"Thank you for the compliment, Kiriyama."
Facing Kiriyama Ikuto's sarcasm, Kiryuin Fuka maintained a smile, as if his words were genuinely praising her.
Although Kiryuin Fuka appeared to be self-centered, there was no denying that she possessed one of the most outstanding looks in the school. She was tall and undoubtedly beautiful—
But to Saiki, it made no difference, as she would soon become nothing more than a collection of muscles and bones in his eyes.
"But you're in the way here, Kiriyama~"
"Do whatever you want. I'm leaving."
Kiriyama Ikuto didn't seem interested in wasting time with Kiryuin Fuka and left immediately.
'Hey, hey, what about me?'
Saiki stood there, unsure of what to do. Kiriyama Ikuto's departure had left him in an even more awkward situation.
"Standing and talking is a bit strange. Let's sit on the bench."
Without giving Saiki a chance to refuse, Kiryuin Fuka scooted over, making room for him.
'Yare yare… I hope this ends quickly.'
Saiki thought to himself as he sat down next to Kiryuin Fuka.
[This Saiki seems interesting~]
Saiki could hear Kiryuin Fuka's thoughts.
'Yare yare, it seems Kiryuin and Koenji are quite different after all.'
Koenji Rokusuke seemed completely uninterested in the people around him and rarely interacted with others, but Kiryuin Fuka was entirely different.
"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Anything is fine. I just want to figure out what kind of person you are."
"Senpai, are you really interested in someone like me?"
Saiki just wanted to make himself seem as uninteresting as possible, so he could leave quickly and avoid future trouble.
"I'm just curious. Don't think I'm some complete outlier. After all, there are interesting people among my classmates, and I occasionally strike up friendly conversations like this."
Kiryuin Fuka smiled at Saiki,
"I'm not interested in this school's system of aiming for Class A. Although graduating from Class A seems to allow you to advance or get a job anywhere, which is supposedly the biggest selling point, I'm confident I can manage that on my own. I chose this school on a whim, but it's quite nice. I like the personal points system, and honestly, I've never been dissatisfied with my school life so far."
"I see."
Saiki nodded.
He had to admit, he sometimes admired people like Kiryuin Fuka, who didn't seem to care about anything.
"Most people would think I'm strange, but you don't seem to have any particular reaction."
"Well, I've met someone like you before."
Saiki replied.
"Haha, I see. I've heard there's someone similar to me among the second-years—but I'm one of a kind."
As Kiryuin Fuka spoke, she continued to gaze at Saiki,
"Now, let's talk about you."
"There's nothing special about me to talk about."
"Oh, but I can sense something unique about you. It's intuition. My intuition tells me that you're no ordinary person."
'Yare yare, intuition again?'
Saiki felt a bit helpless, unsure if this was just an excuse or something more. He could only say,
"I think you've misunderstood me, senpai."
"A misunderstanding? That's a very interesting statement. Most students try their best to showcase their talents, but you seem to be doing your best to hide your abilities. Why is that?"
Kiryuin Fuka smiled, though she seemed to know Saiki wouldn't answer.
[I've already noticed Saiki's previous performances, from the sports festival to the recent exams. Saiki always manages to produce results that surprise me.]
"The next special exam will likely involve multiple grades. I'm looking forward to facing you then~"
'I'm not looking forward to it at all.'
Saiki thought to himself.
But at least this was a good sign that he could finally leave.
…
After Saiki left, Kiryuin Fuka remained seated, as if waiting for someone.
A few minutes later, two figures appeared before her.
One was Kiriyama Ikuto—and the other was Nagumo Miyabi.
"Oh my, the loyal dog has brought his master back?"
Kiryuin Fuka smiled at the two.
"What are you talking about?"
Kiriyama Ikuto's brows furrowed, his anger evident.
"You're angry because you're self-aware, Kiriyama~ I don't remember explicitly stating who the loyal dog and who the master are in this situation—but it's something that even an outsider with no knowledge could see."
Kiryuin Fuka didn't seem to take Kiriyama Ikuto seriously at all.
"What an infuriating woman…"
"That's a rude way to talk, Kiriyama. Don't forget you're the student council vice president."
"Nagumo, associating with this woman is a waste of time. You should know that, right?"
Kiriyama Ikuto turned to Nagumo Miyabi, hoping he would leave with him.
"I feel the same. Can you two disappear from my sight immediately? You're wasting my precious time."
"Kiryuin, don't harm my important student council partner, okay?"
Nagumo Miyabi signaled Kiriyama Ikuto to step back, then stepped forward to speak to Kiryuin Fuka.
"An important partner? There's no emotion in your words."
"That's just your opinion."
"Alright, what does the student council president want with me?"
Kiryuin Fuka looked at Nagumo Miyabi, who undoubtedly had one of the most handsome faces in the school—but now, Nagumo had dark circles under his eyes, and his mental state was far from what it used to be.
"If possible, I don't want to stay long."
Nagumo Miyabi said as he sat down next to Kiryuin.
"You're beautiful, but you lack a cute charm. I'm not interested in women without a cute charm."
