So That's What This Was About / Speed-Dating Event...

As the first-year students who usually get the most exposure to Kitagawa Ryo's baking and desserts, the girls in Class 1-D First Year were naturally eager to learn how to make better chocolates to give as Valentine's Day was approaching.

Theoretically speaking, Kitagawa Ryo is undoubtedly a better teacher than Horikita Suzune.

However, it's really not appropriate for them to directly ask Kitagawa Ryo about this. After all, even if they did do it, and Kitagawa Ryo actually agreed...

Shiina Hiyori is watching you. JPG

Chapter 452: So that's what it was about?

During this period, or more precisely, after the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam, the atmosphere in Class 1-A became quite subtle.

For every student in Class 1-A, the most obvious change naturally comes from the seating arrangement in the class after the official start of the third semester.

As the class with the fewest students in the First Year, Class A, which originally had only thirty-four students, suddenly lost three more after the winter break: Maezono Chiyo, Kitagawa Ryo, and Ichinose Honami. Two of these three were the central figures in the class in the past, so when their seats were really empty, most students couldn't completely ignore them.

Although six students dropped out during the Midterm Exam of the first semester, they had only known each other for a short time then, and their relationships and feelings for each other were not that deep. Therefore, compared to the simple fear they felt back then, the current students in Class A undoubtedly have a much more complicated mindset.

The second change naturally stems from the open and covert struggle between Horikita Suzune and Sakayanagi Arisu over the position of class Leader. From the undercurrents during winter break to the direct confrontation during the Mixed Training Camp, and now to the Student Council election controversy, the intensity between the two has been steadily increasing. The ever-growing vortex has made it impossible for any student in Class A to remain uninvolved, forcing them to choose one side to support.

Ultimately, this is also for the sake of the class.

Speaking of the class level, the lingering shadow in the minds of the students in Class A is naturally the fact that Class B, thanks to this Special Exam during the Mixed Training Camp, has made a remarkable leap forward and is now only one step away from them in terms of Class Points.

Humans are indeed never satisfied.

Just over half a year ago, I was still looking forward to a better tomorrow with zero Class Points. Now, I have nearly a thousand Class Points and I am worried every day that I will lose my position in Class A.

After all, in the past year, the students in Class A have become more accustomed to continuous success and advancement. Their journey from D to A is unique even in the history of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

But now they are about to lose that glory.

In fact, most of the students in Class A, who had experienced such a short year of baptism in their ANHS life, were no longer the defective products that had been stuffed into Class D when they first entered school. Almost everyone could realize that the current problem of the class was the lack of a true Leader to succeed Kitagawa Ryo. However, Sakayanagi Arisu and Horikita Suzune were surprisingly evenly matched in every aspect, and no one could be decided in a short time. Therefore, everyone could only turn their attention to this sudden Student Council election, hoping that it could be the final arbiter.

"... If only Horikita or Classmate Sakayanagi could give in a little."

"Yes, if we can pile all the votes on one person like Katsuragi and Ayanokoji from Class C did, and with Kitagawa's help, this Student Council election can basically be settled on the spot."

"Actually, there wouldn't be so many problems if Honami were here."

"Why don't you go a little further and say it would have been best if Beichuan hadn't transferred classes?"

Listening to the chatter of the other girls around her, Matsushita Chiaki simply lowered her head slightly and did not join in immediately.

Unlike the girls around her who still harbored hopes for reconciliation between Sakayanagi Arisu and Horikita Suzune, Matsushita Chiaki, as a friend who was closer to Sakayanagi Arisu, knew very well that this was nothing more than wishful thinking on their part.

If we were to use a line from the comic to explain it, it would be that both of them have reasons why they cannot back down.

After all, even from the few words that Sakayanagi Arisu sometimes unintentionally revealed to her, Matsushita Chiaki could sense a certain weight and power belonging to time, so heavy that it was almost unbelievable.

However, it is undeniable that Horikita Suzune also embodies this feeling.

As a student who was assigned to the same group as the other student in the previous Mixed Training Camp Special Exam, Matsushita Chiaki kept in mind Sakayanagi Arisu's instructions to gradually lure Horikita Suzune into that trap called interpersonal relationships. However, it was precisely because of that week of training camp life that Matsushita Chiaki saw a completely different side of Horikita Suzune.

Before Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami transferred to other classes, they were undoubtedly the leaders of the boys and girls in the class. At that time, Horikita Suzune was more like an Aloof, serious, but aloof and difficult-to-get-along-with academic genius. After all, she rarely interacted with students other than Kitagawa Ryo and would go straight to the Student Council every day after school without fail.

