Chapter 3: An Unlikely Affection
“To draw Shiki Iroha into the night banquet.”
A few days before Amamori Yuuto was defeated by Shinzaki Yasuhito一
before they had even met Shinzaki and Shiki一
the expressionless boy made this declaration to Kurashiki and Kurotsuki in the classroom he had borrowed.
“……Huh? What the hell are you talking about?”
“I said Shiki Iroha. She’ll be the next member of the night banquet.”
Amamori’s sudden statement left both Kurashiki and Kurotsuki at a loss.
While Kurashiki twisted her face in disbelief, muttering, “Has he lost his mind?”, Kurotsuki rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
“Shiki Iroha… I don’t recall hearing that name. Is she from another class?”
“Yeah, she’s from Class B. A blonde girl with colored contacts, arrogant as hell一your typical gyaru. Plus, she’s at the top of the class hierarchy… Seriously, has your brain gone haywire?”
“I see… Amamori, are you really planning to bring someone like that into this…?”
Both of them doubted his sanity, but Amamori simply shrugged in response.
Shiki Iroha, the queen bee of Class B.
If Asahina from Class C was Shinzaki’s counterpart, then Shiki was undoubtedly the Sakuma of Class B. In essence, she was the one who practically ruled that class.
“Kurotsuki’s right. That girl… she’s cunning as hell. If you’re thinking of approaching her lightly, you’d better give up. She’ll definitely trip you up.”
Kurashiki had tried befriending Class B a few times before. Each time, Shiki had surrounded herself tightly with her “entourage,” making it impossible for anyone to interfere.
Even Kurashiki, who boasted about being able to befriend anyone, felt like she was trying to breach an impregnable fortress. Add Shiki’s cunning nature and her pride, and it was clear she wasn’t someone Amamori could handle.
After hearing about her, Kurotsuki also couldn’t imagine someone like Shiki bending to Amamori’s will.
“It’s definitely better to give up. It’ll surely fail.”
That was their shared conclusion.
But in the face of their opposition, Amamori showed no sign of backing down.
“So you two are both saying it’s absolutely impossible? Well, that just makes it all the more worth doing.”
“……Well, if you could actually pull it off… I’d say it’d be a game-changer, to put it mildly.”
If, by some miracle, Amamori managed to win Shiki over, she could indeed become the ultimate weapon against Class B. ……Though, of course, that was all just speculation.
In reality, Shiki Iroha, due to her personality, had earned a certain degree of trust from Shinzaki.
If they could chip away at that trust, the balance of power would shift dramatically in their favor.
She was someone who would never be suspected一making her the perfect target for Amamori.
“Wait, didn’t we just clash with Class A? Are you planning to pick a fight with Class B now too?”
“……Let me ask you this, Kurashiki. Do you think we can get along with Class B?”
“……No. Class C and Class B are like oil and water. Neither side can stand the other.”
Kurashiki’s face twisted bitterly as she answered.
Midway through, she realized exactly what Amamori was getting at.
一There was a student in Class B who was being bullied.
And the “heroes of justice” in Class C would never stand for that.
That was the crux of it, the reason why Class C and Class B would inevitably clash.
“Besides, the one being bullied is the president of the club I’m in. As a member, I can’t just stand by and let that happen. 一Does that make sense to you?”
Amamori shrugged as he said this, and both Kurashiki and Kurotsuki looked slightly surprised.
“That’s… unusually noble of you, Amamori. But it doesn’t sound like a lie.”
“……Yeah. This guy’s dead serious. Even if Asahina doesn’t act, you’re going to step in, huh? ……Tch, either way, we’re going to end up as enemies.”
The whole “club president” thing felt a bit fishy to them.
But the idea that Amamori would act if Asahina didn’t… that was probably true.
Amamori Yuuto, uncharacteristically, was trying to help someone.
His usually expressionless face seemed almost kind, and Kurotsuki suddenly realized something.
“Ah, Amamori! Is that person… a girl?”
“……!?”
Shock. A punch-like surprise hit Kurashiki.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
They had always felt that Amamori Yuuto wasn’t a normal person, so they had separated him from such ordinary emotions. ……But no matter how unusual he was, Amamori was still a teenage boy.
If there was a cute, pitiable girl, it was understandable that he’d want to help her.
Kurashiki’s face twisted into a grin as she slid closer to Amamori.
“Hey, hey, if it’s about love, just say so. The love master can give you some advice, you know?”
