Sakayanagi Arisu's Malicious Good Deed

"In your dreams."

Chihaya Rei refused without a moment's hesitation, amused, "The pronunciation of your name brings Princess Alice to mind. Calling you Arisu is practically the same as calling you Princess, so I won't let you take advantage of me like that."

"How unromantic."

Sakayanagi Arisu wore a smile that suggested she had expected this. She sighed with an expression of regret, "Using first names is a chance to bring people closer together."

Chihaya Rei paused. He didn't refute her, but instead said with a matching smile, "I heard the chairman of this school is also named Sakayanagi, which made me think of Classmate Sakayanagi in Class A. Are you and the chairman father and daughter?"

"I'm very curious."

Chihaya Rei and Sakayanagi Arisu locked eyes, a glint in his gaze, "Can you satisfy my curiosity? Classmate Sakayanagi of Class A."

He placed a heavy emphasis on "Class A" twice.

Even Horikita Suzune could hear the subtext in Chihaya Rei's words, let alone Sakayanagi Arisu, the person in question.

Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly wiped the smile from her face. After a moment of silence, her voice turned serious.

"The chairman is indeed my father."

Sakayanagi Arisu understood Chihaya Rei's meaning perfectly.

He was implying that she had only been assigned to Class A because of her father, the chairman.

Being told that by Chihaya Rei truly put her in a foul mood!

"However, since arriving at this school, I have yet to meet with him. He is a man of fairness and justice, a man of principle who would never overstep the rules."

Sakayanagi Arisu narrowed her eyes, emphasizing, "Please, rest assured."

The meaning was clear: she had entered Class A on her own merits and had not taken any shortcuts.

She would not use the power of her father, the chairman, to deal with him either.

"I also recognize Chairman Sakayanagi's character and trust that he is a good chairman who cares for his students and follows the rules."

Chihaya Rei nodded with a calm smile, deciding to stop there before he truly upset Sakayanagi's delicate heart.

If Sakayanagi were to faint right now and frame him for it, he really wouldn't have any way to handle it at the moment.

"Don't overthink it, Sakayanagi. I didn't mean anything else by that."

As he spoke, a faint smile remained on the corners of Chihaya Rei's mouth as he looked at her.

Whether or not I'm overthinking it is for you to figure out.

"Of course not."

Sakayanagi Arisu secretly bit the soft flesh inside her lip, the words squeezed out from between her teeth.

"Then what did you come here for, Sakayanagi?"

Chihaya Rei asked at this point.

Sakayanagi Arisu let out a long breath, and the displeasure in her heart finally began to subside. It would have been better if he had just asked that from the start.

"I came to tell you some good news."

Sakayanagi Arisu spoke immediately, her expression returning to one of composure.

Chihaya Rei felt a flicker of interest and asked, "What good news? Let's hear it."

Sakayanagi Arisu stared unblinkingly at Chihaya Rei's face with her pale purple eyes, parted her lips, and spoke each word clearly:

"Just a moment ago, I gave the answers for the midterm exam to Classmate Kushida of your class."

"I assume that this way, your entire Class D will pass the midterm."

"No one will be expelled."

Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her chin slightly, her smile growing playful, her voice laced with an indescribable sense of pleasure.

It was as if she were saying to Chihaya Rei:

Since you want the dregs of Class D expelled, I will make sure every single one of them stays.

It's not like anyone in Class D could possibly fail with the answers in hand, could they?

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't be this smug, but today she had to get back at him.

After all, Chihaya Rei had dared to mock her for taking shortcuts.

Sakayanagi Arisu would absolutely never admit that she had been assigned to Class A through nepotism. Never!

Chihaya Rei blinked rapidly, genuinely surprised by Sakayanagi Arisu's actions.

Logically, this was something Ayanokoji should have been doing.

Now, Sakayanagi Arisu had snatched the role away.

Combined with what she had just said, he began to draw some conclusions.

Chihaya Rei understood that he was the fuse; Sakayanagi had misjudged his intentions, assuming he was trying to sabotage her plans, which was why she appeared so gleeful now.

Yet, what Sakayanagi had done had no impact on him whatsoever.

In fact, he had no desire to hand out the answers to Ike Koji and the others for free, so he had actually been hoping someone would step in to play the hero.

"Then I'll thank you in advance, Sakayanagi. You really are a good person."

Chihaya Rei sighed with a hint of genuine emotion.

Sakayanagi Arisu had ended up doing a good deed with bad intentions this time.

He felt as if he could see a red clown nose on Sakayanagi Arisu's face.

Chihaya Rei's reaction was far too ordinary, which left Horikita Suzune, standing to the side with a furrowed brow and a look of confusion, unable to help but ask Sakayanagi Arisu:

"Why would you do such a thing?"

"And how do you even have the midterm exam answers?"

"..."

Sakayanagi Arisu's expression went blank for a fleeting moment; this was not what she had imagined...

What good was Horikita Suzune's surprise?

What she wanted to see was Chihaya Rei's look of astonishment and displeasure at having his plans ruined, followed by him making threats and admitting he had underestimated her, not this indifferent expression.

Could it be that he hadn't been planning to expel that group of losers in Class D? This thought had only just surfaced before Sakayanagi Arisu snuffed it out.

Even so, she continued to stare at Chihaya Rei with a look of suspicion.

Before long, Sakayanagi Arisu decided that Chihaya Rei must be like her—someone with excellent self-control who wouldn't easily reveal his true emotions on his face.

The "thank you" and all that must surely be him being sarcastic.

After all, how many times had Chihaya Rei been sarcastic toward her already?

With that, Sakayanagi Arisu put a relieved smile back on her face: "Don't mention it. This is my return gift to you."

"Then I'll send you a gift of my own another day."

Chihaya Rei said with a smile. Although Sakayanagi Arisu's efforts had been in vain this time, it wouldn't stop him from continuing to undermine her.

The enigmatic conversation between the two left Horikita Suzune, standing by, completely bewildered.

"Good afternoon, Chihaya-kun, Horikita-san."

At that moment, Kushida Kikyo also walked over to survey the situation.

She had seen Sakayanagi heading toward Chihaya and Horikita's location earlier and had become wary, assuming that Sakayanagi was going to give the exam answers to them as well.

Afraid of having her credit stolen, Kushida Kikyo had hurriedly sent a message to the Class D group chat, claiming that she had obtained a copy of the midterm exam answers from Sakayanagi Arisu.

This way, her contribution would be the greatest.

After a few exchanges, Kushida Kikyo cleared up Horikita Suzune's confusion.