".....The higher-ups told us not to have unnecessary contact with Saiki-senpai, but for him, this is an opportunity to prove himself. He believes that Ayanokoji-senpai will use Saiki-senpai to counter us, so he plans to deal with Saiki-senpai first."
Amasawa Ichika's expression gradually turned serious.
"I'm afraid he might make a huge mistake, so I wanted to ask you, senpai, to help stop him..... Otherwise, both he and Saiki-senpai could be in danger. We must act before things become irreversible..."
"You're talking about Yagami-kun, right?"
At that moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka directly stated the name of the other student.
"As expected of Ayanokoji-senpai. You've already seen through it, haven't you?"
Amasawa Ichika pursed her lips.
"Ayanokoji-senpai, have you already figured out my identity as well?"
"I just had a hunch, but I didn't have any concrete evidence."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka replied.
For him, the main reason he hadn't actively dealt with the assassins from the White Room was that he believed they posed no real threat to him.
But since Amasawa Ichika was now voluntarily revealing the other person's name, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka decided to name the other person directly.
"In that case, I beg you, Ayanokoji-senpai, to stop Yagami before things spiral out of control!"
Amasawa Ichika's tone was urgent, her eyes filled with worry.
She knew very well that Yagami Takuya was an extreme individual.
In certain situations, Yagami might even go as far as to kill his target.
If that happened, not only would Yagami himself be affected, but the White Room, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and others could also face serious consequences.
But at that moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head.
"I don't plan to do anything."
"I see....."
Amasawa Ichika pursed her lips. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's refusal was within her expectations—
After all, this was the kind of education they had received in the White Room.
"Because Saiki doesn't need my help."
"Huh?"
"Because it was Saiki who told me about your and Yagami's identities."
"What?"
Amasawa Ichika was surprised. She hadn't expected her identity to be exposed to Saiki.
Although she had displayed some traits that set her apart from other students, she didn't think she had given herself away. How had Saiki figured it out?
Not only that, but how had Saiki even detected Yagami Takuya's identity?
Amasawa Ichika hadn't expected Saiki to uncover Yagami Takuya's identity as well.
"When did he find out?"
Amasawa Ichika asked, full of confusion.
"From the moment you first met, Saiki had already seen through your identities."
"How... how did he do it?"
"Saiki said that the more flawless someone appears, the more suspicious they are. So both you and Yagami caught his attention immediately."
"Is that so....."
Amasawa Ichika couldn't help but swallow hard.
She had previously gone to Saiki's room to gather information about him, but it turned out that Saiki already knew everything about her.....
What kind of person was he?
"Not only that, but the reason you admire me is because you were fed information about me being the White Room's greatest masterpiece, right?"
"That's correct."
"But in this school, I've lost to Saiki, and not just once."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.
Strictly speaking, the only direct confrontation between the two had been during the chess match, but even during the incident with Ichinose Honami's rumors, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had essentially lost.
"How is that possible..... Someone could actually defeat you, senpai...."
"That's the reality. I lost to Saiki. In the White Room, no one could defeat me, but there's always someone better. Saiki's abilities are undoubtedly above mine."
As he spoke, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes slightly—
"So, Yagami poses no threat to Saiki."
…..
Back to Saiki's side.
At this moment, Yagami Takuya was nervously looking at Saiki.
As someone from the White Room, he could easily see through others' thoughts.
But he couldn't understand what Saiki was thinking at all.
[From the very beginning, this was a trap..... Ever since Saiki Kusuke became a teacher, everything had been set up. Damn it, even I didn't see it coming!]
Yagami Takuya screamed in his heart.
'Yare yare, I didn't think that much about it.....'
Saiki felt a bit helpless, but given the current situation, he couldn't deny it.
"What you White Room students want to do has nothing to do with me. Please don't drag me into it."
"I, I didn't mean to target you, Saiki-senpai. I only came here because of Tsubaki and Utomiya's orders."
Yagami Takuya quickly said, trying to shift Saiki's hostility toward the others.
However, in Yagami Takuya's heart, his animosity toward Saiki grew even stronger.
[Saiki is a real threat.]
[I, I'm the top of the White Room's fifth generation. I'm the true masterpiece who can surpass Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. How can I be defeated by someone outside the White Room?]
[This guy, this guy, this guy... What if I killed him?]
Yagami Takuya admired Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's strength, but due to the jealousy instilled in him by the White Room, he also harbored deep hatred for Ayanokoji.
Yagami Takuya couldn't accept the existence of someone stronger than himself—
And now, Saiki had appeared.
In fact, Yagami Takuya could feel that his hatred for Saiki had surpassed his hatred for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Because, in a way, he had fallen into Saiki's trap from the very beginning without even realizing it.
[Should I kill him?]
This thought couldn't help but arise in Yagami Takuya's mind.
And Saiki could hear it loud and clear.
[Should I kill him? After all, he already knows my true identity. I can't just ignore this.]
[And there are so many cliffs around here. It's possible for an accident to happen, right?]
[In the end, Saiki is just a human. Even if he can defeat Hosen, I'm not an ordinary person. Even if Ayanokoji-senpai were here, I'd kill him too.]
