Chapter 75
"In my opinion, Sakayanagi Arisu to stay in school until at least the next semester, so this time Class A will still win big. Instead of worrying about me, you should think about whether to hold a celebration banquet tomorrow to celebrate that the other three first-year classes have been completely suppressed."
Sensing the strange atmosphere between the girls and the boys' amused attitude, Aragaki Shun was somewhat speechless and simply steered the conversation towards serious matters.
As expected, upon hearing that Sakayanagi's punishment was involved, the members of Class A became serious, with Kanzaki Ryuji being the first to express his doubts:
"Just a suspension? Sakayanagi caused such a commotion, shouldn't she have been expelled out of school?"
This is Kanzaki. As the class fund manager of Class A, he also has to supervise the growth of the students in all aspects. He is deeply influenced by Aragaki Shun and always likes to show a cold and sharp attitude to the outside world.
Therefore, he could say without hesitation that he should tell Sakayanagi Arisu to drop out of school.
In contrast, there's Ichinose Honami, the class vice-president. As the organizer of class activities and the ambassador for external exchanges, this pink-haired girl has a rather soft heart.
She felt that suspending Sakayanagi from school for a few months was enough; there was really no need to escalate to the point where someone had to drop out.
But after considering that the victim in this incident was Aragaki Shun, and that even if Sakayanagi Arisu out of school, it wouldn't have a significant impact on her future, Ichinose ultimately chose to remain silent.
The remaining members of Class A looked around and then simply gave up on any idea. They would just do whatever Aragaki told them to do.
Since the class monitor thinks this matter can end here, then let's leave it at that.
"Simply spreading rumors and slander won't get Sakayanagi Arisu."
Aragaki Shun explained softly, "Throughout the entire process, she was only responsible for giving orders; everything else was done voluntarily by her subordinates, such as Hashimoto Masayoshi."
"In this situation, Sakayanagi really only opened her mouth a few times. Unless Hashimoto and his people recorded the evidence with a voice recorder, how could the investigation have traced her back to her since she didn't handle any of the steps involved?"
This is the role of a white glove—if things succeed, the superiors naturally get a share; if things fail, all that's needed is to kick the scapegoat out.
Even though everyone in the school knows that Sakayanagi Arisu is the mastermind behind this incident, there is really no evidence to prove that she is involved.
Is it Hashimoto Masayoshi wasn't smart enough?
They've already chosen to become lackeys, yet they haven't tried to leave any evidence that could implicate Sakayanagi Arisu... Although doing so could easily enrage Sakayanagi and cause trouble as soon as she leaves school.
"The only counterattacks that truly worked and forced Sakayanagi Arisu to pay a price were the two posts I made later."
"Whether it's the issue of the student's personal privacy being leaked, or the Board Chairman abusing his power to place her in the original Class A... either of these two things alone would be enough to cause her serious trouble. Now that they've come together and exploded, the school can no longer turn a blind eye."
These two incidents, like the initial rumors, lack concrete evidence to prove that Sakayanagi Arisu was actually involved in any wrongdoing.
But public opinion had already taken hold, and everyone believed she had the ability to do it, and she had indeed done part of it, so whether she had time to do more or not was no longer important.
When everyone agrees that something is true and undeniable, emphasizing further evidence will only damage the school's credibility; everyone knows they're treating people like fools.
After all, Sakayanagi was indeed assigned to Class A while being sickly and weak, and she really did use Aragaki Shun's middle school information to spread rumors.
This can only be described as a self-inflicted wound. It was because Sakayanagi first launched a media offensive that the entire school's teachers and students implicitly acknowledged her egregious history of spreading rumors, which led to the outrage and indignation of the entire Advanced Nurturing Group after Aragaki Shun exposed everything.
To put it bluntly, how many students who are admitted to this school, especially those in lower-ranked classes, didn't have one or two embarrassing past incidents from junior high school that could ruin their current lives?
In this situation, can the school really ignore public opinion and insist on protecting Sakayanagi Arisu on the grounds of "insufficient evidence"?
