Kiyomizu slowly unclenched his fist. When he had gripped the other's wrist, he had used at most thirty percent of his strength. There was never just one way to solve a problem. In theory, it boiled down to two paths: force and intellect. In this so-called civilized society, people always advocated for winning with wits. But sometimes, force was indeed the most direct solution—especially when your opponent was incapable of reason.
Kiyomizu had never been one to stick to conventions, so this time, he simply resolved the trouble with force.
"Solving problems with violence? Such a barbaric approach."
A familiar voice came from behind him, accompanied by the crisp sound of a cane tapping on the ground, growing closer. Arisu Sakayanagi had appeared by his side at some point, a teasing smile on her lips.
"Spying on me again, Sakayanagi-san?" Kiyomizu glanced at her. "You're even more intense than I thought. If I were to date you, you'd probably install spyware on my phone. Classic 'yandere' behavior."
The word "yandere" made Sakayanagi's expression stiffen for a rare moment. She had indeed been secretly watching this boy since the opening ceremony—especially after witnessing his subtle altercation with his classmate.
"Tell me your name," she said, looking directly into his eyes, her tone leaving no room for refusal.
"Kiyomizu Akira," he answered casually. "I have things to do. Sorry, no time to play games with you."
Although she had silver hair, which he quite admired, he was in no mood to deal with such a troublesome person right now.
"Make a bet with me," Arisu Sakayanagi tapped her cane lightly on the ground. "Let's bet on what time Masumi Kamuro will make her move."
Kiyomizu was about to refuse when she suddenly held up five slender fingers. "Fifty thousand points as the wager." A triumphant smile graced the silver-haired girl's lips. "Interested now?"
"I see." Kiyomizu looked at her with a half-smile. "You've finally figured out why I refused."
"Of course," Sakayanagi nodded slightly. "You have no interest in things that don't benefit you, right?"
She had been pondering this question during the opening ceremony and had only realized her elementary mistake a few minutes ago—the bet held no appeal for him. So she decisively put up half of her current points. Fifty thousand points was only 50,000 yen, pocket money for a young lady of the Sakayanagi family. Besides, in this special school, she was confident that with her intellect, earning back this small amount would be a piece of cake.
Kiyomizu tapped his fingers on his arm, lost in thought. Earning 50,000 points on the first day of school... seemed pretty good.
"Is it too little?" Sakayanagi asked when he didn't answer, stomping her cane lightly.
"What are the rules?" Kiyomizu finally spoke.
"Simple," a cunning smile touched her lips. "We each predict the timing of Masumi Kamuro's theft. The first person to accurately predict that she will act within a one-minute window and call it out correctly wins. The prediction must be made at least 20 seconds in advance; you can't just call it out the moment she's about to act." Her cane drew an elegant arc in the air. "If a prediction fails, the next turn must wait until the other person has spoken."
Kiyomizu raised an eyebrow. "You're really treating someone else's theft like a form of entertainment, aren't you?"
Sakayanagi chuckled. "Isn't it more fun this way? Turning a boring daily routine into a game board." She tilted her head. "What's wrong, Kiyomizu-kun? Has your sense of justice suddenly kicked in?"
Just as Kiyomizu was about to reply, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out; the screen displayed the name of his homeroom teacher, Sae Chabashira.
"Hold on," he made a 'pause' gesture to Sakayanagi. "I need to reply to a message."
The silver-haired girl gracefully twirled her cane and made a "be my guest" gesture.
Sae Chabashira: Where are you now? Come to the office when you have a moment.
Kiyomizu's fingers flew across the screen:
Kiyomizu Akira: Is it urgent? Don't tell me the reward for 'that incident' has come through?
The reply was almost instantaneous:
Sae Chabashira: You're sharp. We'll talk details in person.
Kiyomizu glanced at the patiently waiting Sakayanagi and continued typing:
Kiyomizu Akira: I'm tied up right now. By the way, can you really buy anything in this school with points?
Sae Chabashira: As long as it doesn't violate school rules. Why, is there something specific you want to buy?
Kiyomizu Akira: There is. How about this: I'll pay 10,000 points if you can run an errand for me.
There was a few seconds of pause from the other end, then a final message came through:
Sae Chabashira: Interesting. Tell me what you want to buy first.
...
A few minutes later, the two of them tacitly arrived at the convenience store, once again hiding behind the familiar corner shelf. Before long, Masumi Kamuro's figure appeared between the aisles. She first pretended to browse through some notebooks, then her feet unconsciously drifted towards the adult liquor section.
"Her target is alcohol," Kiyomizu whispered. "Makes sense, minors can't buy it."
"Which is why she has to steal it," Sakayanagi added softly. She suddenly pulled out a beautifully wrapped candy from her pocket. "Kiyomizu-kun, would you like to try one? I brought it from home. It's quite good." She deftly unwrapped it and offered it to him.
Kiyomizu squinted. "Sakayanagi-san, you're not trying to shut me up with candy so you can make the first prediction, are you?"
"Oh, you wound me," the silver-haired girl feigned a hurt expression, but the smile in her eyes betrayed her.
"...I'll take your word for it." Kiyomizu finally took the candy and popped it in his mouth, but as he bent down, he also picked up the wrapper from the floor. "Don't litter."
Sakayanagi twirled her cane nonchalantly. "What does it matter? ...Someone will clean it up. What else are the store clerks paid for?"
Kiyomizu gave her a deep look. Sakayanagi's contempt for ordinary people was practically etched into her bones; she couldn't even be bothered to hide it. However, the candy was indeed sweet. It seemed this young lady was at least honest about her taste in snacks.
—I'll make her pay for this arrogance in a moment, hehehe.
"Kiyomizu-kun," Sakayanagi suddenly lowered her voice, "I'll offer another fifty thousand points to buy the right to speak first this time. Only I can make the first call. How about it?" The cane tapped lightly on the ground, and the silver-haired girl's eyes shone with a determined light.
Kiyomizu nearly choked on the candy. "You can trade even that? And for 50,000 points? Aren't you afraid of losing everything?"
She tilted her head, a smug smile on her face. "After all, in this school, points can buy 'anything'." Sakayanagi chuckled, twirling her cane. "If I lose even with this advantage, I might as well live on the free meal plan for the rest of the month."
Sakayanagi said this as if joking, but Kiyomizu wasn't smiling at all. He just looked at her with an almost pitying gaze.
(What a poor child!—)
He thought to himself.
(This proud young lady probably has no idea she's about to hand over her entire fortune on the very first day of school.)
-------
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