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

Kiryuin glanced at Sakayanagi; this person had clearly made himself clear.

Sakayanagi, standing to the side, simply smiled faintly and did not refute. If she were to prepare the tools for drawing lots, even under Kiryuin's nose, she would have countless ways to find the slip of paper she wanted.

"Can't I just go back to my own room to sleep?"

"No."

Sakayanagi and Kiryuin spoke in unison, a rare moment of perfect understanding. After looking around, Amane had no choice but to give up resisting and held the two slips of paper high.

When the paper strip was torn off, Kiryuin measured its length with a ruler, meaning that Amane couldn't have made a mark on the length of the strip. Moreover, Amane was holding the lower middle part of the strip, so even if there was a mark, it wouldn't be discernible because she was holding it so tightly.

This time, it's a truly fair game.

Based on the result of the rock-paper-scissors game, Kiryuin was the first to choose.

This kind of game, which relies entirely on luck and has no clue whatsoever, is something Kiryuin excels at. From childhood to adulthood, Kiryuin has always had pretty good luck. Although the probability is fair, based on his past performance, Kiryuin has a considerable advantage.

"I've chosen this one! I want it!!!"

Kiryuin pointed to the note in Tenon's left hand. The moment Tenon opened her palm, Kiryuin snatched the note away in a flash.

Then, excitedly, I opened it to find out—I hadn't won.

"Hahaha, as expected of me, I've already won this match, so there's no need for you to draw anymore."

After realizing he had failed, Kiryuin quickly hid his disappointment and put on a happy expression.

He even waved the note in his hand triumphantly, intending to bluff his way out and try his luck again.

This method is somewhat opportunistic and quite risky, but since she has already lost, she doesn't care about losing face anymore. Besides, if she's lucky... things might turn around.

In a two-person lottery game, if the first person to draw a ticket looks dejected, then the answer is undoubtedly revealed. However, if the first person to draw a ticket starts celebrating excitedly, most people will not draw the ticket that is destined to "not win".

However, her opponent was Sakayanagi.

"It's a real pity, but I have a bad habit of being stubborn. I won't give up until I see the result with my own eyes."

Sakayanagi keenly sensed that something was off with Kiryuin. Normally, if she had actually drawn the winning card, she would have shown off in front of him, but instead she was just mocking him a few times, as if she didn't want him to draw the remaining one.

Could it be... really possible? Is Maple actually playing mind games with her?

Sakayanagi slowly reached for the last note, while Kiryuin still wore a smug expression.

But his fingers unconsciously clenched the note tightly.

All of these subtle actions were observed by Sakayanagi.

A confident smile appeared on Sakayanagi's face. She had almost been fooled by Kaede, but luckily she had been careful.

Sakayanagi took the last note from Amane's hand, opened it in his palm, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"I almost got fooled by you, Maple."

Sakayanagi didn't say what was on her note, but it wasn't hard to guess from the expression on her face that Sakayanagi was the ultimate winner.

"Tch, you were just lucky this time. Hurry up and take this annoying guy away from me."

Kiryuin casually tossed the blank slip of paper onto the table and then pointed at Tenon.

"Huh? I didn't say anything."

"I don't care, I just can't stand you now that I've lost, so get out of here."

Guilongyuan grabbed Tenon and was about to throw her out the door, but Tenon, clinging tightly to the door, seemed unwilling to leave.

"May I say one more thing to you, Maple Flower?"

"Get to the point, I'm going to sleep."

"Merry Christmas, Maple Blossom!!!"

Chapter 109: For the Rest of My Life, Please Guide Me

"Merry Christmas, Maple Blossom!!!"

Tenon turned around and gave Kiryuin a big hug.

Sakayanagi glanced at Kiryuin, who was standing there in a daze, but didn't say much. She simply picked up her and Amane's clothes and went outside to wait. She knew that Amane and Kaede must have something to say.

Her presence here at this time would somewhat spoil the atmosphere, so it's best not to be a third wheel.

"Merry Christmas? Why me... No, I mean why are you telling me this... Aaaaaah!!! Are you not going to let me get a good night's sleep?!"

