"...Finally, I sincerely hope all of you will have a fulfilling three years at Advanced Nurturing High School."
Even at a school like Advanced Nurturing High School, the entrance ceremony couldn't escape the school board, administrators, and teachers taking turns giving long-winded speeches.
By the time the ceremony ended, it was nearly noon.
Well, there was no point dwelling on it. First, lunch.
With that in mind, Chihaya Rei headed to the school cafeteria for lunch, then set off for a supermarket to buy the daily necessities he'd need.
He chose a supermarket nearby.
After looking around, he spotted a separate free-stuff section near the exit.
It was stocked with toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash, tissues, and other basic necessities.
A sign said students could take only three items per month.
Chihaya Rei took a closer look. The free items were all mediocre quality, from brands he'd never seen before.
Still, he picked three at random.
Whether he'd use them or not was another matter. He just liked getting things for free.
As he walked farther into the supermarket, intending to buy a bottle of Coca-Cola, Chihaya Rei unexpectedly caught sight of a girl who looked familiar.
She had beautiful purple hair, with a small ponytail tied on one side.
The rest of her long purple hair fell loosely down her back, reaching almost to her slender waist.
Her shapely calves were covered by black stockings.
Chihaya Rei looked surprised.
Wasn't this Kamuro Masumi, the master thief from Class A?
He recalled the bit of plot from the anime that had only been briefly mentioned.
Early in the school year, Kamuro Masumi had stolen beer from a convenience store, only to be caught by Sakayanagi Arisu.
From then on, she became Sakayanagi's lackey. She had to run errands to buy Sakayanagi coffee, and even hold an umbrella for her on rainy days.
All because she'd wanted a thrill, she'd ended up throwing away three years of her life.
So Kamuro Masumi was planning to make her move today?
Seriously, girl?
Wasn't she being a little too impatient? It was only the first day of school.
Though Chihaya Rei was grumbling internally, a faint glimmer appeared in his eyes.
Another chance to torture someone had just fallen into his lap.
Kamuro Masumi was clearly a character in her own league, though she definitely couldn't compare to those three masterpieces in the Black House.
And although his system was called the Torture God-Person System, its targets weren't limited to god-tier weirdos.
Ordinary people could be tortured too; they just yielded fewer Torture Points.
As he thought, Chihaya Rei slowed his pace, pretending to casually browse the snacks while gradually edging closer to Kamuro Masumi.
His eyes also kept scanning his surroundings, searching for a certain white figure.
Soon, Chihaya Rei spotted her.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he walked into a recessed area formed by a wall and a shelf, quietly observing the two girls ahead.
The master thief was standing in what amounted to a blind spot for the security cameras.
She stared at the products in front of her, a trace of indecision flashing across her pretty face.
The products before her were all kinds of beer, and this was obviously not where she should be.
Meanwhile—
A petite figure was hiding behind a shelf not far away: Sakayanagi Arisu.
Though Chihaya Rei preferred to call her Sakayanagi Cat.
The faint smile that always played on her lips made her look just like a white cat up to no good.
Sakayanagi Arisu had very fair skin, and her sleek white bob fell over her shoulders like a waterfall.
A delicate black beret sat atop her small, round head, and she supported herself with a cane in her right hand.
Her slender legs were wrapped in white thigh-high stockings.
At first glance, she seemed so cute that you wanted to pick her up and play with her.
The only thing that might have been lacking was what she had on her chest.
Oh, and a body unsuited to strenuous exercise.
At that moment, Sakayanagi Arisu was peering through a gap between the products, phone aimed at Kamuro Masumi. Her intentions were obvious: she was trying to capture evidence of Kamuro's crime.
Both girls were so focused that neither noticed Chihaya Rei's presence.
Hmm. What should he do?
Chihaya Rei considered what course of action to take.
Should he stop Kamuro Masumi right here?
He didn't really feel like it.
At most, that would mean giving Kamuro Masumi a verbal scolding.
And without solid evidence, Kamuro Masumi could simply deny everything.
More importantly...
He wanted to maximize his gains and pluck some fur from Sakayanagi Arisu, that white cat, too!
Chihaya Rei soon came up with a whole new plan.
So, before Kamuro Masumi could make her move, he turned away without drawing attention and quickly went to the checkout to pay for his items.
