Chapter 280 Arisu: The Three of Us Are Too Strong! / You Can Do Whatever You Want with Suzune!
As soon as the closing ceremony ended, Shimizu Akira went to the cafeteria for dinner. Checking the time, it was already 6:40 PM. Without wasting a moment, he headed toward the cafe Sakayanagi Arisu had specified.
On the way, he pulled out his phone and re-read the third message she had sent:
Sakayanagi Arisu: By the way! This won't be just the two of us meeting. There's a third person.
To be honest, Shimizu was more curious about the identity of the third person than the 50,000 personal points she had mentioned.
However, his confusion didn't last long—as he reached the cafe entrance, he saw Ayanokouji Kiyotaka standing outside. He immediately grasped Sakayanagi's plan.
"How did she notify you?" Shimizu asked. Ayanokouji nodded.
"She sent Hashimoto Masayoshi from her class to fetch me."
'Manual notification?' Shimizu was surprised.
"He said you'd be here, so I came," Ayanokouji added.
Well, Sakayanagi certainly knew how to tailor her methods to the individual. The two exchanged a look and walked into the cafe together.
Sakayanagi was sitting at a window seat, a cup of untouched black tea before her. She gestured to the two empty seats across from her and smiled.
"That final sprint in the 10km run deeply moved me, Shimizu-kun. My father seems quite satisfied with you as well."
This reminded Shimizu of an interlude during the closing ceremony.
Chairman Sakayanagi Narumori, Arisu's father, had been the one handing out certificates. While he only spoke briefly to Nagumo and Manabu, he had pulled Shimizu aside for a bit of small talk, asking if the sprint had been too much for his body.
When Shimizu replied he just needed a few minutes of rest, the Chairman looked genuinely relieved.
"Father rarely takes such a personal interest in a student, especially in public," Arisu said, tapping the table.
"I almost wonder if that 10km race was added to the program specifically for you!"
Shimizu didn't respond immediately. The intelligence he'd gathered earlier did mention the 10km run was a last-minute addition by the Chairman. It was possible, but he doubted the man would do it just for him, considering they'd barely spoken.
Ayanokouji spoke up. "So, if you have business with Shimizu, it shouldn't involve me. Can I leave?"
Sakayanagi looked at Ayanokouji, her smile widening.
"Don't be in such a hurry. When I was a child, my father took a great interest in another boy. That person was you."
Ayanokouji's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know you, let alone your father."
"Of course you don't," Sakayanagi laughed softly. "Back then, my father and I watched you through a glass partition. You should be very familiar with the place inside that glass. The adults called it the White Room."
She locked onto Ayanokouji's reaction.
"The ultimate goal of that facility was to cultivate geniuses. And you, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka... you appear to be the 'Masterpiece' my father spoke of."
The information was dense, but Shimizu wasn't hearing about the White Room for the first time; his intel had already identified Ayanokouji Atsuomi as its manager. It seemed to be an artificial genius factory.
That explained Ayanokouji's absurd capabilities.
"Shimizu-kun, any thoughts on the White Room?" Sakayanagi asked.
"Thoughts?" Shimizu considered it. "It's about what I expected. It feels like a standard trope from movies—scientists capturing kids for experiments and training."
He turned to Ayanokouji.
"By the way, you don't have superpowers, do you? I couldn't handle it if you were constantly reading my mind."
"I don't," Ayanokouji replied, feeling a quiet sense of relief. He had worried Shimizu might look at him differently, but Shimizu was already joking about it.
"Oh? Ayanokouji-kun is quite steady," Sakayanagi observed.
"I thought you might deny it or look shocked."
"There's no point," Ayanokouji said flatly. "So, did you bring us here just to reveal my past? Or to threaten me?"
He glanced at Shimizu as he spoke. Sakayanagi noted this with amusement.
'Is he this calm because Shimizu is here? Or does he just not want to look like a liar in front of him?'
"Rest assured, I won't tell anyone but Shimizu," she said seriously.
"I simply believe that as the one who came from the White Room, you are an Artificial Genius. Shimizu-kun is different; he hasn't been 'cultivated' by any facility, yet his physical and mental stats far exceed ordinary humans. To me, he is an Absolute Genius."
She then smiled confidently. "As for myself, though my physical health is poor, my abilities won't lose to yours. I suppose I'm a Natural Genius. In other words, the three of us are exceptionally strong."
