"Aren't you going to prepare for the upcoming exams?"
Seeing that Saiki didn't seem to be preparing for the next exams, Sakayanagi Arisu frowned and asked.
"I'm just the command tower. Besides, this event is the one you've been dreaming of, right? Now that you have the chance to face Ayanokoji, it has nothing to do with me."
Saiki replied.
Hearing Saiki's words, Sakayanagi Arisu fell into thought.
[Saiki seems indifferent right now... Is it an act? Or is he really not planning to participate?]
[It's hard to say for sure, but if Saiki really isn't planning to participate, then this match will become a one-on-one duel between me and Ayanokoji.]
[However, for me, this is actually a good option. I can fully focus on facing Ayanokoji... Although I can only act as the command tower for a limited time, it should be enough to determine the outcome.]
"Then let's get started."
As Sakagami Kazuma-sensei spoke, on the large screen, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Hashimoto Masayoshi sat on either side of the chessboard that had already been set up.
...
Exam room.
"Nice to meet you, Ayanokoji-kun."
Hashimoto Masayoshi smiled as he looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in front of him.
[I never expected our match against Class B to turn out like this... Class A has lost four rounds in a row... How terrifying... We only just won one round.]
Although Hashimoto Masayoshi maintained his smile, his mind was racing.
[If we lose the next two rounds, Class B will replace us and become Class A... But in chess, no one should lose to Sakayanagi. As long as we win one round, we can hold onto our position as Class A—though it's only temporary. After this match, I'll need to reassess the dynamics between the classes... I should try to get closer to the students in Class B. Although Sakayanagi is strong, the future development of the classes is still uncertain. I need to prepare for graduating as a Class A student.]
Just as Hashimoto Masayoshi was thinking this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka spoke up.
"Do you need me to go easy on you?"
"Huh?"
Hashimoto Masayoshi was stunned for a moment, then turned his gaze to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's face. The other's expressionless look suggested he wasn't joking.
However, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't speaking to Hashimoto Masayoshi but to Sakayanagi Arisu, who was watching the match from afar.
"Even if I go easy, no one can beat me."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.
Although he said this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was well aware that Sakayanagi Arisu wasn't an opponent who could be easily defeated—
But for him, victory was still a given.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka seemed to think of something and shifted his gaze to the surveillance camera nearby.
"No, if we're talking about winning, there is indeed one person who has done it..."
"What are you talking about?"
Hashimoto Masayoshi's face was full of confusion—
But at that moment, the headphones he was wearing suddenly buzzed.
'Command tower, beginning interference.'
[So soon? Sakayanagi?]
Hashimoto Masayoshi was surprised. He had thought Sakayanagi Arisu would only step in to turn the tide when he was at a disadvantage.
But now it seemed Sakayanagi Arisu was planning to directly participate in the match. Hashimoto Masayoshi was merely a pawn moving the pieces.
The command tower only had thirty minutes to act.
But that was more than enough to influence the outcome of the match.
Soon, the match began.
...
Meanwhile, in the chairman's office, Tsukishiro Tokinari was watching the match on the screen with a displeased expression.
"Damn it... This is completely different from what I expected..."
Tsukishiro Tokinari frowned, muttering complaints.
According to his original plan, he had expected Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to become Class B's command tower for this exam, allowing him to interfere and expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka openly.
Tsukishiro Tokinari had noticed Sakayanagi Arisu's obsession with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. He had assumed the two would face off, and logically, both should have been in the command tower position to have a decisive match.
But in the end, the command tower position was taken by Saiki.
This left Tsukishiro Tokinari somewhat helpless. All the preparations he had made were now useless.
He had even tampered with the draw system to ensure that Classes A and B would compete in the events he had anticipated. But during the match, he found that his tampering had no effect. Whether it was due to a cyberattack or some bug, he couldn't say for sure. When Sakagami Kazuma had come to confirm with him earlier, he hadn't dared to give a definitive answer. After all, even as the chairman, if others found out he had tampered with the exam, it would cause significant trouble.
"Damn it, damn it... It's all because of that Saiki guy... What's his deal? I haven't been able to contact Ayanokoji-sensei recently... The last time I spoke to him, he told me to arrange for a new teacher to join next semester... In the end... There's no chance to do anything to Ayanokoji this semester. I'll have to wait until next semester and let 'those guys' handle it. Watching these kids tear each other apart might be fun."
Tsukishiro Tokinari could only accept this outcome.
...
At the same time, in a secret facility of the White Room, Ayanokoji Atsuomi sat on a sofa, looking at the two people in front of him.
They were two teenagers, about fifteen years old, soon to enter high school.
However, they were also products of the White Room.
"Tsukishiro has already shown you the detailed information on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and the 156 other students in his grade, right? Have you memorized it all?"
Ayanokoji Atsuomi said slowly.
"I'm sure you understand that the important thing is to have him expelled by April and bring him back to the White Room. We can't let the plan be delayed any further—but you must complete the task subtly. Under no circumstances can this become public. If the government finds out about our actions, you know the consequences, right?"
