Listening to Ayanokōji's reasoning, Saiki sighed in relief.
Fortunately, even the White Gym's greatest masterpiece wouldn't consider the existence of psychics.
Saiki had counted on this, which is why he took action. However, he hadn't expected Ayanokōji to deduce so much from the outcome—far more than he'd anticipated.
But Ayanokōji was just an ordinary person, not a psychic.
'Though he hasn't suspected me yet, I should still be cautious... There's Ayanokōji with his detective-like mind, and Sakura with her terrifying intuition...'
Saiki thought to himself.
Just then, light footsteps echoed from the back of the classroom.
"Saiki-kun... you're here already... should I... greet you?"
It was clearly Sakura Airi's voice.
"I... I should say hello... but Saiki-kun is... talking to others..."
Seeing Saiki chatting with Sudō and others, Sakura bit her lip, hesitating.
In class, she was almost invisible. Even when she entered the room, no one noticed her. She rarely interacted with anyone.
"Good morning, Saiki-kun..."
Finally, Sakura mustered the courage to whisper, her voice so faint only she could hear it. It was instantly drowned out by Sudō's boisterous laughter.
"Good morning," Saiki greeted her.
"Huh!"
Sakura was surprised—she hadn't expected Saiki to hear her.
"Sakura-san, you're here!"
Kushida rushed over.
"Good news! Sudō's been cleared of all charges!"
"Huh?"
Kushida explained everything to Sakura.
Sakura's eyes widened behind her glasses. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
This meant she wouldn't need to testify in court—clearly a good thing.
But...
'Could this be Saiki-kun's doing?'
'Wait, you're directly suspecting me? Aren't you the psychic here?'
...
Meanwhile, outside the school building, among the flower beds.
Ishizaki and two others lay on the ground, bruised and unable to get up.
Beside them stood Albert in sunglasses and Ryūen, his face twisted with anger.
Ryūen couldn't believe things had turned out this way.
That morning, they'd received a notification from the student council about Ishizaki's trio framing Sudō, complete with an audio recording.
The recording wasn't fabricated. The student council had verified it, and Ryūen knew it was genuine. It proved their conflict with Sudō was premeditated.
Ishizaki's group was suspended for three weeks, and their class lost thirty points.
Ryūen's name was mentioned in the recording, but since it didn't explicitly state he'd planned it, he escaped punishment.
Still, Ryūen wasn't letting this go. He had Albert beat them up.
But questions flooded his mind.
"Damn it, where did that recording come from?!"
Ryūen couldn't figure it out. According to Ishizaki, they'd discussed it in their dorm the night before.
To understand, Ryūen sought help from others in his class—
Just then, Shiina Hiyori and Ibuki Mio approached slowly.
Ryūen turned to Shiina, his chosen investigator. He knew her capabilities and asked for her help.
Shiina agreed—this was a major class issue.
"Any progress, Hiyori?" Ryūen asked urgently.
"Mio and I checked Ishizaki's dorm floor for two hours, claiming we'd lost something. As students, that's all we could do."
Shiina replied,
"But we found nothing. No one suspicious appeared in the footage."
"What do you think?"
"Given the audio clarity, it was likely recorded up close. The most probable culprits are the three of them."
Shiina glanced at Ishizaki's group,
"But they had no reason to do this. They weren't against you, Ryūen, and this outcome only harms them. The most likely scenario is someone planted a recording device in Ishizaki's room and later retrieved it. But without full footage, we can't identify the person."
"Just two days after framing Class C, they pulled this off? And how did they even enter the room?"
"I checked. Aside from phones, the school store doesn't sell hidden recorders, but online stores do. It takes at least a day or two to purchase and receive them. The only possibility is they bought the device in advance, meaning they likely knew your plan, Ryūen."
Shiina's expression turned serious,
"As for entering the room, anyone with a copied access card could do it. Ishizaki's card was probably stolen and copied without him noticing."
"What..."
