Saturday morning. A cool breeze swept across the campus. Arisu Sakayanagi sat on a park bench, her slender fingers lightly swiping across her phone screen. The screen displayed a conversation with "Narimori Sakayanagi"—her father, and also the current chairman of the Advanced Nurturing High School.
As the chairman's only daughter, Arisu Sakayanagi had been privately spoken to by her father the day before she enrolled. Her father, Narimori Sakayanagi, had told her bluntly that he hoped she would find a boy with a strong physique and no family history of genetic diseases during her high school years. The reason her father so strongly emphasized "strong physique and no family history of genetic diseases" was related to her parents. Narimori Sakayanagi himself was healthy, but her mother was naturally frail. After they got married, their daughter, Arisu, was born with a congenital heart condition.
Her childhood was mostly spent in hospitals, where playing chess by herself became her most familiar pastime. It was only later, when her health improved slightly, that she was allowed to attend school with a doctor's permission. And now, her father's wish was simple—he did not want the next generation to repeat the same mistake. His future grandson or granddaughter had to be a healthy child.
Arisu currently had no interest in romance, but she complied with her father's wishes, promising that her future husband would be a healthy man with no family history of genetic diseases. For her, this wasn't even a choice that required hesitation. People always craved what they lacked—and what she lacked was a strong body. Her experiences of being bullied by classmates, and even having things snatched from her hands as a child, had long since made her decide: her future partner must possess overwhelming physical strength. She could not tolerate a weak man standing by her side—a man who couldn't even protect his own woman was no different from trash.
However, compared to boring things like romance, she was currently more interested in a battle of wits with other geniuses. Just like her showdown with Kiyomizu on Monday—even though she had lost all her points, she wasn't angry. Instead, she had become even more interested in that man. After all, opponents who could make her get serious were few and far between.
Arisu Sakayanagi's fingertip tapped the screen, sending a message to her father:
[Father, could you send me the entrance exam scores and physical examination data for this year's new students?]
Just as the message was sent, she added another:
[After all, you said I should find someone healthy. I need to screen them first. It would be troublesome if I ended up with a sickly person.]
Her phone vibrated almost immediately.
[I see! You're right, Arisu. I'll send it to you right away.]
[First-Year New Student Physical Examination Report.xlsx]
[First-Year Entrance Exam Score Report.xlsx]
Seeing the files instantly appear, Arisu Sakayanagi couldn't help but chuckle, her slender legs swinging gently in the air. "Father is so easy to trick..." Indeed, Narimori Sakayanagi would grant almost any of his daughter's requests.
Arisu looked at the additional message from her father, her fingertip tapping the screen.
[Anyone with a physical ability rating of B+ or higher is worth considering, though by my standards, A-rank is the best. These kids not only have no family history of genetic diseases, but they've rarely even caught a cold since childhood. Some have never even taken medicine.]
[Oh, right! That Rokusuke Koenji from Class D has been seen at the senior girls' dorm for three consecutive days. Cross him off the list.]
"Is father... helping me screen potential marriage candidates?" She couldn't help but facepalm, her fair cheeks puffing out slightly. To investigate even such details was being overly concerned. The light from the screen reflected in her amethyst eyes, showing a mix of exasperation and amusement. Her father's excessive enthusiasm was just like those aunties who were desperate to find a match for their daughters.
Arisu Sakayanagi's slender fingers tapped the screen, replying:
[I know, Father. I'm aware of the young master of the Koenji conglomerate~ I'll look at the files now.]
Putting down her phone, she opened the first-year entrance exam report and unhesitatingly scrolled down to Kiyomizu Akira's file in Class D. The moment the data unfolded, her pupils contracted slightly.
[Academics: E-]
[Judgment: B]
[Intelligence: E-]
[Physical Ability: A]
[Cooperativeness: E-]
"..."
This was impossible. The person who had defeated her in a psychological game had the lowest possible intelligence rating in every subject? And the irony was that this "E- intelligence" person's most outstanding score was his... physical strength? An E-rank student who thought with his muscles had beaten her, an A-rank genius?
When her gaze swept over his physical examination report, she paused again.
—[History of Genetic Diseases: None]
Beneath this short record lay startling data. His platelet count was far above the normal upper limit, his red blood cell oxygen-carrying capacity exceeded that of most athletes, and even his basal metabolic rate was 30% higher than the standard. As someone who dealt with medical reports regularly, she knew exactly what these numbers meant: this was not the body of a normal high school student.
"Too perfect! This is almost like..." she unconsciously bit her lower lip, "...a genetically optimized specimen." The phone trembled slightly in her hand. The opponent who had been so composed at the "chessboard" was hiding such astonishing physical abilities. The energy that this body could unleash could probably snap her fragile wrist as easily as breaking a reed.
"The physical ability assessment can't be wrong... so the interviewers must have underestimated Kiyomizu-kun's abilities!" At this thought, a hint of anger appeared on Arisu Sakayanagi's fair face. After all, Kiyomizu was an opponent who had defeated her fair and square in a game of intellect. If he was rated as E-rank, wouldn't her A-rank evaluation become a huge joke?
[Father, I'm very interested in Kiyomizu Akira from Class D. Could you retrieve his entrance exam interview footage?]
{Kiyomizu Akira? Indeed, this child's physical ability is A, which fits the criteria perfectly. I'll send you the footage right away.}
But when Arisu Sakayanagi stared at the screen showing his failing grades in every single subject, her elegant posture froze for a rare moment. The girl known for her wisdom experienced a five-second mental blank for the first time in her life.
{What's this, Arisu, are you interested in Kiyomizu-kun? He's a bit dumb, but I don't object. After all, my requirements for my future son-in-law are simple—he just needs to be able to protect you and give me a healthy grandchild. Besides, when it comes to intelligence, who in this world can compare to my daughter?}
Arisu Sakayanagi ignored her father's teasing and refocused her thoughts on the enigmatic boy. "I see..." she suddenly let out a soft laugh, a playful glint in her eyes. "So you've been planning this since the entrance exams? Deliberately hiding in Class D with failing grades, waiting for the right moment... Kiyomizu-kun, what kind of game... are you playing?"
Her phone screen lit up again. Arisu Sakayanagi lowered her eyes, her fingertip swiping across the screen. It was a message from a certain bald classmate in Class A.
Katsuragi Kohei: I have already spoken privately with the students who violated the school rules. From now on, no one in Class A will violate the "daily code of conduct."
Katsuragi Kohei: According to the information and data analysis you provided, Class A will at most lose fifty-six class points this month.
Katsuragi Kohei: This way, Class A will still be able to secure the top position next month.
Arisu Sakayanagi's gaze finally lifted from the screen, her fingertip tapping her cane. Class A's opening gambit was set. All that was left was to wait for the results.
"Kiyomizu-kun... and your Class D, how are you prepared? Please, don't disappoint me too much."
-------
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