In fact, after the information is refreshed, they always want to attack me!

Admittedly, the girl in front of me has a delicate face, but who knows how much scheming is hidden behind those seemingly innocent eyes?

He resolutely maintains a safe distance from such cunning characters, no matter how cute they may appear.

Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly chuckled, a serious look flashing in her eyes.

"I see...you're afraid of these things." Her voice softened slightly. "Don't worry, I would never use such despicable means as recording you to threaten you."

She looked directly into Akira Shimizu's eyes and said, word by word, "To use such methods against a worthy opponent is far too disrespectful."

Seeing her sincerity, Shimizu Akira nodded: "Since you've said so, I'll believe you this time."

"However—" Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly changed the subject, "So, it seems that the black-haired girl must be the innocent and carefree type? Is that why you were able to talk to her without any reservations?"

"Naive and innocent?" Shimizu Akira chuckled and shook his head. "She's not stupid at all, just sometimes a bit too stubborn."

Sakayanagi Arisu's smile deepened. "I understand~" she deliberately drawled, "Boys are all like that, they prefer to be with innocent and cute girls!"

Akira Shimizu shrugged. "I don't deny that. Now you should understand why I keep my distance from you."

Being with a girl who is too smart always feels like you have to be on guard against something, it's too exhausting.

Sakayanagi Arisu's thoughts suddenly split into two subtle threads. She realized the double meaning in Shimizu Akira's words—it was both an affirmation of her intelligence and a clear expression of his estrangement from her.

This realization complicated her feelings.

The corners of her lips unconsciously turned up slightly, but then she pursed them into a straight line the next second.

She certainly didn't have any special feelings for the boy in front of her, it's just...

It's like accidentally spotting a unique piece of jewelry in a boutique window.

The feeling of watching someone else buy it before you've even decided whether to buy it—a slight regret mixed with a touch of resentment.

In a sense, men and women have surprisingly similar criteria for choosing a partner—just as most women instinctively admire strong, outstanding, and wealthy men, men tend to prefer partners who are simple, cute, and have emotional value.

This realization made her unconsciously purse her lips.

If she didn't recognize Shimizu Akira's abilities, why would she have taken the initiative to propose that bet in the first place?

After all, there aren't many people who can meet her standards.

However, Arisu Sakayanagi's gaze was suddenly drawn to Masumi Kamuro, who was not far away.

The purple-haired girl was furtively reaching for the beer shelf in the convenience store.

"Shout it out now?" Shimizu Akira asked in a low voice.

"Don't rush..." Sakayanagi Arisu gently shook her head, her silvery-white hair swaying slightly with the movement.

"She even put her hand inside?"

"Shimizu-san," Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly turned her head, "please don't interfere with my judgment."

Akira Shimizu raised an eyebrow, then crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, observing this silent game with great interest.

几分钟后，坂柳有栖突然开口，声音清晰而笃定："神室真澄将会在10点29分30秒至10点30分30秒之间偷走那罐啤酒。"

Her tone wasn't one of speculation, but rather like she was stating a given fact.

The moment she finished speaking, Masumi Kamuro's fingers, as if by magic, stopped precisely on the can of beer.

Akira Shimizu noticed that Kamuro's fingers were trembling slightly, as if he was going through a fierce internal struggle.

"28 seconds...29 seconds..." Sakayanagi Arisu counted down softly, her voice filled with a confident ease.

Just as she counted to "30 seconds," Masumi Kamuro suddenly grabbed the beer and stuffed it into her school uniform jacket with lightning speed.

Sakayanagi Arisu turned around gracefully. "How about it? My reasoning was absolutely correct, wasn't it? ~" Her voice was filled with undisguised pleasure.

Unconsciously, Akira Shimizu reconfirmed the information that had surfaced in his mind:

[Information 1: (Today at 10:30 AM) After the entrance ceremony... Masumi Kamuro will "steal" a can of beer from the school convenience store.]