"Hahaha!" Shimizu burst out laughing.
"I thought this was something serious! You're just here to say 'the three of us are too strong'? Your Chuunibyou is acting up again, Sakayanagi-san!"
Sakayanagi frowned. "What are you laughing at? Am I wrong?"
Shimizu shook his head. "I don't think I'm a genius. I'm just 'excellent' compared to ordinary people. Real geniuses are people like Einstein or Da Vinci—people who change the world. Ayanokouji, do you agree?"
Ayanokouji, expressionless as ever, muttered, "Shimizu's view is balanced."
Sakayanagi's lip twitched.
Her father had described Ayanokouji as a tragic, emotionless puppet of the White Room. But the person before her, while stoic, seemed quite normal and even appeared to follow Shimizu's lead.
'Has Shimizu influenced him this much?'
She coughed and regained her composure.
"Regardless, in this Year 1 class, the three of us determine the status of the four classes. But there's a problem: you two are in the same class. That's unfair to the others. Ayanokouji-kun, would you consider transferring? I wanted Shimizu to transfer, but he's already fixed that broken class. Why don't you go to Class D or B?"
"No," Ayanokouji refused instantly. Why would he leave Class C when he could let Shimizu stand at the front and handle all the trouble?
"A pity," Sakayanagi said, her eyes turning cold. "Then I'll just have to crush the 'artificial genius' before I deal with Shimizu."
Shimizu stood up, ignoring her dramatic provocation.
"Looks like I'm not needed. I'll wait outside, Ayanokouji. You finish up with her."
Ayanokouji wanted to ask, "You think you can crush me?" but seeing Shimizu waiting outside—and remembering how Shimizu mocked Sakayanagi's "middle schooler syndrome"—he didn't want to get teased too. He just squeezed out an "Okay."
Sakayanagi was baffled.
She had issued a grand challenge, and the "Masterpiece" had treated it like a minor annoyance. Ayanokouji didn't care for her noise; to him, only Shimizu's opinion mattered.
Besides, being defeated would actually be the ultimate refutation of his father's ideology—but the only one capable of doing that was currently waving at him from the street.
.
.
.
At 7:30 PM, back in his dorm, Shimizu checked his phone. His balance was looking healthy. 100,000 points from the school, and another 50,000 from Sakayanagi (the "consultation fee"). He also had rewards for his four first-place finishes. He chose the "12 bonus points for the next written exam" over the small cash sum.
Then, a massive deposit hit: 3,000,000 personal points from Horikita Manabu.
The President called shortly after.
"I lost to you in the 10km. I took second."
Shimizu tried to be humble.
"I'm just good at running. I'd lose to you in chess or rugby."
"You don't know chess?" Manabu's tone sharpened.
"I do. I'll teach you now."
For the next thirty minutes, the President gave a lecture on chess rules over the phone. Shimizu listened helplessly, taking notes just to soothe the man's ego after his loss.
"That's enough for today," Manabu finally said, sounding satisfied.
"You learn quickly. A few more lessons and you'll be a beginner."
"Right..." Shimizu sighed. He had a feeling these "tutoring sessions" would become a weekly requirement.
"One more thing, Shimizu," Manabu continued.
"Regarding your attitude toward Suzune. You slowed down for her during the race just so she could run with me. And you provided her with earplugs for Ryuen's schemes. You are... quite indulgent with her."
"Indulgent? I think I'm just being practical," Shimizu argued.
"She's stubborn; she wouldn't have withdrawn from the race, so I had to protect her."
"Protection doesn't always lead to growth. Failure does," Manabu countered.
"I don't deny that, but you can't just let her hit a wall every time. Sometimes a compliment works better than a setback."
Silence fell on the other end. Manabu rubbed his temples.
He had always taken a "sink or swim" approach with his sister, but he couldn't deny that Suzune's growth under Shimizu had been explosive. She had finished 51st out of 60 top athletes—a remarkable feat for her.
"Shimizu, I'm leaving Suzune's development to you," Manabu declared.
"Eh? President, you make it sound like you're handing over a Pokémon for training."
"Pokémon? A fitting analogy," Manabu said firmly.
"Then you are now Suzune's Trainer. I will tell her she must follow your instructions from now on. And as part of the deal, you can do whatever you want with her. That is one of the Trainer's privileges."
'Whatever I want?' Shimizu was stunned.
'What kind of Pokémon game is this guy playing?!'
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