Listening to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's reasoning, Saiki Kusuo breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
Fortunately, even the finest creation of the White Room wouldn't consider the existence of psychic abilities in their deductions.
Saiki Kusuo had anticipated this and acted accordingly, but he hadn't expected Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to deduce so much from the results. It was even more terrifying than he had imagined.
But after all, Ayanokoji was just a human, not a psychic.
'Although he hasn't suspected me yet, I should still be a bit more careful from now on... One is Ayanokoji with the mind of a detective, and the other is Sakura with her terrifying intuition...'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself.
Just then, light footsteps sounded from the back door of the classroom.
[Saiki-kun... is already here... Should I... greet him?]
Without even looking, Saiki knew the source of the voice was Sakura Airi.
[I... I should greet him... But Saiki-kun... is talking to other people...]
Seeing Saiki Kusuo chatting with Sudo Ken and the others, Sakura Airi pursed her lips, wanting to say something but unable to get the words out.
In the class, she was always an almost invisible presence. Even when she entered the classroom, no one noticed her, and she hardly interacted with anyone.
"Good morning, Saiki-kun..."
In the end, Sakura Airi's meager courage only allowed her to speak in a voice so soft that only she could hear it, instantly drowned out by Sudo Ken's boisterous laughter.
"Good morning."
At that moment, Saiki Kusuo greeted Sakura Airi.
"Huh!"
Sakura Airi was surprised, not expecting her voice to be heard by Saiki Kusuo.
"Sakura-san, you're here!"
Kushida Kikyo immediately came over.
"I have good news! Sudo-kun's charges have been cleared!"
"Huh?"
Kushida Kikyo then explained everything that had happened that day to Sakura Airi.
Sakura Airi's eyes behind her glasses were filled with surprise. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
This also meant that she no longer needed to testify in court, which was undoubtedly good news.
However...
[Was this... Saiki-kun's doing?]
'Hey, hey, isn't it a bit too forced to suspect me like this? You're the psychic here.'
...
Meanwhile, in a flowerbed outside the school building.
Daichi Ishizaki and the other two were lying on the ground, beaten black and blue, unable to get up for a long time.
Beside them stood Albert, wearing sunglasses, and Ryuen Kakeru, his face filled with anger.
Ryuen Kakeru had never expected things to turn out like this.
Early in the morning, they had received a notice from the student council informing them that Daichi Ishizaki and the others had framed Sudo Ken, along with an attached audio recording.
The recording wasn't fabricated—the student council had definitely verified it, and Ryuen Kakeru knew this well. It was enough to prove that their conflict with Sudo Ken had been premeditated.
In the end, Daichi Ishizaki and the other two were suspended for three weeks, and the entire class lost thirty points.
The recording also mentioned Ryuen Kakeru's name, but since the content didn't explicitly state that Ryuen had planned it, he managed to escape punishment.
Of course, Ryuen Kakeru wouldn't let the three of them off the hook for their incompetence, so he had Albert give them a thorough beating.
But more and more questions flooded his mind.
"Damn it, where did that recording come from?!"
Ryuen Kakeru couldn't figure out how the recording had appeared. According to Daichi Ishizaki, the three of them had discussed the matter in their dorm room last night.
To figure this out, Ryuen Kakeru had to seek help from others in the class—
Just then, Shiina Hiyori and Ibuki Mio slowly approached.
Ryuen Kakeru turned to look at Shiina Hiyori, who was the one he had asked for help. He was well aware of Shiina Hiyori's abilities and had entrusted her with investigating the matter.
Shiina Hiyori had agreed, as this was a major incident involving the entire class.
"How's it going, Hiyori?"
Ryuen Kakeru asked anxiously.
"Ibuki and I used the excuse of losing something to check the entry and exit records for the floor where Daichi's dorm is. As students, that's all we could access."
Shiina Hiyori replied.
"But we found nothing. We couldn't get any useful information. In the footage, no one lingered near that area."
"What do you think?"
"Judging by the clarity of the audio, it was likely recorded at close range. The most probable suspects are the three of them."
Shiina Hiyori turned her gaze to Daichi Ishizaki and the others.
"But they have no reason to do this. On one hand, they're not opposed to you, Ryuen-kun. On the other hand, the outcome of this incident is definitely negative for them. There's no benefit in doing this. Considering all factors, the most likely scenario is that someone secretly planted a recording device in Daichi's room and later retrieved it—but since we don't have access to the full footage, we can't confirm who it was."
"Only two days have passed since the framing of Class C. How could they have achieved this so quickly? And how did that person even enter the room?"
"I checked. Apart from phones, the school store doesn't sell covert recording devices, but they are available on the shopping website. However, it would take at least a day or two from purchase to delivery. The only possibility is that the person had already bought the recording device in advance. Setting aside coincidence, it's likely that the person who did this knew about your plans beforehand, Ryuen-kun."
Shiina Hiyori's gaze became serious.
"As for entering the room, as long as someone could obtain and duplicate the access card, it would be easy. Daichi's access card might have been stolen and duplicated at some point, though he himself didn't notice."
