"I have asked the school to prepare withdrawal documents for you, and we have just reached an agreement with the principal. All you need to do is agree."
This time, the father spoke coldly, his eyes fixed on his son.
It was also the first time for Ayanokouji to see his father from such a close distance in a long time.
If he were still young, he might be called handsome, but now his deep eyes made him look majestic, and the wrinkles on his forehead were very visible, much clearer than the last time he saw him, and he also noticed that his father's hair was slightly white. Although it had been dyed, it was still quite visible that he had been quite worried lately.
Especially as a politician who is his enemy, he must not be wasting fuel.
"Sorry, I will not drop out of school."
Faced with his father's almost commanding words, Ayanokouji casually rejected the other party's words.
The man's eyebrows slightly furrowed. It was the first time he had heard his son, whom he considered his own, outright reject his words.
"Do I not have a reason to drop out of school?"
Ayanokouji shrugged. Facing the man who frightened Chabashira and the principal, there was no ripple in his heart.
"For me, there is a very important reason."
"Is it because the White Room's plan leaked and you're afraid I won't be recyclable?"
Ayanokouji knew his father was very anxious now, and the conversation initiative was in his hands.
With his male authority, it would be easy for him to drop out of school, but he couldn't do it now.
It seemed that the school's controller also had a very strong way. Even this man couldn't directly expel him from school.
"Have you felt the crisis?"
"You didn't obey my orders. I should have ordered you to stay on guard during that year. You disobeyed my orders and entered this school without permission. It's also right for me to order you to drop out immediately."
The blood vessels on the man's temple were clearly bulging.
"Your orders only apply absolutely in the White Room."
Ayanokouji said calmly, "I am not in the White Room now, so I don't need to obey your orders."
"We haven't met for a long time... Have you become so talkative? Indeed, this boring school has influenced you."
"Maybe." Ayanokouji said calmly, "Is there anything else? If you have nothing else to do but still want to force me to stay here and talk to you, let me see the latest video."
He took out his student terminal and continued watching the video on the screen.
"Did you make this video?"
His father's face was already red. He had taught his son to release his emotions, but he couldn't do it himself and was almost consumed by his own anger.
"Sorry, you are exaggerating your child. This video cannot be explained by normal science."
Ayanokouji's eyes were always focused on the screen of his student terminal, even without glancing at his father.
"You are mine! Of course, I have all the rights!"
Ayanokouji's behavior was as arrogant as his, and his father was very disgusted with this video, almost letting all the carefully planned and prepared comeback efforts go to waste.
He reached out to grab the student terminal from Ayanokouji's hand. As he took action, he realized that he had lost his sanity due to the tension of his nerves during this period.
Ayanokouji, on the other hand, grasped his outstretched hand and pinched his opponent's joints – this was a self-defense technique he had learned in the White Room, and his father should have also learned that this trick would be used on him someday.
"Are you really taking action against your own father?"
The father wanted to release his hand, but it turned out he couldn't do it.
At this moment, he felt he had trained his son very well.
"Even though you call yourself a father, you may not have the understanding of a father to me." Ayanokouji said indifferently, "Moreover, you were the one who took the initiative. If the student terminal is damaged, the repair costs will be quite high, and I, a student with no money, cannot afford it."
He also released his hand.
The father finally calmed down. He never imagined that he, who had always been calm and tolerant, would sometimes lose control of his emotions.
Moreover, he did not expect to be embarrassed in front of a 16-year-old boy and his belongings.
However, he quickly adjusted his appearance, cleared his throat, then his eyes focused on his son:
"Aren't you curious about the fate of Matsuo who helped you escape from the White Room and who informed you of the existence of the Advanced Nurturing High School and instigated your enrollment?"
❰❱SKY SCREEN❰❱
After chatting with Bilma and the others, Ayanokouji came to Emilia's room.
At this moment, Emilia was asleep, while Ayanokouji was sitting at the table, asking Ram for a pen and paper.
He took the pen, closed his eyes, and wrote something on the paper.
He knew that once he entered Echidna's mental space, his memories would be read by her. Ayanokouji did not like what he did to be spied on by her, so he prepared to hide it in his own way.
He closed his eyes and wrote a series of words. He had mastered the language and characters of this world, but he did not write normally; instead, he wrote the words in a mirrored shadow, which was not in accordance with the rules. He wrote them sequentially but in the order that existed in his mind. The content was also unclear and difficult to understand.
Echidna could read his memories and know what he heard, saw, and even did at a certain time, but it seemed she could not understand his thoughts at that moment. This gave Ayanokouji maneuverability.
Even if Echidna could read his memories, what if she couldn't understand what he had done?