Yagami Takuya seemed to be losing his mind. This thought grew stronger in his heart as he subtly glanced around.
[Is there a cliff nearby? Should I just push Saiki off?]
[There are also branches and rocks around here. These seemingly insignificant things can easily take a person's life in my hands.]
[But even bare-handed, killing someone isn't that difficult, right? After killing Saiki, the alarm will sound, and it'll take the teachers at least half an hour to get here. That's enough time to find Ayanokoji and kill him too!]
Yagami Takuya thought to himself, considering how to kill Saiki.
But at that moment, Yagami Takuya heard a faint sound coming from his wrist.
"Huh?"
Yagami Takuya quickly looked down at the source of the sound—his watch.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, the watch on his wrist shattered!
"What?!"
Yagami Takuya's mind went blank. The watch, which he had been unable to destroy, had just exploded?
'What were you just thinking in your mind?'
Saiki's cold voice echoed in Yagami Takuya's ears.
Yagami Takuya's eyes widened in horror as he realized that Saiki hadn't even opened his mouth.
The voice wasn't something he had heard with his ears.
It had directly appeared in his mind.
Everything happening before him had completely surpassed Yagami Takuya's understanding.
The White Room had taught him knowledge that ordinary people could never grasp, but none of that knowledge could explain what was happening now.
'Originally, I wasn't planning to do anything, but your current behavior can't be ignored. The same goes for your White Room.'
Saiki directly transmitted his words into Yagami Takuya's mind—
In the next instant, Saiki and Yagami Takuya were suddenly transported tens of thousands of meters into the air.
Yagami Takuya couldn't speak. His brain couldn't comprehend what was happening.
Then, he began to freefall, plummeting at an increasingly rapid speed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
A scream born of primal instinct echoed through the air.
…..
A few minutes later, Saiki had already left the area, leaving only Yagami Takuya lying on the ground, his eyes hollow as if he had lost consciousness.
Just now, he had experienced something ten thousand times more terrifying than what Hosen Kazuomi had gone through, completely shattering his mind.
On his wrist, the perfectly intact watch emitted an ear-piercing alarm.
…..
"Acting Chairman Tsukishiro, I've received two emergency signals from the electronic watches!!"
At the starting point, Mashima Tomonari hurriedly found Tsukishiro Tokinari and informed him of the situation.
"Who?!"
Hearing this, Tsukishiro's heart raced, and he quickly went to check.
"It's Hosen Kazuomi from Class 1-D and Yagami Takuya from Class 1-B. Although they don't seem to be physically injured, their heart rates and blood pressure are far beyond normal levels."
The electronic watches could monitor the students' physical conditions.
"Huh?!"
When Tsukishiro heard Hosen Kazuomi's name, he didn't react much—
But when he heard Yagami Takuya's name, his heart skipped a beat.
He had already guessed what had happened.
Most likely, Yagami Takuya had gone out of his way to provoke Saiki.
The outcome was self-explanatory.
Tsukishiro was only worried about whether this incident would implicate him.
"Uh..... Were there any students nearby?"
Tsukishiro quickly asked.
"Nearby students..... It seems Saiki passed by that area a few minutes ago, but he didn't get within ten meters of them. This incident has nothing to do with him....."
Mashima Tomonari looked at the records and said.
In reality, Saiki had used his powers to tamper with the GPS signal. Although he had been dealing with Yagami Takuya at the time, the GPS records showed that Saiki had merely passed by the area and hadn't stayed there.
"It definitely has nothing to do with Saiki-kun!"
Tsukishiro immediately said.
[If Saiki gets involved, it'll be a huge mess!]
"Quickly bring the teachers and medical team to check on the situation!"
…..
Meanwhile, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Amasawa Ichika, and Nanase Tsubasa had left the mountainous area and were heading toward the designated zone.
At that moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka took out his tablet and checked the current rankings.
His eyebrows twitched slightly, and he turned to look at Amasawa Ichika:
"Amasawa, check the OAA."
"What's wrong?"
Amasawa Ichika took out her tablet and saw the latest update. Her expression instantly changed.
On the OAA list, Amasawa Ichika saw that Hosen Kazuomi and Yagami Takuya had already withdrawn from the exam.
"Yagami..... has withdrawn from the exam?"
Amasawa Ichika pursed her lips, her eyes still showing a hint of surprise.
Although Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had just spoken about Saiki's strength, Amasawa Ichika still found it hard to believe that Yagami Takuya had been defeated so easily in this exam.
What method had Saiki used?
Amasawa Ichika's own abilities were exceptional, but they paled in comparison to Yagami Takuya's. She had never once defeated Yagami Takuya.
Yet, Yagami Takuya had been defeated so effortlessly.....
Not only that, but Hosen Kazuomi had also withdrawn.
Amasawa Ichika could guess that Yagami Takuya had likely used Hosen Kazuomi to attack Saiki, but why had things ended up like this?
Saiki.....
What kind of monster was he?
Amasawa Ichika felt a hint of fear, but more than that, she was curious.
"It seems Saiki has already taken care of things over there."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said. This was all within his expectations.
"The school seems to have sent a message about pausing the exam. Let's find a place to rest for now."