Chapter 254 080: Sakayanagi Arisu is the Chairman’s Daughter!

At noon, Hachiman pushed open the door to the third-floor cafeteria private room.

Sakayanagi Arisu had already arrived, sitting by the window, her cane leaning against the edge of her chair. She still had that short silver hair and cute appearance. Outside the window, the sky was somewhat gloomy, with heavy clouds hanging low, as if it could rain at any moment.

However, her expression was calm.

Kamuro Masumi was standing nearby, holding her phone, seemingly killing time by browsing on it.

"Hikigaya-kun." Sakayanagi looked up. "You've arrived."

Hachiman walked over and sat down opposite her. "You invited me to eat; it surely wasn't just for the meal, right?"

The corners of Sakayanagi's mouth curved slightly. "Of course not." She paused. "But we still have to eat."

Kamuro glanced at the two of them and put her phone away. "I'll go get the food."

With that said, she turned and walked toward the door. The door closed gently behind her, leaving only Hachiman and Sakayanagi in the private room.

The wind outside the window was stronger than before, causing the window frame to make a slight rattling sound. Hachiman leaned against the back of his chair, watching her. Sakayanagi picked up the glass of water in front of her, took a gentle sip, and set it down. Her movements were very slow, as if she were brewing up something.

"Regarding this exam," Sakayanagi began, "you were satisfied."

Hachiman looked at her. "You could tell?"

Sakayanagi smiled lightly, and then her gaze fell on his face. "If you truly wanted to win, given your ability and arrangements, you would at least not have lost. But you chose to lose. Not because you couldn't win, but because you felt you shouldn't."

Hachiman did not speak.

"You wanted to let Class C see hope." Sakayanagi continued. "If Class A always wins and keeps widening the gap, Class C will give up. Once they give up, the competition in the school loses its meaning. So you needed to make them feel—that they have a chance to catch up to you. That way, they will continue to work hard, continue to compete, and continue to take the exams. You are using the method of losing once to stabilize the competitive landscape of the entire grade."

"Of course, this is just the first step. Actually, you are very clear that the school won't confirm Class A's status so early, because then it would lose the meaning of competition."

"So, even if you guys won this time, the school will still give Class C a chance, giving us an opportunity to rush up."

"After all, the school needs the students to grow through competition."

"And this is the philosophy of Advanced Nurturing High School, and at the same time... it is also my father's philosophy." Sakayanagi said.

Sakayanagi's words were incisive.

"Therefore, your plan to deal with this exam, you probably only would have done this while my father was still the Chairman. You knew he would balance the difficulty of the exams and would not let Class C be completely cast aside. So you dared to lose. You were cooperating with the school's rhythm."

She paused, her gaze falling on the gloomy sky outside the window. "If it were someone else sitting in the Chairman's seat, you probably wouldn't have done this. You would have tried your best to win, winning as much as you could, because you would know that the other party would not leave you any room."

Hachiman was silent for a few seconds. The wind outside grew stronger, causing the branches to sway; several leaves were swept up and spun in the sky. He withdrew his gaze and looked at Sakayanagi. "Did you receive any information?"

Sakayanagi's fingers paused on the teacup.

"I did." She took out her phone from her pocket, clicked on a message, and pushed it toward Hachiman. There was only one line of text on the screen; the sender was "Father."

Hachiman looked at the line of text without moving. "When was it sent?"

"This morning." Sakayanagi's voice was very calm. "He didn't say anything else. But I can probably guess—he already knows."

[Take care of yourself.]

She put the phone back, placed it on the table, and rested her hands on her lap. "Someone went to the Chairman's office. Not a regular teacher, but someone sent from above. They talked with my father for about forty minutes, then left. Then, he sent me this message."

Hachiman nodded.

He did not ask "what did they talk about," because the answer was already very clear.

Sakayanagi's father was being investigated.

It wasn't because of corruption or abuse of power—those were just excuses. The real reason was that Ayanokouji's father was about to make his move. He wanted to bring Advanced Nurturing High School under his own control, making this place a stepping stone to demonstrate the superiority of the White Room.

And Sakayanagi Narumori was the biggest obstacle on his path.

Therefore, he had to be dealt with, and if he couldn't be dealt with, then he had to be forced to leave temporarily.

