After chatting with Anna Kinomiya for a while, the lie detection function of the Pinocchio Bracelet entered its cooldown period again.
But after today's questioning, he now had a seventy percent certainty that the "Anna Kinomiya" in front of him was none other than Student Council Vice President Ririka, who wore a mask and whose true identity no one knew.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira was very curious as to why she, who held a position second to none in this school and whose commands everyone had to obey, insisted on hiding her identity and working as a waitress in his small casino.
What exactly was her purpose?
Ayanokouji Kiyohira vaguely sensed that she came to the casino under this false identity to get close to him.
If Ayanokoji was not mistaken, "Anna Kinomiya" was Ririka, and Ririka knew him before he lost his memory.
Ayanokoji had reason to suspect—she definitely had a crush on him.
This was not narcissism, but a fact Ayanokoji had deduced.
She initially approached him as Meari's friend. On the surface, it seemed she stayed at the casino for Meari's sake, but her attention was always focused on him.
Whether he was kidnapped or during this prime minister's assassination attempt, she was the first to discover him and rush to his side—she even cared more about his safety than Meari did.
If she didn't like him, how could she go to such lengths?
Although he had already guessed these things, Ayanokouji Kiyohira did not directly ask about her identity and purpose, nor did he even subtly probe.
Anna was very sensitive. Once she sensed that he was suspicious of her identity, she might leave immediately, never take off her mask again, and never appear before him.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira was originally very interested in Ririka's identity and had long wanted to find a way to approach her, but he had never found an opportunity. Now that he finally had this chance, he certainly couldn't let it go.
Since Ririka wanted to disguise herself with a false identity and not reveal her true face, he would deliberately pretend not to know, slowly increase her favorability towards him, and gather useful information from her.
Isn't it just acting? He had been acting under his father's surveillance for six or seven years. Was he still afraid of acting with her?
Ririka had no idea that Ayanokouji Kiyohira had already seen through her identity. She was still delighted to be able to spend time alone with Ayanokoji, drinking the red wine she hadn't had in a long time, and chatting with Ayanokoji with an elegant smile.
The two chatted from the topic of the Ryōran Festival to the styles of maid outfits, and then to gambling techniques.
"Anna, your gambling skills are superb, even stronger than Meari's. Are your gambling skills innate or did you learn them somewhere?"
Anna's eyes darkened upon hearing this, and she said somewhat sadly, "My talent isn't good. I've just been exposed to these things for too long, which is why I'm proficient... There are many people whose gambling skills are better than mine."
"If Meari heard that, she would definitely be unconvinced. She always thought her gambling skills ranked in the top ten at this school."
Ririka looked up and smiled, shaking her head, "Meari has great talent, but she hasn't systematically studied these things and lacks experience when facing gambling situations, which is why she loses to me."
Given time, as long as she studies gambling strategies and gains experience, her gambling skills will definitely surpass mine."
"You think so highly of her...?"
As they spoke, Ayanokouji Kiyohira's phone rang again.
While they were chatting, Ikishima Midari, Kurume Kurumi, and others had called one after another, asking about his recent situation, but Ayanokouji Kiyohira had brushed them off.
This time, it was Meari who called.
Ayanokoji picked up the phone and immediately began to explain, "Meari, is there something you need? If it's about the prime minister's shooting, you don't need to ask. This matter has nothing to do with me and won't involve me..."
"Ayanokoji, where are you right now? Your brother called and specifically asked for you!" Meari's tone was anxious.
On Saturday, Meari had gone with Ayanokouji Kiyohira to meet his brother, Ayanokouji Kiyohira, and his girlfriend, Kei Karuizawa.
Meari and Kei Karuizawa hit it off immediately and had a great conversation, quickly becoming friends. Before leaving, Meari gave her phone number to Kei Karuizawa, saying they would meet again when she had another chance to leave school.
What she hadn't expected was that Ayanokouji Kiyohira's brother had gotten her phone number from Kei Karuizawa and called her, with the purpose of speaking to Ayanokoji himself through her.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira naturally understood his brother's intention.
He was worried that his phone might be monitored, especially at this time after the prime minister's assassination, where every call would be traced. But he needed to speak with him immediately, so he went through Meari's channel...
After telling Meari his location, Meari ran into the Cooking Room with her phone within minutes. She had run all the way, afraid that a slight delay would affect their conversation.
"Ayanokoji, the phone..."
Meari had fine sweat on her forehead and neck. She didn't have time to wipe it, and only after handing the phone to Ayanokoji did she sigh in relief, panting heavily while looking at Ririka, who was sitting across from him, in surprise.
Why was Anna here?
There was no time to explain to Meari. Ayanokoji picked up the phone, and it was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka on the other end.
"Kiyotaka, you heard, right? The prime minister was attacked and should be dead by now."
His voice was as calm as ever, speaking of national affairs as lightly as if discussing what to eat for lunch.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira cleared his throat, "Hmm, I heard about it too, but I need to clarify, this matter has nothing to do with me."
...I know you didn't assassinate the prime minister, of course.
"Brother, you should know, I'm not talking about that."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was silent for a few seconds. "...Kiyotaka, was the person who was attacked by armed kidnappers, using my name, you?"
"Yes, it was me."
"It was you after all. When I heard about this from Chairman Sakayanagi, I thought he was joking with me..." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sighed.
At the time of the incident, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had already returned to school with Kei Karuizawa.
The school used a local area network, and they were completely unaware of outside news. They lived as if in an ivory tower, oblivious to the outside world.
However, even if they were oblivious to the outside world, the prime minister's assassination case still spread throughout the entire school today.
While other students were eagerly discussing the case, he was taken to the office by the Chairman, where he was given a phone and saw his name on the trending search list of the news.
If Chairman Sakayanagi hadn't told him what happened, he really would have thought Ayanokouji Tomitsuna was up to some mischief using his name.
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