A Few Chaotic and Complicated Days (3)

--Giving away three hundred thousand just like that.

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

--Oh well.

Oreki sighed inwardly.

Rich young ladies really are willful.

But never mind.

He had already deduced the entire sequence of events.

When it came down to it, writing "Love" on an omelet rice with ketchup was completely unlike something Sakayanagi Arisu would do.

At least, not yet.

If she were to be groomed into a devoted wife later on...

Perhaps there might be a chance.

Since it wasn't something Sakayanagi would do, why did it happen?

There is only one truth.

And that is...

To create an atmosphere of shyness.

In such an atmosphere, both boys and girls would become bashful and innocent.

Usually, sleeping in the same room wouldn't be an issue.

Because the thought of anything like that simply wouldn't cross one's mind.

But under these circumstances...

It is easy to be pushed by the atmosphere and cross that line.

People with high IQs certainly wouldn't act on impulse.

Take Oreki, for example.

He sensibly took a nap on the sofa.

In this way, Sakayanagi's goal had already been achieved.

She had both lowered Houtarou's guard and gained the space and time she needed for herself.

Therefore, calling Kamuro Masumi over quietly was no difficult task.

--In other words...

Oreki finally caught on.

He took his phone out of his pocket.

Although it was well-disguised...

It was something he had used for years, so Oreki could still recognize it.

"Playing dirty again..."

"It should still be in her hands."

"But... what is the point of doing this?"

Oreki pretended to look back unintentionally.

But the moment he glanced toward Sakayanagi, he found her looking at him with a smile on her face.

This is bad.

Better leave quickly.

On the other side.

After Oreki left the classroom, Kamuro Masumi finally emerged from the restroom.

--Why am I hiding from this idiot.

--Sigh...

--Forget it, time to go get that thing.

Kamuro Masumi walked into the classroom.

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

She had assumed Sakayanagi would continue being lovey-dovey with Oreki.

Piggybacking and hugging...

And in a public place, no less.

Should one call it bold, or simply a complete disregard for others?

After the two sat down together.

"You won't need to do anything further from here on out. You can get some well-deserved rest."

"Is that so... Then I truly appreciate it."

"Hey, I'm keeping the promise I made to you earlier."

"Finally."

Kamuro Masumi accepted it with delight.

If one were to ask what kept the unmotivated Kamuro Masumi going, pushing her to complete the tasks Sakayanagi assigned...

It was undoubtedly the item she now held in her hands.

After tucking it away, Kamuro Masumi asked Sakayanagi with curiosity.

"Can you handle this on your own?"

"They are merely two little foxes."

"Two?"

"Yes. One from the Shiina family, and that guy."

Sakayanagi tapped her index finger against the table with great interest.

She had initially assumed Ayanokoji only wanted to save Sakura Airi's uncle to win Sakura Airi's trust and gain Sakura Tanaka as a small backer.

But looking at it now...

It seemed like he was baiting Oreki into investigating her, didn't it?

Could there be some sort of conspiracy?

Yet, Sakayanagi had pondered it for a long time and dispatched many informants.

She could not discern any plan Kiyoko might have.

No...

There was actually one other possibility.

Beyond intellect, there is another way to conquer someone.

That is force.

The White Room, which calls itself a genius cultivation base, likely cannot produce geniuses.

But it can produce people who can fight.

Because the only thing they do well in there is physical training.

At the very least, they use the most advanced machinery.

Therefore, rather than a genius cultivation base, it would be better to call it the White Room Gym.

Kiyoko is a woman, that is true.

But that does not mean she cannot fight.

Oreki's frail frame... it would be best to be careful.

So thought Sakayanagi.

But that sentiment applied just as much to herself.

"Just in case, should I send Hashimoto to...?"

"Gone?"

Sakayanagi looked to her right in confusion.

There was an empty seat there.

However, school was already over, so a few empty seats were nothing out of the ordinary.

An average person would certainly think so.

But...

"Is that how it is? Bat diplomacy, huh, Hashimoto Masayoshi..."

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

It turned out he had already secretly recruited quite a few people.

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

No...

Should it be called a temporary betrayal?

After all, that man would only be loyal to whoever could help him achieve his own goals.

It didn't matter who it was.

What is she thinking about? Her smile is terrifying...

Kamuro Masumi thought to herself from the side.

As expected, she still couldn't get along with Sakayanagi Arisu.

At least, not for now.

Sigh, I should send a text to that guy Oreki. If he ends up getting broken by Sakayanagi, I might be next.

With that, Kamuro Masumi found an excuse to leave.

She arrived at the restroom.

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

Three twenty-five.

Somewhere in the park.

"Ding—"

Oreki's phone chimed.

This was the one he had just bought.

Fortunately, he hadn't set up any security verification for his email, so he could log in with just his account and password.

"Sorry, let me check a message."

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

"Yeah."

He opened his inbox and saw the text message sent by Kamuro Masumi.

That idiot, did she forget that my phone is still with Sakayanagi?

Sigh... let's see what she has to say first.

Oreki scanned through it.

Although the content was a bit long, it could be summarized in one sentence.

That was...

Sakayanagi Arisu had discovered that Hashimoto Masayoshi had betrayed her.

"It seems you don't have to hide in the shadows anymore."

"What do you mean? Don't tell me..."

"Exactly what you're thinking."

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

"Who knows?"

"Waaah—"

Hashimoto Masayoshi feigned a pitiful expression.

He wiped away tears that didn't exist.

"That's too cruel, especially when I trusted you so much."

"...Some things don't need to be said out loud; we both know how it is."

"I see, as expected of the man I chose."

"Shut up. Don't use such misleading phrasing."

"Hahaha—"

Oreki shook his head helplessly.

Hashimoto Masayoshi had been hiding from Sakayanagi while searching for an exit strategy all along.

Before being recruited by him, he had already made contact with Ryuen Kakeru of Class C and Ichinose Honami of Class B.

And he had left a decent impression on them.

This was what one might call "bat diplomacy."

No matter who ultimately emerged victorious, there would always be a place for Hashimoto Masayoshi in this school.

But that didn't matter.

Because the one who would ultimately win was Oreki himself.

The next step is to crush you, Ayanokoji.

Come on, let's see what you can bring to the table.

If you try to solve this with violence, I'll be disappointed...

--To be continue