The Target in Someone's Sights

"..."

Hearing a clang, he bent down and pulled the bottle of sparkling water out of the hole. "I can buy you some if you want, but please don't talk nonsense."

"Could it be that Hashiba is shy? He's clearly..."

Kiryuuin Fuuka licked her lips, staring meaningfully at the boy's face.

"... Let's skip this topic."

After taking a couple of sips of my drink, the orange-haired senior finally appeared.

"Are so many people waiting for me?"

Asahina Nazuna's face lit up with a flattered smile. Her gaze darted between Hashiba Hikaru and Kiryuuin Fuuka, seemingly ignoring the petite girl standing to her right.

"Good morning, Asahina- senpai."

"Good morning, Hashiba! I knew you were the only one who could get Kiryuin to contact me, and I was right!"

Asahina Nazuna is a normal high school girl who is naturally interested in all kinds of ambiguous relationships between men and women.

"I guess so, but how about we talk about business first?"

Hashiba Hikaru intended to finish the matter quickly. "Kiryuin should have already told you, right?"

"Yes, you're planning to ask Ya if she's been acting strangely lately, right?"

Asahina Nazuna frowned slightly, revealing a thoughtful expression.

After about two or three minutes, she answered hesitantly, "I think it's probably related to the new students. Ya has been saying recently that she's planning to meet more people."

"Newborn?"

Hashiba Hikaru raised an eyebrow. If the conversation between Tsukishiro Miyabi Nagumo was about him contacting the new students, then his purpose was most likely to target Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"Perhaps so. Ya didn't tell me too many details; she just told me to wait and see."

Asahina Nazuna recalled Miyabi Nagumo's speech and felt that she hadn't missed anything important.

"I see. Thank you, Asahina. If you hear anything else from him, please let me know."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled gently, "We exchanged contact information before."

"Are you planning to deal with Ya?"

Asahina Nazuna suddenly said seriously, "Hasn't he already left the Student Council?"

"This..."

Just as Hashiba Hikaru was organizing her thoughts, Kiryuuin Fuuka answered directly.

"We're not targeting Miyabi Nagumo. He's an excellent person, and if possible, Hashiba Yujima plans to recruit him into the Disciplinary Committee."

"Disciplinary Committee?"

Asahina Nazuna was slightly taken aback. The Disciplinary Committee was already quite famous in the school, and it only had to report to the Student Council President. Even third-year students could join, unlike Student Council members who had to leave in their third year of high school.

"Yes, that's my idea. If possible, Asahina, could you convey it to Nagumo- senpai?"

Hashiba Hikaru continued along with Kiryuuin Fuuka's lie. It was an obvious lie, but Asahina Nazuna's personality was unique; even knowing it was a lie, she wouldn't confront her on the spot.

"If that's the case, then I can ask Ya what she thinks."

Asahina Nazuna smiled, a gentle smile on her face.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, senior. I hope you can continue to help us."

"Yes, I understand."

Asahina Nazuna nodded, then glanced at Kiryuuin Fuuka standing next to Hashiba Hikaru, giving her a look that only a girl would understand, before smiling and leaving.

She didn't believe it at all.

Kiryuuin Fuuka crossed her arms; this was her first reaction. Because she had known Asahina for quite some time, she was confident in her ability to do so.

"I know, nobody's stupid, they're just trying to maintain appearances."

Hashiba Hikaru shrugged nonchalantly, "Asahina helped me once before. Her idea was simple: she just didn't want Miyabi Nagumo to ruin the Student Council's atmosphere. Now that Nagumo has packed up and left, her goal has been achieved."

"Then why did she agree to Kiryuin- senpai's request?"

Sakayanagi Arisu had been listening quietly to their conversation and immediately raised a question.

"The reason is simple: it's because of Kiryuin's reputation."

Hashiba Hikaru pointed to the Silver-haired Senior standing next to her, "She actually has a very good relationship with Asahina, it's just that other people don't know it."

"I see."

Sakayanagi Arisu nodded, seemingly accepting the answer.

"Yeah, she only helped me because of my connections. So how is Hashiba going to thank me?"

Kiryuuin Fuuka walked over to Hashiba Hikaru's side, staring intently at his face. "Are you going to ask the Acting Chairman again later?"

"Um."

"Any other arrangements?"

"I'm going to see Horikita-senpai are leaving school today."

Hashiba Hikaru took another sip of the sparkling juice in her hand. It tasted great at room temperature, so she figured she wouldn't need to refrigerate it in the summer.

"Then what?"

"..."

Observing the other person's facial expression, the boy knew exactly what she was thinking.

"After we finish all these things, I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

"Hmph, at least you still have some conscience."

The Silver-haired Senior's eyebrows curved into a smile, finally revealing a genuine expression of joy.

Can I go too?

Sakayanagi Arisu raised her little hand.

"This..."

