Ayanokouji stated that he had no objections; he had weighed the consequences thoroughly and would harbor no regrets.
Narumori was left with no choice but to comply. He pulled out his official seal and pressed it onto the three resignation letters, formalizing the withdrawal. Adjusting his black-rimmed glasses, he spoke with a tone thick with lament:
"Go and pack your belongings. Prepare to leave the school this afternoon. I won't be seeing you off." He waved a hand, signaling for them to leave as he returned to his desk.
The three of them offered no further trouble and exited the Chairman's office. However, the moment they disappeared, Ryunosuke stepped out from a corner of the corridor. He had just received a message from Ayanokouji asking him to help "manage" the resignation paperwork.
Ryunosuke sauntered into the Chairman's office and, without any preamble, demanded the letters back. He claimed that Ayanokouji had a change of heart and had decided not to resign after all.
Narumori found the situation bizarre, yet he handed the documents over to Ryunosuke regardless.
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Meanwhile, the three students arrived at the school gates, preparing to board the familiar school bus to leave the campus forever. However, as if by some miracle, Ayanokouji halted his steps and did not board.
Sakurako and Riku, already inside the bus, stared at him in confusion. Just as the doors hissed shut, Ayanokouji offered a final, expressionless wave of his hand.
It took a heartbeat for the two of them to realize something was horribly wrong. They began to pound on the bus windows, screaming for the driver to stop. But why would the driver listen? Instead, he stepped on the gas and accelerated.
Desperate, Sakurako threw open a bus window and recklessly leaped out.
What was this?! Was she really going out in such a pathetic, humiliating way? What kind of sick joke was this?!
Sakurako hit the asphalt hard, her body instantly covered in bruises and road rash. With a struggle, she crawled to her feet and limped toward Ayanokouji, her eyes burning with pure, unadulterated hatred. She realized with crushing clarity that she had been trapped.
"You bastard! I should never have believed a single word out of your mouth!"
Riku also jumped down and rushed to Sakurako's side to support her. However, she brushed his hand away, refusing help. In that moment, Sakurako's world narrowed down to the figure of Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji merely looked at her with his usual flat gaze, silent. Before Sakurako could lung forward to scream in his face, the security guards—pre-arranged by Ryunosuke—grabbed them both at the gate and began dragging them off the school grounds.
Pinned by two guards, Sakurako thrashed wildly, kicking and screaming curses at Ayanokouji as his silhouette grew smaller in the distance.
"Ayanokouji!!! You won't die in peace!!!"
"You absolute piece of trash!!!"
"Do you feel no guilt toward my sister?!!"
Amidst Sakurako's hysterical shrieks, Ayanokouji remained unmoved, watching them go until they vanished from sight.
Ryunosuke stepped out from the shadows, hands in his pockets and a lollipop in his mouth. He turned to Ayanokouji.
"Is it all taken care of?"
Ayanokouji gave a clipped reply. "It's done..."
Ryunosuke pulled another lollipop from his pocket and tossed it to Ayanokouji.
Without hesitation, Ayanokouji took it, tore off the wrapper, and popped it into his mouth. Though not brothers by blood, they were more than kin when it came to cunning, ruthlessness, and dirty tactics.
Using such a low trick to eliminate an innocent girl? Neither of them felt even a flicker of "pity for a woman."
In their eyes, showing mercy to an enemy only invited future complications. Ryunosuke and Ayanokouji walked back toward the dorms; there was nothing left to see here.
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Sakurako, having been "discarded" from the school, was now at a psychiatric hospital to visit her sister. She bit her lip until it bled, watching her sister lie in a hospital bed in a state of madness, incessantly rambling Ayanokouji's name.
The girl, named Yuki, was currently heavily restrained. Due to long-term consumption of psychotropic drugs, her mind was completely shattered. Years ago, she had forced herself to chase Ayanokouji's shadow in the White Room, enduring immense pressure that eventually broke her.
Yuki stared at Sakurako with hollow eyes. However, the moment she caught the faint scent of the person she missed so dearly clinging to her sister's clothes, a terrifying smile spread across her face. She rattled the chains on her wrists and whispered:
"Sakurako... let me go, okay? I want to go find Ayanokouji. Please~ You'll let me out, won't you?"
Sakurako didn't dare answer. She knew her sister was too far gone; there was no way she could let her leave. Seeing that she wouldn't get her way, Yuki began to thrash violently, screaming in rage:
"Damn it! You're no better than the rest of them! Let me go, now!!!"
Faced with her sister's insanity, Sakurako could only weep in her humiliation. She truly had no idea what to do anymore.
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Having eliminated all threats, Ryunosuke leaned back comfortably in the Student Council President's chair. He savored the silence while casually brewing a cup of tea.
"Ah~ finally, there's no one left to threaten me... No one at all..."
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Meanwhile, at the Nakano sisters' dormitory, the five girls were facing a very serious crisis: their points were nearly gone!
Despite the massive bonus they had received from the island exam, the points had evaporated thanks to Itsuki's "gluttonous" appetite.
Itsuki felt incredibly guilty. Her sisters had spent almost every point they had just to keep her stomach full.
Nino finally proposed an idea. "How about we get part-time jobs?"
"But where? It doesn't seem like normal part-time work is allowed in this school, right?" Yotsuba asked, resting her head dejectedly on the table.
"Then what are we supposed to do?! We can barely afford to keep this 'pig' fed anymore!!!" Nino exclaimed, pointing a furious finger at Itsuki.
Itsuki could only fidget nervously with her fingers, even her ahoge drooping in shame. This time, she didn't even argue when Nino called her a pig; she felt truly sinful toward her sisters.