However, with the departure of Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami, when the students of Class A opened the OAA on their phones again, they discovered that the other party's overall quality was almost impeccable. Her academic performance, sports, club activities, and the Student Council member status that was not valued at the time but is now extremely precious, all these factors combined finally made Horikita Suzune a candidate for class Leader.

After all, you may not like or even hate her personality, but her abilities are undeniable. She made huge contributions to the class in the Uninhabited Island, the Sports Festival, and the Cultural Festival.

Every time she thinks about this, Matsushita Chiaki can't help but complain about how the school's class assignment system manages to cram so many top-performing students into Class D. In her opinion, even if Sakayanagi Arisu were thrown back into Class A right now, Katsuragi Kohei would be completely under her thumb. There's no need for her to be stuck in this stalemate with Horikita Suzune.

After the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam, although Sakayanagi Arisu won the favor of most of the girls by feigning a bet, Horikita Suzune also won the support of the boys, or rather, the students represented by Kitagawa Ryo who were deeply influenced by Ken Sudō, through her desperate counterattack, and the two sides entered another tug-of-war.

Then came a back-and-forth barrage of rumors. On one side, rumors were Sakayanagi Arisu wanted to become Leader in order to abscond with Twenty Million Personal Points, while on the other side, it was countered that Horikita Suzune got into the Student Council only because her older brother, who was the Student Council, protected her...

Some of these rumors may have actually originated from Sakayanagi Arisu and Horikita Suzune, but as the situation escalated, these rumors became more and more spontaneous. After all, some students in Class A were really starting to take them to heart, almost to the point of infighting.

Fortunately, the unexpected Student Council election prevented this from happening, giving the two a stage to compete.

In fact, she, Matsushita Chiaki, had already made all the preparations and decisions to pave the way for Sakayanagi Arisu's victory...

That's how it was supposed to be.

Until this morning when I was called over by Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Help me make contact with the girls in Class D, excluding Shiina Hiyori."

"I understand. Are you trying to gauge Class D's attitude and inclination in this Student Council election?"

"Oh, no, I heard they've been asking Horikita Ibuki. Go and learn from them, then come back and teach me."

"?"

Chapter 453: Blind Date Event

Just as preparations for the Valentine's Day celebration were nearing completion, with only a few days left before the event officially began, another unexpected piece of big news successfully captured the attention of the entire faculty and student body of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School:

Miyabi Nagumo was successfully discharged from the hospital and returned to school.

Actually, the timing is about right. After all, according to the school's announcement, Miyabi Nagumo's injury wasn't serious, and after being observed in the hospital for more than a week, she was indeed almost recovered.

However, this former star student of ANHS neither made a lightning-fast return nor received any reports of the supreme Student Council's imminent arrival in his loyal second-year class. Rather, most students viewed his return with a mocking and spectator-like attitude. After all, the events that occurred in the second year and Asahina Nazuna's rise to power were no secret. Not to mention the second-year students, even Class 2-A might not continue to support this former class Leader.

After losing the position of Student Council and the huge amount of Private Points he controlled, the halo surrounding Miyabi Nagumo in the past gradually faded away. Now he was just an ordinary student who had just received a notice of criticism and punishment from the school and had offended many people.

Of course, we should also add the prefix 'disfigured'.

The wild boar incident that occurred during the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam did not cause any major personal injury to Miyabi Nagumo. According to the initial assessment afterward, it was only a minor injury. However, since the injured area was her face and it clearly affected her appearance, the hospital ultimately gave her a report of a first-degree minor injury.

However, since Miyabi Nagumo's accident was purely the result of violating school regulations and causing her own death, theoretically speaking, no matter what level of minor injury she suffered, it had nothing to do with ANHS School. Nevertheless, ANHS, under the guise of humanitarian concern, paid all of Miyabi Nagumo's medical expenses and even compensated her with a portion of her Private Points as compensation for mental distress.

However, these Private Points were clearly only a minor consolation for Miyabi Nagumo, especially when he looked in the mirror and stared for a long time at the long, diagonal scar that ran across his right cheek and the two scars on his chin.

If it were the old Miyabi Nagumo, he would probably still be immersed in the aftermath of his disfigurement for a long time, unable to extricate himself. After all, he had always been the most popular person in his class and even the whole school since he was a child. The source of this popularity, besides his studies and sports, was his handsome appearance.

However, Miyabi Nagumo is different now.

Although he still felt some resentment and regret, having already tasted the flavor of power, he had learned to comfort and resolve himself. After all, most of the big Ayanokoji Atsuomi whom he had met at the Cultural Festival, had ordinary faces.

