Preliminary Task / The Cat Squad Saves the Day

Who knew that the number of candidates would suddenly increase to four, and the most threatening opponent would be Sakayanagi Arisu, who just over six months ago didn't participate in any of the Student Council's daily affairs.

After listening to Kitagawa Ryo's explanation, Sakayanagi Arisu remained silent for a moment before suddenly clapping her hands together in front of her chest and smiling sweetly as she extended her hand to Kitagawa Ryo:

"Since Ryo is so committed to keeping his promise, then please remember to send me what you promised as soon as possible, okay?"

"Good."

Faced with Sakayanagi Arisu hand, whether it was a display of affection or dissatisfaction, Kitagawa Ryo picked up Hotaru from the side, extended her front paws, and placed her little paw pads on Sakayanagi Arisu's hand:

"Let Hotaru be our witness."

"... Ryo really likes this cat."

"Of course, I've always treated Hotaru like a little sister."

"You can tell from the name."

Sakayanagi Arisu answered in this way, perhaps because seeing the object evoked memories and stirred emotions, or perhaps because she wanted to subtly express something to Kitagawa Ryo, she suddenly said this out of the blue:

"Actually, after Ryo passed away from ALS, I gave Hotaru the same name as you."

This was something Kitagawa Ryo had never heard of before. After all, Hotaru wouldn't take the initiative to share those timelines with him after he left. However, glancing at the trembling kitten in his hand, as if it had remembered some unpleasant memories, Arisu's statement was probably not a lie.

He himself felt that he had gone too far. After all, it was two simulations, and he had given Sakayanagi Arisu three physical rebirths. But the heart that was beating strongly and agilely in her chest hadn't had time to love in the first time, and when she fell in love in the second time, she didn't get the final response. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why she insisted on fulfilling this in the third time, which was also the last time that you and I knew.

"There's no need for that now, and there won't be in the future either."

Kitagawa Ryo could only offer temporary comfort. He was well aware of the more extreme feelings Sakayanagi Arisu held for him, feelings that differed from those of other girls, but he also understood that he absolutely could not indulge in them without the slightest hesitation. Just as the phrase "I'll cut off your head" was only suitable as a joke in fairy tales, Kitagawa Ryo was completely averse to any possible developments in this regard in reality.

"... I hope so."

Upon hearing this, Sakayanagi Arisu stared into Kitagawa Ryo's eyes for a long while before looking away, resuming her normal demeanor, and picking up the schoolbag placed to the side.

"Let's go, class is about to start."

"Hold on."

After quickly clearing the table and dishes, Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu walked out of the dormitory building together.

The winter morning still carried a chill, and he was still wearing the scarf that Horikita Suzune had given him. Just as Kitagawa Ryo reached out to tighten the scarf a little to prevent the cold wind from getting in through his neck, Sakayanagi Arisu's voice drifted over with the icy wind.

She still remembered their conversation in the Student Cafeteria a few days ago, so she directed all the emotions she should have released to others at Kitagawa Ryo alone:

"This is also Liang's fault."

"I've got it."

"We'll get our revenge later."

"... Don't lose to me."

Chapter 442: Prerequisite Task

After bidding farewell to the tedious and tiring work and courses such as meditation, cleaning, and field training, returning to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, even the ordinary classes seemed more refreshing. However, this was also related to the brilliant results achieved by the class in this Special Exam. After all, this was another opportunity for Class 1-B to touch the threshold to Class A after half a year.

Unlike last time, when it was almost a lucky break and even becoming a member of Class A only yielded a little over 500 Class Points, this time Class B has reached nearly 1,000 Class Points, a huge difference in both quality and quantity.

After all, even if they are both in Class A, there is a world of difference between 500 Class Points and 900 class points. The difference is nearly two million Private Points per month. Ranking is important, but the number of Class Points is also a key standard for measuring the true strength of a class.

From this perspective, Class D, whose Class Points are still at 310, is undoubtedly in a rather awkward position. After all, even Class 1-C, which is only one place above them, has more than 200 more Class Points. Considering that the next Special Exam will not be held until the end of the semester in two months, they are unlikely to shake off the title of Class D in the short term.

Of course, this does not mean that the two months from the end of January to the end of March will necessarily pass uneventfully.

