For a brief, fleeting second, Akira almost wondered if the girl standing beside him possessed a hidden intelligence system identical to his own.
Listening to her carefully dissect the situation, the realization set in cold and sharp.
This was not the work of supernatural assistance or digital feeds.
Every word she spoke was a conclusion forged purely through terrifyingly precise observation.
To find a high school student harboring such razor-sharp insight was an absolute rarity.
‘She knows Masumi Kamuro?
Now that I think about it, does that mean she belongs to Class A as well?’ The thought drifted through his mind, categorizing the variables.
Akira let the silence stretch for a heartbeat, analyzing the layout of the convenience store before offering his own counter-perspective.
“It is precisely because we are hitting the peak shopping rush that the dense crowd provides the perfect cover,” Akira said, keeping his tone measured.
“Fishing in troubled waters is a classic tactic.
Choosing to make a move right now drastically lowers the probability of being caught by the staff.” “Correct.” The silver-haired girl allowed a faint, elegant curve to grace her lips.
Her hair, the color of pale moonlight, swayed gently as she nodded in approval.
“Judging by her subtle movements and the way she carries herself, she is undoubtedly a habitual offender.
She is not stealing out of necessity.
She is savoring the psychological thrill of the crime.
Your observation is quite accurate.” “You were testing me just now, weren’t you.” Akira stated it as a fact, the pieces clicking into place.
The girl offered no direct confirmation, merely releasing a soft, meaningful chuckle that seemed to float above the ambient noise of the store.
“Rather than dwelling on that, why not listen to my final judgment?” She paused, letting the weight of her presence settle over the conversation.
Her voice carried the absolute certainty of a queen dictating law.
“I believe our little thief will choose to execute her act only after the entrance ceremony concludes.” That specific conclusion caught Akira off guard.
It mirrored the exact data provided by his system intel down to the letter.
“Then, student, would you care to guess the foundation of my deduction this time?” She leaned forward slightly, her posture inviting him into another mental spar.
Akira ignored the bait, shifting his gaze toward the checkout counters.
The previously suffocating throng of students had already begun to thin out, the aisles clearing rapidly.
“Because the entrance ceremony is about to start,” Akira replied.
“Exactly right.” The girl snapped her fingers, a crisp sound of pure delight.
“To be entirely precise, there are thirty-two seconds remaining.” As if the school itself were bending to her calculations, exactly thirty-two seconds later, the overhead speakers crackled to life.
The broadcast echoed through the aisles with mechanical punctuality.
“All students, please proceed to the Gymnasium immediately.
The entrance ceremony is about to begin.” A short distance away, Masumi turned her body with a stiff, unnatural rigidity.
She abandoned her position near the shelves and merged smoothly into the departing stream of first-years.
Watching her silhouette retreat, Akira noted that she did not look like a thief who had given up.
She looked exactly like a predator temporarily retracting her claws, waiting for the cover of night.
“Mental calculation skills?” Akira asked, bringing the focus back to the girl beside him.
“Just a trivial pastime to ward off boredom.” “Then can you calculate what fifteen multiplied by twenty-four, and then multiplied by sixteen equals, all within one minute?” The silver-haired girl’s expression froze.
The airy amusement vanished from her features, replaced by a chilling stillness.
The question was so fundamentally basic that it registered as a direct insult to her intellect.
“Five thousand seven hundred and sixty,” she answered, the temperature of her voice dropping to absolute zero.
“Such an elementary arithmetic problem can be solved mentally by an average middle schooler.
If you truly wish to test my mental calculation capabilities, you should at least have the decency to provide a four-digit sequence.” “Is that so?” Akira let a dry, dismissive smile touch his features.
“For an average high school student, pulling that answer out of thin air within sixty seconds is no easy feat.” He shifted his stance, changing the tempo of the conversation.
“Do you feel offended, student?
If so, consider this.
You tossed out two probing questions in rapid succession earlier to test my worth.
Why didn’t I feel offended?” ‘From the very beginning, she approached this interaction from a pedestal, probing me with absolute condescension.
Yet the moment I throw a common math problem her way, she acts as though her royal lineage has been insulted.”This brand of arrogance is practically woven into her DNA.
An innate sense of privilege.
She is definitely a product of Class A.’ He took one final, assessing look at the silver-haired girl.
She possessed a delicate, head-turning beauty, but the sheer superiority etched into her bones completely overshadowed her physical appearance.
Was this elegant young lady actually just a spoiled brat beneath the surface?
Deciding the conversation had run its course, Akira turned away.
He had barely taken four steps toward the exit when a voice, clear and resonant as a silver bell, cut through the air behind him.
“Student, please stay a moment.” Before the final syllable even faded, a sharp clatter echoed across the floor tiles.
