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

however!

From Asahina's perspective, the problem is quite significant.

Firstly, when Amane was reminiscing, her gaze was fixed on Asahina, after Asahina asked Amane if she was confessing to her.

Tianyin first gripped the hem of her skirt tightly (Tianyin was pinching her leg) as if she was struggling, then suddenly burst into tears, and finally even gave her an incredibly gentle smile.

Asahina was certain that she had never seen Amane smile like that at anyone.

In other words... this is a previously unknown side of her that was revealed only to her.

Before Asahina could say anything, Amane directly revealed that she was just joking and told Asahina to forget about it.

In fact, it wouldn't be a problem for the two of them to make some jokes during a normal conversation. However, the problem was that Amane's previous behavior was interpreted as a confession, so Asahina took a different meaning from Amane's last words.

It's like a girl who confesses her feelings but doesn't get a response, and in order to maintain a friendship, she pretends to be serious and says something like, "I was just joking, don't take it to heart."

Coupled with the visually striking image of Tianyin simultaneously displaying both tears and smiles, the combination confirms that Tianyin's previous performance was indeed a confession.

Asahina Nazuna's failure to accept Amane's confession or her apparent concern about the outcome caused Amane to break down and run away.

This is what just happened in Asahina's eyes.

At first, Asahina doubted whether she was overthinking things, but when she saw Amane secretly wiping away tears as soon as she left the school building, she became even more certain that her previous guess was correct.

Then many things can be connected.

It was no secret that Amane and Sakayanagi were close, but Asahina had never heard of them doing such a thing.

Furthermore, Asahina didn't think Sakayanagi would like girls, because Sakayanagi was usually very enthusiastic about talking to others about love, and Asahina didn't think Sakayanagi had any inclination to like girls.

Why would she allow Amane to do such a thing with her? Asahina judged that it definitely wasn't Sakayanagi's request; she found it hard to imagine a girl like Sakayanagi asking someone else to do that with her...

She simply couldn't imagine that scene, so there was only one conclusion left!

If Amane took the initiative to do this with Sakayanagi, what was her purpose?

'I know this isn't right, but... it's all because of you!!!'

'I did this for you, for Nagisa-senpai... Even now, don't you understand my feelings?'

Tenon's words echoed in Asahina's ears.

In an instant, Asahina understood everything.

Asahina immediately covered her mouth, afraid that she would make a sobbing sound and attract other people's attention.

In Asahina's eyes, the whole story became that Asahina chose to take revenge on Amane in order to avenge Nagumo, which resulted in Amane unexpectedly falling in love with Asahina. In order to get closer to Asahina, Amane tried to join the student council to get closer to the two of them, but it was almost impossible for Amane, who had been expelled from the student council once, to rejoin it.

So Amane went so far as to push away her former friend Sakayanagi and try to use Sakayanagi, who would become the student council president in the future, to rejoin the student council and get to Asahina's side.

But Asahina stumbled upon all of this.

After being discovered by Asahina, Amane tried to cover it up, but Asahina insisted on getting to the bottom of it. Caught in a dilemma, Amane had no choice but to admit it. Perhaps because Asahina's attitude was so bad at the time, Amane judged that she might be abandoned by Asahina. So, Amane took a gamble and chose to confess at the most inopportune time.

As a result, she was heartbroken by Asahina's cold and perfunctory attitude and could only run away in despair.

It sounds incredibly absurd, but what's terrifying about this is that the logic is flawless, so the naive Asahina believed her own judgment.

"How could this happen... I'm not such a heartless person, why, why couldn't I have realized Amane's feelings sooner... Does this count as rejecting her confession? Amane must be very sad, right?"

Asahina thought that it was because of her revenge that Amane fell in love with her, and that she had ruthlessly rejected Amane, who had paid the price of her body and reputation to come to her side.

Although Asahina's actions cannot be said to be wrong, and he may not even be held responsible.

But Asahina took all the blame upon herself.

"I knew I couldn't bear the pain of Nagumo being expelled, which is why I sought revenge on Amane-kun, but... now I've done something that causes pain to others too. Asahina Nazuna, didn't you say you wouldn't let anyone shed tears for you? Then why didn't you just now..."

Asahina collapsed to the ground, hugging her knees weakly, and buried her head in her arms, sobbing softly.

Sakayanagi, sitting in his office reviewing the surveillance footage, was filled with questions.

The surveillance footage was silent, so even though Sakayanagi was a genius-level monster, he couldn't understand why things had turned out this way.

Why did Asahina suddenly sit alone at her door and start crying? Amane seemed to have cried too.

What exactly happened?

Sakayanagi decided that after Asahina left, she would find Amane and ask her what they had talked about that could make a girl cry.

But what Sakayanagi didn't know was that even if she tortured Amane severely, she still couldn't explain why Asahina had become like this.

