Horikita Manabu's Choice

The information was indeed false, but under the tense circumstances, Itozawa and Ichinose worked together seamlessly.

Although Ichinose briefly froze when she heard Itozawa's words, Itozawa's step to the left happened to block Miyabi Nagumo's view, buying her precious time.

By the time Miyabi Nagumo adjusted his posture and could see Ichinose's expression again, she had already composed herself and put on an angry look.

At the same time, Itozawa's Mental Power was like a taut bowstring. He frantically focused it on Ichinose, his mind racing as he directed her aura to disperse in a stable manner.

He knew that the farther away it was, the harder it would be to control, so he kept praying that someone would come into contact with it soon.

So far, however, Ichinose's aura hadn't touched anyone, and he had to keep maintaining this state with the utmost care.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Itozawa's forehead, and his heart raced. His Mental Power formed countless fine threads connecting him to Ichinose. He had to control the tension in each one precisely to keep her aura from spiraling out of control.

Fortunately, he could hide his disheveled state behind an angry expression, so Miyabi Nagumo hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Ichinose sensed what Itozawa was doing. Thinking back to what they had discussed that morning, she understood.

Her body trembled slightly, but she did her best to stay calm.

She knew Itozawa was using his ability to help her. She couldn't let his efforts go to waste.

So she stepped forward, drawing Miyabi Nagumo's attention away from Itozawa.

Her expression was angry and resolute. "Nagumo Vice President, we won't hand over the application."

Faced with Ichinose's resolve, Miyabi Nagumo furrowed his brow. He could sense her anger, but his instincts kept telling him that something wasn't right.

His gaze shifted back and forth between Itozawa and Ichinose, searching for a flaw.

Itozawa felt his Mental Power growing harder and harder to control, and a sense of urgency welled up inside him. He knew that if he couldn't end this confrontation soon, his Mental Power might run wild, exposing Ichinose's aura. He had to come up with a new plan quickly.

Just as Itozawa felt his Mental Power giving out and Ichinose's ability aura teetered on the verge of losing control, Tachibana Senpai appeared in the office doorway.

Her ability was imitation, which made her unusually sensitive to the traces of other abilities.

So when she reached the floor below, she noticed Ichinose's aura and quickly identified it as Ichinose's ability.

She looked up at the floor above, confirmed the direction it was dispersing in, and soon realized that something had happened in the Student Council Office.

She hurried over, her steps betraying her urgency.

Hearing Tachibana Senpai's voice, Itozawa and Ichinose both breathed a sigh of relief.

Itozawa quickly reined in his Mental Power. His body swayed slightly, and his forehead was already covered in sweat.

Ichinose also felt the fluctuations of her ability weakening, and her aura began to slowly withdraw.

Miyabi Nagumo's expression shifted slightly. He knew that Tachibana Senpai's arrival might ruin his plan. He quickly changed his expression, putting on an innocent look.

As soon as Tachibana Senpai entered, she anxiously took Ichinose's hand, her face full of concern. "Ichinose, are you all right? I heard Nagumo Vice President was here..."

Miyabi Nagumo gave a quiet chuckle from the side. His voice held a hint of mockery. "Do you really think I'd resort to such a low-level trick, Senpai?"

Although he didn't know how they'd seen through him, Itozawa and the others had already figured out where he stood, so Miyabi Nagumo had no need to keep up the act.

His manner turned blunt and confrontational. He looked at Itozawa and asked his name. "What's your name?"

Itozawa didn't seem bothered and simply gave his name. "I'm Itozawa." Miyabi Nagumo chuckled, a flicker of interest in his eyes. "Itozawa. I'll remember that."

Tachibana Senpai turned to Itozawa and interrupted their exchange. "What are you here for?"

Itozawa replied calmly, "We came to submit an application, but Nagumo Vice President said you were all busy and suggested we hand it over to him."

Tachibana Senpai turned her gaze to Miyabi Nagumo, anger in her eyes. "Nagumo, you're even deceiving first-year students?"

