"You seem unusually fixated on getting into Class A."
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka glanced at Horikita Suzune with his peripheral vision, his expression showing no particular emotion.
"Don't you want to change something with your own hands?"
Before Horikita Suzune could finish her sentence, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka responded with unwavering certainty.
However, Horikita Suzune completely ignored his words:
"It seems you're willing to help. If we want to get into Class A, we need to improve the class's situation. No early leaves or tardiness, and no one can fail the midterm exams. If someone drops out, our class points might be deducted."
"There should be a way. After all, Kushida discovered that we can buy last year's exam questions."
As Ayanokōji Kiyotaka spoke, he began recalling the details about purchasing the previous year's exam questions.
Although Saiki Kusuo went with Kushida Kikyō to interact with upperclassmen, it was Kushida who had invited him along.
Kushida seemed to have accidentally discovered that upperclassmen's exam questions could be purchased.
*["In theory, upperclassmen shouldn't reveal school rules to freshmen. Kushida claims she overheard their conversation, which seems too coincidental."]
["Could Saiki Kusuo be behind this?"]
["If so, what methods did he use to guide Kushida's actions? Only someone with supernatural abilities could do that."]
"Uh, hello..."
Saiki Kusuo, who had been standing nearby, winced slightly.
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka couldn't have known that his casual thought was eerily close to the truth.
Ayanokōji's observation and reasoning skills seemed to surpass those of other students, and Saiki Kusuo felt he needed to be more cautious to avoid leaving any traces.
"No, because we can't guarantee the exam questions will be the same as last year's. Besides, some students still performed poorly even after seeing the questions."
"Feels like you're subtly criticizing me."
"Maybe we should gather everyone like Hirata did, though I haven't figured out how yet."
"If that's the case, why don't you join me at tonight's celebration?"
"Why would I go? We barely avoided being last—and we're celebrating? Ridiculous..."
"If you want to improve the class situation, you should at least try to get along with others."
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka spoke slowly, sounding concerned about Horikita Suzune's relationships.
*["For now, I don't plan to take any special action, but to be safe, I'll shape Horikita into a useful tool. She's the most suitable candidate in this class."]
["I'm not sure about Saiki Kusuo's identity. If he's sent by that man, he'll likely try to get me expelled—but I won't go down without a fight."]
["I need to figure out Saiki Kusuo's true identity first."]
'Now I'm completely on Ayanokōji's radar. I'll have to be more careful. But that White Room and that man have nothing to do with me,' Saiki Kusuo thought.
'And Ayanokōji treats others as tools? That's even worse than Kushida.'
At that moment, Saiki Kusuo felt his invisibility power fading. Though he could reactivate it, the ability lasted only ten minutes with a one-minute preparation time. He quickly used teleportation to return to the school bathroom.
'I'll have to be more careful with my powers from now on.'
As Saiki Kusuo headed toward the classroom, he spotted Kushida Kikyō and Ike Kanji leaving.
'Looks like Hirata's meeting is over. Perfect, time to head back to the dorm and rest.'
But before Saiki Kusuo could relax, Ike Kanji rushed over:
"Saiki, we're having a celebration tonight. Everyone's bringing snacks, don't forget!"
'Wait, you guys decided this without me, right? I never said I'd join.'
Saiki Kusuo was baffled by their assumption, but before he could refuse, Kushida Kikyō chimed in with a smile:
"Thanks, Saiki! Meet us at your room after dinner with your snacks!"
'Wait, why at my room? Are you planning to hold it there?'
Saiki Kusuo's face twitched. Using telepathy, he confirmed his suspicion, but before he could object, the others had already left.
He'd been so focused on Chabashira Sae and Ayanokōji Kiyotaka that he'd ignored what was happening in the school building. Now, decisions had been made without him.
Just then, Saiki Kusuo's phone buzzed. It was a message from Shiina Hiyori.
Shiina Hiyori: Saiki, are you free later? Want to grab coffee? I just finished some great novels—you should check them out!
Saiki Kusuo didn't hesitate and quickly agreed.
He'd heard the school café had excellent desserts, and this was a perfect chance to try them.
The café was also near the school supermarket, so he might as well buy snacks and drinks.
If everyone else brought snacks and he showed up empty-handed, he'd likely annoy them, causing more trouble later.
"Ugh."