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

This is what is known as being blinded by one's own involvement.

"Don't want to cause him trouble? Your appearance is the source of all our trouble! If it weren't for you, we should be playing together in the shopping mall right now, instead of arguing with you, you shameless guy!"

"Even if I can understand your feelings, don't you think what you said was a bit too harsh, Sato-senpai? What do you mean by shameless? You're the one who's truly shameless, aren't you? You confessed to Miyako-senpai before you confessed to Kiyotaka, and only chose Kiyotaka after your confession failed, right? You're just using Kiyotaka as a backup plan, so what right do you have to call me shameless?"

"How...how did you know about this? Did Miyako tell you? No, there's no benefit for her in telling you something like this. Who exactly are you?"

Sato hadn't really paid much attention to this first-year girl. Due to the distance, he hadn't heard Yuki and Ayanokouji's conversation clearly, and naturally didn't know Yuki's identity. Otherwise, he would have been quite surprised that Yuki had so readily revealed that she had confessed to Amane.

Since only she and Tianyin were present at the time, it was quite bizarre that Xue knew about this.

"Sato-senpai, so you're admitting it, right?"

Xue gave a cold laugh.

Ayanokouji also looked at Sato; it was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing.

No wonder Amane chose to have Ayanokouji support Sato and Horikita from behind the scenes in order to help Horikita grow.

However, he was not worried at all that the partnership between Sato and Ayanokouji would become too powerful to handle. In other words, Ayanokouji couldn't even tell whether Sato was Amane's spy planted next to him.

"So what if I confessed to Miyako? I've never considered Kiyotaka as a backup option..."

"Isn't it okay to say whatever you want about this kind of thing?"

"you……"

Sato was furious and wanted to continue arguing with Yuki, but Ayanoji stopped him again, this time with a very firm attitude.

"Maya, come back with me first."

"Kiyotaka, you don't actually believe that guy, do you? We got to know each other before we started dating, didn't we? You should know I'm not that kind of person."

Sato's assertiveness finally vanished completely under Ayanokouji's indifference.

She was clearly the one who was hurt, so why did things turn out this way?

Sato couldn't understand why Ayanokouji was unwilling to say even a single word in her defense. Was that girl named Yuki really that important to Ayanokouji?

Sato felt like a clown, performing one laughable act after another on stage without knowing who he was performing for.

"Wait a minute. I have no objection to Kiyotaka taking Sato-senpai away, but could you please make her apologize for what she said about me earlier? I feel very uncomfortable with that kind of evaluation."

Xue's request wouldn't be considered excessive under normal circumstances, but given that she's interfering with other people's normal lives, and yet she still says such things, Sato's accusation is quite apt.

However, Xue doesn't care about saving face; that's the philosophy she's been taught since childhood.

As long as the goal is achieved, it doesn't matter if I'm criticized or insulted.

The reason Yuki asked Sato to apologize wasn't because Sato's words hurt her or anything; it was just that he called her shameless. This level of sarcasm didn't bother Yuki.

However, this apology also had another meaning: to bring what she considered a perfect outcome to this conflict.

If Sato apologizes to her, it means that Sato has lost this opportunity, which was the one in which he had the greatest advantage, to win over Ayanokoji.

Yuki could completely disregard Sato's status and maintain a close relationship with Ayanokouji. She wasn't in a hurry to start a relationship, as she had plenty of time.

Sato didn't have much time left to waste with her.

"Could I apologize on your behalf?"

Ayanokouji knew that it was almost impossible to get Sato to apologize at this point, so he proposed a compromise that he would apologize on Sato's behalf.

But it's clear that Yuki won't let Sato off easily.

"Kiyotaka, you are so gentle. But I wasn't saying anything bad about me. I won't accept an apology on someone else's behalf. If a person doesn't even have the courage to take responsibility for what they say, I don't think such a person has the right to point fingers at others."

Faced with Yuki taking the initiative, Sato gritted her teeth. She knew all too well what an apology would mean to her. But what could she do alone when Ayanokouji didn't choose to stand by her side?

If she apologizes, it means she has lost the fight. If she doesn't apologize, the other party can say she ran away in defeat, and others' opinions of her will change. Most importantly, if Xue brings up the old matter again when they meet next time, she can't possibly run away again.

and so……

She was left with only one choice.

That is……

"Hey, it's really lively here. What? Is the conversation still going on?"

The moment Tianyin appeared, Xue's pupils widened to their limit. The figure that seemed like a demon to her was slowly walking towards her.

Whether in the White House or lying in a hospital bed, even in Gao Yu, she would often have nightmares about that day.

