Chapter 173: The Troublesome Little Sakayanagi Arisu!
Besides, the final exam was scheduled for mid-July—only about a month and a half away. There really wasn't much time.
If they wanted the scholarship fund and didn't want to be expelled miserably like Ike and the others, the students of Class C would have to study with everything they had.
After settling the scholarship matter with Chabashira, Yuto ended the call. Kei licked the last trace of honey latte from her lips and asked curiously, "Yuto, are you really going to spend that many points just to motivate everyone to study?"
"Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?"
"Not at all! Don't worry, Yuto. I'll study really hard and earn back every point you spend!"
"...Then I'll be counting on you," Yuto replied with an amused smile.
"Mm!"
Just then, a blond boy ran out from a side street and blocked their path.
"What are you doing? Are you blind? You're in our way!" Kei immediately snapped at him, her bright eyes turning fierce.
"My apologies, beautiful lady. Princess simply wishes to see Shimizu-kun," Hashimoto Masayoshi replied in his usual frivolous tone.
"Don't talk to us like that! It's disgusting." Kei glared at Hashimoto once more.
"Uh..."
Hashimoto's expression stiffened slightly.
He was fairly handsome, wasn't he? Plenty of girls secretly watched him, and more than a few seemed to enjoy the way he spoke.
How had his usual charm somehow become "disgusting" when Kei heard it?
Still, Hashimoto didn't look offended or embarrassed. He simply smiled toward Yuto. "So, Shimizu-kun, do you have some time?"
"Sakayanagi wants to see me? Why?"
"I don't know. I'm just Princess's errand boy. She didn't tell me why she wants you."
"We're heading to the student cafeteria now. If she wants to see me, tell her to come there," Yuto replied.
"But Princess has difficulty walking," Hashimoto said tactfully, clearly hoping Yuto would go with him instead.
Yuto gave him an irritated look. "I know Sakayanagi has trouble walking, but she isn't completely unable to move."
"And even if Sakayanagi was paralyzed and couldn't walk, you aren't an idiot, are you? Just get a wheelchair and push her over."
"..."
Hashimoto's mouth twitched.
Why was this guy's tongue so vicious?
"I'll meet her, but she can come find me herself. Now move."
Hashimoto still wanted to joke around and persuade Yuto to come with him, but then he noticed the faint danger in Yuto's eyes.
For a moment, Hashimoto remembered that this guy was the infamous demon who, according to rumors, could kick someone hard enough to spill their intestines.
He immediately backed down and moved aside.
"Have a pleasant evening, you two!"
Yuto and Kei continued toward the student cafeteria. Hashimoto scratched his blond hair. "Looks like I failed the job Princess gave me."
With no other choice, he sent Sakayanagi a Line message explaining that he hadn't managed to convince Yuto to come see her.
Sakayanagi Arisu's fairy-like face showed no change when she received the message.
She had already studied Yuto's personality enough to know that he wouldn't deliberately go out of his way to see her just because Hashimoto asked.
So Hashimoto's failure was entirely within her expectations. She wasn't disappointed.
Then why send him at all?
Because nothing was ever absolutely certain.
You couldn't know the result without trying.
Arisu stood with the help of her cane and looked toward Kamuro Masumi. "Let's go, Kamuro. We'll head to the student cafeteria and see the boy you secretly like."
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Kamuro, with her shapely legs, glared at Arisu.
"I'm not talking nonsense. Everyone knows the person you secretly like is Shimizu-kun."
"No one knows that! Wait—" Realizing she had misspoken, Kamuro quickly corrected herself. "I don't secretly like anyone!"
"That won't do, Kamuro. With a boy like Shimizu-kun, you need to take the initiative and shamelessly stick close to him. Only then will you have a chance," Arisu advised solemnly.
"You're so annoying! Weren't you going to the cafeteria? Are we going or not?"
"We are."
As they headed toward the cafeteria, Arisu watched Kamuro and noticed her steps seemed slightly lighter than before, while the subtle lift of her brows revealed a trace of excitement.
A faint smile appeared on Arisu's face. "Oh, right, Kamuro. I forgot to tell you something."
"What...?"
"Hashimoto said Shimizu-kun is going to the cafeteria with his girlfriend for dinner."
"..."
Kamuro glared at the smiling Arisu.
This bastard loli definitely hadn't forgotten—she did it on purpose! She deliberately used that line to tease her!
...
Arisu and Kamuro arrived remarkably quickly.
Yuto and Kei had only just gotten their meal tickets and turned around when they saw the two girls enter the cafeteria.
"Yuto, that silver-haired girl is Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A, right?" Kei asked.
"That's right. Is this your first time seeing her?"
"Mm. I've heard her name before, though. People said there's a cute but pitiful silver-haired girl in Class A."
The "cute" part came from Arisu's petite stature and delicate, fairy-like features.
The "pitiful" part naturally referred to her needing a cane and having difficulty walking.
Those two distinctive traits were enough for Kei to recognize her immediately.
Kei glanced at Arisu's utterly flat chest and immediately felt relieved.
This silver-haired girl was certainly cute, but... she was too small. Both her body and her chest were just too small~ she was practically a flat airport!
Kei felt that Yuto wouldn't be interested in such a petite girl, so Arisu posed no threat to her at all.
