Chapter 246 – I have a girlfriend

On the small slope, watching the sky-high flames gradually being subdued by streams of water from the fire hoses, the flickering flames were slowly replaced by a rising white mist.

This vast cloud of white mist, almost the size of the entire workshop, descended from the sky, blanketing the roof of the workshop.

The refracted, distorted light of the flames within, veiled by the mist, appeared as a mesmerizing, dreamlike ionized display.

Seeing that the fire was gradually under control and on the verge of being extinguished, Kiryuin finally relaxed a little. However, she still looked at Yukio with a mix of disbelief and awe, "Aren't you really afraid that President Horikita will find out?"

"Others might not realize it, but you and your class members have been out playing all the time, and today, suddenly, you show up like a divine force to put out the fire. How could that man not suspect something?"

Yukio, seeing that the fire was mostly under control and everything was proceeding as planned, showed no signs of concern. "It's fine; President Horikita is a smart person. He won't tell too many people."

"At most, he'll just come to me first to get some answers."

"You're so confident, to just trust President Horikita like this?" Kiryuin's reaction mirrored President Horikita's, as her usually sharp gaze softened in surprise.

Yukio waved his hand in front of his nose to disperse the lingering burnt smell. "It's not that I trust President Horikita as a person; it's that I trust this."

He shifted his hand, pointing to his temple, suggesting that while he may not trust Horikita, he trusted that Horikita's sense would keep him from spreading the information. "Just think about it from his perspective."

"If I, or you, were in President Horikita's position and figured out that this was my doing, what would you do?"

"I understand now." Kiryuin, ever astute, realized his meaning. She had only been outwitted before by Nagumo and Kiriyama's tactics to demote her class from A to B because she hadn't taken it seriously.

If she took things seriously, she might even overshadow Nagumo. She quickly grasped Yukio's logic: "If I were in President Horikita's position, I definitely wouldn't make this information public."

"First off, the benefits are minimal. Making it public would only make third-years hate you more, but what's the point? They're about to graduate, and who knows how many more inter-grade special exams will happen before then?"

"Plus, President Horikita knows your strength. Even if he makes the third-years resent you, they can't take you down."

"Unless it leads to punishment from the school, there's no gain in revealing it. And school penalties rely heavily on evidence. In this whole situation, he has nothing concrete—just the fact that a first-year class showed up to put out the fire, which isn't exactly proof."

"It's not as if they could punish you for having your classmates help put out a fire, right?"

"And there's also the risk involved. Revealing this would cause major conflict with you, which isn't worth it. So, President Horikita won't go public with it."

As she spoke, Kiryuin's gaze regained its sharpness. Her crimson eyes, reflecting the lingering flames, seemed to blaze even more intensely. "I'm really getting more curious and interested in you, Yukio-kun."

This was truly how she felt. Anyone who orchestrated something like this would naturally be seen in a new light—starting a fire went far beyond most people's understanding.

Since Kiryuin's expression was a bit complex, Yukio couldn't tell if her words were genuine or just teasing. Watching the flames below gradually extinguish, he replied, "Save your curiosity—I have a girlfriend."

Kiryuin chuckled, clicking her tongue in amusement. She hadn't expected that response from Yukio. "You're definitely interesting. But don't get the wrong idea."

"I wouldn't make that shallow mistake of confusing curiosity with attraction. It's just that your plan tonight was right up my alley."

"Horikita and the others have been in that workshop for ages and haven't put out the fire. Something's definitely off here. A workshop this big, with no firefighting equipment? That's hard to believe."

"Plus, the fact that your classmates borrowed firefighting equipment from nearby workshops suggests that all the fire suppression systems inside Takahashi's yukata workshop were intentionally sabotaged."

"This confirms that you coordinated this fire with the workshop's owner, gaining internal cooperation. Otherwise, it wouldn't have gone so smoothly, and there wouldn't have been any tampering with their extinguishers."

"When I thought about it from President Horikita's perspective earlier, I realized that he wouldn't find any evidence. Even the workshop owner was in on it with you, which makes this fire a joint effort between you and the owner. How could there be any proof?"

"This kind of fire—anticipated ahead of time, posing no risk to anyone, and planned to include the owner's cooperation—where any loss of property is just part of the strategy… I find it quite exciting."

"It perfectly matches the safe and controlled thrill that I seek."

That was what Kiryuin found most intriguing about Yukio. Regular arson would be pointless; in that case, she'd simply capture the culprit and turn them over to the police.

But with Yukio in control, the fire itself became part of a plan. No one was hurt, and the damage was calculated as a strategic move, making this "spectacle" uniquely captivating.

It resonated with her preference for riding motorcycles without reckless speeding, even giving her a sense of finding a like-minded partner in fun.

Just from this one fiery scene orchestrated by Yukio, Kiryuin was certain that continuing to observe this younger student would bring more of these safe yet thrilling spectacles.

How could she not be interested?

"You really are sharp, senpai." Yukio wasn't bothered even though Kiryuin had figured it all out. Plans like these are simple in retrospect.

It's always easy to see the big picture after the fact, but that doesn't change anything. Hindsight is hardly of any value.

In reality, the most challenging part of the entire plan was that nobody could have anticipated Yukio's unorthodox move. Setting the fire directly was far beyond anyone's expectations.

The fact that no one saw it coming meant the plan was flawless.

"Alright, alright, don't brush me off like that~ It seems this senpai of yours might be a bit of a nuisance now," Kiryuin said, gracefully tossing her waist-length white hair behind her ear, exuding a mature charm.

"I know you still have to deal with President Horikita. Right now, I bet you're already thinking of how to politely send off the 'senpai' who's watched the 'show,' aren't you?"

"No need, I'll leave on my own."

"But, since you're such an interesting junior, I hope you'll allow me to keep watching you in the days to come."

With that, Kiryuin departed confidently, causing no trouble or inconvenience for Yukio.

Her elegant figure, swaying white hair moving with each step, evoked an image of a white-haired witch under the moonlight, so enchanting and captivating...