"So—are you planning to live in the dormitory, or move straight into my place?"
Faced with Yami Tsukishiro's question, Hayasaka Ai hesitated briefly, then answered with care.
"If you don't mind, Master… may I stay here?"
"It's about time Miss Kaguya learned how to be independent."
"No problem," Yami Tsukishiro replied without hesitation.
"After dinner, I'll help you pack."
When Yami Tsukishiro arrived at the dormitory later that day, Shinomiya Kaguya was practically glowing inside, already scheming about which perfect plan she should carry out next.
But reality, as always, had other plans.
Hayasaka Ai calmly announced that she intended to change her residence.
The moment those words reached her ears, Kaguya froze.
It was as if lightning had struck her out of nowhere—her mind blank, her eyes wide with disbelief.
If this had been at home, she would've already latched onto Hayasaka Ai, clinging to her while throwing a full-scale tantrum.
Unfortunately…
With someone else present, she had no choice but to forcibly suppress the emotions flooding her chest.
So she could only stand there, watching Yami Tsukishiro leave with Hayasaka Ai, her gaze lingering, filled with unwillingness.
"…How did things end up like this?"
Kaguya murmured softly to herself, her thoughts tangled in confusion.
She'd only wanted Hayasaka to act as a maid—maybe gather a little information on the side.
Who could've imagined that Hayasaka would end up living with Yami-kun?
Was this… betrayal?
Or something even worse?
Her thoughts spiraled.
The following days passed, and Potential Academy finally entered a relatively stable phase.
The dissatisfaction in Kaguya's heart didn't last long—Hayasaka Ai smoothed everything over with a few carefully chosen lies.
But what outsiders didn't know was how much effort Yami Tsukishiro had put in elsewhere.
Appeasing Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri Spencer Sawamura had taken far more work than expected.
When the two learned that Hayasaka Ai had moved into the villa before them, their tempers exploded instantly.
It turned into a full-blown disaster.
In the end, Yami Tsukishiro spent several consecutive days "working overtime" in his office.
Only after exhausting himself did he finally manage to calm the two down.
There was also something… strange.
Almost eerie.
Yukinoshita Haruno always seemed to appear at exactly the worst possible moments—knocking on the door whenever things reached their most intense point.
It was as if she possessed some unnatural sixth sense.
Meanwhile, the ones who benefited most from all this chaos were the students themselves.
As they grew familiar with their powers, and under the careful guidance of Nishikigi Chisato and Inoue Takina, their control and combat instincts improved rapidly.
At present—
Based on the academy's undisclosed ability-ranking system:
Level 4 (One Person Only)
Katou Megumi
Her breakthrough was nothing short of terrifying.
She could now freely control the activation of her ability without relying on the "existence membrane" formed by unknown star power.
She could shift her presence from existent to nonexistent, and back again, at will.
Level 3 (Six People)
Senshu
Inoue Takina
Mizuki
Kurumi (Walnut)
Kasumigaoka Utaha
Eriri Spencer Sawamura
Their advantage came from early meme fusion and massive accumulation of experience inside the virtual world.
Level 2 (Seven People)
Yukinoshita Yukino
Shinomiya Kaguya
Yukinoshita Haruno
Hiratsuka Shizuka
Yor
Momo Ryuuji
Yuigahama Yui
Yui, in particular, was a rising star.
She displayed remarkable intuition when exploring her abilities and had already unlocked her gene lock within the dream state.
Pure talent—there was no other way to describe it.
Level 1
Yumiko
Chabashira Sae
Level 0 (Recently Awakened)
Kojima Kana
Sawamura Sayuri
Kirisu Mafuyu
These three unlocked their gene locks only two days after Yumiko.
After repeatedly brushing against death, they finally glimpsed the future.
Gene Lock Details
Sawamura Sayuri
[Meme]: Gene Lock — Healer [Grade]: D [Ability]: • Healing — Emits healing light that restores wounds and soothes the soul
Kojima Kana
[Meme]: Gene Lock — Planter [Grade]: D [Ability]: • Plant Growth — Promotes changes in plant traits (exact effect unknown)
Yami Tsukishiro specifically asked Yukinoshita Haruno, now handling external affairs, to purchase large quantities of plant seeds for Kana to experiment with.
Kirisu Mafuyu
[Meme]: Gene Lock — Lecturer [Grade]: D [Ability]: • Instruction — Spoken words become deeply ingrained in listeners
Yukino and the others experienced this firsthand.
Whenever Kirisu Mafuyu lectured, concentration soared, and retention deepened.
A natural-born teacher.
As for Yumiko—
Her ability was… special.
Yami Tsukishiro deliberately summoned her alone to the training grounds while everyone else was in class.
[Meme]: Gene Lock — Contractor [Grade]: C [Ability]: • Contract — Form contracts with other lifeforms • Summon — Call forth contracted beings
It resembled a summoner class straight out of an RPG.
To verify its nature, Yami Tsukishiro asked softly:
"Yumiko… what do you think about the contract you've formed?"
Left alone with him, Yumiko immediately became flustered.
Her lips trembled as if she wanted to speak—
And then she yelped in pain.
She'd bitten her tongue.
Before she could react, Yami Tsukishiro placed a hand gently against her cheek.
A soft white glow flashed.
The pain vanished instantly.
Smiling faintly, he teased,
"Yumiko, weren't you brave enough to confess to me back then? Why are you so nervous now?"
Her eyes watered immediately.
Especially with the warmth of his palm still lingering—
Her face burned.
She wanted nothing more than to vanish into the ground.
But Yami Tsukishiro didn't stop.
He lifted her chin without hesitation, bringing their faces dangerously close.
"You confessed first… then dumped me without warning. I haven't forgotten that."
His breath brushed her skin.
Her heartbeat spiraled out of control.
"I—"
She tried to speak—
But he leaned down and pressed his lips softly against hers.
Her mind went completely blank.
If the kiss had lasted any longer, she might've fainted.
Her legs nearly gave out, saved only by his arm catching her waist.
"That's just a small punishment," Yami Tsukishiro said calmly,
"for acting on your own."
Her heart fluttered with warmth and joy—
But reason crashed down moments later.
Yui's smiling face flashed in her mind.
Pain followed.
She pushed herself out of his arms, struggling to speak.
"No… we can't. It's not fair to Yui."
"…Yui?"
He understood immediately.
Instead of letting go, he held her tighter.
"You're pushing me away because of her, aren't you?"
"…Yes."
She nodded timidly.
Yami Tsukishiro smiled.
"You're overthinking."
"There's no relationship between Yui and me."
"I do like her—but I haven't acted on it."
"Right now," his voice lowered,
"I want you."
"And not just you."
"I want Yui too."
Her eyes widened in shock.
"W-What?!"
"I won't lie," he continued calmly.
"Utaha and Eriri are already my girlfriends."
"…Both of them?"
He nodded.
"That's why they've been disappearing during training."
"They were with me. In the office."
Silence fell.
Everything clicked.
The absences.
The timing.
Her world felt unreal—like a dream collapsing in on itself.
And yet…
She couldn't wake up.
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