In fact, after the information is refreshed, they always want to attack me!

Hiyori Shiina stared at the screen, slightly taken aback.

Unexpectedly, the other party was so efficient. Not only did they arrange the meeting properly, but they even made a special mention of Sakayanagi Arisu's physical characteristics.

She had indeed never met Sakayanagi Arisu.

However, since the other person was using a cane, it was indeed easy to recognize them at a glance.

Hiyori Shiina: Thank you so much, Ichinose-kun!

Honami Ichinose: You're welcome. To be honest, I was a little surprised. When Sakayanagi heard you were investigating the security footage, she agreed almost without hesitation. Actually, I think if you had just gone to her class, you probably would have gotten the same result.

Honami Ichinose: I don't need the points yet, it was just a small favor! If I run into any trouble in the future, I can ask Shiina-kun for help then.

Hiyori Shiina put down her phone, gazing at the passing clouds outside the window, a subtle ripple stirring within her.

Aside from gratitude towards Honami Ichinose, she was mostly puzzled by Arisu Sakayanagi—it was far beyond her expectations that the other party would agree to meet so readily.

Did they already know I would come looking for them, or did they have other plans?

She gripped her phone tightly, stood up, and walked toward that address.

......

The agreed-upon coffee shop was tucked away in a corner behind the teaching building, its wooden signboard gleaming warmly in the afternoon sun.

Shiina Hiyori pushed open the door, the wind chimes tinkled softly, and her gaze immediately fell on the seat by the window—a lovely silver-haired girl was holding a white porcelain coffee cup, with a cane beside her.

She was certain that the other person was Sakayanagi Arisu, and stepped forward.

"Um... Hello, Sakayanagi-san, I'm Shiina Hiyori from Class C, first year."

"Shiina-san, please have a seat." Sakayanagi's voice was even more pleasant than she had imagined. "Ichinose-san told me that you've been investigating the 'mysterious man' for a long time?"

Hiyori Shiina pulled out a chair and sat down, nodding. "Yes, it's been several weeks now. I just wanted to confirm with you..."

"Are you sure I'm that 'mysterious person'?" Sakayanagi interrupted her, a smile playing in his eyes, but it didn't go deep. "The answer is no."

She raised her hand to call the waiter, ordered a cup of black tea, and pushed it in front of Shiina Hiyori: "Like you, I'm also very curious about who rented the surveillance footage from the school."

Sakayanagi twirled a silver spoon in his fingers, the soft clinking of metal against the glass ringing out clearly in the quiet coffee shop. "So, Shiina-kun, tell me first. What have you been investigating these past few days, and what leads do you have?"

Shiina Hiyori subconsciously pursed her lips, the silence swirling on her tongue.

From the moment she stepped into the coffee shop, she vaguely felt that the other person was leading the conversation – even though she had come with questions, she now felt like she was the one being questioned instead of the other.

She originally intended to ask the other party directly if they had rented surveillance cameras, and to confirm a few suspicious points.

“Sorry.” Sakayanagi suddenly chuckled, the silver spoon stopping at the bottom of the cup. “It seems I don’t look like the one being questioned. Hehe… You should ask first.”

She herself realized that she had been a bit too aggressive just now.

The girl in front of me had her head down, her silver hair covering half her face, and even her fingertips were slightly clenched, clearly not very good at handling such a situation.

If we scare people away, then it won't be fun.

Hiyori Shiina took a deep breath and looked up at him: "Actually, I got a list of people who bought computers from the electronics store, and it includes the names of Sakayanagi-san and two other students from Class A. May I ask what your purpose is in buying these computers?"

Sakayanagi raised an eyebrow with a slight smile: "Just like Ryuuen-sho from your class, we'll naturally take it to the student council and have them install the surveillance software. After all, our Class A also spent 300 million personal points to rent surveillance equipment, so we can't let our efforts go to waste."

"...Would it be convenient for me to see the relevant chat history?" Shiina pressed.

"Sure." Sakayanagi drawled, his gaze sweeping over her face. "But in return, you'll have to tell me all the details you find out, okay?"

Shiina hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded: "...Okay."

"These are the chat logs on my phone." Sakayanagi pushed the phone over, and the screen clearly showed a conversation with someone. "The other party is undoubtedly that Yueqing classmate."

Hiyori Shiina picked up her phone, swiped her finger across the screen, and carefully flipped through the pages.

The chat logs are well-organized and clearly related to matters involving the rental of surveillance equipment.

Just as she was about to turn to the last few pages, Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly tapped the table with her finger. "Wait a minute. I can't show you the rest of the content. This is a private conversation between 'him' and me. These records should be enough to prove my innocence, right?"

Shiina stopped moving and looked up to meet the other person's amethyst eyes.

The smile remained in those eyes, yet it was as if a thin veil covered them, making it impossible to discern the thoughts hidden behind them.

Hiyori Shiina silently handed the phone back, her doubts spreading like ink drops on water—the other person's deliberate attempt to conceal the truth only made her more suspicious.