Enraged, Guilongyuan yanked Tianyin, who was clinging to him like an octopus, off his body.

At this moment, she didn't know what to say to Tianyin, and took a moment to check the time at Guilongyuan.

It's only just past midnight, which means... did Amane give her her first Christmas blessing of the year? But... both Sakayanagi and Horikita seem to be more deserving of this blessing than she is.

"Have you forgotten? Back in the Christmas season..."

“Every Christmas before, you would hold a stick and wait for Santa Claus and his reindeer. The first year we spent Christmas together, I fell for it.”

She gets angry whenever the topic of celebrating Christmas together comes up. She doesn't know who instilled this strange knowledge in Tianyin, but Tianyi believes that Santa Claus and reindeer are bosses that only spawn once a year, and that defeating them will allow her to loot lots and lots of spoils.

Tianyin, who believed it to be true, would hide by the door every Christmas after hanging up her stockings, carrying a baseball bat. The first time he celebrated Christmas with her, the two were not familiar with each other yet. He thought that giving Tianyin a gift would help to get closer to her, but he was knocked unconscious as soon as he opened the door.

When she woke up the next day, she found herself completely ransacked... In short, it was all some unbearable memories.

Later, when Amane went to some place for special training, she lost contact with Amane. She remembered that when they met again at the Sakayanagi family's house, it was Christmas Day.

She and Sakayanagi secretly delivered a gift to Amane while dressed as reindeer, but the idiot didn't recognize them at all. In the end, she was completely fooled by Sakayanagi and even believed that reindeer really existed in this world...

In short, when it comes to associating Tenon with Christmas, Kiryuin can hardly think of anything that would have a profound impact.

If I had to say something, it would probably be that jerk slapped her little tail while she was wearing a reindeer costume...

What kind of mischief is she planning to pull this Christmas?

"Those are all things of the past; people always need to move forward and adapt to the times."

Amane used her cuteness skill in an attempt to fool Kiryuin.

Fortunately, Guilongyuan didn't intend to dwell on those old matters with Tianyin under these circumstances, so he simply nodded.

But the next second she froze in shock.

Tianyin held up her phone in one hand and made a gesture like counting money with the other.

What are you doing?

"I already said Merry Christmas, Maple, you have to give me a Christmas present! If you don't give me a present, I'll play tricks on you!"

"But...isn't that Halloween?"

"They're all the same now~ Don't worry about the details!!! Plus, there's been a major technological overhaul this year, and it even supports electronic transfers w"

Kiryuin nodded.

"I see, so you were the first to celebrate with me because of the Christmas presents."

Guilongyuan smiled with relief, stepped forward and hugged Tianyin, and then... with a sudden burst of strength, threw Tianyin out the door, and finally slammed the door shut behind him.

The movements were executed flawlessly in one smooth motion.

"I always said you get what you pay for."

……

Amane, who had been kicked out of the house, was led back to her room by Sakayanagi.

Having learned from her previous experience, Sakayanagi wrapped Amane up in layers of blankets beforehand, making her look like a big flower roll, leaving only her little head sticking out.

"Arisu, what are you trying to do?"

Tianyin moved her body and found that she could hardly do anything except roll. The small bed provided by the school had two people sleeping in it, so rolling was practically out of the question. In other words, her mobility was completely sealed off.

"There's nothing I can do, Tianyin, you'll have to bear with it for now. It's your fault for being so restless in your sleep, always making so many little movements. I'm exhausted today and don't have time to play with you. Just listen to me and get some sleep for the night."

Sakayanagi affectionately patted Amane's exposed little head.

"What should I do if I need to go to the restroom?"

"You can wake me up, don't worry, I don't mind the trouble."

Sakayanagi immediately blocked all of Ten's escape routes, leaving Ten-in so angry that she could only puff out her cheeks and sulk in place.

Unwilling to be turned into a flower roll, Tianyin's small eyes darted around, trying to find a way to free herself. Before long, Tianyin's eyes lit up.

