Night fell quickly.
Haruki Yamauchi checked his phone and headed to the place he'd agreed to meet Arisu—the school's KTV.
He cautiously pushed open the door and saw Arisu and Masumi sitting on the sofa.
"Today... Masumi's here too."
Haruki's gaze swept over Masumi.
*Masumi's definitely a beauty too, and her figure... But for now, Arisu's the main target!*
"Sorry, I felt awkward meeting alone..."
Arisu deliberately lowered her head, avoiding Haruki's gaze, looking embarrassed.
"No, not at all! Just being able to meet like this makes me happy!"
Haruki quickly shook his head.
*I really want to be alone with Arisu. Now's the perfect time to confess! I'm sure she'll say yes. If we become a couple...*
In Haruki's mind, he was already imagining marrying Arisu and having kids.
"Haruki, are you okay with the additional exam?"
Just as Haruki was lost in his fantasy, Arisu's voice brought him back to reality.
"Huh?"
Haruki froze for a moment, then quickly replied,
"Should... should be fine..."
*If Arisu knows I might drop out... she'll think I'm useless.*
"No, if there's no problem, that's good. But... if you do get expelled, we won't be able to meet like this. I don't want that to happen."
*This is Arisu's game... It's... a bit sickening...*
Though Masumi was Arisu's subordinate, she was deeply uncomfortable with this.
"I hate that too!"
Haruki said seriously.
"We feel the same."
Arisu sighed deliberately and continued,
"If there's anything troubling you, I'll help you figure it out!"
Arisu narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze piercing, seeing right through Haruki.
"But—"
*Arisu and I aren't even in the same class... But if we were together, maybe she'd help me transfer to Class A! With Arisu's points, it'd be easy!*
Haruki started fantasizing again.
"We're enemies in class, but this exam's different. There's no competition between classes, right?"
"True..."
"And I might even be able to help you."
"How?"
Haruki still tried to hide his struggles in class, but his expression betrayed his panic.
"I'll give you all my praise votes!"
Arisu clasped her hands, looking adorable.
Haruki swallowed hard at her words.
Even one praise vote from another class was valuable.
"You'd really give me your votes?!"
"Of course! If you're in trouble, I'll help you!"
*I'm the happiest man in the world!*
Haruki's body trembled at Arisu's words, but he forced himself to stay calm.
*Can't let Arisu see me panicking! And she can't know I'm at the bottom of the class. That'd be embarrassing.*
"I... I think people in my class are jealous of me. After all, only I get this much attention from you. I'm worried they'll give me criticism votes."
Haruki scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
"Jealous?"
Arisu feigned concern.
But inside, she was struggling not to laugh.
*Jealous of you? You've got no talent, no skills, and a personality that's downright annoying. How can you say people are jealous?*
Not just Arisu, even Masumi twitched at Haruki's words.
Haruki had no idea that his situation had already been exposed by several students in Class A. To them, he was a joke.
"Only I get to see Arisu like this..."
"Yeah, I'm not interested in other guys."
Arisu played along.
"I'll share a secret strategy that'll save you."
"A secret strategy?"
"Yes. Find about half your classmates and convince them to join you. Then target one person and force them to drop out."
"But... if I do that, I might get targeted too..."
"True, no one wants to lead. If you hurt your classmates recklessly, you might end up with criticism votes."
Haruki nodded in agreement.
"That's why I'll help you."
"How?"
"I've got about twenty allies in Class A. I'll get them all to give you their praise votes."
"Wow!"
Haruki's eyes lit up.
"Your classmates will probably give you votes too. With all that, even if you get thirty criticism votes, you'll be safe from dropping out."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course—but even with twenty votes, you can't relax. That's why I want you to lead, force someone out. If someone else gets targeted with criticism votes, they'll be the one to drop out, right?"
"Who should I target?"
"Let me think..."
Arisu placed a finger on her lips,
"Haruki, is there anyone you particularly dislike?"
"Dislike... Kushida, maybe?"
