Chapter 38: Morishita Ai's Words (Part 1) (Patreon)

Chapter 38: Ai Morishita's Words (Part 1)

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"Sakayanagi: Tonight really does feel like a night of destiny."

That was the message Arisu Sakayanagi left at dawn, the final line before she ended her private exchange with Satoru Anjouin.

And yet, it really did turn out just as she'd said.

By the time dawn broke, everyone capable of awakening a technique had already done so — for those who hadn't, no amount of effort now would change anything.

No one had yet found any pattern to technique awakening.

The only word for it was random.

Anjouin guessed it had something to do with wishes, experiences, and desires, though some students had awakened straightforward techniques like Cursed Energy Reinforcement or Cursed Energy Discharge — and then there was the first-years' 'grand prize.'

First thing that morning, Anjouin walked into the classroom to find several students hanging their heads and sighing.

If you hadn't awakened last night, you'd genuinely have to wait until next year.

Still, they had it easy compared to the third-years, who had no next year to wait for.

For them, this was a one-shot chance.

Failing to awaken meant graduating as a techniqueless jujutsu sorcerer.

His little tail, Ai Morishita, sighed right along with them once she got back to her seat — so he gave her a chop on the head.

Fooling around like that right now was basically mocking everyone else; she deserved the hit.

Rubbing the top of her head, Morishita gave a sheepish grin.

Just then, Arisu Sakayanagi walked slowly into the classroom, leaning on her cane.

As usual, she wore white garter stockings, innocence tinged with a hint of allure, her unexercised legs plump enough to make one want to reach out and touch them.

Walking behind her like a loyal little dog, Masumi Kamuro still wore a faintly dazed look.

It made Anjouin suspect that Sakayanagi really had gone to Kamuro to discuss her buyout plan.

Given Kamuro's personality, she probably wouldn't have agreed easily — but the number involved must have shaken her, even though her family wasn't exactly poor.

In fact, her kleptomania largely stemmed from the strict demands of a well-off upbringing — mounting pressure that had finally pushed her into stealing.

It was much like celebrities who shoplifted from convenience stores despite having plenty of money — really chasing the thrill and pleasure of rebellion, of breaking moral order.

Either way, Anjouin found Sakayanagi a bit much.

"Whoa, Sakayanagi's giving off serious shipping vibes — is she about to merge hearts and souls with Masumi?"

Morishita glanced that way a couple of times, sensing something was off, and studied the subtle distance between the two of them, letting out a strange little exclamation.

Sakayanagi hadn't tried to hide her technique.

After all, within Class 1-A, Katsuragi had gone public, and Anjouin had also said he'd awakened his — if she claimed she hadn't, she'd fall far behind them.

Especially since Anjouin considered himself quite capable.

He'd helped set up the Public Morals Department, arranged volunteer work through the Student Council slaughtering chickens, ducks, and fish, brought in a wealth of forward intel, and was himself an insider from the jujutsu world.

It was only because he hadn't stepped up to lead Class 1-A himself; otherwise, neither Sakayanagi nor Katsuragi would have been a match for him.

Anjouin did plan to build his own faction, but he had no interest in shouldering too much responsibility for the class.

If anything, he didn't think he was better than Katsuragi or Sakayanagi in that regard.

Katsuragi's administrative skills were outstanding; all the class's intel funneled through him, and he compiled it into records.

Sakayanagi's combat strength even outstripped his own, and she was far better at using tricks and taking risks.

This despite Anjouin already considering his own combat strength quite strong.

Morishita knew Sakayanagi's technique — Sakayanagi herself had stated the so-called principle of consent: she wouldn't manipulate anyone unwilling, and wouldn't control people at random.

Incidentally, Class 1-A had 20 boys and 20 girls; between the Sakayanagi faction and the Anjouin faction, each claimed 10 girls.

That count for Sakayanagi's faction included Sakayanagi herself.

Because of her 'Human Manipulation' technique, Sakayanagi now preferred female subordinates — she could hardly attach her consciousness to a boy's body, after all.

Naturally, she'd also tried to poach members from Anjouin's side.

"What did you notice?" Anjouin asked, naturally curious.

He'd always known Morishita's powers of observation were sharp.

"The sense of distance, of course~"

"They look like they're keeping their distance, but really, they're perfectly in sync. Sakayanagi's been controlling Masumi all along, right? She's probably decided to become Masumi-chan's exclusive pilot."

Morishita blinked, looking so innocently carefree that it was impossible to tell whether she was being serious.

And yet, her words had landed squarely on the truth.

In a sense, Sakayanagi really did want Kamuro to be her personal Gundam.

Perhaps noticing their attention, Sakayanagi flashed a faint smile their way; every gesture carried an aristocratic air that made her look more and more like a little princess adored by her knights and subjects.

Her soft, shoulder-length hair, like forged silver, caught the sunlight streaming through the window and shone brilliantly.

"Wow, the Gluttony Little Fairy is scary." Morishita flinched and ducked straight behind him.

By the start of first period, Class 1-A's students had already noticed someone missing from the room.

Homeroom teacher Tomoya Mashima walked in, set down the notebook in his hand, and addressed the class.

"Nishikawa called in sick today."

With that, he launched into the English lesson.

Class 1-A's schedule now looked completely different from just a week ago.

Two specialized classes ran every day now, held jointly with Class B in the large lecture hall, naturally crowding out the original curriculum.

