Tokyo: After years of stagnation, the heiress of the yakuza arrives.

"What the hell?"

Kuroba Shido squatted beside the entrance hall, still holding the battery he had just pried out of the smart lock, his evil smile completely frozen on his face.

On the phone screen, messages from Miyazaki Kiyoshi appeared one after another, as quiet as some kind of talisman from the depths of the club.

Why didn't you come to the club activity today?

"Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, go to the club room."

"The club activity I missed today needs to be made up..."

Kuroba Shido rubbed his eyes.

He looked down again.

Still.

He rubbed his eyes again.

Look again.

It's still there.

Kuroba Shido remained silent for two seconds, then slowly raised one hand and covered his eyes.

As long as you can't see it.

It doesn't exist.

This is a basic survival philosophy that a poor boy summarized from many years of hardship.

Three seconds later, a crack quietly appeared on his finger.

The screen was still lit.

The news about Miyazaki Kiyoshi is still there.

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

He closed his fingers again.

It cracked again.

Take one more look.

The message hasn't disappeared.

Because he didn't reply for a long time, the chat box seemed even colder, more ruthless, and more like a death warrant for tomorrow that was already stuck to his forehead.

Kuroba Shido lowered his hand.

He started.

Kaoru Amamiya stood at the kitchen doorway, holding a freshly warmed milk in her arms, looking at him with a complicated expression.

"Kid, what's wrong?"

Kuroba Shido did not answer.

He looked down at his phone, his expression gradually becoming solemn.

"teacher."

"Um?"

"I've discovered that life is a giant community activity."

Amamiya Kaoru: "???"

"You thought you escaped, but actually the minister just postponed the roll call."

Amamiya Kaoru: "..."

She didn't quite understand.

But she probably knew that Kuroba Shido had suffered another setback.

It wasn't until this moment that Shido Kuroba finally realized what was happening.

Not going to the club this afternoon wasn't a way of avoiding trouble.

It's not that Miyazaki Kiyoshi forgot.

The minister has not forgotten at all.

She was just waiting for him here.

When the night was deep and quiet, when he had just defeated the smart lock, when he thought he could finally catch his breath, he precisely stabbed into his survival system.

Kuroba Shido took a deep breath.

No.

Can't sit still.

His brain started working wildly.

The brain, which had become somewhat smooth due to running around, eating barbecue, and breaking door locks, began to grow wrinkles again.

Option 1.

I'll pretend to be sick tomorrow morning.

No.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi sealed off even his stomach aches in advance, and even blocked off toilets, human dignity, and sewer routes, which shows that she had established a complete database of his usual escape routes.

Option 2.

They will be missing tomorrow morning.

No.

Now, Kaoru Amamiya's house has Airi, the Daikoku family, and a smart lock whose battery he removed. If any part of the chain malfunctions, his location could be exposed.

Option 3.

Let Yamamoto go in his place.

Kuroba Shido thought about it seriously for a second.

No.

As soon as Yamamoto Sento, that rice ball-headed guy, walks into the clubroom, he starts imagining himself being summoned privately by the club president within three minutes and begins to scheme against himself, making things even more terrible than they are now.

Option 4.

Let Ito Fusei go in his place.

No.

Ito, that forgotten ghost, has such a low presence that he'd probably be automatically relegated to the background as soon as he entered the room, not even able to act as a scapegoat.

Option 5.

Slide your knees in advance.

Shido Kuroba's eyes gradually brightened.

Correct.

This is it.

Rather than waiting to be judged by the minister on the spot tomorrow, it's better to correct our attitude tonight.

Human civilization has developed to its current state not because of force.

It's a sliding kneel.

Kuroba Shido immediately lowered his head and began editing the message.

"Your Excellency, Minister."

Delete it.

Too ordinary.

Not sincere enough.

"Your Excellency, Minister."

pause.

Continue typing.

"Today, due to unforeseen circumstances, some members were unable to participate in club activities on time. I feel deeply ashamed and remorseful about this. I've been tossing and turning in bed, and I almost turned into a salted fish on the spot..."

Kuroba Shido looked at it for two seconds.

No.

It reads too much like an essay.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi might ask him to write an 800-word expanded version tomorrow.

He deleted it without hesitation.

Let's start over.

"Minister, I will always be your most loyal henchman."

He looked at the sentence and felt that it made sense.

Then continue typing.

"So, can that minor mistake made by a member today be treated leniently?"

After thinking for a moment, he added another sentence.

"I will definitely arrive at the club room on time tomorrow morning to prove my loyalty to the club with my actions."

Kuroba Shido hesitated for half a second.

Finally, one more line was added.

"Of course, if club activities could be changed to breakfast, loyalty would be even higher."

send.

After sending the message, Master Kuroba breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was difficult, he still managed to do it. He truly lived up to his reputation!

This is wisdom.

This is what it means to adopt a humble attitude.

These are the survival skills that impoverished teenagers glean from the harsh realities of society when facing those in positions of power.

Looking at his expression, which seemed to indicate that he had just finished diplomatic negotiations, Amamiya Kaoru couldn't help but speak.

"Hey kid, what are you up to now?"

Kuroba Shido lowered his phone, his expression serious.

"Teacher, I am using language to protect my life."

Amamiya Kaoru: "..."

What is this guy saying...?

Meanwhile, on the other side...

The Miyazaki family.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi had just finished washing up. The room was a little dimmer than before, and the water glass on the bedside table had been put back in its place, with a little bit of warm water still condensing on the glass.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, her nightgown softly clinging to her body, her toes lightly touching the carpet. She was as quiet as the only undisturbed part of the night.