However, to be fair, the previous chat logs do prove that Sakayanagi Arisu did indeed make a deal with that "mysterious person".

"Um... um... I'm sorry." She lowered her head and whispered an apology.

"No need for an apology." Sakayanagi put away his phone, his fingertips quickly tapping the screen a few times. When his gaze swept over the chat history and stopped at the interface from last month, his shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.

She looked up at Shiina, her composure fading slightly, replaced by a hint of urging: "Tell me, who are the other two people who bought computers in Class A?"

Hiyori Shiina silently announced the names of the two people from Class A.

Sakayanagi Arisu was incredibly efficient. After listening, she immediately made a call in the coffee shop and pulled a pair of white earphones out of her pocket, handing them to her. "Put these on, Shiina-san."

Shiina put the earphones in her ears, and immediately heard Sakayanagi's conversation with the other party through the receiver.

The questions were incredibly precise—from the specific model of the computer purchased, to the details of communication with the seller, and even how many hours the computer had been used; every question hit the nail on the head.

Hiyori Shiina sat to the side, her fingertips unconsciously picking at the coaster.

She suddenly realized that if it were her, she might not have been able to ask such comprehensive questions.

The other person spoke at a steady pace, yet carried an invisible sense of pressure, as if they had already anticipated all possible loopholes.

Moreover, she even prepared earphones beforehand—which shows that Sakayanagi Arisu had anticipated this confrontation from the very beginning.

"In that case, all the suspects in Class A should be cleared, right?" Sakayanagi Arisu hung up the phone, her tone as calm as if stating a given fact.

“…Yes, that should be it.” Shiina Hiyori nodded, picked up the earphones beside her and handed them over, “Um, Sakayanagi-san, your earphones…”

Sakayanagi Arisu was silent for a moment. Her first reaction was that she didn't want it anymore—the other person had already worn the headphones.

To be honest, this was a brand new Bluetooth headset that she bought specifically for it, one that she had barely even touched herself.

But then, a strange sense of irritation suddenly flashed through her mind as she recalled Shimizu Akira's earlier comments in the chat history criticizing her for carelessly throwing trash in the convenience store.

"...Just put it on the table first," she finally said calmly.

“…Okay.” Shiina Hiyori nodded, a hint of surprise flashing through her mind, and she couldn’t help but secretly glance at the other person.

She even subconsciously felt that Sakayanagi might just give her the headphones.

After all, her impression of the other party so far has always been that of a calm, insightful, and intelligent person with a touch of aristocratic arrogance and aloofness, who seems to never care about the ownership of such a small item.

“So, it’s your turn to talk about the investigation process.” Sakayanagi Arisu replied without looking up, “There are only 21 minutes and 15 seconds left before afternoon class. I’ll ask you a few questions, and you can answer them.”

“Okay…” Shiina Hiyori replied.

This question-and-answer style of communication is indeed efficient and time-saving, saving her the trouble of organizing her logic and repeating it from the beginning.

Looking into the other girl's seemingly calm eyes, she inexplicably felt that this girl from Class A might be tired of being questioned and wanted to take the opportunity of asking questions to return the feeling of being scrutinized intact.

However, even though Sakayanagi didn't look at the clock, she was able to accurately say that there were only a few tens of minutes left before class.

This person is indeed not simple.

He truly deserves to be called a genius of Class A.

Hiyori Shiina couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration, sincerely marveling at the other's keenness and intelligence.

"First question—" Sakayanagi Arisu leaned forward slightly, "After hearing what I have to say, do you now know who the 'mysterious person' is?"

“…Not yet.” Shiina Hiyori’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her eyes in embarrassment.

"The second question," Sakayanagi continued calmly without pausing, "has the selection of students to purchase computers for the other three classes been investigated?"

"Yes, I've checked everything." Shiina Hiyori looked up and answered seriously, "It's just a bit of a shame that everyone who bought the computer seems to have a clear and reasonable purpose for it."

Sakayanagi lightly touched the rim of the cup with his fingertips, as if digesting the answer or preparing for the next question.

“The third question—” Sakayanagi Arisu tapped her fingertip lightly on the table, “In other classes, were you the one who asked about computer-related matters? Judging from your performance today, I don’t think you have that level of social skills. Did Ichinose do it for you?”

“This… no.” Shiina Hiyori shook her head and answered truthfully, “It was done by my assistant.”

"The fourth question," Sakayanagi's tone finally revealed a hint of interest, his voice rising slightly at the end, "and who is your assistant?"

"It's Shimizu Akira from Class D, Grade 1."

"So it's Shimizu-kun." Sakayanagi chuckled softly, his silvery laughter echoing in the quiet coffee shop. "Hehehe... How interesting. So why is he so insistent on helping you?"

“Because I ran into him at the library before, and… I also paid him points as a reward.” Shiina Hiyori said, her fingers unconsciously tightening.

