"Expel Yamauchi?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka repeated Kushida Kikyo's words.
Kushida Kikyo had always harbored an unusual obsession with Yamauchi Haruki, and even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't sure why it was so intense.
'Yare yare, is it because of the mental control?'
Saiki, who was nearby, couldn't help but purse his lips.
Earlier, he had used his mental control to erase Kushida Kikyo's hostility toward them.
However, mental control had a significant drawback: Saiki couldn't predict what would happen after using it.
It seemed that Kushida Kikyo's hostility toward them had been redirected toward Yamauchi Haruki.
[Originally, I planned to use half of my future points as an exchange, but it seems that won't be necessary now.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at her and nodded.
"Alright, deal."
"So, what's your plan?"
"We'll see. I've noticed that the risk of expulsion seems to have increased in recent special exams. If you have any plans to get Yamauchi expelled later, I can cooperate."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.
[Yamauchi has little to no value to this class. In fact, his expulsion might even be beneficial for Class B. After all, it's unlikely anyone in the class has a positive impression of him.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought to himself.
'Yare yare... Has it really come to this? In a way, it's quite pitiful...'
Saiki couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. Yamauchi Haruki's standing in the class was even lower than a piece of chalk.
Earlier, using his telepathy, Saiki had been able to gauge Yamauchi Haruki's standing in the class.
[Yamauchi is so gross.]
[What is this guy even talking about all day?]
[Can he just drop dead already?]
Basically, this was how some students in the class thought about Yamauchi Haruki on a daily basis.
This was largely Yamauchi Haruki's own fault. He had no redeeming qualities, and his personality was terrible. He lacked basic manners and would even mock his classmates over trivial matters, which was the main reason why Sudo Ken and Ike Kanji had gradually distanced themselves from him.
"Whether it's bad deeds or embarrassing pasts, anything that would cause trouble if made public, please tell me."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.
"Let me think... I'll just pick a few to tell you."
Kushida Kikyo, as if finding it amusing, began to share the secrets she knew.
Starting with who liked whom and who disliked whom, she also mentioned students' family situations and past disciplinary records.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka listened expressionlessly.
[Kushida probably doesn't realize my true goal, which is to assess the quality and quantity of the information she possesses. Originally, I needed to confirm these things to get her expelled.]
[But the plan has changed significantly now. Kushida no longer intends to hinder Horikita's growth, so she's no longer a student who needs to be eliminated. However, I still need to learn more about her to ensure she remains aligned with us in the future.]
[To prevent future problems, I must first gauge the destructive power of the bombs she holds.]
As Ayanokoji Kiyotaka listened to the information Kushida Kikyo shared, his mind raced.
[Kushida has an overwhelming information network. Her thorough investigation of that information, who she heard rumors from, how many people know about those rumors, and her deep understanding of students' personalities and secrets are terrifying. At least in terms of gathering information within the school, I can confidently say no first-year surpasses Kushida.]
Even Saiki couldn't help but admire her abilities.
Despite having telepathy, Saiki didn't know this much—mainly because he wasn't particularly interested in such matters.
"I see..."
"Is any of it useful?"
Kushida Kikyo asked with a smile.
[I didn't reveal everything, of course. I need to keep some things from Ayanokoji.]
'Yare yare, my invisibility is about to run out.'
Saiki felt his invisibility wearing off and had no choice but to leave Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's room and return to his own, pondering his next move.
'Ayanokoji plans to mimic Sakayanagi's method from today and send letters to the entire grade? I need to find a way to counter this.'
Saiki narrowed his eyes slightly.
The next day, February 12th, seemed like any other ordinary day.
After school, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka found Kamishiro Masumi and asked her to help him print and distribute the letters containing various rumors.
After all, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Sakayanagi Arisu had temporarily formed a partnership, aiming to defeat Saiki in this incident—
And Saiki had only learned about this yesterday.
Late at night, the school was quiet, and a few people secretly gathered in front of the first-year dormitory.
It was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Sakayanagi Arisu, and her lackeys.
"It's so cold... I didn't think we'd have to do this again."
Hashimoto Masayoshi complained as he stuffed stacks of letters into the students' mailboxes.
Meanwhile, Sakayanagi Arisu pulled Ayanokoji Kiyotaka aside and smiled at him.
"So, this should be the end of it, right? I heard Ichinose even got sick because of this."
"After this, Ichinose should be able to recover and might even become stronger mentally."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.
"I wasted the chance to crush Ichinose just to duel you."
Sakayanagi Arisu maintained her smile.
"You never intended to crush Ichinose in the first place, did you? You did this just to get my attention."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at Sakayanagi Arisu, his gaze devoid of emotion but seemingly able to see through her completely.
"Oh?"
"If it weren't for Saiki's appearance, you would've used the people around you to get close to me and provide information about Ichinose's past in the same way, right?"
"Interesting theory."
