Soon, Yamauchi Haruki left the classroom.
After he left, many students secretly followed him, curious about what was happening.
Saiki Kusuo was among them.
'I'm not here to watch the drama. Everyone else came, so it'd be weird if I didn't. Normal people would be curious about Haruki, right? I'm just following the crowd. Again, I'm not here to watch the drama.'
After thinking this, Saiki joined the others in staring at Haruki from a distance.
"Uh, so, what did you want to say…?"
At the stairwell corner, Haruki asked nervously, his words stumbling.
*"This is so tense! Sakayanagi's going to confess! What should I say?!"*
Meanwhile, Sakayanagi shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her left hand.
*"From a psychological perspective, this is an unconscious attempt to look prettier in front of someone you like."*
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka thought.
*"But Sakayanagi's definitely up to something."*
"Could Sakayanagi actually like Haruki?!"
Ike Kanji muttered jealously, probably interpreting her expression or actions that way.
"No way, that's so stupid, so fake! She definitely doesn't like Haruki."
Hasebe Haruka seemed to speak from a woman's intuition, making a disgusted face.
"Yeah, I think so too."
Sakura Airi, watching from the side, agreed with Hasebe.
"Are men really that naive? He's falling for it? She's definitely acting."
"She's really acting?"
"Honestly, as a guy... I can't tell."
"She's definitely acting."
Hasebe nodded firmly.
"Like Horikita said, she's probably trying to get info on our class."
"But isn't that too obvious? There must be a smarter way. Secretly contacting Haruki would be less suspicious and more likely to succeed."
Shiba Katsunori frowned in confusion.
"It's too noisy here, with so many people around... Let's go somewhere else."
Sakayanagi deliberately tilted her head, speaking to Haruki.
"Yeah, yeah... Okay, let's do that!"
Haruki nodded vigorously, his smile widening.
"Then, come with me."
Sakayanagi quickly walked outside the school building.
Saiki could clearly hear her thoughts.
*"Heaven or hell, I'll give him a ticket to both. Where he ends up is his choice."*
'Definitely hell.'
Saiki didn't even need to think to guess the outcome.
*"Damn, if they change locations, we can't follow."*
The others realized this situation wasn't suitable for further observation and dispersed.
'Yare yare, I'm curious, but I've got more important things to do.'
Thinking this, Saiki also left the school building—
heading to the school's sweets shop.
...
Meanwhile, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka left the school building and returned to his dorm.
On his way back, his mind raced.
*"This time, Sakayanagi's targeting Ichinose with rumors?"*
*"If it's just rumors, it's not enough. Sakayanagi might use more extreme methods to destroy Ichinose. Ichinose's talented, but she's no match for Sakayanagi."*
*"But this is all part of the plan."*
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka's face remained expressionless.
*"If my calculations are correct, Ichinose will eventually be crushed by Sakayanagi."*
*"When that happens, Ichinose will be at her most vulnerable. All I need to do is guide her slightly, and she'll recover from the brink of collapse."*
*"Once that happens, Ichinose will grow dependent on me, seeing me as a confidant or even emotional support. Another pawn I can use will be added to my ranks. This way, I might stand a chance against Saiki in the future."*
*"Not just Saiki, but that man will likely act too. Planting more people from the White Room in the school—it's something he'd do."*
*"But unlike Saiki, anyone from the White Room is no match for me. Absolutely not."*
Ayanokōji thought to himself.
Just then, Hasebe Haruka and others caught up from behind—the study group members.
"Got a minute?"
...
Meanwhile, Saiki Kusuo had arrived at the dessert shop.
Today marked the rare release of a limited-edition flavor. Saiki immediately used the VIP card Horikita Manabu gave him to buy the small cake at a discounted price, then quickly found a corner seat.
*'Perfect timing for this cake. If I take it back to the dorm, the taste will suffer. Better eat it here!'*
Saiki eagerly prepared to enjoy the cake in front of him.
At that moment, a figure appeared beside him, holding a plate of the same cake.
"What a coincidence, Saiki!"
Saiki looked up—it was Shiina Hiyori.
