As soon as the first round began, the character controlled by Eriri launched a fierce attack. Judging by the action, it was an almost one-sided beatdown. (Continued)

"You all keep going. Erika and Karen, come with me."

After assigning everyone their tasks, she asked the two new students she had her eye on to accompany her and deal with the visitor.

"Please, have a seat... I'm Asahi Shizuku, head of the News Department. May I ask what brings you here?"

Once she had seated the visitor on the sofa, Asahi Shizuku spoke up.

"I came to visit the News Department because..."

Hasegawa Izumi didn't beat around the bush. He stated his purpose plainly.

"..."

After hearing him out, Asahi Shizuku fell silent and adjusted the bridge of her glasses.

The other two girls, Kyose Erika and Ki Karen, exchanged a glance before leaning back in unison.

He'd left the girls at a loss for words.

What kind of lunatic was this? He actually had the gall to say he wanted to "challenge the dojo"?

Shuchuin High School was full of exceptional students, a place teeming with hidden talent. How could he possibly beat everyone?

And even if he had the ability, challenging them like this showed a complete lack of social awareness. He'd offend everyone!

"Forgive me for asking, but are you the chuunibyou who became the talk of the school on your first day?"

Ki Karen asked, sounding certain.

"That's right."

He nodded without changing expression.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Hasegawa-kun?"

Asahi Shizuku tried asking him once more.

There was no doubt the story would attract plenty of attention and give the News Department greater exposure. But if they really helped push it forward, it could have unforeseeable consequences in all sorts of ways—especially for the person who started it.

She didn't want to be the one who sent him plunging into the abyss.

"Of course."

He answered indifferently.

"Don't limit your horizons. You can't begin to imagine what we're capable of... Hurry up and give us an answer!"

Takanashi Rikka couldn't help urging them on.

"Well, all right."

Asahi Shizuku hesitated, then nodded in agreement.

After that, they officially began the interview.

"Hasegawa-kun, your challenge is practically a suicidal act. I'd like to ask why you made such a tragic decision."

Ki Karen asked in a serious, professional tone.

"The fact that I'm making this challenge means I'm confident I can succeed. My goal is simple: to make our Far East Magic Society famous and establish it as the greatest group at Shuchuin."

Hasegawa Izumi glanced at her and replied calmly.

Beside them, Kyose Erika wrote down what he said in her notebook.

"What is the Far East Magic Society? Is that your club?"

Ki Karen looked puzzled at this distinctive name.

"Exactly. That's the name of the organization the Wicked Eye of the Tyrant King User and the Sage founded at Shuchuin. We hope more like-minded people will join us so we can face the threat of the Bureau of Unseen Boundaries."

Takanashi Rikka picked up where he left off.

Ki Karen looked at the club president in confusion, but the other girl only shook her head.

She didn't understand either.

Kyose Erika resisted the urge to make a snarky comment and quietly took notes.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say, Hasegawa-kun?"

At the end of the interview, Ki Karen invited him to add anything he wished.

Hasegawa Izumi took a deep breath, his gaze sharpening as he said, "The Go Club is only the beginning. I'll challenge more clubs after this to raise the standing of our Far East Magic Society until everyone acknowledges our existence. Some people might not take us seriously, but I'll prove one thing to everyone... In front of us, everyone at Shuchuin is trash."

He'd actually dared to talk trash!

Was he seriously taking things this far?

The three girls were all shaken.

Whether he succeeded or failed, the pressure would be unimaginable.

Once this story came out, it would definitely draw a wave of ridicule!

They couldn't imagine how difficult this path would be.

After Hasegawa Izumi and Takanashi Rikka left,

the three girls exchanged glances.

"What do you think? Should we really publish it?"

Asahi Shizuku was still hesitating.

"You already agreed, Club President. It's too late to change your mind now."

Ki Karen shrugged.

"Even if something happens, it can't be blamed on us, can it? Everyone has to take responsibility for their own decisions."

Kyose Erika chimed in.

"All right."

Asahi Shizuku finally nodded, then turned to the other members and began rushing to prepare the article, hoping to publish the story first thing the next morning.

"Besides, Hasegawa-kun has the Sawamura family backing him, so there's no need to worry that anyone will go too far. As for being ostracized or insulted, he was able to say those things on his first day, and he just acted the way he did here. In a sense, he must be very strong inside... right?"

