[According to the teacher, Saiki's entrance exam scores were around the middle, and his ranking in this test was also average.]
[Theoretically, such results aren't particularly special. There should be high school students who are just average in every way. But since the teacher specifically mentioned Saiki's name, it means she's noticed something unusual about him. Did the school investigate him in advance, or is there some other reason?]
[If what Chabashira-sensei said is true, then Saiki might really be a special existence. I haven't noticed anything strange about him before. Is he hiding something too?]
After hearing Chabashira Sae's words, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's mind raced as he recalled the details of his interactions with Saiki Kusuo.
'Yare yare, it seems there might be some trouble ahead.'
Saiki Kusuo, who was invisible nearby, frowned slightly. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka seemed to be slightly more observant and capable than the other students.
He shifted his gaze to Chabashira Sae and could also hear her thoughts.
[For now, it's unclear whether Saiki Kusuo is hiding his true abilities. Both his usual behavior and exam results seem normal.]
[But I can't make a judgment so easily. After all, like Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, he was added to the enrollment list at the last minute. I can't just ignore him.]
[According to the information provided by Chairman Sakayanagi, Ayanokoji is a very special existence. Perhaps I can use him to further investigate Saiki Kusuo's true nature... For me, this year's students are very special. If we want to rise to Class A, this is the best opportunity. I can't miss this chance! I need to make good use of these guys!]
'What a nasty teacher.'
Saiki Kusuo's eyebrows twitched. For now, he hadn't left any clues, and Chabashira Sae was merely suspicious of him without any concrete evidence.
As Saiki Kusuo had feared, Chabashira Sae wanted to use her students to find his weaknesses.
Saiki Kusuo knew very well that this was all related to Kusuo. It was possible that Kusuo had deliberately used his connections to enroll him in the school, place him in Class D, and force the teachers to pay attention to him.
After all, Kusuo, his older brother and a super-genius, wasn't exactly mentally stable.
However, while Chabashira Sae might be curious about Saiki Kusuo's identity and suspect that he was special, she would never guess that Saiki Kusuo might be a psychic.
"That's right, Saiki Kusuo. His scores in every exam are average, with no particularly strong or weak subjects. In a way, he's similar to you, Ayanokoji."
Chabashira Sae wore a meaningful smile, as if she knew everything about the students in the school.
"I haven't noticed anything unusual about Saiki Kusuo. He seems too ordinary."
Horikita Suzune shook her head. If it weren't for Kushida Kikyo, she probably wouldn't have interacted with Saiki Kusuo at all.
"I'm just mentioning it casually. But if you want to rise to Class A, this might become an important hint."
Chabashira Sae waved her hand.
"The faculty meeting is about to start, and the office will be locked. You two can leave now."
Having achieved her goal, Chabashira Sae dismissed them.
[For now, regardless of Saiki Kusuo's true abilities, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could become a valuable asset. But at this stage, I should observe his true capabilities and see just how far he can go.]
Chabashira Sae thought to herself.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Horikita Suzune then left the office, while Saiki Kusuo quickly hid to avoid accidentally bumping into them.
[Ayanokoji scored exactly 50 points in every subject? Is he hiding his abilities?]
[He doesn't seem very serious most of the time.]
[Aside from him, what's the deal with Saiki Kusuo? Why did Chabashira-sensei specifically mention his name? What's so special about him? If he's deliberately maintaining an average ranking, it's not just about controlling his scores. He'd also need to know the scores of others. How is that possible?]
After leaving the office, Horikita Suzune's mind was in turmoil. On one hand, she was still upset about being placed in Class D. On the other hand, she couldn't fully understand the implications of Chabashira Sae's words.
"Ayanokoji, you scored exactly 50 points in every subject?"
Horikita Suzune asked.
"I told you, coincidences can be terrifying. I don't have any particular drive or ability."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka replied casually.
Like Horikita Suzune, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was also thinking about Saiki Kusuo.
[From what Chabashira-sensei said, she probably wants to use us to investigate Saiki Kusuo.]
[Could Saiki Kusuo really be hiding something so well that even I can't see through it? Using the leaked questions to predict the class's average score and then scoring in the middle—even I might not be able to do that. I don't know the academic abilities of others well enough. If it's true, then Saiki Kusuo is definitely someone who can't be ignored... Could he have been sent by that man? The White Room project should have been shut down, but given that man's personality, he'd probably restart it soon. Sending other White Room students to the school would be in line with his methods.]
[Although I don't want to draw too much attention at this stage, I need to determine whether Saiki Kusuo is really hiding something, as the teacher suggested.]
As they walked, the two of them chatted.
They had no idea that Saiki Kusuo was currently within five meters of them.
"I want to confirm whether being placed in Class D was the school's true decision. If it was, I'll make rising to Class A my goal."
Horikita Suzune said seriously.