This reaction was strange.

It didn't seem like she didn't understand what he was saying, nor did it seem like she was angry or embarrassed.

Instead, she seemed... excited.

Could she be having a sudden heart attack?

Considering this possibility, Kaoru Mitoma felt it was a bit troublesome, but not particularly so, since he had a few medical items on hand.

At that moment, Arisu Sakayanagi suddenly gave him a gentle smile.

"Please don't worry too much. Although my body isn't in the best condition, i'm quite resilient. I can endure this level of teasing."

Her voice trembled slightly at the end, as if she were experiencing some unusual sensation.

Even her neck was tinged with a faint blush, her eyes shimmering like water, making it seem as if Kaoru Mitoma had done something unspeakable to this petite girl.

"No one would describe their own body as resilient, would they?"

"Facing Mitoma-kun's strong and overbearing body, as a delicate girl, I can only put up a symbolic resistance."

"Is that so?"

Kaoru Mitoma took a step closer to Arisu Sakayanagi and her previously smiling expression faltered.

She suddenly realized she had made another mistake—this guy wasn't someone who could be brushed off with a laugh.

When he meant business, he really meant it.

It was like when she thought Kaoru Mitoma would at most just touch her feet, but she never expected him to actually dare to lick them.

And it wasn't just licking—Arisu Sakayanagi still couldn't forget the sensation of his tongue, especially when it was on her toes.

"Aren't you afraid I'll expose what happened between you and Honami Ichinose?" Arisu Sakayanagi quickly changed the subject, taking a half-step back in slight helplessness.

Behind her was the ship's window, leaving her with no way to retreat.

As soon as she finished speaking, Kaoru Mitoma stopped in front of her.

They were just a few steps apart, almost face to face.

"What are you going to say?"

Arisu Sakayanagi glanced at Honami Ichinose, who stood composedly nearby.

Beneath her slightly curved eyebrows, her beautiful eyes seemed to radiate a childlike innocence.

Her high nose bridge made her delicate face appear even more three-dimensional and adorable.

Without heavy makeup, her skin looked as smooth as freshly peeled egg whites and the size of her chest would make many girls feel envious.

However, what Arisu Sakayanagi cared about more was Honami Ichinose's reaction.

Though she was undeniably beautiful, as the leader of Class B, she couldn't rely solely on her looks.

Otherwise, she'd just be a pretty vase with no substance.

With Class B having lost two of their VIP students, what would Honami Ichinose do?

"Did you sell our class's VIP's to Class B?" Arisu Sakayanagi reacted quickly, her voice tinged with shock as she looked at Kaoru Mitoma.

Even his presence here hadn't surprised her this much.

Arisu Sakayanagi had never imagined he would do something like this.

Wasn't the agreement to see who was more suited to lead Class A and make the other their servant?

Yet, he had willingly handed over Class A's VIP's student to someone else?

This move would directly cost Class A 150 class points.

If it had been Katsuragi, he would never have made such a decision!

Therefore, Arisu Sakayanagi could hardly hide the surprise in her eyes.

"I didn't sell the VIP's student info. You were the one who leaked critical information to other classes, and they seized the opportunity to betray us. Katsuragi acted swiftly and ended the exams for the other groups immediately," Kaoru Mitoma patiently explained the entire situation to her.

"Even though you made a mistake, Katsuragi had no choice but to forgive you since you're still a member of our class."

Arisu Sakayanagi fell silent.

Public opinion was a tool that could be manipulated.

In her hands, she could use the fact that Class A had been attacked to question Katsuragi.

But in someone else's hands, it could take a completely different direction.

Just hearing Kaoru Mitoma's explanation, Arisu Sakayanagi could already imagine the difficult position she was about to face.

In the face of Class A's crisis, Katsuragi had stepped up to save the class from a disastrous defeat, while she, Arisu Sakayanagi, had failed in her duties and now had to rely on Katsuragi to clean up her mess.

The difference in their competence was glaringly obvious.

What made it even more humiliating was that Katsuragi would generously "forgive" her.

Forgiveness meant that Katsuragi was in the superior position, while she could only stand in the inferior position, forced to accept the fact that she had been forgiven.

"Hehehe, Ichinose-san, do you think three beneficiaries will be enough for you?" Arisu Sakayanagi whispered, "You attack Class A, but let Class A attack other groups. In the end, the only class that achieves a positive outcome is Class A."

Kaoru Mitoma's strategy requires another class to sacrifice itself.

Both sides need to cooperate tacitly—one attacks Class A, while the other decisively and swiftly deals with the remaining groups.

For Class B, this approach could offset their losses, preventing a deduction of class points, but at the same time, they wouldn't gain any class points either.

After all that effort, they ended up with nothing to show for it.

Arisu Sakayanagi couldn't comprehend Honami Ichinose's way of thinking.

"If it weren't for Mitoma-kun, Class B would likely have ended up with a negative outcome. Avoiding a loss of 150 points is already something to be grateful for. There's no need to push for more." Honami Ichinose smiled softly, seemingly content with the result.

Arisu Sakayanagi gritted her teeth.

Just moments ago, she had been so confident, but now she was caught off guard by how easily Class B was satisfied with merely avoiding a loss of 150 points.

However, she wasn't entirely convinced.

There might still be some deal between Kaoru Mitoma and Honami Ichinose.

"Hehe, Ichinose-san, as a girl, you shouldn't be so easily satisfied. The more you act like this, the less men will care about your feelings."

"I think Sakayanagi-san is overthinking things."

"Am I meddling too much?"

"No, it's more like a last-ditch struggle."

At this point, Arisu Sakayanagi found it difficult to come up with a proper counterattack.

Her previous assumptions were based on the idea that Kaoru Mitoma hadn't sought external help, and she truly hadn't expected Honami Ichinose to agree to Mitoma's proposal.

The reason Kakeru Ryuen agreed to her deal was that if Class A could achieve Outcome One, it would also benefit Class C significantly.

According to Mitoma's approach, the entire exam would essentially have no win-win scenario.

Except for Class A, the other classes would either gain nothing or end up with a negative outcome.

Another point was that Mitoma had deliberately cornered her here, clearly intending to cut off her contact with the outside world.

Even if she had any tricks up her sleeve, she was powerless now.

Just then, the phone in Arisu Sakayanagi's pocket vibrated several times in quick succession.

Kaoru Mitoma looked at her with a smile and said softly.

"Does this count as my victory?"

Losing... this was the first time she had lost...

Wait, it felt more like she hadn't even used her full strength before being overwhelmed by a flurry of unexpected moves, leaving Arisu Sakayanagi feeling somewhat frustrated.

But it wasn't as unbearable as she had imagined.

In fact, there was a hint of pleasant surprise in the air.

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