Chapter 200: Who Exactly is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?  

After finishing dinner, Karuizawa left, and Kanda Shuichi's room returned to its usual quiet state. 

Now, he could finally focus on his own matters. 

[Sae-chan, who exactly is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?] 

This question had been bothering Kanda Shuichi for a long time. But since he and Ayanokouji hadn't interacted much before, he had been curious but never looked deeper into it. 

Now, however, things were different. That idiot Horikita had told Ayanokouji about Kushida's situation, dragging him into this mess. 

To prepare for the possibility of them becoming enemies in the future, Kanda Shuichi decided it was time to dig into Ayanokouji's background. 

And the easiest way to do that was to ask someone who knew. 

Back when Ayanokouji hadn't shown any unusual behavior, Chabashira-sensei had already called both him and Kanda Shuichi to the guidance office for a talk. 

There was no way she didn't know something about Ayanokouji. Even if she didn't know the full details, she had to at least be aware that there was something special about him. 

So after returning to his dorm and settling in, Kanda Shuichi immediately sent a message to Chabashira-sensei. 

He had expected a quick reply, but instead, Chabashira-sensei called him directly. 

"Why are you looking into Ayanokouji's identity?" 

She got straight to the point, which was enough to show how uneasy she was. 

Since she was being direct, Kanda Shuichi decided not to hide anything either. 

"Well, I have my reasons. Let's just say… someday in the future, we might end up as enemies." 

On the other end of the line, Chabashira Sae's face darkened. 

Was this the thing she had been trying to prevent all along? 

"What exactly happened?" 

"Chabashira-sensei, do you know about Kushida Kikyo's middle school history?" 

Kanda Shuichi's words made Chabashira Sae pause for a moment. Then, she recalled Kushida's records. 

ANHS conducted background checks on every incoming student, and Kushida Kikyo was no exception. 

As a teacher, Chabashira Sae had easy access to this information. She knew very well what Kushida had done in the past. 

And it was precisely because she hadn't received any records on Ayanokouji or Kanda Shuichi at the beginning of the school year that she had paid such close attention to them. 

"The school collected Kushida's past records when she enrolled, so of course, I have access to them. Why do you bring this up?" 

"Because that big-mouthed fool Horikita told Ayanokouji about Kikyo's past in order to get his help." 

Kanda Shuichi's helpless tone left Chabashira momentarily speechless.

"Horikita wouldn't just tell people about Kushida for no reason, right? She should know the consequences of doing that." 

"Yeah, it's not for no reason. It's because Horikita thinks Kikyo is the traitor in Class D." 

So she brought up this topic because she suspects Kushida and wants Ayanokouji's help? 

Chabashira rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. 

"Then… is Kushida really the traitor in Class D?" 

"No." 

"How can you be so sure? Don't tell me…" 

Chabashira stopped mid-sentence. 

"The traitor isn't me. It's Karuizawa. Ryuen got something on her, so she had no choice but to do what he wanted." 

"Then how do you know all of this so clearly?" 

Kanda Shuichi let out a sigh. 

"Sae-chan, don't you already know? Why even ask?" 

"So this whole thing was your plan from the start." 

"You could say that. But Karuizawa's situation is complicated. I don't want to expose her, so I can't reveal that she's Ryuen's informant right now." 

What a mess. 

Chabashira rubbed her temples again. 

"So why did you say there's a chance you'll end up against Ayanokouji?" 

"Because Kikyo also found out that Horikita told Ayanokouji about her. And knowing Kikyo's personality, she'll do whatever it takes to keep her secret safe. 

I'm not worried about Horikita—she's not that strong, and I can cover for her. 

But Ayanokouji… even though I warned Kikyo, if she tries to do something to him in secret…" 

If she tries to mess with Ayanokouji, he'll probably take her down in an instant. 

Kanda didn't say it out loud, but Chabashira understood. 

So if Ayanokouji takes action against Kushida, you'll go against Ayanokouji? 

"You'd be better off just talking to Kushida." 

Chabashira sighed. 

"You're overthinking it. Kikyo's as stubborn as they come. There's no talking her out of this." 

Kanda Shuichi shook his head. If he could've convinced her, he would've done it already. And no, it's not because he's lazy. 

It's all Horikita Suzune's fault. Couldn't she have just come to him directly? Why drag Ayanokouji into this? Now things are a mess. 

Kanda had tried to stop this, but he failed. And to figure out how much Horikita knew, he had to let her finish talking. 

It's all such a mess. My head hurts. What the hell am I even saying? 

