Chapter 61: Chairman, Your Daughter is Truly Cute
"...to that degree."
"Eh?"
Beside them, even Chabashira Sae couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise. That man was injured that severely? It sounded as if he had jumped off a building. There was no way someone could sustain those injuries from a trip and fall on level ground!
There was only one possibility left... Katsuragi Keima had beaten the man into that state.
She found it difficult to accept this conclusion. After all, no matter how you looked at him, Keima didn't seem like the type of person who knew how to fight. Furthermore, his physical ability rating from the entrance evaluation was a D. Had he been hiding his strength in that regard?
Various thoughts swirled in Chabashira's mind. She had already considered Keima a peculiar student, but she never imagined he was capable of this.
"Katsuragi-kun, while school regulations strictly forbid brawling, there are no issues in cases of legitimate self-defense. So, don't worry—just tell me what actually happened," Sakayanagi Narumori said, still wearing a smile.
"I'm sorry, he really did just trip," Keima said, his expression unchanging.
The truth—that the culprit first collided with a creature from Hell and was then swung around like a yo-yo by another even weirder creature—was simply impossible to say out loud. Regardless, he had confirmed there were no cameras in that spot. Even if there were, Elsie could tamper with them.
Seeing Keima's answer, Sakayanagi Narumori didn't push further; he simply nodded.
"In that case, I won't ask any more. However, Katsuragi-kun, you've left a deep impression on me," Sakayanagi said with a laugh.
"Oh?"
"After all, a student who scores perfect marks in every subject on the entrance exam is very rare in this school's history. You were more than ten points ahead of the second-place student, Ichinose. I wonder, if the total possible score were higher, would you have pulled the gap even further—"
Sakayanagi paused deliberately, then turned his head toward Chabashira Sae. "Moreover, Katsuragi-kun, you are the first student in history to successfully 'rationalize' the act of playing games during class."
"After all, Chabashira-sensei said that everything can be bought in this school. If that weren't possible, wouldn't it mean the rules are meaningless?" Keima's tone remained calm. As he spoke, he even pulled out his handheld, preparing to play.
Chabashira Sae's expression turned slightly sour. While she theoretically didn't interfere with student behavior, he could at least read the room... they were standing in front of the school's Chairman!
However, Sakayanagi Narumori showed no displeasure. Instead, he grew even more convinced that Keima was a special student.
"You're right. As long as you have enough points, anything can be bought—points are the symbol of strength, and this is a school of 'meritocracy.' So, there is no problem. However, this year's students are the most unique batch compared to previous years. In less than a week since the start of school, all classes have become aware of the S-System's existence. And the first to discover it was your Class D."
"Anyone with a bit of sense could realize the school's rules are strange. How could the government allow students to spend that much money without limit? With 160 students per grade, the amount spent by three grades in a year isn't a small figure."
"That is true. Well, I have no more questions. It's getting late. Katsuragi-kun, Sakura-san, you should head back and rest early—"
"I still have a question, Chairman." Just then, Keima looked up, his gaze meeting Sakayanagi Narumori's.
"What is it?"
"As the victims, Sakura-san and I should be entitled to compensation, shouldn't we?"
"Oh?"
"Because the school had issues with its screening process for staff, Sakura-san and I encountered unnecessary trouble. This was a very dangerous situation. Furthermore, if the outside world knew such a thing happened at this school, I imagine it would affect the school's reputation."
"So, what do you want to do?"
"Sakura-san and I require compensation."
As Keima spoke these words, Chabashira Sae's eyes widened in shock. This guy... was actually demanding compensation directly from the Chairman? For real? Even Sakura Airi widened her eyes in surprise.
Hearing Keima's words, Sakayanagi Narumori was stunned for a moment, but he soon broke into a smile. "You do have a point. So, Katsuragi-kun, what kind of compensation are you looking for?"
"Sakura-san and I should each receive 500,000 points." Keima seemed to have thought this through beforehand, as he spoke without a hint of hesitation.
"500,000 points... that's not a small number. Together, that's a million—"
"The Chairman surely understands the severity of this matter. I don't believe such compensation is excessive. Even if we students can't communicate with the outside world for now, there will eventually be a graduation day. Furthermore, if more students learn of this, their trust in the school administration will be significantly diminished. So, I don't think it's an exaggerated figure."
Keima paused intentionally, then pushed up his glasses. "Of course, I personally have another method of compensation. I can waive the request for points."
"Oh? And that is?"
"My act of playing games in class becomes completely rationalized, and I no longer need to fulfill the deal I made with Chabashira-sensei regarding the 20,000 points per month and the contract to improve the class's strength."
Keima answered. He had originally made the deal with Chabashira just so he could play games in class. If there was a chance to renegotiate, he wouldn't miss it. He had no desire to climb the class ranks, nor did he want to waste too much time on the "reality" side of things.
Sakayanagi Narumori's gaze fell on Chabashira Sae, whose face had turned somewhat pale.
"You truly are an interesting student, Katsuragi-kun. I accept your terms. Sakura-san's points will be issued later. Any other questions?"
"One last question."
"What is it?"
