"I have plans with a friend later."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka responded immediately.
"A friend? Don't make me laugh. There's no way you could have friends."
Ayanokoji Atsuomi spoke in a dismissive tone.
"Whether or not I talk to you here won't affect my future at all."
"Then, can I assume you'll give me the answer I want? If so, we don't need to talk. I've made time in my busy schedule to come here. I've already prepared the expulsion documents with the school and discussed it with the principal. All that's left is for you to say YES, and this will be over."
Ayanokoji Atsuomi spoke directly, maintaining the arrogant tone of a superior.
'Yare yare, I've heard Ayanokoji mention something about "that man" before. It turns out he was referring to his father. But he seems like the type to cause trouble for others.'
Saiki observed the situation, muttering to himself.
"I have no reason to drop out."
"That may be true for you, but not for me."
Ayanokoji Atsuomi shot a sharp glance at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, but in his heart, there was no trace of fatherly affection.
[Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, you're just a tool for my comeback. Don't act against my wishes.]
Ayanokoji Atsuomi thought to himself.
"You're supposed to be a father. Are you going to twist your child's hopes just for your own convenience?"
"Father? Have you ever thought of me as a father?"
"Not really."
'Yare yare, they really are father and son.'
Saiki inwardly complained.
As a basic premise, you took unauthorized action. I ordered you to stand by, didn't I?"
Ayanokoji Atsuomi's eyebrow twitched, and his gaze deepened.
"You broke that order and enrolled in this school. It's only natural that I'm ordering you to drop out immediately."
"Your orders are absolute only within the White Room. Now that I've left, I don't have to obey them."
"You've become quite talkative since I last saw you. This boring school must have influenced you."
Ayanokoji Atsuomi's eyes showed a hint of disdain.
[Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't like this before. This school has had a significant impact on him.]
'Really?'
Saiki tried to recall what Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was like when they first met.
It felt... like there hadn't been much change?
"Now, answer my earlier question."
Faced with his overbearing father, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression remained unchanged.
"Are you referring to the pointless question about not obeying orders? You're my property, and the owner has all the rights. Whether you live or die is up to me."
Ayanokoji Atsuomi coldly replied.
'Yare yare, you're even worse than Ayanokoji.'
Saiki muttered to himself.
The two of them continued to exchange meaningless dialogue, but then Ayanokoji Atsuomi revealed a meaningful smile:
"Aren't you curious about Matsuo, the man who told you about this school and encouraged you to enroll? How is he doing now?"
"No."
Although Ayanokoji Kiyotaka responded this way, his mind began to recall the face of the man named Matsuo and the events of the past.
[Matsuo, the man who served as my butler, was in his late fifties. He was very caring and kind, the type of man every child would like.]
[Matsuo married young, but his wife had trouble conceiving. They finally had a child when he was over forty, but at the cost of losing his wife. He raised the child alone as a single father. I remember he always said that child was his pride and joy.]
[Although I never met his son, Matsuo said his son promised to succeed and repay his father. He worked hard every day, and the smile he had back then is still etched in my memory...]
'Oh?'
Saiki could clearly hear Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's thoughts. This man named Matsuo seemed to have treated Ayanokoji Kiyotaka well and was the one who helped him leave the White Room and enter this school.
Although Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's emotions remained unshaken, Saiki noticed that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who usually saw everyone around him as tools, didn't seem to view Matsuo in the same way. This surprised Saiki.
Through telepathy, Saiki had learned some things about Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's past. It seemed he had "escaped" from the White Room.
After seeing Ayanokoji Atsuomi, Saiki's impression of the White Room worsened.
'But with a father like that, it's no wonder he escaped.'
"He was the butler I entrusted to manage you for a year, but in the end, he defied me, his employer."
After a pause, Ayanokoji Atsuomi slowly continued.
[I deliberately paused to make sure he remembers what I'm saying and to let him know how important my next words are.]
'Is this how politicians operate?'
[His goal is to make the listener remember the content and instill the idea that a highly important conversation is about to begin. By mixing a heavy tone and a heavy gaze, the listener will wonder what's going on and start thinking negatively, imagining what extreme actions the other person might take. However, this tactic has no effect on me.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought to himself.
'You two really are father and son.'
Then, Ayanokoji Atsuomi began to explain how he had dealt with Matsuo.
First, he fired him. Not only that, but he also used his connections to ensure Matsuo couldn't find any work.
Moreover, Matsuo's son, who was very talented and could have entered a good school—Ayanokoji Atsuomi used the same tactics to drive him into a corner as well.
"...But he defied his employer, so some compensation was inevitable. However, Matsuo seemed more affected than I expected. He was a responsible and gentle man. After losing his wife early and raising his child alone, he must have been tormented by how his rash actions had ruined his son's future. To save his son, he came to a conclusion. As compensation, he begged me not to harm his son any further. In the end, last month, he set himself on fire—"
Ayanokoji Atsuomi spoke slowly, a faint smile on his face, as if Matsuo's life had been insignificant and someone of his status could easily drive him to death.
