"President, did you need something?"
"You're here, Nagami. Sorry, this is personal. I didn't expect Miyabi Nagumo to make such drastic changes to the school rules after taking office."
Horikita Manabu had called Nagami over to discuss the issue of Miyabi Nagumo.
"If these rule changes pass the Student Council Board, Class D will be in a dangerous position."
The chairman stays, while student council presidents come and go. Thinking a student council president can change the rules however he wants is wishful thinking. Power answers only to its source, and the president's authority to change the rules comes from the chairman's authorization. In the end, Chairman Sakayanagi's opinion carries the most weight.
So there's no need to worry at all.
"Since Tachibana and I are stepping down early in our third year, there are still two vacancies for first-years."
"So I hope you'll support Horikita Suzune's election to the Student Council before she reaches her second year. We need to build a strong opposition within the Student Council and prevent multiple students from Class D being expelled."
"So this school won't be completely changed after I leave."
I'd known from the start that President Horikita had been looking out for Class D specifically because of Horikita Suzune. But this plan of his goes way too far. Why did he only think of bringing Suzune into the Student Council after he was stepping down? Didn't he know that once a veteran leaves, people soon forget him?
Was this beyond President Horikita's expectations, or was it deliberate?
I considered how to respond positively. Should I wait until he graduated before washing my hands of the whole thing? There was only one semester left, after all.
"Senpai, I'll do my best."
Horikita Manabu sighed and began explaining what Nagumo had done in his second year.
In short, Nagumo had unified the entire second year. He'd used a method that was both simple and despicable—a trump card wielded by a leader with the advantage of being in Class A.
He collected protection money from everyone who obeyed him, then ranked them by their loyalty. Before graduation, he would use twenty million points to move the most loyal students into Class A.
Everyone was busy acting like Nagumo's dogs, losing their fighting spirit and ignoring their own predicament. When one person began to defect, all the other weaklings rushed to prove their loyalty.
It had started with Class 2-D. The gap between them and Class A was too great, so nearly everyone had given up and chosen to pledge allegiance.
Class C followed close behind. Finally, even the only class that could put up a fight, Class B, succumbed to the prisoner's dilemma. For the sake of a vague promise about the future, they sold their souls.
Human nature's weakness reminded Nagami of a story about a bandit. A bandit robbed a caravan and demanded ransom from the travelers one by one. The first had to pay just one copper coin, the second two, and so on, until the tenth had to pay one tael of silver. Everyone rushed to pay, completely forgetting that they'd been robbed.
The only difference was that Nagumo wasn't holding a knife to their throats and forcing them to hand over their points.
But Nagami had already seen through it all.
Moving the lucky ones into Class A is just a front. The real goal is to eliminate any threat from the opposing forces.
The answer is obvious. A fortress is best breached from within. No class leader can keep an eye on everything, so a few students with little presence are bound to be overlooked. All it takes is one mole tempted by points.
If two million isn't enough, offer three million. If that's not enough, offer four million—even twenty million. It'd be worth it if that was what it took to bring down all of Class B.
Once a mole appears, suspicion spreads like a plague. Everyone is torn up inside, wondering whether to choose angelic friendship or demonic self-interest.
If I were the leader of Class 2-B, what would I do?
It's simple. I'd make the losses greater than the gains. If I found out someone was going to join Nagumo's pet shop, I'd blow the whistle myself and take several people down with me by getting expelled. How would Nagumo deal with that?
The only way to beat a scoundrel is to be an even bigger scoundrel. That's deterrence.
I hereby declare this place Nagami Plaza. Everyone, get up and don't let the fighting stop!
But this kind of deterrence only works once. It won't work a second time.
Little Nagumo, you've sure given your big brother a tough problem to solve.
"Looking forward to seeing what you do next, Nagami."
After telling Nagami what he needed to know, Horikita Manabu turned to leave.
"Goodbye, senpai."
"Wait, Ayanokoji."
Ayanokoji slowly turned around.
"Oh, Hirata. What is it?"
"I came to talk about Karuizawa. You've known all along that I've been pretending to be her boyfriend to protect our classmates."
"But lately, she's changed a lot. She brings you up with a smile from time to time. I get the feeling you're the reason."
"I'm glad our classmates are getting along."
"Yeah, thanks for your concern, Hirata. Unfortunately, I'm running late for a meeting."
It was rare for the Going-Home Club president to have plans. The study group must have had an effect; compared with the first semester, Ayanokoji now had a few fairly regular friends besides Horikita.
Horikita even teased Ayanokoji, saying that it was unsettling to see him staring at his phone with such an expectant look, as if he were waiting for a message.
"Sorry, sorry. See you."
Hirata apologized and left.
Ayanokoji hurried to the meeting place, a café near the park. His friends were already waiting for him by the window.
"Ayanokoji, over here!"
One of them waved and called out.
Once he sat down, everyone started chatting and made plans to meet once a week from then on.
The conversation gradually shifted to Ryuen's various schemes at school. Ayanokoji listened quietly, occasionally taking a sip of coffee.
"Ayanokoji, you're always so calm. Do you have some way to deal with him?"
Hasebe Haruka asked curiously.
"There's always a way."
Ayanokoji replied expressionlessly.
"It's gotten so cold outside lately. It's chilly even outdoors, with the wind blowing like that. Kosan, let's go inside."
"I think karaoke would be better."
Everyone agreed, so the group left the café and headed to a nearby karaoke parlor. The late-autumn scenery, with winter just around the corner, came into view along the way.
As they entered the karaoke parlor, a wave of warmth greeted them. Everyone soon started singing their hearts out.
Ayanokoji quietly walked over to the window and stared absently at the bleak street outside.
He thought of the White Room and the complicated situation at school—the conflict between Class C and Class D—and his thoughts drifted away. But his friends' cheerful singing soon brought him back. He turned around and rejoined the joyful atmosphere.
No matter how much the world outside changed, at least in that moment, this simple happiness could temporarily dispel the gloom in his heart. As for the struggles at school, those would have to be dealt with slowly, another day.
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