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

Not to mention that during their relationship, Ayanokouji could also learn about feelings called "like" or "love" from Sato.

It can be said that dating Sato was definitely the right thing for Ayanokouji, from which he benefited greatly.

However... when it comes to Sato's most important value, Ayanokouji couldn't answer at all, because when examining the girl named Sato Maya from Ayanokouji's perspective, he could hardly find any decent merits in her.

Although Sato may be better than Horikita in some things, this does not mean that Sato is better than Horikita.

Whether it's learning ability or physical ability, Sato hovers around the passing grade of a normal person. In addition, whether it's social skills or mental level, Ayanokouji thinks he's just an ordinary person.

If Ayanokouji were to rate Sato, Sato would probably only get around 45 out of 100.

This was already the limit of Sato's abilities, so when Amane brought up this topic, Ayanokouji was unable to give his own answer. But if a boyfriend can't even say what the greatest value of his partner is, isn't it obvious that he, as the lover, has more of a problem?

"I don't know the answer to this question, so could you please tell me, Tianyin, what do you think is the greatest value of Maya?"

Ayanokouji tried to get different perspectives from Amane on how others viewed Sato.

However, after hearing Ayanokouji's reply, Amane knew that Ayanokouji had not understood her at all. No matter how much she talked, it would not change the outcome of the matter.

"Shouldn't you, as her lover, be the one to find out about these things? Anyway... I hate it when people use such bullshit reasons like 'it's for your own good' as an excuse to cover up their own behavior. Sato-san doesn't need you to keep saying you're doing it for her own good while doing things that hurt her."

To cover up...?

Ayanokouji looked up at the sky.

In his almost forgotten memories, no matter how many times he looked up, all he saw was a lifeless, indifferent white ceiling.

That's a unique feature of the White House.

He grew up, learned, trained, and lived there from birth, repeating the same things day after day. However, Ayanokouji did not feel bored by doing these things repeatedly, because in his mind, life should be like that.

It wasn't until that day, when he left that room, that he finally saw the azure sky that he had longed for, a sky that he could only see in the White House simulation training.

The world is not just black, white, and gray. It was at that time that Ayanokouji realized that life can really be colorful.

He seems to have really changed.

However, even Kiyotaka Ayanokoji himself couldn't determine whether this change was good or bad for him.

"Perhaps I'm just covering it up, but Tianyin, you can't deny that the conditions Xue offered were indeed very generous, can you?"

Ayanokouji tries to prove that his desire to help Sato is genuine.

Amane shook her head when she saw that Ayanokouji was so naive.

"I'm only talking to you this much because I know you're too close to the situation to see clearly, but you don't seem to realize the real problem at all, Ayanokouji. Please answer me seriously now, were you really that close to Yuki before?"

"No, I have no impression of her whatsoever."

"Then why do you deserve such preferential treatment? Just because she said she liked you and you believed her?"

As soon as Amane said this, Ayanokouji immediately realized what was wrong with him.

That is, the promise made by Yuki was so generous that it seemed tailor-made for Ayanokouji, making it an offer he simply could not refuse.

"Tianyin, do you mean Xue is untrustworthy? Or that she's completely in cahoots with those assassins?"

"Hey, this isn't a question of whether I think it's believable or not, it's a question of whether you think it's believable or not. You've only considered the benefits you might get from agreeing to Xue's conditions and the loss of a girlfriend you consider worthless, but haven't you thought about how Xue will fulfill her promise?"

Amane discovered that Ayanokouji was absolutely genius-level in some aspects, but her understanding of human nature and human relationships was terrible. If Amane remembered correctly, she had tricked Ayanokouji into agreeing to help the class get promoted to Class A with just a few words.

Although it was later proven that Amane was indeed seriously fulfilling her promise and was not deceiving Ayanokouji.

However, this does not mean that others will not deceive Ayanokouji. As long as you understand Ayanokouji's way of thinking, it is not too difficult to make Ayanokouji compromise. This is not difficult for Yuki, who also comes from the White House.

Therefore, as long as we don't look at this matter purely from the perspective of gains and losses, we will find that everything Xue promised is currently just an empty promise.

What if Ayanokouji and Sato broke up, and then Yuki changed her mind?

Surely Ayanokouji wouldn't be so shameless as to go back to Sato and ask to get back together?

Therefore, when it comes to matters involving other people, we cannot simply look at the issue from the perspective of self-interest.

"I've heard of the Iwasaki family's reputation, plus Yuki..."

"But she made the promise in her personal capacity, didn't she? And since she's the eldest daughter of the Iwasaki family, I actually think her approach is a bit too gentle. Instead of running away with you, wouldn't it be better to just break your legs and lock you up somewhere? Even if you're amazing, Ayanokouji, you can't possibly deal with firearms while taking down hundreds of people, right?"