"Sure, anyway, Hashiba really likes threesomes~"

Kiryuuin Fuuka suddenly changed her stance, blinking her beautiful big eyes innocently.

"..."

I thought she had forgotten.

That's really boring.

Chapter 699 The Target Being Watched

Standing alone in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, Tsukishiro gazed at the sea with a calm expression.

Ever since accepting Professor Ayanokoji's mission, the man has been thinking about how to bring [the Masterpiece] back. Now that Sakayanagi Narimori suspended from his duties for investigation, the simplest way would be to kidnap him.

However, after entering the school, he discovered that things were not so simple. Not to mention that the homeroom teachers of several grades had management authority over the school, even the Student Council had a lot of power.

Kidnapping the person directly would be too conspicuous and wouldn't meet Professor Ayanokoji's requirements.

So he came up with a very obvious plan: to use the school's rules to make Ayanokoji Kiyotaka meet the criteria for expulsion, which would be easy to carry out.

The first person Tsukishiro chose was the current Student Council President, Hashiba Hikaru. However, after getting to know the boy a few times, he was surprised to find that the boy was not someone who could be easily fooled, and his Comprehensive Ability were not inferior to [The Masterpiece].

After some thought, he decided to choose a more obedient person, making Hashiba Hikaru a backup option.

This way, they will have more room to maneuver when they move up to the Second Year.

After reviewing the entire student roster, Tsukishiro chose Miyabi Nagumo, the former Student Council President who had been expelled from the Student Council.

It's funny, this guy, as a veteran of the Student Council, actually had all his power taken away by Hashiba Hikaru, a freshman. He's really useless.

However, this makes it easier to negotiate terms when extending an olive branch, since a drowning person is more eager to swim upstream than an ordinary person.

He gave Miyabi Nagumo an order: after the first-year students entered the school, he would contact [Secret Weapon] and provide maximum support. In order to confuse the situation, Nagumo needed to make contact with many people and prevent [Masterpiece] from realizing who the real assassin was.

Tomorrow is April 1st, and if the plan doesn't go smoothly, he wouldn't mind taking the stage himself.

Gazing out the window, Tsukishiro was filled with anticipation for what was about to happen.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Knock knock knock.

"Please come in."

The door to the Chairman's Office opened, Tsukishiro saw the person who had entered. It was none other than the Student Council President he had noticed long ago— Hashiba Hikaru.

"Good morning, Chairman. I'm here to report on the arrangements for tomorrow's Opening Ceremony, as well as the Student Council's overall work record from the last semester."

The boy had a warm smile on his face, which, combined with his outstanding appearance, made it easy for people to feel good about him.

But Tsukishiro wouldn't be easily deceived by appearances. If the other person could become the Student Council President while only a first-year student, then he was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

"I see, Hashiba- kun is truly dedicated and responsible."

Tsukishiro returned to his chair, folded his hands into a tower shape, and examined the boy in front of him.

"Please give your report. I hope you can make tomorrow's Opening Ceremony a great success."

"I will."

Hashiba Hikaru opened the documents in her hand and began to give a loud report.

Secretly, he opened the System Panel.

[Foresight Moment to activate!]

[Target locked: Tsukishiro]

The next phase of special events is scheduled for mid-April.

[Plot analysis in progress]

[Event Summary: Tsukishiro will arrange for a pre-prepared assassin from the White Room to provoke Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, tricking him into committing violence, thereby resulting in his expulsion from school.]

After scanning the line of text, a sharp glint flashed in Hashiba Hikaru's eyes, but on the surface, she read the Student Council's work summary even more seriously.

After about ten minutes, the task was finally completed.

That's about it.

After finishing her last sentence, Hashiba Hikaru smiled and closed the file. "We've already had several rehearsals, so there shouldn't be any problems tomorrow."

"Hehe, with Hashiba- kun's abilities, organizing an Opening Ceremony is certainly no problem."

Tsukishiro clapped his hands and laughed, "I'll need your support after you move up to the Second Year, after all, I'm just a leader who was parachuted in."

"Please feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded, his tone very sincere.

"That's good. I believe that with Hashiba- kun's talent, he can definitely lead the class to graduate as Class A, just like Horikita- kun."

"Horikita-senpai is an outstanding person, and I still have a lot to learn from him."

"Haha, you're really modest."

Tsukishiro narrowed his eyes, his tone full of concern, "Then I won't delay your work, Hashiba- kun. If the Student Council encounters any difficulties, please feel free to come to me anytime."

"Thank you, Chairman. I'll head back now."

"Um."

After the boy left, Tsukishiro silently stared at the closed door, his mind far from at peace.

Just moments ago, he suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis. Although it was only fleeting, it made his body tense up instinctively.

This feeling...

It felt like stepping back into the early days when I faced Professor Ayanokoji, a time that always filled me with trepidation and unease.

Why is this happening?