"..."
Since she said that, how could he refuse?
Although Ayanokouji Kiyohira knew she was acting, it was truly difficult to refuse at this moment.
"Since your stomach hurts, come in quickly..." Ayanokouji Kiyohira supported her arm and helped her into the room.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira originally intended to lead her to the bathroom, but as soon as they stepped out of the entrance, Ririka's stomach seemed to feel no pain, and she directly skipped towards the bedroom with light steps.
It seemed this girl was clearly here to "catch them in the act." Had she discovered something?
Even though he knew he was about to be caught in bed, Ayanokouji Kiyohira was completely unhurried, seemingly unconcerned about the consequences of being discovered by Ririka.
If Meari had found out, he might have panicked for a while, but Ririka...
Ayanokoji also held her "handle." If Ririka were to accuse and denounce him because of this matter, saying she would tell Meari and the others, then Ayanokoji wouldn't mind revealing everything now.
When Ayanokouji Kiyohira unhurriedly walked into the bedroom, he didn't see the scene of Ririka and Ikishima Midari confronting each other. He only saw Ririka frozen by the bed, her face full of disbelief—the bed was empty.
Ayanokoji was slightly startled, also a bit surprised by Ikishima Midari's disappearance, but he still said in a calm tone, "Weren't you going to the restroom? This is the bedroom, you've gone the wrong way."
Why was there no one in the bedroom? Ririka was also very surprised at this moment.
The air was still filled with a sensual scent, the smell of male and female intercourse. She was very sure that a man and a woman had been intimate on this bed last night, but Ayanokoji's bed was empty.
If not on the bed, then is it possible she's in the closet?
Ririka glanced at the closet beside her, walked quickly, and pulled it open—inside, there were only Ayanokouji Kiyohira's clothes, nothing else; no one was hiding there.
The large bed in the bedroom was made of solid wood, so no one could hide under it. So where did the other person go?
"Anna, are you looking for something?" Ayanokoji asked intentionally.
"I…" Ririka hesitated, unsure what to say.
Although the bed was messy, that alone proved nothing; Ayanokoji could simply say he was a restless sleeper.
If she were to ask about the smell in the air, Ayanokoji could also say he ate some strange-smelling food last night, and the odor hadn't dissipated from the room.
No matter what suspicious points she found, Ayanokouji Kiyohira had a way to explain them.
It was her fault for not "catching them in the act." Without this crucial, concrete evidence, even if the chain of other evidence was abundant, everything would be in vain.
…Forget it, it's better to pretend she knows nothing.
Seeing Ayanokoji watching her, Ririka, at this moment, became the one feeling guilty.
She couldn't help but feel shy, a blush appearing on her cheeks, and she whispered, "Sorry, I was just looking for a sanitary napkin…"
Ririka herself felt her reason was a bit flimsy, but Ayanokouji Kiyohira didn't question her, only said in a gentle, calm tone, "There are sanitary napkins in the bathroom cabinet. You're looking in the wrong place. Aren't you having stomach pains? Hurry to the bathroom."
Ririka also felt too embarrassed to linger in the bedroom for too long. She took one last look at the bedroom's layout, walked through the living room, and went to the bathroom.
She didn't actually use the toilet; she just pretended to turn on the "Otohime," sat on the toilet for a while, and when she felt enough time had passed, she flushed and came out.
"Ayanokoji, I'm feeling a bit unwell, so I won't join you for dinner at the restaurant…"
Ririka didn't find any evidence in the bathroom either. Her mind was a mess now, and she didn't dare to stay near Ayanokoji for long. She just left a sentence and hurriedly took her leave, returning to her own room.
That was a close call. Ayanokouji Kiyohira almost thought he was about to come clean with Ririka…
Ayanokoji closed the door and called out in the living room, "Xiao Wang, where are you? Where did you run off to?"
"Stop shouting, I'm here."
In the chess and card room next door, the door opened in response. Ikishima Midari, wearing only her underwear, walked out of the chess and card room, yawning and looking as if she hadn't fully woken up.
"You were hiding?"
"You didn't think I was an idiot, did you?" Ikishima Midari stretched lazily. "I heard you talking to someone at the door and guessed there might be an unexpected situation, so I hid in the chess and card room beforehand and locked the door."
"How did you think to hide there?"
"If she wanted to come in, she definitely wouldn't conduct a thorough search; that would expose her motive. She would definitely go straight to the bedroom to check, and at most, look in the bathroom. She would never think I'd be in the chess and card room."
"What if she came into the chess and card room?"
Ikishima Midari showed a sinister smile, straightened her hand, and lightly drew it across her throat: "At that point, should we just silence her? As long as we make her shut up, no one will know about us…"
Ayanokoji rolled his eyes: "Hey, how can a girl talk about silencing someone so casually? I've never done anything illegal or disorderly, and I don't want to be arrested by the police…"
"I was just joking. You don't actually think I'd really think that, do you? I'm not that kind of bad woman."
She said she was joking, but seeing her regretful expression, Ayanokouji Kiyohira really couldn't be sure if she was serious or not.
Ikishima Midari then offered another suggestion: "Since we can't silence her, then threatening her works just as well. When she discovers our secret, we'll also get some embarrassing leverage on her, and then threaten her not to tell anyone, otherwise…"
Ikishima Midari didn't continue, but her smile already carried a lot of meaning.
Although he didn't agree with her words, Ayanokouji Kiyohira really did have a "handle" on Ririka.
He had also thought before that if Ririka insisted on revealing the matter, he would just lay his cards on the table and see whether Ririka chose to conceal it or expose it.
On this point, their ideas coincided.
Ikishima Midari poured herself a glass of water, completely unconcerned about her exposed figure, and sat cross-legged on the living room sofa, asking, "Speaking of which… Ayanokoji, I didn't see that girl just now. Who was the person who came earlier? Why did she suspect there was someone in your room? Does she like you too?"
"Her name is Anna Kinomiya. She's a new staff member at our casino and Yumemi's good friend. As for whether she likes me, I'm not sure yet."
Ririka's identity is still a secret. Probably only a few people in the entire school know it right now. To prevent Ikishima Midari from letting it slip, Ayanokoji didn't plan to tell her the details for now.
"Another one of Yumemi's friends…" Ikishima Midari showed a playful smile: "Hanatemari is her friend, and now this Miss Anna is too. Does Yumemi even know that her friends are all coveting the person she likes?"
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