King's Invitation

At 2:50 PM on Tuesday, Hanyu Xiuyi stood at the door of the Student Council office.

It was a dark brown wooden door, with a golden plaque hanging on it that read "Student Council." The door was closed, and a faint light emanated from within.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Please come in," a gentle voice sounded.

Hanyu pushed the door open and walked in.

The Student Council office was much larger than he had imagined. A long table was placed in the center of the spacious room, surrounded by neat bookshelves, and photographs of past student council presidents hung on the walls. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, sunlight streamed in, illuminating the entire room.

Nagumo Miyabi sat at one end of the long table, with several documents spread out in front of him. He wore a neat school uniform and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, looking gentle and elegant. Seeing Hanyu enter, he gave a gentle smile.

"Classmate Hanyu, welcome. Please sit."

Hanyu sat down opposite him, looking directly into his eyes: "Nagumo-senpai, what do you want to see me about?"

Nagumo smiled: "Straight to the point? I like that."

He closed the documents, leaned back in his chair, and sized up Hanyu: "Hanyu Xiuyi, you won five million points in the club gambling on your first day of school, setting a school record. You led Class D to victory in the special exam. You saw through all the traps in the Sports Festival and ultimately won. Before the midterm exam, you led the entire class into preparation mode."

He listed them one by one, his tone filled with admiration: "Amazing achievements. Especially for a student from Class D."

Hanyu remained silent, just looking at him.

"Do you know why I asked you here?" Nagumo asked.

"No."

"Because I'm optimistic about you," Nagumo stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the campus. "There are many capable people in this school. Katsuragi is too conservative, Sakayanagi is too radical, Ryuen is too dirty, and Ichinose is too naive. But you..." He looked back at Hanyu, "You are special."

"How am I special?"

"You have ability, but you don't abuse it. You have ambition, but you don't hurt others. You want to win, but you want to win together with everyone," Nagumo said. "People like you are rare."

Hanyu was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "So?"

"So I want to invite you to join my plan," Nagumo walked back and sat down opposite him. "I want to change the rules of this school. Abolish the outdated class system and establish a new order. An order that is fairer, more effective, and can stimulate everyone's potential."

Hanyu looked at him: "Why change it?"

"Because the rules of this school are outdated," Nagumo said. "The class system divides students into different ranks, the point system makes students scheme against each other, and the special exams make students hurt each other. This is not education, this is raising gu."

His voice became serious: "I want to establish a new order. In this order, everyone can obtain their due status based on their own abilities, without being bound by classes or restricted by rules."

Hanyu fell silent. Some of what Nagumo said was true. The rules of this school did have many problems.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Join me," Nagumo said. "Become my ally. Together, we will change this school."

Hanyu looked into his eyes. Those eyes were sincere and burning, showing no trace of falsehood.

But he remembered Ayanokoji's words—Nagumo Miyabi is more complex than you imagine. He told you about me not to help you, but to test you.

"What if I don't join?"

Nagumo's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. "That's fine too. I won't force you. But I must warn you—" he paused, "—if you don't join, you will become my opponent."

"Opponent?"

"Yes," Nagumo said. "If I want to change the rules, I must clear all obstacles. If you stand in my way, you are an obstacle."

Hanyu stared at him for a few seconds, then stood up.

"Nagumo-senpai, thank you for the invitation," he said. "But I refuse."

Nagumo's expression didn't change. "Can you tell me why?"

"Because your order is essentially no different from the current order," Hanyu said. "The strong make the rules, and the weak obey them. It's just that the person making the rules has changed from the school to you."

Nagumo was stunned for a moment.

"What I want to establish is not an order where the strong rule the weak," Hanyu continued. "It's an order where everyone can find their own place. Class D has many so-called 'flawed goods,' but each of them has their own value. What I want to do is not change the rules, but allow these people to shine under the existing rules."

He turned and walked towards the door. When he reached the door, he looked back at Nagumo.

"Nagumo-senpai, you said you want to change the school. But have you really thought about what the changed school will look like? Or do you just want to be the one who makes the rules?"

He pushed the door open and walked out.

Nagumo Miyabi was left alone in the office, motionless for a long time.

At 4 PM, Hanyu Xiuyi returned to the dormitory.

As soon as he sat down, his mobile phone vibrated. It was an email from Ayanokoji:

"Finished talking? --Ayanokoji"

Hanyu replied: "Finished. I refused."

Soon, Ayanokoji's reply came: "As expected. Be careful next, he will deal with you through Ryuen."

Hanyu looked at the message, lost in thought.

