The Two Who've Been Competing Since the Beginning

"Alright, Liang can talk now."

Shiina Hiyori is probably not good at playing the cold-faced type. Although she pouts, her soft tone always sounds like she's trying too hard to be aloof and is just being coquettish.

Perhaps realizing this herself, Shiina Hiyori deliberately coughed and cleared her throat in front of Kitagawa Ryo, her right hand loosely clenched to her lips, her mind probably already trying her best to recall the male protagonists of the dozens or even hundreds of hard-boiled mystery novels she had read.

"Please confess honestly, Liang. Resisting will be met with severe punishment."

Will confessing lead to leniency?

"Confessing is just admitting guilt, that means the detective wins—"

Shiina Hiyori held up one finger, playfully adding a lisp at the end, but immediately realized the occasion was inappropriate and tried her best to straighten her face.

"Ahem, let's get back to the main topic. What exactly is the story Ayanokoji saying that Ryo is transferring classes?"

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Shiina Hiyori deliberately shortened Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's "transfer to Class A" to "transfer to another class".

"This matter... actually started with me promising Hui that if she could accumulate 20 million transfer points, she would be willing to transfer to Class A. As for how Ayanokoji knew about it, it's probably because things have already gotten a bit out of hand."

In fact, just as Kitagawa Ryo didn't know when the spare key to his room had been given to each of the girls he knew, the speed at which this information spread was just as fast. It could even be said that apart from Horikita Suzune and Shiina Hiyori at the moment, all the girls, including Ichinose Honami and Amasawa Ichika, had already started taking action behind his back.

"Twenty million... I definitely can't raise that much."

Upon hearing Kitagawa Ryo mention the 20 million yen transfer fee, Shiina Hiyori simply sighed, looking up at the sky. Although she had received a reward of one million Private Points from the school for being the top-ranked team in the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, it was nothing compared to the 20 million yen figure.

"As for Hui, I'm not surprised at all that she would do that."

Shiina Hiyori's emotions were more stable than Kitagawa Ryo had imagined; she even smiled and shared an amusing anecdote from her time on the Uninhabited Island with him.

"I wonder if Ryo remembers, back when we were on the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, there was a topic related to Tea Ceremony. I ran into Horikita from your group there, and I specifically asked her if she had seen Megumi these past few days. She said she had, and then I asked her how Megumi was doing. She said she was in great spirits, and I thought that was really great, really amazing."

"I simply cannot imagine a girl living alone on Uninhabited Island. I would definitely feel lonely and scared, especially if the person I like is out camping with other girls."

At this point, Shiina Hiyori herself gave a slightly shy smile:

"Maybe it's because Ryo is my lover, so no matter how well Ryo performs, I take it for granted. Otherwise, how could I have fallen for him so much?"

"But Hui is quite different. As her friend, the most prominent feeling I've had since childhood is that it seems like there's nothing in this world she's afraid of, and nothing she can't do. Ryo should have heard Hui talk about how she stopped school bullying when she was in elementary school, which is something I can't even imagine. It was the same when she was studying acting in the Theater Troupe."

"So now when I hear that Megumi wants to transfer Ryo to her class, I suddenly realize that Megumi can feel lonely too. What do you think, Ryo?"

"What Hiyori said might be one of the reasons why I agreed to Megumi's request."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded in agreement, but he didn't forget that Shiina Hiyori was standing in front of him, nor did he ignore the underlying tone in her long speech that she was more afraid of loneliness than Megumi. Therefore, he immediately changed the subject:

"If possible, I'd also like to be in the same class Hiyori."

"Liang's argument is too cunning. After all, I don't have enough Private Points to reach those 20 million. For now, it's best to maintain the status quo."

Shiina Hiyori shook her head, her tone leisurely:

"Moreover, thanks to Liang's help on the Uninhabited Island, I've made quite a few new friends in Class C, and my days are actually quite fulfilling."

"To be honest, many students in Class C have a really good impression of Liang. Whether they are boys or girls, these past few days I've often heard them saying how bad Ryuen is, but at the same time thinking how great it would be if you were our class Leader. It seems like they don't interact with Liang much. Is it because Liang's personal charm is too great?"