Since Amane spent most of her time in the White House and the Miyako family's villa in the mountains near Kyoto, she did not pick up some of the bad habits that come with being a scion of a prestigious family.

However, this does not affect Tianyin's understanding of those major families.

If Ayanokouji had some kind of background, perhaps they would be hesitant to do anything to him.

But now Ayanokouji has lost the protection of the Miyako family and Ayanokouji Atsuomi, which means he can only rely on his own strength to face the difficulties.

Such a person is undoubtedly the easiest target for a large family to deal with.

So Amane really couldn't understand why, if the other party really intended to help Yuki and Ayanokouji, they wouldn't just consider marrying into the family instead of saying they wanted to go abroad to live. Doesn't that sound like a phone scam?

What Amane found unacceptable was that Ayanokouji actually chose to believe such a statement after careful consideration; it was simply unbelievable.

If the Iwasaki family only intended to get Yuki and Ayanokouji together, the simplest way would be as Amane said before: break Ayanokouji's legs and lock him up somewhere, so that Yuki could also enjoy being kept as a mistress.

This way, there's no cost involved, and it avoids any conflict with Ayanokoji Atsuomi. As long as the place where he's imprisoned is well-hidden, even Ayanokoji Atsuomi won't be able to find him easily.

In short, such despicable methods are endless, and Amane doesn't know what Ayanokouji's basis is for believing that Yuki will keep her promise.

Ayanokouji fell silent again. Rationally, he judged that Amane was absolutely right. This was a completely different type of relationship from mutual benefit. He only considered what Yuki could bring him but did not think about what he could do for their family or... whether a little girl could really use the family's vast resources to fulfill her promise to Ayanokouji.

Whether the Iwasaki family is willing to pay the price for this is another matter, since even Ayanokouji knows that he doesn't have anything worth the high price the other party would pay to get it.

It's even more impossible that she came for him just because of him. Ayanokouji and Yuki's relationship is at most just "classmates". Not to mention that Ayanokouji doesn't even remember what kind of experience he had with Yuki. Why would Yuki be so infatuated with him?

“I understand. I will start investigating Xue’s problem from now on, but I will also start dealing with my breakup with Sato at the same time.”

“I know that what I’m doing now might seem like a waste of time to you, Tenne, but I have no other choice right now. You should be very clear about my situation. Ayanokouji Atsuomi is about to make a move against me. Although I’m not afraid of the assassins he sent and I’m confident I can deal with them, if I don’t find a way to solve the problem at its root, that guy will keep sending people to interfere with my life.”

"What I hate most is that once I graduate, I will have to go back to that place again... to become a puppet that can be manipulated by others. I have to do something to get away from that place."

Now that Ayanokouji has become accustomed to living in the 'real' world, it is almost impossible for Ayanokouji Atsuomi to bring him back in a normal way.

A battle between the two is inevitable; it's unavoidable. Therefore, if Ayanokouji doesn't want to go back, he must find another powerful backer before Ayanokouji Atsuomi makes preparations for a full-scale attack.

After being promoted to Class A, Amane's need for Ayanokouji decreased significantly. Therefore, after the agreement was broken, she did not continue to promise Ayanokouji that she would ensure he would not be taken away by Ayanokouji Atsuomi.

Feeling a sense of crisis, Ayanokouji had no choice but to start taking action to find a way out for himself.

The only pity is that, apart from Amane, no other organization or individual has emerged that can rival Ayanokoji Atsuomi.

This made Kiyotaka Ayanokouji start to worry about what would happen after graduation, and just then, Yuki's appearance rekindled Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's last hope.

Although Tianyin's analysis suggests that Xue has various problems, if he doesn't take a gamble, his future will be to return to that white cage.

Chapter 41: Why Do I Feel Like a Resentful Person?

After school, Horikita Suzune did not accept Amane's invitation to go and join the fun.

In her opinion, it's best not to get involved in such private matters if possible. If you get too involved and the other party insists on you taking sides, things will become extremely complicated.

Moreover, Horikita has always found their combination, whether it's Sato or Ayanokouji, somewhat perplexing. Although Horikita was concerned about their performance in the last special exam, which surpassed her own, that wasn't the reason she felt something was off.

Because she had always felt a strong sense of incompatibility between the couple, she immediately realized that the involvement of a third party would turn the situation into an extremely complicated problem.

It seems everyone realized that this kind of thing could become very troublesome, which is why they didn't discuss this gossip-worthy topic as usual, in order to avoid being unintentionally affected by the conflict between the two.

Perhaps only someone as fearless as Tianyin would dare to join in on this kind of fun?

Looking at the time on his phone, Horikita judged that Amane should be back soon. If Amane didn't return after a while, then something must have happened that prevented her from leaving quickly.

But who knows, maybe that idiot went off to see another girl again. I think I told her at lunch today to remember to come back tonight, right?

Did you tell her?

