Chapter 101: The Next Turning Point
[Name: Karuizawa Kei] [Current Affection: 28%]
This number wasn't low, but it certainly wasn't high. If calculated by a game's progress bar, it had just barely crossed the "Affection System Unlocked" threshold; there was still a long road to travel before a true "conquest."
The problem was that Karuizawa Kei's situation differed from a typical target. She wasn't the type to increase her affection simply by being "treated gently." Her heart possessed a deep defensive line—scars left by her past experiences of bullying. What she needed was a sense of security, a reliance, a safe harbor where she could shed her disguise.
And these were things Katsuragi Keima couldn't give her. At least, not yet.
Beside him, Elsie was cheerfully snacking, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster, making crisp crunch-crunch sounds.
"Kami-nii-sama, what are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about why Karuizawa Kei came by."
"Didn't she say it was to deliver snacks?" Elsie pointed at the messy bag of potato chips on the table. "She really did deliver them, and they're quite tasty too."
Keima pushed up his glasses. "Delivering snacks was just an excuse. Her real purpose was to confirm whether Kushida was here with me."
Elsie blinked, a half-eaten chip still hanging from her mouth. "Why confirm that?"
"Because she cares."
"Cares about what?"
Keima didn't answer directly. He recalled the expression on Kei's face when she saw Kushida Kikyo upon entering—the instant her smile froze and the complex emotions that flashed in her eyes. After the surprise, there had been a pause. It was very short, so short it was almost imperceptible. If he hadn't been staring at her, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
But in a game, such subtle facial changes often signify the awakening of a "competitive spirit."
"Kami-nii-sama?" Elsie tilted her head. "You haven't answered me yet."
"Karuizawa Kei confessed to me previously."
"I know that! You rejected her!"
"Mm. But now that she sees Kushida appearing around me frequently, a subtle sense of imbalance is created in her heart."
Elsie nodded as if she understood, stuffing the last chip into her mouth. "Like... like two people wanting the same toy, and then someone else gets to hold the toy first?"
"...The metaphor is childish, but the meaning is roughly the same."
"Then what does Kami-nii-sama plan to do?"
Keima was silent for a second. "Do nothing."
"Do nothing?!"
"Mm. Intervening now would only make the situation more complicated. Let them process these emotions themselves." He paused. "Besides, midterms are approaching."
Elsie's eyes lit up. "Oh, right! Midterms! Kami-nii-sama, I'll definitely do better this time!"
Keima glanced at her. "You said that last time too."
"This time is different! I've been studying every day!"
"Going from dead last to third-from-last—you certainly have worked hard." Keima sighed somewhat helplessly. "You spend every day researching new 'dark cuisine.'"
"I'm really trying, okay! And what I make isn't dark cuisine! That's learning too—learning how to pair ingredients!"
Keima didn't bother arguing with her and picked up his handheld again to start playing. The character on the screen moved flexibly through various scenes under his control, completing one task after another. His fingers moved rapidly over the buttons, his gaze focused and calm.
But looking closely, his peripheral vision occasionally swept over the cards on the table. He pushed up his glasses and continued playing. This world was indeed less boring than he had previously thought.
.
.
.
The moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, leaving a thin trail of light on the floor. Time flowed like water, slipping quietly through one's fingers. A week had passed since that lively weekend at the game center.
Many things happened during this week. For instance, Sakura Airi was also quietly changing. She was still a shy girl, but much more confident than before. She started initiating conversations with others. Although she had to build up her courage for a long time before each opening, and her words were still stuttered, she was indeed trying.
She also tried to voice her opinions during the study group sessions. And... she secretly observed the interactions between Katsuragi Keima and Kushida Kikyo.
She saw it. She saw that different light in Kushida's eyes every time she looked at Keima. Airi felt a bit of a sour tang in her heart. But she said nothing. She simply studied harder, took notes more seriously, and baked cookies with even more heart.
She now delivered cookies to Keima three times a week. Monday was original flavor, Wednesday was chocolate, and Friday was matcha. She had tested every flavor repeatedly until she was satisfied. Keima would always say "Mm" expressionlessly and accept them. But Airi noticed that the cookies were always eaten.
She didn't know if doing this was useful. But she knew that if she didn't do it, she would regret it.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, the scale of the study group expanded.
Karuizawa Kei's massive improvement on the last monthly exam caused quite a stir among the girls. Especially her best friend, Sato Maya, whose eyes went wide seeing her friend soar from the bottom of the class to 14th place.
"Kei! You'd better confess—why were you attending a study group all by yourself?!"
"I just wanted to see if the results were any good first!"
"I want to join too! I was only 30th this time! I want to improve my grades as well."
Thus, Sato Maya joined the study group. She was a boisterous girl, much like Kei, who spoke directly and never beat around the bush. When she first arrived at the study group, she scanned everyone's faces, her gaze finally landing on Keima playing games in the corner.
"Is that the legendary Katsuragi?"
"Mm," Kei nodded.
"He doesn't look like anything special..."
"Lower your voice!"
But Keima had already looked up. He glanced at Sato Maya and then returned to his game.
Sato was stunned. "He... he doesn't get angry?"
"That's just how he is," Kushida explained with a smile. "He doesn't care much about anything."
"..." Sato Maya nodded thoughtfully. "That's pretty cool. And look at his features—he's actually quite handsome!"
Kei's eyes flickered subtly. "What's 'cool' about him? He's just a game otaku."
"But didn't you make such progress because of him?"
"...That's true."
Sato Maya laughed. "Kei, your expression changed just now."
"No, it didn't!"
