Eventually, once he judged the time was right, Chris called a halt to the two girls' sparring session. He gave them both targeted feedback on their respective strengths and weaknesses, then stepped in himself for a final round to gauge their current level.
He didn't wear the Combat Suit. Not even once.
That was because his Heart of Steel had already stacked up a rather impressive number of layers by now.
His body's baseline density and raw strength had long since surpassed the limits of normal human physiology. If he threw the Combat Suit on top of that, he genuinely worried he might lose control for a split second and accidentally wreck both of these delicate high school girls — clothes and all.
He could, technically, temporarily unequip the [Heart of Steel] from his gear slots. But...
Stacking steel was addictive.
Who could possibly say no to that crisp, satisfying ding every time a hit landed clean?
Anyway — he dismantled the two of them with his usual effortless ease, then dismissed the session.
Back to the dorm.
He locked the door, let his mind shift — and in an instant, his entire being was transported into GANTZ's Black Sphere Space.
Unlike the musty, cramped room used during the Black Sphere exams, this was a chamber GANTZ had set aside specifically for him.
Spacious and neat, lined with all manner of tools and equipment, waiting patiently to be put to use.
Chris swept a cursory glance around, then raised his wrist and pressed down on the Omnitrix dial.
A wash of deep green light enveloped his body. His frame shrank rapidly — until he was short, wide-eyed, grey-skinned, and frog-faced.
A Galvan. Grey Matter.
As one of the species with the highest recorded intelligence in the known universe, a Galvan's brain processed information at speeds rivaling a quantum computer.
"This brain really is something else. Running way faster than usual."
Chris hopped up onto the workbench and, using the Black Sphere Space's mechanical fabrication station, began building a miniature version of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
Granted, somewhere in his system inventory — just among the Doraemon gadgets alone — he had items with similar "you can't leave until you're done" functionality that could serve as a substitute.
But Chris figured that since he was going to be playing the role of the "Mysterious Black Market Dealer," getting some early practice with Grey Matter's perspective and handling — learning to work in that form — was a worthwhile investment.
Besides, whether it was the Lord God system, the GANTZ system, or Grey Matter himself — all of them had the capacity to create tools and reshape the world in their own way.
Since he had the craftsmanship, there was no reason to over-rely on pre-made goods churned out by the system.
And while he was at it, he could collect DNA samples from the alien lifeforms he'd stocked up on so far.
Most of them weren't exactly powerhouses — but it was still a form of respect for the golden finger, in its way. Scratching that collector's itch.
And honestly? Chris just wanted to mess around with the little watch for a bit.
...
Time flew.
Friday arrived before he knew it.
On Thursday, with Hirata Yousuke's social network as leverage, Horikita Suzune had smoothly laid the groundwork for Shiina Hiyori's score-suppression protection plan — using the midterm elimination rules she'd learned from Kiryuuin as the hook.
Of course, none of that had been shared with the weaker students.
Horikita's view was that a certain degree of urgency still needed to exist. You couldn't permanently outsource your hope to other people.
She held herself to the same standard.
So the daily kendo training continued, steady and uninterrupted.
But today was the day the second- and third-years faced their own Black Sphere Exam — and in practice, most people's attention had drifted to them.
Word had spread that the upper-classmen's test code was also "King of Clubs," with similar conscription conditions.
Even with the Black Sphere's deterrence keeping everyone on edge, the combined authority of Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi had ensured that each class knew the full rules of King of Clubs from the very first moment.
Once you know the rules in advance, the room for maneuvering opens up enormously.
That was Chris's thought as he stood on the rooftop of the main building, letting the wind hit him, watching through the walls below as the upperclassmen in various floors began making their quiet, calculated moves.
If the trades were handled right — leveraging enough chips for cross-year, cross-class interest exchanges — under a ruleset like King of Clubs, it might even be possible to engineer a full-survival peaceful outcome for everyone.
But could Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi actually produce enough points to buy everyone's lives?
And Nagumo Miyabi, that guy...
In the original story, he'd had an almost obsessive need to beat Horikita Manabu — chasing him all the way to university even after graduation.