As time passed, Horikita couldn't help but wonder if she had been too busy today and forgotten about it. Horikita kept flipping through the textbooks on the table, but her mind was no longer on reviewing her lessons.

Just as Horikita was about to call Amane, a sound finally came from the door. Horikita smiled knowingly, then quickly suppressed her smile while pretending to have been studying diligently.

Although Horikita and Amane were already very close, Horikita didn't want Amane to know that her only pastime when Amane wasn't home was staring at the time on her phone waiting for her to come home—something so embarrassing.

"I'm back~"

When that familiar voice of Suzune truly rang out from the entrance, Horikita's heart couldn't help but start to race. This should have been a common occurrence for her, perhaps as natural as eating and drinking every day, completely integrated into the life of the girl named Horikita Suzune.

Horikita would normally react to everyday scenes with a calm and indifferent attitude.

But when she heard Tianyin say that she had returned, she couldn't help but feel joy.

Even Horikita Suzune herself didn't understand this joy; perhaps it was because... she had recently developed a sense of crisis.

Welcome back.

Horikita suppressed the slight upturn of her lips and reached out to support her chin, trying to hide her increasingly out-of-control expression.

While Horikita was still thinking about what delicious food to prepare for Amane, her eyebrows suddenly twitched involuntarily.

Tap, tap, tap...

The short, rapid running start made Horikita's eyes widen. Just as she realized something was wrong, a figure pounced on her.

"Rinne!!~"

Upon seeing the figure leap into the air, the experienced Horikita subtly shifted her hips, moving her position slightly away from the target that Amane was pouncing on.

thump!!!

"Ouch!"

Amane's lunge ended with her face slamming into the floor.

Horikita sighed. Amane still loved playing childish pranks every time. When she was with Amane, she often felt like she was taking care of a naughty child. Horikita often thought that it would be better if Amane could be a little more mature.

But that kind of heavenly sound...

Horikita's face turned ugly after imagining Amane in her mature form. If Amane really matured, she would probably attract a lot of young girls, and she might have to wait in line to see her.

Just thinking about that scene made Horikita Suzune feel a stomachache.

Seeing that Amane had been lying motionless on the floor for a long time, Horikita couldn't help but ruffle Amane's hair.

Speaking of which, in Horikita's memory, Amane's hair always seemed to feel very soft to the touch, no matter when. Although Horikita's own hair was definitely no less soft than Amane's, it was the result of careful maintenance.

Tianyin usually does almost nothing about hair care, even though I wash her hair myself, so why is there such a big difference? Could it really be a problem with her hair quality?

Just as Amane was enjoying the feeling of being touched and didn't want to get up, Horikita's hand suddenly stopped. Before Amane could react, she saw Horikita walking towards her with a pair of scissors in her hand.

"Huh?! Rin, what are you doing?"

"Don't speak! I'll give you a quick death."

"Aaaaaah!!! Help—wait?"

There was a snapping sound, and then a tuft of short white hair fell from her head to the floor.

"This is it. It always sticks up when I bathe you or comb your hair. I even bought a pair of scissors to cut it off... It seems to work quite well."

Horikita looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction, then glanced at Amane with a strange expression, who inexplicably looked dejected.

"Tianyin, what's with that expression?"

"It feels like my soul has been cut out..."

"Huh? It's not that exaggerated. It's just that the disobedient parts were cut off."

Click, click.

The snipping sound of the sharp blades clashing together made Tianyin swallow hard.

Hmm, Horikita Suzune probably wouldn't cut her out in the middle of the night or anything... right?

Tianyin stared at the incredibly sharp scissors, which gleamed faintly with a cold light, and began to let her mind wander.

"Speaking of which, didn't you go to see Ayanokouji get confessed to? Why did it take so long? What was the result?"

Upon hearing Horikita mention Ayanokouji, Amane couldn't help but frown.

"Ugh, don't even mention it. I went to watch the girls fight... uh... just for fun, but I ended up feeling really annoyed. That Ayanokouji guy is playing with fire..."

Amane briefly recounted the events that had just occurred to Horikita, omitting the part about the white house. At first, Horikita didn't react much, since no matter how sweet and charming the girl named Yuki was, as long as Ayanokouji rejected Yuki outright, the matter could be considered over.

To her surprise, this girl named Yuki not only had such a powerful background, but she also managed to persuade Ayanokouji.

It's fine that she persuaded Ayanokouji, but Ayanokouji planned to handle things in a way that no normal person could accept: he would break up with Sato directly.

Horikita felt a headache coming on. How could Ayanokouji make such a decision so easily?

When Tone finally told Horikita Ayanokouji the reason, Horikita's gaze began to dart away.

She had done some very excessive things to Sakura because of her strong possessiveness. If Amane hadn't reacted quickly enough and successfully solved the problem she set up, Sakura might have been expelled from school long ago.