There is indeed a saying in this world that top Actor should all participate in politics, but it has never been required that one must have an Actor's face to participate in politics. What one could attract and obtain with that face in the past, one can obtain in the same way, or even more, after gaining power.

Rather, he learned that he still had a chance to use this opportunity to show off in front of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka again, since ultimately it was all because of the other party...

Until she officially returned to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, Miyabi Nagumo still harbored this plan in her mind.

But the reality of his second year was undoubtedly a blow to him.

Although she had suffered several setbacks at the hands of Tsukishiro Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Kitagawa Ryo, and had managed to win many smiles at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Sakayanagi Arisu, it is undeniable that Miyabi Nagumo had never really cared about the private plot of land she had painstakingly cultivated for almost two years in her second year.

That's why he would use the entire grade's resources to fight against Horikita Manabu and Kitagawa Ryo based on his own personal ideas, and he would use the Private Points he had plundered at will. After all, in Miyabi Nagumo's mind, he never thought that the second year would escape his control.

But such a fact did indeed occur during the short period of his hospitalization. The second-year students completed all the reckoning with Miyabi Nagumo in an unbelievable manner. Even on the day Miyabi Nagumo returned to school and walked back into the classroom of Class 2-A, one could feel that the whole air was filled with a strong atmosphere of "Why did you come back?"

Even though most of the second-year students still had contracts with him, the first thing Miyabi Nagumo learned from Tsukishiro was that ANHS's contracts were just a piece of waste paper if the notary didn't want to abide by them.

In fact, it can never guarantee its own safety.

What the second-year students feared and dreaded in the past was not the content stipulated in the contract. What they were truly hesitant to do was the huge amount of Private Points he had, the desire to express dissatisfaction but the fear of being reported by other students, and the fear of not being disqualified from the lottery to enter Class A.

But now they've all vanished along with the halos surrounding Miyabi Nagumo.

His former Student Council's office was handed over to acting president Kitagawa Ryo. His former right-hand men, Mizowaki and Tonokawa, were now working hard for each other. And the person who replaced him as the new Leader of the second year was Asahina Nazuna he had never paid any attention to.

After venting her frustration by smashing, tearing up, and destroying all the personal belongings that the Student Council had packed up and sent back, Miyabi Nagumo went straight to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, like a drowning person trying to grasp at the last straw.

On this path where her steps were somewhat unsteady, Miyabi Nagumo began to encourage herself with the stories of setbacks and misfortunes of heroes throughout history, both at home and abroad, and comforted herself with the fantasy of making a comeback and taking revenge on everything.

In this respect, he is more like a gambler who starts fantasizing about winning after losing money, and what he will do after winning.

Then, he laid down all his cards before Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, anxiously awaiting any hope of a comeback:

"I can help you succeed in this Student Council election."

"The second-year students are not a monolithic group anymore. I can regain control—no, even if it's just by inciting and turning a portion of them—and stop them from voting for Horikita."

"I also know many secrets about the Student Council and other clubs."

"You know I've always been on your side, otherwise things wouldn't have turned out this way."

Perhaps because Ayanokoji Kiyotaka on the other side never showed any obvious change in expression, or perhaps because she was simply in a state of utter confusion, Miyabi Nagumo's sentence structure and logic began to become increasingly chaotic. In the end, even her tone involuntarily softened, to the point of almost pleading.

After all, compared to graduating from Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School as an ordinary Class A student, what Miyabi Nagumo found even more unacceptable was missing out on the path he had finally boarded, which, in his view, led straight to a bright future.

Miyabi Nagumo was well aware that his value to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was limited to this school, and this period was also the time when their identities were closest and their experiences were most similar, because once they graduated, their future paths would be clearly divided into two completely different ones, with no possibility of them ever intersecting again.

Although most of the above content comes from Miyabi Nagumo's own imagination, after all, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's side was always just using Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's name as a pretext. They only used Ayanokoji Atsuomi's sudden arrival on the day of the Cultural Festival to scare Miyabi Nagumo, Tsukishiro.

"Your situation isn't so good in second grade; most students want to expel you and completely turn the page on second grade."

"If I'm going to be expelled, I hope I can help out in the last little way. In fact, some things are more suitable for students who are about to be expelled, or who aren't afraid of being expelled, to do."

Miyabi Nagumo's answer was even more decisive than Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had imagined. Her powerful reply, coupled with the two somewhat ferocious scars on her face, made her look rather sinister and quite convincing.

Do you have any specific ideas? Tell me.

"Whether it's between sophomores, between different clubs, or even among First Year, if I wanted to, I could create chaos that would instantly shatter this fragile consensus and balance."