Expecting Nagumo Miyabi to play nice and cooperate?
What a pair — all smiles on the surface, sharks underneath.
Chris stretched lazily.
Looking forward to tonight's performance, gentlemen.
Buzz —
The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
Chris pulled it out to find a message from Karuizawa Kei.
[Chris-kun, Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A just came by our classroom looking for you. Since I wasn't sure what she was after, I pretended I had no idea where you'd gone. If necessary, I can tail her now and track where she's headed.]
Chris thought for a moment, then typed a one-handed reply.
[Don't bother with her.]
With Sakayanagi Arisu's background as the Board Chairman's daughter, there was no one in this Advanced Nurturing High School she couldn't find if she wanted to.
Sure enough.
Almost at the exact moment Chris hit send —
Creak —
The rooftop's half-latched iron door was slowly pushed open from inside.
Chris turned around.
Standing there was Sakayanagi Arisu, with Kamuro Masumi trailing at her side like a shadow, as always.
Judging by the timing — given that Sakayanagi had only just recovered her health — she must have locked onto his location from the very beginning.
Spending all day staring at surveillance feeds and tracking other people's locations. Is having admin privileges really that fun?
Sakayanagi noticed his slight frown but didn't seem bothered in the least. She swept a leisurely glance around the empty rooftop and remarked with a light laugh, "I didn't expect you to be quite so fond of rooftops. You've been up here several times these past few days."
Chris said nothing in particular.
This was — ahem — this was a sacred battleground with special significance. Obviously.
Kamuro Masumi was eyeing Sakayanagi with barely concealed wariness.
"You actually found him... Sakayanagi, how exactly did you know he'd be here?"
"Hehe. I know quite a lot of things."
Sakayanagi gave a soft laugh.
"For instance — your little secret about shoplifting from the convenience store for the thrill of it. Or that business between Amase Kazuna and Ayanokoji behind the scenes—"
"Hey hey hey! Shut up!"
Before she could finish, Kamuro Masumi practically leapt out of her skin. She lunged forward and clapped a hand over Sakayanagi's mouth, hissing in a furious whisper,
"You said we'd act like that never happened! Are you going back on your word again?!"
With her mouth muffled, Sakayanagi opened it just slightly — and those little fangs sank, without ceremony, right into Kamuro's fingers.
"Ow!" Kamuro yanked her hand back like she'd been shocked.
Seizing the gap, Sakayanagi stated matter-of-factly,
"Don't be so tense, Kamuro-san. Chris-kun is hardly an outsider. He's not going to care about your harmless little hobby. You should trust my judgment!"
Chris watched this little double act in silence, offering no commentary whatsoever.
Kamuro Masumi looked at Chris's blank expression, then back at Sakayanagi's grin — the grin of a fox that had just raided the henhouse — and finally deflated like a punctured balloon, raking a hand through her hair in resigned defeat.
"...Fine. Whatever."
"You saw it yourself — that demon Sakayanagi wasn't wrong. I do have that habit."
"But with the way things are right now... I'm not even sure I'll survive to graduation. If you want to expose me, go ahead and say whatever you want. You've already saved my life once — this life is basically on borrowed time from you. I'm in no position to lecture you about anything."
Chris looked at her completely-given-up expression and shook his head.
"You're overthinking it. I've got no interest in digging up other people's dirt."
"See?" Sakayanagi nudged Kamuro in the side with her elbow, smiling. "What did I tell you? When have I ever lied to you?"
"You absolute liar! You promised you'd never tell anyone!"
Kamuro Masumi fumed, practically hopping with indignation.
"That's exactly why I said Chris-kun isn't an outsider!"
Sakayanagi began ticking points off on her fingers with an air of great seriousness.
"First — he saved your life. That's a bond forged through death itself. Second — my relationship with him is rather special~"
"Think of him as another version of me. Given that, it's only natural that we can all be open with each other and share our little secrets."
Chris listened to this logic — which would've made a seasoned bandit blush — and cut straight to the point.
"You came all this way just for small talk? Then I'll just say this: I don't need you 'opening side quests' for me in that kind of roundabout way. Whatever I want, I'll go get it myself."
