[Although Saiki didn't seem to do anything particularly special during the final exams, I'm well aware that he must have done something. The victory in rock-paper-scissors wasn't a coincidence either... I hadn't paid much attention to Saiki-kun before, but after the sports festival and the class voting... that's when I noticed how unique he is.]
'To be honest, this wasn't my intention at all...'
Saiki replied in his mind.
[I've observed the students in our class. Although there are outstanding students like Horikita and Hirata, it's practically impossible for us to surpass Class C, Class B, and even Class A in such a short time. But we did it. It's hard to believe. Because I made this judgment, I chose not to stand out in this class and instead stayed in the middle. Of course, I'll make sure not to drag the class down in important situations, but I don't like being too conspicuous. Besides, the group of girls I'm close to are all quite average.]
'Hey, hey, that's a bit harsh.'
[In terms of academic ability and physical strength, he's almost certainly on par with me. Given that he's been acting behind the scenes this past year, he's probably not someone who can be easily swayed by ordinary means. But I'm confident in my ability to predict others' behavior and engage in psychological warfare. That's where I excel. I'll make him think I'm just curious and guide him to reveal his true nature, then get him to cooperate... Even though we've become Class A, we'll still need his help in the future to maintain this position for a long time.]
'Oh? Do you really think your abilities surpass those of a psychic?'
[—But now, what drives me isn't just that. It's boredom. Not just walking steadily on the path of life, but also seeking excitement. I want to pursue the mystery that other classmates don't have. That's the biggest reason I want to get close to Saiki-kun.]
'...'
Saiki felt a bit helpless. It seemed he was going to be pestered by Matsushita Chiaki for a while.
'Should I just tell her directly? No, that might make things worse. I'll just pretend I don't notice anything and try to reduce her suspicions of me.'
Saiki thought to himself, then left the classroom—Matsushita Chiaki followed him quietly a few minutes later.
...
Meanwhile, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was wandering around the school, was stopped by someone.
"Ayanokoji-kun, you seem to be enjoying your spring break quite a bit. You're practically the model student!"
The person speaking in a sarcastic tone was none other than Tsukishiro Tokinari. It seemed he had anticipated Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's presence here and had come to wait for him.
"What brings you here, Acting Chairman Tsukishiro?"
Seeing Tsukishiro in front of him, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't surprised at all.
[It's not hard to find my location through surveillance cameras.]
"Oh, it seems I'm not very welcome."
Tsukishiro deliberately raised his voice just enough so that the people passing by wouldn't stop.
He was doing this on purpose. He knew Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't want to draw too much attention in this school.
"Being approached by the chairman would naturally draw attention. In this school, students without ability should stay in the shadows. I'll ask again, what brings you here?"
"I have something very important to discuss. The reason I came to find you is a long story."
"I see. Then please take your time."
"Alright, then. Shall we start with the weather?"
Tsukishiro said with a smile. He wanted to observe Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's reaction, but seeing the latter's expressionless face, he quickly narrowed his eyes.
"Just kidding. I have other arrangements later, so let's get to the point."
Tsukishiro, of course, knew this.
"How about this? Treat this spring break as your last vacation and return to your father's side."
...
[What does Saiki do after school every day?]
Meanwhile, Matsushita Chiaki hid in a corner, watching Saiki from a distance.
After class, Saiki went to a café, leisurely drinking milk tea and eating sweets, while Matsushita Chiaki observed him from afar.
[Saiki-kun, do you always eat so slowly?]
Matsushita Chiaki complained in her mind.
'Yare yare, it's all because of you.'
Saiki thought to himself. He deliberately slowed down his eating pace to wear down Matsushita Chiaki's patience.
Not only that, but Saiki also took out a mystery novel from his bag and started reading it right there in the café.
[Saiki... carries books with him to read?]
'Actually, I don't usually carry them.'
Saiki had used his telekinesis to instantly move the book into his bag, pretending he always carried it.
With this book, he could legitimately stay in the café longer.
[Saiki, what are you reading? A mystery novel?]
Matsushita Chiaki moved a bit closer, curious to observe Saiki.
'Just keep going like this, slowly wearing down her patience.'
Saiki thought to himself.
But at that moment, a gentle voice sounded beside Saiki.
"Saiki? What a coincidence!"
The person who spoke was Shiina Hiyori.
"Shiina?"
Saiki's attention had been on Matsushita Chiaki, so he hadn't noticed Shiina Hiyori approaching.
When he noticed Shiina Hiyori's gaze falling on the book in front of him, Saiki felt a sense of foreboding.
"Am I interrupting you?"
"Not at all. I'm just killing some time."
In this situation, Saiki had no choice but to put the book down.
Meanwhile, a series of new questions arose in Matsushita Chiaki's mind.
[Who is this person? Is she... from Class D? This person... I think her name is Shiina Hiyori. No, I heard Class D defeated Class C, so their rankings might change.]
[Saiki is actually in contact with students from other classes? That's strange. I've never seen Saiki interact so closely with students from other classes before. They seem to be on good terms... Could it be that the praise votes Saiki received during the class voting were from Shiina Hiyori?]