My phone vibrated.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi lowered his eyes.

Kuroba Shido finally replied.

She opened the chat window.

"Minister, I will always be your most loyal henchman."

"So, can that minor mistake made by a member today be treated leniently?"

"I will definitely arrive at the club room on time tomorrow morning to prove my loyalty to the club with my actions."

"Of course, if club activities could be changed to breakfast, loyalty would be even higher."

Miyazaki watched it quietly.

Half a minute later, her eyes narrowed slightly.

A loyal henchman.

A minor mistake.

Treated leniently.

Eat breakfast.

A very typical Kuroba Shido-style defensive structure.

First, lower your stance, then downplay the responsibility, and then try to transform the punishment scenario into a feeding scenario.

Kiyoshi Miyazaki taps the screen with his fingertip.

Your absence is not a minor mistake.

Kuroba Shido replied almost instantly.

"Your Excellency, any great organization should allow its members to get lost even once in the complexities of life."

Miyazaki Kiyoshi looked at this sentence.

"You're not lost."

Kuroba said, "Minister, you are so insightful. Then I am simply being swept along by fate."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "Did fate make you escape from the third-floor restroom of the cafeteria?"

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

In Amamiya Kaoru's apartment, he looked at these words and his face immediately darkened.

How did she know?

wrong.

Of course she knew.

That woman, Miyazaki Kiyoshi, was on the third floor of the cafeteria at the time, and she can read minds. It's possible that by the time he reached the stairwell, she had already rehearsed his escape route three times over.

Kuroba Shido lowered his head and typed.

"Your Excellency, this is slander."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "You didn't leave from the direction of the restroom?"

Kurobashi said, "I am simply respecting human dignity."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "I've already said that this excuse can't be used tomorrow."

Kuroba Shido remained silent.

This woman is so difficult to deal with.

He changed his perspective.

"Minister, the situation today is actually very complicated. I have experienced the crisis of the remnants of the news department, the survival crisis on the third floor of the cafeteria, the horror movie crisis in the infirmary, and the human-machine battle crisis of the smart lock. I am already a victim of continuous battles."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "So you didn't participate in club activities."

Kurobashi said, "That's why I need the organization's care."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "Tomorrow at eight o'clock."

Kuroba said, "Minister, isn't eight o'clock too early?"

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "7:30 is also fine."

Shido Kuroba immediately changed his tune.

"Eight o'clock is good."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki stared at the screen, his eyes calm.

Kuroba Shido responded very quickly.

This means he is already looking at his phone.

This also indicates that the previous unread messages were not due to a lack of devices, but rather because the user was in a state where they were not looking at their phone or it was inconvenient to look at their phone.

She recalled the words in Shuangyue Gaoli's heart.

Xiaoyu has probably managed to calm everyone down by now.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi lowered his eyes.

Kaoru Amamiya.

Frosty moon and high glass.

Kuroba Shido.

There is a connection between the three people that she is unaware of.

This makes the whole model more interesting.

She continued typing.

"Where are you now?"

Upon seeing this sentence, Shido Kuroba's survival instincts immediately kicked in.

address.

position.

Danger.

I can't say.

He replied immediately.

"In a safe place."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "The exact location."

Kuroba said, "Minister, humans also need some privacy at night."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "Are you with Kaoru Amamiya?"

Kuroba Shido's hand trembled, and he almost dropped his phone.

Amamiya Kaoru was passing by with a glass of milk when she saw his reaction and stopped in her tracks.

"Kid?"

Kuroba Shido did not reply to her.

He stared at the screen, his eyes widening little by little.

Dude... you guessed it too?

It can't be something like reading minds through a phone screen, right? That's cheating, isn't it?

When are the developers going to nerf it?

I'm speechless! They still haven't fixed something that so drastically impacts the player experience! Damn it, refund my money!!!

He lowered his head and typed rapidly, very "honestly" indicating...

"no."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "You denied it too quickly."

Kuroba said, "Minister, it's because I'm upright and honest."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "You just said you were a loyal henchman."

Black Feather Warrior said, "A loyal henchman can also be upright and honest."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "But they'll run away."

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

He felt like he had been precisely hit.

Miyazaki Kiyoshi did not press for the address.

She changed the question.

"Have you seen Shimotsuki Takari today?"

Kuroba Shido stared at the screen, his expression gradually freezing.

Shuangyue Gaoli?

Why did it suddenly switch to Shimotsuki Takagami?

His mind raced.

We cannot admit it.

It can't be denied too falsely.

Kiyoshi Miyazaki can read minds.

Although it's probably impossible to read through a phone.

But what's terrifying about this woman is that even if she can't read the text, she can strip a person bare, leaving them with nothing but their underwear, just by looking at their reply speed, wording, and punctuation.

Kuroba Shido, please enter with caution.

"Minister, the world is vast, and there are many people. Some we've met, some we haven't, and some we've met can be ignored."

After reading this sentence, Miyazaki Kiyoshi's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You know her."

Kuroba said, "Minister, that statement is too arbitrary."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "You didn't deny it."

Kurobashi said, "I am doing this out of respect for the complexity of language."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "You're avoiding it."

The black-haired warrior said, "I'm protecting innocent bystanders."

Kiyoshi Miyazaki: "Shimotsuki Takari is not an innocent bystander."

The Black Feather Warrior said, "..."

It’s over.

The conversation just couldn't continue.

At Miyazaki's home, Miyazaki Kiyoshi leaned against the headboard, her slightly narrowed eyes reflected on her phone screen.

She paused for a moment before finally sending her last message.

"How did you come to know Shimotsuki Takari?"