Miyabi Nagumo shrugged, looking relaxed. "I was only trying to help. Since Tachibana Senpai is here, I'll leave it to you."

Tachibana Senpai looked at his nonchalant expression, her face turning livid. Then she turned to Itozawa and Ichinose. "Give me the application. I'll handle it. As for certain people, they'd better leave."

Ichinose quickly handed the application to Tachibana Senpai, a grateful smile appearing on her face. "Thank you, Tachibana Senpai."

Itozawa also breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that with Tachibana Senpai stepping in, they were safe for the time being.

He nodded to Tachibana Senpai. "Thank you, Tachibana Senpai."

Tachibana Senpai accepted the application with a smile, her eyes reassuring. "Don't mention it. It's my responsibility. I'll review your application as soon as I can."

Miyabi Nagumo stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. "Since Tachibana Senpai is here, I'll be going."

After Miyabi Nagumo left, Tachibana Senpai breathed a sigh of relief. Her expression grew unusually grave as she turned to Itozawa and Ichinose, her tone carrying a note of warning. "You two need to be especially careful to stay away from Miyabi Nagumo. He's not as simple as he seems. He's dangerous. Until the President deals with him, I don't recommend getting involved with him."

Itozawa remained silent, his thoughts quiet.

Tachibana Senpai probably couldn't imagine that Horikita Senpai wouldn't bother with Miyabi Nagumo's threat at all.

In the Original Work, Horikita Manabu only restrained Miyabi Nagumo as a matter of convenience; he never truly took him seriously.

If Horikita Manabu had really been worried about Kouiku under Miyabi Nagumo's rule, he should have been more proactive in helping the first-year students deal with the threat he posed.

Itozawa knew that Horikita Manabu had plenty of ways to handle the problem better. He could have used his influence to give Kiriyama a push, or reached out earlier and more proactively to Ichinose, whom Miyabi Nagumo had drawn into his circle. He could also have put his sister forward earlier to provide Ayanokouji with some breathing room.

All these actions could have effectively countered Miyabi Nagumo's influence, instead of leaving every problem to Ayanokouji.

Miyabi Nagumo's later rise to absolute power, to the point where even Deus Ex Machina could hardly deal with him, was in large part thanks to Horikita Manabu.

He had misjudged Ayanokouji's determination to oppose Miyabi Nagumo, and he had misjudged Kiriyama as well. Horikita Manabu had once mistakenly believed Kiriyama joined the Student Council out of admiration for him, and thought Kiriyama would be a steadfast ally in opposing Miyabi Nagumo.

However, Kiriyama's real reason for joining the Student Council was that he wanted to win and was willing to do whatever it took. He was willing to throw in his lot with Horikita Manabu, hoping to use his power to defeat Miyabi Nagumo. But Horikita Manabu wasn't willing to use his own power to support Kiriyama, and Ayanokouji, acting as Horikita Manabu's proxy, had no intention of overthrowing Miyabi Nagumo either. Under those circumstances, Kiriyama had almost no chance of successfully opposing Miyabi Nagumo.

So in the end, Kiriyama accepted Miyabi Nagumo's offer and sided with him in exchange for a ticket to Class A.

Horikita Manabu's decisions had stripped those who opposed Miyabi Nagumo of any room to fight back. In the end, he brought them all under his control one by one.

Meanwhile, Ichinose listened attentively to Tachibana Senpai, determination in her eyes. "Tachibana Senpai, we'll be careful. We won't act rashly."

Tachibana Senpai nodded, a note of approval in her eyes. "Good. Stay alert at all times. Things at school aren't as simple as they seem, especially within the Student Council."

Itozawa and Ichinose both nodded. They knew Tachibana Senpai's words carried a deeper meaning. They needed to be more careful in handling their relationship with the Student Council, especially when dealing with people like Miyabi Nagumo.

Tachibana Senpai looked at them and added, "If you run into any problems, you can come to me at any time. I'll do whatever I can to help."