章 212: Chapter 212 – Sakayanagi’s suspicions
Eel Farm.
Sakayanagi was meticulously flipping through the ledger, dense with records. If someone hadn't studied accounting, they might find it incomprehensible.
However, Sakayanagi had been learning such things from her father since she was young. She had grown up reviewing the operational costs of Advanced Nurturing High School, so this was hardly challenging for her.
Kamuro, on the other hand, seemed to have transformed into Sakayanagi's personal assistant, frequently bringing her tea. There wasn't much else she needed to do.
Matsushita, who was also reviewing the reports nearby, felt a twinge of envy. She wished she had an assistant too, so she wouldn't have to get up to make tea from time to time.
But although it sounded simple, it was practically impossible. While Class D respected her more now, who would willingly serve her tea?
While Kamuro was feeling bored, her phone vibrated slightly. It was a standard practice to keep phones on vibrate during work hours, even if it was just Kamuro, Sakayanagi, and Matsushita in the office.
When Kamuro checked her phone, she saw a message from Hashimoto: "The thing Her Highness has been waiting for has arrived." Since Matsushita was present, Kamuro only gave Sakayanagi a knowing look.
Sakayanagi immediately understood, gently closing the ledger and picking up her cane from beside the desk. "Kamuro-san, let's go for a walk. Sitting for too long isn't good for the body."
Kamuro followed silently behind Sakayanagi, who walked slowly out of the simple building. Matsushita didn't think much of it and continued racking her brains, trying to formulate a strategy.
In this special exam, most points were minor. To secure a victory for her class, Matsushita needed to score highly in the core task of increasing revenue.
However, no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't come up with a good idea and could only stare at a pile of data, her mind racing.
Once outside, Sakayanagi, using her cane, walked leisurely. She happened to be seen by the supervisor, Fujii, but he didn't ask any questions.
From their interaction yesterday, Fujii, a smart man, had already realized that Sakayanagi wasn't someone easy to communicate with. Instead, he approached a nearby boy who was in charge of sunning probiotics. "Hey, student, what's your name?"
"?" Coincidentally, the student Fujii approached was Sakayanagi's opponent, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji didn't understand why Fujii, the person in charge, was approaching someone as ordinary as him. He could only put on an honest expression, looking at Fujii with confusion and stating his name.
"Um, Ayanokouji-kun," Fujii rubbed his hands together nervously, "Do you know that white-haired girl, Sakayanagi?"
Since there were not only first-year students but also second-year Class D and third-year Class D students participating in this task, Fujii asked this question first. If Ayanokouji was an upperclassman and didn't know Sakayanagi, he would ask someone else.
Hearing this question, Ayanokouji was even more puzzled by Fujii's intentions. However, he nodded honestly, "I've met her a few times. We are in the same grade, but not in the same class."
"That's good, that's good," Fujii stopped rubbing his hands and put on a kind expression, "I just wanted to ask about Sakayanagi-san. She always uses a cane wherever she goes."
"But from my observation, her legs seem fine. She just appears very frail. So, I wanted to ask if she has any specific illness?"
"Of course, I'm not discriminating or complaining. I'm just worried that if she falls ill at my farm, I might not be able to explain it clearly."
Ayanokouji understood now. Fujii was merely concerned about having to take responsibility if Sakayanagi fell ill at the farm.
So, without any hesitation, he answered in a calm tone, "It's nothing serious, just a congenital heart condition. You don't need to worry too much, Fujii-san."
"Oh, that's a relief," Fujii sighed in relief, feeling more at ease. He gratefully patted Ayanokouji on the shoulder, "Please keep this matter confidential."
"If other students knew I had such concerns, I might get criticized behind my back."
"How about this, student? I see you standing here in the sun with the probiotics, which must be uncomfortable. Why don't you go to the office and help with some paperwork? Your classmate Matsushita is there as well."
Ayanokouji mentioned that he and Sakayanagi were in the same grade but different classes, so naturally, he was in the same class as Matsushita.
"No, thank you for the offer, but I feel more at ease doing this," Ayanokouji decisively refused the job that other students might have desired.
What a joke, he just wanted to keep a low profile. Even if Sakayanagi was determined to compete with him in this special exam, he didn't want to stand out. He just wanted to remain hidden and quietly lead his class to victory over Sakayanagi.
Why would he go to the office and be in the spotlight with Matsushita and Sakayanagi? That would make him stand out too much.
Seeing Ayanokouji's refusal, Fujii was momentarily taken aback, but he didn't press the issue. He patted Ayanokouji's shoulder again and offered a small promise, "Well, that's fine too."
"But if you ever change your mind, feel free to come find me. I can adjust your duties at any time. Don't be so polite, and don't worry about anything."
"After all, students from Advanced Nurturing High School are all elite talents. I have no doubts about that!"
With that, Fujii turned and left, leaving Ayanokouji alone, standing in the hot sun, staring at the probiotics packaging by the pond. His seemingly dazed eyes were filled with contemplation, "Students from Advanced Nurturing High School are all elite talents, huh?"
Meanwhile, Sakayanagi had already reached the outside of the farm with Kamuro and joined Hashimoto. Hashimoto cheerfully pointed to the workers unloading cargo from the port, "Your Highness, that's it."
He couldn't help but be cheerful. Yesterday, he was stirring stinky feed, and today he was simply overseeing the work. The difference was like night and day, and he felt much more relaxed.
Sakayanagi looked over and saw two workers carrying a large box of probiotics into the farm. "Is it just this one box?"
"Yes, for now, there's only this one," Hashimoto reported while trying to dispel his own curiosity, "What's so special about these probiotics?"
Sakayanagi adjusted her beret slightly to shield herself from the sun. Her pale skin appeared almost translucent under the sunlight, giving her a delicate look. "Yes, the price is quite special."
"Huh?" Hashimoto was a bit confused. Price-wise? What's so special about it? It's just a few bags of probiotics, right?
Before Hashimoto could ask further, Sakayanagi already provided an explanation: "I saw it in the ledger. The farm has a significant expenditure, primarily for purchasing these probiotics specifically for eels."
"And they're specially imported from A hometown."
"So what?" Hashimoto still couldn't grasp Sakayanagi's point. This at most suggests that there's a reason for the high price, considering it's specifically for eel farming. If it's expensive, there's nothing they can do but buy it.
"Don't you get it yet? I'm talking about a substantial expenditure. The cost of these probiotics is higher than the cost of eel fry, which is abnormally high." Sakayanagi glanced back and forth between the port and the farm, her eyes increasingly filled with suspicion…
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