'What's going on?'
Saiki's brow twitched slightly.
Although it was far away, as a psychic, he had overheard the conversation between Tsukishiro Tokinari and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, as well as the latter's inner thoughts. He never expected that the White Room would send two students to the school.
This could potentially bring a lot of trouble.
'However...'
Saiki's mind raced as he pondered the possible future events.
'The people from the White Room are all troublemakers, but as long as their core target is Ayanokoji... it shouldn't affect me, right?'
"Of course, in this world, there are people more outstanding than me. That's because there are over seven billion people alive on this planet. However, in the White Room, it's different."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka spoke slowly.
"That look in your eyes—it's exactly the same as your father's. A deep, dark, and terrifying gaze. Even the most outstanding students from the White Room can't replicate the depth of that gaze."
Tsukishiro Tokinari said with a smile.
He had left the White Room for some time now, so of course, he didn't know that not long ago, Ayanokoji Atsuomi's face was filled with fear.
After finishing his conversation with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Tsukishiro Tokinari left immediately—
But after taking just a few steps, he ran into Saiki, who was walking towards him.
This was the only path back to the dormitory, and there were no other buildings or obstructions around. The two of them met directly on opposite sides of the road.
"....."
For a moment, Saiki didn't know what to say.
'This place is still some distance away from where they were talking. Tsukishiro probably doesn't think I overheard them, right?'
[Why is Saiki here!?]
The moment Tsukishiro saw Saiki, his expression changed instantly, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes.
'I... I'm just passing by on my way back to the dorm.'
Saiki answered in his mind.
He had originally planned to pretend he didn't see Tsukishiro and just walk past him, but instead, Tsukishiro was the one who reacted first.
"Saiki-kun... what a coincidence. What are you doing here?"
Tsukishiro forced a smile and immediately asked.
"I'm on my way back to the dorm. I'm just passing by."
Saiki told the truth.
However...
He was well aware that in this school, telling the truth usually didn't earn anyone's trust.
[Just passing by? I won't believe such a low-level lie.]
'Hey, hey, I'm really telling the truth.'
Saiki felt a bit helpless in his heart.
[It's been a long time since school ended. How could he only be returning to the dorm now? And the direction he came from definitely isn't the school building. Although I've investigated before and found that Saiki has a habit of going to the café after school, he usually doesn't stay out this late, especially at this time.]
'This is all to shake off the person who's been following me...'
Saiki slightly turned his head and glanced behind him with the corner of his eye. Matsushita Chiaki was also watching them from a distance.
[Is that... Acting Chairman Tsukishiro? I saw him at the graduation ceremony before. He seems to know Saiki?]
Matsushita Chiaki observed the distant figures of Saiki and Tsukishiro Tokinari, feeling a bit puzzled.
[No, Chairman Tsukishiro's expression looks off... Is that... fear?]
For Tsukishiro Tokinari, not showing his emotions on his face was a basic skill.
But recalling the series of events that had happened recently, even Tsukishiro couldn't control his expression for a moment.
From Ayanokoji Atsuomi's order to absolutely not provoke Saiki, to his own previous attempt to test Saiki by pretending to bump into him, all of this had made Tsukishiro extremely wary of Saiki.
[It's obvious that Saiki is just making up an excuse—]
'I'm really telling the truth.'
[Could it be that Saiki has been secretly following me?]
'In the end, I'm the one being followed, yet I'm being treated like a stalker?'
[This guy... his gaze... it's even darker and colder than Ayanokoji's.]
'Hey, hey, I'm just my usual self. And you, are you insulting me?'
Saiki sighed inwardly. Tsukishiro was one thing, but with Matsushita Chiaki watching from behind, if this led to some strange misunderstandings, it would be troublesome.
"In that case... I'll take my leave now!"
Tsukishiro pursed his lips and then quickly left the area.
'Yare yare... this guy...'
Saiki felt a bit helpless. He never expected Tsukishiro Tokinari to inexplicably cause him so much trouble.
At that moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also walked out from the side and was slightly surprised to see Saiki here.
[Saiki? Why is he here?]
'Does this world not allow people to just pass by?'
"Saiki, what are you doing here?"
"I was reading at the café and just came back. I happened to see the two of you talking."
Saiki said.
Fortunately, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was more likely to believe the truthfulness of Saiki's words, so he didn't dwell on the matter and instead started thinking about something else.
[Should I do something about Tsukishiro in the short term? I've already obtained her father's contact information from Sakayanagi. If I can get external support, it should be easier to deal with Tsukishiro.]
[To live undisturbed for these three years, removing Tsukishiro from the school and having Chairman Sakayanagi return would be the best option.]
[But for now, Tsukishiro doesn't seem to pose any threat. He hasn't even been able to launch a real attack against me.]
Tsukishiro Tokinari had actually attempted to attack Ayanokoji Kiyotaka several times—but each time, he failed for various reasons.
He wanted to use class votes to expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, but Sakayanagi Arisu refused to cooperate and instead gave her praise vote to Saiki.
