Chapter 88: An Uninvited Guest?!
Karuizawa Kei practically floated back to her dorm room.
She had even completely forgotten that she had originally intended to go out and buy a drink.
Closing the door behind her, she leaned against the panel, her heart still thumping wildly from the earth-shattering secret she had just accidentally overheard.
'Sakura Airi likes Katsuragi Keima...
Kushida Kikyo also likes Katsuragi Keima...'
This realization was like a stone tossed into a still pond, sending out ripples upon ripples.
She walked over to her bed and sat down, unconsciously tugging at the edge of a throw pillow.
'That gamer geek... Katsuragi Keima...'
She remembered the calm eyes looking at her through his lenses when he rejected her that afternoon, and those words that were as precise as a scalpel, dissecting her disguise.
At the time, she only felt humiliated, surprised, and even a bit irritated.
But now, looking back in light of the conversation she just heard, the weight of those words seemed entirely different.
'He rejected me because he saw through the fact that I just wanted to use him as a protective umbrella. He said those things... because he wanted me to stand up on my own?' Katsuragi Keima's words had already been weighing heavily on Karuizawa Kei's mind, and she had only just managed to calm down a little.
But just now, after seeing those events, Karuizawa remembered those words once again.
The thought caused her a wave of inexplicable agitation, but beneath that agitation was a faint, strange feeling of... being taken seriously?
Since the start of the school year, the students surrounding her were either attracted by her superficial cheerfulness and liveliness or intimidated by her status in the girls' clique. No one had ever been like Katsuragi Keima, tearing away the facade so directly.
'Well...'
Katsuragi Keima had also said those strange things to her.
"Amass your own strength... study group..."
She subconsciously looked at the math notebook on her desk, where only a few lines had been written before being crossed out. During today's study group, she had actually approached Katsuragi Keima with some questions.
Although his way of teaching was idiosyncratic—one might even call it weird—Karuizawa Kei could feel that it actually made things easier for her to understand.
It was much better than the teachers' lectures.
"Even someone like Kushida Kikyo seems to be shaken because of Katsuragi Keima... What exactly is so special about this guy?"
An unprecedented curiosity and desire to investigate, mixed with the frustration of being touched by his words earlier and a faint competitive streak that refused to be left behind, quietly sprouted in her heart.
If even the introverted Sakura Airi dared to compete fairly, and if even the perfect Kushida Kikyo might look at him differently...
Then what about herself?
She, who had been putting up a front and looking for someone to cling to out of fear—had she instead missed out on something more important?
"Didn't he say to rely on myself? Then at least, before I figure out what's going on with this 'special' guy..."
She rubbed her cheeks hard, as if trying to massage away her chaotic thoughts.
In her mind, Katsuragi Keima's face—which was expressionless most of the time but occasionally flashed with a hint of fanaticism when talking about games—became clearer and clearer.
Especially that serious expression he wore when saying those words to her.
She had completely overlooked it before, but if you put him in the context of the class, Katsuragi Keima could actually be considered a handsome guy.
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Meanwhile.
"Hey, hey, hey, Kami-sama, what's the situation here?"
Elsie reached out and pointed at a card.
[Name: Karuizawa Kei] [Affection: 35%]
Just now, Elsie had clearly seen Karuizawa Kei's affection level rise sharply for a period of time.
"Didn't I tell you? This is 'self-flagging' (auto-conquest)."
Katsuragi Keima was already preparing to enter Capturing God mode again.
So much time had been wasted, and there were still so many games to play.
However, in Keima's heart, there was actually a bit of doubt.
After all, he had only taken the first step of the capture today; Karuizawa Kei shouldn't have reached that point yet.
Did something happen to her?
Come to think of it.
The rise in Karuizawa Kei's affection occurred almost at the same time as the drop in Kushida Kikyo's.
Could it be that something happened between them?
Forget it, don't think about it.
Time to play games.
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The next morning, Katsuragi Keima walked toward the Class D classroom at his usual pace, sporting dark circles under his eyes that had worsened due to his multi-threaded game conquests through the night.