Every detail is perfect.

He looked at the petite, silver-haired girl before him, and a complex sense of admiration welled up inside him.

Not only did Sakayanagi Arisu perfectly predict the theft, but she even timed it down to the second.

"Brilliant!" Shimizu Akira applauded sincerely. "Sakayanagi-san, I must admit, you are the smartest girl I've ever met."

His gaze swept over the girl's delicate face, her striking silver hair, and her ever-present air of arrogance.

Although she always puts on a superior attitude towards ordinary people, she is surprisingly sincere towards those she approves of.

This contradictory quality makes her even more...charming.

Sakayanagi Arisu gently rested her chin on her slender fingers. "To receive such high praise from Shimizu-san is truly an honor."

Akira Shimizu calmly spread his hands. "But... I decided to give this can of beer to Kamuro-kun back at 9:55." He paused, his gaze calmly fixed on Kamuro. "So strictly speaking, this doesn't constitute theft. It seems Sakayanagi-kun misjudged this time."

"What?!" Sakayanagi Arisu's pupils contracted sharply, then she regained her composed smile: "Interesting... Can I see the evidence?"

Akira Shimizu calmly showed his phone screen.

It was a short LINE conversation:

[Today 9:55]

Akira Shimizu: Mr. Chabashira, could you please buy all the draft beer from the convenience store for me?

Chashiba Sae: Asking a teacher to buy alcohol for a minor? You'd better have a reasonable explanation.

Akira Shimizu: This is not for drinking. I just discovered a female student planning to steal something, and I hope you can buy it first and then put it back on the shelf temporarily.

Chabazusa: What's the reason for this being unnecessary?

Akira Shimizu: A bet with someone about whether a crime can be established.

Chabashira Sae: ...So, in other words, I, as an adult, legally bought the beer for you. Whether that girl's actions constitute theft is entirely up to your judgment?

Sakayanagi Arisu fell into a rare, brief silence.

"I see... You started implementing the whole plan at 9:55?" She suddenly chuckled, but her laughter carried a complex emotion.

Chapter 12: 012 Kamuro Masumi: He didn't report me, but gave me beer. Could it be...?

Before agreeing to the bet, Akira Shimizu did indeed have a long conversation on his phone.

Looking back now, it must have been when he was discussing this plan with his homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae.

Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly realized the perfection of this arrangement: the adult homeroom teacher legally purchased the beer, while ownership was indirectly transferred through Shimizu Akira.

This creates a sophisticated legal loop—whether theft is established depends entirely on the subjective determination of ownership.

"Truly... a flawless winning strategy." Her voice trembled with a hint of resentment, yet it was also mixed with undisguised admiration.

What is most admirable is not the plan itself, but that Shimizu Akira had already laid a trap before even agreeing to the bet—he was able to prepare a winning strategy the moment he issued the challenge.

The plan was so perfect that she felt inferior to it: firstly, given her proud personality, she would never have thought of asking her homeroom teacher for help; secondly, she was too focused on competing with Shimizu Akira, and neglected to examine the most basic rules.

"I concede." Sakayanagi Arisu raised her head, forcing a smile. "Let's add each other as friends. I'll transfer the 100,000 points to you right now."

"Okay." Shimizu Akira raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

He initially thought the other party would continue to press for details, but then he thought again—given Sakayanagi Arisu's intelligence, she probably already understood the whole scheme.

After exchanging contact information, the 100,000 points were immediately credited to their accounts.

"Earning 80,000 points on the first day of school, that feels pretty good." A pleased smile appeared on Shimizu Akira's lips.

After deducting the 10,000 yen delivery fee for Chashu Sae and the cost of beer, this was indeed a considerable income.

More importantly, he successfully made this proud silver-haired girl taste defeat.

But... I wonder if the other party will hold a grudge against me because of this?

Just as he was pondering to himself, he met Sakayanagi Arisu's complicated gaze.

