"Shiina-san, I don't want to resort to violence, but why should I go and save Ryuen of all people?"
Ishizaki Daichi continued to bluff, but there was no confidence left in his voice.
"Ishizaki-kun, I'm well aware of what happened between you and Ryuen-kun. It was all a lie, wasn't it? The one who truly defeated Ryuen wasn't you, but Saiki-kun, right?"
Shiina Hiyori cut straight to the point.
"I've already confirmed this."
"I…"
Both Ishizaki Daichi and Ibuki Mio were momentarily at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond. They exchanged glances, and after a long pause, Ibuki Mio finally spoke up.
"When did you find out?"
"About a month after Ryuen was defeated. Saiki-kun confirmed it with me."
"Now that you mention it, I remember you and Saiki… being quite close."
When Ibuki Mio mentioned the name Saiki, her heart seemed to skip a beat.
"Yes, Saiki-kun and I are very close book friends."
A smile blossomed on Shiina Hiyori's face.
"Have you told anyone else about this?"
Ishizaki Daichi asked.
"No, there's no benefit to our Class D if I do."
"But you said you have a way to save Ryuen?"
Ibuki Mio asked urgently.
"Yes, but I can't guarantee it. I'm just offering a possibility."
Shiina Hiyori replied.
"Why are you helping Ryuen…? I remember you didn't want to get involved in any conflicts. If that's the case… your values should be in direct opposition to Ryuen's."
"That's true. I've never approved of Ryuen-kun's methods, but I also can't deny his abilities. If Class D wants to move forward, we absolutely need Ryuen-kun's strength."
Shiina Hiyori spoke slowly.
"I see… So, what do you think we should do to save Ryuen?"
Ibuki Mio inquired.
"We'll have to ask someone for help."
Shiina Hiyori's face lit up with a smile again, as if she was looking forward to what she was about to say.
"If it's Saiki-kun, he'll definitely have a way to solve this."
Meanwhile, in the girls' dormitory of Class C.
Ichinose Honami's face was filled with hesitation. After thinking for several seconds, she finally mustered the courage to take out her phone and dial a number.
"Nagumo-senpai, it's Ichinose."
"Ah, Honami? Are you calling about that matter from before?"
Nagumo Miyabi's cheerful voice came through the phone.
"Yes, I wanted to confirm it with you again…"
Ichinose Honami's voice trembled slightly.
"The conditions I proposed won't change. You'll need to collect all the points from your classmates, leaving nothing behind. Gather as many personal points as possible. I won't allow you to receive help without everyone sharing the burden."
"Yes, I thought so too. That's why I've already tallied up our class's personal points."
"How much are you short?"
"4,043,019 points."
"I see. If it's just that amount, I can handle it with minimal burden, though I'll inevitably have to bear a significant disadvantage in future exams."
"Yes…"
Ichinose Honami nodded. She was well aware that four million points was no small number.
"I'm really sorry. This is such a selfish request."
"It's fine. This is just like you, not wanting to abandon anyone. But remember, there's another condition for me lending you these points, right?"
In the Class 2-A dormitory, a sly smile appeared on Nagumo Miyabi's face.
"…Yes, that condition… to date you, right?"
Ichinose Honami swallowed hard.
Nagumo Miyabi would never help Ichinose Honami out of the goodness of his heart.
His reason for doing this was to achieve a goal he had failed to accomplish before.
To make Ichinose Honami his.
"Yes, if you accept that condition, I can transfer the personal points immediately."
Nagumo Miyabi said with a smile.
"…The deadline is Friday night, right?"
"Are you still hesitating? Don't you want to avoid any sacrifices in your class?"
"Of course… but I'm still a bit uneasy… I need some more time to think."
"Don't forget, I'm a man who values punctuality."
Nagumo Miyabi said with a laugh.
"Alright, I'll contact you later."
After saying this, Ichinose Honami hung up the phone.
[Nagumo-senpai proposed such a condition…]
Ichinose Honami hugged her phone, her gaze becoming somewhat melancholic.
The person who had once nearly pushed her into the abyss was now proposing such a condition. It was hard for Ichinose Honami to accept.
[But… I have no other choice…]
Ichinose Honami didn't want to lose any of her classmates. For that, she was willing to pay any price.
[After all, I was already on the edge of a cliff before… Thanks to Saiki-kun… Wait… If it's Saiki-kun…]
Ichinose Honami seemed to have found a lifeline in the turbulent river.
At the same time, in a café, Saiki and his study group were discussing the ongoing exam.
The focus of their discussion was none other than Yamauchi Haruki and Hirata Yosuke.
Because Yamauchi Haruki had tried to persuade others to vote for Saiki, he had earned the ire of the entire group. Almost everyone had decided to vote for him. The other topic was Hirata Yosuke's unusual behavior.
None of them had ever seen Hirata Yosuke like this before.
"Saiki, do you know why Hirata-kun had such an intense reaction?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka deliberately asked, turning his gaze to Saiki, curious about his response.
"I don't know."
Saiki feigned ignorance.
"Alright."
After about ten more minutes of discussion, the group wrapped up their conversation and began to leave the café to return to their dorms.
Just as Saiki stepped out of the café, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka called out to him.