"Yes."
The two nodded in unison—but one of them, a petite girl, raised her hand.
"But I have one more question."
"What is it?"
"Although there are 157 students in total, there's one named Saiki. Why is there almost no detailed information on him? It's basically just a name."
"You!"
Hearing the name Saiki, Ayanokoji Atsuomi's heart skipped a beat.
Ayanokoji Atsuomi nearly fell off the sofa—he could never forget how, not long ago, Saiki Kusuke had effortlessly taken over the White Room.
Saiki Kusuke had used just a few fingers to completely paralyze the entire White Room system. That level of power was terrifying.
And...
Ayanokoji Atsuomi couldn't help but glance around the room. He didn't know if Saiki Kusuke had installed any surveillance cameras in this sparsely furnished room.
If he said anything negative about Saiki... the trash bin next to him might suddenly turn into a robot and start shooting at him.
Saiki Kusuke was that terrifying.
The silver lining was that Saiki Kusuke wasn't interested in his White Room project and didn't plan to interfere too much, so Ayanokoji Atsuomi could still carry out his plan to bring Ayanokoji Kiyotaka back.
However, this absolutely could not involve Saiki.
"Don't say that name!"
Ayanokoji Atsuomi roared, and the two White Room students were momentarily stunned.
They had never seen Ayanokoji Atsuomi—the creator of the White Room—show such emotion before.
Sweat dripped from Ayanokoji Atsuomi's forehead. He realized he had lost his composure and continued:
"Regardless, when you act at that school, do whatever it takes to bring Ayanokoji Kiyotaka back. You don't need to follow Tsukishiro's instructions... But remember one thing: do not get too involved with this Saiki... Saiki-kun. Especially do not make an enemy of him. Don't ask me why. Just follow my orders unconditionally."
"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is the White Room's masterpiece. Don't forget that."
"If you can bring him back, I might look at you in a new light."
The two nodded.
[By deliberately calling Ayanokoji Kiyotaka the masterpiece, I'm trying to push them to perform beyond their abilities. Every time I say this, it injects a certain emotion into their subconscious. Everyone educated in the White Room is instilled with the idea of surpassing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. This should stir up some hatred in their hearts.]
Ayanokoji Atsuomi thought to himself.
"Understood."
The two turned almost simultaneously and left the room.
However, Ayanokoji Atsuomi, who prided himself on manipulating people, had miscalculated one thing.
The emotion growing in these students wasn't hatred—it was curiosity.
[I can't wait to meet Ayanokoji-senpai. What kind of person is he?]
[I'll finally get to face Ayanokoji-senpai directly~]
[And seeing Ayanokoji-sensei's reaction earlier... Who exactly is that Saiki?]
These thoughts sprouted in their minds—
But no one knew.
...
Back to the exam room, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Hashimoto Masayoshi—Sakayanagi Arisu—had begun their chess match.
[What on earth is going on?]
Hashimoto Masayoshi couldn't help but gulp. This chess match was far beyond his expectations.
On the board, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Sakayanagi Arisu launched continuous attacks against each other, and the situation quickly became intense.
This was the first time Hashimoto Masayoshi had seen Sakayanagi Arisu evenly matched in chess.
No... not evenly matched.
Hashimoto Masayoshi could feel Sakayanagi Arisu's instructions coming slower and slower, with some moves taking several minutes to decide.
This had never happened before.
Time passed, and the time left for Sakayanagi Arisu grew shorter and shorter.
[Ayanokoji, I take back what I said earlier. You're not a fake genius—you're the real deal.]
Finally, after several dozen minutes, Sakayanagi Arisu took off her headphones, signaling that she had accepted the outcome of the match.
Although the match wasn't over, Sakayanagi Arisu knew the situation was irreversible.
Without Sakayanagi Arisu's support, Hashimoto Masayoshi had to play on his own. For an average person, his chess skills were above average.
But against Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, that level was no different from a child's.
"Damn it..."
Five minutes later, Hashimoto Masayoshi looked at the board with a bitter smile. He had been completely checkmated.
"Good game."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood up and said to Hashimoto Masayoshi.
"Ayanokoji, I never knew you were this good at chess... You actually overpowered Sakayanagi."
Hashimoto Masayoshi said, well aware that Saiki hadn't interfered in this match.
"I just got lucky. Sakayanagi ran out of time. Otherwise, the outcome might have been different."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said expressionlessly.
Although he had defeated Sakayanagi Arisu, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt no emotion.
[If it were the old me, I might have felt something akin to anticipation for this duel with Sakayanagi. But now, that feeling is gone. Because I've already found an opponent who can defeat me. I crave that opponent, and Sakayanagi, you're not that person.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought to himself.
"Even Sakayanagi was overpowered in the end."
Hashimoto Masayoshi had barely kept up with the match.
"You're really something. There probably aren't many in the school who can match you in chess—"
"No, I lost not long ago."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said at that moment.