"Didn't I just say, I'm not his son, and I don't know Ayanokoji Kiyotaka," Ayanokoji glanced at Kuroki Ya, his tone flat.
The Pinocchio Bracelet was currently on cooldown; otherwise, it would have vibrated when Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said that sentence.
However, even without the bracelet, Kuroki Ya could tell that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's words were a lie.
"Oh, come on, you can't even fool livestock with that kind of talk, don't try to fool me."
Kuroki Ya said with a smile, "I've been with you for two months, and I don't know you? If this matter had nothing to do with you, you wouldn't be so calm when clarifying it."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka glanced at him, thinking, 'I actually only found out yesterday. Before that, if you had asked me what my father's position was, I really wouldn't have been able to answer.'
Ayanokoji Fugang had concealed his identity as a former Member of Parliament for several years. If Ayanokoji Kiyotaka hadn't met his older brother the day before and learned the inside story from him, he might have been truly confused and too shocked to react when suddenly learning his father's identity today.
If his classmates saw such a strong reaction from him, they would definitely understand that they hadn't found the wrong person, and even if he reacted and said he wasn't close to them, no one would believe him.
However, if he hadn't gone to see Ayanokoji Kiyotaka yesterday, he wouldn't have been mistaken for his older brother and kidnapped, and subsequently, a series of events wouldn't have been triggered...
This series of events was like a chain reaction; if any one condition were missing, today's situation would not have come to pass.
Seeing that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka did not refute, Kuroki Ya's face showed an 'I knew it' smile.
"I knew it, the protagonist in that story really is related to you..."
Ayanokoji rolled his eyes, thinking, 'Never mind that the protagonist in the story is related to me; in reality, this story is about me.'
Though he thought this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka naturally wouldn't say it out loud.
Since Ayanokoji Fugang had already concealed it for him, he wouldn't foolishly expose it himself.
It would be very troublesome if people discovered that he was the protagonist of the story. Who knows how many people wouldn't believe the authenticity of the story, questioning him again and again, or perhaps someone would come to challenge him.
Now, it was just right.
"Ayanokoji, I've long known your identity isn't simple, but I never imagined you'd be the son of a Former Prime Minister! I truly have a new respect for you. I never thought someone with such a noble status would be willing to associate with commoners like us on equal terms..."
"He's not a Prime Minister, just a Prime Minister candidate," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka corrected Kuroki.
"Understood, understood..."
Long before, Kuroki Ya had already guessed that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's background was extraordinary, but he had never imagined that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's identity would be so special.
The son of a Former Prime Minister candidate, even in this Private Hyakkaou Academy filled with many prominent figures, he was considered among the top tier of identities.
He hadn't expected Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to be willing to treat him as an equal and even consider him a friend... Kuroki Ya was touched.
Though it was self-pity.
"Ayanokoji, if you ever need any help in the future, just say the word! I'll definitely help you if I can!" Kuroki Ya patted his chest, promising confidently, "And my buddies, they're all very willing to help too!"
"As it happens, I have something I hope you can help me with right now."
"What is it?"
"I hope you can keep it a secret. I don't want anyone else to know my identity," Ayanokoji said, feigning seriousness. "You understand, right? My brother just went through a kidnapping, and I don't want to attract too much attention and become a target."
Kuroki Ya's expression showed sudden understanding.
No wonder Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was unwilling to admit his relationship with his family; it was because he was worried about being kidnapped himself.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely keep it a secret! I won't tell anyone!" Kuroki Ya promised wholeheartedly.
Kuroki Ya was quite tight-lipped, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had also asked him for help many times before, so he trusted him quite a bit.
Ayanokoji nodded in satisfaction, looking around and noticing that some people were still watching him.
"Kuroki, about my brother's kidnapping... does the whole school know?" he asked in a low voice.
Kuroki Ya had been attending this school since middle school, and his social connections were quite good. His sources of information were much more extensive than Ayanokoji's.
Kuroki Ya nodded: "Yes, pretty much everyone in the entire school knows about it. However, while they know, most people just treat it as a story, a topic of conversation, and don't really care much. Only the classmates in our class know your surname, which is why they made the connection..."
Although such kidnapping cases were rare, in the eyes of most people, this was just a story of parents using it to teach their "someone else's child" a lesson. Not many people would truly take it to heart; only those who cared would care.
As for who was kidnapped, very few people paid attention.
They were more concerned about the mastermind behind it. Who wanted to kidnap the children of a Member of Parliament? If Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was just the first to be kidnapped, what if they were next?
Many parents harbored such worries. They instructed their children, telling them to temporarily stay within the school and never leave casually, to be careful of being kidnapped.
"If they didn't let these young masters and ladies leave school normally, many of them would surely develop rebellious tendencies. However, next week is our Ryōran Festival, so not many people are resistant. Most people's attention is focused on the Ryōran Festival."
"Ryōran Festival? Does our school have one too?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's heart stirred.
Cultural festivals are a widespread cultural activity in schools, almost every school has one, and different schools use different names with school characteristics. In a cultural festival, all students abandon their studies and begin to enjoy the upcoming celebration. The exhibition items are mainly divided into class exhibitions and club exhibitions. Class exhibitions are mainly based on classes, conducting sales, exhibitions, or services, etc. Club exhibitions are based on clubs, conducting performances, competitions, games, selling self-made products, or selling club publications, etc. In the cultural festival, there are both business services like maid cafes, and artistic performances like stage plays, and even large campus events like cosplay parades. It can be said that the cultural festival is a good day conducive to interaction and communication among classmates, and also the best time for confessions.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had also experienced a cultural festival in middle school. Basically, everyone had to participate. Although he had no interest in such preparations, he still participated in the class activities to the minimum extent.
What surprised him was that even in middle school, when he was a maverick and often skipped classes, someone still confessed to him during the cultural festival.
Unfortunately, at the time, his mind was solely focused on making money, and he directly rejected the other person.
Looking back now, that could be considered youth.
"How is the Private Hyakkaou Academy's Ryōran Festival organized? Is it the same as regular schools?" Ayanokoji had grown a bit interested.
"Of course not!" Kuroki Ya shook his head confidently.
"The purpose of a general cultural festival is to let students play happily and enjoy school life, but our school's Ryōran Festival, which is also a cultural festival, is fundamentally different from other schools. That is, every activity is centered around gambling!"
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