CH 54

“Hmm… stocks don’t move as much as I thought they would~”

Aria-san said to Alice-sama after seeing the movement of the stock in the past few days.

“It’s just that the… shares of Byodoin Systems are stable… Ordinary stocks move… a lot… in every few minutes… And also… to use an extreme example… if you have a million shares of a… cheap company even if it’s only… down by one yen… you’ll lose a million yen… If you underestimate stocks… you will be in trouble… you know?”

Alice-sama is teaching Aria, who is only a foolish sister, about stocks in such a gentle way.

“I see… Well, I don’t mind, it’s almost as if I’m going to win this time, so there’s no need to be in such a hurry. Besides, I don’t really care about the Kirara for this game. What I want to know is how good a man Kanzaki is. I don’t know if he knows anything about stocks or not, but if he doesn’t, he’ll do something about it. Do you think he’ll try to negotiate with me like he did with h-i-m?”

Aria-san said, and began to make predictions happily.

She didn’t seem to think that she would lose in the slightest in this game.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t understand her feelings.

After all, in this game, Aria has an overwhelming advantage, and Alice-sama is able to read the flow of stocks.

That means that she can tell when the stock price will be at its lowest in the next two weeks.

Therefore, I can’t help but wonder if Kanzaki-san really has a chance to win.

There were several trades that he made with Alice-sama, and I could see what he was trying to do.

Surely that would theoretically allow him to beat Aria.

However, that is an absolute condition for her to know when to buy the stock.

However, when Kanzaki-san made a deal with Alice-sama, he did not ask her to tell him when she would buy the stock.

And Alice-sama doesn’t seem to have any intention of telling Kanzaki-san when to buy.

If that’s the case, how is Kanzaki-san going to find out when Aria-san is going to buy?

That’s the key to the game, but I have no idea how he would do it.

So I just couldn’t believe how Kanzaki-san would win this.

And Alice-sama didn’t declare that Kanzaki-san would win either.

Could it be that, to Alice-sama, Kanzaki-san is just another fodder that she’s trying to use as food for Aria-san’s growth?

…No, I don’t think that’s possible.

Alice-sama is not that kind of person.

After all, for the past three years or so, she had been working behind the scenes to keep Aria-san from finding out about this confrontation between her and Saijo-san.

Also, the fact that Kanzaki-san is a boy who is supposed to be dead means that he is an important person to Alice.

There is no doubt about it, judging from the way Alice-sama treats him.

In the past, she had talked happily about the programmer who had brought her here.

I was not told that he was in middle school at the time…

At the time, I wondered if she didn’t trust me, but later she told me that she couldn’t tell me because he was someone she wanted to protect.

There is no way that Alice-sama would use a person who was so important to her as a pawn horse.

And the “him” that Aria mentioned earlier must be a person called Kuroyanagi Ryuu.

Since their meeting a while ago, both Alice-sama and Aria-san have been concerned about him.

I was waiting outside the store on Alice-sama’s orders at the time, so I don’t know what they were talking about, but I could tell that Alice-sama recognized and liked him.

At the same time, she had some concerns.

I heard that she doesn’t want to tell Aria-san about it. ……

She said that if Aria-san knew about it, she might do something rash.

Really― a foolish sister is a good thing…

“―Well then, Onee-chan, I’m going back to my room to study, but I’m already in the middle of a test― Though I say that, Onee-chan doesn’t even need to study, I’ll see you later.”

Aria-san said so, and went back to her room.

Aria-san studies hard and is always at the top of her tests.

In comparison, Alice-sama’s score is only average.

However, she’s just deliberately cutting corners in her tests…

If she really put her mind to it, she would surely be the best in the national mock tests…

However, Alice-sama is deliberately making mistakes on the test, because if Alice-sama were to make a serious effort, Aria-san would not be able to stand out.

Is it necessary to give it to the foolish sister to that extent…?

“Smiling venomous tongue, let’s go.”

As I was thinking as I looked at the door where Aria had left, I noticed that instead of the usual lazy Alice-sama, a dignified Alice-sama was standing behind me.

However, her voice was still a little quiet.

It’s not often that I get to see Alice-sama in her dignified state.

Alice-sama is not great at talking and does not want to talk.

It seems that she gets tired if she tries to speak properly, so she always speaks at intervals.

However, when she has something important to say, she can’t afford to do so, so she does her best to speak.

Instead, when the dignified Alice-sama reverts to the lazy Alice-sama, she slumps down for a while.

Alice-sama doesn’t like to be tired, so we don’t get to see her like this very often.