……

As usual, Kanzaki was resting with his eyes closed after lunch. He wasn't used to taking a nap at his desk, but going back and forth to the dormitory was a hassle, so he had to settle for closing his eyes at noon to relieve his drowsiness.

After all, school ends at around 3 p.m., so it's not too difficult to get through that time after a short rest.

"Kanzaki-kun, Miyako wants to see you about something."

Upon hearing Hime's voice, Kanzaki opened his eyes in displeasure. He hated being disturbed at this time, but since it was Amane who had come, he had no choice but to go and see her.

Furthermore, the thought that the other party's sudden visit might be related to the special exam made Kanzaki even less willing to see Amane; he lacked the confidence to contend with Amane.

"Kansaki, hurry up and come here! My lunch is going to be eaten if you don't come soon!!"

Hime, who was known for her demeanor and aloofness in Class D, was now filled with anxiety.

Seeing Hime's urging, Kanzaki couldn't pretend not to hear anymore. When Kanzaki arrived at the classroom door, he was immediately stunned by the scene in front of him.

Tianyin was chewing something vigorously, with black sesame seeds or something similar still stuck at the corners of her mouth.

Himeko, standing to the side, looked at her empty bento box with resentment, a few tears of regret welling up in her eyes.

"I didn't expect you to be such a good cook, Hime-chan! The tamagoyaki and takoyaki are delicious!"

Just as Amane arrived at the floor where Class D was located, she saw Himeko hiding in the stairwell eating her lunch alone.

Amane greeted Himeko and explained her purpose. Since she wasn't closely related to Himeko, Himeko didn't say much and told Amane that Kanzaki was in the classroom.

During this time, Himeno noticed that Amane's eyes were constantly looking at her bento. Out of kindness... actually, it was just a polite gesture. Himeno invited Amane to try her bento.

It was obvious that the person hadn't had lunch yet, and any normal person with common sense wouldn't accept such an invitation. So, Hime was just making small talk to go through the motions.

Unexpectedly, Tianyin turned out to be a guy who lacked common sense.

Accompanied by a shout of "Yay! Then I won't be polite!"

Amane began her attack on Hime's bento box.

Kanzaki lingered in his seat for a while, and Amane almost completely devoured Himeno's bento box.

Himeya was truly on the verge of tears.

Kanzaki's eyes darted back and forth between Amane and Himeno, and he probably guessed most of what had happened.

The thought that so many of Hime's bento boxes were eaten up by Amane was partly due to his dawdling, made Kanzaki cough awkwardly a few times, trying to distract the two of them from this topic.

"Kanzaki!! You owe me a refund for my bento! If you had come a little earlier, none of this would have happened... none of this would have happened..."

Himeko looked at her empty lunchbox and complained angrily to Kanzaki.

"The culprit is over there, so it's a bit far-fetched for you to come to me for compensation, isn't it?"

Admittedly, Kanzaki is right. Even if the fact that many of Himeno's bento boxes were eaten is indirectly related to Kanzaki, the real culprit is Amane.

But it was Himeko herself who invited Amane to taste it, so she really had no way to explain herself.

"Hmph, you're all bad guys."

After saying that, Ji Ye angrily picked up the lunchbox and left.

All that was left was a bewildered Amane and a speechless Kanzaki.

"Tell me, what brings you here? Don't tell me you came here just to mooch off Himeno-san's lunch."

"How could that be? I only had a small taste because Hime-san was so kind to me. I came to find you about the special exam."

Chapter Ten: Ten Thousand Clues

'Just as I expected, Miyako came because of the special exam.'

Kanzaki guessed Amane's purpose for coming, but he wasn't interested in Amane's auction plan.

The reason is that although Class D is still struggling to make ends meet, its overall academic ability is slightly higher than that of Class A. Perhaps Class D has fewer students with top-level academic abilities, such as those with A-level academic ability, but Class D, whose students are almost all at the B to C level, undoubtedly has a higher overall academic ability than Class A.

Furthermore, academic ability is something that cannot be caught up in a short period of time, no matter how hard you try. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect Class A to significantly improve its overall academic ability in a short period of time and pass this special exam.

Given the overall academic level of Class D, there was absolutely no pressure to drop out in this special exam, and they didn't even have to worry about finding partners, a situation that is truly enviable.

However, this means that Class D no longer needs to team up with Class A to deal with this special exam.

"To be honest, I have no idea what benefits Class D can gain from participating in this auction. Instead of discussing cooperation with us, you should ask Class C first. I believe they might be more interested in your auction."

Kanzaki didn't want to antagonize Class A, who was at the height of their power, at this time, but as the class leader, he had to consider the overall interests of the class. There was no need to participate in something that offered no benefit whatsoever. Even if he participated in the auction to give Amane face, it was hard to say whether Amane would care about this favor.

Therefore, Kanzaki's answer was that Class D refused to participate in the auction.