Full of confidence, he was beaten to the point of losing control of his bladder by Tianyin in just one round. If the instructor hadn't stopped Tianyin in time, he might have been killed by Tianyin with her electric baton.

In the blink of an eye, she almost paid for it with her life, something she will never forget.

"Tianyin, what's wrong with you..."

What are you doing here?!

Ayanokouji's words were rudely interrupted by Yuki's roar.

With her eyes bloodshot and her expression becoming somewhat manic, Yuki subconsciously took a few steps back, only to fall to the ground. Ignoring the astonished looks from Ayanokouji and Sato, she crawled on her hands and feet for more than ten meters before daring to look back at Amane.

"What are you doing? Do all freshmen these days have this weird fetish?"

Tianyin looked at Xue with a puzzled expression, as if she had seen a ghost.

Even Kanzaki, who had been subdued by her, wouldn't act like this when he saw her.

Did I really do something wrong to her back then?

"No! Don't come any closer! Stay there! Just stand there and talk! Don't come near me!!"

Xue's hysterical shouts caught the attention of the track and field club members who were training in the distance.

"Is this how you talk to your seniors?"

"..."

"Stand up right now!"

Amane gave the order in a commanding tone, and Yuki almost reflexively got up from the ground. Then, looking at Ayanokouji and Sato with their strange expressions, Yuki felt something churning in her stomach.

Her performance was so terrible that it ruined all the atmosphere she had worked so hard to create. Before entering this school, she knew that Amane was studying here, and she would often take out her hand to look at Amane's picture on OAA, trying to overcome her fear of Amane in this way.

But all her efforts vanished the moment she met Tianyin.

Those tragic memories are something that cannot be overcome simply by effort.

"Now you can speak to me like a junior, right?"

Tenon was baffled by Xue's behavior, but that didn't stop her from putting pressure on Xue.

In front of Tianyin, you must either become friends with her or be her enemy. You must not be afraid, and you must never show fear in front of Tianyin.

Tianyin will ruthlessly tear apart the other party's psychological defenses.

"Miyako... Miyako-senpai, I am Iwasaki Eri from Class B, first year. Please, please take care of me from now on."

Tianyin seized upon a loophole in Xue's etiquette and forced Xue to bow to her, thus depriving Xue of all her say.

Furthermore, his status changed to that of a junior, and there were certain things that a junior was not qualified to say, which allowed Sato to successfully escape a predicament.

"Yes, as your senior, I will give you more guidance on your shortcomings when I have time in the future."

Tenon's words nearly made Xue's facial expression go out of control. The expression of wanting to refuse but not daring to change back and forth on her face, which looked quite interesting. However, Xue herself did not seem to notice this situation.

"By the way, you haven't answered my question yet. Has your chat ended? I need to talk to Ayanokouji about something. If it's not over yet, I can wait."

Yuki glanced helplessly at Sato. She had just had such a good opportunity, and it was almost successful, but Miyako ruined it so easily. She didn't believe that Miyako had just happened to be there; it was just that she had miscalculated.

It's no longer realistic to force Sato to apologize with a strong attitude. So far, the initial plan has been half successful. Although it failed to eliminate Sato in one fell swoop, it has made Ayanokouji start to waver, which can be considered as achieving her goal.

There's little point in continuing this entanglement. Before Miyako shows any malice, it's best to stop now and preserve the results we've achieved.

"My conversation with Kiyotaka has just ended. Please make yourself at home, Miyako-senpai."

After speaking, Xue bowed slightly to Amane and Ayanokouji, then quickly turned and left, as if afraid that Amane would cause her more trouble.

"Well, I guess this solves the problem for now?"

Amane breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Yuki leave so tactfully. If Yuki had persisted in pestering Ayanokouji while he was wavering, it would have been difficult to handle.

After all, this is somewhat of a private matter for them.

"At least we've had some time to catch our breath. That guy, Atsuomi Ayanokouji, is probably about to make his move... You knew about this all along, didn't you?"

Ayanokouji's expression remained unchanged even after he noticed the reason halfway through his sentence. Then, recalling Amasawa's confession, he immediately understood that Amane had already sensed Ayanokouji Atsuomi's actions through Amasawa.

However, Ayanokouji did not intend to blame Amane for not reminding him. Their relationship was now just that of classmates, and Amane no longer had an obligation to protect him, so there was no need for her to share information with him.

"Hey, is this the time to discuss this? Are you sure you don't have something more important to deal with?"

Amane gestured with her chin towards Sato.

While Amane and Ayanokouji were talking, Sato broke free from Ayanokouji and walked alone towards the dormitory building.

