Chapter 196

After all, all the power of the Student Council is granted by the Advanced Nurturing school administration, so naturally they have no way to resist its source.

"Take a look at this."

After a moment of silence, Manabu Horikita handed over a voice recorder from the table, indicating to Aragaki Shun to take a look first.

Unsurprisingly, the above content was a conversation between Miyabi Nagumo and Manabu Horikita in their office, containing their respective proposals to the university administration.

"Horikita President, thank you for your strict yet passionate guidance so far. Among all the Student Council President in the history of Advanced Nurturing, you are the one who has brought leadership to its peak. I would like to express my deepest respect for being able to work with you."

With this seemingly respectful but actually highly provocative opening, Miyabi Nagumo began to launch into a lengthy discourse on her own views.

"Although it's a bit sudden, I assure you first that I'm going to change the term of office, appointments, and the method of the general election for the Student Council. The election, which used to be held in December, will now be held in October. I believe this is a reasonable attempt. Changing the Student Council at an earlier stage will have a positive effect."

"Therefore, I have determined that the new Student Council should move on to the next stage. When I succeed you, I would like to make the term of office for the current Student Council President and its members indefinite, continuing until graduation."

Aragaki Shun frowned slightly. These two contradictory statements were too outrageous. He had just said he wanted to take over the Student Council as soon as possible, but after he took office, it became indefinite?

Is it really just so he can go and provoke Manabu Horikita?

It's just like a little boy in elementary school who would deliberately play pranks on a girl to get her attention!

Of course, compared to Miyabi Nagumo's dedication to Manabu Horikita, the most significant change affecting Advanced Nurturing was actually the following:

"At the same time, we will abolish the general election system and the existing limit on the number of members, hoping to create a system that can accept Student Council Member at any time. That is to say, as long as they are outstanding and necessary talents, they can participate in activities as members of the Student Council, regardless of when or how many. If it is determined during their term that a person is not suitable, they will be removed from the council by majority vote at a meeting."

"With this as a starting point, I want to declare to you—in order to build the school of the future... first, I must completely destroy the school that previous Student Council have protected until now. From now on, students with ability will rise freely, and students without ability will fall. I will transform Advanced Nurturing into a true Meritocracy school!"

The recording ended there. Aragaki Shun silently tossed the recorder back to its place, still feeling somewhat bewildered.

"So how exactly did he manage to persuade the school's top officials to personally endorse him using such nonsensical arguments?"

The boy was utterly puzzled. Could such strange and unsettling statements really be so persuasive?

"... What if I told you that the school had actually intended to change the assessment system for Advanced Nurturing long ago, and that Miyabi Nagumo simply chose to become that blade at the right time?"

After pondering how to explain it, Manabu Horikita remained silent for a few seconds before voicing his guess.

In two months, he was supposed to step down from his post, but now this has suddenly happened. Naturally, Manabu Horikita wants to get an explanation from the school.

Therefore, through conversations with various faculty members, he also gained a general understanding of the thoughts of some of the school's senior management.

"In fact, ever since Miyabi Nagumo single-handedly united most of the second-year students, some of the higher-ups at Advanced Nurturing have had the idea of reforming the competition system."

"In just six months, you easily defeated the other first-grade classes, leading your class to firmly hold onto the top spot in Class A, and further propelled the development of these ideas."

"So it's not that Miyabi Nagumo alone has enough power to oust me, but rather that his demands align with the ideas of some high-ranking members of the Advanced Nurturing Group, and those reformists are willing to push him to power and let him try."

Upon hearing Manabu Horikita, Aragaki Shun immediately understood.

The school is worried that there are too many complacent students among the recent graduating classes of Class A!

To be honest, this is indeed a reasonable concern, and it's not at all an unfounded worry.

First, there's Class A of the Third Year, who are only six months away from graduating. This class is almost entirely supported by Manabu Horikita, the most outstanding Student Council President in history. Compared to Class 3-B, the other students are not much different.

Then there's Class 2-A, ruled by Miyabi Nagumo. Needless to say, the students there are mostly expelled because those with ability and opinions have been expelled. The rest are basically Nagumo's yes-men, and their overall strength is not even as good as the losers in Class 2-B.