His eyes held a mixture of confusion, resentment, and a hint of indescribable emotion.

"I simply cannot understand," her voice unusually trembled, "with your intelligence, how could you be assigned to Class D?"

"I didn't do very well during the interview," Shimizu Akira casually brushed off, naturally not mentioning the absurd truth about his time travel.

"...Just how badly did you perform?! You're down to Class D!...Wait, could it be that the interviewer didn't like you and gave you a low score?! Anyway, I'll investigate this matter thoroughly." Sakayanagi Arisu's voice instantly turned cold, but when she looked up at Shimizu Akira again, her face had regained its usual elegant smile: "Shimizu-kun, I won't lose next time."

"You're always welcome." Akira Shimizu shrugged easily. "Just make sure you have fun games and enough points." He naturally wouldn't refuse such "sponsorship" offered to him unsolicited.

However, the girl's earlier comment about "investigating thoroughly" caught his attention.

Why did they suddenly start using the school's tone?

Does Class A have some kind of special privilege?

Could it be that this seemingly frail young lady is actually the chairman's beloved daughter, or even his granddaughter?

If that's the case, doesn't that mean he offended the daughter of a high-ranking school official on the very first day of school?

......

On the other side, Masumi Kamuro pretended to be calm and blended into the student group.

The canned beer in the bag felt strangely heavy, as if it might burst through the thin fabric at any moment and be exposed to everyone's view.

(Was someone watching her just now?)

She glanced sideways, her eyes scanning behind her.

Several blurry figures moved among the shelves, no one stopped or paid any attention.

(Is this... an illusion?)

She let out a soft breath and unconsciously quickened her pace the moment she stepped out of the convenience store's automatic door.

The refreshing summer breeze filled my lungs, slightly easing the tension in my chest.

Feel the cold touch of the beer can inside the bag.

Kamuro Masumi's lips unconsciously curled up, and a strange sense of pleasure surged in her chest.

(Success again!)

She cheered silently in her heart, tasting a subtle sweetness on her tongue.

This was not the first time—it started on that sweltering afternoon in junior high school when she first stuffed an eraser from a stationery store into her uniform pocket; that thrill, the feeling of her heart almost leaping out of her throat, was deeply etched in her memory.

She had just taken a step when a strange male voice suddenly came from behind her—

"Kamuro-kun, wait a minute."

Her back suddenly tensed, and her blood seemed to freeze in that instant.

(Could it be... that we've been discovered?)

Turning around slowly, I saw a male student I didn't recognize.

"Is there something in your bag?"

His gaze drifted lightly to her shoulder bag.

Masumi Kamuro's throat tightened slightly, but her face remained expressionless. "...What are you saying? I don't understand."

The male student took a step forward. "Your technique was quite clean. It shouldn't be your first time, right? But why beer? Do you really like drinking?"

(...This guy! He even knows what I stole?!)

Her pupils suddenly contracted, and her heart involuntarily clenched.

This was the first time in her life that she had been exposed on the spot.

"Here you go... If you want to report it, do it now!" She suddenly pulled the can of beer out of her bag and handed it over almost defiantly.

The other person paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "...Wait, why are you handing over the evidence to me? Your surrender is a bit too hasty, isn't it?"

"Enough!" She turned her face away, the tips of her ears turning red with embarrassment and anger. "You saw the whole thing anyway, didn't you?!"

"Are you really a student in Class A?" The male classmate suddenly looked her up and down with a strange gaze. "Your on-the-spot reaction... it's like you're in my class."

Shinmuro Masumi's temples throbbed.

(How did he know my class? He even knows my name?!)

What annoyed her even more was his gaze—a look of astonishment tinged with a hint of disdain.

Is the other party criticizing her on-the-spot reaction?!

"What exactly do you want?! If you don't report this, I'm going to contact the school!" Her voice rose slightly, and the beer can was squeezed so tightly that it deformed slightly.