Nagumo Miyabi smiled as he asked Saiki.
Although he was very concerned about the possibility that Saiki had repeatedly thwarted his plans, if those things were true, Nagumo Miyabi had to admit Saiki's capabilities in his heart.
In Nagumo Miyabi's view, strength was paramount. This was why, despite his eagerness to provoke Horikita Manabu, he deeply respected him. If Saiki truly had the ability, then he naturally deserved a place in the student council. Nagumo Miyabi had previously invited Koenji Rokusuke for the same reason.
Moreover, if Saiki joined the student council, Nagumo Miyabi could more easily observe and manipulate him.
Most importantly, after Horikita Manabu graduated, Nagumo Miyabi could have some fun with Saiki.
"Sorry, I decline."
Saiki refused without hesitation.
When Horikita Manabu was in charge, Saiki had not joined the student council. Now that Nagumo Miyabi was in charge, Saiki was even less likely to join.
"May I ask why? Is it because of me?"
Nagumo Miyabi asked curiously.
"Not at all. It's just that I think the current academic pressure is too high, and I don't have enough time. Besides, my abilities aren't worthy of a position in the student council."
Saiki replied.
Even without Nagumo Miyabi or Horikita Manabu, Saiki would never join the student council. After all, he didn't want to waste his precious time on such trivial student activities.
"Is that so? What a pity."
Nagumo Miyabi smiled and shook his head.
"If you change your mind later, feel free to come find me~ But before that, do your best to handle this exam, Saiki-kun. I wouldn't want to lose sight of you after this semester."
With that, Nagumo Miyabi patted Saiki's shoulder and then left.
However, as the two passed each other, Saiki overheard Nagumo Miyabi's thoughts.
[This special exam suddenly added for the first-years seems quite interesting. Forcing students to be expelled—even we've never had such an exam before.]
[And this exam is very advantageous for me. Little Honami seems unwilling to lose any of her classmates. That mindset is incredibly naive, but it's a great opportunity for me.]
[Using 20 million points to gain Honami's dependence~ That sounds great~ Using a romantic relationship as a condition is fair, right?]
Saiki could clearly hear Nagumo Miyabi's thoughts and had already guessed what Nagumo Miyabi intended to do.
'Yare yare, what a perverted guy.'
Saiki already had an idea in mind.
After Nagumo Miyabi left, Saiki prepared to head back the way he came, but he heard Horikita Suzune's thoughts from a distance.
[Why do Saiki and my brother seem so familiar? And earlier, I thought I heard Nagumo say something about my brother valuing Saiki? Did I mishear? No, I don't think I did. Saiki being there probably wasn't a coincidence either. Did Nagumo or my brother ask Saiki to go there? For some reason, I need to ask Saiki and get to the bottom of this!]
Horikita Suzune had appeared to leave earlier, but in reality, she had been waiting nearby, ready to confront Saiki when he returned.
However, Saiki had been able to hear Horikita Suzune's thoughts all along, so he knew she hadn't left.
Thus, Saiki turned around and prepared to leave in another direction.
"Saiki, wait!"
Seeing Saiki change direction, Horikita Suzune stepped forward and called out to him.
"Tch."
"Did you say something just now?"
"No, what's up?"
"Nothing. Why did you suddenly change direction? Were you trying to avoid me?"
Horikita Suzune took a step forward and immediately questioned him.
"What? I didn't know you were here. I just remembered I forgot something, so I was going back to get it."
Saiki replied calmly.
Horikita Suzune stared intently at Saiki, as if trying to determine if he was lying. After a moment of thought, she decided not to press the issue further.
"Saiki-kun, why were you with my brother and President Nagumo earlier?"
"I happened to be passing by and was heading to the restroom."
Saiki answered.
[Was it really just a coincidence? I don't believe in such coincidences.]
'Does no one believe the truth these days?'
Although she didn't believe Saiki, Horikita Suzune chose not to pursue the topic further and instead continued:
"I heard President Nagumo say... that my brother seems to value you. Is that true?"
"You misheard."
Saiki replied without hesitation.
'Yare yare, if others found out about my connection with the former student council president, it would definitely cause a lot of trouble. Not to mention, Horikita has a bit—no, more than a bit—of a brother complex. If she found out about my relationship with her brother, it would only bring more trouble...'
"Huh?"
Horikita Suzune was completely caught off guard by Saiki's immediate denial.
[He denied it without a moment's hesitation. Did I really mishear? No, I can't rule out the possibility that he's deliberately lying to me. I should keep bluffing.]
"No way, I definitely heard it!"
Horikita Suzune deliberately put on a serious expression.
"Then you definitely misheard."
Saiki replied without pause.
'Yare yare, Horikita, your thoughts are crystal clear to me—but if I pretend I don't know Horikita Manabu at all, it would be too fake. If I have further interactions with him and others see it, it could cause a lot of trouble.'
As he thought this, Saiki continued:
"I know your brother, but it's just a casual acquaintance. After all, it's not unusual for students to know the former student council president."
Horikita Suzune looked at Saiki and, for a moment, couldn't refute his words. She pursed her lips and then turned to leave.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was preparing to return to his dorm when a slender figure blocked his path.
