COTE : Backed By Black Technology System

Before leaving, Kamuro had passed on the message to Kanda Shuichi that Sakayanagi wanted to see him.

So, if it was just about this, there was no need to come all the way to the dorm to tell him. She could've just said it on Line.

That must mean Kamuro missed me! Kanda Shuichi thought to himself.

The next day at noon, in a private room at the cafeteria, Kanda Shuichi was eating, and since Sakayanagi was treating, the meal felt especially delicious.

He hadn't planned on coming, but since Sakayanagi specifically said she was treating, Kanda Shuichi had no choice.

To outsiders, a guy like him, who was always losing points, certainly wouldn't pass up a free meal.

"Since Kanda-kun is almost done eating, may I speak now?" Sakayanagi hadn't touched her food, while Kanda Shuichi had almost finished half of his meal.

This speed was the result of three months of training.

No, it's more like Sakayanagi eats too slowly.

Just look at Kamuro over there—she's eating much faster than Kanda Shuichi.

Hearing Sakayanagi's words, Kanda took a sip of soup and paused his eating for a moment.

You think you can intimidate me? With just you? Is that possible?

"Well, do you want me to spit it out for you?"

As expected, a disgusted expression immediately appeared on Sakayanagi's face, while Kamuro almost spat out her food.

In front of Sakayanagi, Kanda Shuichi completely demonstrated what it means to have no shame and be invincible.

"Kanda-kun, do you ever care about your image? How can you say something so disgusting?"

"What's the point of an image? Can it help me fill my stomach? Can it help me move from Class D to Class A? Or maybe it'll help me find a cute, obedient, and capable girlfriend?"

Kanda Shuichi's lazy, soul-searching questions made Sakayanagi feel a little troubled.

To be honest, Kanda Shuichi was the first person she'd ever met like this. Even after three months, she still hadn't figured out how to deal with him.

If Kanda Shuichi were just an idiot, it would be fine, but the problem was that he was incredibly sharp, and trying to outsmart him was almost impossible.

No, forget trying to outsmart him; she had already lost a lot of private points to him. She was completely at a disadvantage.

Did Kanda Shuichi have weaknesses?

Of course, he did. His weakness was that every meal he had was expensive. In just a month, he spent about 70-80 thousand private points on food.

Logically, as a Class D student, he shouldn't be able to afford such expenses. But unfortunately, Kamuro had been caught by him, and to get rid of that problem, Sakayanagi Arisu personally handed over 2 million private points.

So, in Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes, she had personally helped him eliminate that weakness.

Although it had been a last resort, Sakayanagi still felt uncomfortable. She craved a battle of intellect at its peak, not being dragged into the same level and then manipulated through experience.

Meanwhile, Kamuro had finished eating and was about to leave.

She didn't dare interrupt the conversation between the big shots, afraid she might get hit.

"Stop."

Kamuro froze.

"Sit down."

Kamuro set the plate down and sat back on the sofa.

Since there were no cameras in this private room, if Kamuro left and Kanda Shuichi did something to her, it would be a problem, so she wasn't going to let Kamuro leave first.

Seeing Sakayanagi bully Kamuro like that, Kanda Shuichi continued eating his meal, silently holding a grudge: That damn white-haired loli, bullying my dog like this, you'll regret it one day!

After finishing his meal, Kanda Shuichi wiped his mouth and then noticed that Sakayanagi Arisu was staring at him with a look full of resentment.

"Are you really going to make me spit it out?"

"Shut up!"

"Alright, alright. If you have something to say, go ahead. I'm listening."

Kanda Shuichi didn't want to drag this out in such a weird situation, or Kamuro might end up suffering more. 

So, for poor Kamuro's sake, Kanda Shuichi decided to bear with it for now.

"Though I didn't expect it, calling you out just for a meal, you're really that greedy for money."

It was clear that Sakayanagi, having just lost, was trying to regain some confidence through words, but Kanda Shuichi's remark made her regret bringing up the topic.

"Yeah, someone like me, poor as I am, of course, I'm greedy for money. My account's down to just over two million private points. It's honestly a bit terrifying."

Can you talk about something other than those two million?! 

Sakayanagi Arisu screamed inside her head but kept a graceful demeanor on her face. Meanwhile, Kamuro lowered her head, trying to hide her expression from the two. 

But the occasional twitch of her shoulders revealed that she wasn't calm inside.

Sakayanagi was so focused on Kanda Shuichi that she didn't notice Kamuro's strange behavior, or else Kamuro might've been in for more trouble.

"You didn't call me over just to hear me insult you, did you? If there's something you need, just say it."

Seeing Kanda Shuichi bring it up, Sakayanagi smiled slightly. Finally, the topic she had been waiting for—time to crush you with my information!

