"We were told not to contact Saiki-senpai unnecessarily, but Yagami sees this as a chance to prove himself. He thinks you'll use Saiki against us, so he wants to eliminate Saiki first."
Ichika's expression turned serious.
"I'm afraid he'll do something reckless. Please stop him, senpai... Otherwise, both Yagami and Saiki are in danger. We must act before it's too late..."
"You mean Yagami?"
Ayanokōji named the student directly.
"As expected of you, senpai. You already knew?"
Ichika bit her lip.
"Did you see through my identity too?"
"I had a hunch, but no solid proof."
Ayanokōji replied.
He hadn't actively countered White Room assassins because he believed they posed no threat.
Since Ichika named Yagami, he did the same.
"Please, senpai, stop Yagami before it's too late!"
Ichika's voice was urgent, her eyes filled with worry.
She knew Yagami was extreme and might even kill to achieve his goals.
This could severely impact Yagami, the White Room, and Ayanokōji.
But Ayanokōji shook his head.
"I won't intervene."
"I see..."
Ichika's refusal was expected—White Room students were trained this way.
"Saiki doesn't need my help."
"Huh?"
"He told me about you and Yagami."
"What?"
Ichika was shocked. She hadn't expected Saiki to uncover her identity.
She'd been careful, but Saiki had seen through her.
And how did Saiki Kusuo figure out Yagami Takuya's identity, even without being told?
Amasawa Ichika was surprised that Saiki could see through Yagami's true nature.
"When did he find out?" she asked, puzzled.
"The moment you two first met, Saiki saw right through you," came the reply.
"How did he manage that?"
"Saiki said, 'The more flawless someone seems, the more suspicious they are.' That's why he noticed you and Yagami right away."
"Really…?" Ichika swallowed hard.
Had Saiki already known everything about her when she'd gone to his room to gather information on him?
Who was this guy, anyway?
"Not only that, but you two admire me because you were fed the idea that I'm the White Room's greatest masterpiece, right?"
"Yes," she admitted.
"But in this school, I've lost to Saiki. More than once." Ayanokōji Kiyotaka spoke slowly.
Technically, their only direct confrontation had been the chess match, but Kiyotaka also considered the Ichinose Honami rumor incident a defeat.
"That's impossible… No one can beat you, senpai…"
"Yet I lost to Saiki. In the White Room, no one could defeat me, but there's always someone stronger. Saiki's abilities surpass mine—that's undeniable." Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes slightly as he spoke.
"So Yagami poses no threat to Saiki."
---
Back with Saiki Kusuo, Yagami Takuya watched him nervously.
As a White Room student, Yagami could easily read others' minds. But Saiki's thoughts were a complete mystery.
*"This was a trap from the start… Ever since Saiki Kûsuke became a teacher, it was all set up. Damn it, even I didn't see this coming!"* Yagami thought frantically.
*"Geez, I didn't plan anything like that…"* Saiki sighed mentally.
"Your White Room schemes don't concern me. Stay out of my way," Saiki said aloud.
"I-I didn't mean to target you, senpai! I'm only here because of Tsubaki and Utomiya's orders!" Yagami quickly shifted the blame.
But inside, his hatred for Saiki grew.
*"Saiki is a real threat."*
*"I'm the top student of White Room's fifth generation, the true masterpiece meant to surpass Ayanokōji! How can I lose to someone outside the White Room?"*
*"What if… I just killed him?"*
Yagami admired Ayanokōji's strength but also resented him, thanks to the White Room's toxic teachings. He couldn't stand the idea of anyone being stronger than him.
Now Saiki had appeared, and Yagami felt an even deeper hatred for him.
Because, in a way, he'd fallen into Saiki's trap without realizing it.
*"Just kill him…"* The thought echoed in Yagami's mind.
And Saiki heard it loud and clear.
*"Kill him? After all, he knows my true self now. Can't ignore that."*
*"So many cliffs around… An 'accident' could easily happen."*
*"Saiki's just human, even if he beat Hōsen. But I'm no ordinary person. I'd kill Ayanokōji too, if he showed up."*
Yagami's thoughts grew darker as he scanned the area casually.
*"A cliff nearby? Push Saiki off?"*
*"Branches, rocks… In my hands, even these could kill an ordinary person."*
*"Even unarmed, killing someone isn't that hard. After Saiki's dead, the alarm will sound, but teachers will take at least 30 minutes to get here. Plenty of time to find Ayanokōji and kill him too!"*
Yagami plotted Saiki's murder, but then a faint sound came from his wrist.
"Huh?" He looked down—at his watch.
BOOM! The watch exploded.
"What?!" Yagami's mind went blank. How had his indestructible watch blown up?
*"What were you just thinking?"* Saiki's cold voice echoed in Yagami's mind, without him speaking a word.
Yagami's eyes widened in terror. This went beyond anything the White Room had taught him.
*"I wasn't planning to act, but now I can't ignore this. The White Room can't either."* Saiki's voice boomed in Yagami's head.
In an instant, they were both 10,000 meters in the air.
Yagami couldn't speak; his mind couldn't process what was happening.
Then he began to fall, faster and faster.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!" His primal scream echoed through the sky.
---
Minutes later, Saiki was gone. Yagami lay on the ground, eyes blank, seemingly unconscious.
He'd just endured something far worse than Hōsen Kazuomi's ordeal, shattering his mind completely.
His wristwatch, now intact, emitted a piercing alarm.
---
"Chairman Tsukishiro! I've got two emergency signals from the students' watches!" Mashima Tomonari rushed to Tsukishiro, panicked.
"Who is it?!" Tsukishiro's heart raced as he hurried to check.
"Hōsen Kazuomi from Class 1-D and Yagami Takuya from Class 1-B. Their heart rates and blood pressure are off the charts, though they seem physically unharmed."
The watches monitored vital signs.
"Huh?!" Hōsen's name meant nothing to Tsukishiro, but Yagami's name made his heart stop.
He knew exactly what had happened. Yagami had likely provoked Saiki, with disastrous results.
Tsukishiro just hoped this wouldn't escalate further.
"Were any other students nearby?" he asked urgently.
"Saiki Kusuo passed through the area minutes ago, but he never got within 10 meters of them. This can't be his fault…" Mashima checked the records.
Saiki had used his powers to alter the GPS data, making it seem like he'd just walked by, not interacted.
"Absolutely not Saiki's doing!" Tsukishiro declared.
*"If Saiki gets involved, this'll be a mess!"*
"Get teachers and medical teams there now!"
---
Meanwhile, Ayanokōji, Amasawa, and Nanase Tsubasa left the mountains, heading toward the designated area.
Ayanokōji checked the rankings on his tablet, his eyebrows twitching slightly. He turned to Ichika.
"Ichika, check the OAA."
"What's up?" She pulled out her tablet and froze.
Hōsen and Yagami had withdrawn from the exam.
"Yagami… quit already?" Ichika bit her lip, stunned.
She knew Saiki was strong, but she couldn't believe Yagami had fallen so quickly. What had Saiki done?
Ichika had never beaten Yagami, despite her own abilities. Yet Saiki had defeated him effortlessly.
And Hōsen had withdrawn too. Had Yagami used him to attack Saiki? Why had it ended like this?
What kind of monster was Saiki?
Ichika felt a mix of fear and curiosity.
"Looks like Saiki's finished there," Ayanokōji noted.
Ayanokōji said everything was within his expectations.
"It seems the school has announced a pause in the exam. Let's find a place to rest."