Getting off the train and walking two blocks, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka arrived near a pedestrian overpass.
According to the intelligence analysis, this was one of the routes Togawa Sakiko inevitably took after school.
More accurately, it was the path she had to take when she chose to walk home like her peers instead of being picked up by the Togawa family’s private driver.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood in the shadow cast by the overpass, his gaze calmly fixed upward.
That man’s requirement for him to make Togawa Sakiko his first contact target had a logic that wasn’t hard to guess.
What he needed most right now was to establish some kind of substantial connection with Tokyo’s largest real estate developer family.
The Togawa Group controlled countless core plots of land from Roppongi to Shibuya, and even significantly influenced the future urban planning of Tokyo Metropolis.
For a politician in need of massive funding and a solid voter base, such a real estate developer was the perfect benefactor.
On the surface, the head of the Togawa Group was Togawa Sadaharu.
But the conclusion provided by that man’s intelligence network was that the true head of the family, and the sole heir with absolute authority over the future, was actually his granddaughter—namely, the fifteen-year-old Togawa Sakiko.
As long as he could keep this girl in his grasp, it would be equivalent to obtaining an entry ticket to the real estate industry and its related circles for decades to come.
Thinking of this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka let out a sigh in his heart.
To ensure he could complete this mission smoothly, that man had spared no effort.
Transferring school records, forging a perfect past, providing detailed basic intelligence—these were all within his power, and they had been executed flawlessly.
According to the principle of efficiency above all else, Ayanokoji Atsuomi couldn’t have failed to realize that if he wanted to contact Togawa Sakiko as quickly as possible, transferring Ayanokoji Kiyotaka directly into her school would undoubtedly be the most efficient choice.
Unfortunately, this was something he could not achieve even by exercising his top-tier political privileges.
Because—
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked up, his gaze crossing over the bridge toward the outline of a building with a European classical style not far away.
Tsukinomori Girls Academy was an all-girls school.
The most efficient path of contact was actually blocked by the most primitive “gender barrier.” It was somewhat ironic.
In the face of power that could turn clouds into rain, a high school’s admission brochure had become an insurmountable, absolute rule.
Therefore, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could only settle for the next best thing and choose to look for opportunities externally.
While calculating his next plan in his mind, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka slightly adjusted his posture.
He lowered his center of gravity slightly, allowing his weight to be evenly distributed across his feet and skeletal support points.
This was a technique learned in the White Room, which allowed a person to stand for hours without developing muscle fatigue.
Today’s goal might start with confirming Togawa Sakiko’s actual behavioral patterns.
And—
“You mustn’t, desuwa!”
An anxious girl’s voice with a peculiar speech quirk suddenly came from above, unceremoniously interrupting Ayanokoji Kiyotaka’s thoughts.
He slightly lifted his eyelids.
On the edge of the open-air walkway above the pedestrian bridge, a girl with short gray hair was standing at the very edge of the railing, her upper body leaning forward slightly as she bent down to look at something falling below.
From Ayanokoji Kiyotaka’s perspective, the gray-haired girl’s posture was indeed dangerous, as if she might lose her balance and fall at any moment.
However, before the gray-haired girl could make her next move—
The source of the voice, a girl with blue hair in twin tails, suddenly rushed over from the side.
She spread her arms and, without warning, firmly tackled the gray-haired girl onto the floor of the bridge.
The movement was overly forceful.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka’s gaze immediately focused on the blue-haired girl.
Togawa Sakiko.
The target appeared earlier than expected, and her entrance was completely unforeseen.
He wondered if it was because photos were two-dimensional, but the texture presented by the real person seemed more…
substantial than in the photos.
Whether it was that innocent cuteness belonging to a young lady, or the explosive power when tackling someone.
Then, Togawa Sakiko’s hurried voice drifted down into Ayanokoji’s ears with the wind:
“No matter what has happened, you absolutely must not take your own life!”
Hearing this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka quickly sorted out the situation in his mind.
I see, it seems a misunderstanding has occurred.
Togawa Sakiko had probably mistaken the other girl’s action of leaning over to catch a falling flower for an attempt to jump off the bridge.
The tackled gray-haired girl was clearly startled by this sudden, violent act; after a moment of daze, she whimpered a few words in defense.
The voice was too quiet for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to hear clearly.
Immediately after, Togawa Sakiko’s questioning voice, slightly trembling, came again:
“Between flowers and life, which is more important?”
“No… flowers are also life…”
Flowers are also life.
Hearing this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka blinked.
To be able to blurt out such unexpected lines in what seemed like a “life-or-death” crisis just now, it seemed Togawa Sakiko was more emotional than he had anticipated.
Or rather, more idealistic.
Was this a common trait among all upper-class young ladies in the outside world?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka pondered silently.
In that White Room, he had also come into contact with girls.
But their identities and outside backgrounds were completely unknown.
Everyone was just a series of code numbers.
Even if he knew one of the girls was a high-and-mighty young lady in the outside world, as long as she had lived in that facility, it would be impossible for her to retain the innocence and sensibility associated with such a status.
The White Room would strip away all inefficient emotions completely.
Therefore, whether Togawa Sakiko was the norm for the outside world or an exception, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could not judge for the time being.
He could only note this variable for now and examine it later.
In his line of sight, Togawa Sakiko had already pulled the gray-haired girl up.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka noticed that Togawa Sakiko’s movements were slightly sluggish when she stood up.
Because of the overly forceful tackle just now, she had scraped her knee, and visible blood was seeping through her fair skin.
The gray-haired girl clearly noticed this too, and with an apologetic expression, she pulled Togawa Sakiko toward the other side of the bridge.
They were probably going to find a nearby pharmacy or convenience store to treat the wound.
The backs of the two girls quickly disappeared around the corner of the bridge.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka withdrew his gaze and glanced at the empty bridge railing.
Since she had already interacted with someone else and was injured, going up now to force a chance encounter was definitely not a good choice.
It seemed there was no chance for today.
But it didn’t matter; he had long anticipated that contact wouldn’t be so smooth.
He was also used to maintaining patience and trying again and again under harsh conditions since childhood to eventually complete a mission.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka turned around and, with his hands in his pockets, walked back the way he came.