The Decision Has Already Been Made / Yes, President

"First, there's the Student Council. Because Nagumo was dismissed, and Mizowaki and Tonokawa both defected—that's what Nagumo announced to the class—the entire second-year class, or rather, Class 2-A, saw their control over the Student Council collapse almost overnight. The only one who still had any say was former vice president Kiriyama."

"But only a handful of people, like Nagumo and Tonokawa, know about the Mizowaki between Nagumo and Kiriyama in the past. Just as Ryo predicted, Kiriyama has now firmly established this persona. Not only in Class B, but even within Class A, no one suspects that he has actually been Nagumo's spy all along. After all, if Mizowaki and Tonokawa were to come forward to testify now, everyone would only think it's a frame-up."

"I came here today to negotiate with Kiriyama and see if we can resolve the current situation peacefully. After all, Nagumo is just lying in the hospital, but he hasn't been officially expelled yet. But he's acting all anxious and even turned around and talked back to me, saying that Class 2-A has been causing trouble for the second year with Nagumo for so long, so they should make appropriate compensation first."

"What compensation?"

"Paying off Private Points, and deliberately making things easier in the subsequent Special Exam to bring the Class Points of the four classes back to the same starting line for fair competition—how is that even possible?"

Biting her straw with a hint of resentment, Asahina Nazuna clenched her fists again as she recalled her Matoba with Kiriyama Ikuto earlier that day.

"At first, I really thought he wanted to protect the interests of all the second-year students, but now it seems that what he really wants is for his Class B to return to the position of Class A."

As the former Leader of Class A, who was defeated by Miyabi Nagumo in his First Year, Kiriyama Ikuto does indeed harbor such an obsession. However, in the past, he was unable to realize it because of Miyabi Nagumo's existence, and could only suppress it in his heart for the time being. But now, with Miyabi Nagumo on the verge of collapse, he is starting to get restless again and preparing to transform into Murong Fu to restore order to the nation.

"But I know there's nothing wrong with thinking about my own class, since I'm actually on the side of the students in Class A right now. Sigh, that's why this problem is so hard to solve."

A short while later, Asahina Nazuna, taking Kiriyama Ikuto's perspective, uttered this remark.

The current situation in the second year is that the second half of Class C and Class D are completely in a state of abandonment. Their idea is that as long as Nagumo leaves, whoever takes his place can still ensure that the old system of Transfer Ticket can continue to operate, and they will support that person.

In fact, if Class B could also have such thoughts or awareness, the whole thing would undoubtedly become much clearer. All that would be needed is for Class 2-A to elect a new Leader from within the class. But unfortunately, the Leader of Class 2-B is Kiriyama Ikuto, who now wants to stand up and represent Class B to compete for the position.

"In that case, it would be better if Kiriyama couldn't be the Leader of Class B."

"Um?"

Seemingly not quite understanding Kitagawa Ryo's meaning, Asahina Nazuna widened her pupils slightly, and her expression was strangely similar to that of Hotaru, who was holding her in her arms.

"The reason why Kiriyama can lead Class B and now stand against you, senior, is actually quite simple: his own abilities are indeed quite good. Moreover, in the eyes of most second-year students, he is someone who has always been on the front line against Miyabi Nagumo. In fact, former Student Council president Horikita even endorsed him in the past."

"Now we just need to peel away these halos layer by layer from him, and then find a more suitable Leader for the students in Class B."

"I'll handle things with former Student Council Horikita. I'll also talk to Mizowaki and Tonokawa and ask them to spread the word about the relationship between Kiriyama Nagumo. The effect may be limited, but it's better than nothing, and besides, this is a real thing, not something made up out of thin air."

"As for the new Leader of Class 2-B..."

"In their class, isn't there a student whose abilities are visibly superior to Kiriyama's, who has never submitted to Nagumo's rule for even a second, and who has never even signed that contract?"

At this point, Kitagawa Ryo glanced again at Hotaru, who was still stretching lazily in Asahina Nazuna's arms.

Perhaps this is just a coincidence of Fate.

After all, the root of this whole 'ill-fated relationship' was this little guy sneaking out of the dormitory to play.

Chapter 444: The decision has been made above.

Although he had finished the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam and returned to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School from the Forest School, Kitagawa Ryo felt that his daily schedule had become more compact and even full. Unlike there, where he was given a fixed schedule of what classes to attend and what to do at every moment, the various unexpected events at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School were simply overwhelming.

For example, right now.