"And his son—"
Before Ayanokoji Atsuomi could finish, the teacup beside him suddenly shattered. Although the flying glass shards didn't injure him, they tore his expensive trousers, and the scalding hot water spilled all over his pants.
"Ahhh!"
Ayanokoji Atsuomi let out a scream. The intense pain made him stand up in a panic, frantically patting his pants. The imposing aura he had just moments ago completely vanished.
'Yare yare, his words are really infuriating.'
At this moment, Saiki frowned, his dissatisfaction with Ayanokoji Atsuomi growing slightly.
Ayanokoji Atsuomi, a government official, was openly discussing such matters, which made Saiki feel uneasy.
"What a pathetic sight."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at Ayanokoji Atsuomi expressionlessly.
"Perhaps the teacup was of poor quality. Such things aren't uncommon."
"Damn it."
Ayanokoji Atsuomi cursed, then turned to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"Sign the withdrawal form now."
"No."
"The man who cared for and helped you is dead, yet you don't seem interested. Matsuo risked everything to support you. If he saw your attitude now, he'd probably regret it!"
"Even if he's really dead, I can't leave the school now. I want to carry on Matsuo's will, knowing he would be punished by you for helping me enroll here."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said this, though he didn't truly feel this way.
"You've changed so much, Kiyotaka—what happened during that year? What made you decide to enter this school?"
"Perhaps you did provide the best education, even if that approach doesn't fully prepare one for society. I don't deny the White Room itself, so I won't reveal my past to others or do anything to land you in prison. But you pursued your ideals too far, and the result is who I am now."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka spoke slowly.
"You taught us all kinds of knowledge—pure academics, of course, but also things like martial arts, self-defense, and social skills. It's because of this that I started wanting to learn the mundane things you found boring and discarded."
"So that's why you ran away? Nonsense! You're the pinnacle of the White Room, my masterpiece, my property. Nothing surpasses the White Room..."
"There is."
At this moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka interrupted his father.
"I've met someone better than me."
'Hey, hey, you're not talking about me, are you?'
[Saiki, his abilities are on par with mine, if not superior.]
'This is bad.'
A sense of foreboding washed over Saiki.
If Ayanokoji Atsuomi found out about him and turned his attention toward him, there would likely be a lot of trouble.
"Impossible! What nonsense are you spouting?"
Ayanokoji Atsuomi frowned, trying to see if Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was bluffing.
But Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression remained blank, and Ayanokoji Atsuomi couldn't discern anything.
"Don't forget, I can still force you to withdraw from this school."
"This school has government backing. I don't think you can interfere now."
"Why are you so sure?"
"First, the bodyguards you always keep by your side aren't here. Given how many enemies you've made, you shouldn't be able to go anywhere without them. But in this room and the visible hallway, they're nowhere to be seen. A man who even brings guards to the restroom wouldn't be so careless. It's more likely that you wanted to bring them but couldn't—in other words, even you can't do as you please in this school. Moreover, if you could force me to withdraw, you would have done so without hesitation. But you didn't. Instead, you're trying to convince me through conversation. Isn't that strange?"
[The White Room taught him too well.]
Ayanokoji Atsuomi's eyebrow twitched.
"Excuse me."
At that moment, the door to the reception room slowly opened, and another man, around forty years old, entered.
"Long time no see, Ayanokoji-sensei."
"...Sakayanagi, what a nostalgic face. Has it been seven or eight years?"
Ayanokoji Atsuomi narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the man.
[Sakayanagi, this guy is here to interfere again?]
'Sakayanagi... the chairman? I've heard about him from Chabashira-sensei before.'
Saiki thought to himself. This man was the school's chairman, Sakayanagi Narimori.
"It's been so long since I inherited the chairman position from my father. Time flies."
Sakayanagi Narimori turned to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka with a very kind smile.
"You're Ayanokoji-sensei's... I believe your name is Kiyotaka, right? Nice to meet you."
"Sakayanagi, is there anyone special in this boring school?"
Although Ayanokoji Atsuomi didn't fully believe Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's words, he decided to ask just in case.
"Sorry, Ayanokoji-sensei, but the students' information is confidential. It's not something I can share with outsiders."
Sakayanagi Narimori smiled.
"However, there is one thing I should mention. Among the students enrolled in this school, there are indeed some very special individuals. And among the forces that sent them here, there are some that even you and I cannot compare to."
"What are you talking about?"
"For a nation, technological advancement is the most important, right? Those who possess critical knowledge are irreplaceable, while people like us can be easily replaced."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I want him to withdraw. It's that simple."
"Sorry, but the student's consent is required."
Sakayanagi Narimori maintained his smile.