*"Today's the day the cake shop releases a new flavor, so I knew Saiki would come here after school..."*
*'Even this?'*
*"Though Saiki arrived ten minutes later than I expected. Did something happen along the way?"*
*'Sakayanagi and Yamauchi.'*
*"Seeing Saiki is enough. After all, I need his help."*
*'Figured as much.'*
Saiki's gaze fell on Shiina Hiyori's face.
"Shiina, this isn't a coincidence, is it?"
"You caught me. I guessed you'd be here today."
Shiina smiled, not hiding her intentions, and sat across from Saiki.
"I wanted to try this shop's cake too. I don't eat it often... This portion's too much for me. Can't let it go to waste—I'll share it with you!"
She neatly cut her cake in half and placed one piece on Saiki's plate.
"So, what do you need?"
"I want to talk about Ichinose."
Shiina's expression turned serious.
"Have you heard anything about Ichinose?"
"You mean those strange rumors? Yeah, I've heard them."
"That's it. Do you know who's spreading them?"
"No... I don't."
To avoid more trouble, Saiki gave a negative answer.
"Honestly, I don't want to see Ichinose suffer. Even someone like me, with few friends, she treats equally."
During the training camp exam, Shiina was in the same group as Ichinose Honami, so they grew close.
"Saiki!"
Shiina's expression turned serious.
"I hate hurting others, but to protect a friend, I think fighting is sometimes necessary."
"Yeah."
"Even though we're in different classes and technically enemies, there must be a way to save her. I haven't figured it out yet... but can you help me?"
Saiki fell silent, thinking.
His past self would've refused without hesitation. As a psychic, he didn't want more trouble. The more he did, the more problems he'd face.
But...
*'Ichinose and I are on decent terms. She's helped me before, and I don't want to owe anyone. Plus, after dealing with Ichinose, Sakayanagi might target me next. And I ate Shiina's cake.'*
Saiki thought, then looked at the cake on his plate.
"Okay, I'll help. But I can't promise how much I'll accomplish."
"Saiki, thank you!"
"No need to thank me. You and Ichinose have helped me too. Any ideas?"
"I... haven't thought of anything specific yet, but with your help, we'll manage."
Shiina leaned forward slightly.
"Saiki, I heard from Ibuki... you're good with computer programming?"
*'Huh?'*
Saiki was puzzled.
"I heard you can write viruses and hack phones."
"Yeah..."
Saiki nodded—a lie he'd told to intimidate Ryūen Kakeru and explain the recording. He never thought Shiina would know.
"Can you hack the school bulletin board and delete the posts?"
Shiina asked. Most rumors about Ichinose Honami originated from the school forum.
"The rumors have spread, but if we don't delete them, things could get worse."
"Won't hacking the school website violate rules?"
"I checked the rules. Nothing about hacking the school website. And we won't cause any financial loss."
Shiina had thoroughly studied the school rules in her first semester.
"Also, if possible, can you find out who's spreading these rumors?"
"Got it. I'll handle it tonight..."
Saiki nodded.
He could use mass mind control to make everyone believe the rumors were false, but that could have unpredictable consequences. Since Shiina might come up with a plan, he'd work with her.
"Thanks, Saiki! By the way, did you learn programming in a class?"
"Yeah, I took a course..."
The lie grew.
"A course taught you this much?"
"I... know someone really skilled in computers and tech. They taught me."
In a sense, Saiki wasn't lying.
But he couldn't help recalling that annoying face.
"I see... No wonder you're so good... Want another cake? My treat!"
"Sure, I'll have an orange sundae."
...
Back in his room, Saiki opened his laptop and logged into the school website—his first time using it for anything other than online shopping.
Though the school banned external communication, it had an internal forum for students. Barely moderated, students could speak freely.
Saiki quickly found the rumor section. The top post was about Ichinose Honami, active for days.
Using his powers, Saiki deleted the posts—
*"Deleting them won't stop Sakayanagi from reposting. It's a temporary fix, and the staff might suspect something."*
After thinking, Saiki used his powers again.
*"Might as well crash the school forum server."*