His mind was still reviewing how the branch choices in several games last night had affected the final affection ratings.
Even so, he was still playing a game as usual.
"Keima-kun..."
"..."
The voices of Sakura Airi and Horikita Suzune rang out simultaneously.
However, this wasn't a normal greeting.
Instead...
It was a sort of confused exchange.
This caused even Katsuragi Keima, who was used to handling all sorts of unexpected in-game events, to pause slightly in his movements.
The atmosphere in the classroom was subtle. Many students who had already arrived weren't chatting or preparing for morning classes as usual; instead, they were casting glances—some overt, some covert—toward the back of the classroom.
Specifically, toward Katsuragi Keima's own seat.
In his seat, a person was currently sitting.
Someone who definitely did not belong to Class D.
Kiryuin Fuuka.
She sat in Katsuragi Keima's chair in an extremely relaxed yet unignorable posture.
Her white hair wasn't tied up like most students'; instead, it was draped smoothly over her shoulders, the ends nearly reaching her waist.
Her red eyes were currently surveying the classroom's furnishings and the Class D students who were peeking at her with great interest.
Her presence was like a pebble of a completely different color tossed into a calm pond, breaking the inherent atmosphere of Class D.
"Who... is that?"
"She's actually quite good-looking... but for some reason, she gives me the vibe of a female version of Koenji..."
"Is she here for that otaku again? How does this guy have such good luck with women?"
A few students whispered among themselves.
Unlike usual, Yamauchi Haruki's attention wasn't on Katsuragi Keima at all. Normally, he would have definitely made a few sarcastic remarks.
At this moment, he was fiddling with his terminal. Simultaneously, a message arrived.
[Sakayanagi Arisu]: "Because it's Yamauchi-kun, I'm sending this to you."
[Sakayanagi Arisu]: "Make sure you don't tell anyone else."
[Sakayanagi Arisu]: "I'm only telling you the questions for this exam."
Yamauchi Haruki looked around. After making sure no one was paying attention to him, the grin on his face became even more obvious.
[Yamauchi Haruki]: "Got it!"
He replied immediately.
The last time Sakayanagi Arisu came to Class D, she happened to meet Yamauchi Haruki.
At that time, Yamauchi was busy badmouthing Katsuragi Keima.
That evening, Sakayanagi Arisu had commissioned Kamuro Masumi to find Yamauchi's contact info, and the two began chatting.
[Yamauchi Haruki]: "A weird girl came to our place, looks like she's looking for Katsuragi Keima. I really don't know why a guy like that attracts so much female attention. He's clearly just a freak. This is the guy who tricked you, Sakayanagi-chan, into spending so many points for his enjoyment!"
Sakayanagi Arisu didn't reply immediately. About a minute later, she responded:
"Indeed."
On the other side, Kiryuin Fuuka's fingertips tapped rhythmically on the desk as if it were her own property.
Horikita Suzune was already in her seat. Her textbook was open in front of her, but her gaze was coldly locked onto Kiryuin Fuuka, her brow furrowed—clearly displeased by this blatant boundary-crossing.
Karuizawa Kei had also arrived. She sat in her spot, pretending to fix her hair, but the corner of her eye was constantly scanning between Katsuragi Keima at the door and Kiryuin Fuuka in his seat, her face filled with unconcealed surprise and inquiry.
Sakura Airi, meanwhile, was huddled in her seat with her head down, but she occasionally peeked over at Kiryuin's side before quickly looking down again, her fingers twisting nervously. She was clearly bewildered by this sudden situation.
'Who is this person?!
And what is her relationship with Keima-kun?!'
Airi's brain was spinning rapidly.
These past few days had been the most active period for Sakura Airi's brain.
She had done more thinking in the last two or three days than in the previous fifteen years combined.
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Katsuragi Keima quickly adjusted his expression and pushed up his glasses. His gaze behind the lenses calmly swept the room, finally landing on Kiryuin Fuuka.
His mind was racing as he stepped forward and walked calmly toward his seat, acting as if nothing had happened.
The whispers in the classroom became slightly more audible because of his movement.
