First Reward

"That won't do; you really are quite modest."

Sakayanagi Arisu shook her head with a smile, glanced at the still-stunned Kamuro Masumi, and thoughtfully offered an introduction.

"This is Kamuro Masumi, who is in the same class as I am."

Then, a hint of seriousness entered her beautiful eyes.

"Now, if you would allow me to ask, what does Classmate Chihaya intend to do?"

Chihaya Rei glanced at the beer in Sakayanagi Arisu's hand.

"Let's start by reviewing the sequence of events that just took place."

"I have no objections."

Sakayanagi Arisu nodded slightly, wearing an expression of interest.

She also needed to know the extent of Chihaya Rei's understanding regarding what had just occurred.

"As far as I know, Classmate Kamuro stole beer at the convenience store, but unfortunately, you discovered her, Classmate Sakayanagi."

"So, you used the evidence you filmed to threaten Classmate Kamuro, wanting to make her your little puppy."

Chihaya Rei had no intention of wasting time, stating exactly what he had witnessed before looking at her with a teasing smile.

"May I ask if that is how things unfolded?"

"A decent analysis."

Sakayanagi Arisu clapped her hands twice; there was no anger in her voice, only a hint of appreciation.

However, she did not confirm whether he was right or wrong.

If Chihaya Rei had his phone recording, she would be digging her own grave.

But Chihaya Rei's words made it clear that he knew the entire sequence of events, and had even noticed them back at the convenience store.

Had he actually followed her and Kamuro all the way here?

"Let me think..."

Chihaya Rei put on a thoughtful expression, speaking in a tone that was half-serious and half-joking.

"If we were to assign charges, Classmate Kamuro would be guilty of theft, while Classmate Sakayanagi would be guilty of being an accessory and intimidation."

"Describing me with such charges is truly excessive!"

Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes narrowed slightly, though a second later, she put on a wounded expression.

"I think I was quite accurate."

Chihaya Rei wore an indifferent smile.

"Then can you produce substantive evidence that I threatened Kamuro?"

"Indeed, the video I took isn't quite substantive enough."

Chihaya Rei sounded slightly regretful.

Because he had filmed from a distance, the audio certainly wouldn't have been recorded clearly.

If he were to take the video to the school authorities now, Sakayanagi Arisu could easily choose to abandon Kamuro Masumi, claiming she had been preparing to report Kamuro herself, or that she was simply trying to make Kamuro repent.

But none of that mattered to Chihaya Rei.

He had never intended to let the school know about this from the very beginning; he was merely looking to tease this bratty girl, Sakayanagi.

At this moment, Kamuro Masumi finally snapped out of her daze, watching Chihaya Rei and Sakayanagi Arisu chatting and laughing.

Her composure began to crumble.

First, she had been caught and threatened by Sakayanagi Arisu, and now there was someone from another class involved—was her luck really this rotten today?

Kamuro Masumi felt that this situation was beyond saving; the promise Sakayanagi made to keep her secret as long as she obeyed was no longer reliable.

"I've had enough. If you two aren't going to notify the school, I'll make the call myself."

Kamuro Masumi pulled out her phone, intending to turn herself in to the Class A homeroom teacher.

However, Chihaya Rei's hand suddenly pressed down on her wrist, stopping her movement. The girl's wrist was slender and smooth, feeling cold to the touch.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Classmate Kamuro?" Chihaya Rei asked.

"As far as I know, this school is quite strict. Are you really so eager to be expelled on the very first day of school?"

"So... so what? Being threatened by you and Sakayanagi is better than being punished by the school!"

Kamuro Masumi said, sounding somewhat self-destructive.

Chihaya Rei walked in front of Kamuro Masumi and spoke in a stern tone:

"When you found out you could attend this school, your parents must have been very happy and proud of you."

"And yet, on the very first day of school, you get expelled and return home in disgrace because you stole something."

"When that time comes, what kind of expression will your parents have when they look at you?"

"I..."

