The Rules of Socializing and Yamamura Miki's Dream

With that terrifying power of observation and analysis, was the guy standing before them even human? Could he be some kind of monster?

Katsuragi and Ichinose were already starting to wonder whether they could really stand a chance against Kijima Tsukur.

I see.

Yamamura Miki nodded to herself. No wonder something had felt off.

Miyabi Nagumo hadn't been talking to them at all—

he'd been talking to Horikita Manabu.

Nagumo had been acting like a smug pest, repeatedly testing Horikita's limits with an unspoken, "Go on, hit me. I dare you. Otherwise, I'll start reaching into the first-years."

No wonder the whole thing had felt so uncomfortable.

"Nicely put."

Nagumo applauded, still looking impressed.

"But this hasn't done you any harm, has it? Or did being looked down on upset you? If so, I can apologize."

At that,

Ichinose and Katsuragi felt conflicted.

Even if Nagumo had been speaking only to Horikita and hadn't given them a second thought, that was no big deal.

Under the seniority system, that was simply how upperclassmen treated their juniors. It was perfectly normal.

And even if he had looked down on them, Nagumo had still given them plenty of information for free. That could only benefit them!

Now he was even willing to apologize for it.

Of course, he was only apologizing to Kijima, which showed just how much he respected the strong.

Kijima smiled, unbothered.

"Not at all."

"I see."

Nagumo glanced back at Horikita and suddenly wore a terrifying smile.

His voice held a note of delight beneath his sunny grin.

"President Horikita, you can rest easy now, right? This guy definitely has what it takes to join the Student Council."

"No. At the moment, he isn't qualified to join the Student Council."

Horikita closed his eyes, sweat beading on his forehead.

He absolutely couldn't let someone as dangerous as Kijima join the Student Council so easily.

At the very least, he needed to sound Kijima out about what kind of person he was tonight. Otherwise, there was no way he could let someone like him join the Student Council.

If he did, Kijima might end up turning the whole school upside down.

Meanwhile,

Huh?

Nagumo's eyebrows shot up.

That didn't make sense.

Kijima had clearly demonstrated his abilities, hadn't he?

He was more than qualified to join the Student Council.

In Nagumo's eyes, Kijima was absolutely worthy of being his opponent. Horikita shouldn't have to worry about Kijima getting the better of him.

So why had Horikita still turned him down?

Did Horikita really think that highly of him?

At the thought,

Nagumo felt conflicted, unsure whether to be pleased or worried.

It was flattering to have Horikita-senpai take him so seriously, but it also meant losing Kijima as an opponent.

Oh well.

After Horikita graduated, he could always find Kijima and use him to pass the time.

Nagumo looked at Kijima and spread his hands, a little sheepishly.

"Sorry. Only the president can decide who joins the Student Council. There's nothing I can do."

"When did I ever say I wanted to join the Student Council?"

"Hm?"

"Nagumo, it seems President Horikita over there is a little better than you after all."

With that, Kijima got up and headed for the door.

He'd never planned to join the Student Council in the first place. He needed someone to take care of him just to manage his own life. How could he spare the energy to join the Student Council? He'd only come to gather some information.

Just as Nagumo stood there, baffled, Kijima's voice rang out again from beyond the door.

"You're like a frog that's just climbed out of a well. You see the lake before you and think you've seen the sea. But once you see the real sea, you'll understand—"

"To meet me is to meet God!"

Chapter 18: The Rules of Socializing and Yamamura Miki's Dream

Student Council Room.

By the time Ichinose and Katsuragi left, Kijima had already disappeared.

As for Yamamura Miki,

she'd followed Kijima out the moment she got the chance.

The Student Council members who remained were completely stunned, Kijima's words still echoing in their minds:

"To meet me is to meet God!"

At that,

Tachibana Akane and the others stared blankly, clearly shaken. It took them a long while to come around.

They'd seen people show off before, but never anyone this shameless...