For First Year, besides the strong rise of Class B, the most talked-about aspect of this Special Exam was undoubtedly Miyabi Nagumo and the ensuing Student Council. After all, this was something closely related to them, especially for students in Class 1-A and Class C of the first year.

The Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School acted even faster than the students expected. On the first day after returning from the Forest School, the school posted a detailed report and notice on its forum regarding Miyabi Nagumo's violation of school rules.

Besides deflecting blame by stating that the school had already notified and notified them of the situation, and that Miyabi Nagumo's injury was due to her own willful entry into the forest, they also mentioned that Miyabi Nagumo was not seriously injured but still needed to recuperate in the hospital. They thoughtfully stated that, out of humanitarian concern and a sense of partial responsibility, the school would cover all medical expenses...

In the final paragraph of this lengthy official statement, after successfully defining and definitively categorizing the incident, the school casually announced its final course of action:

Miyabi Nagumo received a disciplinary action, with one million Private Points deducted. She also resigned as Student Council President and will no longer hold any position within the Student Council.

As soon as the announcement was made, various anonymous posts on the campus forum sprang up. Many students even imitated the story of the Water Gate Marquis of the American Meitingzong next door and gave Miyabi Nagumo the nicknames of Dong Aizong and Wild Boar Marquis. Everywhere was a scene of vibrant life and thriving competition.

Shortly after the school issued the announcement, the Student Council's official account also posted a notice on the forum almost simultaneously, stating that due to Miyabi Nagumo's sudden situation, the Student Council would hold an emergency election and must re-elect a new Student Council President within this semester. Otherwise, the club recruitment activities after the new students enroll in April two months later could not be carried out normally.

Theoretically, the participation of Student Council members like Horikita Suzune in the Student Council President election should have been a matter for second-year students and above. The election method is usually a vote by students in the same year and upper-year (third-year) students, and Student Council members, especially former Student Council President, have a significant weight. However, due to the special circumstances this time, the school had no choice but to cancel Miyabi Nagumo's voting eligibility as a former Student Council President and also announce that First Year would be included in the voting pool. After all, you can't elect First Year- year students without allowing them to participate.

It has to be said that the students on the campus forum are indeed quite idle. As soon as the Student Council issued the announcement, several posts quickly followed up, and those who didn't mind making a fuss organized an anonymous poll in advance, listing the names of the four candidates Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Katsuragi Kohei, Horikita Suzune, and Sakayanagi Arisu, as options.

In this round of early voting, which was more like a fun-filled contest, the two girls easily outperformed the two boys from Class C. After all, having a good appearance is quite important in modern society, and given that the Student Council President of the previous two terms were both male, many students were indeed looking forward to seeing some fresh changes.

However, everyone knows that the outcome of this election will not be the same as this playful prank. After all, this is not an idol audition program. Although there has always been an unspoken rule in the Student Council that the president must be a student from Class A, with the examples of Horikita Manabu Miyabi Nagumo, everyone can see that becoming the Student Council President can help solidify one's position in the class. This statement is a cause-and-effect relationship from beginning to end.

For Class 1-B and Class D, which have no candidates within their classes, their position has undoubtedly become quite delicate. Should they turn a blind eye and let things develop as they are, or should they actively participate? How to seize the greatest benefit for their class in this Student Council election are all issues that class Leader need to consider and resolve.

Because of this, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't get out of the classroom immediately after school and was completely surrounded. Fortunately, Horikita Suzune seemed to have been kept behind by the students of Class A as well. After exchanging a text message to confirm, the two postponed their usual after-school grocery shopping and dinner preparations for a while and began to focus on their current tasks.

"Actually, this election looks like a four-way battle, but in essence it's a contest between Class A and Class C. After all, all four candidates are from those two classes. It feels like we, Class B, just need to stay out of it and wait for those two classes to come and campaign for us."

Soon, Shibata Sō put forward his opinion, and many students nodded in agreement. After all, Class B was never the type to take the initiative and preferred this passive approach. Since no students from their class were actually running in this election, their participation and enthusiasm would naturally be lower.

"I think that statement is too arbitrary."

However, after thinking for a moment, Kanzaki Ryuji shook his head. He did not deny Shibata Sō's approach, but corrected his view in the first part:

"This is not a battle between Class A and Class C."