If they really did that, most students would probably be secretly wondering: Is the school really under pressure from the Board Chairman to give the entire first grade to her daughter to play with?
Of course, such a development is impossible, therefore the matter of Sakayanagi Arisu must be addressed.
"Under normal circumstances, Sakayanagi would definitely be expelled. This time, it was because the Board Chairman took the initiative to assume most of the responsibility that the punishment that fell on Sakayanagi Arisu was lighter."
"But don't worry, even if Sakayanagi returns, he won't have the chance to borrow the Board Chairman's power again, and you don't need to worry about privacy leaks either; the school will provide an explanation tomorrow."
Hearing Aragaki Shun's assurance, everyone in Class A breathed a sigh of relief, Ichinose Honami was particularly moved.
The reason she came to wait in front of Aragaki Shun's dormitory was actually to talk to the boy about something that happened to her in middle school.
After this rumor incident, she is very worried that her dark history will also be leaked.
If that were to happen, it would be secondary to disappointing everyone in Class A; the real fear is that the other side would use her to attack Class A, causing the current favorable situation to collapse overnight.
She didn't know who to talk to about this worry, so she instinctively went to Aragaki Shun's dormitory.
At that moment, she realized that the boy's every move since entering school, and his reassuring and trustworthy achievements, had already led her to make her choice subconsciously.
Just as she made up her mind to confide in Aragaki-kun, she found that there were more and more Class A students around her.
Not only Kanzaki and Shibata, who were on the same floor as Aragaki-kun, but also Shiranami Chihiro, Kobashi Yume, and Himeno Yuki heard the news from somewhere and hurried over.
Finally, she found the answer in the class group chat—so everyone thought she and Aragaki-kun were secretly dating?
No, Chihiro, don't look at me with those sad eyes that look like you've been doubly betrayed. I really didn't mean to run away, and I certainly wouldn't confess to Aragaki -kun...
Ichinose went to great lengths to explain to her close friends that she had no intention of competing with Chihiro.
As for the idea of confiding in Aragaki-kun about what happened in middle school, that will have to be postponed for now.
Although she hated her own weakness, she really didn't have enough courage to confess her past sins to everyone in the class right now.
The thought that her current wonderful life might fall apart again made her...
Whew!
I'll find an opportunity to invite Aragaki-kun out later. It's really too conspicuous for me to come to the boy's dormitory alone.
Seeing that everyone in the class had relaxed a lot, and Ichinose's complexion had visibly improved, no longer giving off that inexplicable sense of anxiety as before, Aragaki Shun's mind raced, and he probably guessed something.
However, he didn't intend to deal with it immediately, but simply instructed Kanzaki Ryuji:
"Kanzaki, could you please go and ask Katsuragi from Class B to urge him on?"
"Tell him that the school will make a final decision on this matter tomorrow. If he doesn't want Hashimoto Masayoshi to be expelled, causing Class B to lose 300 Class Evaluation Points, he must hand over the corresponding contract before 10 PM tonight."
"You're making me play the villain again?" Kanzaki complained, but when he looked up, he met Aragaki Shun's ambiguous gaze.
Well, it seems my desire to have some fun has been discovered; this stingy guy has deliberately added more work for me.
"Put more pressure on Class B so they can realize just how much damage Sakayanagi's impulsive act has caused."
"And these losses will have to be shared by everyone in Class B."
Only when the more realistic students in Class B realize that following Sakayanagi is pointless will they completely abandon their wishful thinking.
"That's great," Himeno Yuki suddenly interjected. "In the past, that little dwarf was always surrounded by a crowd of students whenever she went out. There were many students from Class B following behind her, and some people even held umbrellas for her. Some people called her a little princess. She was really quite majestic."
"Now that you've hurt her like this, even if she returns from school, she'll have to walk alone with crutches. If she falls in the wind, it'll take her a lot of effort to get up."
Seeing Himeno Yuki's gloating expression, Aragaki Shun shook his head. "The medical staff arranged by the Board Chairman are on standby at any time. At most, she'll be isolated by all the first-year students; it's not that bad."