"I put Class C last because they were easier to persuade. I had already successfully persuaded Class B to participate in this auction before I came here. If I bring Class C in later, then three classes from the second year will be participating in this auction..."

Amane didn't explicitly state anything, but Kanzaki clearly realized something, and his expression turned extremely grim.

"Miyako, are you trying to coerce Class D into joining?"

There are four classes in the second grade, and three of them are almost certain to participate in the auction to exchange resources with the first grade. It may seem that they have no direct connection with Class D, but it would be a big mistake to think that way.

First-year and second-year students who want to get to know each other will certainly not let individuals in the class find partners on their own. In most cases, they will communicate and form partnerships as a class.

However, this situation occurs in a one-on-one scenario.

For example, first grade A class versus second grade A class.

However, Tianyin and her classmates' auction directly broke this rule. By using the auction, the three second-year classes could freely choose suitable partners from the four first-year classes.

So when the auction ends, besides the leftovers and oddballs, Kanzaki can't imagine what the other three classes will leave for Class D.

In addition, there is an even more fatal problem: it would be impossible for Kanzaki to bypass Amane and the others' auction and communicate with the first-year students individually.

The academic level of Class D in the second grade is very average, which means that the only classes that can be paired with Class D in the second grade are Class B or Class A in the first grade.

Otherwise, if Class D of Grade 2 were to be paired with Class C or Class D of Grade 1, but Class D of Grade 2 couldn't produce many students with A-level academic ability to ensure that all the Grade 1 students passed the exam, why would they be willing to be paired with you for a one-on-one class pairing?

But would first-graders really take second-grade Class D seriously?

Kanzaki realized the crisis.

Tianyin's move, seemingly a strategy devised to deal with failing students, is actually no different from all the second-year students asserting their dominance over Class A. Following Tianyin means you'll get meat to eat, while not following Tianyin means you won't even get a bone, let alone meat soup. Tianyin doesn't intend to give even a bone to disobedient classes.

What left Kanzaki speechless was that this was a completely open conspiracy. The three classes joined forces to hold an auction. If you didn't participate, we would pick all the students we needed and give you the rest of the trash. If you participated, not only would you not get any benefits, but you would also have to follow our arrangements.

Kanzaki found this blatant scheme, which was fundamentally unsolvable, utterly disgusting, yet he had neither the reason nor the means to refuse it.

Their D class's academic ability is definitely not a problem for this special exam, but they cannot guarantee that their partners will be just as capable.

To get a good partner, they must follow Amane's arrangements. Otherwise, even if they do well on the exam, they might be dragged down by a large number of others. After all, there are a certain number of students in Class D with C-level academic ability, and Kanzaki cannot guarantee that nothing unexpected will happen.

"Coercion? Don't put it so harshly. Isn't this a win-win situation for us?"

Even when Kanzaki exposed her on the spot, Amane was not angry at all; instead, she still had that harmless smile on her face.

Mutually beneficial and win-win? All I see is coercion.

Kanzaki was very dissatisfied with Amane's actions of acting first and then informing, and coercing Class D to cooperate. However, given that he was not as strong as the others and could not think of a way to break the deadlock, he could only succumb to the threat.

"Hmph, our Class D will be there on time."

"This is really good news for us! I'll go talk to Ryuen then~ See you at the gymnasium, Kanzaki-kun~"

Amane waved happily to Kanzaki and jogged down the stairs toward Class C's classroom. The school's floor arrangement was rather strange; Class B and Class D were on the same floor, and Class A and Class C were on the same floor, all located at opposite ends of the corridor, which looked somewhat incongruous.

The class layout for first graders was even more incongruous, with four classes on one floor. While this would be normal in other schools, it was still a significant change compared to when Tianyin and her classmates were there.

Amane randomly grabbed a 'tongue' in Class C... cough cough, I mean Ishizaki-kun, and after finding out that Ryuen was eating alone on the rooftop, Amane rushed towards the rooftop and happened to run into Ryuen who was about to go downstairs.

"Oh, what a coincidence! Look who's here? Isn't this the esteemed student from Class 2-A?"

"It's quite a coincidence. A year ago, Longyuan, you were a student in Class C, right? How come you're still in Class C after a year?"

The two began testing each other as soon as they met. Since Longyuan changed his strategy, Tianyin had not fought against him for several months. She was quite curious whether Longyuan had changed at all.

Sure enough, after hearing Tianyin's retort, Longyuan's face quickly darkened, but he showed no intention of getting angry.

"You really dare to say that, don't you? Aren't you afraid I'll reject everything you're about to say?"

As Long Yuan spoke, he reached out to touch Tian Yin's face, but the moment Long Yuan's hand was outstretched, Tian Yin nimbly jumped back to dodge it. Long Yuan could only shrug and pretend that nothing had happened.

"Hey? Ryuen-kun, aren't you being a little too narcissistic? I didn't say I wanted to talk to you about anything."