However, she is scheduled to meet with some people later.

She had called them a while ago, but they hadn’t seen her properly until a little while after her foolish sister did something stupid, so it’s been about three years.

As soon as this match was decided, Alice-sama decided to meet with them.

“Certainly.”

With that, I bowed to Alice-sama and accompanied her to her destination―.

Part 2

“It’s been a long time, Alice-san.”

“You’ve grown up again.”

The people who greeted Alice-sama and me were a middle-aged man and woman with kind faces.

These people are the heads of the Saijo Corporation, and they are the parents of Kirara Saijo-san.

The man is President Saijo, and the woman is his wife.

President Saijo’s personality is just like his face, he is famous in the industry for being very kind and considerate of his employees, and he is the only decent person among the leaders of the three major Coporates in Japan.

Alice’s father and President Shinomiya, the head of the Shinomiya Faction, do not care about their employees and only think of the people around them as prey.

In fact, I think it is rare for a person like President Saijo to be the head of a company that is carrying Japan on its back.

Having been raised by such parents, it is no wonder that Saijo-san, who attended the same school as Alice-sama, grew up to be a gentle person.

However, these two gentle people reprimanded Saijo-san when she ran away from the school and returned home, and even said that they would disown her under certain conditions.

For Saijo-san, who had fled home after her heart was torn apart, if her parents, who had been so kind to her, had reprimanded her in that way, it was probably inevitable that she would change like that.

Even the great Alice-sama was surprised when she heard those words.

Well, there’s a reason why President Saijo and the others treated her like that…

“Long time no see, thanks for seeing me.”

Alice-sama said that with a blank expression on her face.

Due to her father, Alice-sama has been acquainted with President Saijo and the others ever since she was a child.

Although they did not interact with each other due to their antagonistic relationship, she trusts them both.

“I haven’t seen Alice since she came to see us after we threatened to disinherit Kirara from our home.”

President Saijo then looked at Alice.

He was referring to the time when Alice-sama went to President Saijo to ask him about the true meaning of his response to her.

“I was surprised at that time… I didn’t think you would kick the Saijo girl out of the house.”

“We had to deal with the situation in a heartbreaking way… But if we let Kirara stay in the house, it was obvious that she would be crushed in the future.”

President Saijo made a face as if he had bitten down on a bitter bug.

“Well, I understand how you feel. It’s not only Aria that the Saijo girl has to deal with once she enters the society. But also the eldest daughter of Shinomiya…”

The eldest daughter of Shinomiya refers to Ai Shinomiya, who is also my best friend.

She runs her business in an unconventional and innovative way, and is attracting attention as quite a great president.

Moreover, unlike Aria-san, who is a falsely great president who borrowed the power of Alice-sama, this is the power of the genuine Ai-san.

In order to compete with the Shinomiya Factionwhich has Ai, and the Byodoin Systems with Aria, who crushed Saijo― and also Alice-sama, who is backing her up, President Saijo decided that the only way was to push Saijo to the limit and make her more capable.

“It’s true that from the reports I’ve heard, the Saijo girl has grown up quite a bit― But that’s just the power she gained at the cost of her personality.”

Alice said plainly.

However, her heart must not be at peace.

Alice-sama is blaming President Saijo and his team for the situation that Saijo is now in because of her foolish sister.

Alice thinks that it was a mistake to push Saijo-san away when she was in shambles.

There were other ways to make her stronger.

That’s why Alice-sama immediately sent Azusa-san to take care of Saijo-san― and also Kanzaki-san to sneak into the school to help Saijo-san.

..Well, at the time, I only imagined that Alice-sama had snuck in Kanzaki-san, but I was not informed of that fact by Alice-sama, and Azusa-san, whom I introduced, was really useless…

…Isn’t that…?

After all, isn’t it true that Alice-sama doesn’t trust me…?

No, it’s more than that― it’s really the biggest disgrace of my life that I introduced Azusa-san to Alice-sama…

Alice-sama needed someone to blend in as a teacher in a hurry, so she trusted my introduction and let her in without confirming it with her own eyes…

Originally, Alice-sama’s own eyes would have been sure to confirm this, so Azusa-san must have a tremendous amount of bad luck…

“That’s right… Nowadays, Kirara is no longer the kind girl she used to be. However, I thought it would be good if she could gain strength in return. But what does this game mean? I believe that until the time comes, Alice-san will keep Aria-san away from her, and when Kirara is able to completely surpass Aria-san, she will be able to set up a match…?”

President Saijo looks at Alice as he says this.