Hearing the footsteps, Kiryuin Fuuka turned her head, her red eyes locking precisely onto Katsuragi Keima's gaze.
The corner of her mouth curled into a playful smile, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
"Good morning, Katsuragi-kouhai~"
Her voice carried its usual laziness and a hint of banter.
"You don't mind if I borrow your seat for a bit, do you? Your Class D's view is quite... unique."
She said this casually, but the implication made the faces of many Class D students look rather unpleasant.
'Unique view?
Is she implying Class D is at a "low position"?'
However, Kiryuin's words also let the others know she was an upperclassman.
Katsuragi Keima stopped a few steps away from his seat and replied flatly:
"Good morning. Kiryuin-senpai, why are you here?"
"Because I wanted to, so I came."
Upon hearing this, the smile on Kiryuin Fuuka's face deepened slightly.
She didn't get up; she just shifted into a more comfortable sitting position, propping her chin on one hand. Her red eyes stayed fixed on Katsuragi Keima, her gaze frank and direct, as if observing a novel exhibit.
"Don't worry, it's nothing special."
She spoke in her characteristic tone—one that suggested she couldn't be bothered by anything, yet held a hidden hint of interest. "I was just passing by and suddenly wanted to see what the place where you usually stay looks like."
As she spoke, her gaze slowly swept over Keima's desk before focusing back on his face.
"To see it?" Katsuragi Keima asked back.
"Mm, to see it."
Kiryuin Fuuka nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"To see if the Katsuragi Keima who is said to be playing games every waking second is really the same as the rumors~"
Kiryuin narrowed her eyes slightly.
"It seems that is indeed the case."
Kiryuin's gaze focused on the handheld console in Katsuragi Keima's hand.
Katsuragi Keima was indeed someone who would play games even while walking.
Her words were casual—no interrogation, no prying. It was more like stating an interesting phenomenon she had observed.
She didn't understand Katsuragi Keima; everything she knew was superficial.
The unique movements of the other party she saw at the swimming pool, the strange result at the alleyway, and the people and things surrounding him that she happened to glimpse over the last two days.
These fragments couldn't piece together a complete image; instead, they made it feel more interesting to her—how could a person who seemed so contradictory yet so plain attract such unusual attention?
She didn't care about the reason, nor was she in a hurry to know the truth.
She just enjoyed the "observation" itself—enjoying how a "special" existence would present different scenes when viewed from different angles.
Sitting in his seat and experiencing the environment he usually occupied was also part of that observation.
The classroom was quiet. Horikita Suzune's brow was tightly knit, displeased by this almost rude "observation." Karuizawa Kei pursed her lips, her curiosity about Katsuragi Keima piqued once again by Kiryuin's words. Sakura Airi nervously pinched the hem of her clothes, feeling a nameless sense of pressure from this senpai's gaze.
Katsuragi Keima remained silent for a moment. The other party's motive was simpler than he expected, yet also more troublesome. "Observation" itself wasn't aggressive, but it meant continuous attention and unpredictable intervention.
"Are you done seeing now?"
Katsuragi Keima asked, his tone still devoid of ups and downs.
Although he had previously felt that Kiryuin Fuuka was the type of person whose style of action was bound to be unique, his understanding of her was ultimately limited.
He hadn't expected her to suddenly show up in his classroom.
Kiryuin Fuuka tilted her head, as if thinking seriously for a moment.
"Hmm... I'm done with the seat. However,"
Her red eyes shifted slightly, her gaze sweeping over several people in the classroom who were quietly paying attention to the situation.
"Your reaction within this environment seems a bit more interesting."
She seemed to enjoy the subtle tension brought about by this unilateral, slightly intrusive observation.
"The most interesting thing is, while sitting in this seat, I seem to have received a level of attention that exceeded my expectations."
Kiryuin Fuuka narrowed her eyes slightly while simultaneously turning her head to look to the side.
With just a casual glance, Kiryuin could feel the gazes of several people around her landing on her.
It wasn't just curiosity about her intrusion; Kiryuin could keenly sense the difference in these gazes—
The reason they were paying attention to her...
...was Katsuragi Keima.
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