Sakayanagi Arisu narrowed her eyes slightly.
"But my goal has been achieved—to cooperate with you on this matter in exchange for a chance to duel you later. Once we defeat Saiki, it'll be our turn to duel, right?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't respond.
But in his heart, a thought had already formed.
[A duel is only fair when both sides are evenly matched. Sakayanagi, you're not quite there yet.]
"I wonder what will happen at school tomorrow? I can't help but feel curious! So many rumors are being spread."
Sakayanagi Arisu looked up at the night sky and spoke slowly.
About ten minutes later, Hashimoto Masayoshi and the others had finished stuffing all the letters into the first-year students' mailboxes. With nearly 160 students across four classes, it wasn't an easy task.
After completing this, they quickly left the dormitory and returned to their rooms, as this operation couldn't be known by others.
However, they didn't realize that after they left, a figure emerged from the shadows.
Saiki.
'Yare yare, they're finally gone.'
Earlier, while Hashimoto Masayoshi and the others were working, Saiki had been hiding nearby, observing their actions.
'I can't let this situation get any worse. If those rumors spread, the school will be in chaos.'
Saiki thought to himself.
Not only to prevent the situation from worsening—but also to ensure Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and the others didn't get their way—Saiki naturally had to take action.
He snapped his fingers, and the nearby security cameras turned away. At the same time, the letters that had just been stuffed into the mailboxes seemed to gain a life of their own, slipping out of the narrow slots and piling up in mid-air.
Saiki raised his hand again, and flames appeared at his fingertips, instantly burning the letters to ashes.
'The rumor situation is pretty much settled. Now, onto the next task.'
Saiki thought to himself, then used his teleportation ability to head to another location—
The teachers' dormitory.
The next morning.
Sakayanagi Arisu left her room and headed to the classroom.
[According to yesterday's actions, the order within each class might be disrupted, right? After all, there were some pretty heavy statements in those letters.]
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled as she looked around at the students—
But found nothing unusual.
The other students were either chatting or studying, seemingly no different from usual.
"What's going on? Did they not notice the letters in their mailboxes? Strange... But it's true that few students check their mailboxes in the morning. Maybe there'll be a noticeable reaction after school."
Although Sakayanagi Arisu muttered this to herself, she couldn't shake a sense of unease. She immediately called Hashimoto Masayoshi and asked him to check the situation in the other classes.
About ten minutes later, Hashimoto Masayoshi hurriedly reported what he had seen to Sakayanagi Arisu:
"Sakayanagi, there's nothing unusual in the other classes!"
"Strange... There's still some time before the first class. Hashimoto, go check the mailboxes."
A sense of foreboding crept into Sakayanagi Arisu's heart.
Meanwhile, in Class B's classroom, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was also quietly observing the students around him.
[There's nothing unusual in the class. Strange, normally someone would've noticed the letters by now. Especially since the same thing happened yesterday, they should've been more vigilant about checking their mailboxes.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt a hint of confusion, then shifted his gaze to Saiki beside him.
[Could Saiki have done something?]
'Yare yare, it's psychic powers.'
Saiki thought to himself.
About ten minutes later, Chabashira Sae entered the classroom with a serious expression.
"Regarding the first period's homeroom, I have something important to say."
Chabashira Sae spoke in a stern tone.
"The school has noticed the recent spread of various rumors, not just on the school forum but also through anonymous letters. This has caused significant disruption to the school's order. Starting today, any malicious spreading of rumors is strictly prohibited. Students who cause serious disturbances will be punished, possibly even expelled."
[Strange. Although my goal was to prompt the school to take this seriously, the progress is too fast. Normally, it would take at least a few days for the situation to escalate. Why did the school act so quickly? Moreover, there's no sign of any other rumors spreading among the first-year students... Did yesterday's letters not work?]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka couldn't make sense of the situation.
'It's also psychic powers.'
At that moment, Saiki's lips curled into a slight smile.
After dealing with the letters last night, Saiki had gone straight to the teachers' dormitory and used his psychic powers—mental control—on them.
Shiina Hiyori and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's plans had given Saiki an idea. If he could get the school to take notice, he could easily resolve the situation.
So, Saiki used his mental control to make the teachers take this matter seriously.
Moreover, this way, no one would suspect Saiki was behind it.
The plan was a success.
Almost simultaneously, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's phone vibrated slightly. He received a message from Sakayanagi Arisu, asking him to meet her at a certain location after school at noon.
During lunch break, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka arrived at the agreed-upon location.
At that moment, the girl with the cute appearance had an anxious look on her face.
"Ayanokoji, do you know what's going on?"
"I had Hashimoto and the others check this morning. There were no letters in the mailboxes, even though we definitely stuffed them in yesterday!"
"Not only that, but even though nothing happened, the teachers seem to be getting involved!"
Sakayanagi Arisu spoke quickly.
"I don't know."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could only give this answer.