“It is true that there was an unexpected contact― but the fact that the game was held this time was the best for the Saijo girl.”

“And why is that the case?”

“The Saijo girl right now has KAI on her side.”

When Alice-sama said that, President Saijo and the others looked surprised.

“KAI, you mean that KAI!? Why is he onside with Kirara!?”

“Thanks to the luck that the Saijo girl was born with. Alice also guarantees that the person is KAI.”

Alice nodded her head in agreement.

The truth is that he was led to be so by himself…

It’s just that I have no intention of ingratiating myself with the Saijo Corporate.

“I don’t know how much KAI will help this time― or how much the Saijo girl will fight on her own. However, KAI was determined to make the Saijo girl win.”

“Oh―! If that KAI is with us, we can rest assured!

President Saijo and the others were so pleased.

How surprised would they be if they knew that KAI was a student?

However, I’m sure that Alice-sama will never mention that.

Probably because, according to Alice’s important criteria, Kanzaki-san’s priority would be next to Aria-san― or maybe even equal to her.

“There are no absolutes in this game, though… But I’m here today because I wanted to ask you something. If the Saijo girl beats Aria this time, what are you going to do with her?”

“Of course, we’ll let her come home! Well― I’m ashamed to say that ever since I kicked Kirara out of the house, but I’ve been worried about her… In the end, I said I would give her a test, but I didn’t confiscate the money she had because I felt sorry for her… If I had that much, I could live a life of luxury and still have plenty of change…”

Perhaps because he knew that KAI was on her side, President Saijo seemed to be in a relaxed mood.

If you want to give someone a test, you have to give them a hard time in life… I really think he’s a kind man.

…Maybe that’s why…

That’s the reason why God only gave the Saijo Faction the ordeal of not giving people who are close to Alice-sama’s generation and can be called monsters…

This is Alice-sama’s prediction― that because of this, the Saijo Faction will fall into disuse in Alice-sama’s generation.

“That’s what I thought… Even if the Saijo girl wins against Aria, you must never bring her back.”

Alice-sama said this with a sigh.

“Why is that…?”

President Saijo asked Alice with a dubious expression.

I’m sure he doesn’t understand Alice-sama’s intentions.

“If you bring back the Saijo girl here and now, you will lose your connection with KAI. Do you remember what Alice told you on the phone last time?”

“Uh― I think there was an amazing boy attached to the Shinomiya Faction…”

That amazing boy is Kuroyanagi-san.

“Yes― Kuro is amazing. If this continues to be the case, the balance between the three major Japanese factions will collapse in Alice’s generation.”

“Is he really a boy with that kind of power…?”

“The power of Kuro himself is not comparable to that of Alice or KAI. The individual power is probably on the level of Aria. But with Kuro’s strengths, KAI and Aria are no match for him.”

Alice-sama said this as a matter of fact.

I didn’t expect her to say so much.

Aside from the foolish sister, Alice-sama has a very high opinion of Kanzaki-san’s abilities.

I can’t believe that he is not even a match for him…

“What are his strengths…?”

“Kuro’s strength is that he can get people on his side. And the better the person, the better they like him.”

When I heard what Alice-sama said, I thought that Kuroyanagi-san was like a hero in a story.

While I was thinking about this, Alice-sama’s words continued.

“Kuro is not a person who suppresses others, but a person who faces others sincerely, who can achieve his own goals and fulfill others’ wishes at the same time. And since people with power and talent are often surrounded by people who want to take advantage of them, Kuro’s willingness to talk to them sincerely is seen as favorable.”

“But isn’t that the same as holding them down headlong, in terms of gaining their cooperation? Well, I think it’s great that you’re able to achieve what they want while achieving your own goals…”

“Not at all. The cooperation you can get without thinking is only minimal. However, those who are on Kuro’s side, who are sincerely trying to face him, will do their best for him. In other words, it means that a good person will make the most of their power and cooperate with Kuro. And I think Kuro is an outstanding type of person to be in charge. So even if Kuro’s own strength is not that strong, he will be the strongest in a group battle. KAI, on the other hand, may not be as good as Kuro in individual skills, and he’s not as good at group battles. This is because he can’t understand the feelings of others. Now that I’ve said that, you can understand it now, right?― From now on, Aria, the Saijo girl, and Kuro will be in a position to lead their companies. That would mean it’s a group battle. That’s why the Shinomiya Faction, which was able to acquire Kuro, should be able to achieve rapid growth in the future.”

To cut the story short, Alice-sama said that Kanzaki-san could not fight in a group battle, and then she also mentioned that the Shinomiya Faction would grow rapidly.