138. Shiro-nami's unorthodox ideas: Just believe it.
After sending Kanzaki to put pressure on Class B, Shibata Sou and the others, seeing that the important matters were finished and the atmosphere was gradually becoming a bit strange, hurriedly made an excuse and slipped away.
"It's so late, I should go back to sleep."
After glancing at Shiranami Chihiro sitting next to Aragaki Shun, Himeno Yuki pouted and, under the surprised gazes of Kobashi Yume and Amikura Mako, got up and left the dormitory.
Despite the unexpected turn of events, the girls exchanged glances and, not daring to linger, quickly followed after them.
"Yuki, wait a moment, let's go together."
"Yes! Yes! It's safer to go back to the dorm together."
Himeno Yuki looked speechlessly at the group of friends who had chased after her from behind, grabbing her arms with a grin and ushering her into the elevator. She shook her arms irritably, signaling them to let go. "It's only a few floors from here to our dorm. It's just an elevator ride away. It's ridiculous that you insist on saying it's safer to walk together."
"Are you worried about something happening in the elevator?"
"Hehe~ If we don't hurry up and catch up, I'm afraid Yuki will go back to the dorm alone and cry under the covers."
A cute girl with short, light blue hair affectionately hugged Himeno Yuki, her words full of teasing laughter, "I thought you'd stay and keep an eye on Chihiro."
"Yume, you're so annoying!" With a look of disgust on her face, Himeno Yuki tried to push Kobashi Yume away several times, but couldn't. In the end, she could only resort to verbal attacks, "If you want to fight, go and talk to Shiro-nami yourself. Why are you using me as an excuse?"
Kobashi Yume shook her head, not caring about Himeno Yuki's sarcasm. After spending so much time together, everyone in the class knew that her personality was somewhat similar to Kanzaki Ryuji were the type who were cold on the outside but warm on the inside.
Or rather, under Aragaki Shun's leadership, the students in Class B were generally of only two types.
Characters like Kanzaki and Himeno are heavily influenced by Aragaki; they tend to be aloof, but are dedicated and responsible, preferring practical work to social interaction.
Another type, represented by Ichinose Honami, consists of students with strong social skills who can easily get along with classmates and form friendly relationships in other classes.
As an outgoing, cheerful, and straightforward girl, Kobashi Yume naturally wanted to emulate Ichinose, and therefore she was very patient with friends like Himeno who often had a sharp tongue.
"Although I do have a slight interest in dating the class monitor, it's just a tiny bit, a very normal tiny bit."
Surrounded by her best friends, Kobashi Yume wasn't embarrassed at all and openly expressed her true feelings. "If I really had the chance to become Aragaki-kun's girlfriend, I definitely wouldn't refuse."
"But how could such a good thing possibly fall into my lap?"
"How do you know it won't work if you don't even try?" As the elevator doors opened, Himeno Yuki rolled her eyes at Kobashi Yume, then led the girls back to her dorm. "Given Aragaki's personality, if you confess to him first, Yume, being boyfriend and girlfriend for a while shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Huh?" Kobashi Yume's eyes widened suddenly, and she said in disbelief, "Yuki, are you kidding me?"
"No, this might be true." Amikura Mako crossed her arms, assuming a thoughtful posture. "Chihiro made it so obvious, but the class president didn't react at all. She neither rejected him outright nor expressed acceptance. I knew there must be something wrong here."
"That's because, in Aragaki's eyes, teenage romantic relationships are completely unreliable."
After pouring herself and her friends a glass of water, Himeno Yuki slowly complained about the girl sitting in front of her, "High school romances usually last two or three weeks, or even a year or two, before breaking up due to various factors. Even if they last until graduation, they often can't stay together because of work or further education."
Therefore, in Aragaki's eyes, a girlfriend is really just a female friend with whom he can sleep. As long as a close acquaintance confesses to him, there is a high probability that he will succeed.
"But if you think that becoming his girlfriend will guarantee you special treatment, then you should forget about it."
