Arisu Sakayanagi was a genius. That was beyond doubt.
When she was still young, she already had her own understanding of how the world worked, which was:
A person's talent is determined at the moment of birth, and these products of chance are then simply thrust into a certain field where they can be displayed—this is the fabric of human society.
Observing her still-ignorant peers and keenly aware of her own difference, Arisu Sakayanagi came to a clear realization about herself: she was a genius.
After her family, with the best of intentions, sent her to this school where "merit is everything," yet was filled with mediocrity, Arisu Sakayanagi had expected to spend three uninteresting years.
Unexpectedly, in less than two weeks, a girl named Hiyori Shiina entered her line of sight:
She instinctively associated "money" with power and sin, cautiously attempting a transaction of power for money once. After proving her talent, she quietly turned away and retreated into the world constructed by words.
Her thoughts were like a glacier, cold and aged, etched with the scars of blizzards and experience.
Her actions were like a clear spring, gentle and silent, flowing with a uniquely feminine intellect and grace.
A genius on the left, a madman on the right. Without a doubt, Hiyori Shiina was a genius who had already crossed the line between "normal" and "abnormal." She was an outlier, but also one of her own kind.
After creating a personality profile and concluding that she might leave this school—or even this world—at any moment, Arisu Sakayanagi unhesitatingly dragged her frail body to the library.
However, the way events unfolded was completely different from what she had imagined.
No, how could this person smile with such contentment? How could she live so happily?
This isn't how it was supposed to go!
With these thoughts, Arisu Sakayanagi, filled with a bit of curiosity, settled down across from the girl and continued her observation of Hiyori Shiina.
And so, when "Hiyori Shiina" put down her game console, this was the scene that greeted her:
Under the protection of her purple-haired female knight, the little silver-white princess's lips curved into a delighted arc. A strange light gleamed in her violet eyes as she smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shiina-san. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Arisu Sakayanagi from Class A."
"A pleasure to meet you."
Seeing her take the initiative to greet him, Symon reached out, set the game console aside, and returned the courtesy before asking inwardly, "Hiyori, do you need the body back?"
"Yes. I feel like Mr. Ghost is a bit impatient with girls." Recalling the events of the weekend, Hiyori Shiina took back control of her body.
"That was a special case, okay," Symon retorted casually.
At the same time, from Arisu Sakayanagi's perspective, a bizarre transformation occurred in the girl opposite her:
Her expression shifted from calm to gentle, her movements from casual to soft. It was as if she had become a completely different person.
"Such a change... It seems my judgment was not mistaken."
Sakayanagi's lips curled into a smile. "Shiina-san, you have multiple personalities. You just switched, didn't you?"
"For real?!" Masumi Kamuro's pupils contracted.
As soon as the words left her mouth, the girl suddenly realized her impoliteness. Her gaze shifted to the side as she said, somewhat embarrassed, "Sorry. I'm Masumi Kamuro. Just call me Kamuro."
"It's no trouble, I don't mind," Hiyori accepted her apology with a gentle voice, then turned her head to ask with a smile, "Sakayanagi-san, is there something you needed from me?"
She and Symon were two completely different people, with different habits and preferences. An observant person would have noticed sooner or later, and Hiyori had no intention of deliberately hiding it.
Seeing her admit it so freely, Arisu Sakayanagi was not surprised. She nodded with a smile and said, "The methods of that Ryū-boy from your class are truly unsightly. Shiina-san, would you be interested in leading Class C in a contest against me?"
"If you want to be friends, you don't need to speak that way."
Recognizing the hidden anticipation in her words, Hiyori Shiina gave a gentle smile. "Ryūen-kun's methods may be a bit unorthodox, but he is seriously thinking about Class C. At his core, he's a very kind person, so please don't be too harsh on him."
"Is that a refusal? In that case..."
Arisu Sakayanagi extended a small hand behind her. After Kamuro placed an envelope in it, she passed it to Hiyori, saying with a smile, "A gift for you. Please open it and have a look."
Opening the envelope revealed a memory card, a few photos of Ishizaki leading Kondō and Komiya kicking doors around the boys' dormitory, and underneath it all, a joint letter of complaint from Class A.
Seeing the contents clearly, Hiyori thanked her softly, "Thank you. I will have Ryūen-kun stop."
"Such artless little tricks are most vulnerable when leverage is found, and they cannot withstand a formal complaint and investigation. It seems that Ryū-boy isn't prepared to bear the risks."
Picking up the cane beside the table, Arisu Sakayanagi got up to leave after saying these words. "Farewell, Shiina-san. I look forward to our future battles."
"Goodbye."
Watching Sakayanagi leave with Kamuro, leaning on her cane, Hiyori breathed a sigh of relief and muttered inwardly, "Mr. Ghost, don't you think that girl is a little too enthusiastic?"
"She's alright. I have a pretty good impression of her."
Symon commented, "She's very observant, good at drawing conclusions, smart, polite, and has a bit of a chuuni side. Her way of thinking is within the normal range. Plus, she's a frail, white-haired loli. We could try being friends with her."
Hiyori stifled a smile. "Was that last part the main point? So, Mr. Ghost likes that type of girl."
"Can't be helped. It's an XP hardwired into my DNA," Symon didn't deny it.
"Ara, so it's true..."
Saying this, Hiyori Shiina put the game console back in her pocket. Seeing that it was still early, she got up and walked among the sea of shelves to choose a book, the topic gradually shifting to serious matters. "Mr. Ghost, have you ever thought about leading Class C to Class A?"
Symon cleared his throat twice and said with feigned seriousness, "Why are you so concerned about Class A? It alienates a person's contributions and efforts. Do you understand what alienation and objectification are?"
"That sounded like something you just blurted out."
"Anyway, you're fine just the way you are. Don't overthink it. I quite like your personality."
"Is this a confession, Mr. Ghost?"
"I'm being serious here..."
Meanwhile—
Tap, tap, tap...
Following Sakayanagi out of the library, Masumi Kamuro finally couldn't hold it in any longer and complained, "Sakayanagi, did you really give that to her? We worked so hard to collect all that."
Sakayanagi smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. There is an insurmountable chasm between Class A and Class C called talent. As for Hiyori Shiina, I will crush her in the future."
Kamuro was dismissive. "It's obvious she doesn't even want to fight you."
"No..."
Sakayanagi paused, looking back at Kamuro with a delighted smile. "The pathetic creature known as the collective can only kowtow and kneel before those who can lead them. This is a responsibility that Hiyori-chan cannot escape. I just need to utterly crush that Ryū-boy."
Kamuro turned her head away. "Tch! 'Hiyori-chan,' you say. Sounds pretty chummy."
"Ara, are you jealous, Masumi-chan?"
"You... you, you, you!"
"It seems you are."
_____
🔥 Get 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories! 🔥
🪦 Join my P... (Walnutchan) now with a 25% discount!
✅ New releases are dropping, plus get exclusive content & updates.
✅ Help us unlock community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 55 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan