The conversation between Sakayanagi Narimori and Ayanokoji Atsuomi was far from pleasant. The latter's intentions were clear—he wanted Ayanokoji Kiyotaka expelled.
However, Sakayanagi Narimori's stance was equally clear. Unless Ayanokoji Kiyotaka agreed to it himself, there was no way he would be expelled.
".....I can't force my way on your turf, but that just means I'll have to change my approach."
Ayanokoji Atsuomi's expression darkened.
[Sakayanagi, this guy is always getting in my way. I need to find a way to eliminate him.]
"What do you plan to do? If you resort to anything too drastic—"
"I know. I have no intention of applying any pressure."
Ayanokoji Atsuomi let out a cold laugh.
"If Kiyotaka is expelled under the school's rules, there won't be any problems."
"Right. I assure you, I won't give him special treatment just because he's your son."
Every word from Sakayanagi Narimori seemed laced with sarcasm.
"Then let's leave it at that. I'll take my leave now."
"When will we see you again?"
"At the very least, not here again."
"Let me see you out."
"That won't be necessary."
"But Ayanokoji-sensei, it seems you've accidentally spilled tea on your pants. Would you like me to get you a new pair?"
Ayanokoji Atsuomi glared at Sakayanagi Narimori but ignored him, striding out of the reception room.
Saiki continued using his clairvoyance, though he stopped observing the reception room and instead focused on Ayanokoji Atsuomi's movements.
[Damn it, Sakayanagi, he's taken my masterpiece from the White Room for himself! I need to find a way to deal with this.]
[Sakayanagi isn't someone to be trifled with... I need to find a way to get Kiyotaka expelled within the rules...]
[Undermining authority, planting spies... The White Room has started operating again, but the people it's producing now can't compare to my masterpiece... I must bring him back! And... is there someone special in this school too...?]
Ayanokoji Atsuomi left the campus in a foul mood. Outside the gates, several black-suited bodyguards had been waiting for him.
"Ayanokoji-sensei."
After a respectful bow, the bodyguards couldn't help but glance at Ayanokoji Atsuomi's wet pants, but they quickly escorted him into a black car.
As soon as Ayanokoji Atsuomi sat down on the backseat sofa, his assistant handed him a cup of hot tea.
"Back to the White Room."
Ayanokoji Atsuomi had just finished speaking and was about to take a sip of the tea when—bang—the car suddenly jolted, and the tea spilled onto his pants again.
"Ahhhhh!"
The scalding tea caused Ayanokoji Atsuomi to cry out in pain.
"I'm so sorry, Ayanokoji-sensei! Please take off your pants quickly, or the burn will get worse! Is there any burn medicine in the car...?"
The assistant in the front seat looked panicked, unsure how to handle the situation.
"What's going on?!"
Ayanokoji Atsuomi, gritting his teeth against the pain, managed to remove his tea-soaked pants in the car and demanded an answer.
[What's happening?! Are my political enemies targeting me...?]
"Ayanokoji-sensei... it seems the tire blew out..."
The driver turned around, his voice trembling as he spoke to Ayanokoji Atsuomi.
"And... the car's air conditioning seems to have broken too."
"How is that possible?"
Ayanokoji Atsuomi's expression twisted in pain. It seemed like nothing was going right today.
At this moment, the elite politician Ayanokoji Atsuomi found himself sitting bare-legged in the backseat of his car, enduring the pain of the burn while the car's heating system failed, causing the warmth to rapidly dissipate. He shivered from the cold while still suffering from the scalding tea.
It was already December, and the temperature was very low.
"I'll contact them immediately to send another car..."
In reality, all of this was Saiki's doing.
'Yare yare, that's enough for today.'
Saiki muttered to himself, stopping his clairvoyance and stepping out of the restroom.
He was beginning to understand why Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was the way he was.
'What a troublesome father and son.'
Saiki returned to the café's main area, only to find a familiar face sitting in his previous seat.
Karuizawa Kei.
After Shiina Hiyori left and Saiki went to the restroom, Karuizawa Kei, who had been secretly following him, finally decided to reveal herself and take a seat.
"Karuizawa-san, what are you doing here?"
Saiki asked, pretending not to know.
"That's what I should be asking you. Why are you here?"
Karuizawa Kei pouted slightly, her gaze fixed on Saiki.
"Just came for some coffee and dessert."
"By yourself?"
"With Shiina. We were talking about novels."
Saiki replied calmly.
"Really? Just about novels?"
"I'll believe you for now."
'What does it matter if you believe me or not?'
Saiki inwardly complained.
"By the way, Christmas is coming up. Do you have any plans?"
Karuizawa Kei leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them.
'Christmas, huh?'
Hearing this, Saiki's eyes narrowed slightly.
Christmas was always a hassle for Saiki.
Karuizawa Kei aside, Sato Maya and Sakura Airi had also asked him the same question. He had vaguely brushed them off, not giving a clear answer.
Not only that, but Saiki had previously sought Aiura Mikoto's help to impersonate Ryuen Kakeru and get through a tough situation. In return, Saiki had to go on a "date" with Aiura Mikoto.
