Chapter 145: Ayanokōji and Saiki's... First Clash?
After Saiki spoke, Ayanokōji and Horikita turned to him.
"Saiki, you've been quiet. What's your take?"
Horikita asked seriously.
"Horikita, your goal is to reach Class A. The gap between us and Class C is growing. They're no threat now. Ally with Class C to take down Class A first."
Saiki said.
*'I promised Shiina I'd help, and Ichinose's one of the few normal people here.'*
He thought.
"Did Saiki really say that?"
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Saiki Kusuo. It seemed to be the first time their answers diverged on a particular matter.
"Saiki has a point..."
Horikita Suzune propped her chin on one hand, pondered for a moment, then looked up and said,
"But Ayanokōji, you're right too. I need to think this through carefully. Let's call it a day for now."
"Mm."
Horikita and Ayanokōji left Saiki's room.
*'Ayanokōji seemed a bit off today... but then again, he's always like that, right?'*
Saiki thought, deciding not to dwell on it. He took out his phone and sent a message to Shiina Hiyori.
Saiki: I found the poster. It's Hashimoto from Class A.
With Ayanokōji's involvement, the poster being Hashimoto Masayoshi was no longer a secret. This should allow Shiina to deduce that Sakayanagi Arisu was the mastermind behind it all.
Just as he sent the message, another one arrived.
Ichinose Honami: Saiki, are you free now?
Saiki: What's up?
Ichinose: I need to talk to you about something. Can you meet me at the dorm lobby?
Saiki sighed but decided to head to the location Ichinose mentioned.
"Over here."
At the edge of the entrance, Ichinose called out softly. Saiki walked over.
"Are we going out?"
"Yeah—just for a bit."
Saiki followed Ichinose outside to a secluded corner of the school.
"I know it's cold... but I didn't want to draw attention."
Ichinose shivered as she asked.
*'Don't push yourself too hard...'*
Saiki looked at her, pretending not to be cold, and said,
"I get it, but are *you* okay...?"
"I'm fine... Well, it's complicated... I'm really sorry."
"Why apologize?"
"Maybe because I'm causing trouble for you, Horikita, and everyone in Class B... The rumors about me have caused unnecessary worry, and I'm truly sorry."
"It's nothing."
"That's the best response. Until the rumors die down, I won't change my stance. I'll tell Kanzaki and the others too."
Ichinose looked at Saiki with unwavering determination.
Saiki understood: Ichinose didn't want others to know her past, and she didn't want to drag him into it.
Despite her tough act, the rumors had clearly affected her.
But Saiki didn't plan to ask about her past. If she wasn't ready to share, he wouldn't pry.
"It's too cold. You should head back and rest, Saiki."
"Mm."
After a brief exchange, Saiki left and returned to the dorm.
---
Meanwhile, in Ayanokōji's room:
Ayanokōji sat, rapidly analyzing the situation.
*'Logically, Saiki shouldn't help Ichinose. There's no benefit for him.'*
*'My plan was to corner Ichinose, then offer help, turning her into my pawn. But as a class leader, I wouldn't help her—she's a potential enemy, and helping her wouldn't benefit our class.'*
*'Saiki and I usually think alike, but when Horikita asked, he agreed. Why...? Wait, if Saiki thinks like me, does he see Ichinose as a potential pawn too?'*
Ayanokōji's brow furrowed. A thought occurred to him.
*'No, it's more than that. With Saiki's abilities, could he have predicted I'd try to recruit Ichinose as a pawn against him?'*
For the first time, Ayanokōji felt something unfamiliar—something he couldn't name.
Fear? Surprise? Excitement?
He wasn't sure, but one thing was clear: Saiki Kusuo was someone Ayanokōji had to watch closely.
*'I don't know what this feeling is... but it's new. I've never felt it, not even in the White Room.'*
He narrowed his eyes.
---
In the dorm of Class A:
"Sakayanagi, there's an issue with the forum."
Hashimoto Masayoshi turned from his computer, looking at Sakayanagi.
"An issue?"
Sakayanagi's brow furrowed, a hint of confusion on her face.
"This has never happened before."
She'd never encountered this, nor heard of it happening.
"Strange..."