"What wicked idea have you come up with? Tell me."

Having known Amane for nearly ten years, how could Sakayanagi not know the meaning behind every expression of Amane's?

Tianyin's expression just now was the kind of smile she showed after she came up with some wicked idea.

"Ahem, I wasn't thinking of any bad ideas, it's just... sigh, it's been so long since I've held you in my arms while we slept, and this rare opportunity just... sigh..."

Sakayanagi remained completely unmoved by Amane's sighing and complaining.

"Don't give me that. You just want to do something sneaky, don't you? I suggest you just go to sleep."

Sakayanagi pinched Amane's cheek and then planned to turn off the light and go to sleep. Just as her fingers touched the switch for the bedside lamp, Sakayanagi glanced at Amane, who was staring at her with her big, watery eyes, and couldn't help but soften her heart. She untied the blanket covering Amane, and the next second she was pulled into a soft embrace.

"I knew Arisu was the best!!!"

"Stop being so cheeky and go to sleep. You still need to figure out how to meet Horikita tomorrow."

For a moment, the entire room fell silent.

Sakayanagi naturally knew that this was not the right time to mention Horikita's name.

Can……

She also knew that Amane couldn't completely sever her feelings for Horikita now.

So rather than letting her be the bad guy, it would be better to take the initiative to help Amane ease her relationship with Horikita Suzune.

As long as Horikita is around, those girls in Class B who have their eyes on Amane will never be able to gain any advantage over her.

Having confirmed that Horikita was no match for her, Sakayanagi decided that she could keep Horikita around to prevent more people from interfering, and then, on the day of the real showdown, she could simply give Horikita a dignified ending.

"Arisu...aren't you angry?"

Tianyin asked with some concern.

In her mind, Sakayanagi was actually a very possessive girl. She had long known that Sakayanagi and Kiryuin didn't have a good relationship in private. It was only because of her that Kiryuin was allowed to get a share of the pie.

But Horikita... is probably a bigger threat to Arisu than Kaede. Can she really be indifferent to that?

No, that's simply impossible.

"Angry? Of course I'm angry. Why should I share my most precious possession with others? But that's just how reality is. The more precious and beloved something is, the more competitors it attracts. It's always been like this. So, I can only defeat those who dare to compete with me one by one and tell them that you are my treasure alone... How about that? Isn't that a cool line?"

Sakayanagi revealed a beautiful smile, and Amane subconsciously took a small sip.

"so bitter……"

"..."

Sakayanagi sighed inwardly. There were some things she didn't want Amane to know. No matter how smart Amane was, she could only analyze things that existed within her own understanding.

There's absolutely no need for Tianyin to know about things like romantic scheming; she just needs to live her life innocently and happily as she is now.

"Alright, you've hugged and kissed me, now it's time for a good night's sleep, right?"

"Mmm~ Goodnight, Arisu~"

"Good night."

After saying goodnight, Tianyin became much more well-behaved, and soon her even breathing could be heard.

However, Sakayanagi knew that Amane liked to pretend to be asleep and then take advantage of others, so Sakayanagi pretended to be asleep for a while, and when he saw that Amane did not react, he opened his eyes again.

Sure enough, it looks like I won't be able to fall asleep tonight.

It wasn't that Sakayanagi wasn't sleepy, but rather that her mind was too chaotic. As soon as she closed her eyes, her brain would start racing, and scenes from the day would play out before her eyes continuously.

Whether it was Karuizawa's confession letter or Horikita Suzune's unspoken affection, both made Sakayanagi feel a serious sense of crisis.

In particular, she had never seen Amane cry for Horikita before. Although Amane's emotions were the kind that came and went quickly, how could she be so sad as to shed tears if her feelings for Horikita hadn't reached that point?

Why did she develop such a deep relationship with Horikita in such a short time? Even her feelings for me weren't this deep, were they? I don't even know if Amane would cry if it were me in her shoes.

Horikita Suzune, what makes her think she can get ahead of me?

"Tianyin, are you asleep?"

Sakayanagi tentatively asked in a low voice in Amane's ear.