As for Aragaki Shun's Class 1-A, if we only look at his grades, physical fitness, and special skills, it's not bad that he attends cram school every month. The problem is that he rose to the top too quickly, and it's unclear how he can be further developed through class competition in the next two and a half years.

It is obvious that three consecutive cohorts of students have produced leaders with absolute dominance, which is less a victory of class competition and more a result of overwhelming individual strength.

The school has serious doubts about whether those students who were able to graduate from Class A simply because they were in the same class as Manabu Horikita, Miyabi Nagumo, and Aragaki Shun at the beginning truly possess the level of previous Class A graduates.

In this situation, it is understandable that some high-ranking officials in the school would want to reform the examination system and promote competition among individual students, given that Miyabi Nagumo advocates true meritocracy.

Thinking of this, Aragaki Shun suddenly recalled the story that Chie Hoshinomiya had told him about her past with Chabashira Sae.

In this way, the competition in that year was more like the class competition that the school's higher-ups envisioned—four classes fighting tooth and nail, with no clear winner until the second half of the Third Year, the score difference being within 100 points, and even Class D had a chance to upset Class A.

"I see, no wonder you looked so disheveled this time, President."

With a light laugh, Aragaki Shun's lips curled into a playful smile. It seemed that Miyabi Nagumo did have some skill; at least this last desperate move almost left Manabu Horikita completely helpless.

On the other hand, the fact that the other party was so arrogant as to dare to provoke Koenji Rokusuke was probably because he had gotten close to the school's higher-ups.

After all, this school is a political achievement promoted by the Prime Minister's faction, and all graduates of Class A have been able to associate themselves with it. The Leader of Class A and the Student Council President is the most outstanding among this year's graduates and has attracted much attention.

If he were to gain the support of some high-ranking officials at the school and lead the next phase of reforms at the Advanced Nurturing, then even a chaebol heir like Koenji Rokusuke wouldn't be able to simply kill him without a reason after graduation.

Is it true that fortune favors the bold?

It's impossible that he didn't consider anything and was simply courting death!

But no matter what Nagumo really thinks, Aragaki Shun will never let him have his way.

Ultimately, when it comes to connections and background, even against a local powerhouse like Sakayanagi Arisu with home-field advantage, he wouldn't back down an inch.

It's just a knife pushed out by the school... Hmm, it does seem a bit more special than the Board Chairman's daughter.

After all, the latter was just there to experience life, which was a private matter, while the former represented the reformist will of the higher-ups in the Advanced Nurturing Department. Even without Miyabi Nagumo, someone else would have played this role.

However, this matter is insignificant. Even if the school really wants to make changes, the person who will implement them will definitely not be none other than Miyabi Nagumo.

In short, let's break his death throes first!

271. The anxieties of a sister complex; carrying the burden of another's life.

Some things are incredibly difficult if you don't have the right status, but once you have the qualifications, a single word can overcome all the efforts of others.

Therefore, the Student Council crisis that was almost a foregone conclusion for Manabu Horikita was resolved so easily by Aragaki Shun —he just watched as the other party decisively made a phone call to the Acting Board Chairman, and the situation immediately returned to normal.

"The Student Council election will begin in two months, as is the usual practice."

After hanging up the call, Aragaki Shun tapped the table and pondered, "... It's mainly based on what Acting Board Chairman Kanda said. Many high-ranking officials and board members at the school have ideas about reforming the examination system. Even if Miyabi Nagumo can't become the Student Council President and take on this responsibility, this aspect will still be gradually promoted according to plan."

Kodo Ikusei Senior High School is a special school that simulates the nature of society, where various rules and regulations are constantly updated and changed based on real-world situations.

In other words, regardless of whether Miyabi Nagumo is involved, the school's future Special Exam will undergo certain changes.

However, if Miyabi Nagumo were to voluntarily lead this reform after becoming the Student Council President, it would be a very good option for many school officials.

Firstly, the Student Council President does indeed hold a high position and wields considerable power, possessing extraordinary prestige among students. If the will of the Student Council and the school administration cannot be aligned, it can easily lead to various setbacks in the reform of the examination system.

From this perspective, it is understandable that the school wanted to replace the conservative Manabu Horikita ahead of schedule.

