"Sakayanagi-san, what do you think?"
Ayanokouji finished explaining the details of the cooperation and the proposed profit split, then waited for Arisu Sakayanagi's response.
He was human, after all—he needed to eat.
While pretending to be just another ordinary student, he and the deficit-ridden Class D hadn't received a single private point in ages.
If he didn't eat soon, he'd starve.
Just because he'd escaped the White Room didn't mean Ayanokouji stopped caring about his body. The free vegetable set meals in the cafeteria lacked fat and oil. If this kept up, his hard-earned physique would soon fade away.
That was something Ayanokouji couldn't accept.
Because cooperation contracts were void in this special exam, Ayanokouji was able to squeeze out some private points for the future.
And Arisu Sakayanagi, who was obsessed with him, would be his first target.
"Ayanokouji-kun, may I ask where your sincerity in this cooperation lies?"
"Are you planning to let me check the message about your special role on your phone, or…"
"Or are you just trying to get something for nothing?"
Sakayanagi elegantly held her coffee cup with two fingers, took a small sip, and waited for Ayanokouji's reply.
Before Chairman Sakayanagi stepped down, she hadn't really treated private points as real money. And with her bias toward Ayanokouji, she would've just handed over points without a second thought.
But things were different now. Although Chairman Sakayanagi had transferred a large sum of points to her before leaving, those would eventually run out.
Now that she'd sobered up, Sakayanagi didn't want to spend a single extra point on Ayanokouji.
In her eyes, Ayanokouji—who had been dodging her challenges since the beginning of school—was now far less important than Masumi Kamuro, who had always stayed by her side.
"Sakayanagi-san, if I show you my special role, will you reveal your class's special roles to me?"
"No. Our Class B can endure, but you probably can't, Ayanokouji-kun."
Sakayanagi understood exactly what kind of situation Ayanokouji was living in.
With a huge sum of points and no particular obsession with reaching Class A herself, she held all the cards in this negotiation.
Just as Ayanokouji was about to say something else,
the phones of Sakayanagi, Kamuro, and Ayanokouji buzzed with messages at the same time.
[The students holding special roles in Class B and Class D for this special exam have been eliminated.]
Stunned. Surprised. Indifferent.
The three people each wore a different expression.
"Ayanokouji-kun, it seems you aren't the student with the special role in your class after all."
Surprise flickered across Sakayanagi's face for just a second before she regained her usual elegance.
Without knowing the abilities of the other special roles, there was no way to guarantee there wasn't someone as powerful as the Priest.
Now that she'd lost her special role, Sakayanagi just thought this special exam was a bit of a waste.
It was a shame she could no longer challenge the White Room's most brilliant genius.
Less fun now, huh~
Without realizing it, Sakayanagi had started to become a little mischievous herself.
"..."
Without a word, Ayanokouji stood up and left. His plan to swindle some private points had failed, so there was no reason to stick around.
Apparently, Suzune Horikita hadn't managed to stall the hidden student in the class, which meant the other party had already "sold" their special role.
What a shame.
"Sakayanagi, what's going on?" Kamuro asked, clearly confused by the situation.
Had Sakayanagi's Priest identity really been discovered and eliminated in the time it took to talk with Ayanokouji?
"Want some?"
Poking at her half-eaten cake, Kamuro glanced at Sakayanagi, who looked a bit down. She cut off a small piece and held it up to Sakayanagi's lips.
They say sweets can cheer people up. Kamuro, not wanting to make things worse with awkward comfort, decided to bribe Sakayanagi with some cake instead.
Sakayanagi ate the cake offered to her, closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself as she worked out exactly how she'd been exposed.
Kamuro didn't disturb her—she just sat quietly beside Sakayanagi, eating her own cake. If Sakayanagi wanted to talk, she'd listen; if not, that was fine too. And even if she did speak, Kamuro probably wouldn't understand anyway.
"Masumi, do you want to move to Class A?"
Sakayanagi opened her beautiful purple eyes and suddenly asked Kamuro a question out of the blue.
Without thinking, Kamuro replied, "Huh? Yeah, I do."
"Then I'll use private points to transfer you to Class A."
Sakayanagi gently stroked Kamuro's head as she spoke.
Sakayanagi had already figured out how she'd been exposed.
As the sole leader of Class B, she'd been too confident. She hadn't even tried to hide before approaching other class leaders for cooperation.
Due to the information gap, the other classes might not have known much about Class B's situation.
But what about her own classmates? The ones who were keeping a close watch on her?
No doubt about it—she'd been betrayed by her own classmates.
All to secure their future.
The special role student in Class D was no different.
In Class D, where survival was tough and there was no hope of promotion, selling out in this special exam was the smart move.
But which class could offer that future? Which class could afford to buy the special role with private points? Which class had the reputation to ensure a safe deal?
It was Class A.
Class A checked all the boxes.
Sakayanagi could already imagine how far ahead Class A's points would be compared to Class B after this special exam. She might not be able to stay at this school forever because of her health, but what about Masumi Kamuro?
Kamuro had been by Sakayanagi's side for so long—it was impossible to say Sakayanagi didn't care about her.
"Sakayanagi, are you feeling okay?"
Kamuro checked her own forehead, then placed the back of her hand on Sakayanagi's. She really didn't get why this damn loli was suddenly being so nice to her.
"Masumi You're not being a good girl"
Sakayanagi slapped Kamuro's hand away from her forehead and gave her that mischievous little devil smile she'd used on Kamuro so many times before.
This idiot should just stick by my side until I leave school.
There'd be plenty of time to transfer her to another class after she was gone.
"Masumi, it's time to head back."
Sakayanagi wrapped the white scarf from the seat around her neck, picked up her wooden cane, and tapped Kamuro on the leg.
"Wait…wait for me—just one last bite!"
Seeing that Sakayanagi was about to leave, Kamuro—who'd wanted to savor her cake—quickly stuffed the rest in her mouth and hurried to stand up.
The light snow still hadn't stopped.
As they walked out of the cafe, Sakayanagi instinctively felt the sting of the changing season and cupped her hands in front of her mouth, breathing warm air into them.
The snowy scenery was beautiful, but for Sakayanagi—whose health was always a concern—it was more of a punishment.
"It's freezing. Let's get back quickly,"
Kamuro, who had been walking behind Sakayanagi, hurried ahead and crouched down in front of her.
Sakayanagi let out a soft chuckle, gently lay on Kamuro's back, and whispered, "Thank you, Masumi."
"What did you say?"
"Masumi, you're not being a good girl again~"
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