Kitagawa Ryo had originally planned to ask Hiyori or Ryuen about Class D's stance on the Student Council election after school today. However, as soon as the bell rang, all the students received a notice from their homeroom teacher to attend an awards ceremony in the auditorium after school. And the person in charge of this awards ceremony, or rather, the person being awarded, was none other than himself.

That's right. After the official announcement of the punishment results for Miyabi Nagumo's incident yesterday, today was Kitagawa Ryo's turn to receive a reward. After all, the school had only given him a verbal commendation for his act of bravery during the Special Exam. However, Kitagawa Ryo himself did not expect the school to make such a big fuss. He thought it would be like Miyabi Nagumo, issuing a formal announcement and then depositing some real Private Points into his account, and that would be the end of it.

Hopefully, the school won't use these empty ceremonies to shirk the rewards that can be easily obtained. After all, Kitagawa Ryo doesn't need to use this method to make a name for himself or increase his reputation in ANHS anymore. His popularity on campus is already much higher than that of Tsukishiro, the Acting Chairman.

With this in mind, Kitagawa Ryo also set off ahead of their Hoshinomiya Chie, heading towards the school auditorium.

"During the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam, I'm really grateful to the class advisor for following my instructions beforehand."

Hoshinomiya Chie Kitagawa Ryo, who was quite familiar with Hoshinomiya Chie's personality, knew that if he didn't take the initiative to speak, she would eventually find a topic to talk about. Therefore, he simply started the conversation and sincerely thanked Hoshinomiya Chie for her efforts in the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam that had just ended.

"Oh, it's nothing, just a small matter. Besides, didn't Kitagawa-kun ultimately give me and the class a perfect report card?"

Holding the folder in her hands, Hoshinomiya Chie smiled warmly, like a gentle spring breeze. After personally experiencing the ace player that Chabashira Sae longed for but couldn't have, she herself was slightly tipsy and lightheaded. But she quickly suppressed her smile and showed a troubled expression:

"But Class C also earned a lot of Class Points in this Special Exam. If we only consider the increase in points, they are the second-best in the First Year, even surpassing Class A."

As always, compared to the Class Points that most students are concerned about, which are only slightly different from Class A, Hoshinomiya Chie Chabashira Sae focused on Class C, and as soon as she sees any signs of a comeback, she immediately tries to nip it in the bud.

"But it's still not as good as our class, is it? Hoshinomiya, never let your emotions affect you too much. The lesson of Chabashira on the Uninhabited Island last year is still fresh in our minds."

After giving Hoshinomiya Chie a reply that was half comforting and half encouraging, Kitagawa Ryo changed the subject again:

"How come I didn't hear anything about this awards ceremony beforehand?"

"Because it was a proposal put forward by the Acting Chairman at the last minute, not to mention you, we teachers only received the news today."

Faced with Kitagawa Ryo's question, Hoshinomiya Chie sighed helplessly. After all, compared to the previous chairman, Sakayanagi Shigemori, the current acting chairman, Tsukishiro Tsunehira, was a real troublesome figure. However, whenever teachers encountered this situation, they could only console themselves by thinking that the other party wouldn't be chairman for long and would have to step down. After all, they were just ordinary working people, and not everyone had Majima Tomoya's willingness to speak out against their direct superior for the sake of their students.

Upon hearing that it was another trick concocted by Tsukishiro, Kitagawa Ryo himself had a bad feeling. After all, this Acting Chairman had always liked to stir up trouble since taking office, and the previous Student Council President, Miyabi Nagumo, was, in a sense, ruined by him.

Kitagawa Ryo, guessing Tsukishiro's intentions, walked all the way to the backstage of the auditorium. He was then led directly into the dressing room by school staff who were waiting there. They instructed him to change out of his school uniform and put on another set of formal attire that had been prepared in advance. After changing, he was led to the dressing room. This series of familiar procedures almost made Kitagawa Ryo think that he was about to go on stage to perform again.

While he was waiting backstage, the main stage outside seemed to have already begun the specific steps of the awards ceremony. The host's voice could be faintly heard. Not long after, another staff member hurriedly came in and told Kitagawa Ryo to wait outside before going on stage.

As we approached the steps near the main stage, the sounds from above became much clearer. Standing there, giving the opening remarks, was Tsukishiro, the Acting Chairman of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. The entire school's teachers and students sat in the audience section in front of the main stage, but most of the students looked drowsy and listless. After all, this kind of award ceremony, which was brought to them on the spot after being notified at the last minute, didn't really interest them. In any case, they weren't the ones being honored. Only the students in Class 1-B and some Student Council in Class A showed some pride and self-satisfaction.