"How much?" Sakayanagi pressed, his gaze becoming even more inquisitive.

“Thirty thousand points,” Shiina Hiyori answered softly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sakayanagi raised an eyebrow, as if he had heard some unexpected number.

She picked up her now-cold coffee and took a sip, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes, as if this answer was more unexpected than any of the previous clues.

"Alright, that's about all the questions I wanted to ask." Sakayanagi Arisu said, placing her hand on the edge of the table as she stood up. As her gaze swept across the table, she casually put the headphones into her pocket. "That's all for now."

"Wait a minute!" Shiina Hiyori hurriedly spoke, her fingertips trembling slightly with urgency, "I have something else I'd like to ask Sakayanagi-san..."

"Oh?" Sakayanagi turned around and looked at her. "You haven't even figured out the identity of the 'mysterious person,' so what makes you think I'll help you?"

Hiyori Shiina took a deep breath and met the other person's gaze: "...The thing I want to ask is to be able to pinpoint the true identity of the 'mysterious person' in one go."

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly fading the slight disdain on Sakayanagi's face.

She stopped and turned her gaze back to Shiina, a hint of seriousness creeping into her voice: "Tell me about it."

"I need Sakayanagi to talk to your homeroom teacher."

Chapter 161: 158 Shimizu, you've won the lottery! Want to come to Class B?

Why would the homeroom teacher suddenly come to our door?

Just after lunch, before Akira Shimizu even reached the classroom, he saw a teacher standing at the door of Class D, Grade 1.

It wasn't Chabashira Sae from their class, but Hoshinomiya Chie from Class B.

She was wearing a short skirt today, her small lips were pursed, and there was a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Seeing him approach, she waved and greeted him, "Good afternoon, Shimizu-kun."

The tone was light and cheerful, as if he were talking about something trivial.

But Hoshinomiya Chie just stood there at the door, and her eye-catching figure immediately attracted the attention of the other students.

After all, Hoshinomiya Chie, to be fair, although her personality is a bit eccentric, her looks are undeniably stunning—she has a curvaceous figure, and her attire is nothing like that of other female teachers who are conservative. Instead, she dresses impeccably every day, looking exactly like a female college student going on a date.

Teenagers in puberty are sometimes more attracted to older women with good figures than to the pretty young girls in their classmates.

In addition, she has always been easygoing and loves to greet students from all classes, so she is not unfamiliar to the students.

At this moment, blocked at the classroom door by Hoshinomiya Chie, Shimizu Akira felt that the gazes cast around him were not only probing but also mixed with a few undisguised envy.

Just like Haruki Yamauchi and Kanji Ike, who were whispering to each other not far away, their shoulders occasionally rubbing together.

Even with his eyes closed, Akira Shimizu could guess what those two were thinking—nothing more than thoughts like, "They've already gone on a date with Kikyo Kushida, so how come such a cute teacher would come knocking on their door?" They were probably also imagining some far-fetched scenarios.

He actually wanted to rush over and knock those two on the head: the school rules clearly stated that inappropriate relationships were prohibited, and even if the high school recognized student couples, relationships between teachers and students should be absolutely forbidden.

But with Hoshinomiya Chie's gaze fixed on him, he didn't even have a chance to move, and could only let those two probing eyes burn two holes in his body.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, is there something you need from me?" Shimizu Akira composed himself and spoke first.

"Come over here." Hoshinomiya Chie waved to him with a smile, her tone light as if inviting someone to share a secret, "I just want to say a few words to you."

"..." Although Shimizu Akira couldn't figure out the other party's intentions, he caught a glimpse of the surveillance camera in the corner of the corridor and walked over as instructed.

To his surprise, he had expected that Hoshinomiya Chie would playfully tease him, but instead, she was unusually serious.

"Shimizu-kun, what exactly is your goal at this school?"

“…Graduation.” Shimizu Akira answered almost subconsciously.

After all, the system sent him to this world with the ultimate goal of graduating smoothly.

"Before graduation," Hoshinomiya Chie's eyes held a hint of inquiry, "do you want to graduate as a student in Class A, or as a student in Class D?"

Akira Shimizu did not answer this time; in fact, the answer seemed to be of little importance to him.

According to the system, his task was simply to graduate from this school.

From an ordinary person's perspective, Class A is naturally the best—as the top class in the entire school, its graduates can easily enter top universities, such as the University of Tokyo, which is ranked among the top 100 in the world. Graduating from such a prestigious university, entering a world-class company is simply a matter of course.

"And what about me, teacher?" Hoshinomiya Chie suddenly changed the subject, lowering her voice, "I'll let you in on a little secret, I'm also a graduate of this school. Come to think of it, I used to be a student in Class D."

She gazed at the window at the end of the corridor, her tone tinged with complexity: "I know Class D too well. Often, what hinders Class D from advancing is never a lack of ability, but rather the nature of their people—they are never united, always doing inexplicable things, only focusing on their own interests, completely disregarding the other students."