A Few Confusing Days (3)

--Just casually hand over 300,000.

--At least pay attention to the rules of the game...

--Oh well.

Oreki sighed inwardly.

Rich young ladies really were spoiled.

But it didn't matter.

He had already figured out what had happened.

After all, writing "Love" on an omurice with ketchup was completely unlike something Sakayanagi Arisu would do.

At least, not yet.

If she was raised to be a devoted wife later...

Then maybe it was possible.

Since it wasn't something Sakayanagi would do, why had it happened?

There was only one answer.

That was...

Creating a shy, intimate atmosphere.

In that kind of atmosphere, both boys and girls became bashful and innocent.

Usually, sleeping in the same room wasn't a problem.

Because they never thought about that sort of thing.

But in a situation like this...

It was easy to get swept up in the mood and cross that line.

People with high intelligence never acted impulsively.

Take Oreki, for example.

He had very sensibly taken a nap on the sofa.

That meant Sakayanagi had already accomplished her goal.

She had made Houtarou Oreki lower his guard while also giving herself some freedom and time.

So it hadn't been difficult to summon Kamuro Masumi without anyone noticing.

--In other words...

Only then did Oreki understand.

He took his phone out of his pocket.

Though it had been disguised well...

He could still recognize the phone he'd owned for years.

"Playing dirty again..."

"She should still have it."

"But...why go to all this trouble?"

Oreki pretended to glance back casually.

But the moment he looked toward Sakayanagi, he saw her watching him with a smile.

This was bad.

He'd better leave quickly.

Meanwhile.

Only after Oreki left the classroom did Kamuro Masumi come out of the bathroom.

--Why am I hiding from that idiot?

--Sigh...

--Whatever. I'll go get that thing.

Kamuro Masumi walked into the classroom.

Just as the text had said, Sakayanagi Arisu was still waiting for her at her seat.

She'd thought Sakayanagi would keep cuddling up to Oreki.

Carrying him on her back and hugging him...

And in public, too.

Was she bold, or did she simply not care what other people thought?

The two sat down together.

"You won't need to help with anything else. You can take a proper rest now."

"Is that so... Then I really am grateful."

"Here. I promised you this earlier."

"Finally."

Kamuro Masumi happily took it from her.

If anyone asked what had kept the unmotivated Kamuro Masumi working on Sakayanagi's assignments...

It was surely the thing she was holding now.

After putting it away, Kamuro Masumi asked Sakayanagi curiously,

"Can you handle them on your own?"

"They're just two little foxes."

"Two?"

"Mm. One from the Shiina Family, and that guy."

Sakayanagi tapped the desk with her index finger, looking intrigued.

She'd thought Ayanokoji was only trying to save Sakura Airi's uncle to win Sakura Airi's trust and gain a small ally in Sakura Tanaka.

But now...

It looked more like he was trying to lure Oreki into investigating her.

Could he be plotting something?

Sakayanagi had thought it over for a long time and sent out plenty of informants.

She couldn't see any plan on Kiyoko's part.

No...

There was actually another possibility.

Besides intelligence, there was another way to conquer someone.

That was force.

The White Room, which called itself a genius cultivation facility, probably couldn't cultivate geniuses.

But it could train people to fight.

After all, physical training was about the only thing it did well.

At least it used the most advanced equipment.

So instead of calling it a genius cultivation facility, it would be more accurate to call it the White Room Gym.

Kiyoko was a girl, sure.

But that didn't mean she couldn't fight.

Oreki was so scrawny... He'd better be careful.

That was what Sakayanagi thought.

But the same warning applied to her, too.

"To be safe, should I send Hashimoto...?"

"He's gone?"

Sakayanagi looked to her right in confusion.

One of the seats there was empty.

But school was already over, so it was normal for a few seats to be empty.

That was what most people would think.

But...

"Is that so? Bat diplomacy, huh, Hashimoto Masayoshi..."

Sakayanagi finally understood why Oreki dared to go head-to-head with Ayanokoji.

He'd already quietly won over quite a few people.

Even Hashimoto Masayoshi, who had long been loyal to Sakayanagi, had been turned by Oreki.

No...

Should she call it a temporary betrayal?

After all, that man only stayed loyal to whoever helped him achieve his own goals.

It didn't matter who it was.

--What is she thinking about? That smile's terrifying...

Kamuro Masumi thought to herself.

She really couldn't get along with Sakayanagi.

At least not right now.

--Sigh. I'd better text that guy Oreki. If Sakayanagi breaks him, I might be next.

So Kamuro Masumi made an excuse to leave.

She went to the bathroom.

After taking out her phone, Kamuro Masumi opened Oreki's email...

Three twenty-five.

Somewhere in the park.

"Ding-a-ling—"

Oreki's phone rang.

It was the one he'd just bought.

Fortunately, his email had no security verification set up, so he could log in with just his username and password.

"Sorry, let me check my messages."

"It's fine. Go ahead, Houtarou. I have plenty of time."

"Mm."

He opened his email and saw the message from Kamuro Masumi.

--This idiot forgot that Sakayanagi still has my phone?

--Sigh... I'd better see what she said first.

Oreki skimmed through it.

It was a little long, but he could sum it up in one sentence.

That was...

Sakayanagi Arisu had found out Hashimoto Masayoshi had switched sides.

"Looks like you don't have to hide in the shadows anymore."

"What do you mean? Could it be..."

"Just what you think."

"This is a disaster. Now you're the only person I can rely on."

"Who knows?"

"Boo-hoo—"

Hashimoto Masayoshi pretended to look utterly pitiful.

He wiped away tears that weren't there.

"That's so mean. I trusted you so much."

"...Some things don't need to be said aloud. Everyone already knows."

"I see. No wonder you're the man I chose."

"Shut up. Don't say things that could be misunderstood."

"Hahaha—"

Oreki shook his head helplessly.

Hashimoto Masayoshi had been secretly looking for a way out while pretending to side with Sakayanagi.

Even before Oreki won him over, he'd already been in contact with Ryuen Kakeru of Class C and Ichinose Honami of Class B.

He'd also left a good impression on them.

That was what they called "bat diplomacy," huh?

No matter who ended up winning, there'd always be a place for Hashimoto Masayoshi at this school.

But that didn't matter.

Because in the end, Oreki would be the one to win.

--Next, I'll bring you down, Ayanokoji.

--Come on, show me what you've got.

--If you solve things with violence, I'll be disappointed...

--To be continued.