A wooden cane flew through the air, clattering to a halt exactly one meter in front of Akira’s shoes.
He stopped in his tracks.
He looked down at the polished wood blocking his path, then slowly turned around to face her.
The silver-haired girl stood with her head bowed slightly, her bangs casting long shadows over her eyes, making her current expression impossible to read.
“I am Arisu Sakayanagi, from Class A.” Her voice had transformed.
It flowed like freshly melted snow, entirely stripped of the haughty sharpness she had wielded moments ago.
“As you can plainly see, the heart beating inside this body is truly useless.
I cannot even manage a brisk walk to catch up with someone, so I was forced to resort to such a desperate, unsightly measure.” She raised a slender finger, pointing toward the cane resting at his feet.
When she looked up, her eyes swam with a perfectly crafted reservoir of apology.
“I was terribly rude to you just now.
Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?
If my words are not enough to satisfy your anger, you are more than welcome to use that cane to strike me twice.” Akira remained perfectly still, though a flicker of genuine surprise crossed his gaze.
For a high-and-mighty elite to suddenly drop her defenses, lower her head, and offer herself up for physical punishment so readily…
she was proving to be far more dangerous, and far more interesting, than he had initially calculated.
But a second later, the gears in his mind locked into place.
Why did this specific rhythm of conversation feel so incredibly familiar?
An image of Suzune flashed through his memory.
This was the exact same psychological tactic he had used earlier.
Feigning weakness.
Retreating to advance.
Akira let his gaze linger on Arisu.
Her slightly hunched posture made her look incredibly fragile, a delicate porcelain doll that a strong gust of wind could shatter into pieces.
Would an ordinary person actually strike her in this situation?
Especially knowing she was a physically disabled girl suffering from a congenital heart defect?
Without moving his head, Akira shifted his eyes upward.
Tucked away in the upper corner of the ceiling, the red light of a security camera blinked in a steady, rhythmic pulse.
The cold, unfeeling lens was silently recording every single movement in the aisle.
So that was the game.
If he picked up the cane and struck her, he would be handing over physical evidence of assault on a silver platter.
He would become her puppet before the school year even officially began.
If he did nothing and simply walked away, his inaction would serve as a tacit acceptance of her apology, allowing her to dictate the terms of their dynamic.
Arisu maintained her humble, vulnerable posture, but Akira’s sharp eyes caught the microscopic, fleeting smirk that tugged at the very corner of her lips.
What a beautifully vicious trap.
She had forced him into a complete deadlock.
“Arisu, you are certainly full of dirty tricks.” Akira moved.
He closed the distance between them in two long, sudden strides.
Before Arisu could process the shift in his trajectory, he raised his hand and flicked his fingers forward.
A crisp snap echoed as his knuckle connected squarely with her smooth forehead.
The physical force behind the strike was negligible, but the sheer audacity of the action was enough to make her flinch and scowl.
“You…!” Arisu stumbled back a fraction of an inch, her hands flying up to cover the reddening spot on her forehead.
A rare, genuine flash of shock rippled through her composed pupils.
“To actually lay a hand on a fragile lady with limited mobility.” “Limited mobility?” Akira let out a low, dry laugh.
He casually bent down, retrieving the discarded cane from the floor.
He tapped his knuckles against the polished wood, testing its weight.
“When you launched this thing at my feet like a hidden weapon a moment ago, I did not see a single ounce of hesitation in your form.
Besides, didn’t you explicitly invite me to vent my anger?” He extended the cane back toward her.
As she reached out to take it, he allowed his fingers to intentionally brush against her cool palm.
The brief, electric contact lasted only a fraction of a second before he pulled his hand away.
“This flick to the forehead means we are officially even.” Akira took a half-step backward, his eyes drifting lazily toward the blinking red light of the security camera.
“It leaves zero bruising, zero evidence for the school to investigate, and serves as my formal acceptance of your apology.
A very fair trade, wouldn’t you agree?” He paused, letting his calm demeanor press down on her.
“Also, a word of advice.
Do not always assume you are standing on the highest pedestal in the room.” Arisu’s slender fingers wrapped around the handle of her cane, her grip tightening until her knuckles turned white.
She slowly lifted her chin, her eyes locking onto his.
A sharp, incredibly dangerous smile curled at the corners of her lips.
“You are quite the fascinating specimen,” she murmured, her tone dripping with a theatrical, predatory malice.
“I shall carve your existence into my memory and thoroughly enjoy breaking you apart.” Akira let out a sharp laugh, completely unfazed by the venom in her voice.
“With how much resolve did you just deliver those embarrassing lines?
Are you suffering from chuunibyou?” [Inorin’s Note: Hey guys, hope you’re enjoying the novel!
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