Masumi Kamuro's mind drifted for a moment; she bit her lip, her expression clearly wavering.

"That is why, Kamuro, it would be better for you to abandon that thought."

Rei Chihaya pressed his persuasion further.

"What do you want me to do?"

Masumi Kamuro couldn't help but ask.

Since Rei Chihaya had said so much to her, she subconsciously assumed that, like Sakayanagi, he intended to threaten her into working for him.

Rei Chihaya released his grip, his tone softening: "No need to be nervous, Classmate Kamuro. In fact, I am here to help you."

"Help me?"

Masumi Kamuro blinked in surprise.

"Yes. I have no intention of reporting you to the school, nor do I intend to threaten you, and I won't let Classmate Sakayanagi threaten you either."

Rei Chihaya spoke slowly, casting a glance at Arisu Sakayanagi, though he failed to catch any interesting expression on her face.

So, is he coming for her?

Even upon hearing Rei Chihaya so bluntly state his intent to obstruct her goals, Arisu Sakayanagi maintained an elegant and composed smile on her face, a sense of long-lost pleasure even rising in her heart.

Although she had temporarily lost a puppy, she had discovered a much more interesting toy.

"Then, Classmate Chihaya, how do you intend to help little Kamuro?"

Arisu Sakayanagi spoke softly.

She felt that if she didn't speak up now, the chess piece she had set her sights on would be snatched away by someone else.

Rei Chihaya looked at Sakayanagi, a relaxed smile on his lips, and said with a tone of certainty:

"It's simple, because the video in your possession, Sakayanagi, no longer serves any purpose."

Upon hearing this, Arisu Sakayanagi's fair cheeks betrayed a look of surprise, her gaze narrowing as she fell into thought.

Does this mean Rei Chihaya has done something?

"The matter of you stealing the beer is also no longer valid," Rei Chihaya added, turning back to Masumi Kamuro.

"No longer valid? How could that be possible?"

Masumi Kamuro widened her eyes, her expression one of disbelief.

She had genuinely stuffed the beer into her bag and walked out of the convenience store with it.

"Did you buy this bottle of beer?"

Masumi Kamuro's eyes were filled with confusion as she couldn't help but guess.

Though she asked, according to Japanese law, minors are not permitted to purchase alcoholic beverages.

Could it be that this school is different?

Is this school bold enough to sell alcohol to students?

Arisu Sakayanagi, however, narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke with a light chuckle:

"I suspect you purchased the right to temporarily take the beer out, didn't you?"

Having said that, she stared intently at Rei Chihaya, waiting for his confirmation; it was the only answer she could come up with in such a short time.

"You guessed right, Sakayanagi."

Rei Chihaya glanced sideways at Arisu Sakayanagi.

Although she is a Phantom God of Civil War, one has to admit that when it comes to brains, the Sakayanagi Cat is still quite clever.

"Before Masumi Kamuro took the beer out of the store, I made a deal with the cashier. I purchased the right to take this bottle of beer out for one hour."

"After all, points can buy anything, can't they?"

Rei Chihaya stated the answer calmly.

Buying the beer outright was impossible, but simply borrowing it and returning it in perfect condition was no problem at all.

It had only cost him 5,000 points.

In fact, that price was merely the baseline he had in mind.

As it turned out, the cashier had readily agreed the moment they heard they could get 5,000 points just for letting the beer be borrowed for an hour.

Thinking about it now, the school claims that everything can be bought with points.

Therefore, for the various staff members at this school who are not students, as long as they do not violate the rules, they are free to decide whether to engage in transactions with students.

And they are quite happy to trade points with students, since, for them, points can also be converted into money.

"That is truly an interesting approach."

Arisu Sakayanagi praised him with a smile.

She felt that Rei Chihaya was likely the first student among this batch of freshmen to learn how to utilize the school's rules.

"Is that even possible?!"

Kamuro Masumi also had a sudden realization.

Following that, her gaze turned complex as she looked at Chihaya Rei.

This guy...

Why would he go to such lengths to help her?