Then Chihaya Rei exchanged a few words with the cashier.
To his surprise, the cashier took out their phone too, and the two of them smiled as they struck another deal.
Afterward.
Chihaya Rei walked out of the supermarket with his shopping bag, but didn't go far.
He stood by a trash can, pretending to throw something away as he planned how to stage a scene of Sakayanagi catching the master thief, with Chihaya tailing them!
Only a few minutes passed.
Chihaya Rei saw Kamuro Masumi emerge with a shoulder bag.
Her pace gradually quickened. It seemed she had a guilty conscience.
Next came Sakayanagi Arisu, leaning on her cane. Its tip tapped crisply against the ground as she hurried after Kamuro with her short legs.
At the sight, Chihaya Rei could barely hold back a laugh.
He also fought down the sudden urge to run over and kick Sakayanagi Arisu's cane away. Keeping a safe distance, he followed them without a sound.
...After they'd walked some distance.
Sakayanagi Arisu glanced around, but there were no other students in sight.
And if she didn't call out to Kamuro Masumi now, she'd fall behind. So—
"Kamuro, please wait!"
Hearing the sudden call—and her own name—Kamuro Masumi froze briefly, then stopped and turned around.
"What is it?"
Kamuro Masumi at least knew of Sakayanagi, a girl with such distinctive features.
Sakayanagi Arisu walked up. After catching her breath, she fixed Kamuro with a focused gaze and spoke clearly:
"You stole beer from the supermarket just now, didn't you?"
Kamuro Masumi's heart lurched, but she forced herself to remain calm.
"What are you talking about? I'd never do something like that."
"Denying it won't help! I recorded everything."
As she spoke, Sakayanagi Arisu took out her phone and showed it to her. The screen clearly displayed footage from inside the supermarket.
Then the corners of her mouth curled into a sly smile.
"Kamuro, you wouldn't want the school to find out you stole something, would you?"
Those words, together with the video evidence, were like a fatal blow that Kamuro Masumi couldn't resist. Her face twisted into a deeply troubled expression.
Checkmate.
Sakayanagi Arisu pressed her advantage and stated what she wanted:
"Don't worry. As long as you follow my instructions from now on, I'll keep your secret."
"I... I understand..."
As if surrendering, Kamuro Masumi reached into her shoulder bag, took out the can of beer, and handed it to Sakayanagi Arisu.
A victor's smile spread across Sakayanagi Arisu's delicate face.
But just as her hand closed around the beer can—
"That's far enough—"
A clear, forceful voice rang out.
Sakayanagi Arisu immediately turned toward the sound. Her eyes narrowed slightly at what she saw, and her smile froze.
Chihaya Rei slowly emerged from behind a tree.
With a shopping bag in one hand and a phone still recording in the other, he calmly walked up to them.
The phone's camera was aimed squarely at the beer in Sakayanagi Arisu's hand right up to the last second.
Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help feeling as if he were deliberately provoking her.
"Who are you? When did you... get here?"
Kamuro Masumi looked stunned, and her voice was full of surprise.
"I didn't expect a third party to be involved. What a miscalculation!"
Sakayanagi Arisu quickly regained her composure.
With a smile on her lips, she gently shook her head, seeming to regret that this unexpected visitor had disrupted her plan.
"I saw something interesting, so I've been here the whole time."
Chihaya Rei smiled as he told them.
"I'm Sakayanagi Arisu from Class 1-A."
As she spoke softly, Sakayanagi Arisu lifted her skirt like an elegant princess and curtsied gracefully in greeting.
She only took the trouble to be this formal when she met someone who interested her.
Then, fixing the boy before her with her beautiful purple eyes, she politely asked:
"Could you tell me your name and class?"
"Chihaya Rei, Class D."
Chihaya Rei calmly gave his name, unafraid of being added to Sakayanagi Cat's little blacklist.
"Chihaya, I'll remember you."
Sakayanagi Arisu softly repeated his name, then nodded seriously.
Looks like he'd earned himself a grudge from that cat.
But Chihaya Rei smiled indifferently. "I'm just an ordinary passing hero of justice. No need to keep me in mind."
Though he said that, Chihaya Rei had no intention of being a hero of justice.
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