Just moments ago they were saying that maintaining the status quo was fine, but Shiina Hiyori's words showed no sign of stopping:

"Oh right, didn't Ryuen say he was willing to spend 20 million transfer points for Ryo back on the Uninhabited Island? So, should I Gaga him on more at this Sports Festival and hope he wins big in the prediction contest?"

Seemingly realizing something herself, Shiina Hiyori pursed her lips and fell silent. After a long while, she whispered:

"Did I lose to Hui again?"

"There's no such thing as winning or losing. If we really have to talk about winning or losing, maybe in some parallel world that Hiyori doesn't know about, Megumi would have lost to Hiyori several times over."

"... Liang's words of comfort were really strange."

Shiina Hiyori made a subtle comment, then took out her phone from her pocket and tapped it twice. Kitagawa Ryo's phone rang, and when he opened it, he saw that Shiina Hiyori had just transferred 1,089,313 Private Points to him.

"Never mind, from now on all my Private Points will be stored with Liang. When I've accumulated 20 million, Liang can obediently transfer them to Class C."

"What about Hiyori and other living expenses?"

In response to Kitagawa Ryo's question, Shiina Hiyori simply stood on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered in his ear:

"Actually, compared to the tough detectives who risk their lives to solve cases, I might envy more the armchair detectives who don't have to travel around, but can simply sit in a comfortable armchair, listening to and looking at clues in a murder case, and then deducing and solving the crime, like Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's novels--"

"So."

"Come and take care of me."


Chapter 286: From the initial rivalry to the current two

The student union's meeting room in the Student Council association building.

Katsuragi Kohei bowed slightly and handed the documents in his hand to the Student Council vice president, Miyabi Nagumo, saying somewhat apologetically:

"This is the preliminary entry list for the First Year classes A, B, and D. Class C's entry list is a bit disorganized, so it may take a little more time to prepare. As for the accuracy, we have done our best."

"Really? Let me see."

Miyabi Nagumo casually took the printed Class 3 competition form from Katsuragi Kohei's hand, and while flipping through the names on it, she said:

"Those of you in Class C, show me the part you've already compiled. I recently received a detailed version, which I can use for comparison."

"OK."

Although somewhat surprised that the other party had obtained the competition form for Class 1-C through some channel, Katsuragi Kohei wisely refrained from asking further questions. Instead, he took out his phone and sent the compiled information to Miyabi Nagumo via email.

After a while, Miyabi Nagumo, having reviewed the competition forms from the three classes, stared at her phone for several more minutes before finally letting out a sigh of relief:

"It seems there's no problem."

"Alright, your Class D doesn't need to investigate Class C's entry forms anymore. I'll send you a copy of this one I have in a bit."

As she spoke, Miyabi Nagumo instructed the secretary, Tonokawa, who was waiting behind her, to use the printer in the adjacent room to photocopy the Class C's competition form, and then handed it to Katsuragi Kohei.

"This was given to me by Ryuen from Class C a couple of days ago. I compared it with the part you collected, and there are basically no mistakes. It should be the genuine Sports Festival entry form from Class C."

"Ryuen Kakeru? He's here to see Senior Nagumo..."

"Don't worry, he has no intention of joining the Student Council, and even if he did, I have no intention of recruiting him."

Miyabi Nagumo patted Katsuragi Kohei's broad shoulder in a friendly manner:

"My promise to Katsuragi- kun remains valid."

"Now we have all the information on the other three First Year. As long as Katsuragi- kun completes the second half of the content as we agreed beforehand, both of the Student Council recruitment slots next month will definitely be given to Class D, and one of them will definitely be given to Katsuragi -kun himself."

"Yes, but..."

Upon hearing this Katsuragi Kohei still looked somewhat hesitant, and just as he was about to speak with some difficulty, Miyabi Nagumo interrupted him with a smile:

"What's there to hesitate about? After all, Katsuragi -kun can make sure the students in the class don't use any of the Private Points borrowed from this loan. They can return it all after the Sports Festival. At most, they'll only have to pay me two million Private Points in interest."

"I don't want to be too explicit, but if I hadn't always valued Katsuragi- kun's abilities, the two Student Council spots would definitely have cost more than two million if the news had been released, right?"

"... You mean..."

Facing Katsuragi Kohei, who was still somewhat uneasy, Miyabi Nagumo continued to smile:

"And to be honest, Katsuragi- kun has already obtained the competition forms from the other three classes. If we use this information gap to play the betting game, it's not impossible to earn an extra one or two million using the ten million Private Points I lent you."