"To what extent do you understand the school's rules?"

Out of curiosity, Sakayanagi Arisu asked Chihaya Rei another question.

"Sorry, Sakayanagi, I have no intention of chatting with you about school rules right now."

Chihaya Rei shook his head directly, looking completely uninterested, and then said sternly to Sakayanagi:

"What I want to say is that you, using such methods to threaten a classmate, are truly despicable."

"You must be a brat with a rotten personality."

"Eh?"

Sakayanagi Arisu was somewhat stunned, and the cane in her right hand nearly slipped to the ground.

Why was he suddenly lecturing her?

And... to actually use a term like "brat" to describe her??

Sakayanagi Arisu gritted her teeth in annoyance, her composed smile nearly faltering.

"Furthermore, you didn't even notice when I was tailing you; your vigilance is nothing to write home about."

After finishing with Sakayanagi, Chihaya Rei didn't give her a chance to retort, instead turning his gaze toward Kamuro Masumi and reprimanding her in a righteous tone:

"And you, Kamuro Masumi, you really are stupid!"

"You steal things to experience the thrill, right?"

"There are plenty of ways to seek thrills, but you chose the stupidest one."

"Getting caught by two people in a single day—you're just too pathetic. Take this lesson to heart; this kind of thing doesn't suit you, so don't do it again in the future."

"..."

Kamuro Masumi opened her mouth, left speechless.

She had wanted to retort after being berated like that, but she was so clearly in the wrong that she couldn't bring herself to talk back.

Moreover, listening to his blunt words, she felt a strange sensation and couldn't even muster any anger.

Finally, Chihaya Rei let out a long sigh, as if he had completed some major task.

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. This matter ends here, so go do whatever you were going to do. I'll handle this as well."

As he spoke, Chihaya Rei stepped forward and took the beer from Sakayanagi Arisu's hand.

Because he was in a good mood, he even tossed it back and forth between his hands a few times.

It just ends like this??

Kamuro Masumi blinked in a daze.

Sakayanagi Arisu also looked surprised.

Chihaya Rei did all this just to stop her from threatening Kamuro...

And to give them both a harsh lecture.

What was he getting out of this?

"Chihaya-kun, you really are an interesting person."

The corners of Sakayanagi Arisu's mouth curled up slightly, her deep violet eyes flashing with a strange light.

"I agree to let this matter end here as well."

Sakayanagi took out her phone from her pocket and deleted the video right in front of them to prove her sincerity.

Naturally, after seeing this, Chihaya Rei also deleted the video on his end.

Sakayanagi Arisu shook her phone again and asked Chihaya Rei:

"Before we part ways, I don't suppose Chihaya-kun would refuse a small request like adding each other's contact information?"

"I suppose not."

Chihaya Rei held a similar thought.

After all, there would be plenty of occasions to deal with each other in the future.

Not to mention that Sakayanagi Arisu, this Phantom God of Civil War, was already on his Must-Be-Interrogated List of Real School.

Seeing this, Kamuro Masumi also took the opportunity to add him as a friend.

The three of them then went their separate ways.

Chihaya Rei still had to make a trip to the supermarket to return the beer.

At the same time, he checked the system.

[Tortured Kamuro Masumi, obtained 1800 torture points]

[Tortured Kamuro Masumi, obtained 2545 torture points]

[Tortured Sakayanagi Arisu, obtained 2630 torture points]

[Tortured Sakayanagi Arisu, obtained 2780 torture points]...

[Current torture progress: 30%, next reward unlocks at 60%]

[Torture progress requirement met, unlocking first reward.]

[Randomly drawing skill...]

[Obtained skill: Presence Concealment.]

[Description: Once activated, reduces your presence to the absolute minimum. Human sounds such as footsteps, breathing, and heartbeat become fully controllable. Even if you stand directly behind someone, they may not necessarily notice you.]

Chihaya Rei blinked his eyes, unable to stop himself from humming softly.

In other words... he could go and become a Grand Assassin now?!