Kaoru didn't panic.
There was no need for him to panic—as a 27-year-old producer and a 17-year-old high school student—he had no reason to show even a hint of fluster.
Who would believe in the miracle of resurrection?
Back then, he had meticulously calculated the exact moment Madoka Higuchi would open the door before calmly hanging himself, leaving his corpse in the room.
No one would believe his current identity.
To confirm, he had even asked the Wish Machine, which replied that his previous body had indeed been cremated.
"Does Sakayanagi-san also think he looks a lot like me?" Kaoru's eyes were calm as still water, even slightly furrowing his brows.
"Even though we share the same name, he's clearly just some middle-aged man."
"I have their phone numbers," Sakayanagi Arisu said, even calmer and more composed than him.
Kaoru nearly faltered.
If they found out he was here, they might rush over immediately.
"Do you believe someone can come back from the dead?"
"No. It might be a scam, or some elaborate deception. But either way, his presence here is inappropriate." Sakayanagi Arisu put away her phone.
"Anything you'd like to say?"
"Do you want me to leave?" Kaoru asked.
"Don't answer a question with another question. I'm just curious—who are you?" Sakayanagi Arisu said.
"Remember when I mentioned I'd seen your records?"
Kaoru nodded.
It had been his birthday, so her gift had taken him by surprise.
"Actually, my father personally told me before the semester started. Your name was on the list—same name, same appearance." Sakayanagi Arisu continued.
"He told me to keep an eye on you in class. I thought it'd be boring at first, but then I realized you were quite interesting, so I've been observing you."
"A producer doesn't warrant this kind of attention, does he?" Kaoru sounded a little exasperated.
"Turning an unknown talent agency into a rising star that shook the entire nation—that's not something an ordinary producer could do." Sakayanagi Arisu spoke with a faint smirk.
"Barging into the entertainment industry with just a few young girls, even handling the yakuza, and later breaking into Seoul's scene—all in just two years."
Kaoru felt slightly uncomfortable and averted his gaze.
"Some say he's an alien with advanced weapons, others say he's a psychic who hypnotized an entire yakuza syndicate in one go. Oh, and some claim his agency is actually his harem, where every idol is forced to endure his... conditioning—like performing on stage with their legs tightly pressed together—"
"That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?"
"So, I wanted to ask for your personal opinion."
"..."
"I've checked—the school convenience store didn't sell any sleep-inducing medication that day. I also reviewed the administrator's records, and you didn't order anything online."
It seemed she was serious.
Perhaps she had already been testing him on his birthday.
"From the beginning, you pretended not to know me just to get close, didn't you?" Kaoru said quietly.
"That was part of it, but as I mentioned earlier, the reason I became interested in you is because you're inherently fascinating," Sakayanagi continued.
"Setting aside your identity as a creator, your previous performance far exceeded my expectations. If left unchecked, you might not just dominate the first-years—even the second-years could fall under your influence. Next year's freshmen would likely stand no chance either."
"The rules are too simple. The school retains class-based competitive exams while allowing students to accumulate Personal Points without restriction."
Just as Nagumo Miyabi had made promises to other classes, if Class 2-A pooled twenty million Personal Points, the lower classes would inevitably fall into chaos.
After all, not everyone would be content staying in their original class, nor could everyone withstand such pressure.
Nagumo Miyabi could easily crush the lower classes just by fishing for opportunities, and now Class 1-A also had the qualifications to do the same.
However, this year's Class 1-B and Class 1-C were somewhat special.
"The rules, you say?" Sakayanagi fell into thought.
"Taking a step back, even if we don't win the competition outright, as long as we eliminate the opponent's king, the rest will scatter like headless chickens," Kaoru said.
"People like Katsuragi, you, Horikita, or Ryuen—though the queen, rook, knight, and bishop are all troublesome, there's only one king."
Sakayanagi roughly understood now.
Even if this guy weren't in Class A, he could quickly rise to it.
"It seems there's no difference between you and Nagumo-kun."
"The difference is I have other methods at my disposal, so I don't need to resort to that."
"Not necessarily." Sakayanagi slightly raised her eyes, her tone calm.
"Next semester is our promised showdown. The loser might face immediate expulsion."
In truth, she harbored similar thoughts.
This guy likewise didn't care about sacrificing his pieces—if he could take down the opponent's king, he wouldn't hesitate.
"Are you worried about being expelled?" Sakayanagi noticed the shift in Kaoru's expression.
"Or is there some reason you absolutely must stay here?"
"I haven't cleared the game yet," Kaoru said. "For example, you—you're also one of my targets."
"Me?" Sakayanagi smiled. "Are you referring to fulfilling some H-related fantasy of yours?"
"Want to know?" Kaoru pulled out his phone. "If you want answers, why not play a game with me? If you win, I'll satisfy your curiosity—why I came here and whether I'm really the creator."
Sakayanagi narrowed her eyes.
She had to admit, he had pinpointed her thoughts perfectly.
If not for her curiosity, she wouldn't have investigated this far.
At this point, she had countless questions she wanted answered by Kaoru.
Compared to burying a false genius, this industry legend and the mysteries surrounding him were far more compelling, stirring her restless heart.
"Fufufufu, actually I don't need to play chess with you. The advantage is mine now—you don't want to leave, you don't want them to know, so you have no choice but to listen to me."
Faced with Sakayanagi Arisu's verbal threat, Kaoru couldn't help but ask, "Are you planning to use your privilege to contact the outside world?"
Sakayanagi Arisu's expression stiffened slightly, only to hear him continue.
"If that's the case, I have nothing more to say. After all, you're the chairman's daughter and have already reviewed our classmates' files in advance."
"I know you're trying to provoke me, but what's the point?" Sakayanagi said. "If I report this to my father, someone might force you to withdraw from school under the pretext of being your guardian."
Kaoru nodded. "If that counts as your victory, then of course our Sakayanagi-san has won."
Sakayanagi couldn't hold back any longer, her eyebrows twitching slightly.
This wasn't the outcome she wanted.
"Or perhaps Sakayanagi-san has already foreseen losing to me in chess?" Kaoru said. "What a shame. I suppose I'll have to leave then."
Sakayanagi finally snapped, her cane striking the floor with a dull thud.
"Fine, I'll indulge you. Let's play chess now," the girl took a deep breath. "If you lose, you'll tell me everything."
"With pleasure," Kaoru smiled faintly. "But if you lose, you'll have to grant me one request as well."
"Why not?" Sakayanagi agreed without hesitation.
She absolutely believed she couldn't lose—judging from their previous two matches, their skill levels weren't even comparable.
There was no way she could lose, at least not in chess against Kaoru.
To this, Kaoru had only one response.
'Wish Machine, three wishes—help me win this chess match!'
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