back to Kushida.

"A selection process this unpredictable could easily cause panic."

He rubbed his brow and gave a bitter smile.

"But things are different now. Since the Black Sphere has started involving ordinary students who weren't prepared at all, and even set the battlefield inside the school..."

"We no longer have the right to keep them in the dark."

"We have to tell everyone the truth and make sure they're prepared."

Watching Hirata Yosuke fall into thought, as if trying to figure out how to get the classmates who only knew how to complain about points to accept this cruel reality as soon as possible.

Kushida Kikyo's gaze shifted.

She offered a quiet suggestion.

"Hirata, if you want everyone to accept it quickly, scaring them isn't enough."

"Rather than constantly stressing how terrifying the monsters are and how they could die, why not also show them some of what the Black Sphere Exam can offer us?"

Hirata Yosuke looked up. "What do you mean?"

Kushida Kikyo raised one finger and smiled.

"Don't we have a joint PE class with Class B this afternoon?"

"As far as I know, Ichinose from Class B, one of the original members, has already saved up enough points to exchange for equipment she can bring out of the Black Sphere Space."

"Maybe we could ask her to show it to everyone?"

"Besides, she seems to be worried about this very thing right now."