Kaoru snapped out of his thoughts, subtly avoiding her teasing gaze.
"Hehehe, your weak spots are so easy to exploit, Mitoma-kun. This won't do~"
Sakayanagi had already grasped Kaoru's current mindset, her lips curling slightly.
So, he did have vulnerabilities he cared about after all.
No wonder he ended up hanging himself in the end.
This really won't do!
"What are you two talking about?"
Masumi didn't understand. "Since when did Yamamura and I become his puppets?"
"Oh, it's nothing, Masumi-san. Just remember one thing."
Sakayanagi smiled mischievously. "If you're ever dissatisfied with this man, just throw a tantrum. If that doesn't work, threaten to hang yourself—he'll definitely cave in."
"Hey, hey, why would I do any of that?"
Masumi's face darkened, still not fully processing the situation.
Kaoru was silent for a moment before asking, "What were you trying to say earlier?"
"Running away won't solve anything. Your people are spread across the entire grade, even among the upperclassmen."
Sakayanagi's voice was faintly ominous. "If everyone affects your mindset like this, you'll eventually step into a trap."
"A trap is a trap. I don't care."
Kaoru had already made peace with it.
Life was short—might as well enjoy it to the fullest.
Besides, he had the Wish Machine.
"Heh, is this what they call a man's resolve?"
Sakayanagi smiled faintly before straightening her posture, reverting to her usual dignified young lady demeanor.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about our promise."
Kaoru was surprised, but given that this was their final semester, it wasn't strange for Sakayanagi to bring it up again.
"Are you conceding defeat early?"
"Can't we discuss the specifics of the competition?"
"Specifics?"
Their agreement was simple: whoever could control the class would be the winner.
However, Sakayanagi had some doubts about this.
"What exactly constitutes 'controlling the class'?"
The girl tilted her head. "For example, during this training camp, could you and Katsuragi-kun actually command our girls' group?"
Aside from the temporary discussions on the bus, Kaoru truly had no influence over the girls' group.
"Hehe, the actual authority ultimately lies with me. Do you think that counts as controlling the class, Mitoma-kun?"
"Having the final say in everyday decisions?"
"Didn't I already veto that?" Kaoru suddenly remembered.
After the defeat in the sports festival, Sakayanagi had seized the opportunity to propose a class-wide vote, and even Katsuragi couldn't suppress everyone's opinions.
So this was where the landmine had been buried?
"So even if you and Katsuragi-kun can rally twenty-one classmates to your side, I still have nineteen people here. Can a class truly be considered fully under control if there's a minority faction?"
As she pressed forward step by step, Kaoru shot her a sidelong glance.
"Do you think I can't tolerate a minority? Should I banish you beyond the borders like they did in ancient times?"
"No, I never said that."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled faintly. "I just think our little competition should be clearer—more concrete."
Kaoru was intrigued. "What are you proposing?"
"This is the last semester of our first year. There should still be one or two special exams coming up."
Sakayanagi continued, "I've heard that every grade has a special exam at the end of the term. Why don't we use the scores from those as our benchmark?"
"You mean compete in the final special exam?"
Kaoru already understood.
However, Sakayanagi shook her head regretfully.
"I considered that, but unfortunately, we're in the same class. If I were to sabotage the exam for the class, no one would likely listen to me."
Kaoru was puzzled.
If she wasn't going to participate directly, did she intend to rely on proxies to compete against each other?
As if reading his thoughts, Sakayanagi smiled again.
"But isn't there a special exam happening right now?"
Kaoru froze for a moment before nearly laughing in exasperation.
The exam was already on its fifth day, and she was only bringing this up now?
"You take charge of this exam, and I'll handle the next one. We'll compare our scores—whoever earns the most points wins."
Sakayanagi added, "Of course, you could also choose to oversee the next exam while I take this one. The choice is yours."
"What if I choose the next one?"
Kaoru raised an eyebrow.
"Fine, then I'll take this one."
Sakayanagi chuckled before adding, "But if I score a perfect mark—the theoretical maximum for this exam—then you'll have to do the same in the next one. Otherwise, even if you score higher than me, you'll still lose."
The school's special exams didn't have a uniform standard.
Some could yield five or six hundred points at most, while others capped at two or three hundred.
So, Sakayanagi believed that beyond just the score, the upper limit had to be considered.
If she could achieve a perfect score, it would mean the exam's ceiling was too low, and Kaoru would have to match it in his exam—otherwise, it wouldn't be fair.
"You think you can get a perfect score?"
Kaoru gave her a strange look.
This training camp separated boys and girls, so at best, Sakayanagi could only achieve a perfect score in the girls' division.
"It's theoretically possible, though I'd certainly like to achieve it."
Sakayanagi puffed her cheeks slightly in dissatisfaction. "Does Mitoma-kun think I'm not qualified?"
She was adept at using her appearance to her advantage.
Kaoru averted his gaze.
"I'll take charge of this exam."
Sakayanagi blinked, as if asking why.
"Nagumo and Ryuen are coming after me. I can't let you deal with them." Kaoru paused.
"You'll be in charge of the next exam."
Sakayanagi was silent for a moment before replying softly, "If there are still two special exams after we return, this training camp won't count."
Kaoru's face darkened with suspicion, "Do you think I can't score high?"
The pleasant atmosphere suddenly soured.
Sakayanagi sighed and picked up her hat.
"That's right, I don't think you can score high. Masumi, let's go back."