Chapter 9: The Price of a Guess

About two minutes later, Kure Ragna returned to the pool and sat down beside the silver-haired girl.

Sakayanagi Arisu gracefully crossed her legs and let out a chuckle.

"Did he run away? But I heard a full-fledged scream from here."

"Well~ Just a little scare. I didn't expect him to be so timid. It was boring," Kure Ragna replied nonchalantly.

Stretching out his hands, he gently held her delicate, jade-like feet and began massaging them expertly. His fingertips pressed against the acupuncture points on the soles with precision and just the right amount of force.

The girl squinted her eyes like a satisfied cat, a look of pure enjoyment appearing on her delicate face. Her lips parted slightly as she let out a soft murmur of satisfaction.

There was no doubt—this was a special service exclusively for Sakayanagi Arisu.

---

"Ah, by the way, I saw the face of the guy who ran away just now. You know him, Arisu. Want to guess who it was?"

"Okay, let me guess then."

"Guess boldly, guess hard, and there will be a prize if you get it right."

"Then... I guess it was Hashimoto-san?"

"...Well said. So, who is Hashimoto?"

"It's the one sitting across from me at the restaurant this afternoon—the one with yellow hair."

As she spoke, Sakayanagi Arisu gestured with both hands, forming the shape of a braid behind her head.

"So that's Hashimoto." Kure Ragna let out a long sigh, then nodded. "Ah, you're right. How did you guess?"

The girl confidently replied, "It wasn't difficult. Since you said I know him, the correct answer had to be one of the three people who were with me at the restaurant earlier."

---

"Among my three subordinates, I can immediately rule out Onizuka-san. While Kamuro-san and I are still in a phase of mutual testing, we don't have much respect for the rest of the class. That only leaves Hashimoto. In fact, he has the sharpest mind among the three. Right now, he's on good terms with almost everyone in the class, meaning he must have been preparing multiple escape routes for himself from the very beginning."

"Befriend everyone, huh..."

For some reason, Kure Ragna suddenly thought of a certain name—Kushida Kikyo.

Sensing his momentary distraction, Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head and lightly rubbed his cheek.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Just thinking… there's someone like that in my class too. She's on good terms with everyone, but unlike the Hashimoto you described, she seems completely altruistic. But to be honest… does pure altruism even exist?"

"I don't think so," Sakayanagi Arisu said softly.

---

"Egoism is an instinct engraved into the DNA of all living creatures. No one can completely go against it. True altruism can only appear in two cases—one, when someone is faking it, and two, when someone has been shaped into a martyr due to certain past experiences."

"I agree."

Kure Ragna nodded in understanding.

"...By the way, Arisu, did you just say 'subordinates'?"

"Hmm?"

Sakayanagi Arisu was momentarily taken aback, then let out a helpless smile.

"Ah, I accidentally let my real thoughts slip. That was a mistake on my part as a leader."

Despite calling it a mistake, she didn't seem upset at all. On the contrary, she looked rather pleased.

---

"So, what's my reward?"

"What?"

"I said—what's the reward?"

Seeing the surprise on his face, Sakayanagi Arisu half-closed her eyes, a hint of displeasure in her voice.

"Or… was the whole 'there will be a prize if you guess correctly' just something you said casually?"

Kure Ragna hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words. Then, as if struck by an idea, a metaphorical lightbulb lit up above his head.

He raised the hand still holding her foot. "Does this count?"

"Unfortunately, it does not."

It wasn't his imagination—the irritation in her tone had clearly increased.

"Well, to be honest… I haven't thought of a reward yet," he admitted with a shrug.

"Huh~"

Sakayanagi Arisu let out a small huff but soon chuckled, her expression carrying a trace of triumph.

"Then as punishment, how about I decide on the reward instead?"

"Alright. What do you want?" Kure Ragna asked, squinting at her.

The girl deliberately dragged out her words, placing her index finger on the corner of her mouth as if deep in thought.

"I haven't decided yet. I'll tell you when I do."

"Hey... Oh, right. Before I left earlier, Arisu, you were saying something. I heard 'like' but didn't catch the rest. What was it?"

Sakayanagi Arisu smiled slightly and pursed her lips.

"I was going to say… if you want, I can secretly tell you how to transfer to Class A alone. This is confidential information that I managed to get from my father. Do you want to know?"

---

"Just a 'method'?"

Kure Ragna didn't overthink it and responded casually, "I thought you were going to tell me there was a way to transfer me directly, like some kind of super-limited invitation code or something."

"There's no such thing," the silver-haired girl laughed.

"Why not? Isn't your father the director of this school?" Kure Ragna squinted at her. "With his authority, that should be pretty easy, right?"

"I don't know… Maybe it's possible. But my father isn't the kind of person who would do something like that."

Speaking of her father's personality, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but look a little helpless.

Kure Ragna smirked, letting go of her foot as he stood up.

"Alright, it's about time to head back."

"So early?" Sakayanagi Arisu looked slightly surprised.

---

"It's already past 8:30. Tomorrow is the first day of school. You should head back early, take a bath, and get some rest. Besides, the weather is still chilly. Sitting on the ground too long isn't good for your health. If you catch a cold—especially as a girl—you should be extra careful..."

Kure Ragna's words were slightly rambling, but Sakayanagi Arisu listened intently, as if she wanted to engrave every word into her mind. A warm feeling spread through her heart.

But that warmth abruptly disappeared.

Watching Kure Ragna crouch by the pool, dipping his hand into the water and swishing it around like a gorilla washing vegetables, the corners of Sakayanagi Arisu's mouth twitched slightly.

"…What are you doing?"

"The water in the pool has disinfectant. It can kill bacteria."

Hearing her voice behind him, Kure Ragna turned his head, holding up his other unwashed hand.

"By the way, people online say that for beautiful girls, not just their feet, but even their poop supposedly smells good. Personally, I don't buy it. But hey, this is a great chance to confirm it firsthand. You wanna check?"

Hiss—

Fu—

Sakayanagi Arisu took a deep breath, trying to calm her rising blood pressure.

For a brief moment, she genuinely considered kicking this guy straight into the pool.