At the start of the first round, the character controlled by Eriri launched a fierce assault, and the fight looked almost completely one-sided. (Continued)

"Everyone, let's call it a day for now. We still have to interview Hasegawa and the others."

The members of the News Department showed up just in time to defuse the awkward situation.

The crowd around them gradually dispersed on foot.

They arrived at the interview room.

"That was a fantastic match, Hasegawa-kun!"

Asahi Shizuku began with a word of praise, then asked, "Now that you've defeated Shinomiya-san, the 'Path to Kingship' has come to an end. You're the undisputed king of Shuchiin. Is there anything you'd like to say about that?"

Why did this feel like an awards ceremony?

Hasegawa Izumi thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, I didn't come here with that in mind. But things worked out unexpectedly, and I suppose the result is pretty good. Still, besides me, I hope everyone will pay more attention to the other members of the Far East Magic Society."

He'd already been interviewed too many times, so this time he handed the spotlight over to the others.

"Then let's start with our vice president, Takanashi-san."

Asahi Shizuku held out the microphone.

Takanashi Rikka straightened up and said, "First, I'd like to thank the Sage for bravely leading the charge and selflessly dedicating himself. Thanks for all your hard work! Next, I want to make one thing clear to everyone: the Wicked Eye of the Tyrant King is the strongest! Even without the Sage stepping in, we can beat our enemies until they're utterly routed."

The three members of the News Department fell silent.

You were talking as if you hadn't even tested the waters yourselves.

You'd done pretty well, but that was probably your limit!

They passed the microphone to Dekomori Sanae.

"That's right, master! Although Lord Sage is very powerful, we did our part too, death! For example, we scored a combined 100 points in that basketball challenge! We absolutely crushed them, death!"

The silly girl with twin tails started taking credit too.

Nibuya Morika: ...

How could you say that with a straight face?!

What a true chuunibyou through and through.

Wait, could this be an opportunity?

"Um... um..."

She cleared her throat, preparing some lines to "clear her name." She wasn't going to distance herself from the club members; she just wanted to show that she was on the same wavelength as normal people.

But her plan was foiled before it even began.

"Silence, fake Mori Summer! Don't even think about spreading evil ideas and changing ordinary people's perception at a time like this, death! Dekomori has already seen through your intentions!"

Dekomori Sanae suddenly lunged at her and clapped both hands over her mouth, leaving her able to make only muffled "mmph, mmph, mmph" sounds.

"Hey, you can't start fighting in here!"

"Stop fighting already!"

Kyose Erika and Ki Karen went over to break them up.

Asahi Shizuku took the opportunity to switch to the club's last member.

Just then, a mischievous smile suddenly appeared on Natsukawa Masuzu's face, giving her goosebumps.

"As a member who only joined yesterday, I, Natsukawa Masuzu, wish the Far East Magic Society all the best. Also, I'll let you in on a little secret: I joined solely because I admire Hasegawa-kun. From now on, I'll work hard to keep his eyes on me for as long as possible~!"

The other club members thought nothing of her words, but they caused a huge stir at school.

That was a declaration of war!

"Does Natsukawa-san already have someone she likes?"

"And it's Hasegawa, of all people. I guess I don't stand a chance anymore."

"Who was she saying that to? Could it be Sawamura-san?"

"Everyone, I love a good war—a love triangle!"

A member of the Anime Club realized where the real fun lay.

"That Natsukawa... Another Fox Spirit!"

Listening to the broadcast, Eriri's face darkened. The image of that silver-haired girl came to mind, and anger welled up inside her.

Why had she been so unlucky ever since starting high school?!

How had that idiot suddenly become so popular?

People would still be talking about what happened today for years to come.

But the Far East Magic Society, which had pulled it off, was in a very different mood by Friday, just one day later. The atmosphere had fallen to freezing point.

"What, still nobody's come?"

Hasegawa Izumi lay on the sofa, staring vacantly at the ceiling above him.

"We've already ascended to the heavens, death!"

"Is the fear in people's hearts really that hard to dispel? Or is the Management Bureau interfering behind the scenes...?"

Takanashi Rikka and Dekomori Sanae stretched their arms out in front of them and pressed their faces against the square table, completely dejected.

There was only one deadweight in the Far East Magic Society. Guess who?

