Sakayanagi Arisu had guessed that she was being monitored and followed by someone, so she deliberately arranged a meeting with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to lure that person out.
And Tsukishiro Tokinari took the bait without hesitation.
"You're quite the interesting child, aren't you? Ah, I've heard this is a very enjoyable school. Are all the students here like you?"
Tsukishiro Tokinari smiled as he looked at Sakayanagi Arisu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
[Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, I've finally met you. No matter what, I must bring you back to the White Room.]
[This girl must be Sakayanagi's daughter.]
[Your father has already fallen from power, yet you still act so high and mighty. Just a brat, really annoying.]
"If you're looking for the faculty office, you need to turn around and go downstairs. It's not in this building."
Sakayanagi Arisu said.
[Let's make you suffer a little!]
Tsukishiro Tokinari aimed at the cane in Sakayanagi Arisu's hand, preparing to kick it away. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also noticed Tsukishiro's movement and was ready to protect Sakayanagi.
But at that moment, another set of footsteps suddenly echoed.
Saiki had arrived.
"You?!"
When Tsukishiro Tokinari saw Saiki, he was completely startled. He hadn't expected Saiki to appear here.
At the same time, Saiki was also confused.
When he received the message earlier, he had used his clairvoyance to see that Sakayanagi Arisu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka were the ones who had called him. He had come to negotiate, hoping to avoid future troubles.
But who could have guessed that Tsukishiro Tokinari would show up here in the meantime?
'What... what's going on?'
Saiki looked at the people in front of him with confusion.
[Saiki came at this moment.]
[Did Saiki predict that things would turn out this way and come at just the right time?]
[Saiki?! Why is he here?]
'They're the ones who called me here....'
Even though he could hear the thoughts of these three people, Saiki still had no idea what was going on.
"You... why are you here?!"
Tsukishiro Tokinari looked at Saiki with extreme caution. He remembered Ayanokoji Atsuomi's warning to him: under no circumstances should he do anything to Saiki.
This made Tsukishiro Tokinari extremely wary of Saiki.
[For Ayanokoji-sensei to say such a thing... Saiki's background... is definitely not simple...]
Just seeing Saiki made Tsukishiro Tokinari break out in a cold sweat, his eyes filled with a hint of panic.
"I... someone called me here."
Saiki held up his phone and replied.
'Tsukishiro seems wary of me. Did that guy do something? But this is a good thing, at least for Saiki.'
"What a coincidence."
Tsukishiro Tokinari narrowed his eyes slightly.
Meanwhile, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka noticed Tsukishiro's movements. His demeanor and actions seemed very unnatural.
[Tsukishiro... he's showing signs of nervousness and fear. Why? Tsukishiro should be here for me, but he's clearly reacting to Saiki... Does this mean he's had prior contact with Saiki?]
[Did he discover Saiki's uniqueness and approach him on his own? But this reaction isn't normal... Could it be that something happened between him and Saiki?]
[But it's clear that Saiki is the one in control.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's mind raced as he considered several possibilities.
[First possibility: Tsukishiro approached Saiki and was intimidated by his abilities, possibly even caught off guard.]
[Second possibility: Tsukishiro... and the people behind him, possibly even that man, had contact with someone behind Saiki but were suppressed, making it impossible for them to take any action against Saiki...]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka quickly deduced multiple possibilities.
Sakayanagi Arisu was doing the same.
Even though Tsukishiro Tokinari had quickly adjusted his demeanor, Sakayanagi Arisu still noticed.
"Acting Chairman Tsukishiro, what were you planning to do just now?"
Sakayanagi Arisu also noticed Tsukishiro's forward-leaning motion earlier, which seemed to be aimed at her.
"Haha, I was just coming over to greet you."
Tsukishiro Tokinari laughed awkwardly.
[I can't be sure if these two are allies with Saiki. If they're closely connected to Saiki, then things might get a bit troublesome...]
Tsukishiro Tokinari didn't dare act rashly.
"Also, I assume you're the one who sent me the letter asking me to expel Ayanokoji."
Sakayanagi Arisu seized the opportunity to speak up.
"In the end, you didn't go through with it, did you?"
Tsukishiro Tokinari knew there was no point in hiding his intentions any longer, so he stated his purpose directly.
"I'm here under orders to bring this guy back. If you're willing to cooperate, it'll be beneficial for both of us."
"I have no intention of dropping out."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.
"Is that so?"
Tsukishiro Tokinari pursed his lips and reached up to touch the pocket on his chest.
Hidden there was a pinhole camera.
Tsukishiro Tokinari's plan was to launch a sudden attack on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Sakayanagi Arisu, forcing them to retaliate, and then record their retaliation—this would give him grounds to expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka for assaulting a teacher.
However, due to Saiki's intervention, this plan had no chance of being carried out.
At the same time, Saiki became aware of his plan and could also see the hidden camera—
'I don't want to be secretly recorded.'
In an instant, Saiki used his psychic abilities to destroy the pinhole camera.
Tsukishiro Tokinari didn't notice.
"Saiki, what's your relationship with these two?"
Tsukishiro Tokinari needed a clear answer.
"Just classmates."
Saiki replied immediately, trying to distance himself from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and the others.
