Taking a puff from her cigarette, Chabashira turned to face Ayanokōji.
"So? What do you want?"
"Teacher, do you think society in Japan is equal?"
"That's quite a question for someone your age. Is there any point in me answering?"
"It's important to me. I'd appreciate your answer."
She took another drag and exhaled slowly.
"Speaking from my experience, society is definitely not equal. Not in the least."
"I thought so too. The word equality is just something we're told. But humans are rational beings—we didn't form societies without reason," Ayanokōji replied calmly.
Chabashira gave him a sharper look.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Instead of answering, Ayanokōji pulled out his phone and showed her his point balance.
She looked puzzled.
"I'd like to buy a point on the test. Add it to Sudo's score."
At that, a smile tugged at her lips.
"You really are an interesting kid."
"You said it yourself on the first day—in this school, anything can be bought with points."
"That's true... hmm. If you can come up with 100,000 points right now, we'll have a deal."
"That's harsh, Teacher Chabashira," Ayanokōji said, showing his screen—62,000 points.
"That's not my problem. Maybe you can ask someone else for help," she said with a sly grin, her gaze shifting behind Ayanokōji.
He turned to see Lioro and Horikita standing at the doorway.
"Sorry, I'm broke,"
"I'll pay,"
Lioro and Horikita both said at the same time.
Chabashira, Ayanokōji, and Horikita all stared at Lioro.
Their looks clearly said: If you can't pay, then why are you here?
Lioro just raised his hands and shrugged.
"I can pay in gold..."
----
"You can tell Sudo he won't be expelled after all."
As the transaction finished, Chabashira was about to leave when Lioro stopped her.
"What now?" she asked, glancing back.
Ayanokōji and Horikita also looked at him curiously.
"There are some academic books missing from the library."
"Books that aren't in our library?"
Chabashira frowned. Their school had one of the best collections in Japan.
Without a word, Lioro handed her a list from his pocket.
Reading over it, Chabashira raised an eyebrow.
"You want these?"
"Yes."
"I like to believe in my students, but aren't you biting off more than you can chew, Kanji Ike?"
"Can you get them or not?"
If not, he'd just sneak out and buy them himself.
Chabashira stared at him for a moment, then folded the list and tucked it into her breast pocket.
Damn, they're big...
"I'll order them. As the best school in Japan, it's only right to provide the best education."
With that, she turned and walked out.
Ayanokōji came up beside him.
"Let's go tell Sudo."
----
Inside the student dorm.
Ayanokōji let out a sigh.
"Hey, why the long face?" Sudo grinned as he took a sip of his drink.
"We're celebrating!"
"I'm happy for you, but why does it have to be in my room?" Ayanokōji asked.
"Of course. Who else will clean up later?" Lioro replied casually as he opened one of Ayanokōji's drawers, checking for any hidden 'mastermind' diaries.
Ayanokōji gave him a silent look.
"Thanks for sharing the test questions, Kushida!" Yamauchi said, grinning.
"I'm just happy everyone passed," Kushida replied sweetly.
Horikita sat quietly to the side.
As the conversation flowed, Kushida came over to Ayanokōji.
"Hey, how did you stop Sudo from getting expelled?"
Sudo and Yamauchi also turned to him, curious.
Ayanokōji blinked, then looked at Horikita.
"It was all Horikita's plan. She spoke to the administration and argued that it wasn't right to expel a student who's still trying to learn."
"What? Really? Horikita said that?" Yamauchi stared at her, shocked.
"You... you really do care," Sudo said, visibly moved. "Thank you."
Horikita shot a cold look at Ayanokōji, who simply looked away.
Meanwhile, Kushida remained quiet, watching as Horikita became the center of attention.
After the small celebration, everyone eventually left one by one.
"I'll see you in the library tomorrow," Lioro said, waving.
"...Okay."
After Lioro left, only Kushida remained.
"I'll come see you tomorrow too, Ayanokōji."
"Alright."
Without looking back, Kushida quietly left the room.
Left alone, Ayanokōji began picking up empty bottles and food containers scattered across the floor.
As he cleaned, his eyes landed on a phone lying on the bed.
It was Kushida's.
Leaving the trash, Ayanokōji picked up the phone and went after her.
Unbeknownst to him, an invisible figure also followed silently.
Where could she be going this late? Ayanokōji wondered, following Kushida as she walked away from the dormitory.
Eventually, she stopped near the boundary of the school grounds.
Ayanokōji quietly hid behind a tree.
I'm not sure why I'm hiding, but...
"What a pain you are," Kushida muttered.
Ayanokōji perked up, hearing her voice—completely different from her usual cheerful tone.
"So you think you're better than me just because you're prettier?"
"I hate your guts."
Suddenly, Kushida began kicking the railing.
"I hate you! I hate you! I fucking hate you!"
"Horikita! You stupid bitch!"
Tring
A sudden notification sound cut through the air.
Kushida immediately stopped and turned, her voice cold.
"Someone's spying on me?"
After a brief pause, Ayanokōji calmly stepped out from behind the tree.
"I wasn't spying. You left your phone, so I came to return it."
Kushida closed the distance between them, her expression icy, her gaze piercing.
"Did you hear me?"
"If I said I didn't, would you believe me?" Ayanokōji replied calmly.
Without breaking eye contact, Kushida leaned in closer.
"If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll tell the whole school that you tried to rape me."
"You know that isn't true."
"You're wrong..."
Suddenly, she grabbed Ayanokōji's hand and pressed it against her left breast.
Ayanokōji's eyes widened slightly.
"See?"
She pushed his hand even more firmly, slightly deforming the shape.
"Your fingerprints. Your DNA. That's all the proof I need."
Ayanokōji looked at her silently.
----
Ayanokōji stood in place, watching Kushida walk back toward the dormitory.
Just as he was about to head back, an arm wrapped casually around his shoulders.
Ayanokōji's eyes widened as he turned, only to see Lioro grinning at him.
'How did he get this close without me noticing...?'
"Hey, Ayanokōji. I just remembered—I haven't paid you back for those drinks yet."
"You don't have to. It was a small amount—"
"Since you won't accept gold, how about this?" Lioro interrupted, pulling out his phone and showing him a video.
[I hate you! I hate you! I fucking hate you!...]
It was Kushida.
[...If you breathe even a word about this to anyone, I'll tell the entire school you tried to rape me...]
From beginning to end, perfectly recorded.
Ayanokōji silently watched the video.
"What do you think? I got all the right angles," Lioro said, pausing the video on the moment Ayanokōji's hand was on Kushida's breast.
He zoomed in casually on her chest.
"She's got a pretty good figure, huh."
Smiling, Lioro put the phone away.
Ayanokōji looked at him.
"Thank you, Ike."
"Oh? Feeling grateful?"
"I am. Thank you for your help."
"You don't sound very grateful."
"You're overthinking it. I'm grateful."
Lioro's expression turned playful.
"Since you're so grateful... how about you do something for me?"
Ayanokōji tilted his head slightly.
"What is it?"
"How about... you join my familia?"
"...?"