That was the conclusion she reached in her heart.

The Commotion at Shuchiin

Early the next morning, Nibuya Morika made sure she looked her best in front of the mirror.

Her plan to fit in at Shuchuin had hit a small snag, but she still had things largely under control. She'd managed to join the cheerleading squad, and she was getting along fairly well with the other girls.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the others accepted her and became her true friends.

The flowers in the flower bed were in full bloom beside the steps leading up to the school gate.

"This is where my rise into high society begins!"

Nibuya Morika walked up the steps from below, looking at the historic buildings in the distance with satisfaction.

She'd worked so hard to get into a school of this caliber. If she made some connections, she wouldn't have to worry about her future after graduation. If things went the way they had before...

"No! No! I have to erase those memories!"

She slapped her palm against her forehead.

As Nibuya Morika entered the school gate, she noticed a crowd gathered nearby, talking noisily.

People had always loved watching a spectacle and gossiping. Pretending not to care, she walked past them, then caught a few keywords: "Hasegawa," "that chuunibyou," "everyone's trash," and so on.

"He actually did something that outrageous? I thought being a chuunibyou was the limit... I'll just pretend I didn't hear that."

Her expression stiffened, and she quickened her pace as she walked away.

She absolutely couldn't get involved with that person. It would only bring misfortune!

A black luxury car pulled up at the school gate. Someone stepped out, noticed the crowd, and walked over.

"What happened?"

Hearing the cool, elegant voice, everyone stopped talking and turned to look.

The girl was a beauty with delicate features, long black hair that fell past her shoulders and parted slightly down the middle, and wine-red eyes without a glint of light. Her beautiful face wore a cold expression, as if it radiated a chill, giving people the feeling that they should keep their distance.

They recognized her at once: Shinomiya Kaguya, known as the "Ice Princess Kaguya."

Her aura was so powerful that no one dared answer her at first.

"Never mind. I'll see for myself."

Shinomiya Kaguya stepped forward, and the others moved aside until she reached the bulletin board and saw the single-page article produced by the News Department.

It contained exactly what Hasegawa Izumi had said when he accepted the News Department's invitation the day before, without a single change.

That was precisely why it had shocked everyone so deeply.

"I see. He's done something like this again."

Even after seeing the provocative line, her expression didn't change, and she made no comment about his behavior.

Just as Shinomiya Kaguya was about to leave, the crowd's reaction suddenly made her stop.

"It's Sawamura-san!"

"Sawamura-san is here?"

"Let's ask Sawamura-san what she thinks!"

The crowd kept calling out, showing just how popular the newcomer was.

The first thing everyone noticed was the girl's dazzling golden hair, as flawless as a work of art. Then came her porcelain-white skin and clear blue eyes.

Holding her schoolbag with both hands, Eriri greeted everyone with a warm, friendly smile.

"Good morning, Sawamura-san."

When she reached Shinomiya Kaguya, she greeted her politely as well.

She could ignore the others, but she couldn't possibly ignore the young lady of the Sawamura family.

"Good morning, Shinomiya-san."

Eriri returned the greeting with a polite smile and a nod.

"Well, I'll be going now."

Shinomiya Kaguya didn't linger. She turned and left.

At that point, the crowd surrounded Eriri, and she learned what her Childhood Friend had done.

It hadn't even been that long, and Izumi had already pulled something huge again?

At this rate, would he end up tearing Shuchuin apart?

She looked at the crowd, slightly flustered, and offered a polite, awkward smile. "All right, all right. You don't need to be so angry, everyone. Maybe he just got carried away for a moment. Don't take it too seriously..."

She adopted her usual gentle attitude to smooth things over for her Childhood Friend.

That was the image she had cultivated, and no one could find fault with it.

Of course, most people didn't care for this kind of talk anyway. They saw him as nothing more than a clown and had no intention of picking a fight as long as he didn't come after them.

But things were different for Hasegawa Izumi's own Class C.

"Hasegawa, what did you mean by that? How dare you!"

"Take it back and apologize to everyone!"

"Do you know you've ruined the reputation of our entire class?"

Quite a few people confronted him.

He replied, "That was just trash talk. Don't take it personally... Of course, if you think you're trash, then you are."

It was a remarkably forceful answer.

If they hadn't known about his relationship with Fujiwara Chika, they would have been tempted to use more extreme measures.

For now, ostracizing him was the best solution they could think of.