"First, Class 1-C. Although their official candidates are Katsuragi and Ayanokoji, after the Special Exam two days ago, it's a done deal that Ayanokoji will officially become the class Leader of Class C. Katsuragi's personality means he won't deliberately oppose Ayanokoji. Totsuka, who might have done that, has already been expelled. So, all the votes from Class C will definitely go to Ayanokoji."

"But the situation in Class 1-A is different from that in Class C. Although Horikita and Sakayanagi are in the same class, they will definitely not be able to concentrate all the votes of the class on one person as easily as Katsuragi and Ayanokoji. Rather, they are rivals. They were able to be vice presidents together before because there were two vice president positions... Now there is only one president position."

"So, if you ask me, this should be a contest between Sakayanagi, Horikita, and Ayanokoji. But if we only consider the support from the students in their own class, Ayanokoji actually has a slight advantage."

The internal divisions within Class 1-A had indeed reached a point where students from other classes could see them. Given this inability to reach a consensus, Class 1-C, where Ayanokoji was located, certainly felt that they had a better chance.

"But in the end, it wasn't just Class 1-A and Class C in the first year who voted. There was also our class and Class D in the First Year, not to mention the upperclassmen and the Student Council."

After Kanzaki Ryuji took the lead in opening up new avenues of thought, Karuizawa Kei quickly followed suit:

"I feel like the opinions of the second-year students are the most important. After all, the third-year members of the Student Council have already left. Apart from the First Year students who participated in the election, aren't all the former Student Council members with a lot of voting power second-year students? The former vice president Kiriyama, and the two former secretaries Mizowaki and Tonokawa."

Although both were attacked by wild boars, the nature of the incidents involving Mizowaki Tonokawa was different from that of Miyabi Nagumo, as they were more like simple victims. Therefore, the school treated them more leniently. Apart from a symbolic penalty of some Private Points and the removal of their positions Student Council secretaries, they retained their right to continue working in the Student Council.

"The second-year students... it seems like they don't really care about this Student Council election. I bet most of the anonymous posts on the forum were made by second-year students. Compared to the Student Council, they're probably more concerned about how to get Nagumo out of ANHS and then install the next one."

Since learning that Miyabi Nagumo had squandered almost all the Private Points that the second-year students had painstakingly accumulated over the past year, Nagumo's rule over the second-year students had naturally come to an end. In particular, after hearing that Nagumo had generously wiped out the millions of yen owed to Class 1-C at the expense of others during this Special Exam, this dissatisfaction reached its peak.

If Miyabi Nagumo hadn't met with any unexpected events, she might have been able to use her personal methods to win over one faction and suppress another to resolve this trouble. However, there are always more good boars than good people in this world, and she directly crashed into him, turning him into the current offline monarch, which made the situation in the entire second year spiral out of control.

"As for the third-year students, they were all preparing to graduate, so the results of this election didn't really concern them from the start. To be honest, Class 3-A will probably stand firmly on Horikita's side, since her brother is the Leader of Class 3-A. Other classes might support other candidates just to annoy Class A one last time, or they might not care. It's hard to say right now, anyway, they only have two months left before graduation."

After all the students in the class had finished analyzing the current situation and expressing their own opinions, Kitagawa Ryo finally shared his thoughts:

"From my personal standpoint, I have already promised to support Suzune."

Although he said it was his personal stance, Kitagawa Ryo knew that with his current position in Class B, saying this was basically equivalent to binding the entire Class B to the chariot of supporting Suzune.

As expected, as soon as Kitagawa Ryo finished speaking, the entire Class B quickly shifted its stance to support Horikita Suzune. They didn't even need to ask for a reason; it just goes to show that this is the atmosphere in Class 1-B. In matters where there are no conspiracies or tricks, as long as the Leader raises their arm, everyone will follow without hesitation.

Especially since Ichinose Honami nor Karuizawa Kei explicitly objected, the other students in Class B naturally had no objections.

"The specific election process hasn't started yet, but for now, just know that we support Suzune in this Student Council election."

Since he wasn't a member of the Student Council, Kitagawa Ryo wasn't actually very familiar with the Student Council's election process, especially since this election was due to a sudden and unexpected situation, and the procedures were different from the past.

However, it's best to let the news out for now. As for how it will be imagined and embellished once it gets out, Kitagawa Ryo will remain in the dark for the time being.

"I'll be helping the second and third year students campaign later, but don't worry about it too much. Just cast your vote when the official election comes around."