Kushida Kikyo.
"Ayanokoji-kun, do you have a moment to talk somewhere else?"
"Sure."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had already guessed Kushida Kikyo's purpose for approaching him and followed her to a secluded spot.
"Ayanokoji-kun, the information you asked me for last time didn't end up being useful, did it?"
Kushida Kikyo smiled as she looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"Sorry, it didn't. The school intervened before I could take any action."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka replied, not mentioning that the letters had mysteriously disappeared.
"However, Ayanokoji-kun, you should know that even if the information wasn't useful, the fact that I leaked it to you is still a fact, right?"
Kushida Kikyo's gaze seemed to sharpen.
"Right."
"In that case, the deal is complete. It's only fair that I come to collect my payment, isn't it?"
"That's true."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression remained unchanged.
"Kushida, are you planning to target Yamauchi?"
Although Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's plan hadn't been successfully executed, he had learned a lot of important information from Kushida Kikyo.
The most crucial piece of information was about Kushida Kikyo herself.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka knew that the information Kushida Kikyo possessed was indeed very threatening.
"That's right. This is a great opportunity to make a certain student disappear from the class!"
Kushida Kikyo took a step forward and continued,
"Yamauchi-kun is unnecessary in the class, after all. There are countless people in the class who dislike him—and as one of the few who know about my past, Yamauchi's mouth definitely isn't as tight as yours. So, I must find a way to make him disappear from this school."
"You mean you want me to vote against Yamauchi, right?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka replied.
"Exactly. And not just that, I hope you can convince the other boys in the class to vote against Yamauchi too. Please! As long as Yamauchi-kun disappears, we'll be even."
Kushida Kikyo smiled.
"Although, as part of the deal, I will do my best to help, I don't have many friends. Don't expect too much from me."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka simply said.
[Kushida's obsession with Yamauchi is quite strong. With Kushida's social skills, it would be effortless for her to use her connections to expel Yamauchi. She just needs to casually bring up Yamauchi in conversations with others.]
[Social skills are truly a powerful ability. In this regard, Kushida Kikyo is absolutely skilled, while I am not.]
[However, Yamauchi should also realize that he's one of the most at-risk students in this exam. If it's him... he might go to Sakayanagi for help. That said, the class vote isn't limited to just our class. In other words, it's possible to influence votes from other classes... Could Yamauchi become Sakayanagi's pawn?]
"I believe in you, Ayanokoji-kun!"
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi had left the classroom and were preparing to return to their dorm.
But just then, Sakayanagi Arisu's phone rang.
She looked down and saw that it was Yamauchi Haruki.
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled slightly and happily answered the call.
She had anticipated that he would call her at this time.
"Hello, Yamauchi-kun. I was just thinking you'd contact me soon."
Sakayanagi Arisu deliberately used an adorable tone, causing Yamauchi Haruki's heart to race on the other end of the line.
Over the past few days, Sakayanagi Arisu had been calling Yamauchi Haruki daily, chatting happily about trivial matters—all to lure him in.
By now, Yamauchi Haruki was practically Sakayanagi Arisu's puppet.
"Um, Sakayanagi-chan, can we meet today? There's something I want to talk to you about..."
"Today? Sure, no problem. Let's meet. But I have something to do later, so I'm a bit pressed for time. Let's meet up afterward—I'm walking right now, so I'll contact you later."
After saying this, Sakayanagi Arisu quickly hung up.
"You heard that, right? So, I'm meeting Yamauchi-kun tonight."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled as she spoke to Kamuro Masumi.
"You've been contacting Yamauchi quite frequently. What are you planning?"
"Because he's someone I care about."
"By 'care,' do you mean you like him?"
"Is it strange for me to like him?"
Kamuro Masumi thought of Yamauchi Haruki's appearance and suddenly felt a wave of nausea, then shook her head vigorously.
"Is this a joke?"
"Yes, it's a joke."
The smile on Sakayanagi Arisu's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a cold gaze, as if Yamauchi Haruki were nothing more than a disposable pawn.
"I mean..."
"I'm training him to see if he can be used as a spy in Class B. I've already gotten some important information from him. Kamuro, you must have noticed, right?"
"Yeah... but... you said you're training him... It can't be that easy, can it?"
Kamuro Masumi asked, puzzled.
"For him, it might be. After all, we've also been informed of an interesting exam. I'm using him as a test subject."
Sakayanagi Arisu's smile returned.
Although Kamuro Masumi was Sakayanagi Arisu's confidante, the latter hadn't fully trusted her yet and hadn't revealed the entire plan.
"Let's meet him today. You'll get a glimpse of my true intentions. Look forward to it."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled at the thought of what was to come.
[First, I'll reel Yamauchi Haruki in and make him my pawn within Class B. I'll spread rumors, create public opinion, and stir up chaos—]
[Class B will definitely fall into internal strife. What will their class become? I can't wait to see.]
[Also, perhaps I can use Yamauchi Haruki to push Saiki a bit and see just how far that person can go~]
"Let's go. I can't wait."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled and then walked forward with Kamuro Masumi.