More importantly, any reform will create groups whose interests are harmed and breed resentment. If it succeeds, it's fine, but if it fails, it will definitely be counterattacked by the opposing faction, resulting in a great loss of power and prestige.

In this situation, if the reformists in the school's senior leadership want to maintain the school's aloof stance, they naturally need to find a suitable "tool" to take full responsibility for all the changes in the next stage of Advanced Nurturing.

In other words, it cannot be that the school saw that Class A of the three grades won too easily and was worried that there were too many students who were just getting carried to victory, so it wanted to mess with all the students. Rather, it was because Miyabi Nagumo became the Student Council President and took a group of students who were confident in their individual abilities to take the initiative to start this so-called "truly merit-based" reform.

If the reform succeeds in the end, it will naturally be credited to the school's higher-ups. But if the reform fails, it will be blamed on the Student Council, led by Miyabi Nagumo, for being ignorant and only knowing how to mess things up after taking office.

In short, whether it was her own beliefs or simply to cater to the school, Miyabi Nagumo willingly became this public tool, even knowing she might become a scapegoat, she did not hesitate.

Or rather, being able to take the blame for the school is itself a sign of competence. That Yellow-haired Senior never thought he would lose, so he decisively stepped onto the gambling table.

He bet he would definitely succeed, and as for the consequences of failure... haha~ we'll see when that day comes!

"It seems that once I become the Student Council President, I'll have to find a way to change the Advanced Nurturing system."

Rather than letting Miyabi Nagumo go on stage and mess things up, it's better to let Aragaki Shun do it himself.

However, given his position, he could not possibly become a scapegoat, making him a difficult partner for school officials who wanted to implement reforms.

Manabu Horikita: "..."

As the current Student Council President and a representative of the conservative faction, Horikita- nii felt a real headache when he heard this information that concerned the future of Advanced Nurturing.

So all his efforts to maintain the school's system were ultimately thwarted by the opinions of a few higher-ups, becoming an obstacle to unnecessary change.

Should he feel honored?

Those people were actually willing to put in the effort themselves, even going so far as to start the Student Council elections early, just to kick him off the stage!

"... Aragaki, are you close to Acting Board Chairman Kanda?"

After a moment of silence, Manabu Horikita suddenly asked this question.

Aragaki Shun simply shrugged. "It's alright. The two families have a good relationship. Before I enrolled in Advanced Nurturing, my father even put in a good word for me."

This is true, and overall it's quite modest. Just as Sakayanagi Narimori is a core member of the Kijima faction, the political connections between Director Kanda and Aragaki Family Head are also quite similar.

However, under normal circumstances, Director Kanda's attitude towards Aragaki Shun is: if you need something from me, as long as it is within my ability and reasonable, I will definitely help; but if you don't take the initiative to contact me, then I have no reason to create trouble for myself.

After all, you can't just rush into a sale.

Although Director Kanda's status is far lower than that of the Aragaki Family Head, he is still a member of high society. According to seniority, he is Aragaki Shun's elder, so it is impossible for him to be too obsequious to a junior.

Needless to say, to outsiders, Aragaki Shun is only the heir of the Aragaki Family now, and it will be a long time before he completely takes control. The Aragaki Family Head is in his prime, so why would he want to be too close to his heir? Isn't that just being a busybody?

Manabu Horikita was naturally unaware of the details, but based solely on the boy's phone call, he could estimate the influence the man had over the school's higher-ups.

This is good!

He only has six months left before graduating and leaving school, but his younger sister, Horikita Suzune, will have to live at Kodo Ikusei Senior High School for another two and a half years. Right now, Miyabi Nagumo has started to challenge the power of the school's higher-ups. If Aragaki Shun cannot fight back or even retaliate in this regard, his future school life as a first-year student will definitely not be easy.

This is fine as it is. Since Aragaki can directly contact the Acting Board Chairman, there's no need to worry about Miyabi Nagumo's underhanded tactics. Suzune is in the same class as her...

Wait a minute, he seems to have heard some serious rumors lately. Is it really a good thing that Suzune and this guy have been spending so much time together?

With a slightly subtle expression on his face, Manabu Horikita adjusted his glasses and looked at the Student Council President he had promised to become with a somewhat heavy expression.

"Aragaki, I heard you're dating Tachibana. A lot of people in the class are talking about it, but I don't know if it's true or not?"