Seeing that he'd seen through her, Sakayanagi gave a small cough and shifted to a more earnest tone.
"I came simply because I noticed... that new transfer student has been getting rather close to you and Ichinose-san lately. I thought I'd come and give you a heads-up."
"That girl is not as simple as she looks. I'd strongly recommend against lending her high-tier Black Sphere equipment like the Combat Suit. You don't want to throw a meat bun to a dog and never see it again."
Kamuro Masumi, listening from the side, was completely lost.
"Hold on — haven't you been with me these past two days doing rehabilitation training to get used to your body again? When did you even find the time to dig up information on her?"
Chris chimed in. "She did approach me — said she hoped to borrow my gear to stay alive in case things went south during future Black Sphere exams."
Kamuro Masumi was momentarily speechless.
Sakayanagi smiled without a word. After a beat, she changed tack entirely.
"By the way, Chris-kun — I heard you recently made a deal with the Student Council President. What kind of arrangement was it? An exchange of information, or straight-up selling intel?"
Kamuro Masumi's eyes went wide.
"How do you even know about that?! Is the school your family's private property or something? Do they just hand you access to the surveillance system whenever you feel like it?!"
Chris nodded quietly beside her.
In a certain sense... yes, actually.
Sakayanagi gave an unbothered little shake of her head.
"The old me had limited mobility. To compensate in social situations, I had to make up for it in other areas. Gathering intelligence was just one of the tools I used. Nothing to be so surprised about."
Chris was quiet for a moment, then answered plainly.
"It was a simple information exchange. The terms were: if they encountered the Black Market Dealer mentioned in the Black Sphere's notification during the exam, they'd report back everything they learned to us."
He looked at Sakayanagi. "Given that you already know we made a deal, I'd expect someone of your intelligence to have guessed the contents well enough."
Sakayanagi smiled slightly. "I'd say I guessed about seventy or eighty percent of it. That said — I've heard that Student Council President Horikita Manabu and Vice President Nagumo Miyabi will both be participating in the advance test in person this time..."
Her tone drifted, almost dreamy. "I do wonder whether our upright, principled Student Council President will make it out alive to deliver that information."
"Why do you say that?" Kamuro Masumi asked, puzzled.
Chris answered for her.
"The upper-classmen's test format appears to be the same as ours — King of Clubs. So the rewards should be similar as well."
"The S-points from the rewards aren't much compared to kill-score points in the main exam. But the 'one resurrection' opportunity among those rewards... isn't something anyone would willingly hand over."
Sakayanagi suddenly snapped her fingers.
"Well, there's still a while before school lets out, and I've nothing better to do."
"Chris-kun — how about we make a little bet?"
"Let's bet on whether Student Council President Horikita Manabu can beat Nagumo Miyabi to first place and make it back alive. What do you say?"
"No bet." Chris declined without hesitation. "Gambling is the kind of thing where there are only two counts that matter: zero times, or infinite times. I'd rather not pick up a habit that gets people hooked so easily."
"Now, now — don't be so quick to refuse."
Undeterred by the flat rejection, Sakayanagi coaxed with patient grace.
"You've never once fulfilled the companionship obligation for all those points you owe me from back when I paid you to be my walking stick. If you lose, you can just make up any excuse to back out — I won't hold it against you."
"But if I lose..." She leaned in slightly, closing the distance between them, voice soft as a breath. "I'll be your dedicated personal maid for a full day. At your complete disposal. How does that sound?"
Kamuro Masumi, watching from the side, rolled her eyes so hard they nearly sprained.
"Hah? Sakayanagi — I feel like you could just... show up at his door directly. There's really no need to take this enormous detour."
Sakayanagi acted as though she hadn't heard a word. Her gaze remained fixed, unblinking, on Chris.
Chris rubbed his chin and made a show of thinking it over for a moment.
"Fine. I'll take Horikita Manabu making it back alive."
"Then I suppose I'll have to take Nagumo Miyabi's side claiming victory... Let's sit back and see how it plays out~"
Having gotten the answer she wanted, Sakayanagi turned elegantly on her heel, gave a little wave, and left without a shred of reluctance.
