Sakayanagi Arisu

"Kato Satsu..."

Arisu softly repeated the name. "You mean the handsome guy who got two second-years expelled just two days after the school year began?"

"Just now, he also got a staff member to leave the school."

Narimori's expression was serious. "But word of this will be kept under wraps."

"Oh?"

"Is Father worried the school will be empty in less than a year at this rate?" Arisu joked.

"No. There's a deeper reason."

Seeing that her father didn't want to discuss it, Arisu didn't press him further.

She nodded lightly and said calmly, "I understand. Since you've gone out of your way to ask me to think of a solution..."

"Then I assume there's something special about this person that makes it impossible for you to force him to withdraw?"

"More or less. Here's his file. You'll understand once you've read it."

As he spoke, Narimori placed a document on the table.

Seeing that it was just a single, flimsy sheet of paper, Arisu couldn't help feeling curious.

After all, the school investigated its incoming students very thoroughly. It was basically impossible for a student's entire file to fit on a single sheet of paper.

The moment she saw what was written on it, Arisu cried out in shock, "That's impossible!"

The paper contained only three lines: Satsu's name, and the fact that he hadn't taken the interview or written exam.

In other words, the file said one thing: there was no information about anyone named Kato Satsu.

"Without taking the written exam and interview, he couldn't have enrolled unless Father personally approved it."

"Since Father wants him expelled, that means he wasn't someone you admitted."

"But the other party did, in fact, bypass me and get him into the school. That leaves only one possibility." Narimori picked up the thread.

Their eyes flashed with intelligence at the same time. Their father-daughter rapport was on full display as they spoke in unison.

"Impersonation!"

"There was someone named Kato Satsu who took the written exam and interview, but it wasn't the person here now."

"After the real Kato Satsu enrolled, they changed the school's system."

"That's the most frightening part. I don't know why they went to the trouble of replacing the records with the real Satsu's information, but to alter the school's system without anyone noticing..."

The father and daughter talked back and forth, gradually untangling the complicated situation.

"Father, it seems someone has their eyes on the school, and we've been dragged into some kind of conspiracy."

At Arisu's words, Narimori didn't answer right away. He slowly walked to the window and felt the cold night wind against his face.

He couldn't help thinking of the name Wolf Spider had told him: "The Web."

"The Web... Wolf Spider."

"What?"

Hearing Narimori mutter to himself, Arisu asked in confusion.

"Arisu, beneath the vault of night, the spider is weaving its deadly web according to its own design."

"We must sever every dangling silver thread. Otherwise..."

"We can only watch in despair as we're devoured!"

Narimori didn't look at Arisu. He stared quietly at the nighttime view of the campus. His stern expression was reflected in the spotless glass; the atmosphere was heavy, but not lifeless.

Arisu didn't respond. Instead, she got up and left the room.

The gathering in the restaurant continued.

They couldn't stay in the private room, so everyone had moved to the main dining area. Their tables were set with their favorite foods, though there wasn't much of it.

The enormous crash Yamauchi had caused earlier had dampened everyone's appetite. And since they didn't want to waste food, everyone had ordered only a moderate amount.

Everyone except Yamauchi. He took the menu and ordered without holding back, deliberately picking the expensive dishes, especially all kinds of seafood, without considering whether he could finish them.

There were plenty of people in the dining area. When the servers kept bringing food to Yamauchi, everyone's attention was drawn to him.

"Where'd that bottomless pit come from?" (Unnamed boy)

"Is something wrong with his head? He's wearing such a fitted suit and still eating this much. Isn't he worried he'll burst?" (Sharp-tongued girl)

Looking at the food piled almost into a mountain in front of Yamauchi, Kikyo couldn't help asking, "Can you really eat all that, Yamauchi?"

"I'll just take my time."

As he spoke, Yamauchi looked at Satsu and said in an affectedly sweet voice that didn't suit a grown man at all, "You don't mind, do you, Satsu? I just have a bit of an appetite."

You little punk. That'll teach you to show off and treat everyone. I'll bleed you dry. (Haruki Yamauchi)

"What the hell is wrong with you?" (Kato Satsu)

Out loud, Satsu naturally said it was fine and chatted amiably with the others.

With his mind-reading ability, Satsu could respond perfectly to every topic. Before long, he had the whole table eating out of his hand.

"You're so good with words, Kato, and you've got a face like that. You must've dated plenty of girls, right?"

Yamauchi suddenly threw out the question, dousing the lively atmosphere like a bucket of ice water.

Everyone turned to look at Yamauchi, then at Satsu, waiting for his answer.

"He sure knows how to pick a topic." (Ayanokoji Kiyotaka)

"Can't that horny baboon just eat in peace for once?" (Kikyo Kushida)

"If Satsu admits it, he's saying he's a player. If he denies it, he'll basically be saying he's useless—someone with all those advantages and not even a girlfriend." (Haruka Hasebe)

Satsu didn't choose to lie. Instead, he answered frankly, "Actually, that's not the case. I've always hoped to find a girl who truly understands me."

"So, at the end of the day, you just aren't charming enough. Looks alone aren't enough. What really matters is what's on the inside." Yamauchi spoke almost as if he were an elder lecturing a child.

He even pointed at Satsu, seemingly treating him as the weaker one.

Just then, a commotion broke out near the restaurant entrance. When everyone looked over, they saw a petite, fair-skinned, adorable girl.

She had a strikingly beautiful short bob of pale purple hair that reached her shoulders, and a pair of purple eyes.

A gray ribbon was tied around her black beret. She wore a girls' school uniform with white thigh-high socks and garters. The cane in her hand silently announced her physical disability.

"That looks like Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A," Kikyo said calmly.

Looking at Arisu by the entrance, Yamauchi suddenly came up with a devilish idea.

"Perfect. Watch closely, Kato. I'll show you a man's charm!" Yamauchi said, starting toward the entrance.

"You're not going to ask her for her contact information, are you?" Hasebe asked incredulously.

"Of course I am. A girl like that won't be able to resist me."

"If I can get her contact information, I can prove to Kikyo just how popular I am." (Haruki Yamauchi)

Satsu was nearly laughing himself silly inside. It was genuinely hard to keep the corners of his mouth from twitching.

"Why don't we make a bet, Yamauchi? Let's bet on whether you can get her contact information," Satsu suddenly said.

"Sure. But it'd be boring if I did it alone. We'll take turns going up to her. Whoever gets it wins."

"If you fail, you'll call me your big brother and bring me tea every day," Yamauchi said scornfully.

Satsu readily replied, "Then if you lose, you'll pay for your own meal!"