She naturally didn't believe that every first-year student would graduate from Class A. Anyone could tell that was impossible without even thinking about it.
However,
Sakayanagi Arisu didn't care about that,
she simply wanted to express a position completely opposite to Kijima Tsukur's.
If Kijima Tsukur was cautious, she would be radical. If Kijima Tsukur was radical, she would choose caution.
Simply put,
the position itself didn't matter.
What mattered was taking the opposite side from Kijima Tsukur!
That way, anyone who disagreed with Kijima Tsukur would stand with her. All that remained was to make sure Kijima Tsukur kept failing.
Nothing brought people together like a common enemy!
Still, Sakayanagi Arisu was a little puzzled. She couldn't understand why Kijima Tsukur would do something so foolish.
Could he really be planning to have every first-year student graduate from Class A?
That was impossible!
No matter how she looked at it,
Sakayanagi Arisu didn't think anyone could pull it off.
But now,
Kijima Tsukur had already set himself against every member of Class A. With just a little more pressure, everyone would abandon him.
If that happened,
the leadership position Kijima Tsukur had just acquired would be discarded by everyone in an instant. He wouldn't even be able to resist the tide.
This was far too easy!
It felt like she had won too easily—there hadn't even been a proper fight.
Was Kijima Tsukur really this weak?
Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't even feel happy about winning!
At the thought,
Sakayanagi Arisu kept a delighted smile on her face,
but her gaze remained fixed on Kijima Tsukur at the lectern, as if hoping he had some kind of trump card left. Ideally, he'd put up a little more resistance.
Otherwise,
winning so easily
would leave her feeling a little disappointed too.
Chapter 23: Weak Girl, Sakayanagi Arisu
"Seems your memories aren't very good, or perhaps your comprehension isn't up to par?"
Listening to the chatter around him and looking at the stern faces below, Kijima Tsukur raised a finger, his expression indifferent.
"I just said it, didn't I? I accept questions, not challenges!"
"You're free to think whatever you like. I have no objection to resistance either. If you're unhappy with my orders, by all means—"
"Defy your superior!"
Huh?
At those words,
everyone was stunned.
They hadn't expected Kijima Tsukur to truly not care what they thought.
To Kijima Tsukur, it made no difference whether they agreed or disagreed. He was simply making an announcement so Class A would understand their goal.
He didn't even care if they turned on one another.
But just as they were about to protest,
the next moment, everyone realized...
They really couldn't stop him...
If Kijima Tsukur wanted to make the information public, all he had to do was tell people himself.
There was no way to prevent it.
It wasn't as if they could tie Kijima Tsukur up and lock him in the dormitory, was it?
At that thought,
Hashimoto Masayoshi and the others began to panic.
It was only the third day of school.
If Kijima Tsukur really made the information public, they would inevitably lose their advantage. They might even fall out of Class A as a result.
But...
There really was no way to stop him...
Quite a few people looked toward Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kohei. The only option left was to stop him by force.
If Kijima Tsukur dared to make the information public to the first-years,
they'd beat him up!
They'd keep beating him until he gave up on the idea!
Quite a few people thought this way. In fact, most of the boys felt the same.
But beating someone up was hardly something to be proud of.
Besides, the risks were considerable.
They weren't thugs, and they didn't think fighting was cool.
If they acted rashly,
the school might punish them. They could even be expelled, and the girls might shun them, costing them their chance at dating someone on campus.
So,
no one made a move just yet.
Instead, they looked toward Katsuragi and Sakayanagi Arisu.
Put simply,
they were passing the buck, hoping someone would take the lead and shoulder the responsibility. All it would take was one order, and they could attack Kijima Tsukur.
Unexpectedly,
Sakayanagi Arisu once again stayed silent, letting things play out. In fact, she was even more eager for Kijima Tsukur to become the leader.
Hadn't Kijima Tsukur said he didn't mind them defying him?
Then they'd defy him!
She, Sakayanagi Arisu, was going to defeat him on his own turf.
That scene,
however, gave the others a different idea.
'She's a woman after all. She's just too timid...'
Quite a few people thought to themselves that asking a weak girl like Sakayanagi Arisu to advocate using violence was indeed asking too much of her.
Everyone turned their attention to Katsuragi on the other side. He didn't disappoint them. In a low voice, he asked:
"Kijima, are you determined to make the information public to the first-years, no matter what?"
"That's right!"
"..."
At this point,
several boys who had still been sitting stood up and slowly moved behind Katsuragi.
As long as Katsuragi gave the word,
they wouldn't hesitate to teach Kijima Tsukur a lesson.
They could put up with his arrogance and eccentricity, but he dared to harm everyone's interests. That was absolutely unforgivable.
"Kijima."
Katsuragi took a deep breath and asked in a solemn voice:
"Do you really think you can get every first-year to graduate from Class A?"
"Of course. I've decided it, so it's Tenmei."
"..."
Kijima Tsukur had already completed his logical loop. Katsuragi no longer wanted to argue about Tenmei. There was no getting through to him.
Katsuragi had no choice.
He knew very well that Kijima Tsukur was definitely stronger than he was. Having Kijima Tsukur lead the class was the best choice.
That might be true, but it didn't mean Katsuragi couldn't be the leader himself. He simply didn't want infighting to drain the class's strength.
To keep the class from splitting apart,
the best option was still to let Kijima Tsukur lead Class A.
But Katsuragi needed to make one more attempt.
"Then, supposing—supposing you can't guarantee that everyone will graduate from Class A in the end, what will you do?"
"There is no 'supposing.' This is Tenmei. Failure is impossible."
Kijima Tsukur glanced at him and said:
"Of course, I know that's not what you really want to know. So I'll answer you. If I can't guarantee that everyone will graduate from Class A, I'll put the class first."
"Understood. Then let's leave it at that for now."
After speaking, Katsuragi stared sternly at Kijima Tsukur and said in a low voice:
"Kijima, we can't stop you from making the information public, but I hope you understand that doesn't mean we're letting you do as you please. If we decide you're not fit to lead Class A, I won't hold back—even if I know I'm no match for you!"
At those words,
the people led by Hashimoto Masayoshi opened their mouths, but couldn't bring themselves to say anything.
After all,
Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi had both agreed. What else could they do?
In their eyes,
Katsuragi had managed to force Kijima Tsukur to make a promise.
If he couldn't guarantee that everyone would graduate from Class A, Kijima Tsukur would put the class first.
Most importantly,
they really couldn't stop anyone from making the information public.
By now, quite a few people felt that perhaps it would be better to have Katsuragi Kohei, someone who cared about his classmates and had a sense of responsibility, as their leader.
No one could understand why Katsuragi had given in.
"Do as you like."
Kijima Tsukur stood at the lectern and looked at everyone below, his voice calm:
Before you continue