[Unwilling to express his stance? That's a smart move. This way, I can't act rashly.]
'Hey, hey, I'm telling the truth.'
"In that case, I won't disturb you any further."
Tsukishiro Tokinari smiled.
"But I've only just arrived at this school. There will be more formal activities after April. Let's wait and see."
As he spoke, Tsukishiro Tokinari walked toward the exit where Saiki was standing.
[This guy... what exactly is his deal?]
As he thought this, Tsukishiro Tokinari leaned toward Saiki, trying to test his physical strength by bumping into him—
But the moment Tsukishiro Tokinari collided with Saiki, it felt like he had hit a wall. He lost his balance and fell to the ground.
"Are you okay, Acting Chairman Tsukishiro?"
"I... I'm fine!"
Tsukishiro Tokinari quickly stood up and hurriedly left the special teaching building.
[This guy... what kind of physical strength does he have?!]
Meanwhile, Sakayanagi Arisu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also saw what had just happened.
To knock Tsukishiro Tokinari down... Saiki's physical strength must be terrifying.
'Yare yare, he suddenly bumped into me from such a close distance, and it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Even I couldn't react in time....'
For Saiki, this was completely unexpected. He could only try to change the subject quickly.
"You two, what exactly did you call me here for?"
"I wanted to discuss future matters."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly, then turned his gaze to Sakayanagi Arisu.
"Next exam, let's settle things once and for all."
Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes widened in surprise.
"I didn't expect you to say that to my face."
"If that man is going to interfere in April, I don't have the luxury of time to keep playing with you. I want to make things clear, so I'll settle this now. This is also my promise. You helped me during the letter incident, so I'll fulfill my promise and face you in a duel."
"That's fine. There's no need for two or three matches. I'm happy to be your opponent, but—"
As Sakayanagi Arisu spoke, she turned her gaze to Saiki.
"Saiki-kun, I hope to compete with you as well this time."
"You want to take on both of us at once?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked.
"That's right. After all, you said time is precious. I want to find out as soon as possible who among us is the true genius."
Sakayanagi Arisu said.
"This has nothing to do with me, right?"
Saiki immediately replied.
"How doesn't it? Last time, you gained the upper hand. You cleared all our letters overnight. How did you do that?"
Sakayanagi Arisu narrowed her eyes slightly.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Saiki remained expressionless.
"Still pretending not to know? This exam has already exposed you to everyone. You can't hide anymore—but I'm not someone who doesn't know my limits. If you beat me in the next exam, I promise I'll never bother you again."
Sakayanagi Arisu's tone was very serious.
"Really?"
Saiki immediately asked.
"Of course, it's a promise. If you're worried about ending up like Yamauchi, you can record a video or audio."
Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to remember something and added,
"Also, when Yamauchi bumped into me, you were there too, right? Did you know from the start that Yamauchi would become my target, and that I planned to use him to manipulate Kushida against you—but you countered by worsening Yamauchi and Kushida's relationship, making it impossible for me to use Kushida."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Saiki had no idea what Sakayanagi Arisu was going on about.
"Never mind, I know you won't admit it. In that case, we'll meet again during the next exam."
Sakayanagi Arisu waved at the two of them and then left the special teaching building.
Meanwhile, Tsukishiro Tokinari fled back to his office.
"Just now, it felt like I hit a wall... How could a high school student have such physical strength? Even the White Room's masterpiece couldn't possibly achieve that."
"His build doesn't look particularly strong either... Why? Could it be some kind of Aikido technique?"
"Wait, wait, the camera might have caught something."
Tsukishiro Tokinari thought to himself, then quickly took out the miniature camera from his jacket—
But all he saw were shattered mechanical components.
"Broken? How?! Did it break when I fell just now?!"
Tsukishiro Tokinari recalled his earlier movements and felt something was off. He had landed on his back, so the camera on his chest shouldn't have been damaged.
Wait!
A terrifying thought crossed Tsukishiro Tokinari's mind.
"Could it be... Saiki?"
"The moment we made contact, did he strike my chest?"
"I didn't even notice!"
Tsukishiro Tokinari had undergone intense training, and his combat skills were on par with elite soldiers.
But he couldn't even perceive Saiki's movements.
Combined with Ayanokoji Atsuomi's earlier warning, this made Tsukishiro Tokinari break out in a cold sweat.
"This guy... what kind of monster is he...?"
A few days later, March 8th.
One desk and chair were missing from the classroom, as if Yamauchi Haruki had never existed.
"—Now, I'll announce the final exam of the first-year semester."
After the class bell rang, Chabashira Sae entered the classroom and began explaining the details of the final exam.
"This final special exam, which concludes the academic year, will test the comprehensive results of what you've learned so far—intelligence, physical ability, cooperation, or even luck. In short, you must utilize all your potential."
"The special exam is a 'Selection Project Exam' that pits classes against each other based on comprehensive abilities. The rules will determine the opposing classes, and then the exam will proceed, just like during Paper Shuffle."
"First, to help you understand, I'll use ten white cards and yellow cards corresponding to the number of students in the class to explain further."
After saying this, Chabashira Sae began placing blank cards on the blackboard one by one.