Chaos in Classroom of the Elite: Class 1-C

After years of obsession, Sakayanagi finally found release, as if she had accomplished a grand goal set in her childhood. A mix of joy and confusion washed over her, a blend of achievement and uncertainty.

Suddenly, Sakayanagi closed her eyes, her lips curling into a delicate smile that revealed a charming dimple.

She spread her arms wide, one hand reaching outward, the other lightly gripping her cane, striking a pose reminiscent of the heroine standing at the bow of the Titanic, arms outstretched to the wind: "Yukio-kun, catch me."

With those words, she completely relaxed and abruptly let herself fall backward. The sensation of weightlessness hit her, and though her brain sent out warning signals, she kept her eyes firmly shut, controlled by her own willpower.

"What are you doing?" Yukio was utterly baffled, not understanding why Sakayanagi was letting herself fall like that. With her frail frame, wouldn't she get a concussion from such a fall? Instinctively, he rushed to position himself behind her, crouched slightly, and caught her in his arms just in time, preventing her from hitting the ground.

"Did that electric shocker in Fujii's hand scare you into losing your mind?" Yukio grumbled, annoyed, even though he managed to catch her. He didn't bother hiding his irritation.

As he wrapped his arms around her, he couldn't help but be a little taken aback—Sakayanagi was way too thin. Normally, her school uniform concealed it, but now he could feel just how slender her waist was. It felt like he could wrap his hands around it entirely, and if he applied a little pressure, it seemed like her waist might snap. Holding her even felt like hugging a bundle of bones, slightly uncomfortable.

Feeling herself securely in a warm embrace, Sakayanagi finally opened her eyes with a smug smile, her dimple still visible, and her face beaming with satisfaction.

Clearly, she had no idea what Yukio was thinking about her, or else she wouldn't be smiling.

"I knew you'd catch me, Yukio-kun."

"Just think of this as a girl's rare moment of indulgence, after all..." Sakayanagi said softly, lying halfway in Yukio's arms, her gaze fixed directly on the vast blue sky above.

She gazed at the vast sky, though it was unclear whether she was admiring its grandeur or, through the blue sky and white clouds, reflecting back over the years and her past self: "After all, it's been eight years since I last allowed myself to be so willful."

"Hey, Yukio-kun, can you understand? Eight years ago, after my father took me to the White Room, I made a firm decision—to destroy that place, which claims to nurture post-genius talent but in reality, torments so many children."

"For eight years, I've pushed myself relentlessly, striving to become better, without making a single mistake, until today."

"Finally... I've won."

Yukio looked down at Sakayanagi, unimpressed. He couldn't quite grasp how deeply she had been consumed by this obsession—it just didn't seem evident to him.

Maybe it was his silence that triggered an even stronger desire in Sakayanagi to confide more: "Do you not believe me, Yukio-kun?"

"No matter how much of a genius someone is, no matter how easily I can learn things that others can't, I'm still just a sixteen-year-old girl."

"At this age, it's natural to have moments of wanting to play, to indulge a little, just like any other girl."

"But for eight years, during my childhood, I suppressed myself. While others gathered to play, I stayed home quietly, reading books."

"As a teenager, while other girls talked about trends and made plans to hang out, I was still shadowing my father, learning various things."

"And finally, today, I've fulfilled my obsession. I've defeated Ayanokouji-kun, the ultimate creation of the White Room."

"At long last, the part of me that's been suppressed all these years—the part that's just a girl—has been set free a little. I just wanted to be willful for once, so please understand, Yukio-kun."

"...Ugh." Yukio sighed slightly, not the least bit moved by Sakayanagi's "heartfelt confession." He felt like not a single word out of her mouth was truthful: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Did you forget? Do you even remember when the two of us first met?"

"Huh?" Sakayanagi froze as she was reminded of the truth. The moment her lie was exposed, her once-smiling face stiffened instantly, making her expression so amusing that even Yukio couldn't help but laugh.

"Slight miscalculation," Sakayanagi mumbled unconsciously, her face unknowingly heating up, a clear sign of the embarrassment from having her lie effortlessly exposed by Yukio.

The girl's delicate face was now flushed with a charming blush.

Perhaps defeating Ayanokouji had been such a marvelous moment for her, the release of years of obsession, that she instinctively overlooked many details.

One crucial detail she forgot was that her first encounter with Yukio wasn't at AN High School, but on a beach.

Sakayanagi fully recalled now—it was during the summer vacation before their third year of middle school. On a rare whim, she had snuck out alone, despite her weak health, just to see the ocean. That's where she met Yukio.

And it was precisely this event that contradicted her earlier statement, "I haven't been willful in eight years."

Yukio wasn't particularly interested in Sakayanagi's lies, but he was more than eager to tease her: "Tsk, tsk, you were just acting out last summer, and now you're claiming you haven't done it in eight years?"

After dropping that line, he leaned forward slightly, meeting Sakayanagi's eyes: "You see, I just can't understand your feelings at all."

"N-no, don't look at me." Sakayanagi simply closed her eyes and turned her head away, unwilling to face Yukio's gaze, which was full of teasing and amusement.

Closing her eyes was her way of escaping the situation, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand—if she couldn't see him, then surely he couldn't see her either. By turning her head, she completely avoided making eye contact with him. Every time she met Yukio's gaze, she'd feel guilty.

"!" Yukio's heart skipped a beat. When had he ever seen Sakayanagi with such an expression? Sakayanagi, playing the ostrich? He had never heard of or seen anything like it before!

Usually, this white-haired beauty carried a poised and elegant smile as if she controlled everything around her. Yet, here she was, showing such a shy and bashful side, even with a soft, youthful voice telling him not to look at her. The stark contrast was too much for Yukio to handle.

This type of contrast—cuteness in unexpected forms—was irresistible to most people. It's like discovering a seemingly aloof and cool beauty is secretly a cat lover who can't pass by without petting one. Or how a righteous, regal leader turns out to be an airheaded glutton. Or the diligent model student who turns into a lazy slob once she gets home, becoming a "hikikomori" princess.

There are so many examples like this. Girls like her always have a unique, irresistible charm that makes hearts flutter uncontrollably.

Perhaps due to Yukio's silence, Sakayanagi slightly opened her eyes, only to see him looking dumbfounded. Her face immediately flushed even more, and she quickly used her free hand to cover her mouth and nose.

It seemed like she intended to cover her entire face, including her warm, blushing cheeks, as she muttered, "Wh-why are you still looking?"

However, Yukio couldn't see past that fair hand, nor could he catch the sly smile curling at the edges of her lips underneath.

"Hmph", Sakayanagi's heart brimmed with joy as she giggled quietly to herself. "Yukio-kun, you'll never understand—pretending to be shy is a girl's ultimate weapon."

In fact, some of what Sakayanagi had said earlier was true. While it was impossible that she hadn't acted out for eight years, the part about suppressing herself had been genuine. Now, for once, with all the weight off her shoulders, her long-restrained girlish heart couldn't help but start to stir...