This point was the same as the original work.

Even if he knew the original story, Hachiman was temporarily unable to intervene in the games of adults or the exchange of interests.

However, having informed Sakayanagi of the news in advance meant that Sakayanagi's father would have more room to maneuver.

So the situation wasn't exactly bad.

"Looking at it this way," Hachiman's voice was very soft, "next month's special exam will be interfered with."

Sakayanagi did not answer. She picked up her water glass and took another sip. The private room became quiet, with only the faint sound of the wind from outside. This silence lasted for a long time, so long that Hachiman thought she would not speak again.

The door was pushed open.

Kamuro walked in with a tray, on which were three set meals. Her movements were fast, placing the meals one by one on the table—grilled fish, stewed meat, vegetable salad, miso soup; each item was placed neatly.

After she sat down, her gaze swept back and forth between Hachiman and Sakayanagi, feeling an indescribable heavy atmosphere. She opened her mouth, wanting to ask what had happened, but in the end, she did not speak.

Sakayanagi didn't explain, and Hachiman didn't speak either.

The three ate their meals in silence. Only the light sound of chopsticks hitting the dishes could be heard.

By this time, it started to rain outside the window; raindrops hit the glass, making a fine, dense sound. Kamuro did not press, but she felt that something important must have happened just now.

After Hachiman finished eating, he put down his chopsticks and stood up. "I'm leaving first."

Sakayanagi nodded. "Mm."

Hachiman walked toward the door. When he reached the door, he stopped without looking back. "Sakayanagi."

"Mm."

"If there is a need, you can tell me."

He pushed the door open and walked out.

Sakayanagi watched his back.

She knew what he meant. On one hand, because he was a transmigrator, he knew more intelligence. On the other hand, he was now the Vice President of the Student Council. In the special system of Advanced Nurturing High School, the Student Council's authority was also very large and could interfere with exams. So, even if Tsukishiro made a mess as the new Chairman, he could not be absolutely lawless; the Student Council could also intervene.

That was why Hikigaya-kun said that.

Hachiman had already left the cafeteria.

Sakayanagi was also preparing to leave with Kamuro.

However, at this moment, the rain outside had already become heavy.

It wasn't a downpour, but a fine, dense autumn rain, seeping dark water stains onto the concrete ground. Rainwater flowed down the eaves, gathering into a thin line at the edge of the steps. Kamuro took a folding umbrella out of her bag, opened it, and held it over Sakayanagi's head.

"Let's go," Kamuro said.

Sakayanagi nodded. The two walked down the steps side by side; rain falling on the surface of the umbrella made a fine, crisp sound. Sakayanagi did not walk fast, and the sound of her cane hitting the ground was particularly clear amidst the sound of the rain.

When they reached the corner, she stopped.

Standing under the eaves at the entrance of the cafeteria was a person. Short brown hair, a white shirt, holding a black umbrella in his hand that he hadn't opened. His gaze was fixed on the curtain of rain in front of him, as if he were waiting for someone.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

Sakayanagi looked at him, and he looked at Sakayanagi. The sound of the rain fell on the ground between the two, like a thin curtain. Kamuro stood next to Sakayanagi, her gaze vigilant.

"Ayanokouji-kun," Sakayanagi said, "do you remember me?"

Ayanokouji did not speak.

"When I was very young, I visited the White Room." Sakayanagi's voice was very calm. "At that time, I saw you playing Western chess. Alone, sitting in a room, with a chessboard in front of you. There was no one opposite you, but you were playing very seriously." She paused. "And at the time, my father's evaluation of you was that you were a genius, without an opponent; even the instructors couldn't beat you."

Ayanokouji's golden eyes betrayed no emotion. "Sakayanagi-san, is there something?"

"No." Sakayanagi's mouth curved slightly. "Just want to tell you, you, this greatest masterpiece of the White Room, do possess strength. But I don't think you will be able to keep winning in this school. I think you have already experienced that."

Ayanokouji did not speak.

Because, even if you can't keep winning, you have to win for now.

During this time he had made his move... he hadn't won a single time.

"And your life will be even harder, because, next, I will be making my move." Sakayanagi's voice was very slow. "Your path will be even more tortuous."