Having clearly defined his position, Miyabi Nagumo, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, unhesitatingly demonstrated his self-destructive abilities as a Pro version of Kushida Kikyo. After Student Council, he had served as vice president and Student Council for so long and had also overseen the OAA, a student data compilation application. It could be said that he was familiar with most things at ANHS, making him a genuine, advanced version of Kushida Kikyo.

To be honest, if it were before making the agreement with Kitagawa Ryo, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka might have really wanted to see the outcome of Miyabi Nagumo's self-destruction. After all, just as the other party said, the more chaotic the situation, the easier it would be for him to profit from the chaos. A second-year student who had been successfully integrated and controlled by Kitagawa Ryo was indeed an outcome he did not want to see.

However, he did indeed lose to Kitagawa Ryo in the Final Exam of the Mixed Training Camp.

Miyabi Nagumo's Fate was already sealed back then.

However, now that things have come to this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka will not let the other party drop out of school without taking anything with them. According to his style of doing things, even if such a convenient pawn cannot be used to its fullest potential, it should be used to exert more value before being discarded.

"Hashimoto Masayoshi."

Thinking of this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also uttered a name.

"Kick him out of our class."

Perhaps sensing this was yet another test of her abilities, Miyabi Nagumo finally breathed a sigh of relief, rallied her spirits, and replied with feigned seriousness:

"As you wish."

Unbeknownst to him, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's true intention was simply to exchange places with this troublemaker from Class C for the Reaper Death Seal.

Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, Student Council.

Since Miyabi Nagumo returned to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, several members of the Student Council have developed a habit of glancing at the gate every now and then. After all, they haven't figured out how to face the former Student Council president. Fortunately, she hasn't visited them even once since returning to school.

"All the plans from the students and clubs have been approved, and we can start setting up the venue tomorrow. Just like last time for the Cultural Festival, the school will temporarily suspend physical education classes that will require the use of the Gymnasium for the next two days."

Vice President Horikita Suzune and Sakayanagi Arisu each carried a thick stack of documents into the Student Council's office, and began to introduce the current progress to Kitagawa Ryo, who had just started working there that day.

"Then, the academic affairs office suddenly sent us a document this morning."

At this point, Sakayanagi Arisu a strange expression, and reached out to pull out a printed electronic letter from the top of the paper documents.

"What? You want to borrow our Matoba temporarily to hold a matchmaking event for faculty and staff?"

After quickly skimming through the information above, Kitagawa Ryo read the contents of the letter aloud with some surprise, then shook his head and muttered a comment:

"This is clearly using someone else's resources to their advantage; we need to charge extra."

"Actually, that's quite normal. After all, before Liang tried to get more funding, didn't he include a statement in the plan hoping that school staff and faculty would come to participate in the event?"

"I was just hoping they'd come and spend more money, but I didn't expect them to organize a matchmaking event for me."

Although he said that, Kitagawa Ryo knew in his heart that this was indeed normal. After all, ANHS was different from other high schools outside. The closed management model was not only for students, but also for teachers and staff. In fact, their dormitory was in another area outside the campus. Students living on the upper floors of the student dormitory could see their dormitory building from afar. Otherwise, Asahina Nazuna would not have thought of the excuse that Hotaru was a pet kept by the teachers and staff if she was discovered.

It is precisely because of this that the faculty and staff of ANHS naturally cannot have much contact with other adults outside the school. It is normal for them to deal with things like dating and blind dates internally. After all, Valentine's Day is not something only students can celebrate. Adults also need spiritual comfort and emotional support.

"Come to think of it, all four of our First Year homeroom teachers seem to be single."

"Oh, right, but Mashima. Majima already has someone he likes. I even helped him get together with her during the summer vacation. I hope this time they can finally be together."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded with interest, feeling that he could also take Honami to watch Mashima Tomoya's matchmaking event.

However, Sakayanagi Arisu and Horikita Suzune were clearly not thinking about this.

"Compared to Mashima -sensei, I actually hope Chabashira -sensei can make some progress in this area... to avoid any more messy rumors about teacher-student relationships."

"Hoshinomiya teacher is also a disqualified teacher. She should find an honest person to settle down with as soon as possible. She has no sense of boundaries or tact between teachers and students."

Kitagawa Ryo could only respond with an awkward but polite smile.

Indeed, it's best to stay away from this matchmaking event.

Chapter 454: A Valentine's Day Destined to Be Chaotic

As expected, the school had just confirmed the matchmaking event among its internal faculty and staff, and Hoshinomiya Chie, who has always lacked a sense of boundaries between teachers and students, casually mentioned it in a complaining tone during the morning class the next day:

"Seriously, does the teacher seem to have reached the age where she can't find a good man without blind dates? And it's mandatory to participate, sigh."