At this point, Kanda had lost all sense of control over the situation. 

If he had just stopped Karuizawa from leaking the sports festival roster in the first place and dealt with Ryuen himself, none of this would've happened. 

Wait… 

Why did I even let Karuizawa leak the roster in the first place? 

Oh right, it was because that idiot Kikyo wanted to contact Ryuen! 

Damn it, so it all comes back to you, Kikyo! 

"Anyway, I don't know much about Ayanokouji either. I just heard the chairman, Sakayanagi, mention him when he enrolled." 

"You've got to be kidding me." 

Kanda Shuichi was speechless. If even she didn't know anything, then who was he supposed to ask about Ayanokouji?

"I'm afraid I'm not joking. I don't actually know who Ayanokouji really is. I just figured that if the chairman took notice of him, he must be someone special, so I paid extra attention to him." 

Since Chabashira had put it that way, Kanda Shuichi couldn't keep doubting her. 

"By the way, Sae-chan, you mentioned Chairman Sakayanagi just now. Is this Sakayanagi the one I'm thinking of?" 

"If you're talking about Sakayanagi from Class B, then yes." 

Kanda Shuichi nodded. "Thanks, Sae-chan." 

"It's nothing. I just hope you can stop Kushida. If you and Ayanokouji end up fighting..." 

"I'll do my best to avoid that." 

After hanging up, Kanda Shuichi let out a sigh. Sae-chan didn't know much about Ayanokouji either, but at least it wasn't a complete waste of time. 

The next morning, Kanda Shuichi left home a little earlier than usual. 

"Oh my, what a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into you here." 

As soon as the elevator doors opened, he saw a face that didn't exactly make him happy. 

Sakayanagi Arisu. He sure had a lot of encounters with this girl. 

Most of their interactions were because of Kamuro. Come to think of it, she still didn't know Kamuro was on his side. That was kind of pitiful. 

With that in mind, Kanda Shuichi decided to be a little nicer to her. 

"Morning, Sakayanagi. Heading to school alone? Haven't seen your loyal little puppy around." 

"Masumi isn't my little puppy. She's my friend." 

Sakayanagi didn't seem bothered by his tone. She simply tilted her head and smiled as she corrected him. 

"Funny, Masumi is my friend too." 

Yeah, I know that. I was the one who told her to be your friend in the first place, so there's no need to keep reminding me. 

"By the way, Class D is targeting Class C in this exam, right?" 

Jumping straight into intelligence gathering, huh? Were you waiting for me on purpose? 

But Kanda Shuichi didn't mind revealing this much. As far as Akito was concerned, both the attackers and defenders had already been decided. 

"Isn't it obvious?" Kanda Shuichi asked back. "Don't tell me you're planning to target either Class C or Class D." 

"And why not? With our class's academic ability, we can easily secure 100 class points from either C or D." 

Sakayanagi tilted her head on purpose, as if she was genuinely confused. 

"That's great. That way, Class A can also get 100 class points from whichever class you don't pick. That means nothing changes—A stays A, and B stays B." 

Just two sentences, yet the tension was sharp. 

Sakayanagi was mocking Class D's academic skills, implying that they were just sitting ducks for this exam. 

Meanwhile, Kanda Shuichi was mocking Sakayanagi for not having the guts to go after Class A and reclaim her rightful place. 

They both knew exactly what the other was trying to say, but that didn't stop them from exchanging jabs. A verbal victory was still a victory, wasn't it? 

Kanda Shuichi had originally planned to be nicer, but at this point, he had completely forgotten about that. After all, Sakayanagi was the one who started it. 

"You really are annoying, Kanda-kun." 

"Right back at you, Sakayanagi-san." 

The two locked eyes without backing down as the elevator doors slowly opened. 

"In that case, I'll be direct. I'm going after Class A this time. As members of Class D, could you stay out of my way?" 

Sakayanagi stepped out of the elevator and looked at Kanda Shuichi. 

If you had been this straightforward earlier, I wouldn't have had to go after you. Don't think I don't know what you were thinking when you said you'd target Class D. 

You wanted me to beg for mercy, right? 

Would that really satisfy you, even if it was just for show? 

Has your ambition really shrunk that much, Sakayanagi? 

"Of course not. This is a great chance for you to return to Class A. Why would I be so inconsiderate and stand in your way?" 

Kanda Shuichi sounded sincere, but for some reason, Sakayanagi had a feeling he would interfere. 