Amane originally thought that Ayanokouji would exchange a few polite words with her and then turn around to chase after Sato, but to Amane's surprise, Ayanokouji was actually talking to her about Ayanokouji Atsuomi.

Amane felt extremely unlucky just hearing the name Ayanokoji Atsuomi.

"I'll go talk to Maya about it later."

Ayanokouji's calm demeanor made Amane give him a thumbs up.

"You're really brave. Even in this situation, you can still be so calm. Take my advice: go back and apologize to Sato right now. Especially, as soon as you walk in, do a dogeza (a deep bow) and then hug her and start crying. Maybe Sato will forgive you!"

Ayanokouji tried to imagine the scene Amane described, but found that he couldn't imagine what it would be like to cry no matter what.

"Why does this sound like something you've said based on your own experience?"

"H-How could that be! I would never do something so shameful. But... come to think of it, what are you thinking? Are you planning to agree to that Iwasaki Eri's request?"

What Amane cares about most is Ayanokouji's attitude. If Ayanokouji really intends to believe Yuki and abandon Sato, Amane should prepare early. Otherwise, if a breakup rumor suddenly spreads in the class, someone will definitely come to her to stand up for Sato and label Ayanokouji as a scumbag. What Amane least wants to see right now is problems within the class.

"Not yet, but the conditions she offered are that I can profit from it, so I can't rule out the possibility of agreeing to her offer."

Ayanokouji's behavior of constantly talking about personal gain made Amane raise an eyebrow.

"What about Sato?"

“I have learned enough useful things from her. She is no longer of any value to me. In order to maximize my interests while also making her life better, I think agreeing to Xue’s arrangements is the best choice.”

Snapped!

A loud slap suddenly rang out.

"Oops, sorry, my hand slipped."

Chapter 40: The White Cage

Even though Ayanokouji was suddenly slapped across the face by Amane, his expression didn't change much. If there was any change, it was that Ayanokouji was a little confused by Amane's abrupt behavior.

"What? Amane, you can't accept this kind of thing either? Or did you feel sorry for Maya, who is also a girl, when she was about to be abandoned after losing her usefulness?"

Ayanokouji was puzzled by Amane's violent behavior. He did not think he had done anything wrong, especially since Amane's actions were completely contrary to her previous stance. Therefore, Ayanokouji could not understand why Amane would reject his approach.

He remembered that Amane's initial plan was to make Sato a whetstone on Horikita's path to growth, and after helping Horikita grow, this whetstone would lose its original value.

As for items without value, Tianyin believes that the only way to deal with them is to discard them. After all, people are not commodities. If they were commodities, they might be able to be reused, but people are not worth mentioning.

Amane had even devised a scenario before the plan was executed that would allow Sato to be expelled from school with the utmost dignity.

However, Ayanokouji had only been dating Sato for a short time at that time. Out of some selfish motive, he asked Amane to keep Sato. In return, Ayanokouji would have to bear the responsibility for all the problems caused by Sato.

After Ayanokouji agreed to the request, Amane also gave up on expelling Sato from school and handed Sato over to Ayanokouji to deal with.

The incident now seems like it happened just yesterday, but interestingly, the two people's stances at the scene have changed dramatically since then.

Now that Ayanokouji has determined that Sato has lost all his usefulness, he plans to abandon Sato in order to gain greater benefits for himself while also helping Sato improve his living conditions.

Tianyin, angered by his decision, slapped him.

Sometimes, it's just that humans are a species that's truly incomprehensible.

Ayanokouji felt it was essential to get an answer from Amane about why her stance had changed so drastically.

"I have no right to criticize your behavior. After all, I am the same kind of person. Compared to vague concepts like morality, trust, and friendship, I prefer to believe in interests. Only by establishing a relationship based on mutual interests can we build the relationship we want on that foundation."

"Why did you... that day, Yin..."

Before Ayanokouji could finish speaking, Amane waved her hand to interrupt him.

"I don't object to your decision, but what I didn't expect is that you're now making excuses for your actions? If you want the protection of the Iwasaki family, just say so. Why use excuses like Sato losing his value to fob people off? You can fool yourself if you're bored, but using it to fob off others makes you look down on everyone's intelligence, doesn't it? If we're really talking about it, do you really understand what Sato's value is?"

Amane's questioning made Ayanokouji fall into deep thought. To him, Sato was like a textbook on women. Through his relationship with Sato, Ayanokouji could observe and improve his understanding of women from an outsider's perspective, including information on women's ways of thinking, behavior, psychological state, and so on. These were things he could not learn at the White House.