"What..."
Daichi Ishizaki's eyes widened in disbelief as he hurriedly patted his pockets.
"Given the current situation, I think it's most likely that someone from our class did it. After all, there are quite a few people in the class who are dissatisfied with your methods, Ryuen-kun."
Shiina Hiyori's tone was calm and steady, while Ibuki Mio's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"That's true."
Ryuen Kakeru's expression turned serious. He instinctively suspected Kushida Kikyo, as she was the one who had provided him with information about Class C, but many things didn't add up. The most likely scenario was that it was someone from their own class.
"Then we'll have to collect everyone's phones and check their point expenditure records. If someone bought a recording device, there will be evidence. The point expenditure records won't match."
"This method is feasible. If there's a traitor in our class, that would actually be the best outcome."
Shiina Hiyori said.
"Huh? A traitor in the class is the best outcome?"
Ibuki Mio's face was full of confusion.
"As long as we catch the culprit, all problems will be solved, and we can resolve these issues in advance."
Shiina Hiyori narrowed her eyes, her gaze becoming extremely serious, as if she had encountered a particularly difficult puzzle.
"But if it wasn't someone from our class, then that means there's a very frightening individual in Class C, someone even we can't see through."
...
Meanwhile, in the student council meeting room.
Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses while carefully listening to the anonymous recording that had been sent to them.
"I never expected Class D to deliberately frame Class C..."
Beside him, Tachibana Akane, her hair tied in a bun, couldn't help but exclaim.
"I wonder who managed to get this recording."
When they received the recording last night, the student council members were all surprised. After a detailed examination, they confirmed that the recording was genuine, and they had almost immediately drafted the corresponding punishments.
"I thought this matter would take at least a week to resolve, but it was settled in just three days. It seems there's an extraordinary presence among this year's first-years."
Horikita Manabu muttered to himself.
"To be acknowledged by you, Horikita-senpai, I'm quite curious about that person's identity~"
Beside Horikita Manabu sat a blond-haired young man with a handsome face but a somewhat frivolous look in his eyes, a meaningful smile on his face.
Nagumo Miyabi, a second-year and the vice president of the student council.
...
After the turmoil surrounding Sudo Ken subsided, another month had passed.
Saiki Kusuo and the others had enjoyed a relatively peaceful month, with nothing major happening during that time.
Class C and Class A had almost no contact during this period, while their relationship with Class B, led by Ichinose Honami, grew closer.
After the incident, Class D had gone into hiding, not making any significant moves.
This made Saiki Kusuo think that he might finally be able to enjoy a peaceful period. The final exams also passed without incident.
At the end of July, during the last class of the afternoon, Chabashira Sae entered the classroom and posted the grade list:
"Congratulations, everyone passed the exams again. It's hard to imagine that you, who were originally labeled as Class D, haven't had a single dropout and have even risen to Class C—the gap between your class and Class B is getting smaller and smaller."
Chabashira Sae's face was bright with a smile. Although her words seemed to carry a hint of disdain for Class C, it was clear that she was very pleased with the class's achievements.
[Horikita Suzune's score is so high?!]
[Damn it! I studied so hard, but I'm still last!]
[Koenji's grades are surprisingly good... Are all the top students freaks?]
Saiki Kusuo looked at the grade list. This time, his results were satisfactory, with fluctuations in individual subjects but his overall score remaining in the middle range.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's score was tied with his.
'The final exams are over, which means it's technically summer vacation.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself.
Since the school was fully enclosed, even during vacations, students couldn't leave the campus.
But this didn't affect Saiki Kusuo at all. He could teleport home anytime, and besides, the school had everything he needed. Not having to attend classes meant he wouldn't have to interact with those troublesome people...
But Saiki Kusuo knew very well that things wouldn't be that simple.
"Also, to celebrate your excellent grades, the school has decided to reward you—this summer, you'll be going on a luxury cruise for a vacation!"
As soon as Chabashira Sae finished speaking, the classroom erupted in excitement.
"What?! A luxury cruise?!"
"Is this for real?!"
"Amazing! We get to go on vacation! I can't wait!"
Everyone in the room chatted excitedly, while Chabashira Sae maintained a meaningful smile on the podium:
"This is a mandatory school group activity, so participation is required."
Only Saiki Kusuo's expression remained unchanged.
Because he knew very well that this trip wouldn't be as simple as it seemed.
[Keep laughing, keep laughing. This isn't just a simple trip—it's a special exam.]
Chabashira Sae thought to herself as her gaze swept over the students.
'As expected, I knew there was no way this would be a good thing.'
Saiki Kusuo sighed inwardly. He had already heard about the summer plans from Ichinose Honami and had guessed as much.
In the end, even his precious summer vacation would be wasted by this school... and he didn't even have the option to refuse.
Group activities, exams—all these troublesome things were piling up.
How annoying...
Saiki Kusuo could only shake his head.
"The school will provide luggage and daily necessities. Get ready to enjoy your summer vacation."
Chabashira Sae organized her teaching materials.
"Ayanokoji, I need to speak with you. Come to my office.