Sakayanagi Places Her Bet

The first time Sakayanagi seriously heard the name "Gu Heng" was in an incomplete report.

The setting was nothing special.

Just Class A's study room after class.

Leaning against the window, Hashimoto passed along a few bits of gossip he had just heard, his tone carrying a hint of amusement at the unfolding spectacle.

"Class C has been probing Class D lately," he said. "They're mainly watching neither Horikita nor Sudo."

"It's a freshman named Gu Heng."

Sakayanagi sat in her chair, the book in her hands still open to the same page.

She merely raised her eyes.

"Gu Heng?"

"Yeah." Hashimoto smiled. "I heard that quite a few things happening in Class D lately were pushed along by him."

"Ryuuen seems to have started remembering that name too."

Only then did Sakayanagi's lips curve faintly.

She withdrew her fingertips from the edge of the page and rested them gently on the cover.

Seeing that motion, Hashimoto fell silent as well.

Ryuuen had started remembering the name of a Class D student.

That was more worthy of attention than simply saying Class D had produced someone with a bit of brains.

"Interesting," Sakayanagi said softly.

Hashimoto raised a brow.

"You're going to get involved?"

"No." Sakayanagi closed her book, her voice still quiet. "I'm just taking a look first."

"Someone who can make the lowest-ranked class take shape so quickly isn't worth confronting immediately."

"They're worth observing first."

Hashimoto said nothing more.

Watching Sakayanagi press the spine of the book into her palm, the amusement on his face gradually faded.

Sakayanagi did not speak again. She simply set the book down at the corner of the desk.

The corner of the book made a faint sound against the tabletop.

That evening, Gu Heng met Sakayanagi Arisu for the first time in the corridor outside the library.

What he heard first was the soft tap of a cane.

Tap.

Tap.

The sound was quiet.

Yet steady.

When Gu Heng looked up, he first saw the silent figure accompanying her. Only then did his gaze rise to meet those smiling eyes, eyes that held not the slightest trace of condescension.

"Gu Heng."

When she spoke his name, it sounded as though she were merely confirming it in passing.

Yet Gu Heng's vision flickered lightly.

Transparent text surfaced, then quickly stabilized.

Interest 91

Observation 88

Testing 79

The numbers were steady.

So was their order.

Gu Heng's hand paused on the spine of his book.

The numbers did not jump around.

They hung there steadily, as if someone had flattened them in advance.

"You know me?" Gu Heng asked.

"I just got to know you." Sakayanagi smiled. "But your name traveled faster today than I expected."

Gu Heng watched her without replying at once.

Class A.

Sakayanagi.

Ryuuen's pressure would hit him head-on first.

But Sakayanagi merely stood there, the tip of her cane resting lightly against the floor.

She did not move closer.

Yet those smiling eyes had already measured him from head to toe.

"Looks like I have been a little conspicuous lately," Gu Heng said flatly.

"Not conspicuous." Sakayanagi shook her head gently. "It's just that traces are easier to spot than sounds."

Gu Heng's gaze shifted slightly at those words.

"For example?" he asked.

Sakayanagi's smile did not fade.

"For example, Ryuuen has already reached out."

"Has he touched bone?" Gu Heng asked.

"If he had, he would not merely have people keep watching."

Gu Heng fell silent for a second.

"So you came to find me to warn me?" Gu Heng asked.

"No," Sakayanagi said. "I only came to confirm something."

"Confirm what?"

"Whether you're the kind of person who shines once, then quickly burns out."

She said it softly.

Softly enough to sound almost polite.

Yet the air of superiority within it was not concealed in the slightest.

After speaking, her smile remained unchanged, but her fingertips lightly tapped the handle of her cane.

Gu Heng loosened his grip on the book spine slightly, and a faint curve pressed onto his lips.

"So, have you confirmed it now?"

"Not yet," Sakayanagi said. "But I'm willing to invest a little patience first."

Gu Heng looked at her.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"A bet," Sakayanagi replied, her tone as gentle as ever.

At those words, Gu Heng's fingers slowly tightened around the spine of his book.

The more casually she said it, the less anyone dared take it as an offhand remark.

"Betting too early makes it easy to lose," Gu Heng said.

"That's precisely why the odds are higher when it's early," Sakayanagi replied with a smile.

"Then you may have picked the wrong table."

"Have I?"

The tip of Sakayanagi's cane lightly touched the floor.

"Gu Heng, if you really were just passing through, why not deny it outright?"

Hashimoto stood beside her without making a sound.

Only when he saw Gu Heng's knuckles pause against the spine of his book did he put away the amusement in his expression.

"Should I thank you for thinking so highly of me?" Gu Heng asked.

"No need." Sakayanagi gently shook her head. "Rather than thanks, I'd prefer that you not disappoint me too quickly."

"Otherwise, the little bit of patience I invested in advance will have been wasted."

After saying that, the tip of her cane lightly tapped the floor.

Tap.

The sound was not loud.

Yet it seemed to place the period on this meeting in advance.

"Oh, right." As though suddenly remembering something, Sakayanagi added, "There are many people who can make a class start following rules."

"But whether those rules can begin moving depends on the first rain."

As those words fell, the vigilance in Gu Heng's eyes flickered again.

The numbers above her head did not change.

"I'll remember that," Gu Heng said.

Sakayanagi smiled softly, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

The taps of her cane against the floor gradually faded away.

Hashimoto followed behind her. After taking a few steps, he could not help turning back to look at Gu Heng.

"You're pretty lucky," he said with a smile. "Not many people get Sakayanagi to come take a look in person."

Gu Heng did not answer.

He simply stood where he was for another two seconds before withdrawing his gaze.

The echo of that cane tap still lingered at the end of the corridor.

It was not loud.

Yet it made Gu Heng's fingertips pause against the book spine once more.

The following morning, when Sae Chabashira entered the classroom, she carried an extra stack of papers.

Without any preamble, she placed them directly on the podium.

"Preliminary declaration forms for the special exam."

"One for each of you."

A murmur immediately spread through the classroom.

Chabashira swept her gaze across the room and continued.

"Physical fitness, health condition, roles you can take on, personal points held, whether you have wilderness experience—fill everything out and submit it before school ends today."

"Also, the class must produce a basic division-of-labor plan as soon as possible."

"Don't even think about half-assing it."

"Every word you write on those forms will become a real cost in the special exam later."

At that, even the back rows grew noticeably quieter.

Because unlike the broad framework laid out in the auditorium—

This was a form.

It had names.

Everyone had to lay their cards on the table.

Chabashira handed out the papers one by one, her voice cold and even.

"Also, the school only cares about results."

"How you coordinate within the class, who takes responsibility, who cleans up the mess—I don't care."

"But if you still can't produce a decent organizational plan before the official exam—"

"Class D will die an ugly death."

The moment the paper reached Gu Heng's desk, he lowered his eyes and glanced at it.

There were many categories.

And they were detailed.

Detailed enough to lay all of Class D out again from scratch.

Horikita had already begun reading with a frown.

Holding his form, Hirata's first instinct was to check the expressions of everyone else in the class.

Sudo, meanwhile, muttered a curse.

"What the hell is wrong with this school? We even have to report this?"

"Welcome to Advanced Nurturing." Gu Heng unfolded the form, his tone calm. "This isn't a small four-person division of labor anymore."

"The round where we truly have to pull the whole class together has begun."