Just thinking of Kikyō Kushida's cold expression made Haruki shudder.
"Kikyō Kushida?"
For the first time, Arisu looked confused.
In her view, Kikyō was undeniably popular, loved by everyone at school.
Why would Haruki dislike her?
Was he rejected after confessing? That didn't seem right.
"Is there some conflict between you and Kushida?"
"I... I'm not sure. She just suddenly started acting hostile... like she wants to kill me."
Haruki stammered.
Arisu couldn't understand why, but Kikyō wasn't on her target list. She'd have to investigate later.
"Anyone else? Kushida's too popular. It's not realistic to target her."
Arisu asked.
"Anyone else..."
Haruki's mind raced, thinking about which students had crossed him in the past.
*"Sudo yelled at me, and Ike got into a fight with me on Valentine's Day... Wait, that guy's the most annoying one!"*
A name popped into Haruki's head.
"What about Saiki?" he asked.
"Saiki? I've heard the name, but..." Arisu feigned ignorance.
*"This is going smoother than I thought. I planned to have Masumi steer the conversation toward Saiki, but it seems unnecessary."*
"Uh... he's invisible. How do I explain that?" Haruki scratched his chin.
"What's the issue?" Arisu asked curiously.
*"That Saiki... girls like him for no reason. It's annoying. He acts all aloof... Yeah, it's him!"*
"He seems antisocial, but he's actually flirting with girls. I've called him out, but he doesn't change. He's jealous of my time with you. I think he's a good target."
"That contradicts him being invisible," Arisu said, suppressing a smile.
"Maybe he's perfect for this. You're not close to him, right?"
"Not at all! Just a classmate!" Haruki quickly clarified.
"Then let him be the sacrifice. I know it's hard to betray a classmate, but don't overthink it. Think of it as A-Class's decision, and you're just following orders."
Arisu leaned closer, almost resting on Haruki.
"Next Monday, after the exam, can we meet alone? I have something important to tell you."
"Uh..." Haruki froze, his mind racing.
*"Is Arisu going to confess to me?!"*
Haruki knew he couldn't fail this exam.
"Tell me who supports Saiki. We need to keep him in the dark so he can be expelled quietly."
"I... I will."
"One more thing, Haruki."
"Yes?"
"Don't tell anyone we're voting for you. If you do, you'll be hated."
"I understand..."
"Are you sure you'll vote for me?"
"Do you want written proof?"
"I'm just unsure..."
"You think I'll betray you? I gain nothing from it. But if you can't trust me... forget I said anything. If you can't trust me, I'll reconsider next week's meeting."
"Wait! I trust you!" Haruki blurted.
"Sorry for doubting you. I trust you, Arisu!"
"It's okay. I understand your worries." Arisu smiled gently.
"As long as you trust me, I'll help you."
Her smile was like a hunter's.
---
After their talk, Haruki left the KTV, bouncing with excitement. Arisu and Masumi stayed behind, chatting.
"What do you think of my plan?" Arisu asked.
"What plan?" Masumi replied.
"What kind of student is Saiki?"
"Like I said, he's ordinary. The incident was probably a coincidence. Maybe he did nothing, and Ayanokōji made it up."
"If Ayanokōji said it, Saiki must be special." Arisu's smile deepened.
"I hope Saiki's a rival even I can't beat."
---
Minutes later, in the dorms, Saiki heard a thought:
*"Let's expel Saiki!"*
"?" Saiki looked at Haruki, sipping his milk tea.
"What's up?"
Haruki, nervous, stammered, "G-good evening, Saiki!"
*"He's already nervous?*" Saiki thought, using telepathy to learn the truth.
*"Sorry, Saiki. I don't want you expelled, but Arisu's confessing to me next Monday. I have to do this!"*
*"It's A-Class's decision. I'm just following orders. I'm not close to Saiki anyway. He's cold. Let's expel him like Arisu wants."*
Haruki left, and Saiki narrowed his eyes.
---