At vocational high schools, subjects like Japanese, math, and English never carried much weight either, and by now none of Class 1-A's students treated them with their old level of seriousness.

Still, Katsuragi thought learning more couldn't hurt, and he tried teaming up with Class B to form a supplementary lessons team, teaching classes on weekends.

So on top of the intel team, volunteer team, and club team, Class 1-A now also had a supplementary lessons team — and once the Public Morals Department finished assigning its posts, they'd pull together a patrol team from the class to support its work.

Incidentally, according to the Student Council, the Public Morals Department would take 3 members each from Classes A and B, bringing the department's total headcount to 19.

Of that, the department's monthly pay worked out to 1×5 + 18×3 = 59 Class Points.

Class 1-A's own share came to only 1×5 + 3×3 = 14 Class Points, but forming the Public Morals Department genuinely handed some benefits to the second- and third-years.

That worked out to 9 Class Points per class, or 108 Class Points over a full year.

If it weren't for the fact that these days, both Class Points and Private Points came straight out of the 'school's' pocket, there was no way the administration — given its usual style — would ever sign off on such a perk.

Mashima wrapped up the lesson briskly, neither early nor overtime, packing away his lesson plan and leaving the moment the bell rang.

The moment he left, the classroom — which had been kept orderly — instantly erupted into chatter.

"Huh, Nishikawa's not here?"

"She called in sick — nothing's wrong, is it?"

"Should we go check on her after school?"

"Let me — I'll be bringing her lunch during the break anyway."

With her clear, bright voice and cheerful, outgoing personality, Ryoko Nishikawa had made plenty of friends in class.

Both boys and girls liked her, so the whole class felt a little worried on hearing she'd called in sick.

"Could something have gone wrong with her technique awakening?"

Seigi Hashimoto, a bit of a smart-aleck, voiced the gloomy thought.

A whole cluster of girls glared at him for it, even the gentle Asuka Shiraishi, who fixed him with a 'fierce' look.

Honestly, that look was pretty adorable.

Even knowing Shiraishi was putting it on, Anjouin still found himself marveling that a girl this gentle and understanding could exist.

"It's not impossible. Whoever visits her should ask."

"If there's a problem, just contact me directly. Even if I can't handle it myself, I can bring in someone who can," Anjouin told the girls present.

In his mind, Anjouin was convinced Satoru Gojo wasn't reliable — but only in the sense that the man might drop the ball at critical moments.

For ordinary everyday matters, though, he had no worries about handing things to Gojo, since there'd be time to fix any mess he made.

After a few classes, that one empty desk left Class 1-A's mood feeling a little off.

When lunch break came, a few girls headed to the dorms to check on Nishikawa.

Anjouin and Morishita went to the cafeteria to eat.

They picked out a corner on the first floor, then spotted Sakayanagi and Kamuro heading up to the third floor, standing noticeably closer together than before.

Still, she probably hadn't made her decision yet.

"Wow, Masumi-chan looks torn."

"Makes sense — once you fall in with the little fairy Sakayanagi, easy days are pretty much over."

"Given Masumi-chan's personality, though, she'll definitely cave to Sakayanagi in the end — and honestly, they're totally shippable."

Morishita's eyes sparkled as she muttered under her breath.

"Your eye for this is really something. I'm curious what else you've noticed."

Morishita might be his little tail, but she wasn't glued to his side all the time — sometimes she'd go off with Shiraishi, Nishikawa, or Miki Yamamura instead.

But Anjouin's words dimmed the light in her eyes a little, and she gave a couple of sheepish laughs, as if playing dumb.

"Nooo, not really~"

"No need to act coy with me. I'm genuinely curious."

"Uu~" Morishita kept blinking her big eyes, as if she had no idea what he meant.

But reflected in those bright eyes was his earnest expression, and it gave her a bit of a headache.

"Feels like I ended up with a somewhat strict big brother."

"Oh, don't worry — at least I won't go and do this-and-that to my little sister like a certain senior did."

"This-and-that?!"

Morishita's pretty face flushed, as if her mind had gone somewhere improper.

"I just meant strict enough to actually hit his little sister."

"—Huh?!"

In a way, that statement short-circuited Morishita's brain just as badly.

What kind of brother was that rough with his own sister?

Still, Morishita hesitated, jabbing her chopsticks at the meatball on her tray several times.

"I don't want to say."

"If you don't want to, that's fine. It was only meant as table talk anyway."

Anjouin didn't press the point.

Splat.

Morishita flipped her chopsticks around, stabbed the meatball in one go, and popped it whole into her mouth.

"If it's just table talk... then it's fine."

"But, Satoru, you can't go hating me because of it, okay~"

The look she gave him ran deeper and more hollow than usual.

"I've been watching everyone this whole time, you know. I really have noticed quite a lot."

"Let's start with Class 1-A. The little fairy Sakayanagi is the chairman's daughter, right? Her bearing, upbringing, and manners aren't something an ordinary family could raise."

"And Advanced Nurturing High School's chairman just happens to share the surname Sakayanagi."

"Mashima-sensei's honest and trustworthy, treating every student equally, sure — but lately he's been paying a bit more attention to Sakayanagi than to anyone else."

"He was probably specifically told to by the chairman. Sakayanagi collapsing earlier over that 'body hair joke' incident was likely the reason..."