Himeno Yuki gave a strange, soft snort, "Aragaki doesn't believe in love and romance at all. Even if he has a girlfriend, he'll still be the same person he was in the past. At most, he'll spare some energy to help you with your material and sexual needs."
Hearing these lewd words, Amikura Mako pinched Himeno's cheek with a dark expression. "Even if it's just the few of us here, what you're saying is going too far, isn't it?"
"I'm telling the truth. If you want to blame someone, blame Aragaki. It's all because of his distorted views that I've been corrupted."
The girl with pigtails quickly dodged her friend's two fingers, and then gave a very tempting idea to the thoughtful-looking Kobashi Yume beside her, "If you really want to try what it's like to date Aragaki, then while he's still single, just tell him your idea directly."
"If you feel bad for Shiro-nami, you can date him for a few weeks first, then break up and hand him over to Shiro-nami."
Kobashi Yume: "..."
"It seems that Yuki and Chihiro don't have a very good relationship."
Ando Sayo had been silent until now, couldn't hold back any longer. The girl made a face that looked like she couldn't bear to look at him, "And does the class president know that you're slandering him like this?"
"I'm just stating the facts; whether you believe it or not is up to you."
Himeno Yuki paused for a moment, then quickly added ambiguously, "Shiro-nami is probably about to confess, right? Yume, don't you really want to consider my suggestion?"
"I've always felt that Shiro-nami's views on relationships seem a bit off. I wonder what she'll be like if she really becomes Aragaki's girlfriend."
"No! No!" Kobashi Yume waved her hands repeatedly in refusal. "It's only been a short time since school started, and everyone already knows what Chihiro is thinking. I'm not the kind of shameless woman who would betray her best friend and run away."
There's an unspoken agreement among the girls' group that when one girl sets her sights on another boy as a romantic interest, she needs to inform the other girls in the group.
In this way, the other girls in the group won't compete for the same goal until she completely fails or gives up.
"Besides, I don't have Chihiro's courage. I feel like the pressure would be too much if I dated the class president, so I think I'll pass."
"Tch~ Even if you had the chance, it wouldn't have mattered!"
Himeno Yuki deliberately put on a contemptuous expression, only to be met with a swift retort from Kobashi Yume, who pounced on her and tickled her. "Yuki, what you say makes so much sense, why don't you take action yourself instead of trying to lure me into doing it?"
"Haha~ No, Yume, let go of me! Haha~ If you don't let go, I'll fight back!!"
"Hey~ Yuki, what are you doing?"
"Who told you to scratch me first? May you be punished by Heaven!"
Amikura Mako and the others watched the two joking around speechlessly, and could only sigh helplessly in the end:
"Never mind, I was originally planning to come and comfort Yuki, but it seems we were overthinking it."
"Hmm, Yuki knows Aragaki better than we do; she probably has her own ideas."
"Will the class monitor really accept Chihiro's confession?"
"I'm not sure, but it should be within the next few days. We'll see."
Aragaki Shun's dormitory.
After everyone else had left, Ichinose Honami saw that Shiranami Chihiro was still sitting motionless on Aragaki Shun's bed, with a hesitant expression on her face. In the end, she said nothing and got up to leave.
After Ichinose left, the short-haired girl, whose face had been tense the whole time, finally deflated like a punctured balloon.
She let her body lean gently to the side and suddenly rested her head on Aragaki Shun's shoulder.
Gently patting her budding breasts, Shiranami Chihiro completely relaxed.
"That's great! It seems that Honami-chan really hasn't been secretly dating Aragaki-kun yet. I was really shocked before."
Aragaki Shun stared speechlessly at the increasingly audacious girl in front of him, and couldn't help but pinch her soft cheek. "If I were really secretly dating Ichinose, I would definitely hide it very well. How could I let you so easily ascertain whether it's true or not?"
"Hmph~ Aragaki-kun, you just don't understand. Honami-chan seems to have a very gentle personality and doesn't seem to have any selfish motives, but I can sense that she hides a particularly frightening possessiveness in her heart."