As Hashimoto puzzled over it, the computer screen flickered. The forum reappeared.
"It's back! But... all my posts are gone?"
Hashimoto's face showed confusion.
"Every single post? What's going on?"
He tried posting again, but nothing appeared—all deleted by Saiki's powers.
"What's happening...?"
"Stop posting for now, Hashimoto."
Sakayanagi stopped him.
"Why?"
"I'm not sure, but it could be the school blocking the posts. If the rumors got too severe, they might harm the school's reputation. Deleting them makes sense. Keep posting, and you might get punished."
"The school doesn't have such rules."
"They could add new ones."
Sakayanagi tapped her desk rhythmically.
"There's another possibility..."
"What?"
"Someone might've hacked the school's website, deleting the posts remotely."
Sakayanagi smiled.
"Hacking the school's website? Impossible."
"Maybe. We don't know if there's a genius among the students—but I'm just joking. The odds are less than one in a thousand."
She didn't truly believe it, as it was highly unlikely.
"What's our next move? If we stop spreading rumors, we'll be ignored."
"Don't worry. We have a backup plan."
Sakayanagi narrowed her eyes, her gaze intense.
---
Days passed unnoticed.
Rumors about Ichinose faded.
Initially, students complained about the forum being inaccessible one night, but the school blamed it on maintenance, resolving the issue.
Few noticed anything unusual.
As the rumors cooled, voices supporting Ichinose grew.
"Ichinose was framed!"
"Exactly! She's innocent!"
"Ichinose wouldn't do that!"
Her reputation slowly recovered.
After school, Saiki stopped by the school café for dessert. Heading back to the dorm, he found the lobby crowded.
"What's going on?"
Saiki was puzzled. He could hear their thoughts—chaotic but focused on one topic: Ichinose.
"Saiki, you're back?"
Yamauchi Haruki noticed him and walked over.
"Why's it so crowded?"
"Everyone got a letter in their mailbox."
"Oh?"
Saiki looked at his mailbox. Aside from magazines, he'd never used it.
His gaze pierced through—a letter was inside.
"You should check yours, Saiki."
Seeing Saiki hesitate, Yamauchi urged.
"If everyone got one, I probably did too. What does it say?"
"Just look."
Yamauchi handed Saiki the paper.
"Ichinose Honami is a criminal."
That was all—no additional information.
"Looks like every student got this. It's pretty malicious."
Yamauchi's expression turned serious.
"If this continues, things will get worse at school."
"Indeed."
Saiki nodded, sighing inwardly.
Saiki thought Sakayanagi Arisu's actions would calm down, but they seemed to be getting worse.
"We can't tolerate this anymore. Let's talk to the teacher. This is unforgivable!"
"Yeah, the teacher will definitely find the culprit!"
Saiki Kusuo heard angry voices from the other girls in Class C.
They stood beside Ichinose Honami, expressing their frustration.
Ichinose, head down, looked at the letter in her hand, frozen for a few seconds before speaking.
"It's okay, I don't care about such small things."
Despite her words, Saiki noticed a slight tremor in her voice.
*"No, I can't tell the teacher... It's not slander... and it might reveal more about my past..."*
At that moment, Ichinose's heart was in turmoil.
"No, we can't let these rumors about Honami spread!"
The others urged, but Ichinose remained silent, seeming out of place.
*'Although they mean well, this could put Ichinose in greater danger at school.'*
"I'm sorry for causing you worry. Please don't take it to heart. Apologies!"
After a few seconds of silence, Ichinose bowed deeply to everyone and quickly left.
"Saiki, can we talk?"
A gentle female voice called from behind Saiki.
It was Shiina Hiyori, who had come for Ichinose.
"Sure."
Saiki nodded.
...
The hall was crowded, making it hard for Saiki to hear everyone's thoughts clearly—
especially Ayanokōji's.
*"The worst possibility is that Saiki has figured out my plan and will ruin it."*
*"It seems my first confrontation with Saiki is about to begin."*
*"But now, I have a tool to use."*
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka slowly moved through the crowd, heading in another direction.
*"Let's see who turns Ichinose into their tool first."*
"I didn't expect you to approach me!"
In an empty corner outside the dorm, Sakayanagi had been waiting for a while.