She poked him with her elbow, but Amamori swatted her hand away irritably.
“……I wouldn’t call a girl who’s never been in a relationship a ‘love master.’”
“Hah! It’s just that no one’s been good enough for me, okay? I’ve been confessed to more times than anyone!”
“That’s what they call ‘aging in ears.’”
Even as Amamori said this, Kurashiki’s grin didn’t fade.
Seeing her expression, Amamori sighed and steered the conversation back on track.
“Anyway, with the assumption that we’ll be opposing Class B, Shiki Iroha will be our insider. How we’ll move her… I can only say we’ll play it by ear, but she’s someone we’ll absolutely need later.”
“Hey, hey, love stuff is fine, but don’t go stabbing anyone, okay? If you start messing around and get stabbed in the back, I’ll just laugh, so spare me the trouble.”
Ignoring Kurashiki’s laughter, Amamori turned the question back on her.
He thought to himself that once she heard what was coming, that smile would surely disappear.
“The real problem is her ability. Kurashiki, do you have any information on that?”
“Shiki’s ability…? I think it was something like 【Fortune-telling】 or一wait, no way.”
Kurashiki’s eyes widened as she realized something mid-sentence.
She knew all too well一there were people who deliberately hid their true abilities.
And as she suspected, Shiki Iroha was one of them.
Her ability was too bizarre一and, more importantly, too malicious一for her to openly admit it.
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“【The Lying King’s Play】. She’s the only one in the academy with the ability to 【manipulate thoughts】.”
Both of them were shocked at how much more formidable the ability was than they had imagined.
They were also surprised that Amamori seemed to already know about the abilities of other students.
“……Manipulating thoughts? Seriously? And you… you know about the abilities of other students too?”
“I don’t know their names or faces, but… your other collaborator must be quite capable.”
Amamori nodded expressionlessly at their words.
“Right now, it’s only at the level of 【seeing through lies and making others believe her words】, but if she’s trained, she could achieve complete thought manipulation. In negotiations, there’s no ability more powerful than that.”
Class B had other threats too, like Shinzaki’s 【Divine Emperor’s Blessing】 and Hoshina’s 【Star Chant’s Blessing】.
But Hoshina Tsubomi wasn’t an enemy. Shinzaki’s ability was powerful, but he wasn’t an enemy either.
As such, Amamori considered Shiki, with the highest potential for causing 【irregularities】, to be the primary threat in Class B. At the same time, he believed that if they could somehow win her over, there would be no obstacles in their fight against Class B.
(……Well, I’m not planning to share all the information about Class B just yet.)
Seeing the troubled looks on their faces, Amamori muttered to himself.
The night banquet was a cooperative relationship, but not a dependent one.
If someone was exceptionally good at gathering information, they shouldn’t just blindly trust that information. 一
Someone like that would never be brought into Amamori’s circle.
Now, the information he had… he needed them to find it themselves,
even if it was just a side task. With that in mind, he decided to play a little 【trick】 on them.
Even if they asked, he’d probably just feign ignorance with a lie.
And of course, the two of them understood that, which was why their faces were twisted.
(……This guy, I really want to punch him once.)
(He knows everything, and he’s testing us, huh……)
Kurashiki clenched her fist, trembling, while Kurotsuki thought about asking him later.
But after hearing Amamori’s explanation, they both thought that the idea of bringing Shiki into their group might actually be feasible.
From what they’d heard, Shiki Iroha was far too dangerous to leave alone.
For now, there were no issues, but if she grew stronger, she’d undoubtedly become uncontrollable.
If things went badly, she might even become a monster that even Amamori Yuuto couldn’t handle.
In that case, they needed to bring 【Thought Induction】 to their side, even if it meant taking some risks.
For their own safety. And to use it as a trump card against their enemies.
“I see… I get your true intentions now. But how are you going to win her over? After hearing that she can see through lies, I’m even more convinced it’s impossible.”
“Ah. That’s why… I’ll be the one to approach Shiki Iroha.”
At his words, Kurashiki, who had been scheming, “I’m probably the one who’ll have to do it anyway,” looked at Amamori in surprise.
“Y-you… stop acting tough. What can someone as socially awkward as you even do?”
“……Don’t say that with a straight face. It hurts a little.”
Amamori stood up from the chair he was sitting on.
His gaze turned to the window, and he spoke as if looking at something far away.
“Besides, if I can’t do anything in the current situation, then I’ll just create a situation where I can.”
“……Create… you say?”
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