"Saiki, can we talk for a moment?"
"Go ahead."
"Do you think this exam is in Sakayanagi Chairman's style?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked.
"It doesn't feel like it. The chairman might have changed."
Saiki gave an ambiguous answer.
But the moment he said it, he regretted it.
[So, Saiki also knows about Chairman Sakayanagi's identity. It seems he's had contact with the chairman, possibly earlier than I thought.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought to himself. After all, not many students knew who the school's chairman was.
However, he didn't find it strange that Saiki knew about Sakayanagi Narimori. In fact, he believed Saiki should know these things.
"I think the one interfering with all this might be someone connected to my past."
"…Who could it be…?"
"Saiki-kun, with your abilities, you should be able to guess some things about my past. That man might change the school's rules to force me to drop out, and it might even affect you in the future."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said expressionlessly.
"Let's cooperate further. You help me deal with these troubles, and I'll ensure your life isn't disturbed by other factors."
'I refuse.'
Saiki immediately rejected the idea in his mind. Cooperating with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka never led to anything good. Moreover, Sakayanagi Arisu had also started targeting him because of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's words.
But then again, if Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could keep his promise, it might reduce a lot of trouble for Saiki in the future.
As long as Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't bring him any additional trouble, Saiki's school life should remain relatively peaceful.
And if the new school management was left unchecked, there would likely be more trouble down the line.
This exam was already a sign of that.
"Alright."
After some thought, Saiki nodded, superficially agreeing to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's proposal.
"Thank you very much. With that, our basic agreement is set. If I get more information, I'll let you know immediately."
After saying this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka left.
The first time he sought cooperation with Saiki was to prevent Chabashira Sae's words from coming true and to strive for a higher class ranking.
The second time he sought cooperation with Saiki was to deal with his father, Ayanokoji Atsuomi.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't believe anyone from the White Room could defeat him, but he thought cooperating with Saiki was the most efficient way.
Moreover, he might be able to learn more about Saiki through this cooperation.
After finishing his words, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka left first, and Saiki prepared to return to his dorm.
Just as Saiki was about to reach his dorm, he saw someone standing in his path.
Hirata Yosuke.
'Yare yare, this is the first time I've felt the journey back to the dorm is so long.'
In truth, Saiki had already known through telepathy that Hirata Yosuke was waiting for him. He had initially planned to avoid him, but after some thought, he decided to meet him.
After all, Hirata Yosuke was one of the few people Saiki considered normal.
[I feel like I need to talk to Saiki-kun directly.]
"Saiki-kun, do you have a moment?"
Hirata Yosuke's gentle and kind demeanor was the same as always.
"Sure."
"Can we talk?"
"Sure."
"Let's go to that bench over there. We won't be disturbed."
Hirata Yosuke quickly led Saiki to a bench by the roadside. He looked up at the sky with a serious expression.
"Spring is almost here."
"Yeah."
"I… used to believe we could all welcome spring together. No, somewhere in my heart, I still believe that."
Hirata Yosuke's tone carried a hint of melancholy.
Saiki knew this was Hirata Yosuke's rebirth.
"I hate the idea of losing someone."
"That's indeed a troublesome issue."
Hirata Yosuke turned to look at Saiki.
"Can I leave it to you?"
"Leave what to me?"
"I mean Class B. I hope you can lead everyone in my place. They trust you, don't they?"
Hirata Yosuke said.
"Sorry, I don't have that kind of talent."
Saiki replied.
'Yare yare, leading a class is the last thing I want to do. I don't want to take on such a hassle.'
"You're actually quite amazing, Saiki-kun."
Hirata Yosuke suddenly said.
"Not really."
Saiki shook his head, immediately denying it.
"You've been hiding your true abilities, haven't you? I can sense it. If it weren't for you, our class wouldn't have come this far."
"It's just a coincidence…"
Saiki sighed inwardly.
Despite his efforts to live a peaceful life, he had somehow become even more noticeable.
"Saiki-kun, who are you planning to vote for this time?"
"Three people from other classes. Three people who can't be expelled."
Saiki said slowly. This was his original plan, ensuring the results of this special exam wouldn't involve him.
"After school, Horikita-kun and Yamauchi-kun both came to see me. Horikita-kun told me to vote for Yamauchi-kun, and Yamauchi-kun told me to vote for you. Although their approaches were different, you don't want to harm others. That's not something an ordinary person can do. I thought you'd really hate Yamauchi."
'To be honest, I was close to cursing him to bleed from seven orifices in seven days.'
Saiki replied in his mind.
"Let's go back, Saiki-kun."
"Sure."
Just then, Saiki's phone vibrated slightly.
It was an unknown number.
Unknown: Saiki, who exactly are you?
Saiki narrowed his eyes.
He immediately knew the identity of the sender. The person was hiding behind a tree not far behind him. Saiki clearly heard their thoughts, though Hirata Yosuke didn't notice their presence.
Tsukishiro Tokinari, the school's acting chairman.
"I have something to take care of, Hirata-kun. You go ahead."
Saiki said to Hirata Yosuke.
"Alright…"
Hirata Yosuke nodded and left.
Saiki then turned and walked towards Tsukishiro's location.