"Monolith Code relies on teamwork, right? I don't know those Course 1 Students very well. If you suddenly made me compete, I'm afraid it might backfire. I think I'd better pass." Yunyi came up with an excuse for himself.
Mayumi Saegusa felt somewhat helpless when she heard that, but it was true, and she couldn't very well force him.
"Then what events are you planning to enter? Speed Shooting? Battle Board? Or Crowd Ball or Icicle Destruction?"
Yunyi thought for a moment, then gave his answer.
"Icicle Destruction. I have some suitable magic, so I should be able to get a good result. But, Mayumi, since I'm competing, I think I might as well go straight into the main competition. As for the rookie competition, uh..." Yunyi found himself at a loss for words. He didn't know how to describe the rookie competition. If he said something like, "Everyone on the other side is a weakling who isn't worthy of playing with me," he might end up getting a sack thrown over his head and a beating, right?
Mayumi Saegusa rolled her eyes. She knew what Yunyi meant, of course. But she actually felt the same way. First High School had already been hoping to secure its third consecutive championship at this Nine Schools Competition, and that was the result she wanted too. Having Yunyi as a hidden trump card was a good thing for First High School.
It would take some effort to convince the others to let Yunyi participate in the Nine Schools Competition, though, and having him go straight into the main competition would make things even trickier.
Hearing Yunyi's words, Miyuki Shiba, who was beside them, couldn't help thinking about entering the main competition herself. Unlike Yunyi, however, she intended to discuss it with her brother before deciding what to do.
With matters settled there, the three left the simulation area. After all, the three of them wandering around attracted attention and had affected the normal operation of the evaluations to some extent.
After they returned to the Student Council room, Mayumi Saegusa began dealing with the backlog of work. Yunyi had planned to slip away, but this time she finally caught him.
Watching Yunyi sit at the terminal, gritting his teeth as he helped with the work, Mayumi Saegusa couldn't help smiling. She was in a good mood, and her work efficiency naturally rose quite a bit as well.
Not until the bell rang at the end of the school day did the two finally finish all the accumulated work. Yunyi shot Mayumi Saegusa an irritated glare, only for her to respond with an emoji sticking its tongue out at him!
Actually, Yunyi didn't particularly dislike this kind of school life. Or rather, this was the peaceful life he had hoped for. But for now, it was only possible because they were at school, free from outside interference. Once they graduated, days like these would probably be gone forever. To change that future, the plan had to continue! Yunyi reaffirmed his resolve once more.
The school had been preparing for the Nine Schools Competition lately, and Mayumi Saegusa still had to work on securing Yunyi a spot, so naturally she couldn't leave with him. Besides, she had already spent the previous night at Yunyi's house. If she didn't go home today either, it might really cause some trouble.
After seeing Yunyi off, Mayumi Saegusa sat alone in the Student Council room. She calmed herself and sorted through what had happened over the past two days, but in the end, she couldn't help laughing.
If someone had told her half a month ago that she would find someone to pretend to be her boyfriend, she would have laughed in surprise. But now that it had actually happened, she found herself puzzled. What exactly had made her do it? Was it really just because she was tired of her father's constant urging? Was it an act of resistance against an arranged marriage? Or was it because she really did have feelings for Yunyi?
"No, Mayumi, you can't. He's from the Great Asian Alliance. There can be no future for the two of you."
Mayumi Saegusa shook her head hard, dispelling the confused thoughts that had surfaced in her mind.
Looking at the gradually darkening sky outside the window, Mayumi Saegusa sat curled up in her chair, resting her chin on her knees.
"Yunyi-kun, if only you were Japanese."
After returning home, Yunyi made himself something simple to eat, intending to make do with that for dinner.
But as he sat alone at the table eating, he felt a little lonely.
Ever since leaving the Great Asian Alliance, he had lived alone. Although he made friends, he rarely invited them to his home.
Yet Mayumi Saegusa's appearance seemed to have broken down an emotional barrier, making him feel lonely once again, though he had long since grown accustomed to and ignored that loneliness.
"Forget it. I'll go interrogate that guy Hajime Tsukasa."
Yunyi tossed his chopsticks onto the table, rose, and headed for the basement.
In the basement, Hajime Tsukasa sat dejectedly in the middle of the room, motionless. When the door opened, his eyelids twitched a few times, but no life returned to his vacant eyes.
"Well, Mr. Branch Chief of Blanche, are you satisfied with my hospitality?" Yunyi asked with a chuckle.
Hajime Tsukasa's body trembled. He was hungry and exhausted, and his strength was already on the verge of giving out. His mind had long since collapsed under the pressure of this bizarre room. As a result, he couldn't give any meaningful response to Yunyi's question.
But Yunyi didn't think so. He closed the door, sealing the room again, then took an iron rod from his pocket and pressed it against one of the walls, which had been cast from a special material.
"Screeeech~~"
As he dragged the iron rod forcefully along the wall, a piercing sound rang out, making the hairs all over one's body stand on end. It bounced off the surrounding walls, and moments later, the room had become a hell of sound.
The instant the sound began, the previously dazed Hajime Tsukasa raised his hands to cover his ears. He fell to the floor, his body convulsing continuously.
After an unknown length of time, the sound gradually faded. Yunyi opened the door to the sealed room.
"Now, I have a few questions for you. As long as you can answer them, I'll let you leave."
Hearing Yunyi's words, Hajime Tsukasa, who had seemed utterly lifeless, immediately pushed himself up as though experiencing a final burst of vitality.
"Let me go! Let me go!! I'm begging you, let me go! I won't dare do it again! I won't!!!"
Having gone without food or a drop of water for more than a day, Hajime Tsukasa's voice had become extremely hoarse, and the sound of his pleading made Yunyi very uncomfortable.
Yunyi tossed the sandwich he was holding to Hajime Tsukasa, then pulled a bottle of water from his pocket and threw it over as well.
"Eat. This is your reward."
To Hajime Tsukasa, Yunyi should have been the embodiment of a devil. It was his appearance that had led to the destruction of Blanche's branch. Yet when he saw the sandwich and water Yunyi had thrown him, Hajime Tsukasa felt that Yunyi was not a devil, but an angel! An angel sent from above to give a sinner like him a chance at redemption!