The written language followed a unique encryption method, and even if Echidna saw it, she might not be able to understand it.
Only Ayanokouji knew how to decrypt the text, and according to his decryption method, all the papers contained curses and insults towards Echidna. If she could understand these words, there would surely be a reaction.
Ayanokouji could not guarantee that this method would work, but at least it could be used as one method to test Echidna to see the extent of memory and intelligence.
After finishing writing, he walked beside Emilia and carefully observed her sleeping face.
Because his priority was to help her break through the first trial, Ayanokouji wanted to know about her past. Of course, Emilia clearly did not remember it. He could only ask others who might know her from the ice.
However, Ayanokouji was not sure if Puck was still in Emilia's crystal stone.
He knew that there seemed to be some kind of contract between Puck and Emilia. He cared too much for Emilia and considered her his biological daughter, so he had to protect her unconditionally.
Perhaps this could be used to verify if Puck was still in Emilia's crystal stone.
Ayanokouji reached out his hand and slowly moved towards Emilia's neck—
"Ayanokouji, is that you?"
But at this moment, Emilia, who should have been asleep, slowly opened her eyes. Her purple eyes looked a little sad.
"Yes, it's me." Ayanokouji's hand continued to move very naturally, then he gently touched her face and hair.
Emilia's face immediately blushed, and her initial vague consciousness quickly awakened.
"A-Ayanokouji?" Emilia said very shyly. Ayanokouji's sudden movement surprised her, and her body trembled slightly, but she did not avoid it.
"Sorry, I wanted to see if you have a fever or something." Ayanokouji quickly covered up his behavior.
"Mm, thank you..." Emilia buried half of her face in the blanket.
"Emilia, do you remember the content of the trial?" Ayanokouji asked.
"The content of the trial... Sorry, sorry, sorry, I don't remember..." Emilia said, avoiding eye contact, more like evasion than forgetfulness.
Ayanokouji noticed that Emilia was truly different from before. After the trial, her whole being had changed, as if her spirit was on the brink of destruction.
Was it because of the trial? Or for some other reason?
Ayanokouji wasn't sure, but there was no doubt that Emilia's current mental condition was unstable and she needed good rest.
"I don't remember, it's okay. Let's rest for now." Ayanokouji nodded, then prepared to leave from here, ready to continue investigating things related to Sanctuary and the trial.
"Ayanokouji, can you stay with me tonight?" Emilia reached out her hand and grabbed Ayanokouji's fingertip.
"What's wrong?" Ayanokouji stopped and turned around.
"No, no, no, it's nothing. Ayanokouji, there is still something you have to do. I will rest now and wait until tomorrow to challenge the trial again." A smile appeared on Emilia's face.
"Alright, have a good rest." Ayanokouji noticed the strange expression on Emilia's face. He thought that the psychological trauma caused by the trial was too great, and he needed to gather information as soon as possible and find a way to save Emilia. He had to break through the trial; if not, he would have to wait a week or go out to seek help on his own. His worst plan was to consider the possibility of handing Emilia over.
While thinking about this, Ayanokouji immediately left the room.
And Emilia was lying on the bed, her purple eyes fixed on the closed door.
Since Puck, whom she relied on, had left, Emilia became a little restless. After the trial, she did not remember the trial content at all, but only remembered the very painful feelings during the process; it was as if a part of her heart was lost.
She longed for Ayanokouji to be with her now and share the pain in her heart, but when she remembered that everything she had encountered before was almost resolved by Ayanokouji alone, a sense of inferiority filled her body growing inside her. She hated her own inability and did not want to cause more trouble.
Clearly they were very close, but Emilia felt she and Ayanokouji were so far apart, as if there was an invisible barrier between them.
'It's all my fault, it's all my fault...' Emilia murmured, her eyes slowly becoming empty.
❀❀❀
"...His son's future has been completely ruined, and Matsuo now has no job. This is the consequence of disobedience to the employer."
The father informed Ayanokouji of everything he had done to Matsuo, and Ayanokouji knew that this was indeed the other party's method.
And the purpose of telling him all this was to arouse a sense of guilt in Ayanokouji's heart.
But Ayanokouji did not feel this in his heart.
"Do you think Matsuo can hold on? Perhaps, to save his son, Matsuo may even die in front of me to apologize."
Looking at the man in front of him who could be considered his father in terms of blood relationship, Ayanokouji said expressionlessly:
"Sorry, your method no longer works."
"What?"
"You know in your heart, right? After that video was played, people all over the world knew what you had done and your mistreatment of Matsuo-san. Even if you destroy the evidence, it cannot be changed in people's minds, it is a preconceived impression."
He raised his chin slightly, but stared at the man in front of him.