Some hours earlier, on that very same day, Sakayanagi Arisu enjoyed the cool air under the shade. With the Paper Shuffle Exam ending, news about the outcome of her plans could finally be confirmed.
"Do you think snow will fall this season?" she asked her companions.
"Doesn't it snow in Tokyo every year?" Kamuro asked with a question of her own.
"You're technically right, Masumi-san. However, Tokyo typically only gets a day or two of light snowfall. And whenever that's the case, snow would hardly collect on the ground."
"I remember it snowing for ten straight days in Tokyo back when I was little. Do you want it to snow for that long?"
"Why, yes," she nodded. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a White Christmas?"
"I personally like the sight of the city being dyed in white during winter, so I'm all for snow," Hashimoto stated in his opinion.
"You're quite the aesthetic person, aren't you, Hashimoto-kun?"
"Haha, maybe. Aren't you the same, Sakayanagi?"
"I would like to say so. Kitou-kun is also an aesthetic person, right?"
"Isn't artistic the better word for Kitou, though?" asked Kamuro. "I can't really say the same for myself, but I can also appreciate something that looks nice when I see one."
Anyone who wasn't part of Class B wouldn't immediately associate Kitou with the word "artistic" after they see him.
"Fufu, I guess that goes for most people. Humans are naturally drawn to beauty, after all."
Hearing Sakayanagi's words, Hashimoto smiled at Kamuro, but this only made her cringe in repulsion.
"Well, aren't you excited, Sakayanagi?"
The person they've been waiting for has finally arrived. Ryuuen Kakeru approached them with a single person behind him named Yamada Albert.
"Mashima-sensei, being the freshmen's coordinator, was busy with a certain student's matters. So, Class B was dismissed a few minutes early after we'd all collectively finished the exam before the time limit."
"Kukuku. A certain student's matters, eh? So you've heard the news yesterday."
"Everyone in our class would suspect something if we were suddenly brought in for questioning. So? What was the school's final decision?" Sakayanagi asked, smiling as if she already knew the answer.
"Miyamoto has been expelled," Ryuuen replied.
The Class B students had differing reactions, but it can't be denied that this news was good for them.
"Excellent. As promised, you'll get to keep the entirety of Miyamoto-kun's private points plus my payment for your assistance."
Sakayanagi made a gesture prompting Hashimoto to bring his phone out.
"What do you mean? Our goal was to execute two of their students, remember? I honestly didn't think they'd have enough solidarity to save one person even if they had a stash of money cooped up somewhere..."
"It's the price we have to pay for getting Ayanokouji-kun involved," she sighed.
"What are you saying, Sakayanagi? I don't understand." Ryuuen frowned in displeasure.
"It was inevitable. My goal was to get students from Class A expelled. Ayanokouji-kun probably wouldn't have done anything if that was the only thing we did. However, your goal was to stain his reputation inside his class, right? That, or you want Ayanokouji-kun's class to push him back to his previous position as the class leader. You were directly trying to oppose him, that's why he did something to push back against our plan."
"So you're saying that Ayanokouji was the real reason why Mori was saved?"
"I cannot guarantee anything, but that's what I'd like to believe."
The moment Sakayanagi understood that Ryuuen planned on indirectly attacking Ayanokouji, she gave up on the idea that Class A would lose 700 class points in one go.
At the same time, it felt like Ayanokouji was sending a message. He didn't care about what they were doing, but if they tried to mess with him, he was more than capable of throwing a wrench into their plans.
Ryuuen's lour slowly turned into his usual grin.
"Heh, it's honestly not that bad. At the end of the day, we still took 300 class points and 20 million private points away from them. And even if, by some miracle, they perform a lot better in the exam, Miyamoto won't have a score. They'd have a guaranteed deficit of at least 800 points."
Losing the Paper Shuffle Exam would cost Class A 100 class points on top of the expulsion penalty.
"Unfortunately, that miracle won't happen. In fact, they might've performed worse because of stress."
"Then that's 400 class points down the drain for them, huh?"
"What about Class D? You'd lose 100 class points after the Paper Shuffle too, you know?"
"It doesn't matter as long as we pass. A couple million private points should be enough compensation."
"Then what about your accomplice?" Sakayanagi asked. "I'm sure they've worked hard."
"Kukuku... That bastard doesn't really care much about anything else as long as it moves him closer to his goal."
"Oh, really now? Then, I don't see the need to get involved with them anymore."
After delivering the news, Ryuuen turned around and started walking away.
"What's your plan now, Ryuuen-kun? It doesn't seem like Ayanokouji-kun is budging at your attempts. You've lost every single fight against him so far. Don't you think it's starting to look pathetic?"
In the face of Sakayanagi's provocation, Ryuuen's smile widened even more.
"You don't win big unless you're used to losing, Sakayanagi. Do you think I'm aimlessly running around without a master plan?"
"Fufufu, I see. So you're not afraid of losing your battles because you'll eventually win the war."
"Exactly, and I don't need your help in any of it. Working with you is just my way of earning extra cash." The sharpness in Ryuuen's eyes became writ large. "You want to destroy Class A. I want to destroy Ayanokouji. Our goals had aligned just a little bit, but that doesn't mean we're allies." (1)
"It seems like there's nothing for me to worry about, then."
"Worry? What a load of bullshit. You can probably already see it with your own eyes, Sakayanagi. I hold the most powerful weapon in this world-- the power that everyone will eventually bend their knees to."
"Yes, clearly." Sakayanagi smiled as she glanced at Ryuuen and Albert. "Wielding such a weapon will make you reign supreme. Even I would have to agree with that."
Ryuuen huffed in glee, knowing that Sakayanagi wasn't lying.
However, he could sense something else behind her smile. Not knowing what it was piqued him.
"You shouldn't relax just because you're back on top, Sakayanagi. After I'm done with Ayanokouji, you're next." He spoke as he stepped away from them.
"I'm looking forward to it, Ryuuen-kun," Sakayanagi muttered with a giggle.
Author's Notes:
1. "You want to destroy Class A. I want to destroy Ayanokouji. We are not the same." - Ryuuen Kakeru.
Volume 6, end.