"Now, let's formally invite Kitagawa Ryo and Kitagawa-kun from Class 1-B to the stage!"

Amidst the host's passionate speech, Kitagawa Ryo thought he had arrived at an awards ceremony for "Top Ten People Who Moved ANHS." Fortunately, he had attended countless award ceremonies, so he wasn't nervous at all. Following the staff's instructions, he quickly walked up the steps on the side of the stage and smoothly arrived at the center. He received what appeared to be an award certificate from Tsukishiro, and the students in the audience applauded twice.

"In recognition of Beichuan's composure and courage in protecting the lives and property of two of our students during the previous Special Exam, in addition to the honorary recognition, the school will award him an extra 200,000 Private Points. We hope this will encourage other students to uphold kindness and courageously protect the rights of others while ensuring their own safety on campus."

Two hundred thousand, that's not bad.

Ignoring Tsukishiro's platitudes in the latter half, Kitagawa Ryo subtly pursed his lips after keenly grasping the specific amount of the material reward. However, considering the presence of photographers nearby, he maintained a polite smile, the kind of expression that would be perfect for a news photo without any editing.

However, Kitagawa Ryo didn't think the commendation ceremony would end here. Tsukishiro didn't think that such a big event would be held for a certificate and 200,000 Private Points. There must be some other arrangements.

As expected, after spouting such empty platitudes for quite a while, Tsukishiro finally changed the subject:

"In this Special Exam that just ended, two things undoubtedly impressed me the most. One was the act of bravery of Kitagawa, who was commended today, in rescuing his classmate from the jaws of a wild boar. The other was the incident where Nagumo, a student from Class 2-A, violated school regulations, ignored school notices, and entered the mountains without permission, resulting in his injury."

"The contrast between the two is truly shocking, especially considering that Nagumo is the president of our school's student Student Council President, and his every action should set an example for all students."

"Currently, due to his personal issues, the Student Council's functions are also hampered, forcing the school to urgently initiate elections for a new Student Council, but—"

After deliberately drawing out his words, Tsukishiro spoke again with a serious expression:

"It takes time to rebuild a new Student Council team. During this Student Council election period, due to practical considerations, the Student Council still needs to maintain normal operations to help the school handle some necessary issues."

In that instant, Tsukishiro, who had already guessed what Kitagawa Ryo was going to say, mentally gave him several friendly insults, though his words weren't very polite.

"Compared to Nagumo, who was negligent in his duties, Kitagawa not only excels in personal moral character, but also performs exceptionally well in club activities. In just one year, he led the Drama Club, which had been disbanded, to win numerous awards and repeatedly received the title of outstanding club recognized by the school. This demonstrates his outstanding management skills."

"In addition, former student council secretaries Mizowaki and Tonokawa, who had long served in the Student Council, also expressed their full affirmation of Kitagawa's abilities."

"Therefore, after deliberation by the school, it has been decided that during the period of the Student Council election, Miyabi Nagumo will temporarily assume the duties of Kitagawa Ryo Masaru and become the acting Student Council President. After the Student Council election, power will be handed over to the new president, and she will return to her position in the Drama Club."

"Above."

After finishing his speech, Tsukishiro walked over to Kitagawa Ryo and patted him on the shoulder in a friendly manner, giving the camera a kind and admiring expression that said, "I have high hopes for you."

"Then, starting tomorrow, Kitagawa, you'll be reporting to the Student Council."

The Acting Chairman appointed the acting Student Council President.

It has to be said that this was another development that Kitagawa Ryo hadn't anticipated.

Written request for leave

Nannan initially thought it was a problem with the near-expiry food, but later she showed some flu-like symptoms, so she thought it was because the food had lowered her immunity and caused an infection. She had her cervical spine, liver, and kidneys checked last night and today, and they found some problems. She's currently hospitalized for observation. I'm taking a day off today, and we'll know the full details after all the tests are completed.

He asked me to send out a leave request. I was about to start writing, so I sent it now. Come to think of it, I've been sending them out for him a lot lately. Sigh, I hope I can send out fewer for him so he can get better.


Happy Mid-Autumn Festival and an update on my recent situation.

First of all, I wish everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival. Although it's a bit late to post this now, it's not midnight yet, so it should be fine.

Regarding my own health condition, it's not very optimistic, which is why I've been hospitalized for the past two days. I also suggest that everyone take some time each year to have a physical examination at the hospital; good health is truly very important.

Then there's the update; it should be back up by the end of this week.