However, Kei found the purple-haired girl following behind Arisu quite threatening, because she was tall and had a great figure.
Kamuro, who was walking behind Arisu, met Kei's gaze. The two girls silently stared at each other.
"You really came, Sakayanagi. I thought you'd just call me and say whatever you wanted," Yuto said with a smile as Arisu approached.
"When I have something to discuss, I prefer speaking face-to-face," Arisu replied pleasantly.
Only by talking in person could Arisu observe someone's eyes, expression, and body language to judge what they were thinking.
"I see."
Yuto looked toward Kamuro behind her and smiled. "Kamuro, long time no see."
"Mm. Long time no see, Shimizu," Kamuro replied quietly.
Kei's eyes sharpened.
There was something suspicious about the way this girl answered her boyfriend!
People said young girls had frighteningly accurate intuition.
Kei was clearly no longer a maiden—so how was her intuition still so accurate?
"Shimizu-kun, I came all this way despite my difficulty walking. Surely you won't refuse to let us share a table for dinner?" Arisu asked with a smile.
Kei and Kamuro's mouths twitched at the same time.
Wow.
Was she really using her own disability to pressure him?
"I'll have to ask my companion about that."
Yuto turned toward Kei. "What do you think?"
"Me?" Kei gave him a sweet smile. "I don't mind."
"Then let's eat together. We already got our meal tickets, so we'll find a four-person table. You two can come over once you're done."
"Okay."
Arisu turned toward Kamuro. "The usual for me. I'll leave dinner to you, Kamuro."
"...It's fine."
Kamuro glared at Arisu before heading alone toward the meal ticket machine.
Kei stared after her in surprise. "You're making her get the meal tickets by herself?"
"Of course. Kamuro loves running errands for me."
"..."
No, she absolutely did not.
Judging by the way Kamuro had glared at Arisu, Kei was quite certain of that.
Yuto glanced at Arisu. "Is it really okay to order her around like that?"
"Of course. In exchange, I protect Kamuro very well inside Class A. None of our classmates get to bully her," Arisu replied with a pleasant smile.
So basically...
Only Arisu was allowed to bully Kamuro?
What kind of overbearing CEO logic was that?!
Yuto clicked his tongue.
This silver-haired girl was nothing like her friendly, approachable father, Chairman Sakayanagi Narumori.
Had the chairman been telling the truth before?
Did Arisu really take after her mother?
Yuto, Kei, and Arisu sat at an empty four-person table. Yuto and Kei sat together, while Arisu sat alone across from them.
Perhaps because she didn't want to waste time—or perhaps because she disliked discussing business while eating—Arisu immediately got to the point.
"Shimizu-kun, I heard you intend to bring Katsuragi-kun into the student council?"
"You know about that?"
Yuto raised an eyebrow in surprise.
His invitation to Katsuragi should only have been known by Student Council President Manabu, Secretary Tachibana, Yuto himself, Kei, and Katsuragi.
The student council never announced new members before they were formally accepted.
Yuto and Kei hadn't told Arisu, and while Katsuragi would probably tell Class A once he officially joined, his mature personality meant he wouldn't spread the news before anything was confirmed.
"My information network is fairly extensive," Arisu replied with a smile. "So is it true that Katsuragi-kun is joining the student council?"
"Yes."
Yuto nodded openly. "The student council is cleaning out a few incompetent parasites, so we need capable students to replace them."
"In that case, let me recommend two people. Kamuro and Hashimoto. You can choose one, or take both if you like."
Yuto rolled his eyes. "I don't want either of them. Besides, the student council isn't somewhere you can simply walk into whenever you want. Even if we're short-handed, there are procedures for recruiting replacements."
"There's a rule like that?"
"Of course. We choose from students who previously submitted an application form to the student council and were rejected."
After hearing that, Arisu could no longer insert one of her own people into the council to keep a close watch on Katsuragi.
"What a shame."
Yuto glanced at her disappointed expression.
He didn't think it was a shame at all.
If anything, it was perfect.
Yuto had absolutely no desire to let Arisu or any of her people into the student council.
Arisu had far too many schemes running through her head. If she or her followers joined, there was no chance their intentions would be pure.
Who knew what kind of trouble they would create?
Yuto wanted useful workers inside the student council, not troublesome people who would create more work for him.
Even if there were no recruitment rules, he still wouldn't approve Arisu's people.
Realizing she couldn't insert anyone into the council, Arisu changed direction.
"Shimizu-kun, Katsuragi-kun surely isn't the only student among the rejected applicants, correct?"
"Correct."
"Then let me offer you some reliable information. In exchange, you prevent Katsuragi-kun from joining the student council. How does that sound?"
"Reliable information?" Yuto raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly. It concerns your Class D—no, you're Class C now."
Arisu's smile deepened. "The information I have is closely connected to your Class C. It may even affect your control over the class."
Those words immediately made Kei sit straighter.
She looked suspiciously at Arisu. "What are you talking about? What could possibly threaten Yuto's control over the class?"
…
(Don't forget to vote, review, and leave a comment below! :D The more you vote, the more chapters I upload.)
...
Read more chapters(25+):
patréon.com/U22
(Note: Replace "é" with "e" on your web browser.)