Leaving Kamuro Masumi standing there, face full of question marks.
She had absolutely no idea what Sakayanagi was getting out of this bizarre bet, and even less idea why she'd suddenly trekked all the way up here just to say all of that.
But...
The rooftop now held only the two of them.
Seizing this once-in-a-blue-moon chance at a private moment, Kamuro Masumi sidled up to Chris and dropped her voice low, looking for all the world like she was about to confess to a crime.
"Um... Chris."
"Don't take what I said earlier seriously, okay...?"
"Hm?" Chris raised an eyebrow.
"I've got footage of Sakayanagi doing her rehab walking exercises just now! It's only a short clip... but it has her looking completely ridiculous!"
Kamuro Masumi looked like she'd steeled herself for something.
"That woman just broke her promise and blabbed my secret. So I've got nothing left to pretend about either! I want revenge!"
She looked at Chris with pleading eyes. "We're friends, right? You'll keep this between us, won't you?!"
Watching Kamuro Masumi's barely contained panic, Chris nearly lost the fight to keep a straight face.
"Sure. Add me on Line. Send me the video."
Kamuro Masumi looked like a condemned prisoner who'd just received a pardon.
She whipped out her phone to scan his QR code and, while she was at it, asked offhandedly,
"Oh — I keep getting this feeling that Sakayanagi's bet had ulterior motives. What do you think she was actually after, going through all that trouble?"
Chris accepted the friend request and replied casually,
"The classic rich-girl complex — overconfidence. She's convinced there's nothing in this world she can't figure out. The moment she meets someone who doesn't fall neatly in line with her expectations, she feels compelled to test them, to conquer them."
"Basically, she had too much time and not enough to do. Take her too seriously and you've already lost."
Of course, the main reason was probably something else entirely.
Most likely she wanted a pretext to observe him — to probe at his background and history. Using her father's position to dig up intel on him was a pipe dream, so she had no choice but to rely on herself.
Kamuro Masumi turned it over carefully in her mind — then shot a thumb up with full conviction.
"You're absolutely right!"
"That's cutting right to the bone, man!"
A few more mind-numbing classes dragged by, and finally the afternoon bell rang for dismissal.
As the school broadcast came on, Chris leaned on the classroom windowsill alongside his classmates Sato Maya, Hirata Yousuke, and the others, craning his neck curiously to look down at the schoolyard below.
Down there, the second- and third-year students about to participate in the King of Clubs advance test were gradually assembling by class, forming their respective camps.
In the crowd below — the moment Horikita Suzune spotted that familiar figure wearing glasses through the window — she froze.
Her fingers instinctively tightened around the windowsill.
"Brother?! Why is he...?"
"It's not hard to understand." Chris stepped up beside her and spoke quietly. "Ayanokoji's test group had a reward for 'gaining one extra resurrection.' Your brother knew about that."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was nearby, chimed in on the topic — unusually — with a sentence of his own.
"In last weekend's unplanned extra exam that triggered ahead of schedule — the President, in order to protect everyone, should have been killed by that creature at least once. Same as me."
"And if the upper-classmen's test rules are similar to ours — winning the test actually means, as the victor, you don't have to worry about being forcibly pulled into the main exam. It's the safest way to protect your own life."
Horikita Suzune tensed immediately upon hearing this.
She bit down on her lower lip, her gaze locked on the figure of that man out on the schoolyard.
"Brother... you have to win."
Chris reached out and lightly patted her on the shoulder.
Truth be told, from a certain angle, he was also somewhat hoping Horikita Manabu would make it through.
Not that he'd step in to intervene or help cheat — but...
If Horikita Manabu could survive this test, and then later, in a truly desperate moment, go down in a blaze of glory right in front of Horikita Suzune's eyes...
Now that would be a scene. That kind of emotional payoff — that's where the real drama was.
For now, let's just hope he makes it out in one piece.
Chris set aside his inner scheming, and spoke to the girl beside him.
"Looks like you're not in much of a mood to train today. Go back and rest properly. I'm going to go find Ichinose."
____
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