Hadn't all their efforts been for nothing?

So they'd just been getting carried away for nothing!

Still, things were different from before. For instance, when Hasegawa Izumi went to class, plenty of people now greeted him on their own, looking at him with respect. He was having trouble getting used to the new atmosphere at Shuchiin.

The weak could only adapt to their surroundings, but he, the strong, had managed to do the seemingly impossible and change his environment.

While the three of them were feeling down, the other two were in a completely different state of mind.

Natsukawa Masuzu watched it all with a cold expression, without saying a word.

As far as she was concerned, she could easily come up with ways to attract new members, and it wouldn't be difficult to coach them through Hasegawa's screening process either.

But that would just make things too chaotic.

She was only here to avoid trouble. If she brought in a bunch of unsavory characters, they'd just become a nuisance.

"Hmm? Nibuya-san, are you reviewing?"

Natsukawa Masuzu's gaze suddenly fell on Nibuya Morika, who was writing furiously nearby.

"That's right. Shuchiin's deviation score is pretty high, after all. If I'm not careful, someone will overtake me. I'm no genius, so all I can do is work harder."

Nibuya Morika had no reason to hide it, so she answered directly.

"There's no need to review, death. Just studying regularly is enough."

Dekomori Sanae waved her hand dismissively.

"You sound pretty confident for a brat."

Nibuya Morika looked at her with disdain.

"Heh heh heh, heh heh heh..."

After a burst of laughter,

Dekomori Sanae confidently declared, "Dekomori's grades have stayed third in the year for ages! I've even taught myself all the middle school math, death!"

"Y-you? No way!"

Nibuya Morika stared at her in disbelief.

"Let me test you..."

"Easy. The answer to this problem is..."

The other girl passed her test in no time.

"This must be beyond fake Mori Summer's understanding, right?"

Dekomori Sanae stood up smugly and pointed at her nose.

Damn it, she'd actually managed to show off!

"Hasegawa, how are your grades? What place did you get on the entrance exam?"

Nibuya Morika suddenly wanted to check something and turned to ask him.

"I forgot."

Hasegawa Izumi hadn't paid attention to it at all.

Even without an answer, he was probably pretty good.

That was what everyone else thought at the moment.

"What about you, Natsukawa-san?"

She asked again.

"I think I came in fifth? I didn't do very well."

She lightly touched her thin lips with a finger and blinked. The innocent, adorable gesture made her look even more charming.

"What? You're all better than me?"

Nibuya Morika drew a sharp breath.

Wait!

Someone seemed to have gone missing from this conversation.

"Takanashi-san, how are your grades?"

In an instant, four pairs of eyes turned toward one person.

"Uh, heh heh."

Takanashi Rikka scratched her head and smiled awkwardly. Her expression said it all.

"That's great! So Takanashi-san's grades are way worse than mine. That means there's only one academic failure in the Far East Magic Society!"

After hearing her grades, Nibuya Morika immediately beamed.

I might not measure up to the best, but I'm way better than the worst!

"I'm not a deadweight..."

Takanashi Rikka looked unhappy.

"Be quiet, fake Mori Summer! Master just hasn't put her Mental Power toward exams. Otherwise, she could reach the top in no time, death!"

Dekomori Sanae was unhappy with that and immediately scolded her.

"Come to think of it, why are Takanashi's grades so bad? Wait, are you a rich heiress too, Takanashi?"

Ignoring Dekomori, Nibuya Morika studied Takanashi's expression, which suddenly changed again.

To get into Shuchiin, you either needed good grades or exceptional abilities to be recruited as a talented Mixed Academy Student. The other option was to come from a wealthy family and get in through a recommendation letter or other connections, or to have attended Shuchiin from childhood.

"No, Dekomori recommended me."

Takanashi Rikka pressed her lips together and answered at once.

"Since this is where master can really shine, I asked my father to use his 'money power,' death."

Dekomori Sanae nodded.

Damn it, she'd managed to show off again!

Nibuya Morika couldn't help feeling envious and jealous.

She had good grades and a great family background. She was clearly a top-tier normie, so why was she a chuunibyou?!

"What should I do, Sage? The exams are next week."

Takanashi Rikka turned to the person she trusted most.

"What else? We'll have to tutor you and review. At least these are only midterms. If they were finals, we'd be in serious trouble."