Kijima did seem to have some ability, but that didn't mean he could be so arrogant. He'd practically compared himself to God. Did he think he was a deity?

At the thought,

Tachibana and Kiriyama stole a glance at Nagumo. After all, those words had obviously been meant for him.

Nagumo, meanwhile, was even more stunned.

It took him a good while to realize that Kijima had meant those words for him.

Once he did,

Nagumo felt even more disgusted...

Kijima had thought Nagumo was looking down on him, but he hadn't gotten angry at all. Instead, he'd maintained an air of superiority the whole time.

Nagumo had assumed Kijima was simply even-tempered, or that he'd recognized Nagumo's standing among the second-years and didn't want to make an enemy of him.

But it turned out...

In Kijima's eyes, Nagumo was nothing more than a frog who'd just climbed out of a well? What kind of arrogance was that?

All his life,

not even Horikita Manabu had ever dared look down on him like that!

"I see... So this is what it feels like."

At the thought, Nagumo rubbed his chin, almost smiling.

This was probably how Kijima had felt earlier. Being looked down on by someone weaker really was a strange feeling.

But who was the weaker one here?

Until someone proved their strength in practice, there was no reason to fear them!

Nagumo naturally thought he was the stronger one. He didn't take Kijima's words to heart, assuming he was just putting on an act.

Feeling everyone's eyes on him,

Nagumo smiled helplessly as he fidgeted with his hands.

"Good grief... Every year has someone with an inflated opinion of themselves. This year's new students really are full of surprises."

"They certainly are."

Vice President Kiriyama said, puzzled, "Putting Katsuragi and Ichinose aside, that Kijima guy had no manners at all. You'd think someone like that wouldn't have been placed in Class A."

"Who knows? Maybe they changed the placement rules this year."

Nagumo leaned back in his chair and looked over at Horikita, smiling.

"Horikita-senpai, are you really not going to let him join the Student Council? Leaving his personality aside, I think he's more than qualified."

"Nagumo."

Tachibana Akane chided him sharply. "Provoking the president won't do you any good. And as an upperclassman, you should set a good example. Keep this up, and you'll eventually suffer the consequences."

"Tachibana-senpai~ How scary~"

Nagumo spread his hands, his voice light and flippant.

Everyone knew that by "more than qualified," he meant Kijima was strong enough to fight him, Nagumo.

"What a shame."

Horikita leaned back in his chair and glanced at him.

"It seems he never planned to join the Student Council in the first place. He only came to gather information. I'm not looking to recruit anyone right now, either. If you're interested, you can do it yourself once you become president."

"That's a shame. It's already this late, so I'll take my leave."

Nagumo glanced at the time, got up, and left the Student Council Room.

The more Horikita responded, the more excited Nagumo became. The more casually Horikita treated him, the more Nagumo lost interest.

After Nagumo and Kiriyama left, only the two third-years remained in the Student Council Room.

"President Horikita."

Tachibana glanced at the closed door, hesitating. "That Kijima guy was a little rude, but I think he might actually be able to deal with Vice President Nagumo, don't you?"

She knew that

Horikita and Nagumo were completely at odds over their ideals.

Horikita leaned toward competition between groups, while Nagumo favored a meritocracy where people competed purely as individuals.

Kijima had figured that out after meeting them just once. That alone showed what he was capable of.

Even to an ordinary person like her,

Kijima's abilities were clearly enough

for him to carry on Horikita's ideals and stand against Nagumo.

So even Tachibana couldn't help finding it hard to believe that Horikita had rejected Kijima.

"No."

Horikita said gravely, "We have to be much more careful with him. All right, Tachibana, you can head back too."

"Huh?" She'd never seen Horikita this cautious before. Tachibana was clearly taken aback.

"President, that guy may have a bad personality, but he shouldn't be that much of a problem, should he?"

"No. I mean his strength."

Thinking of the terrifying aura from earlier, Horikita's voice still trembled a little.

"That guy is the most terrifying person I've ever met."