Fresh Food and Drinks

Long Aotian slowly walked out of Kushida Kikyo's dorm room, planning his next move.

He intended to stop by Sakura's dorm, carrying a large bag of food and drinks he'd just "stocked up on" from Kushida Kikyo's fridge. A smug smile tugged at his lips as he thought, Heh, now I'll get to "fill up" Sakura's fridge!

Before long, Long Aotian arrived at Sakura's dorm, looking a little worse for wear. He gently pressed the doorbell.

"Ding—" The clear chime echoed through the quiet hallway.

Sakura was sitting at her desk, holding a pen as she concentrated on something.

At the sound of the doorbell, she abruptly looked up, surprise and curiosity flashing in her eyes. She gently set down her pen, stood, and walked briskly to the door.

The door slowly opened, revealing Sakura's face. Her lips curled into a slight smile, and her eyes shone with delight. Long Aotian stood outside with a smile of his own, as if they shared some unspoken understanding and anticipation.

"Hi, Sakura. I'm here," Long Aotian greeted her with a warm, friendly smile.

Sakura smiled and nodded, stepping aside to let Long Aotian in.

He walked into Sakura's kitchen with practiced ease, opened the fridge, and carefully put the food from the bag away, one item at a time.

"This is all for you. I just stocked up from the fridge, so it's fresh. Eat up and don't worry."

After putting everything from the plastic bag away, Long Aotian turned to Sakura and said,

As for Kushida Kikyo, not long after Long Aotian left, she composed herself.

A trace of hesitation rose in her heart. She no longer felt much like going to the gathering. She'd only agreed because she'd planned to get a free meal, and Ike had said he'd treat everyone. She couldn't help wondering where he'd gotten the money—or the enthusiasm.

"Could Long Aotian be pulling the strings behind the scenes?" Kushida Kikyo suddenly thought of his handsome face. Her brows knitted, confusion and doubt written all over her features. She gently shook her head, as if trying to banish the thought.

Then a self-deprecating smile tugged at her lips. "That's impossible. How could he have that many points? It's practically unbelievable." She shook her head again, her eyes showing just how hard it was to believe.

After Long Aotian gave her a million points, her state of mind had changed completely. She didn't really want to go anymore, but she'd already agreed, so it wouldn't be right to back out now. She still had to go.

Since the person who filmed the video was the only lead, finding them was their only way forward.

At that moment, Ayanokoji and Horikita Suzune stood side by side in front of the monitors in the surveillance room, their eyes fixed on the ever-changing images.

Horikita Suzune folded her arms, her expression serious and focused. Every now and then, her brows furrowed slightly, revealing her determination to solve the mystery.

"Based on what we heard from the teacher a day or two ago," Horikita Suzune said slowly, tracing a finger across the screen and pointing to the footage from a particular time, "Sudo was lured there after receiving a text message." Her tone was certain, as if she'd already pieced together every detail in her mind.

Her lips pressed into a firm line, betraying a stubborn refusal to give up.

At her words, Ayanokoji nodded and studied every detail on the screen with an even sharper gaze, as if trying to catch some elusive clue hidden in the footage.

They worked together in quiet understanding, carefully analyzing the footage and sharing their ideas and deductions. Every movement showed their determination to uncover the truth.

After a thorough search and analysis, Ayanokoji and Horikita Suzune exchanged glances, a trace of helplessness in both their eyes.

They had gone over the surveillance footage again and again, examining every detail, but their efforts had yielded nothing. They hadn't uncovered a single clue about the suspect.

"Looks like we'll have to approach this from another angle," Horikita Suzune said. Though her voice was soft, her resolve was unmistakable.

It was no surprise they couldn't find the suspect. Long Aotian was just too sneaky, avoiding the cameras and using cheat-like tricks such as Flying Thunder God.

After an unproductive search, Ayanokoji and Horikita Suzune reluctantly left the surveillance room.

"I can't believe checking the footage cost a hundred thousand points." There was a bitter note in Horikita Suzune's voice. She knew that wasn't a small expense.

But Horikita Suzune didn't feel the slightest need to pay Kushida Kikyo back the hundred thousand points. She considered the points a contribution to the class; Kushida Kikyo had only given them because the class needed them.

Perhaps he felt there were no obvious leads to follow for now. Ayanokoji announced expressionlessly, "I'm going back to the dorm first."

Horikita Suzune said nothing more and left as well.

Not long afterward, Ayanokoji walked up to his dorm room, gently turned the lock, and pushed the door open.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Kanji Ike and Haruki sitting comfortably by the bed, their hands full of all kinds of snacks. They chewed nonstop, their faces beaming with contentment and delight.

Across from them, Kushida Kikyo sat on the floor with a bag of potato chips in her hands, elegantly popping them into her mouth one at a time. A gentle smile played on her lips. The atmosphere between the three was relaxed and cheerful, as if they were immersed in some entertaining conversation.

"Hey, you're back, Ayanokoji!" As soon as Kanji Ike saw Ayanokoji enter the dorm, he put down his snacks and beamed. He waved hello and warmly welcomed him in.

Ayanokoji slowly walked over to the bed and stopped. Looking puzzled, he asked without expression, "How did you guys get in?"

"Well, you see," Kanji Ike said, scratching his head out of habit. A nonchalant smile tugged at his lips as he spoke with an easy, self-satisfied air. "I made a special trip to the dorm office and borrowed a spare key from the manager. That's how we got in."

There wasn't the slightest hint of apology in his words. Instead, he sounded as if it were no big deal at all. He still looked completely at ease, as if he saw nothing wrong with what he'd done.

"Then why my room?"

Ayanokoji's expression remained calm, but his eyes showed a trace of confusion as he asked again without betraying his feelings.

"Didn't we have a celebration here last time? So I figured this would be a great place to hang out," Ike said casually, continuing to pop snacks into his mouth.

Ayanokoji's expression remained unchanged. He said nothing, simply turned around and glanced around the room before slowly walking over to a nearby chair and sitting down, as if none of it had anything to do with him.

"Um... I can stay and sweep the floor later, and tidy up the room while I'm at it."

Kushida Kikyo furrowed her brows slightly, worry showing in her eyes. She looked gently at Ayanokoji and spoke in a soft voice.