Kaito Kuroba noticed Koizumi Akako's reaction.
He followed her gaze and saw that the girl from their class had buried her head in her arms as if hiding from something terrifying.
"Akako, this girl..."
Kuroba Kaito couldn't help but complain in his mind.
He didn't even need to ask. He knew it had to be Koizumi Akako's incredibly accurate "sixth sense" making her feel something.
Koizumi Akako quickly looked away from the girl.
Her mood remained unchanged as she turned her attention back to Nakamori Aoko beside her.
At that moment, after taking the phone, Aoko Nakamori rested her chin on her hand and continued watching a video on the screen.
Koizumi Akako only took a brief glance, and after seeing Okino Yoko dressed as Detective Quinn in the center of Aoko's phone screen, she turned away with mild boredom.
Perhaps sensing Akako's gaze, Nakamori Aoko, still focused on her phone, commented,
"Miss Yoko is truly versatile. She can easily play any role."
"I always thought her acting was better when she was filming movies."
"I didn't expect Miss Yoko to shine just as brightly in theater, making it impossible to look away from her."
---
"Is that so?"
Koizumi Akako agreed with a smile.
Although her identity as a witch made her incredibly attractive to men, it only affected those she had direct contact with in real life.
Compared to other girls in her class or school, Koizumi Akako was undoubtedly popular.
However, in comparison to famous celebrities, her level of fame wasn't nearly as high.
Of course, Koizumi Akako never thought her looks couldn't compete with that of a national idol.
Even though Yoko Okino had an enviable and well-proportioned figure, it was clear that Koizumi Akako surpassed her in terms of body shape.
---
"What do you think of Miss Yoko, Kuroba-san?"
Koizumi Akako suddenly asked out loud.
"She's very beautiful, has a great figure, and most importantly, she has a good personality."
Even when Okino Yoko was mentioned, Kuroba Kaito didn't show much interest.
He deliberately emphasized "good personality" and then turned to look at Aoko Nakamori, who was once again engrossed in the play on her phone.
"Aoko, I really don't get it. What's so good about this?"
"Doesn't it make you uncomfortable?" Kuroba Kaito asked.
---
"No, and a lot of people watching this play are high school girls like me."
"Nobody ever feels uncomfortable!"
Nakamori Aoko replied.
---
"Alright."
Kuroba Kaito didn't argue further with Nakamori Aoko about this old topic.
He knew that theater performances generally catered to a female audience.
So, it was only natural that he couldn't understand the appeal.
Aoko Nakamori, knowing that Kuroba Kaito wasn't interested, didn't try to persuade him further.
Instead, she watched as Akikawa Kyousuke, who played the role of high school student Kotani Sae in the play, stepped onto the stage.
She sighed and said,
"This actor is really handsome, and his acting skills are excellent. He's way better than Kaito."
---
"Alright, alright."
Hearing Nakamori Aoko say that his acting wasn't as good as an actor's, Kuroba Kaito gave a half-hearted response.
However, after hearing the voice of "Kotani Sae" coming from Aoko's phone, he suddenly sat up straight.
---
That voice...
Kuroba Kaito was very familiar with it.
He could even say he had heard that voice just a week ago.
"This can't be a coincidence."
Kuroba Kaito thought to himself and leaned in to look at Aoko's phone screen.
Sure enough, he saw a somewhat familiar face.
---
Akikawa Kyousuke-kun
—An actor he had met at an exhibition a few days ago and had rehearsed with for several days.
---
When Nakamori Aoko saw Kuroba Kaito's reaction, she thought he was feeling competitive after hearing her praise Akikawa Kyousuke's good looks.
Feeling secretly pleased, she raised her phone between them to show off.
"Kaito, look at this."
"Look at how well the actor playing Kotani Sae performs."
"When I first saw it, I was completely amazed!"
As Nakamori Aoko spoke, she skipped ahead in the video.
The scene rewound to the moment just before high school student Kotani Sae pushed the door open and entered the classroom.
The video started playing again.
---
Kuroba Kaito watched Nakamori Aoko's phone screen closely.
Then, he saw this somewhat gloomy-looking actor completely transform the moment he stepped through the door.
It was as if his entire soul had been replaced.
Even through the screen, Kuroba Kaito could clearly feel this dazzling presence.
His eyes widened in astonishment.
---
Akikawa Kyousuke's acting skills genuinely surprised Kuroba Kaito.
It was clear that he had interacted with this actor before during the talk show rehearsal.
At that time, he hadn't noticed anything unusual about Akikawa Kyousuke.
---
Soon, Kuroba Kaito recalled something.
It was what Koizumi Akako had once said—that she had been used by Akikawa Kyousuke.
Initially, Kuroba Kaito hadn't fully believed Akako's words.
After all, although Koizumi Akako's predictions were never wrong, she was also a liar.
No one could guarantee that what she said was the absolute truth.
---
But now that Kuroba Kaito had confirmed Akikawa Kyousuke's exceptional acting skills, a thought surfaced in his mind.
Could it be that the "Akikawa Kyousuke" he had met in the monitoring room before was also just another disguise?
---
"No matter what the real situation was, I didn't suffer any losses in that deal."
"And the benefits I gained were far greater than what Akikawa Kyousuke got."
Kuroba Kaito pondered for a moment and suddenly smiled in relief.
Regardless, the advantages he had obtained from Akikawa Kyousuke outweighed what he had given him.
If he had to choose between Akikawa Kyousuke and Koizumi Akako, Kuroba Kaito would rather trust Akikawa Kyousuke.
---
Koizumi Akako, who had been watching everything unfold, grew curious about Kuroba Kaito's strange reaction.
She was a little confused.
Why was Kuroba Kaito so interested in another man?
Just as Koizumi Akako was about to use her magic to divine the future, Nakamori Aoko's next words immediately resolved the doubts in her heart.
(End of the Chapter)