"Yes, it did~"
"No!"
The two girls started messing around. Airi watched from the side and couldn't help but smile. Kushida watched with a smile as well, but her mind was elsewhere.
'Sato Maya... could she also...?'
She shook her head, dismissing the thought. She was overthinking it.
However, since Sato Maya joined, the atmosphere of the study group became even livelier. She was a natural socialite and quickly bonded with everyone. She bickered with Kei, discussed notes with Airi, chatted with Kushida, and even dared to proactively ask Horikita Suzune questions.
"Horikita-san! I have no idea how to do this problem! Help!"
Horikita looked at her expressionlessly. "...?"
"This one, this one!"
Horikita took a look and began to explain. Sato listened intently, nodding occasionally. When the explanation finished, she slapped the table. "Got it! Horikita-san, you're amazing!"
"..." Horikita returned to her seat expressionlessly. But if one looked closely, the corner of her mouth had twitched upward slightly. It was very subtle, almost unnoticeable. But it was there.
Kei leaned into Airi's ear and whispered, "Look, Horikita seems to like being praised."
"..."
"Definitely! Who doesn't like being praised!" Airi nodded, lost in thought.
As for Keima... he spent the entire time playing games. But occasionally, he would look up at everyone, explain the core of a knowledge point, and then go right back to playing.
"Keima!" Sato Maya suddenly called him. Because of the "corporate culture" established by Hasabe Haruka, they had quickly begun calling each other by their given names.
"Mm?"
"Doesn't playing games all day affect your studies?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because everything that needs to be learned has already been learned."
Sato was stunned. "Learned?! It's not even midterms yet!"
"Mm."
"...Are you bragging?"
"Stating facts."
Sato Maya stared at him for a few seconds and then laughed.
"Interesting. Kei, I didn't realize before, but Keima is actually quite interesting!"
Kei just laughed it off and moved the topic along. For some reason, she didn't want to discuss such things further with Sato. She didn't know why herself.
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Aside from the study group, the atmosphere between Kushida Kikyo and Karuizawa Kei became even more subtle. On the surface, they were still good friends—chatting, buying snacks, and attending the study group together. But Kushida could feel that the way Kei looked at her was different than before.
It wasn't hostility. It wasn't distance. It was a kind of... scrutiny? As if she were observing something. Or perhaps, confirming something.
Two nights before the midterms, in Keima's room.
Elsie was counting the "spoils of war" from the week—various snacks, drinks, and the cookies Airi had newly baked.
"Kami-nii-sama, Airi's skills are getting better and better!"
"Mm."
"The strawberry milk Kikyo-chan brought is delicious too!"
"Mm."
"Kei-chan's chips are also great!"
"Mm."
Elsie turned around to look at him.
"Kami-nii-sama, why are you just saying 'Mm'?"
"Because you are talking nonsense."
"It's not nonsense! It's a work report!"
Keima put down his handheld and looked at her. "Reporting what?"
"Reporting the situation of the week!" Elsie counted on her fingers. "The study group has new members, and then there are the changes in their affection levels!"
Keima pushed up his glasses. "You've been observing quite closely."
"Of course! I am Kami-nii-sama's sister!" Elsie said triumphantly. "Right, right! Kami-nii-sama, look at the cards!"
She handed over two cards.
[Name: Kushida Kikyo] [Current Affection: -48%]
[Name: Karuizawa Kei] [Current Affection: 32%]
"Kikyo-chan has improved a lot!" Elsie said excitedly. "And Kei-chan is rising too!"
Keima looked at the numbers on the cards without speaking.
"Kami-nii-sama?"
"..."
"What are you thinking about now?"
Keima was silent for a second. "Thinking about what happens after the midterms."
"After the exams?"
"After the results are announced, there will be new variables." He paused. "Also, Yamauchi Haruki's side should be making a move."
Elsie blinked. "Yamauchi? That guy?"
"Mm."
"Is he going to cheat again?!"
"If the person giving him the answers is still giving them."
Elsie was stunned. "Then... does it affect us?"
Keima didn't answer immediately; he just turned to look out the window. "For us, it probably won't."
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Meanwhile, in another dormitory building.
Yamauchi Haruki was staring at his phone screen, the smile on his face growing wider. On the screen was a new message from Sakayanagi Arisu.
[Sakayanagi Arisu: Yamauchi-kun, I've prepared the mid-term exam papers and answers for you~ Remember not to copy them exactly; intentionally get a few wrong to make it look realistic~]
Attached was an encrypted folder. Yamauchi's hand trembled as he clicked it open.
Chinese, Math, English, Physics, History... every subject's paper, every question's answer, laid out clearly on the screen.
"I'm set... I'm set!" He was so excited he nearly jumped up.
This exam, he would definitely do well! No, not just well—exceptionally well! He might even break into the top ten! Maybe even the top five! When that happened, let's see if that bastard Keima could still be so arrogant! Let's see if that cold-faced Horikita Suzune could still act high and mighty! Let's see if Karuizawa Kei and Sakura Airi could still act smug in front of him!
"Hehehe..." He couldn't help but laugh out loud.
After laughing, he thought about the last monthly exam. That damn Katsuragi Keima actually exposed him in public. But this time it would be different.
This time he had learned to be smart. Sakayanagi said these questions were different from last time; no one would find out. And he had specifically gone online to look up second-year content and memorized a few formulas. Even if Keima questioned him again, he could answer.
"Just you wait... Katsuragi..." He clenched his fists, eyes glittering with excitement.
Outside the window, the moonlight was like water. It was another quiet night. But something was quietly growing in the darkness.
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