It’s true that Kanzaki-san is reported to have a communicative disorder, but from what I’ve seen of him in person, he doesn’t seem like the type of person who can’t understand people’s minds though…?

However, that’s what Alice-sama said, so it must be true.

In addition, if you listen to this only, it may sound like the Shinomiya Faction will be the one that breaks away from the three major factions, but there is no mention of Alice-sama’s involvement in this story.

Perhaps if Kuroyanagi-san comes out, Alice-sama will come to the fore again.

…Ah, so that’s what she means.

When I came here, I finally understood what Alice-sama was trying to do.

I think that Alice-sama is planning to let Aria experience a setback here in order to help her grow up and become a person who can fight against the Shinomiya Faction.

This is something that Alice-sama ordered me to investigate, but I know that among the people who adore the Shinomiya Faction or rather, Kuroyanagi-san― there is a girl who is skilled in gathering information and has the ability to discern the truth of rumors, and another girl who has been called a child prodigy because she grew up without losing her visual memory ability from an early age.

These girls will surely side with the Shinomiya Faction.

And even Ai Shinomiya-san will join them.

If that happens, no matter how much Alice-sama may be able to do, she will not be able to compete on her own.

That’s why she’s probably trying to develop the strength for it.

And if things continue as they are, the Saijo Faction will fall into disuse, Alice-sama said.

…That’s why the gentle Alice-sama has made this decision…

Actually, Alice-sama would have wanted it herself…

“But― listening to Alice-san’s words, it seems that KAI is no match for the boy, yet you say that you won’t break the connection with KAI? Ah, no, I want KAI quite a bit, but I’m curious about that.”

President Saijo put his hand on his chin and asked Alice-sama.

“That’s the state of the current KAI. But KAI has the potential to compete with Kuro. That’s why Alice will raise KAI for you.”

Alice-sama smiled for the first time since she came here.

“You speak of KAI as if he were your own child. He’s about 40 years old, isn’t he? In the first place, he won’t be in the industry by the time Kirara’s generation comes along…?”

At President Saijo’s words, Alice-sama shook her head with a smile.

“Don’t worry, I want you to trust Alice. And as long as you don’t bring the Saijo girl back, Alice will make sure that the KAI stays with the Saijo girl.”

“Why do you have to go so far…? Could it be because Aria-san caught up with Kirara?”

Alice-sama shook her head again at President Saijo’s question.

“That’s not it. Alice is only working for what Alice wants to protect. With KAI on the side of Saijo’s girl, the balance of Japan’s three major corporations can somehow be maintained. If that happens, she can keep the Shinomiya Faction in check without having to go toe-to-toe with them. However, as I said before, Kuro is a good person, so it’s not like he’s going to do anything. But if one company is growing, it means that another company is deteriorating. So we have to take action now… Well, KAI’s growth is an absolute requirement…”

“So we’re just supposed to sit back and watch?”

Alice-sama nodded at President Saijo’s words.

“That’s all I have to say. Well then, bye-bye.”

With that, Alice-sama waved her hand and signaled me with her eyes, “We’re leaving.”

This person is truly a mysterious one.

Even when facing the head of a rival organization, she maintains her usual posture, and she sees further than anyone else.

Alice-sama’s words have a mysterious weight to them, and the person to whom they are directed is convinced.

“―Are you sure you’re okay with Kanzaki-san?”

As soon as we left the room, I asked Alice-sama.

“…It can’t be helped… This is the best way… to make everyone happy…”

Now Alice-sama was back to her usual lazy self.

I was almost moved to tears by her words.

“For the happiness of others, Alice-sama will endure and give Kanzaki-san to Saijo-san― Alice-sama is truly amazing!”

I was so moved that I said so to Alice-sama.

But then, Alice-sama tilted her head and looked at me.

“What are you… talking about…? I never… said anything about giving away Kai… to the Saijo girl, did I…?”

“Eh…?”

I think back to the earlier exchange when I heard Alice-sama’s words.

―It’s true that she didn’t say “give him to me,” but isn’t that because Kanzaki-san didn’t belong to Alice-sama herself…?

The words I said to Alice-sama were not “give” as Alice-sama’s property, but “give” in the sense of giving it away…

“I’m only… lending them Kai… Kai is Alice’s, so she won’t… give him away to them…”

Alice-sama said so and smiled at me.

…I can only see the future― full of Shuraba… [TLN: Shuraba = Love Quarrel]

Alice-sama’s words gave me a foretaste of the fierce battles that will take place in the future―.