"It's true. The day after the Sports Festival ended, I went on a date with Tachibana Akane- senpai and we officially became a couple."

This wasn't a secret that needed to be hidden, and Aragaki Shun didn't care much about his reputation in this regard, so he simply stated the facts.

If he really didn't dare to go public, he wouldn't be so openly strolling around the shopping mall with Tachibana Akane. But in fact, he never had the habit of hiding his relationships with any of his girlfriends.

However, this fact was inexplicably chilling to Manabu Horikita.

Convex(艹艹)!!!

How can there be scumbags in first grade? He spent Twenty Million Personal Points to help his sister transfer to Class A. Isn't that just sending a lamb to the slaughter?

Suzune is so innocent and straightforward, so easily deceived. What if she gets hurt and heartbroken by a scumbag?!

The thought of this possibility made Manabu Horikita feel like he was going to vomit blood.

To be honest, he himself thought highly of Aragaki Shun. Whether in terms of ability, family background, character, or appearance, Aragaki was truly an outstanding person.

If the other person and Suzune are dating normally, he won't say much. At her age, it's time for her to think about the future, and trying to date might not be a bad idea.

The problem is, this guy is way too much of a womanizer. He had three girlfriends in his first year alone: Shiranami Chihiro, Wang Meiyu, and Ibuki Mio. Now he's set his sights on Tachibana Akane from their class, and there are countless other people he has feelings for.

Absolutely outrageous!

This is definitely not a good match for Suzune!

Having confirmed this fact, a cold glint flashed in Manabu Horikita's eyes. His sense of responsibility as an older brother kicked in, and he stared intently at the handsome young man who was looking utterly bored.

"Aragaki, including Tachibana, I remember you already have four girlfriends on the surface, right?"

"You're all still young and may not fully grasp the weight of life, but you should think things through more carefully. Don't just act on momentary pleasure; it will be too late if you make a big mistake because of it."

At this point, Manabu Horikita probably realized that his lecturing attitude had gone too far, so he changed the subject and his voice became more gentle.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to give you any pointers. It's just that Suzune has transferred to Class 1-A, and as her older brother, I naturally hope she can live in a relatively healthy learning environment."

"Besides, Tachibana Akane is a good girl. She's calm, collected, gentle, and kind, and always thinks of those around her. I hope you won't let her down."

"The weight of life?" Aragaki Shun was speechless at the lecture from the brother-obsessed man in front of him. This guy hadn't even listed the number of his girlfriends, yet he was worried that he would make a move on Horikita Suzune.

He propped his chin on his hand and rolled his eyes at her. "How much does it weigh exactly? Converted to economic value, is 1 billion yen enough? If not, then give me another 10 billion, 100 billion!"

"Besides that, what else is lacking? I'd like to know just how heavy life is to weigh me down!"

Faced with the boy's casual question, even knowing that the other came from a wealthy family, Manabu Horikita instinctively felt a little annoyed. Could this guy really have feelings for Suzune?

"What kind of awareness do you have when you say such things? How can a mere student bear the burden of other people's lives?"

"Indeed, to live comfortably in this society, you need a lot of money, I won't deny that, but money alone is not enough. Do you really think your relationships with those girlfriends can continue normally and for a long time?"

Undoubtedly, the point made by Manabu Horikita represents the prevailing opinion in the minds of most people in this country.

If we're really going to talk about it, there are really only a few factors that can influence relationships between men and women.

First, there's the material condition, which is the most basic and easiest to solve; as long as you have enough wealth, it'll be fine.

Secondly, there's the matter of attraction and dislike. Whether it's love at first sight because of appearance, growing affection over time because of compatibility, or other reasons that lead to the idea of being together, these are all necessary conditions for dating and falling in love. And in this aspect, charm is the main factor; any kind of charm will do.

However, apart from these two factors, the main constraint preventing ordinary people from openly having harems is the restriction of secular values, which includes national laws and universal morality.

It is clear that this era does not support polygamy, either legally or morally. Even the wealthy and powerful usually do it secretly rather than publicizing it.

Here's the crucial point: if that bastard Aragaki really makes Suzune move against Aragaki, is his sister going to have to spend her whole life secretly being someone's mistress?