[No, no... The praise votes were probably from Class A... But why? Speaking of which, it's not just Saiki. Ayanokoji is also someone worth paying attention to, given that he defeated Sakayanagi in chess.]
Back to Saiki, Shiina Hiyori smiled and said:
"Saiki, congratulations! You've defeated Class A and are about to take their place, right?"
"It's just luck. But it seems you've also achieved a splendid victory."
Saiki said.
"I wouldn't call it splendid, but it was certainly smooth."
Shiina Hiyori said slowly, explaining Ryuen Kakeru's strategy.
"Ryuen-kun's methods do have some issues. But I think that to help our class climb higher, some necessary evils are acceptable. Does that make me cunning?"
"That's very much like Ryuen."
"However, this undoubtedly carries significant risks. Some students in Class C have started to question things, but I don't think there will be any concrete evidence. We probably managed to avoid the surveillance cameras before taking action."
Shiina Hiyori paused for a moment, then continued.
"Winning five matches is impressive, but it's still not enough. Because Ryuen-kun used a very risky strategy. Constantly pressuring the students of Class C is one thing, but causing them physical discomfort is clearly a misstep. Even if this tactic works on Class C, which has many kind-hearted students, it's still not something that should be allowed."
"That's true."
"But Saiki-kun, winning against Class A with a score of 6:1 is truly amazing."
"It was just luck."
As Saiki spoke, he carefully listened to Matsushita Chiaki's thoughts—she was still far away and couldn't hear their conversation, but Saiki knew she would try to get closer to find out what they were talking about.
[What are Saiki and Shiina talking about? Is it related to the class exams or something?]
If this topic continued, it might cause trouble for him later, so Saiki decided to change the subject.
'No choice, I guess I'll have to do this...'
Saiki reluctantly made a difficult decision.
"By the way, Shiina, do you have any book recommendations lately?"
"You want me to recommend some books?!"
Shiina Hiyori's eyes lit up, and she immediately started talking nonstop about the books she'd been reading recently.
At this point, Matsushita Chiaki finally managed to blend into the crowd and move closer to Saiki and Shiina Hiyori, close enough to hear their conversation—but when she heard Shiina Hiyori's words, she was stunned.
[What are they talking about...? It seems to be... mystery novels?]
Only then did Matsushita Chiaki realize that Saiki and Shiina Hiyori were book friends.
[Saiki likes reading books. I'll make a note of that. It seems they're not discussing anything else.]
After what felt like an eternity, Shiina Hiyori finally finished her recommendations and bid farewell to Saiki, who then stood up to return to the dormitory. Matsushita Chiaki followed behind him.
However, when she saw Saiki heading toward the dormitory, Matsushita Chiaki's patience for today's stalking had been worn thin.
[Does Saiki just eat sweets and read books after school? It doesn't seem particularly special.]
'That's right. Just assume I don't do anything special.'
Saiki's lips curled into a slight smile. Everything was going according to plan. If this continued, Matsushita Chiaki might lose interest in him entirely.
But at that moment, Saiki suddenly stopped—
Because his telepathy had picked up a familiar voice.
At the same time, just a few dozen meters away, where Saiki had heard the thoughts, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was confronting Tsukishiro.
"...But if you don't voluntarily drop out, your school life will become very difficult from now on."
Tsukishiro Tokinari looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and said with a smile.
"I want to live peacefully, but if that's not possible, I've already prepared myself."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.
"How about turning this into a game that's entirely in your favor?"
"A game?"
"After the new semester starts, I'll bring in someone from the White Room as a new student."
"Is it okay to tell me this?"
"Absolutely. You've probably already considered this possibility. I think that child will be the one to announce your downfall. By the time you realize their true nature, you'll probably already be in the process of dropping out."
Tsukishiro said with a smile.
[The most deceptive lies are those mixed with truth. I've already arranged for an assassin from the White Room—but it's not just one person.]
Although he thought this, Tsukishiro continued to smile.
"You don't seem to believe me. Do you think I'll send in four or five people? This school isn't naive enough to let me send in multiple people. That would be absurd."
"Whether you say it's one person or a hundred, I won't believe any of it."
"That might be true."
"But how do we make this a game?"
"Next year, there will be 160 first-year students. If you can identify which one is from the White Room by April, I'll step down. How about that? It's quite unconventional, isn't it?"
Tsukishiro maintained his smile.
[I'm not naive enough to tell a child the truth and make a firm promise—but this guy isn't a normal child either. Regardless, I believe those two assassins from the White Room should be able to cause Ayanokoji Kiyotaka some trouble, even if it's just by mentioning this, it should distract him a bit.]
"It's hard to believe."
"Just take half of it seriously. You have nothing to lose."
"I see. Even if it's just for formality, I'll accept this game for now. However, you seem quite confident in the abilities of the student from the White Room, but there's one thing I'm absolutely confident about—"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes slightly.
"No one from the White Room can defeat me."