He tried to provoke Ayanokoji Kiyotaka into attacking him to get him expelled, but Saiki's sudden appearance ruined his plans.
This time, he wanted to use the exam to expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, but he didn't expect that the commander of their class would be Saiki.
Because of all these events, Tsukishiro Tokinari no longer posed any threat in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's mind.
[I can sense that Tsukishiro is very wary of Saiki. As long as I can win Saiki over, Tsukishiro won't be a threat to me—but what he just said to me is a bit concerning. After all, if it's that man, he's fully capable of using any means to achieve his goals. It's very possible that the White Room has planted students here, and definitely more than one.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought this in his heart, then spoke to Saiki:
"I feel like there might be some troublesome people among the new students next semester."
After all, during the last confrontation between Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Sakayanagi Arisu, and Tsukishiro Tokinari, Saiki had been present. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka knew that Saiki probably already had some understanding of his situation, so he didn't hide anything.
"They're from the place I used to be. They're probably here to target me."
"Is that so? I didn't know about that."
Saiki pretended to know nothing.
"Although their target is me, I think this might also affect you."
"That's possible."
"Acting Chairman Tsukishiro just told me that if we can find out who that person is, he'll step down—but I'm well aware that his words can't be trusted."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly,
"Regardless of whether he'll keep his promise, it's hard to say how many troublesome people will be among the new students."
'It should be two.'
Saiki thought this in his heart, having already learned the answer from Tsukishiro Tokinari, but of course, he couldn't say it out loud.
"Hmm."
"What will you do then?"
"I'll see when the time comes."
Saiki replied.
But for some reason, whenever the topic came up, he always felt a strange sensation.
It felt like... there would be even bigger troubles in the future.
"By the way, is that Matsushita from our class about fifty meters behind you?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, with his exceptional observational skills, also noticed Matsushita Chiaki's presence.
'Is there someone behind me?'
Saiki was about to say this, but he quickly realized that playing dumb would be pointless.
"Yeah, for some reason, Matsushita has been following me since school ended."
"She probably noticed something unusual about you. To avoid raising more suspicions, let's go?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka suggested.
"Sure."
Saiki nodded, then followed Ayanokoji Kiyotaka back towards the dormitory.
In the distance, Matsushita Chiaki could no longer continue following them.
At the same time, the questions in her mind multiplied.
[When Chairman Tsukishiro met Saiki earlier, his expression was very off, and he said something to Saiki.]
'Strictly speaking, he just asked me why I was here.'
[Saiki... he's full of mysteries. Too many things related to him are just coincidences.]
'Honestly, many things really are just coincidences.'
[I need to understand Saiki better.]
'Sigh.'
Saiki felt a bit helpless.
...
A few days later, on March 30th, the day the third-year students were about to leave the school.
Saiki came near the school gate. Although he hadn't interacted much with the third-year students, he had some level of connection with Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane, so he came to see Horikita Manabu off.
[Is Suzune not coming?]
Horikita Manabu's thoughts were clearly heard by Saiki, but the latter still walked up to Horikita Manabu and greeted him.
"Saiki, you're here."
[But Suzune still hasn't come.]
'He's really a siscon, huh.'
Saiki complained in his heart, but he still nodded at the other.
"I pushed some troubles and problems onto you before. That was my fault. Please don't take it to heart."
Horikita Manabu said to Saiki.
"It's fine."
Saiki shook his head.
Although he was indeed someone who avoided trouble, to prevent Nagumo Miyabi from interfering with his peaceful life in the future—and for the sake of the VIP status at the dessert shop—Saiki had chosen to assist Horikita Manabu.
After Horikita Manabu left, Nagumo Miyabi would probably come to cause trouble for him.
"But let me remind you one last time. I generally agree with the school's policies. Although it's based on meritocracy, there's still plenty of room for the lower classes to win. It's definitely not an easy fight, and your rise from Class D to Class A is the best proof of that."
"We just got lucky."
"It's not luck. It's the result of your efforts—this can also be attributed to many people not understanding the essence. Of course, there are many areas where the school needs improvement, but if you look back, you'll understand. Whether it's the uninhabited island exam or the end-of-year exam, the school always gives the lower classes a chance to surpass the upper classes. Even though you've risen to Class A, you still need to be wary of counterattacks from the other classes."
Horikita Manabu spoke very seriously.
[Is Suzune really not coming?]
'How do you manage to think one thing in your heart while saying something completely different?'
"Hmm."
Saiki didn't know what to say and could only nod.
"Nagumo's policies aren't necessarily wrong, but there's no doubt that they'll cause misfortune for many students. He only recognizes 'individual strength,' but I believe that a class is a community that shares both joy and hardship. That framework should not be surpassed."
Horikita Manabu raised his head, his gaze shifting into the distance, then back to Saiki.
"Saiki, what kind of environment did you grow up in? I'm certain that your abilities aren't entirely innate. They're on a level that ordinary people can't reach."
"You're overestimating me. I'm just an ordinary student from an ordinary family."
Saiki replied.
'The second half of that sentence isn't a lie.'