Saiki naturally didn't want to go on the kind of date Aiura Mikoto was imagining, but he also didn't like owing favors. He had been thinking about how to resolve this.
Hearing Karuizawa Kei's words, Saiki's mind raced, and an idea formed.
"Let's go out together."
"Eh? Really?"
Hearing Saiki's words, Karuizawa Kei's face lit up with joy.
"Yeah, let's go together."
Saiki had already come up with a plan.
...
"How did your meeting with your father go?"
After Ayanokoji Kiyotaka finished speaking with Sakayanagi Narimori and left the reception room, Chabashira Sae, who had been waiting nearby, immediately approached him.
"Even if you're trying to probe clumsily, it's useless. I've already figured everything out."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka replied expressionlessly.
"I don't understand what you mean."
"Chabashira-sensei, what I mean is that almost everything you've said is a lie."
"What are you talking about?"
"You might think you're hiding it well, but I can clearly see the unease in you."
As Ayanokoji Kiyotaka spoke, his gaze fixed on Chabashira Sae.
[Her eyes are shifting, even if only slightly, and her tone is different from usual.]
[Even though she's suppressing her emotions to the extreme, she can't completely hide her unease.]
[As long as people have emotions, they can't completely hide them. Perhaps this is what that man referred to as the mundane world?]
"That man never contacted you, Chabashira-sensei, and of course, he didn't come to force me to drop out."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.
"No, your father did come to seek my help—in fact, as I told you, he was here to force you to drop out."
Chabashira Sae tried to appear calm, but the panic in her eyes was evident.
"Let's stop deceiving each other. Chairman Sakayanagi told me everything. He said he informed you of the situation when deciding my enrollment."
"...The chairman told you that, huh?"
Chabashira Sae forced an awkward smile but quickly noticed something.
"Ayanokoji, did you just trick me into admitting that...?"
"Yes, the chairman didn't mention you at all, but it's clear you're connected."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had spoken with Sakayanagi Narimori in the reception room and had gained some insight into the situation.
"Let me explain my reasoning. First, because I applied to this school, Chairman Sakayanagi, who knew me from before, took action on his own. When deciding my enrollment, he must have also decided to place me in Class D, right? The reason I was assigned to your class and not another was because you're a teacher who doesn't show much interest in class competition. The other teachers I've seen so far are all passionately trying to elevate their classes."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka spoke slowly.
[Chabashira-sensei is exactly as Saiki described—someone who loves to bluff.]
[I had my suspicions before, but now I can confirm it.]
[Perhaps Saiki was assigned to this class for a similar reason—to avoid drawing too much attention to him.]
"However, Chairman Sakayanagi made one miscalculation. You, the teacher who seems the least enthusiastic and motivated, actually harbor a stronger desire to reach Class A than anyone else."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's gaze sharpened, as if peeling back the layers of Chabashira Sae's heart.
Chabashira Sae didn't respond, as if tacitly admitting to these things.
"You're abnormally fixated on reaching Class A. But the students assigned to you in the past weren't good enough to seize those opportunities, which is why you never showed any emotion and simply went through the motions every day, right?"
"This is just your speculation, Ayanokoji."
Though Chabashira Sae said this, her voice clearly lacked conviction.
"This year, by chance, an unconventional student like me appeared, making the situation different from previous years. And while many students have flaws in their personalities, there's still an abundance of talent—Horikita, Koenji, Hirata, and Kushida. If things go well, this is a group that can climb to the upper classes. That's why your desire to reach Class A has reignited, hasn't it?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had considered mentioning Saiki but decided against it.
Chabashira Sae had gradually stopped suspecting Saiki and no longer considered him a key player in her plan to reach Class A.
[In a way, Saiki's disguise is even better than mine.]
"To achieve this, to prevent the gap between our class and the others from widening, you had to stage a charade, using my father's supposed contact with you as a reason to enlist my help."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka revealed the truth.
"...I see. No wonder the chairman thinks you're special. Your abilities are beyond those of a first-year high school student... Are your thoughts far beyond your age?"
Chabashira Sae couldn't help but sigh.
[This guy... is he really just a first-year high school student? How terrifying.]
"But if I wanted to, I could still expel you. What would you do then? I could say you violated a major school rule and report you to the administration. You'd want to avoid expulsion at all costs, right?"
Even now, Chabashira Sae tried to maintain her composure.
"Unfortunately, I'm confident you can't expel me."
"Why?"
"Because you want to reach Class A, and to do that, you need my help."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's tone remained unchanged, but it carried a cold edge.
"But you should understand that a teacher's position isn't an absolute, guaranteed status."
"What do you want? Are you saying you're going to give up on reaching Class A?!"
Chabashira Sae's voice rose slightly, but there was a hint of pleading in her tone.
"I never had any desire to reach Class A in the first place."
As Ayanokoji Kiyotaka spoke, a sense of despair washed over Chabashira Sae. Without Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, her dream of reaching Class A would be shattered.
"However, for now, I'll continue to aim for Class A."
"Really?"
Chabashira Sae's face lit up with hope.
[Chabashira-sensei, are you happy?]
[I'll reach Class A, but only for myself.]
[In different classes, I'll be able to face him and perhaps experience my first defeat in life.]