Finally, let me casually chat about the behind-the-scenes stories of this book's creation. Readers who know me probably know I'm a visual novel enthusiast, and I even wrote some fanfiction before, though it flopped terribly, failing to even get a contract. The original characters in this book, including Ryo and Hotaru, are heavily influenced by visual novels, or rather, based on their characters. The main reason is that while I was lying in the hospital these past few days browsing online forums, I discovered that some readers noticed that Hotaru's character design is indeed a reference to Minazuki Hotaru from <Tianjin Crime>. Maybe I'll write a side story with a darker Hotaru worldline, similar to that game. Hmm, another hole dug.

Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival again, and most importantly, good health.

Chapter 445: Yes, Chairman

[Student Council's Office]

To be honest, Kitagawa Ryo had considered that he might one day enter this place as the master by chance, but he really didn't expect it to happen so much faster than he imagined. After all, before today, he wasn't even a member of the Student Council of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Kitagawa Ryo gradually came to understand Tsukishiro's sudden appointment of him as acting Student Council.

Firstly, objectively speaking, at this particular juncture—with third-year students busy with graduation exams, Student Council members, including the Student Council President, having one dismissed and three demoted, and the remaining four capable First Year students suddenly becoming direct competitors for the president position—the normal operation of the Student Council does seem to be facing problems.

Unlike previous instances where the vice president temporarily took over when the Student Council President was temporarily in trouble, this time the Student Council President was stripped of all his power. Regardless of whether Horikita Suzune or Sakayanagi Arisu temporarily took over the president's duties, it would inevitably affect the upcoming Student Council election. Moreover, these candidates were supposed to focus their main energy on this matter during this period, so theoretically, a student was indeed needed to coordinate and manage everything.

But Kitagawa Ryo still didn't think this student should be him.

In his view, if the solution to this problem were truly from the perspective of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, it would be a better option to let Kiriyama Ikuto Ikuhachi from Class 2-B make a comeback, since he would at least be unrelated to the upcoming First Year election.

Therefore, this should be considered as Tsukishiro's personal arrangement.

As for the other party's intentions, Kitagawa Ryo was more willing to observe their subsequent actions. After all, he had spent so much time with Tsukishiro, the Acting Chairman, and he knew very well that Tsukishiro always used a series of combined tactics. For now, it was best to wait and see.

With this in mind, Kitagawa Ryo composed himself and pushed open the door to the room marked [Student Council's Office]. However, the moment he stepped inside, he couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly.

If Horikita Manabu's office during his time as Student Council President was characterized by fairness, sincerity, or even rigid simplicity, then Miyabi Nagumo's office style as Student Council President is undoubtedly the complete opposite.

Not only were the wallpaper and wall coverings completely renovated, but a large number of items that appeared to be his personal belongings were also placed in the room. Everywhere you could see various gifts that seemed to have been given to him by the girls, such as ornaments and dolls. This office was less like the office of the Student Council president representing the student Student Council and more like Miyabi Nagumo's private room, filled with a strong personal touch that was impossible to ignore.

Although Kitagawa Ryo admitted that his dormitory room was in a similar state to Miyabi Nagumo's, he still found it hard to accept that things were arranged like this in a public office space. After reaching out and removing a rabbit doll that some girl had given to Miyabi Nagumo from the armrest of his office chair, Kitagawa Ryo immediately summoned Mizowaki and Tonokawa, who were on duty at the Student Council at the moment, and gave them his first order as acting Student Council President:

Clean the room.

It has to be said that Fate is indeed a very strange thing. Just over half a year ago, he was joking on the Uninhabited Island Sakayanagi Arisu the first thing Sakayanagi Arisu did after becoming the Student Council President was to change the cook, which was no different from Jim Hacker in "Yes, Prime Minister". Now, his first act as the new president is also the subtle act of cleaning the room.

As Kitagawa Ryo thought this, he packed all of Miyabi Nagumo's personal belongings into a box and carried it out of the office. After all, these were her things and he would have to return them later.

Mizowaki and Tonokawa, the two former Student Council secretaries and Nagumo's right-hand men, were quite hardworking. Although Miyabi Nagumo was currently undergoing a major purge, the crime Nagumo had accused them of was betraying the class's interests, and the impression of them being Nagumo's lackeys was too deeply ingrained. Therefore, even with the current upheaval and reshuffling in Class 2-A, few students were willing to support them. After discussing it, the two brothers decided to wholeheartedly side with Kitagawa Ryo, after all, this junior... no, older brother, was truly willing to go the extra mile when needed.

With the help of Mizowaki and Tonokawa, it took about two hours for Kitagawa Ryo to finally finish cleaning up the Student Council's office. Except for the wallpaper, which was too troublesome to remove, it was basically restored to the simple appearance of Horikita Manabu's days.