"I see."

Seemingly finally persuaded by Miyabi Nagumo's words, Katsuragi Kohei ultimately nodded in agreement.

"Then, in a couple of days I'll have a classmate come and sign the relevant loan agreement with you, Senior Nagumo."

"No problem, but we need to hurry, since the prediction contest officially starts next Monday."

Seeing that Katsuragi Kohei finally nodded in agreement, Miyabi Nagumo relaxed considerably and sat back down on the soft sofa, casually offering her suggestions:

"If Katsuragi really wants to participate in this contest, he might as well try releasing some information about the entry forms. It doesn't matter how lame the reason is. After all, when luck plays too big a role in a contest, it will make people hesitate to invest heavily. Only by increasing the psychological pressure on these supposedly shrewd clients can we truly control this game."

"Thank you for your suggestion, I understand."

"By the way, you can also ask Ayanokoji in your class if you need anything."

Just as Katsuragi Kohei was about to turn and leave the reception room, Miyabi Nagumo lazily added this sentence before waving her hand to let Katsuragi Kohei go out.

After the other party closed the door and their footsteps faded into the distance, the vice president of the Student Council took the paper from Secretary Tonokawa, who had just printed out the competition forms for Class C. However, he didn't even glance at it before crumpling it up along with the documents that Katsuragi Kohei had handed over on the table and throwing them into the trash can.

He was certainly aware of that.

With the rule of rotation and substitutions in place, even the most meticulously prepared competition schedule is nothing more than a piece of waste paper.

But what does this have to do with Miyabi Nagumo?

Anyway, he never intended to participate in the First Year prediction contest. After closing two big deals with Class 1-C and Class D in the first year, he just needed to wait for the payments to come in.

Moreover, Miyabi Nagumo wasn't worried about not being able to collect the two debts. Just like people in society who borrow money from banks and have installment repayment methods, as long as the Class Points of the two classes don't drop to zero, or if they all fail to earn any points in any Special Exam in the future, he can steadily collect these Private Points back into his pocket, as long as it's before they graduate from their third year.

Kitagawa Ryo's room.

Just as Katsuragi Kohei was meeting with Miyabi Nagumo, Kitagawa Ryo, who had just gone upstairs to deliver lunch to a lazy Kitagawa Ryo posing as an armchair detective, opened his own door Ichinose Honami, who had been elusive for the past few days, came into view.

"Ryo's been investigating things with the second-year students lately, right? I've also gotten some new information and have some new ideas, so I came straight over... Hmm, I hope I didn't disturb Ryo's nap?"

"Fine."

Kitagawa Ryo gently lifted Hotaru, who was lying on her seat preparing for a nap, before sitting down and leaning slightly forward to look at Ichinose Honami on the other side.

For the girls around him, their schedules had effectively evolved into a combination of the overt Sports Festival and the covert 20 million yen event. And as far as Kitagawa Ryo knew, the girl in front of him, who habitually wore that hair clip, was one of the most active female protagonists acting on both of these storylines simultaneously.

"I talked to some second-year female students I know these past few days, and I discovered that Nagumo's weaknesses, or rather, his vulnerabilities, are actually quite obvious."

Unlike Kitagawa Ryo, who only met the two upperclassmen Asahina Nazuna and Kiryuin Fuka, through Hotaru's unexpected encounter, Ichinose Honami easily obtained the information she wanted by utilizing the interpersonal relationships she had accumulated over the past semester and organized it.

"Although since Nagumo took control of the second year, the school's Special Exam have become a tool for him to manipulate and control scores at will, perhaps in order to create an invincible image for himself in the grade and even the whole school, he always makes sure that he is number one in any project involving individual rankings, and if it is a team project, then he must lead the team that wins first place."

"To ensure this, even if there are times when the returns might be higher, Nagumo never chooses any other option."

"To give an example, just like when Ryo was Uninhabited Island Special Exam, when the results of the top three groups on the last day could be freely manipulated, Ryo ultimately chose to let Hiyori's group be number one to maximize a win-win situation. But if it were Nagumo, he would definitely decide to let his own group be number one."

At this point, Ichinose Honami herself paused slightly.

"So, even though we know almost nothing about the second-year students, and we don't know all the events and personnel arrangements for the four second-year classes in this Sports Festival, one thing is certain: Nagumo will definitely hope that his name will be number one in the grade's total score, or even number one in the whole school, because that would mean he has surpassed Horikita Manabu."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded in agreement, continuing to quietly play the role of a listener, attentively listening to Ichinose Honami's speech.

"The second-year students' prediction contest is bound to be stagnant this time, because knowing that Nagumo can manipulate the competition results, almost no students, whether from this year or from the first and third years, will actively participate in predicting their side's events."

"On the other hand, once a large sum of external points is injected, those hidden second-year students will flock to it. After all, the contract with Nagumo did not deprive them of all their points, and it is precisely this limbo that makes them more willing to take the gamble."

"Because they are the ones who trust Nagumo the most, if someone chooses someone other than Nagumo in the 'Who do you think will be the final scorer among the second-year students?'—for example, the Kiryuin senior whom Ryo highly favors—they will definitely feel that this is a pure, risk-free bonus of Private Points for them."

Seeing that Ichinose Honami seemed a little thirsty after saying so much, Kitagawa Ryo stood up voluntarily:

"I forgot to get Honami a drink. Would you like some more cocoa?"

"Hmm, it's getting cold."

A few minutes later, Kitagawa Ryo returned from the kitchen with the prepared cocoa. Because the late summer heat had been intense these past two days, he had added a few ice cubes, which made a slight clinking sound as they hit the glass.

Perhaps she was really thirsty, Ichinose Honami before finally letting go of the straw in her mouth with a satisfied look. After glancing at the time on her phone, she continued the conversation she hadn't finished earlier.

"Then there's the sum of Private Points that Nagumo has, though the exact amount is unknown, it should be no less than 20 million. In fact, it is this huge amount of points, plus that contract, that forms the basis for his dominance over the second year."

"Ryo should know the details of that contract by now, right? The reason why the last three classes of the second year are willing to follow Nagumo's orders and instructions is because he used the school's 20 million transfer program to create a pie in the sky for these students, making their position in Class A unshakeable. In fact, most students would be tempted by this pie in the sky, after all, even the smallest expectation is higher than a complete zero."

"It is precisely for this reason that, although Nagumo's reputation among the second-year students is not good, he has always had a considerable number of genuine supporters. In fact, Nagumo did give these students, who had no hope of graduating from Class A, an opportunity, and these people formed the foundation for Nagumo's dominance over the second-year students."

"So the clause that other students might find unbearable at first glance—'75% of Private Points must be handed over'—is actually nothing to them. This is because Nagumo's gimmick is to use these points to expand the transfer program, so that more students can win Transfer Ticket before graduating from their third year."

"So from this perspective, the points on Nagumo are more like public property temporarily held in his possession by the second-year students. This is also the most important reason why the students who want to rebel against Nagumo are hesitant to expel him, since Nagumo himself has said that once he withdraws from school, these Private Points will also disappear. This is what is called sunk cost."

Watching Ichinose Honami more and more fluently, Kitagawa Ryo himself was a little dazed. After all, in the more than one semester since he enrolled, this was the first time he had seen Honami so confident.

"However, precisely because of the special nature and importance of this asset, Nagumo is also in a position of being hesitant to act rashly. He can use these points to make moves, but he can only win and cannot afford to lose."

"Winning means making the pie bigger for everyone in the second year, so that everyone can draw one or two more Transfer Ticket when they graduate in the third year. Everyone will be happy and won't care about the score."

"But if we lose, we'll instantly find ourselves in the most troublesome situation."

"As I said before, firstly, Nagumo's personality doesn't allow him to fail, and secondly, the special nature of this enormous asset also dictates that second-year students cannot allow Nagumo to fail."

"They want to win, but they're also afraid of losing. However, if they win, everyone benefits, but if they lose, only Nagumo has to take the blame. After all, everyone who signed the contract can say how much they trust Nagumo, which puts them on the absolute moral high ground."

"Therefore, as long as we make good use of the group mentality of the second-year students Nagumo's own personality weaknesses, this Sports Festival can be a preliminary battle against Nagumo."

Ichinose Honami finally finished speaking. She let out a soft breath, then bit down on the straw again and drank the rest of the cocoa in her cup.

"I understand, Honami, it's very helpful."