Second Update (Continued)

Because she had to consider this matter, Fujiwara Chika planned to go back first and sound out her family.

"At the very least, I have to convince them first..."

Just then, a boy hurried in.

"Fujiwara..."

He looked at everyone present and carefully chose his words.

"Hm? What is it?" Fujiwara Chika sat up.

"Well... there's something we'd like to ask you to come discuss." He stammered.

"Then I'll go."

Fujiwara Chika blinked, unsure of what had happened.

Thus, Fujiwara Chika and the other Shuchiin Academy students went to the hall together.

"Now, we need to make a decision by vote." Nita Goichi stood in the middle of the crowd.

Then, most of them took a step back, leaving Fujiwara Chika in the most conspicuous position.

Fujiwara Chika still looked utterly confused.

"Fujiwara, we'd like to ask you to do something for the group." Nita Goichi still wore a broad smile as he rubbed his hands together.

"That Tsukikawa Shu has been 'Widely Recruiting Virtuous Wives,' and he seems to think rather highly of you too. So, could we ask you to do something for our future..."

Fujiwara Chika froze.

The others beside her had already understood what he meant.

"You're planning to offer our senior up as a bargaining chip?" Iino Miko was furious.

"Are you even Shuchiin Academy students? How can you propose such a shameless condition?!" Tanuma Tsubasa was enraged as well.

However, they were quickly besieged by the others.

"This can't be helped. If you want to blame someone, blame Tsukikawa Shu. He's the one who's been holding us back."

"Fujiwara, we've protected you for days, yet you've contributed nothing to the group. We're giving you a chance to repay us!"

"This is a collective decision. Your opposition is meaningless!"

Fujiwara Chika's little group had been at a disadvantage to begin with, and now they faced everyone else, along with all the high-level player bodyguards present.

Profit could make people lose their humanity.

In an instant, driven by self-interest, she found herself in the center of a whirlpool, condemned by a thousand voices.

Fujiwara Chika stood there blankly. She had never imagined that, for their own benefit, these people would even sell out their classmates and friends.

The classmates who had once been polite, gentle, tolerant, and generous all turned into beasts without a shred of morality.

"All right, all right, everyone calm down."

Nita Goichi clapped his hands, still smiling broadly as he gestured for everyone to quiet down. Then he looked at Fujiwara Chika.

"Fujiwara, we are a democratic collective. We follow the principle that the minority obeys the majority. This matter is no exception. Let's hold a group vote."

Fujiwara Chika did not answer. Her face darkened.

"Now, everyone in favor of having Fujiwara Chika sign a contract with Tsukikawa Shu, raise your hands!"

Arms rose one after another. Every high-level player present, as well as more than half of the Shuchiin Academy students, voted in favor.

Like a democratic assembly in ancient Athens, those raised arms were like spears thrust toward the criminal they had voted into existence.

Whether willingly or under coercion, raising a hand still carried the power to decide a person's fate.

"Now, everyone opposed to having Fujiwara Chika sign a contract with Tsukikawa Shu, raise your hands."

The outcome was already obvious. There was no need to count the votes.

This time, only the few people beside Fujiwara Chika tremblingly raised their hands.

Only when faced with the oppression of the others did they realize how desperate it felt to be powerless.

"We object! Your votes cannot decide someone's fate!" Tomioki Nagisa gritted her teeth in anger.

"Of course our votes can't decide someone else's fate. We're all civilized people with intelligence, after all."

Nita Goichi continued with a smile. "If Fujiwara disagrees, that's fine. We won't force you."

"Of course, we won't protect you or give you food in the future."

"You can also choose to leave our organization and survive on your own."

"How is that any different from driving Senior Fujiwara into a dead end?" Iino Miko could barely suppress the fury in her heart, her teeth trembling.

For people like them, who were only Level 1, having no protection in the Inner World meant certain death.

And once Fujiwara Chika was expelled from the group, the only person she could turn to would be Tsukikawa Shu. That was no different from the result of the vote.

They had used no violence, yet they could kill someone in the most civilized and democratic way possible.

Fujiwara Chika did not answer. Her face remained dark as she lowered her head and stood motionless, her fists clenched tightly.

Yet no one was in a hurry. Their gazes all fell upon her as they waited for the final outcome.

Mockery, smugness, pity, regret—none of it could change the ending.

"I..."

After a long while, Fujiwara Chika finally raised her head, but her expression was unexpectedly calm.

"I'll go."

She spoke flatly, without any emotional fluctuation, and walked toward the door.

This was the final, and only, time the friendship between classmates had been cashed in.

That afternoon, the vortex on the stone door of the Goblin Instance began to spin violently. Then, Tsukikawa Shu and the other two returned from outside the instance.

For Tsukikawa Shu, it had still been another ordinary day of grinding levels.

But the moment he stepped outside, he saw more than a dozen people standing before the door. The Elite Committee had gathered here.

The people standing at the front were several core members: Nita Goichi, Kyuutake Itsuki, and Miyamoto Daichoku.

What puzzled Tsukikawa Shu was that Fujiwara Chika stood some distance behind the three of them, her face very calm.

"Lord Tsukikawa."

Nita Goichi, who stood at the front, approached with a fawning smile that went against his heart.

If he had not been suppressed by someone right now, he would never have humbled himself before some lower-class person.

"Hm?" Tsukikawa Shu looked at him.

"Lord Tsukikawa, I have prepared a gift for you." Nita Goichi smiled.

Then, the three stepped aside, making way for Fujiwara Chika behind them to walk forward.