After securing the votes from Class 1-B in just a few words, Kitagawa Ryo then called out Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei separately, and devised a somewhat coherent argument for them, although it could be summarized in just one brief sentence:

"You don't want the Drama Club to be constantly nitpicked or even shut down, do you?"

As it turns out, when Sakayanagi Arisu got stuck on her own ideas, even Horikita Suzune seemed like a conservative.

Regarding the so-called 'joke' the other party made on the Uninhabited Island, saying that after becoming the Student Council President, he would immediately grab Kitagawa Ryo to be his personal cook and personal secretary, Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei were more inclined to Sakayanagi Arisu was really capable of doing such a thing, especially after the Special Exam of this Mixed Training Camp.

Of course, after persuading Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei, Kitagawa Ryo still needed to complete another preliminary task before this Student Council election:

Let Asahina Nazuna succeed Miyabi Nagumo as the new Leader of the second-year students.

Please take one day off.

My daughter is still feeling unwell today, experiencing dizziness, nausea, and diarrhea. After struggling for a while this afternoon, she still had to go to the hospital for an IV drip, so I'm taking the day off.

Chapter 443: The Cat Team Makes a Great Contribution

"Asahina Nazuna- senpai, actually, it's quite good that she took over from Nagumo."

After saying goodbye to the students of Class 1-B, Kitagawa Ryo successfully met up with Horikita Suzune in the fresh food section on the first floor of Keyaki Mall. While pushing a shopping cart, they casually chatted about the upcoming Student Council election.

Compared to the past, there are very few students in the fresh food section today. But that makes sense. After eating simple meals for more than a week at the Forest School, and sometimes even having half-cooked and poorly seasoned breakfasts, students are bound to treat themselves to a good meal on their first day back at school. If nothing unexpected happens, the restaurants upstairs in the Keyaki Mall should be packed with people right now.

After Kitagawa Ryo proposed that Asahina Nazuna become the new Leader of the second-year students, Horikita Suzune's attitude became somewhat subtle.

On one hand, after the eight-day Mixed Training Camp Special Exam, she did establish a fairly good relationship with Asahina Nazuna was assigned to the same group. However, she wasn't oblivious enough to have no other doubts about Asahina Nazuna, who had already made a move on Kitagawa Ryo in the Student Cafeteria, staging a scene that resembled an illustration from a light novel's opening color page. Naturally, her tone was somewhat strange.

"... After all, she's the senior that Ryo is closest to in the second year. It's better to support Asahina Nazuna- senpai than to support Kiriyama."

Although it was clear that Kiriyama Ikuto was someone Horikita Manabu had once hoped would be used to counterbalance Miyabi Nagumo, Horikita Suzune was also well aware of Kiriyama's chameleon-like tendency to switch sides repeatedly. Kiriyama's only commendable quality, his concern for the overall interests of the second-year students, was also possessed by Asahina Nazuna, and even surpassed her. After all, in terms of social circles within the entire grade, he didn't have the breadth and depth of Asahina Nazuna's. Kiryuin Fuka, a student in their class whom they hadn't managed to win over for almost two years, was now considered a good friend of Asahina Nazuna's.

"Well, Kiriyama's main advantage right now is that his public persona of being at odds with Miyabi Nagumo's ideals hasn't collapsed yet, and he's still in the Student Council. His main disadvantage is that he's currently a student in Class 2-B, not Class 2-A."

Kitagawa Ryo reached out and picked through the shelves in front of him for a while before finally choosing a radish he was satisfied with. He planned to make some oden himself in the next couple of days; winter is all about eating warm food.

The absolute core of the second-year system that Miyabi Nagumo spent nearly two years building was naturally him, but if we expand the scope slightly, the core is Class 2-A itself. After all, the ultimate goal of students in other classes is to graduate from Class A, so Class 2-A must always maintain its position as Class A.

It is precisely because of this consideration that, even though the primary goal of the second-year students in every Special Exam after the system was established was to extract as many benefits from the school as possible to obtain the maximum Class Points, the boundaries between the four classes, or rather, the boundaries between Class A and other classes, were still set as an insurmountable chasm. This is the biggest problem that Kiriyama Ikuto of Class 2-B now needs to face.

"Yes, Asahina Nazuna's status as Class A student does make it easier for her to take over this system. However, Ryo and I are currently based on the premise that the second-year students are still willing to accept this old system... Is there really no one among them who is thinking about taking another path? Even if it's returning to the competitive model from the First Year."

