Today, it wasn't just Nagumo Miyabi who felt embarrassed.
Mizowaki walked out of the classroom with a confused and heavy heart, occasionally running into a few classmates along the way, though they all avoided him.
He didn't understand what had happened.
He had indeed gone to the café, but Katsuragi had invited him there, saying he wanted to check the exam papers in person.
Mizowaki had no reason to refuse and even made sure to record the entire conversation to prove his loyalty to Nagumo.
When he met with Katsuragi, however, the latter didn't mention anything else—he simply reviewed Mizowakio's answers and then transferred the Personal Points to him.
This left Mizowaki utterly bewildered.
Had he overthought things?
Or did Katsuragi have other intentions that he couldn't see through?
Before Mizowaki could figure it out, Nagumo suddenly confronted him today, demanding to know why he had been at the café.
Mizowaki was stunned.
No matter how he explained himself, Nagumo refused to believe him, instead sneering and telling him to go back to Class 2-B—where Horikita Manabu, Kiriyama Ikuyo, and Kaoru would surely welcome him as a comrade.
Not only that, but Nagumo also suspected there were other traitors in the class.
He believed Mizowaki had voluntarily stepped forward as a sacrificial lamb to dispel his suspicions about the rest of the class.
Though Asahina stood up midway, trying to persuade Nagumo to drop his interrogation of the entire class, no one listened to her.
Mizowaki, too, felt disheartened.
The fate awaiting him was likely expulsion in the next exam, wasn't it?
Since the start of the semester, over ten second-year students had already been expelled.
He wouldn't be the first, nor the last.
"Mizowaki-senpai."
Hearing his name called, Mizowaki instinctively turned toward the voice and saw Katsuragi waiting for him up ahead.
Instantly, his expression darkened.
"So that's how it is. You knew how Nagumo-kun would react. This was all your doing—you wanted to drive a wedge between us."
Facing Mizowaki's hostile gaze, Katsuragi followed Kaoru's instructions and replied quietly.
"Even without us, you should know what kind of person Nagumo-senpai is. To him, those without value are nothing but trash, meant to be ruled by the strong."
"Save your breath. All this talk is just to get me to surrender. Did you really think you could make me betray my class like this?" Mizowaki scoffed.
He wasn't stupid.
Though he couldn't figure out how Katsuragi had pulled this off, he understood the other's intentions.
Just because Nagumo didn't trust him now didn't mean he would actually betray his class.
Mizowaki knew exactly what he wanted—and nothing held more value than Class A.
"No, we don't expect you to join us," Katsuragi said. "Nor will we ask you to betray your class. You can stay in Class A. If anything unexpected happens, we'll even offer assistance to prevent your expulsion."
Mizowaki eyed him suspiciously.
"And what's in it for you?"
"Our goal is to get Nagumo-senpai expelled," Katsuragi answered.
Mizowaki was stunned as Katsuragi Kouhei continued, "Although Nagumo-senpai is the core of your class, you know as well as I do that he's made too many enemies. Not to mention the first-year students, how do you plan to deal with Horikita-senpai from the third year alone?"
"...Horikita-senpai will graduate soon," Mizowaki replied warily. "As for the first-years, aside from you and Mitoma-kun, what else is there to say?"
"There's also Ichinose-san," Katsuragi pressed on, echoing Kaoru's words.
"There are two first-year classes, Horikita-senpai in the third year, plus Kiriyama-senpai from your own second year watching closely. Do you really think Nagumo-senpai can suppress all these forces?"
Mizowaki had seen Nagumo's reform plans, but he'd always been uncertain about their success.
If the conservatives led by Horikita Manabu launched a fierce counterattack, could their Class 2-A withstand it?
Moreover, Kiriyama Ikuyo's Class 2-B had been closing in step by step recently, putting Mizowaki on high alert.
"If Nagumo-senpai were to be expelled, we first-years wouldn't interfere with your second-year affairs, and Horikita-senpai certainly wouldn't either," Katsuragi adopted a slightly threatening tone.
"Otherwise, cases like yours will keep happening in Class 2-A."
Mizowaki's expression changed.
He suddenly realized there must be a real mole in their class—otherwise, how could Katsuragi and the others know what was happening inside 2-A?
By the same token, Katsuragi wouldn't have been able to intercept him so quickly either.
...
Meanwhile, Nagumo Miyabi was seething with rage.
After seeing Asahina's location, he'd rushed over intending to forcibly take her away.
He never imagined Asahina would actually be with Kaoru.
Her previous claims had clearly been lies—they must have been seeing each other behind his back all along.
The thought filled Nagumo with humiliation.
Why? In looks, physique, ability, even emotional intelligence—was he inferior to Kaoru in any way?
He'd always treated Asahina with utmost respect.
When she said she didn't want to date, he never forced her or took advantage.
He respected her choices, included her in everything.
Yet not only had she failed to appreciate this, she'd even tried lecturing him—telling him to change his ways, to stop fooling around with women.
Nagumo couldn't comprehend this at all.
If she wouldn't date him, was he supposed to remain celibate?
To him, women were essentially playthings—just diversions to spice up a boring life.
Asahina should have understood that.
When he'd inexplicably lost interest in other women recently, he thought she might be pleased.
But when he merely asked about Kaoru, she'd immediately shown impatience.
Claiming they were just friends—and now the truth was out!
Nagumo couldn't swallow this insult.
He'd heard everything clearly on the phone—his precious Asahina, whom he'd never dared touch, had let Kaoru force a kiss on her?
And from the sound of her voice... she hadn't even resisted?
In an instant, Nagumo's rationality nearly evaporated, his heart filled with fury.
He wished he could kill Kaoru on the spot—only he could cuckold others, never the other way around!
Following the location data, Nagumo Miyabi saw the artificial lake right before him, yet there was no sign of Asahina or Kaoru.
His expression darkened as realization struck.
The phone's location was clearly useless now.
Asahina had likely turned off her phone and hidden away with Kaoru.
No matter.
Nagumo still had his underlings.
If anyone spotted Asahina and Kaoru on the way, he would receive word immediately.
He ordered Tonokawa to station men along the main routes.
There was no way the two could return to the dorms without running into his trap.
With that, Nagumo began searching the area.
Truthfully, he had set out the moment he heard Kaoru's voice.
He hadn't mentioned it to create a time gap, making Kaoru think he had left only after hanging up.
They couldn't have gone far, Nagumo thought through gritted teeth.
The earlier incidents had merely embarrassed him, but today's events had shattered his composure.
Mizowaki's betrayal had stung, but Asahina's betrayal cut far deeper.
Nagumo desperately wanted to find them, yet his mind kept conjuring images of Kaoru embracing his childhood friend and laughing mockingly at him.
The thought made him hesitate to face reality.
And then, he spotted two familiar figures.