"It's about the next special exam…"

"Oh, you mean the survival test on the uninhabited island."

A quiet fell over the scene.

Sakayanagi's mind went blank, and her face twisted into the expression of a broken doll. What did he just say?

Sakayanagi turned to look at Kamuro, who was frowning. Uninhabited island? What uninhabited island?

Seeing Kamuro's expression, Sakayanagi remembered that she hadn't told Kamuro about the upcoming exam on the uninhabited island. So, Kamuro wasn't a traitor after all.

So that means he figured it out on his own?

"How did you know? When did you find out?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's tone became more demanding, no longer polite.

Kanda Shuichi didn't mind, calmly replying, "Does it really matter how I knew?"

Well, the answer was pretty clear now.

"After the midterm exams, our class's homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei, mentioned that if we passed the final exams, she'd take us to a small island in the south for a vacation."

"Is that it?"

"Why else? Would this school really let students go on vacation so easily?" Kanda Shuichi said with a mocking smile. "So, I've been intentionally working on my physical fitness since last month."

"Looks like you still don't think much of me. Since last month, I've been eating and exercising more. Though it's still at a normal level, don't forget, my body's weak, so that's the limit of what I can handle."

Sakayanagi felt frustrated because the people she sent to investigate Kanda Shuichi had reported that he didn't show any unusual behavior.

What she didn't realize was that the lack of any abnormality was actually the real abnormality. Normally, Kanda Shuichi couldn't finish a large meal, always leaving a third of the rice behind.

By overlooking this, Sakayanagi couldn't grasp the true state of Kanda Shuichi over the past month.

As a result, trying to use information about the uninhabited island exam to take points from Kanda Shuichi had become a pipe dream.

However, what she didn't know was that even if Kanda Shuichi didn't know the next exam would be the deserted island exam, he wouldn't easily give up his points.

But what does that have to do with him? There are others weaker than him, so he believes the school will come up with a special solution.

Sakayanagi Arisu, feeling a bit of a headache, took off her beret and rubbed her head.

"It was my mistake. I underestimated you just because you're in Class D."

Sakayanagi Arisu admitted her mistake, but Kanda Shuichi wouldn't look down on her for that. A leader who can admit their mistakes is far more terrifying than one who stubbornly follows their own way.

"If there's nothing else, I think I'll leave now."

She had eaten, played around, and there was no need to stay here any longer.

"Oh, by the way, I'll take good care of Class A during the deserted island exam, so don't worry." Kanda Shuichi smiled. "Anyway, it won't matter if you worry. You probably won't be able to participate, right?"

This man is so annoying! Sakayanagi Arisu gripped her cane tightly.

No one had ever been so calm in front of her, but ever since meeting this guy, Sakayanagi Arisu felt like she was always at a disadvantage. Sometimes, it even made her heart feel like it would give out from the frustration.

Wait, how did I forget about my heart condition?

Kanda-kun, let me try using your trick on you.

"That's true. My health isn't great. I've had a heart condition since I was young, so I'm forbidden from any intense physical activities."

Hearing this, Kanda Shuichi immediately stood up, picked up his plate, and turned to leave the room.

Damn it, your weakness is because of a heart condition?

Shit, good thing I didn't push him too hard earlier. If his heart condition flared up, I'd have ruined him for life!

Walking out of the private room, Kanda Shuichi felt a rush of panic, then decided he could never be alone with this person again. At least, not without surveillance.

Looking at Kanda Shuichi fleeing, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't hide her pleased smile. This was the first time she'd gained the upper hand in her encounters with Kanda Shuichi.

Although she only scared him off, Sakayanagi Arisu still felt this victory was effective.

It turns out, using my weakness as a weapon is a pretty effective strategy. Thanks for teaching me that.

After returning his plate, Kanda Shuichi began heading back to his class.

Walking, he took out his phone and found Ryuen's contact information.

There were several messages exchanged between them.

[So, have you confirmed it?]

[Of course, I've already asked upperclassmen. This school holds a deserted island survival exam every summer.]

That's right, the reason Kanda Shuichi was so sure about the deserted island exam was because of Ryuen's efforts over the past month.

To ensure Class A would fail the exam, Ryuen had been investigating the matter and shared the information with Kanda Shuichi.

Of course, this wasn't for free. One of the rewards was that, when necessary, B Class would be pulled into the attack against Class A.

Ryuen's reputation wasn't reliable in B Class, so this task had to be done by Class D, which had an alliance with them.

But Kanda Shuichi felt that Ryuen's plan wasn't limited to just that. He was probably considering other factors.

This guy had really put a lot of thought into his class, it's a shame C Class doesn't understand. Sometimes, working under Ryuen isn't a bad thing.

Now that I think about it, C Class and D Class are actually quite similar.

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