Stroking the Fur the Right Way

"A competition? I have no confidence in beating Classmate Sakayanagi; I'd likely suffer a crushing defeat. Can this even be called a match?"

U Amakusa spread his hands helplessly.

Sakayanagi smiled faintly. "No matter. I shall grant you the opportunity to challenge me. In return, I require your allegiance—to be a loyal dog."

"That is quite the proposal, but..."

Lowering his voice for a moment, U Amakusa delivered the line he had been wanting to say.

"However, I refuse."

"I have no interest in being a dog, especially one that doesn't even get fed."

He thought of Kamuro from the original work, who was squeezed dry by Sakayanagi.

No salary, no rewards, just endless labor.

A top-tier, nuclear-powered donkey.

"Ara, should I take it that Classmate Amakusa is afraid?"

Sakayanagi thought she might have overestimated U Amakusa.

"Provocation won't work on me, Classmate Sakayanagi. Furthermore, there is no need for you to goad me into challenging you. What I am refusing are the terms of losing that challenge."

Hearing this, the corners of Sakayanagi's mouth curled up involuntarily; changing the terms was not out of the question.

She never intended to gain allegiance through such methods anyway, as that would never secure true loyalty.

Sakayanagi believed that until one had leverage, one could not be fully trusted.

This was the very reason why Kamuro was her only confidante.

She had set herself up in a position similar to Ayanokoji, viewing everyone as a tool.

Of course, she eventually realized she couldn't truly do it; she had long since come to regard Kamuro as her friend.

"Oh? And what terms would Classmate Amakusa like to propose instead?"

"Just treat me as a member of the Sakayanagi Faction. Besides, I doubt the Katsuragi Faction would accept me anyway."

That wasn't entirely true; if U Amakusa wanted to join the Katsuragi Faction, the others might reject him.

But if U Amakusa went directly to Katsuragi, given his personality, he would likely accept him.

"I suppose I can accept that for now. Katsuragi is no threat to me."

"But it would be better to maintain a balance of power, Classmate Sakayanagi."

"Oh? Does Classmate Amakusa have some profound insight?"

"Internal conflict can stimulate the motivation of both sides, which is a very efficient way to drive progress. Therefore, in my view, competition within the class is not a bad thing; it is actually a good thing."

U Amakusa straightened up and continued, "However, there are downsides. If an external conflict were to arise, and we fail to present a united front, Class A will collapse from within."

He hoped these words would serve as a warning to Sakayanagi; U Amakusa did not want this goddess of civil war to cause trouble.

If U Amakusa weren't a member of Class A, he would actually look forward to Sakayanagi stirring things up.

But now that he was part of Class A, even though he currently had a massive amount of Private Points, that was no reason to see his allowance shrink.

If only a bank existed, U Amakusa couldn't help but think.

The amount of interest he could be earning on his 40 million-plus Private Points was staggering.

"Is Classmate Amakusa trying to change the subject?" Sakayanagi smiled confidently, saying quite imperiously, "Stimulating class motivation? That is merely a superfluous act, for Class A has me. As long as the class is under my leadership, it will only flourish. The idea that an external invasion would cause us to collapse from within is pure nonsense. With me here, Class A will be invincible."

Great, it's starting to sound like a webnovel fantasy.

"Classmate Sakayanagi is certainly confident. In that case, I have nothing more to say. How about I decide the nature of the competition?"

"Be my guest."

No matter what kind of competition U Amakusa proposed, Sakayanagi had enough confidence to defeat him.

Of course, if U Amakusa proposed something outrageous, Sakayanagi believed he didn't have the guts for it.

Because she would make him pay dearly for it.

As a student of Class A, he should be aware of his own worth. In short, one sentence:

I doubt he has the nerve.

U Amakusa looked at Sakayanagi beside him; her height only reached his chest.

Right at the level of his heart.

At this moment, Sakayanagi's face was brimming with a confident smile, as if everything were within her expectations.

U Amakusa decided to do something that Sakayanagi would never guess.

"Then let's have a contest of charm."

Classmate Sakayanagi was stunned. "Charm?"

U Amakusa curled his lips upward and flicked his bangs, showing off his handsomeness.

"Of course. Though I am untalented, back when we played house in kindergarten, the teachers and girls all said the role of Prince Charming was tailor-made for me. In elementary and middle school, regardless of whether it was upperclassmen or underclassmen, my shoe locker was filled with love letters every day, and on Valentine's Day and Christmas, there were countless chocolates and gifts."

"..."

"There's no need to mention the superfluous details; just tell me how we're going to compete."

Classmate Sakayanagi suddenly felt that recruiting U Amakusa might have been a wrong choice.

U Amakusa held up a finger. "Hmm, let's compete to see who can get more chocolate from the opposite sex in one minute."

Classmate Sakayanagi frowned slightly. "...Really... as expected of Classmate Amakusa, to think of such a contest. What can one even do in a minute?"

This was difficult for Classmate Sakayanagi: getting chocolate from the opposite sex in one minute.

The keywords "find the opposite sex" and "obtain a large amount" made this a physical labor, not to mention there was only one minute.

It wasn't guaranteed that others would have chocolate on them, and it wasn't even Valentine's Day.

"What can you do? Classmate Sakayanagi will know once you close your eyes."

"Close my eyes? Classmate Amakusa, you can just say what you mean."

Classmate Sakayanagi, who considered herself gifted, could not guess what U Amakusa was trying to do at this moment.

Little did she know, U Amakusa intended to stroke her ego from the start.

"I just wanted to give Classmate Sakayanagi a surprise."

"...I'll give you 3 seconds."

Classmate Sakayanagi was quite curious about U Amakusa's actions and what he wanted to do by asking her to close her eyes at a time like this.

And this joke of a contest.

Compete on charm? Classmate Sakayanagi admitted that U Amakusa's looks were indeed at the level of a top-tier celebrity.

But that didn't mean her charm was lacking; charm wasn't just about looks.

Even in terms of looks, she believed she could hold her own against U Amakusa.

Then, Classmate Sakayanagi slowly closed her eyes.

U Amakusa took out his phone and pressed the shutter button while aiming at Classmate Sakayanagi.

Fortunately, after taking a photo of Kamuro, the page hadn't been closed.

After all, there were 3 seconds, and they couldn't be wasted.

Classmate Sakayanagi's tightly closed eyes revealed a curious expression, combined with the ginkgo tree behind her.

Adding these factors together and finding the right angle, the entire photo was a perfect promotional landscape shot.

Now, there were two photos in U Amakusa's phone.

One was a shy portrait, and the other was a scene of a curious girl under a ginkgo tree.

The 3 seconds were short; Classmate Sakayanagi opened her eyes to see U Amakusa standing in the distance.

(●-●)

What was he doing?

The phone used for taking the picture had already been tucked into U Amakusa's pocket; this was different from Kamuro.

It wouldn't be good if Classmate Sakayanagi found out.

Seeing Classmate Sakayanagi open her eyes, U Amakusa slowly approached her and came to a stop in front of her.

Under her slightly surprised gaze, he knelt on one knee.

"What? Are you confessing to me?"

"No, how could that be, my princess."

U Amakusa reached out his hand, flipped his wrist, and suddenly produced an unbloomed white rose.

U Amakusa, having produced the white rose, gently twisted the end of the stem.

The petals of the unbloomed white rose peeled outward in a clockwise direction.

Revealing what was wrapped inside—it was a chocolate, a small cookie chocolate.

"You have won this contest, my princess."

I came prepared, hehehe~