In other words, this was very likely a message from the Student Council.
But...
Why had she received a message like this? The girls had talked about the Student Council before. For example, Katsuragi from Class 1-A was very capable, and had been directly invited to join the Student Council as its secretary.
That was an impressive achievement for a first-year.
But since Katsuragi wasn't handsome, everyone had only mentioned it in passing and then lost interest.
So why had she now received a message from the Student Council saying she had joined?
She didn't know anything about this.
"Beep, beep!"
Just as she was panicking, a call came in.
The number was unfamiliar, but underneath it was still the verification tag [Student Council].
"Are you not going to answer?"
Horikita noticed Karuizawa's changing expression. Since she was facing Karuizawa, she couldn't see what was on the other girl's phone screen.
"Um, it looks like the Student Council is calling. I'm a little panicked right now."
Karuizawa said.
After she said that, she noticed that Horikita, who had seemed so imposing just moments ago, now appeared a little less confident.
She didn't quite understand how the other girl's mood could change so quickly, but if the call was from the Student Council, she couldn't afford to miss it.
So Karuizawa hurriedly answered.
As soon as she picked up, the voice of an upperclassman came through.
"This is Tachibana Akane, the Student Council secretary. Am I speaking with Kei Karuizawa from Class 1-D?"
"You should have already received the message from the Student Council about your appointment."
"Please report to the Student Council tomorrow at noon."
"Every Student Council member receives a certain amount of points as a living allowance."
"You'll be serving as a Public Morals Committee Member. You generally won't need to come to the Student Council office; we'll notify you separately whenever we need your help."
"Are you still there?"
Tachibana Akane said from the other end of the call, apparently noticing that Karuizawa hadn't responded at all.
"Um, yes, I'm listening."
Karuizawa hurriedly nodded, but her mind was full of question marks.
At that moment, Horikita Suzune also began looking at her own phone.
She had received a message.
[I got Karuizawa a position as a Public Morals Committee Member in the Student Council. She wanted to be the leader of the gyaru group to protect herself, right? With this position, she won't need to fake-date Hirata.
You know I'm single now, too. How could I stand seeing couples at school, even fake ones? Couples and all that? Burn them!]
By Nakano Yuu.
It was clear that Nakano Yuu was a little long-winded, and even a little angry.
But looking at the message he'd sent, Horikita could at least understand where he'd gone after school that afternoon.
"..."
Horikita.
So he'd gone to the Student Council.
And her brother was over there, so Horikita knew her own limits. She definitely wouldn't have dared to follow him.
Still...
"Didn't you have to pay for it?"
Horikita had a good idea of what Nakano Yuu was like.
After all, she'd seen him sell the secretary position her brother had given him.
At the same time, Nakano Yuu had wanted her as a partner, then lured her into giving him 80,000 points first. But he'd simply given Karuizawa the position for free?
She tried to figure out what made the two situations different.
[That's right. Second-year Nagumo is a considerate, good person. He already paid for it. He thought I was buying the position for you, so he paid. He probably wanted to win your favor this way. I don't think that's a good idea. I can pay, but there's no need for you to feel indebted or anything. So don't worry about it.]
"..."
Horikita.
He didn't need to send her messages like this.
Horikita had no interest in romance.
But then she remembered Karuizawa asking, "You two aren't dating?" just a moment ago. She couldn't tell whether Nakano Yuu really had no interest in her at all.
Or whether he just thought she was gullible and had been stringing her along the whole time.
Beep, beep.
Just as she was thinking this,
her phone received a notification that a transfer had come through.
[Beep! 100,000 Private Points have been deposited into your private account. Sender: Nakano Yuu ZYY1045666090. Current balance: 639,570 Private Points.]
The sender was Nakano Yuu.
"I don't think I'm worth that much. And since you got the position for free, there's no need for you to send me money now."
Horikita messaged him.
[But Nagumo thought I was buying the Student Council position for you, and transferred another 200,000 to me as a breakup fee. I could keep it for myself without a problem, but I used your name to trick him into paying, so I'm giving you half. I rarely split things fifty-fifty with anyone. You should be happy, Horikita.]
Happy?
He'd used her name to trick someone, succeeded, and only then thought to give her a share?
And she'd only found out after he'd finished tricking him.
Horikita Suzune's face remained expressionless.
[Forgot to mention, I did it right in front of your brother, Horikita Manabu. He probably understood what I was thinking, so he helped me out.]
Nakano Yuu sent another message.
[I don't think Nagumo will have any improper intentions toward you after this.]
In other words, had Nakano Yuu actually been helping her? Had he done this to keep Nagumo from bothering her?
And he'd coordinated with her brother, too.
"..."
Horikita.
Horikita had been very angry at first, but suddenly she felt that maybe she didn't have much reason to be.
The first time she'd met that second-year, Miyabi Nagumo, Nakano Yuu had said that the upperclassman was no good. What he'd done now had also taught Nagumo a lesson.
In a way, Nakano Yuu had acted for her sake.
So it would be strange for her to keep sulking like this.
Or perhaps she was simply so weak that she needed Nakano and her brother to protect her.
And so, Horikita's imposing air faded.
"Ah, so what exactly is going on?"
Karuizawa had finished her call, but she was still completely confused.
She had no idea when she'd been selected for the Student Council.
"Nakano Yuu did it. He said you didn't need to date Hirata. If you wanted to secure your position, he had another plan. He got you this Student Council position."
Horikita Suzune said.
"Oh."
So that was it.
Karuizawa nodded.
No, wait.
Huh? Was this what it meant to force a deal on someone?
Karuizawa thought that, but then decided it actually seemed pretty good.
If she wanted to boost her influence by relying on Hirata Yousuke's popularity as the boy most liked by both the girls and boys in their class, she'd have to pretend to be his girlfriend. Hirata, the nice guy, probably wouldn't refuse, but if they were going to put on an act, wouldn't that mean telling one lie and then having to keep covering it up?
Then she'd have to keep relying on Hirata, and she didn't like that sort of thing.
So the position as a Public Morals Committee Member that Nakano had gotten her really was a godsend.
Still...
"Then what exactly does he want me to do?"
Karuizawa said.
"And when will he need me to help?"
She'd been confused at first, but after putting everything together, she realized that Nakano Yuu might simply have wanted to make a deal with her through Horikita.
"You're pretty smart."
Horikita Suzune had more or less recovered from her earlier mood.
She was thinking about how differently Nakano Yuu treated her and Karuizawa.
Now, though, she thought Karuizawa might be useful.
At least when Horikita had first become Nakano Yuu's partner, she hadn't thought things through proactively like this.
She'd just waited... Well, waited for him to tell her what to do, then done it.
"He wants you to help him when the time is right. You don't need to contact him otherwise."
"..."
Karuizawa.
So basically, he was leaving her entirely to her own devices.
"Got it."
Karuizawa said.
"I can agree to his request, and then..."
Karuizawa seemed to hesitate again.
She had been bullied by gyaru girls in the past, and those girls couldn't get into this school.
That had given her some peace of mind, but Nakano Yuu had said he knew everything about her.
Those words had shaken her. Did he know about her past, too?
"What else is bothering you?"
Horikita Suzune had gone back to being perfectly proper and composed.
"..."
Karuizawa.
"Nothing."
Karuizawa shook her head. Horikita now seemed like Nakano's emotionless tool, so if she wanted to confirm what Nakano Yuu was thinking, she'd have to talk to him directly.
And that was why, the next day, Sakura noticed another girl in their class looking in Nakano's direction during class.
Before you continue