Ishizaki's eyes widened in shock. He frantically patted his pocket.
"Right now, I think it's most likely someone from our Class D. Many aren't happy with your methods, Ryūen."
Shiina spoke calmly, while Mio's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"True."
Ryūen's expression hardened. He subconsciously suspected Kushida, who'd provided Class C's intel, but many things didn't add up. The most likely culprits were still his own classmates.
"We'll have to collect everyone's phones and check their point records. If someone bought a recorder, there'll be evidence. Their point usage won't match."
"That's a viable plan. If it's an insider, it's the best outcome."
Shiina said.
"Huh? An insider is the best outcome?"
Mio looked confused.
"If we catch the culprit, all problems will be solved. We can address these issues early."
Shiina narrowed her eyes, her gaze intense, as if solving a complex puzzle,
"But if it's not an insider, it means there's someone terrifying in Class C—someone even we can't see through."
...
Meanwhile, in the student council room.
Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses, listening intently to the anonymous email's recording.
"I didn't expect Class D to frame Class C like this..."
Beside him, Tachibana Akane, with her bun hairstyle, remarked,
"I wonder who made this recording."
When they'd received the recording the night before, the student council was stunned. After verifying its authenticity, they'd swiftly decided on punishments.
"I thought this would take a week, but it was resolved in three days. There must be an extraordinary presence among this year's first-years."
Horikita muttered.
"To be acknowledged by you, Horikita-senpai, I'm curious who this person is~"
Beside him sat a blond man with a handsome face but a flirtatious gaze and a knowing smile.
Nanase Tsubasa, a second-year and the student council vice president.
...
After Sudō's incident, another month passed.
Saiki and his classmates enjoyed a relatively peaceful month, with no major events.
Class C and Class A had no contact, while Class B, led by Ichinose Honami, remained close to them.
Class D, after the incident, went into hiding, making no significant moves.
Saiki thought he'd finally have a peaceful time. Final exams passed without incident.
In late July, during the last afternoon class, Chabashira Sae entered the classroom and posted the report cards:
"Congratulations! Once again, everyone passed. It's unbelievable that you, originally Class D, haven't had a single dropout and even rose to Class C. The gap between you and Class B is shrinking!"
Chabashira smiled brightly, though her words still carried a hint of disdain for Class C. Clearly, she was happy with their progress.
"Horikita Suzune's scores are so high?!"
"Damn! I studied hard, but I'm still last!"
"Takaharamachi's scores are ridiculously good... Are high-scoring students all weird?"
Saiki looked at the report cards. His scores were satisfactory, fluctuating across subjects but still averaging in the middle.
Ayanokōji's scores were the same.
'Finals are over, so it's summer break, right?'
Saiki thought.
Since the school was fully enclosed, even during holidays, students couldn't leave.
But for Saiki, it didn't matter. He could teleport back anytime. Plus, the school had everything, and no classes meant less interaction with others...
Yet Saiki knew it wouldn't be that simple.
"Also, to celebrate your excellent scores, the school has a reward—a luxury cruise vacation this summer!"
Chabashira's words sent the students into a frenzy.
"What?! A luxury cruise?!"
"For real?!"
"Awesome! I can't wait!"
Everyone chatted excitedly. Chabashira smiled knowingly:
"This is a mandatory school group activity."
Only Saiki remained expressionless.
He knew this trip wouldn't be pleasant.
'Keep smiling. This isn't a simple trip—it's a special exam.'
Chabashira thought, her gaze sweeping over the students.
'Figured it wasn't that simple.'
Saiki felt resigned. He'd already heard about the summer plans from Ichinose and had guessed as much.
His precious summer break would be wasted by the school... with no way to refuse.
Group activities, exams—all bundled into one hassle.
Annoying...
Saiki shook his head.
"The school will provide luggage and essentials. Get ready to enjoy your summer!"
Chabashira organized her materials,
"Ayanokōji, come to my office. I need to talk to you."