"..."

Ayanokouji looked at her and was silent for a few seconds.

Then he opened his umbrella and walked into the curtain of rain. His footsteps were drowned out by the rain, and his back quickly disappeared around the corner.

Kamuro stood next to Sakayanagi, looking in that direction, her brow furrowed.

Meeting Ayanokouji here was just a coincidence, but Sakayanagi suddenly declaring war still made her feel a bit uneasy.

So.

Kamuro was silent for a few seconds. Then she took out her phone and sent a message to Hachiman.

[Sakayanagi met Ayanokouji just now. Sakayanagi said some things to him—"I don't think you will be able to keep winning in this school. Next, I will be making my move." Do you think this will be a problem?

Although Sakayanagi is often very arrogant, Ayanokouji's reputation is terrible, I think...]

After the message was sent, Kamuro put away her phone, holding the umbrella, and continued walking forward with Sakayanagi. The rain was still falling, fine and dense, as if it would never stop.

.

.

.

On the other side, Hachiman returned to the classroom, and at that moment, he felt his phone vibrate. He took it out; it was Kamuro's message. After reading those lines, his brows furrowed slightly.

Then he replied with a line of text.

[Meeting Ayanokouji is not a good thing. Sakayanagi taking the initiative to talk like this, I'm afraid she will be attacked.]

Kamuro's reply was quick.

[Only this much and we will also be attacked?]

Hachiman thought about it and typed another line.

[You guys still underestimate Ayanokouji too much. He is not the type of person who will be silent after being provoked. He will fight back, and he will use ways you can't imagine.]

Kamuro did not reply.

Hachiman put his phone on the table and leaned against the back of his chair. The rain outside the window was still falling, the sound fine and continuous. He thought—Ayanokouji would not act directly, nor would he refute on the spot. He would wait for the right moment and use the most effective way to make his opponent pay the price. And Sakayanagi was likely the target he wanted to attack most at the moment.

And the next day, a piece of news spread throughout the school.

"Heard that first-year Sakayanagi Arisu is the Chairman's daughter."

"What? Sakayanagi-san? The one from Class C?"

"Yes, that's her. Someone saw her go to the Chairman's office."

"Then doesn't she enjoy special privileges coming to this school?"

"So when she entered the school, being assigned to Class A was indeed because of... privilege, right!"

"Shh—I heard that the Chairman seems to have left the school—"

The rumors spread quickly. From the hallway to the classroom, from the classroom to the cafeteria, from the cafeteria to the shopping street. Some whispered in class breaks, some sent messages in the class group, some secretly discussed it in the bathroom. The fact that Sakayanagi Arisu was the Chairman's daughter was like a drop of ink in clear water, spreading rapidly.

In Class C's classroom, Sakayanagi sat by the window, looking at her phone screen.

She had just sent an emoji to Hikigaya-kun.

A speechless emoji.

Yes.

Kamuro had still told her about the information consulted with Hikigaya-kun, and she had indeed seen Ayanokouji's "attack."

The result was using rumors to attack her.

It really left her speechless.

"Sakayanagi-san," a slightly weak voice came from the side, with a trace of worry, "those rumors..."

This was Yamamura Miki.

She had a very low presence in the class, but she belonged to Sakayanagi's side.

Although Sakayanagi no longer led the class, the original core team had not disappeared.

"Don't worry about it." Sakayanagi's voice was very calm. "They will disappear by themselves in a few days."

Yamamura-san opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she did not speak.

And although Sakayanagi said so, this rumor actually did not spread very seriously in the class.

After all, although this class was now Class C, they were students from the former Class A.

They possessed their own judgment.

As for joining the rumors to question Sakayanagi's strength or something, that was out of the question. After all, although Katsuragi was leading the class now, the previous boss was Sakayanagi-san.

She only resigned because of the exam failure.

However.

Being able to become the boss of the class showed her strength, and it was not because of the status of being the Chairman's daughter that she suddenly exposed now.

On the contrary.

She said.

"Speaking of which, is Sakayanagi-san okay like this? Your father—"

"No need to worry about this. Adults will handle adult matters, and as students, we only need to do our own duties well—for example, taking the special exam." Sakayanagi said so.

This rumor stopped directly here at Class C.

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