"Where are you going?"
The sound of a cane accompanied the question, but Kaoru felt no ripple of emotion, even though Sakayanagi Arisu had been following him all along.
"Enjoying a brief vacation."
"Hehe, please let me join your vacation. Before our final showdown, I'd like to play a game of chess with you."
"No, I don't have time for that."
"Is it because of Karuizawa-san's birthday?"
"Are you coming?"
Sakayanagi Arisu noticed he was becoming increasingly blunt with her.
'Perhaps I shouldn't have worn the ring on my finger back then.'
'I thought it would at least unsettle his women, but who knew they wouldn't care?'
"Nagumo-kun has been approaching me lately."
The girl followed behind him, struggling somewhat due to her poor physical condition, like a daughter desperately chasing after her father.
"You messed him up completely, and now he's giving me more benefits than before."
Just as she expected, Kaoru slightly slowed his pace, but his response differed from what she had imagined.
"Why didn't you continue cooperating with him back then?"
Sakayanagi Arisu first fell silent, then smiled faintly: "Did you think I was considering your feelings?"
"You, Ryuen, and Nagumo working together would indeed be troublesome for me."
Kaoru honestly expressed his feelings, "Nagumo has enough points, Ryuen has courage and people, and you have schemes, knowing how to manipulate others. Even if you couldn't get me expelled, disrupting my plans would probably be easy."
Though it was nearly noon, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't feel much of the scorching heat.
A breeze carrying a slightly warm springtime air brushed through her hair, slightly lifting her skirt and revealing a small portion of her pale thigh.
Beside her, the school's specially planted shrubs were already faintly sprouting flower buds.
These immature buds would gradually bloom with the unique scent of spring around graduation time, but for now, there was only a faint, fragile fragrance.
Perhaps elsewhere, some flower buds had already quietly bloomed, delicate and gentle, intoxicating those who admired them.
Some called such flowers "sneaky cats that stole a march."
"You're too full of yourself, Kaoru-kun."
Sakayanagi Arisu gripped her cane, "Do I need to join forces with them to defeat you? Is my power that weak?"
"I never said that."
Kaoru stopped and turned to look at the girl.
Her pride was deeply ingrained in her bones; she believed she was the queen who should control everything, disdaining to bow to anyone.
"Yes, I admit your methods are remarkable. Because I wanted to understand your capabilities, I initially didn't restrict your actions."
Sakayanagi Arisu said, "But thinking about it now, you were always a monster. I shouldn't have underestimated you."
Where had he provoked the girl?
"No, you're just afraid of me."
Kaoru said, "Because you believed those rumors. You think I have magic, you think I have superpowers."
Sakayanagi Arisu bit her lip, rolled up her sleeve, and showed him her pale arm.
"What did you do to me back then? I asked my father to take me for an examination, and your magic simply can't be explained by existing scientific means."
Kaoru was certain she had been unconscious at the time; she must have noticed the needle mark on her arm afterward.
"Fine, I do have miraculous magic."
He spread his hands, "And I'm going to use magic to help you. What can you do about it?"
Helping someone with a congenital heart condition recover their health was itself unbelievable and impossible to hide, so Kaoru only wanted to delay the exposure.
Sakayanagi Arisu fell silent for a moment: "Did you come here just to play dating sims?"
"Actually, I've already been conquered by all of you."
Kaoru said without blushing or his heart racing, "Originally, I planned to get as much as I could. If things went wrong, I could always just move on to another place."
"Do you have to be so lustful?" Sakayanagi Arisu felt somewhat speechless.
She couldn't understand Kaoru's way of thinking.
If she had such abilities, she wouldn't care about a few women at all.
"Besides being lustful, do you have anything else to say to me?" Kaoru changed the subject.
Sakayanagi Arisu hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Are you really going to help me?"
"I'm already working on it." Kaoru replied, "Besides, haven't you noticed your body has become slightly healthier than before?"
Sakayanagi Arisu nodded, then asked: "Is there no cost?"
"Are you offering yourself to me?" Kaoru retorted.
"That's not what I meant. Is there no price for helping me?"
Sakayanagi Arisu said, "If you can use it without restrictions..."
She trailed off without finishing.
Kaoru understood what she meant - without limitations, wouldn't that make him a true god?
"There is, but I can't tell you."
Kaoru sighed, "Also, I've only told you about this matter. No one else knows, so please don't spread it around."
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at him for a while, then suddenly laughed.
"Hehe, it seems I have a chance to take the lead too. Kaoru-kun, your words sound quite delightful."
"Enough already, I have things to do."
Kaoru said with a dark expression, shooing Sakayanagi Arisu away like swatting a fly, "Please stop following me."
When he turned around, Sakayanagi Arisu followed him again.
"Where are you going?"
'This fly was really thick-skinned.'
Kaoru finally understood Kamuro's enjoyment.
"I cast 30 Praise Votes for Airi, but she only received 18 Praise Votes."
Kaoru suddenly said, "This means at least 12 or more people gave her Criticism Votes, which makes me somewhat angry."
Sakayanagi Arisu was very familiar with his network.
He was talking about Class D's Sakura Airi, who usually had little presence but was actually a minor idol who debuted during middle school.
Combined with his previous identity, Sakayanagi Arisu was actually quite concerned about Sakura Airi.
"Yamauchi-kun has already withdrawn from school. Are you planning to make Sudou-kun and the others withdraw next?"
"If the opportunity arises, maybe. I'm not considering it now."
"Nagumo-kun then?"
"Since the reporting until today, the turmoil hasn't stopped, yet the school has shown no response. I think I should meet with the acting chairman."
Sakayanagi Arisu slightly frowned.
Actually, she didn't approve of Kaoru's behavior.
Private matters between students shouldn't involve the school, especially since he planned to deal with Nagumo using methods outside the rules.
To be honest, the essence of this behavior was destroying the school's traditions.
What she couldn't understand was why her father had agreed to it twice, even adjusting the rules for Kaoru.
Although it was patching and fixing bugs, it still felt incomprehensible.
"Kaoru-kun."
"I'm here."
"Are you planning to leave the school?"
Kaoru looked at Sakayanagi Arisu, finding the latter completely calm, as if asking casually - a question without beginning or end.
It seemed Kamuro was more sensitive than he imagined, having directly told Sakayanagi Arisu to deal with him.