He had known long ago that refusing Nagumo would have consequences. But what he hadn't expected was that the seemingly gentle and elegant student council president harbored such ambition behind his back.

Outside the window, the sunset was sinking below the horizon, painting the sky a fiery red.

A new day, new challenges.

And he was ready.

Wednesday morning, Class D classroom.

When Hanyu Xiuyi walked into the classroom, he noticed the atmosphere was a bit off. Several students were gathered together, whispering about something. Seeing him enter, they immediately scattered, pretending nothing was wrong.

"What's going on?" he asked Hirata Yousuke.

Hirata's expression was grim. "This morning, someone posted a poster on the bulletin board."

"What poster?"

"About you." Hirata lowered his voice. "It says you bribed classmates with points, that you manipulated the class, that you're Class D's 'dictator'."

Hanyu's eyes sharpened.

Nagumo and Ryuen, acting this quickly.

He walked to the bulletin board. The poster had already been torn down, but the content was still visible. The handwriting was messy, but the message was vicious—describing him as a dictator who controlled the class with points and eliminated dissenters.

"Who did it?" he asked.

"I don't know." Yukimura Teruhiko walked over. "But it must be someone from Class C. This kind of tactic is Ryuen's style."

Hanyu nodded. He knew who did it, but he didn't intend to pursue it.

"Destroy the poster," he said. "Don't pay it any mind."

"But..." Hirata hesitated. "If the rumors spread, it could affect your image..."

"My image isn't important," Hanyu interrupted. "What's important is everyone's review status. The Midterm Exam is only two weeks away, we can't let this kind of thing distract us."

He looked around and raised his voice. "Everyone listen up, no matter what rumors are going around, don't believe them. Focus on your review and prepare for the exam. Leave the other matters to me."

The classroom fell silent for a few seconds, then someone started clapping. The applause grew louder and louder, eventually filling the entire classroom.

Sudo Ken stood up, his red hair like a ball of flame. "Anyone who dares to spread rumors again, I'll beat them up!"

"Sudo, don't be impulsive," Hanyu said. "Violence can't solve problems."

"Then what should we do?"

"Prove it with our grades," Hanyu said. "Get first place in the Midterm Exam, and show everyone that Class D isn't ruled by my dictatorship, but by everyone's hard work."

This speech was very infectious. Those who were still somewhat wavering now had their eyes regain their determination.

"Alright! Then let's settle this with our grades!"

"Let's go all out!"

"Class D will win!"

The classroom was filled with fighting spirit.

Hanyu looked at this scene, a complex emotion welling up in his heart. There was emotion, relief, and also a trace of worry.

Nagumo and Ryuen wouldn't give up. This was just the beginning.

A greater storm was still to come.

But he wasn't afraid.

Because he had people he could trust, and people who trusted him.

That was enough.

During lunch break, Hanyu Xiuyi encountered Ayanokoji Kiyonaga on the rooftop of the teaching building.

"About the poster, did you know?" Hanyu asked.

"Mhm," Ayanokoji took a sip of coffee. "Ryuen's methods are low-level."

"But effective," Hanyu said. "If I didn't have enough prestige in Class D, such rumors could indeed shake people's hearts."

Ayanokoji nodded. "So next, he will use more advanced methods."

"Like what?"

"Like..." Ayanokoji paused. "Utilizing your weakness."

Hanyu frowned. "My weakness?"

"Yes," Ayanokoji looked at him. "Your weakness is that you care too much about your companions. To protect your companions, you are willing to take risks. Ryuen already knows this."

Hanyu fell silent. Ayanokoji was right; this was indeed his weakness.

"Then what should I do?"

"There's no perfect solution," Ayanokoji said. "But you can prepare in advance. Think about it, if Ryuen were to target your companions, who would he choose? When? And how?"

Hanyu pondered. Who would it be? Kushida? Karuizawa? Sudo? Or someone else?

When? During the Midterm Exam? Or after the exam?

In what way? Expose the past? Create conflict? Or more direct methods?

He didn't know. But he had to figure it out.

"Thank you for reminding me," he said.

"You're Welcome." Ayanokoji finished his last sip of coffee. "Remember, you are not Fighting Alone."

He Stood Up, ready to leave. After taking two steps, he turned back and said, "Also, regarding Nagumo, I will continue Staring at him. If he makes any moves, I will tell you immediately."

He left, leaving Hanyu Alone Standing on the Rooftop.

Sunlight spilled onto him, Warmth and bright.

But he knew, beneath this Warmth, an Undercurrent was surging.

A Greater Storm was coming.

And he had to be prepared.