The Real Clown

Faced with this deliberate advice, Satsu turned his back to Suzune, raised his left palm to ear level, and gave a slight wave.

"Don't worry, I have always been against using violence to solve problems."

Satsu said to Kuraku, "You just said you wanted to see me make a fool of myself, but I don't think I've ever done anything to wrong you, nor have I ever seen you make a fool of yourself."

"Have I offended you in any way?"

This seemingly cowardly remark couldn't help but draw a scornful laugh from Suzune.

"I thought it was some brilliant strategy; turns out it's just a negotiation that amounts to caving in." (Suzune Horikita)

"Cut the crap, hurry up and choose! Or do you want me to choose for you?" Kuraku had clearly lost his patience, slowly stepping toward Satsu with a clear, threatening intent.

"Everyone makes a fool of themselves, and everyone has done things they regret. Have you ever considered that these things might already be known to others?"

After saying this, Satsu's eyes suddenly lit up.

"There is nothing I have done that I fear you knowing!"

"But that companion of yours, it seems, has a few things."

As Satsu spoke, a playful smile hung on his face, as if he already had the victory in his grasp.

"Hahaha."

Matsuyama let out a few laughs that were clearly forced, saying, "Ridiculous, what could I possibly have to hide? Kuraku, hurry up and finish him!"

"Sae."

These two light, airy words from Satsu hit the hearts of Kuraku and Matsuyama like a heavy bomb.

Drawing from Matsuyama's inner thoughts, countless images flooded into Satsu's mind, and like a storyteller, Satsu began to recount them.

"Your friend Kuraku here likes Sae, but..."

"That girl named Sae is actually your girlfriend, isn't she!"

Not to mention Kuraku, who was staring at Matsuyama in utter shock, even Satsu's tone shifted slightly as he uttered those words.

He struggled to suppress his emotions, making it look as though he had known all along.

"You intended to squeeze points out of Kuraku from the very beginning. You knew he liked Sae, so you went behind his back and pursued her."

"Then you colluded with Sae to have Kuraku support the both of you."

Kuraku finally couldn't take it anymore; he grabbed Matsuyama by the collar in a rage and roared, "Matsuyama! Is what he said true?!"

Matsuyama was truly terrified now. He knew Kuraku's temper; Kuraku had been ready to pick a fight just because Sae had glanced at Satsu.

Looking at what he had done, Kuraku would surely tear him to pieces!

"He's just trying to sow discord, he has no proof!"

"The necklace Kuraku gave to Sae was sold by you. The transfer record is right there on your phone—a deposit of 30,000 points."

"How does this bastard know everything!" (Matsuyama)

Hearing this, Kuraku ignored Matsuyama's resistance and violently tore at the latter's trousers, attempting to grab the phone from his pocket.

Because of the excessive force, Matsuyama's pants ripped, and his underwear was already peeking through.

Suzune also turned her gaze away at the right moment, choosing not to watch any further. At this point, anyone could see that every word Satsu said was true.

Sure enough, that deposit was quickly found by Kuraku, and even the time matched exactly what Satsu had said.

"Sae told me the necklace was accidentally lost."

Kuraku's tone was utterly dejected, but anger gradually gained the upper hand. His speech grew faster, and his voice grew louder.

"I was wondering why Sae suddenly wanted a tablet; it was you who wanted it all along!"

Matsuyama said in a hurried, fearful tone, "I'll pay you back! I'll write you an IOU, I can pay you back!"

As he spoke, Matsuyama tried to shove the tablet into Kuraku's hands, but the latter refused, slapping the device to the ground.

Seeing that Kuraku showed no signs of cooling down, Matsuyama pulled up his torn trousers while saying, "I can break up with Sae, we can discuss anything!"

Although Matsuyama tried his best to avoid exposing himself, that flash of red was still eye-catching.

"Kissing!"

As that tragic scene appeared in Satsu's mind, he spoke without mercy, delivering the final blow to Matsuyama.

"Three days ago, Kuraku went to Sae's room to deliver breakfast. Sae told him to wait outside, saying she needed to get dressed."

"In reality, you were kissing Sae at that very moment! Kuraku stood outside that door for a full half hour!"

At this point, even Satsu began to pity Kuraku: "They all laugh at you, but you're the most laughable of all. You really are a clown!"

"You're from Gotham, right? Can you help me get an autograph from Batman?"

"Oh right, that breakfast was fed to Matsuyama by Sae—mouth to mouth."

Satsu even deliberately emphasized the words "mouth to mouth." They were like a sharp thorn, breaking through Kuraku's final line of defense and piercing deep into the softest part of his heart.

"Matsuyama!"

Kuraku roared and lunged at Matsuyama, tears already streaming uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes. He smashed his fists into Matsuyama one after another, each blow delivered with all his might, and perhaps even a hint of murderous intent.

The two were locked in a brawl, the situation spiraling rapidly out of control. Satsu quietly circled to the side and picked up the tablet from the ground.

"Hmm~ 99 percent, a rare find!"

He spoke in a shrill, piercing voice, but quickly reverted to his normal tone.

"Pity the receipt isn't here, so I can't return it. Guess I'll just have to sell it cheap secondhand."

Seeing that the crisis had been averted, Satsu had no interest in staying to watch the duel, so he sauntered back to Suzune.

"Alright, done. Let's go!"

Suzune's eyes cracked open just a sliver; her pupils darted left and right to assess the surroundings before she let out a soft huff and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait for me!"

Satsu jogged to catch up, but he didn't rush to speak; the scene Kuraku had just caused had completely scrambled the thoughts he had been organizing.

This time, Suzune didn't immediately tell Satsu to leave; she kept her head down, looking lost in thought.

The two walked side by side for some distance, and only when the sounds of Kuraku and the other's scuffle were no longer audible did Suzune speak: "How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

Satsu, still busy reorganizing his thoughts, replied instinctively. Suzune stopped in her tracks, and Satsu followed suit, the two standing face-to-face.

"That business with those two just now—how did you manage to know such details?" Suzune asked.

"Even if you could access student records before enrolling, knowing about something like a kiss is just too exaggerated."

If I told you I could read minds, would you believe me? Satsu really wanted to tell Suzune that, but obviously, he couldn't.

In truth, he hadn't expected the story of those two to be so explosive. Although Satsu had intentionally used his words to guide Kuraku into recalling his past, he had hoped to use it for blackmail. Yet, that simple-minded brute, fueled by rage, hadn't recalled a thing.

Instead, it was Matsuyama, standing by with a guilty conscience, who had started thinking about the "fine work" he'd done. As Satsu spoke, Matsuyama's associations snowballed until they finally exploded.