"As far as I know, there is a girl in Class A named Sakayanagi. Is the Chairman acquainted with her?"
"Are you referring to Arisu? That is my daughter," Sakayanagi Narumori paused, then continued with a smile. "However, her placement in Class A isn't because of me. The evaluation process is fair."
Fair, my foot, Keima thought to himself. Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to be in poor physical health and was clearly full of schemes. A student like that shouldn't be in Class A. But it didn't matter. As long as she wasn't in Class D, she wouldn't bring him any trouble. For now.
Although the Chairman said she received no special treatment, no one in the real world would believe that. If he had to move against her in the future, would he have to consider the school administration's involvement? Come to think of it, the Chairman might be a good source of information.
"Has Katsuragi-kun met Arisu yet?"
"Just met her today." As Keima answered, Sakura Airi pricked up her ears to listen.
"I see. I was actually a bit worried about whether she could get along with her classmates. Does the Chairman know what his daughter likes?"
"What she likes?" This sudden question confused Sakayanagi Narumori. "In what regard, Katsuragi-kun?"
"In every regard. Hobbies, food, colors, clothing."
"As for Arisu, she enjoys playing chess and likes drinking coffee... why do you ask so suddenly?"
"Nothing, just asking." Keima looked back at his handheld; he had obtained enough information. "If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave, Chairman."
"Very well."
"Goodbye, Chairman Sakayanagi. Goodbye, Chabashira-sensei." Keima then led Sakura Airi out of the office.
"He truly is a special student, Chabashira-sensei."
"Katsuragi's performance in class is indeed very unique..." Chabashira Sae pursed her lips, and after a moment of thought, she asked again, "Chairman, is the story about the clerk true?"
"It is. The culprit was severely injured. The doctors even suspected he had been hit by a car."
"But... how is that possible..."
"Chabashira-sensei, let me show you a recording sent over from the hospital." Sakayanagi Narumori handed his phone to her.
A video played on the screen—the severely injured clerk woke up in his hospital bed and began manically repeating a single phrase: "Monster! Monster!!"
Chabashira frowned. "Is this man's brain severely damaged?"
"He brought it on himself. But an ordinary person couldn't have done that much damage. Chairman... just who is Katsuragi Keima?"
"I don't know any more than you do, Chabashira-sensei." Sakayanagi Narumori shook his head. He was a prominent figure in the political world. He even knew Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's true identity. But his information regarding Katsuragi Keima was extremely limited.
"Perhaps the entire landscape of this school will change because of him."
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Elsewhere, in Sakayanagi Arisu's room.
Kamuro Masumi rushed back and recounted everything she had seen.
"What?" Sakayanagi Arisu frowned, momentarily doubting her ears. Keima had easily taken down an adult male? "Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"
"I'm positive! Although I didn't see the specific process, there was no one else there—unless someone could fly! In less than a minute, that man was defeated. Even as he was carried away by security, he was muttering 'monster' and things like that."
Kamuro's tone was urgent. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have found it hard to imagine this coming from the weak-looking gamer she had seen earlier.
"And then?"
"They left with the Class D homeroom teacher. I don't know what happened after that."
Arisu's expression became solemn. She hadn't expected Keima to possess such strength. When he had bumped into her during the day, he had been the one to pass out. It didn't seem like an act... or had his disguise even fooled her?
Interesting. This was the first time she had encountered such a fellow.
"Well done, Kamuro-san. We've obtained information that exceeded expectations. This Katsuragi Keima fellow possesses combat abilities far beyond his age group." Arisu broke into a smile. "I can basically conclude that the series of events in Class D are closely related to him."
"So, what do we do next?"
"I originally intended to wait for him to come to us, but it seems that won't work now. Kamuro-san, I'll have to trouble you to go and proactively get in touch with him~"
"..." Kamuro swallowed hard. In her hand was the game cartridge she had stolen from Keima.
"Additionally, we can find a bit of fun. There's another somewhat interesting fellow in this school. I wonder how he'll react if he learns about this?"
"Are you talking about... Ryuen Kakeru?"
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On the other side, an exhausted Sakura Airi returned to her dormitory. She took a hot bath and lay on her bed; only then did the day's fatigue begin to fade.
"Today... I finally did it..." Airi muttered to herself while hugging her pillow.
Today was a super important day for her. Keima had called her by her name. She had called him by his name, too... and... she had given him a gift. She had originally wanted to give the gift to repay a favor, but by the end of the day, she owed him even more!
'If it hadn't been for Keima today...'
The moment Airi thought of Keima coming to her rescue, her heart rate spiked, and she buried her face in her pillow.
'Keima-kun looked so cool back then...' This was the first time she had felt this way about someone. And the feeling was only getting stronger.
Airi took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
"Speaking of which, Keima... is still going to have coffee with Hiyori-san tomorrow... why did Hiyori-san suddenly want to go to a cafe with him...?"
Airi didn't quite understand; her social skills could be described as a tragedy. However, driven by curiosity, she opened a search engine. The first result that popped up nearly made her bolt upright from her bed.
[Top 10 Date Spots for Couples] [No. 1: Coffee Shop]
"!!!!"
A strange sound escaped from the depths of Airi's throat.
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