Although theoretically, his actions could easily be exaggerated by those with ulterior motives into the claim that the newly appointed acting Student Council President, Kitagawa Ryo, was a supporter of the former Student Council President, Horikita Manabu, he had already made it clear that he would support Horikita Suzune, so he didn't think much of it. Besides, he really couldn't stand Miyabi Nagumo's stuff.

After the initial cleanup was completed, Kitagawa Ryo hadn't even settled into his office chair when Mizowaki and Tonokawa rushed over with a stack of documents that had accumulated over the past two days and needed the Student Council's confirmation and stamp. Most of them were matters between clubs, but Kitagawa Ryo didn't just stamp them casually. Instead, he carefully examined each one.

One of the rights of the Student Council, or rather the Student Council, lies precisely here. As an organization that handles most of the internal affairs among students on behalf of the school, it can obtain a large amount of information about ANHS every day in the most convenient and quickest way. And information asymmetry is often the key to winning in Special Exam.

Because he had already memorized the faces, names, and basic information of all the teachers and students in the school through the OAA System, Kitagawa Ryo didn't fall into the predicament of not knowing or remembering who these students were when looking at the numerous student names on these documents. With his Eidetic Memory, he browsed through the information at lightning speed, resembling the quantum speed reading method often seen in TV commercials. After finishing the documents at hand, he even asked Mizowaki and Tonokawa to retrieve some earlier information.

If in the past, Kitagawa Ryo's understanding of other students mainly came from introductions by OAA, Ichinose Honami, and others, then after quickly flipping through some of the Student Council's materials, he learned more about the secret matters known only to the Student Council and those involved. He read with great interest until it was completely dark outside, then locked the door of the Student Council office alone and slowly strolled out, preparing to meet Kiryuin Fuka had arranged to meet.

Because he was delayed a bit by the Student Council, Kitagawa Ryo arrived at the location just in time, though he didn't exceed the agreed-upon time. However, Kiryuin, who was sitting there, didn't seem to mind much and simply waved to him.

"You've been busy since you first joined the company; I didn't expect you to be so dedicated."

"Actually, I spent most of my time tidying up Nagumo's office."

Kitagawa Ryo pulled out a chair, sat down, and ordered his food, casually replying with this question.

Perhaps because it was the weekend, Kiryuin Fuka wasn't wearing her usual ANHS uniform, but rather a simple casual outfit. Her long, silver-white hair was as unbound as ever, draped over the back of the chair and cascading down like a waterfall, making Kitagawa Ryo take a second look.

"The items were packed into several large boxes, and we've sealed them away for now. We'll return them to him when he goes back to school."

Ignoring the 'you're actually pretty nice' look that Kiryuin Fuka was giving her, Kitagawa Ryo waved his hand and explained again:

"I recorded the whole thing, so he won't try to deny it later by saying something important is missing."

"Nagumo probably doesn't have that in mind anymore. If I put myself in his shoes, I feel like he wouldn't even want to come back to school. After all, it must be hard for a student like him to accept suddenly falling from grace."

As a second-year student, Kiryuin Fuka was clearly aware of the counterattacks and retaliations against Miyabi Nagumo during this period of time. However, on the other hand, this was actually good news for her, as it could be said that Nagumo had used his own body to absorb a huge wave of hatred for her.

Of course, her improved situation in the second year was also closely related to Miyabi Nagumo's breakdown. After all, many students in the second year hated Nagumo because of the latter's overwhelming performance against Kiryuin at the Sports Festival. Now that the positions of the two sides have been reversed, Kiryuin, who defeated Nagumo at the Sports Festival, has naturally completed the reversal of the situation.

And that's precisely why Kitagawa Ryo came to find her.

"Make me the Leader of Class 2-B?"

After hearing Kitagawa Ryo's purpose, Kiryuin Fuka's expression was somewhat amused. She unceremoniously took the juice the waiter had brought, ignoring the straw and drinking most of it in one gulp, while giving him a smirk.

"Hey, I'm telling you, are you really planning to practically lift Asahina Nazuna up to become the Leader of this second-year class?"

"After Nagumo, a new Leader will eventually emerge in the second year. I think it shouldn't be a problem to have a senior I know take on the role?"

"Aren't we close?"

"... I don't think you'd be willing to take on such a troublesome task."

"That's really true."

After this rapid-fire question and answer, Kiryuin Fuka nodded, resting her chin on her hand, and suddenly uttered a somewhat inexplicable remark: