I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

Sakayanagi spoke so naturally, without showing any concern for the public opinion that would arise if Totsuka were seen in such a miserable state.

"I understand, Sakayanagi-san. Don't forget your promise."

"Don't worry. By the way, I believe Totsuka-san understands your current situation. I sincerely hope you can make the right choice; wavering back and forth could lead to big problems."

Sakayanagi's smile was so gentle, but Totsuka couldn't see even a trace of a smile in her eyes.

"Please rest assured, Sakayanagi-san."

"Okay, you can leave now."

"Then I'll take my leave."

The door was closed gently.

Kamuro was the first to burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.

"Hahahaha, Totsuka is such a big idiot. Does he really think his self-inflicted injury plot has succeeded? If Sakayanagi were defeated by such a scheme, I would have kicked him long ago..."

"One kick what?"

"N-nothing."

"It seems Masumi-san has a problem with me. I'd like to talk to you privately later. Everyone, I've seen through Ryuen's plan. The bait has been laid, and we can catch them all once they bite. In the meantime, I don't want any of you to expose the plan due to inappropriate words or actions, which would mean all that effort wasted and all that work was for nothing. I'll be angry if that happens, understand?"

"understand!"

……

November 30th.

All classes began submitting their own test questions. Since they had all been evaluated by their class advisors beforehand, the process went very smoothly. The only thing that needed to be done was to designate which class to attack.

Surprisingly, the designated attacking class, which was expected to be the most controversial, passed the test on its first try.

In this final exam, Class A will attack Class B, and Class B will attack Class A in return, thus forming a group.

The remaining classes, C and D, naturally form another group.

However, many people were puzzled as to why Class C would abandon Class B, which had a lower academic level, and instead attack Class D. Horikita did not offer much explanation for this, because she had already received the answers from Class D when they submitted their test papers together.

She has already passed this exam with flying colors.

What she cares about right now is whether Ryugen can defeat Sakayanagi. If a miracle really happens, Class C will probably have to wait until the second year to turn things around. But if Ryugen loses, Horikita can lead the class back to Class B before the end of the first year, which would symbolize the fruits of her hard work in the first year.

She didn't want to see a Horikita Suzune who had achieved nothing when she graduated from Horikita University.

The final exams began amidst this atmosphere of everyone having their own thoughts and concerns.

Of course, not now.

To ensure all candidates have sufficient time to prepare, there will be a three-day holiday before the exam.

To avoid making everyone complacent, Horikita did not plan to release the exam answers now, so everyone was still busy preparing for the exam.

Meanwhile, an uninvited guest arrived at the school.

"I really didn't expect him to act so quickly."

Ayanoko sighed expressionlessly, seemingly already mentally prepared for what was to come.

However, you could tell from his clenched fists that Ayanokouji's heart was probably not as calm as his face showed.

"It's not too late to back out now. Maybe if you leave with him, you'll become an even more outstanding genius in the future."

"Don't worry, even if he's my 'father' in name only, I won't waver."

Ayanokouji knew that Amane was testing whether he was firm in his stance, but for him, this was a choice with no way out.

He has been away from that place for far too long.

From a world that was only black and white when he left, to a dreamlike, colorful world now, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji knows better than anyone that everything is irreversible.

Ever since he witnessed the vastness of the sky, he has longed to fly.

He waited through countless cold and hot seasons to prepare for flight, and now he can finally spread his wings and soar.

How could one possibly break their own wings before even reaching their destination?

"Although I owe my ability to fly to him, I am ultimately not Italos."

Ayanokouji's clenched fists finally relaxed at this moment.

Two rows of well-dressed, muscular security personnel stood outside the tea room.

Chabashira Sae also stood respectfully outside the door.

"Can we meet him now?"

"Of course, the conversation can begin at any time, but the person specifically requested that Ayanokouji-san be the only one to go in for the meeting."

Tea Pillar Sae's words displeased Amane.

"Does he mean for me to wait at the door?"

"That's not the case. He simply requested to see Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."

Chabashira Sae also noticed that Amane's tone had become less friendly.

Chabazusa quickly lowered her attitude even further.

After all, she was just a teacher, and both sides were people she couldn't afford to offend. It was just an ordinary meeting, but now she was stuck in the middle and couldn't move.

Okay, I understand.

"It's so great that you understand, Miyako-kun."

Just as Chabashira thought Amane had chosen to compromise, a dark shadow flashed past her quickly, and Chabashira immediately knew that something bad was about to happen.

Sure enough, a loud bang was heard the next second.

boom!!

Amane kicked open the tea room door and swaggered inside, much to the astonishment of Ayanokouji and Chahashi.

"Oh dear, this door is of rather poor quality."

P.S.: I might have to take a day off tomorrow because there will be a water and power outage for the day, and things won't be back to normal until the morning of the 10th. I'll make up for the update later. Thank you all for your continued support!

Chapter 43: The landlady is actually the principal?!

Upon seeing Amane violently break down the door, the bodyguards instinctively stepped in front of her, surrounding Chabashira and Ayanokouji as well.

"Perhaps it would be easier if I came alone."

Ayanokouji was already regretting letting Amane come with him. If Amane had made a promise to him, he could have easily used her background to negotiate and end her delusions.

However, given the tense situation that Tianyin has created right from the start, it is foreseeable that the upcoming painting negotiations will undoubtedly be extremely difficult.

Just as the bodyguards were subduing Tianyin, who had violent tendencies, a woman's voice came from inside the room.

"Stop it, all of you! Have you forgotten what I told you before? This is Gaoyu. Without the chairman's permission, no outsiders are allowed to make a move here."

The other party's reprimand did not have an immediate effect, and the group hesitated before looking at the middle-aged man sitting at the very back.

"Step down."

Once they received permission, they returned to their original positions as if nothing had happened.

Tianyin happily made a gesture of success and walked into the tea room first. However, she was stunned and froze on the spot as soon as she entered the tea room by an acquaintance inside.

"Ms. Fujiwara? What are you doing here?"

Sitting not far from Ayanokouji Atsuomi was the bakery owner, Fujiwara Mayumi, but no matter how she tried to connect the dots, Amane couldn't reconcile the image of a bakery owner with someone like Ayanokouji Atsuomi, and her brain instantly went blank.

Seeing that Amane was somewhat dazed, Fujiwara raised his hand and greeted her with a smile.

"Xiaoyin, long time no see~ Eh? Does that sound a bit too informal? Let's start with a more formal greeting then."

"Miyako-san, I am Mayumi Fujiwara, a member of the school's board of directors and the newly appointed principal."

Board member? Principal?

"I remember... the previous principal was an old man."

Tianyin recalled the principal who only ever showed up when he was speaking, and was practically invisible the rest of the time. In Tianyin's eyes, the principal's status in the school was roughly equivalent to a rare monster...

After all, the normal operation of the school is managed by the student council, and the chairman of the board is responsible for handling major incidents. It's really hard to say exactly what the principal's job entails.

"Oh, you mean Mr. Matsuda... cough cough, Mr. Matsuda, he was supposed to retire next year, but thanks to someone, he was dismissed not long ago for poor management and chaotic administration. I believe you, Miyako-san, know the reason."

Faced with Fujiwara Mayumi's meaningful gaze, Amane immediately guessed that the poor old man Matsuda might have lost his job in his later years because of her causing trouble at the school...

He could only hope that his father would take care of him a little.

"Hey hey hey..."

Amane scratched her cheek awkwardly, and Fujiwara smiled gently at her. They had been together for almost a year and had naturally developed a certain understanding.

"Ahem, I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but shouldn't I be the main character in this meeting? Leaving me hanging while you talk to others as if no one else is there... You're probably the first principal I've ever met who dared to do that in front of me."

Ayanokouji Atsuomi's eyes narrowed slightly, and his arrogant yet threatening tone gave one the illusion of being stared at by a tiger.

However, Amane knew that Ayanokouji Atsuomi was nothing but a paper tiger at this moment.

"Really? I'm so lucky."

Fujiwara Mayumi didn't give Ayanokouji Atsuomi a friendly look at all. When she saw Miss Fujiwara, who should now be called Principal Fujiwara, she was surprisingly brave. Amane couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"It's not proper to make guests stand. Miyako-san, Ayanokouji-san, please take your seats."

Principal Fujiwara pointed to the cushion opposite Atsuomi Ayanokoji, indicating that the two should sit down.

At the same time, he gave Chazhu a look, and Chazhu nodded and gently closed the door to the tea room.

Amane took off her shoes, ran a few steps happily, grabbed a cushion, and sat down next to Principal Fujiwara, leaving only Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's cushion and Atsuomi Ayanokouji sitting face to face.

After everyone was seated, Ayanokouji Atsuomi looked at Amane thoughtfully and spoke first.

"I chose the tea room precisely to ease the tension. Had I known your personality had become so awful, I should have listened to Principal Fujiwara's advice and held the meeting in the reception room."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at Amane.

As the first confrontation in this meeting, if Amane can deliver a sharp rebuttal to Ayanokoji Atsuomi, it will significantly dampen his momentum.

"I think you should be grateful, Ayanokoji Atsuomi. I haven't forgotten your teachings even now."

"My church?"

"No matter what kind of negotiation it is, as long as you have the upper hand, you must take the initiative to steer the conversation and firmly control the entire negotiation." These are valuable pieces of experience, and I remember them perfectly well.

The silly grin on Tenon's face turned into an undeniably fake smile, and the reason why Ayanokouji Atsuomi could tell at a glance that Tenon was faking it was quite simple.

Tianyin didn't even bother to pretend in front of him. She had a bright smile on her face, but her overall facial expression and gaze were so cold that it gave people the feeling of being in a snowy wonderland.

"So that's how you interpret what I said? I meant by striking first with my mouth, not my feet. Oh well... Anyway, I didn't come here to see you. Of course, I'd be incredibly happy if you were willing to come back with me."

"You're joking. Hearing such unrealistic daytime talk is a bit of a bad omen for me."

puff.

Fujiwara Mayumi, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but chuckle softly.

With the most respectful tone and the gentlest smile, Amane said something that made Ayanokoji Atsuomi so angry he almost stood up.

"Hmph, I won't argue with a little girl. If you don't want to go back, that's fine too. But, Kiyotaka, shouldn't you keep your promise to me and go back to that place? Don't worry, I've already taken care of the withdrawal procedures. All you need to do is nod your head and we can leave now."

After being rebuffed by Amane, Ayanokouji Atsuomi immediately turned his attention to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, while also giving him some criticism.

'It's because Amane doesn't want to go back with him that he wants Ayanokouji Kiyotaka to go back with him.'

It must be said that if we disregard a person's character, then Ayanokoji Atsuomi's ability to rise from an ordinary countryman to a ruthless figure who once nearly reached the pinnacle of politics is undeniable.

Now it remains to be seen whether Kiyotaka Ayanokoji will accept the challenge.

Chapter 44: Strangling and Stuffing into Sacks

"An agreement? What agreement do we have between us?"

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's feigned ignorance infuriated Atsuomi Ayanokouji.

bump!

Ayanokoji Atsuomi slammed his hand heavily on the table.

"You still want to play dumb with me? Since you can't remember, I'll help you recall. When you were ten, you told me you planned to leave that place. I couldn't bear to see you trapped there forever, so I agreed. At that time, we signed an agreement: you, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, must return there whenever I need you. And I entrusted Hatano Sadatsugu to be your guardian. Now do you remember? If you do, come back with me. Don't waste your time here."

Amane glanced at Principal Fujiwara sitting next to her with a strange look.