Fujiwara Chika still said nothing. Her expression was as still as stagnant water, nothing like the lively girl he had spoken with that night.

As for the other familiar faces in the group, Tanuma Tsubasa, Tomioki Nagisa, and Iino Miko stood far in the back, watching with extremely ugly expressions.

"We know Lord Tsukikawa has always had a favorable impression of Miss Fujiwara, but Miss Fujiwara had never agreed before."

Nita Goichi smiled. "So, after our persuasion and mediation, Miss Fujiwara has finally agreed to sign a contract with you."

"That's right, Lord Tsukikawa. This time, we'll bear witness for you. We absolutely won't interfere in your future relationship with Miss Fujiwara." Kyuutake Itsuki also wore a broad smile.

"Yes, yes, we absolutely won't gossip or interfere." Nita Goichi hurriedly nodded again.

From beginning to end, Fujiwara Chika did not say a single word. She simply stood there like a wooden post.

"Is that so..."

After listening to them, Tsukikawa Shu stroked his chin. He looked at Fujiwara Chika, then shifted his gaze to Nita Goichi and the other two. Suddenly, he smiled. "What do you want?"

"Nothing much. We only hope that after Lord Tsukikawa clears the instance, you'll let us go in and grind it too." Nita Goichi hurriedly said.

"Just for that?" Tsukikawa Shu asked.

"That's all." Nita Goichi said.

Tsukikawa Shu did not answer immediately. He merely reached out, took Fujiwara Chika's hand, and smiled.

"Sure! You've done wonderfully! I truly should thank you properly."

"But if that's all you're asking for, wouldn't that make me seem too stingy?"

Tsukikawa Shu held Fujiwara Chika's hand. Her body trembled. Other than relatives, this was the first time in her life that someone of the opposite sex had touched her.

But after hesitating for a moment, she ultimately followed Tsukikawa Shu's pull and allowed him to lead her to his side.

She did not dislike him anyway. Living under someone else's roof always came with a price. Fujiwara Chika had long been mentally prepared for this; she had simply never dared to confront it directly.

The only disappointing thing was that Tsukikawa Shu had actually agreed to these people's request, and he even seemed pleased about it.

In the end, he had still resorted to coercion and temptation.

As for her former schoolmates, even classmates, Fujiwara Chika did not hate them, but she would never meet them again.

Perhaps it was because she did not dislike Tsukikawa Shu, and because she had never killed anyone. She even felt pity for a little bug she had crushed, much less wished to kill people.

After this, they would become strangers to one another.

As for Nita Goichi and the other two, when they saw Tsukikawa Shu pull Fujiwara Chika to his side, they were overjoyed.

Didn't that mean it had worked? Sure enough, their democratic decision had been correct.

"How could we accept that? We're already deeply grateful that Lord Tsukikawa is willing to let us in. We truly dare not ask for anything else." Nita Goichi was flattered beyond measure.

"No, no, no. You've done far too well this time! You did a good deed for me. If I don't give you something in return, I'd feel bad about it."

Tsukikawa Shu was all smiles as well. He pulled Fujiwara Chika behind him, then looked at the people standing farther back. "Have them all come over too."

This development exceeded Nita Goichi and the other two's expectations. Their original plan had only been to send Fujiwara Chika over first. If Tsukikawa Shu was still unsatisfied, they could pick a few more pretty girls from the committee and offer them to him.

The gains had far exceeded their expectations, and everyone was secretly delighted.

"Okay, okay, okay. I'll call them over."

For the first time, Nita Goichi's broad smile was genuinely heartfelt.

Kyuutake Itsuki and Miyamoto Daichoku had not expected Tsukikawa Shu to act this way either, and they were somewhat suspicious. But they did not take it too seriously. After all, what they were doing now suited the preferences of Tsukikawa Shu, the Great Demon Lord, perfectly.

Everyone stood before Tsukikawa Shu, looking at one another. They had no idea what he intended to do.

"Those of you who participated in the persuasion and mediation, come stand over here." Tsukikawa Shu pointed toward an open patch of ground and smiled.

Was he going to reward their contributions?

Though they did not understand what was happening, most of them saw delight in one another's eyes.

This was a completely unexpected surprise.

It had originally been a deal that killed two birds with one stone, and now there was an additional reward. Everyone was thrilled.

Only Tanuma Tsubasa and the others wore extremely ugly expressions. They did not move, merely watching Fujiwara Chika standing behind Tsukikawa Shu with a calm face.

"The Great Demon Lord is still the Great Demon Lord. Even if he occasionally has some principles, it's only a fleeting flash." He gritted his teeth.

Hiratsuka Shizuka and Goto Hitori also stood in the back, not knowing what Tsukikawa Shu intended to do.

Very quickly, most of the group stepped out and stood in the open space Tsukikawa Shu had indicated. Only a handful remained where they were, making them seem like the true outliers.

The two groups looked at each other. Those who remained stood numb and deeply disappointed.

Those who had left, however, looked pleased and secretly congratulated themselves.

This was what it meant to recognize the times and act accordingly. They had made the correct choice. Though doing evil had not been their original intention, they had to admit that abandoning one's conscience could indeed bring great benefits.

For example, now. They had received permission to enter the instance at last, opening a path to level up and widen the gap between themselves and other players, while also obtaining more resources and items.

And now, they could even receive Tsukikawa Shu's reward. Such rewards might only be icing on the cake for those high-level players, but for these weakling students who were only Level 1, they were timely help in a snowstorm!