The students of Class D were struck dumb by Matsushita's words. Even if they wanted to object, they didn't know where to start.
Question her for privately going to negotiate with Yukio? Hadn't Onodera already done that plenty during the training camp exam? And in the end, Matsushita kept insisting it had been deliberate sowing of discord, which indeed resulted in that miserable thirty-point score on the unity project.
Ever since then, most of Class D didn't want to doubt her on that front anymore. So when they heard Matsushita had once again gone to meet Yukio, this time to obtain a method that would let them pass the vote exam without abandoning any classmates, they had no grounds to challenge her.
As for doubting her statement about it being "the same as if we just used up our protection point early"—how could they? It wasn't wrong.
And the truth was, most of Class D knew perfectly well: that protection point may have been announced as the reward for the exam, but it was never going to end up in their hands.
Regarding the conditions for earning it, the school had made it very clear—it would go to whoever scored the highest this time.
And anyone could see, to reach the highest score, you needed a mountain of praise votes, even ones from other classes. For most of them, that was simply impossible.
The only ones who could even entertain the idea were the overly kind Hirata or the ever-friendly Kushida. Even Matsushita and Karuizawa couldn't compare.
Matsushita and Karuizawa might hold influence within Class D, but Hirata and Kushida had friends across all three grades.
Since the protection point wasn't going to land with them anyway, then so what if it was spent early? It wasn't theirs, so who would feel the loss?
So, seeing her classmates take her reasoning to heart, Matsushita first felt relief, then quickly decided to strike while the iron was hot.
Holding the contract—officially notarized by the school—she approached each classmate one by one, wearing an elegant smile, and asked them to sign.
When Class D finally saw the full contents of the contract, they were stunned at Yukio's boldness. The details were laid out clearly.
To reassure them, the contract explicitly stated: if Yukio failed to ensure that Class D cleared the exam with no one expelled, he would pay twenty million private points to offset the expulsion penalty.
With such a safety net, any remaining doubts were wiped away. Pens flew across paper as names were signed.
At first, it went smoothly—classmates hardly even hesitated before adding their signatures. But when it was Karuizawa's turn, her expression grew odd.
It wasn't that she doubted Matsushita or the contract—it was jealousy. When had Matsushita gone to see Yukio again? She hadn't heard a thing.
Ever since the training camp exam, hadn't Matsushita's ties with Yukio been steadily growing closer?
"Kei?" Matsushita tilted her head, puzzled. She had persuaded everyone else without trouble—why was her closest friend stalling here?
"Ah, n-no, it's nothing." Karuizawa blinked twice in quick succession, awkwardly excusing her distraction. "I was just wondering how to make my signature look cooler."
"?" Matsushita blinked back, more confused than ever. Why would a cool-looking signature matter? The contract wasn't something they kept; one copy would go to the school, and another to Yukio.
The school certainly wouldn't care. As for whether Yukio would even bother to read each name? Hard to say. But if he did… and saw a particularly stylish signature… maybe it really would catch his attention.
Eh? Wait—that might actually work.
Matsushita felt her cheeks grow warm. Maybe she should sign hers in a bold, stylish way too—and at the very top of the page, no less.
Ever since she'd realized, staring at her reflection in the Palette café mirror yesterday, that her heart might have started to stir, Matsushita had begun to understand what she truly wanted—and she was willing to put in the effort.
After Karuizawa, Shinohara, Satou, and the rest of her girlfriends all signed without fuss. But when it came to Takahashi Koenji, things snagged again.
"Matsushita-girl," Koenji drawled. "Haven't you considered that what Yukio-kun wants… is more than just a measly protection point?"
Even if he couldn't see through all of Yukio's schemes, Koenji's beast-like intuition told him the guy's appetite was far larger than this.
Of course. Matsushita knew that too. When Yukio had first mentioned signing the contract, he had said, I'll be watching closely. Watching what? Watching to see how she handled one classmate's doubt after another, to push the whole class into signing.
"Yes, I know Yukio-kun's appetite isn't small," Matsushita admitted. "What he wants is certainly more than just one point. But right now, we're already struggling just to clear this exam. How could we even think about greater gains?"
"The right way is for ambition to match ability. Aim higher only when you're strong enough. But if we're too weak to even protect ourselves, and we still reach for more… we'll end up unable to protect even ourselves."
"We can't even guarantee we'll pass the vote exam as things stand. If we start chasing bigger benefits now, then clearing this exam will become impossible."
"…I see." Koenji quickly scrawled his name as well. For him, it didn't matter much—he just wanted to see what Yukio could really pull off.
Whew. That should do it, Matsushita thought, wiping the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief before moving on.
When it came to Horikita's turn, a new challenge arose.
"So, Matsushita—you've said all this." Horikita's gaze was sharp. "But what exactly is Yukio offering? What method did he give you?"
Matsushita shook her head. "He refused to say. He insists we must sign the contract first before he reveals it. If you're in a rush to know—"
"I can give you the fully signed contract later. After school, you can take it to the student council and ask Yukio-kun yourself."
"…Fair enough." Horikita thought it over. If Yukio was fixated on securing the protection point, then it made sense he wouldn't reveal the method until the deal was sealed. Who knew if Class D might back out otherwise?
"In that case, I'll go ask him after class." She signed her name without delay.
Last came Ayanokouji. He studied the clause promising that if Yukio failed, he would pay twenty million private points. Finding no hidden traps, he too signed.
Once everyone had added their names, Matsushita finally relaxed, handing the contract to Horikita.
Even though they still didn't know the actual method, Matsushita already felt certain: they would clear the vote exam without losing anyone.
As she gazed absently out the classroom window, she thought—this time, she had surely lived up to Yukio-kun's words: I'll be waiting.
...
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