"I do have a cute charm. I just haven't met a man who can bring it out."
Kiryuin Fuka smiled, and a name popped into her mind.
[Saiki… Could he be the one?]
"If there's a man who can bring out your cute charm, I'd love to see it—but I heard from Kiriyama that you, who showed no interest in me or Horikita Manabu, are actually interested in Saiki. I was quite surprised when I heard that."
"Did you come here just to probe for reasons? The student council president sure has a lot of free time."
"Since I've already achieved dominance, I have too much time on my hands."
"You seem to have some misunderstandings too. I'm not uninterested in you, Nagumo—I've been interested in both you and Horikita Manabu, but in the end, I was a bit disappointed."
Kiryuin Fuka said to Nagumo Miyabi, as if no one else in the school mattered,
"And one more thing, aren't you also very interested in Saiki?"
"Me? Interested in Saiki? Don't be ridiculous."
Nagumo Miyabi shook his head, denying Kiryuin Fuka's words.
After all, he couldn't let anyone know about his previous failure.
Especially Kiryuin Fuka.
"I've heard some things about you, Nagumo. For example, you went to see Saiki's brother, the teacher. Ever since that day, your condition has worsened, and you seem very listless—you haven't even visited the floor where the teacher's office is located."
"Those two things are completely unrelated. I went to see Saiki-sensei simply because, as the student council president, I should meet with the school's newly appointed teachers. And I've been in a bad state recently, but as you know, student council affairs are quite busy."
Nagumo Miyabi's explanation was flawless—
But Kiryuin Fuka saw right through it.
However, she didn't plan to expose him directly, just maintaining her smile.
"So, what do you think of Saiki? Is he someone worth staying interested in?"
Nagumo Miyabi quickly asked.
"He's a cute junior, so I just chatted with him a bit. But that's it."
"That's it? You've lost interest?"
"I'll hold off for now. He talked to me face-to-face, but I couldn't grasp his true state. That's a skill in itself, but compared to you, the student council president, who made me lose interest in one go, he's more enjoyable."
"Is that so?"
Nagumo Miyabi sneered, then stood up,
"I don't have much else to say to you. Sorry for taking up your time. I should get going."
[Saiki… Both Saikis are annoying existences… But after the humiliation I suffered before, I'll make sure to repay you, Saiki. Just wait for the next exam.]
"Let me give you a piece of advice, since you came all this way."
But just then, Kiryuin Fuka spoke up again.
"You're giving me advice? Sorry, I don't need advice from someone beneath me."
"By that logic, no one can give you advice."
Kiryuin Fuka maintained her smile,
"Then just treat it as me talking to myself. You should only look forward, not bother with juniors—if you keep looking back at them, you might have a painful experience."
Nagumo Miyabi paused for a moment but said nothing, leaving with Kiriyama Ikuto.
In his heart, his hatred for Saiki grew even stronger.
…
Saiki then spent a relatively peaceful period at school.
During this time, there were no major conflicts between the grades, and it felt like an ordinary school life.
Of course, if it weren't for Amasawa Ichika.
Amasawa Ichika would occasionally come to Saiki for meals, but she mostly requested desserts. Saiki didn't need to bring his mother over—after all, if it happened too frequently, it might make him even more suspicious.
Saiki had mentioned this to Horikita Suzune, who responded with, "This is a sacrifice for the class, so I'll cover the cost of the ingredients."
In the end, all of this was Horikita Suzune's doing, adding unnecessary trouble for Saiki.
And it didn't stop there…
After that day when Amasawa Ichika and Karuizawa Kei happened to meet, Karuizawa Kei, upon learning that Amasawa Ichika would come to Saiki for meals, also started visiting him in the evenings.
She openly used the excuse of being in the same study group and needing to ask Saiki for help, which Saiki couldn't refuse—especially since Karuizawa Kei always brought homemade cookies or cakes.
Saiki naturally couldn't prepare food only for Amasawa Ichika.
But…
Karuizawa Kei was one of the most popular girls in the class, and her daily visits to Saiki became known to the other girls.
Before he knew it, Sato Maya and Sakura Airi had joined the evening meal group under the same pretext.
For Saiki, this was the greatest disaster.
But fortunately, all of this was about to end with the semester.
One day in June, as the semester drew to a close, Chabashira Sae came to the classroom.
"I'll talk about the special exam later, as it will heighten your expectations. First, let's discuss the summer vacation."
Chabashira Sae said slowly,
"From August 4th to August 11th, eight days and seven nights, you can freely enjoy your summer vacation on a luxury cruise ship. You can watch plays or enjoy gourmet food, and there will be no special exams held on the ship."
'Wonderful!'
Saiki almost cheered in his heart.
Although special exams brought some trouble, as long as he wasn't affected by some "unknown illness," a vacation on a luxury cruise ship sounded quite nice.
"However, to fully enjoy this cruise, you must first pass the next special exam safely—the school is having you participate in a survival competition on a deserted island."
Chabashira Sae smiled slightly.
[That island seems to have undergone special modifications. It's completely different now.]