"Do you understand, Sakayanagi?"
Standing in front of Chairman Sakayanagi's desk, Ren looked down at Chairman Sakayanagi, who was seated in the main chair, without any respect in his words.
There were simply too many messed-up things in this school.
From Airi being followed by a shop assistant, to Miyabi Nagumo frantically abusing his power to sleep with girls, and now students impersonating staff to sneak into the women's changing room and place hidden cameras.
A school that was originally meant to filter talent through a survival of the fittest method shouldn't even continue to operate if it couldn't even select the most basic students properly.
"..."
Lowering the hands that were supporting his head, Chairman Sakayanagi, realizing the severity of the situation, stood up to meet Ren's gaze. He no longer viewed Ren as a mere student.
When Ren hadn't explicitly revealed his identity, Chairman Sakayanagi could treat him as a student to let Ren have his fun.
But now that Ren had confessed his identity, setting aside his status as the acting head of the Katsuragi Family, just his status as the sole heir to the Katsuragi Group was enough to crush him.
Chairman Sakayanagi asked cautiously: "Then... Head of the Katsuragi Family, what do you mean?"
Casually pulling up the pine bonsai carefully cultivated by Chairman Sakayanagi from the desk, Ren examined the beautiful little black pine.
This little black pine was well-raised. Its spreading branches were dark and thick, appearing robust and ancient. Emerald green pine needles covered every branch, giving it a vibrant beauty. One glance was enough to see how much care its owner had put into it.
Pinching a small amount of soil from the pot, he rubbed it in his hand.
Hmm, very standard black soil.
This kind of soil doesn't exist in Japan at all. It seems Chairman Sakayanagi bought it at a high price.
It's truly well-raised. And there's another one raised even better.
Ren glanced at Arisu Sakayanagi sitting on the sofa behind him, then withdrew his gaze and looked toward the window.
Taking the scissors Chairman Sakayanagi had left by the window, Ren pretended to choose for a moment, then snipped at the roots of the little black pine.
He didn't cut all the roots of the black pine. After randomly cutting off about a quarter of them, Ren threw the little black pine back into the pot.
Pushing the entire bonsai in front of Chairman Sakayanagi, Ren put down the scissors.
"Sakayanagi, you've spoiled this black pine. Even enjoying the most superior environment, some of its roots have long rotted, which will later lead to the festering of the entire pine tree."
Carefully holding the black pine bonsai Ren had casually pushed over, Chairman Sakayanagi felt immense heartache.
He had planted this little black pine when he became the chairman of this school. After a long time, it had finally grown this big.
After Ren's torment,
Survival wouldn't be a problem, but growing vigorously like before might be difficult.
"Head of the Katsuragi Family, you are right."
Chairman Sakayanagi dared not refute Ren and could only agree with him in a low voice.
The essence of this school is to serve the various conglomerates above, supplying them with talent.
This is why the Japanese government approved the establishment of the school.
But now, the people above were beginning to be dissatisfied with this batch of talent they were raising.
The only thing Chairman Sakayanagi could do was to find ways to satisfy Ren.
"Sakayanagi, there have been new breakthroughs in heart disease treatment in some places in Japan recently. I think you should focus on this."
"I think you need about a year to find this place."
"This is what you sought, isn't it?"
Pulling out a tissue to wipe the soil from his fingers, Ren spoke slowly about the upcoming arrangements.
As the chairman of the school, Sakayanagi could specifically select inferior candidates and let this group improve through killing and competition, but he shouldn't let some despicable people enter this battlefield.
This is a sign of irresponsibility toward the people above.
And this year, among this batch of candidates...
The number of inferior ones is a bit too high.
"Head of the Katsuragi Family, please allow me to search for a treatment plan for Arisu!" Chairman Sakayanagi bowed his head respectfully to Ren.
"But the handling plan for this incident..."
Behind Chairman Sakayanagi, Arisu Sakayanagi, sitting on the sofa, tightly gripped her wooden cane at this moment.
Arisu Sakayanagi discovered that her father's back, which had been straight all his life,
Bent slightly at this moment.
"Don't worry, the school still has to run. They will only receive a little punishment and won't be expelled because of this."
"However... the school can't stop the gossip among students."
"Outside, their families probably won't be able to stop the gossip among neighbors either."
Ren lightly decided the fate of the four.
Send them in like Miyabi Nagumo? That would be letting them off too easily.
On the contrary, Ren would let them spend the remaining two and a half years in this school properly.
When they walked out of this school, they would find...
The time spent in school would also be re-enacted in their homes outside the school.
Including their whole families, they would all be nailed to the pillar of shame for peeping.
Like peeping?
Then write the fact that they like peeping into their files, making them remember this hobby of theirs.
Then write the fact that they like voyeurism into their files, making them remember this hobby of theirs.
Chairman Sakayanagi felt a chill in his heart. Thinking that Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, the anomaly who ran out of the White Room, was also involved in this incident, he couldn't help but remind him.
"Head of the Katsuragi Family, that Kiyotaka Ayanokoji..."
Any conglomerate wouldn't care about something like the White Room; only Atsuomi Ayanokoji took it seriously.
A genius lacking emotion? Just a toy.
Human interaction requires a bond; emotions, interests, bloodlines, etc., can all be that bond.
Without emotion, a formulaically trained doll can at best be considered a pastime for the upper class to watch for amusement.
Regret. Chairman Sakayanagi was full of regret.
He couldn't empathize with his past self at all right now.
Recruiting Kiyotaka Ayanokoji into this school, from the current perspective, only had disadvantages and no benefits.
He, who had always been shrewd, didn't understand why his past self would do such a stupid thing.
For Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, Ren thought of a fun way to play, and the corners of his mouth hooked up slightly.
"That toy? Doesn't he lack emotion? Let him try to find emotion from the gazes of everyone loathing him like a dog."
"Sakayanagi, set off as soon as possible."
Seeing that Ren had arranged everything, Chairman Sakayanagi accepted bitterly.
"Yes!"
Before leaving the office, Chairman Sakayanagi glanced obscurely at Arisu Sakayanagi, wanting his daughter to leave with him.
"Father, take care." Arisu Sakayanagi chose to rebel again.
Only Ren and Arisu Sakayanagi remained in the Chairman's office.
Looking away from the door, Arisu Sakayanagi looked at Ren and asked: "May I ask, should this little girl address you as Katsuragi-kun or Head of the Katsuragi Family?"
In Arisu Sakayanagi's eyes, Ren at this moment was a superior with overwhelming power.
She finally understood just how despairing the status brought by a top conglomerate was.
Without answering Arisu Sakayanagi's question directly, Ren placed the bonsai Chairman Sakayanagi hadn't taken with him in front of Arisu Sakayanagi.
Using two fingers to lift the little black pine that had already been uprooted once, he threw it on the ground like a piece of trash.
"Do you understand the warmth and coldness of humanity now, Arisu?"
"To make you understand warmth and coldness, I can put your father in a predicament."
"You think you want to make Kiyotaka Ayanokoji understand the warmth and coldness of humanity and make him improve."
"Then for Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who do you want to force to experience everything your father suffered?"
Stuffing a peeled candy into Arisu Sakayanagi's mouth, who had put her mind into high gear to answer the question.
Not wanting to wait boringly for Arisu Sakayanagi to give an answer, Ren opened the door of the Chairman's office and left.
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