"So, you don't trust me?" Kanda Shuichi shook his head in mock disappointment. "Class D has already decided to target Class C. If you're worried that I might be lying to you, there's no need." 

Is that what I'm worried about? 

No, I'm worried you'll become outside support for Class A, you bastard! 

"Excuse me, please don't block the elevator." 

Just as the two were talking—one inside the elevator, the other outside—the dorm manager on the first floor called out to Kanda Shuichi. 

"Oh, my bad. I'll step out right away." 

Seeing this, Sakayanagi couldn't help but burst into laughter. 

"Hahaha, Kanda, thanks for giving me today's biggest laugh." 

Watching Sakayanagi laugh so freely, Kanda Shuichi didn't get angry. Instead, he felt a little sentimental. 

His body had mostly recovered by now, but Sakayanagi had always been sickly since childhood. Moments where she could laugh this openly must be rare. 

So, go ahead and laugh. There's nothing embarrassing about it. I, Kanda Shuichi, don't mind! 

After laughing for nearly half a minute, Sakayanagi finally caught her breath. 

"Sorry, it's been so long since I laughed like that. I couldn't stop myself," she said, regaining her usual refined posture. "Kanda, you don't mind, do you?" 

Man, this girl is really pitiful. Has she never had a moment where she could just laugh freely? 

"Of course not. If anything, that's exactly how I think a girl your age should be." 

Kanda Shuichi's words made Sakayanagi fall silent. 

If I could, I'd want to cry when I feel like crying and laugh when I feel like laughing too… 

That being said, Kanda Shuichi isn't always so annoying, huh? 

"By the way, during the sports festival, what did you want with Ayanokouji? Don't tell me you actually like him?" 

Kanda Shuichi's sudden question made Sakayanagi's face drop. 

I take back what I said—this guy is still annoying. 

And how dare he ask about a girl's secrets so openly?! And about Ayanokouji, no less! 

As they spoke, the elevator reached the first floor, and a crowd of people stepped out. 

Looks like we held up the elevator long enough for a crowd to gather. Oops. 

Kanda Shuichi and Sakayanagi Arisu instinctively stepped aside but continued their standoff. 

Kanda Shuichi was eager to figure out Ayanokouji's background, but asking him directly wouldn't work—Ayanokouji wouldn't say anything. 

He had even tried asking Chabashira-sensei but got nowhere. All she told him was that Ayanokouji was under someone's protection—Sakayanagi's father, the chairman. 

And from Chabashira-sensei, he also learned something very important—Sakayanagi Arisu had a connection to that chairman.

Since Sakayanagi Arisu had Kamuro call Ayanokouji during the sports festival, there's a good chance she knows a lot about him. 

So after checking with Kamuro about Sakayanagi's school arrival time, Kanda Shuichi adjusted his own schedule—and ended up running right into her. 

But the situation didn't seem too promising. Sakayanagi clearly had no intention of revealing anything about Ayanokouji. 

"I hope you won't ask about him." 

"What if I insist?" 

The previously calm atmosphere instantly became tense. Students stepping out of the elevator noticed the tension between the two and quickly walked away to avoid getting involved. 

"What are you two doing? You're going to be late for class." 

The one who broke the standoff was Kamuro Masumi from Class B—Kanda Shuichi's real loyal dog and Sakayanagi Arisu's fake one. 

As soon as Kamuro stepped out of the elevator, she saw the strange tension between Kanda and Sakayanagi and immediately stepped in to interrupt. 

"Long time no see, Masumi. I was just chatting with Sakayanagi about the upcoming exam." 

"Yeah, Kanda's right," Sakayanagi added. 

Both of them had a silent understanding—neither wanted anyone else to know about Ayanokouji. 

But their reasons were different. Kanda Shuichi wanted to keep Ayanokouji a secret to protect Kamuro. 

Sakayanagi, on the other hand, wanted to keep it a secret to protect Ayanokouji. 

"Haven't you already decided to go after Class A? Did something change?" Kamuro asked, looking confused. 

Sakayanagi was speechless. 

Kanda Shuichi had to fight back laughter. 

**Sakayanagi Arisu:** Masumi, you're in Class B, you know? Saying my plans out loud in front of an outsider—are you serious? What a disobedient little dog! 

**Kamuro Masumi:** I'm so smart. Sakayanagi already thinks I'm not that bright, so even if I blurt it out, it doesn't matter, right? 

**Kanda Shuichi:** Well done, Masumi! Seeing Sakayanagi caught off guard is a rare sight. But aren't you worried she'll make things difficult for you later? 

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