Surrounded by First Year students whose competitive environment is completely different from that of second-year students Horikita Suzune still seems unable to fully understand some of the second-year students' mindsets. After all, their system completely contradicts the original intention of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. If Miyabi Nagumo hadn't had her accident and had truly managed to perfect this system until graduation, could those students in Class A, and the lucky ones who won the grand prize at the last minute and successfully transferred to Class A, really be considered the so-called talents that Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School wanted to cultivate?

"Everyone has their own choices, just like the third-year students now. Besides, compared to Ayanokoji's vague promise of a bright future after graduation, the second-year students' privilege of being able to live a carefree life without worrying about any Special Exam once they sign a contract, and even having the chance to enter Class A by luck, is definitely more sought after."

After being comforted by Karuizawa Kei, Kitagawa Ryo now emphasizes the concept of respecting the Fate of others and letting go of the urge to help others.

"But Suzune can rest assured, the First Year will definitely not turn out like this. After all, you can't imagine Ryuen and Arisu willingly signing such a contract and obediently acting as someone's dogs, can you?"

"... really."

Horikita Suzune nodded in agreement. Even though Ryuen Kakeru's Class 1-D had fallen to only 300 Class Points, far behind Class C, she had no doubt about Ryuen Kakeru's fighting spirit. Moreover, he had not been entirely empty-handed in the last Mixed Training Camp Special Exam, having managed to reclaim some Private Points from the students of Class B.

Of course, since it was the price he paid to rescue himself, Kitagawa Ryo compensated his classmates for that today. After all, he had just gained nearly five million Private Points through this Special Exam, so he could be considered quite wealthy.

"So, if nothing unexpected happens, Ryuen definitely won't let this Student Council President election go; he'll probably get involved no matter what."

At this point, Kitagawa Ryo also felt somewhat helpless:

"And given his style of doing things, he'll probably be able to replicate Mark Twain's 'Running for Governor' scenario very soon. You'll be able to find seven or eight ragged kids of different ages and skin colors in ANHS who run up to one of you during a speech, hug your legs, and call you 'Mom and Dad'."

As a model student since childhood, Horikita Suzune had naturally read this famous satirical short story, so upon hearing Kitagawa Ryo's words, she breathed a sigh of relief, shook her head, and said, rubbing her forehead:

"But there will definitely be all sorts of anonymous letters and reports. The only question is which side he's on in this election. Liang, could you help me find out? I remember you were quite close to their class."

"Okay, I'll go ask about it tomorrow."

Since he had already promised to support Horikita Suzune in the upcoming Student Council election, Kitagawa Ryo readily agreed to Suzune's request.

Just before Kitagawa Ryo was about to head to Class D to find out what was going on, an uninvited guest barged into his room.

"... The pressure is immense."

Looking at Asahina Nazuna sitting opposite him, head down and hands behind her back, radiating a dark aura, Kitagawa Ryo could only push the freshly brewed hot drink on the table toward her and say comfortingly:

"Starting anything from scratch is always the hardest part; take it slow."

As it turns out, the real world isn't a light novel or comic book. While a momentary burst of confidence and courage might help in making that crucial decision, the real test of ability lies in the subsequent actions.

Just like Shiina Hiyori, who ran into a lot of trouble in class management affairs, Asahina Nazuna is now taking over the leadership of an entire grade. Therefore, losing the first battle was within Kitagawa Ryo's expectations.

"Meow--"

Because Asahina Nazuna herself was one of the few people in the entire Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School who knew that Kitagawa Ryo secretly kept a cat in the dormitory, Hotaru naturally didn't need to hide anymore. Instead, she jumped openly onto Asahina Nazuna's hands and comforted the Pooper Scooper, whose number was unknown, who had briefly taken care of her for a while.

Seeing that Asahina Nazuna's emotions had finally stabilized somewhat under the combined comfort of the hot drink and the kitten, Kitagawa Ryo rested his chin on his hand and raised an eyebrow at her:

"So what exactly is going on with the second graders now?"

"Um... could you say it's a chaotic mess?"

Faced with Kitagawa Ryo's question, Asahina Nazuna, feeling a bit of a headache, slumped onto the table, tilting her head slightly upwards as she continued: