Student Council President Horikita's Map of Yan

"President, is something the matter?"

"You've arrived, Nagami. Forgive me, this is a personal matter. I hadn't anticipated that after Nagumo took office, he would choose to drastically alter the school rules."

Horikita Manabu had arranged to meet with Nagami to discuss the issue of Nagumo Miyabi.

"Once these rule changes pass the school board, Class D's situation will become precarious."

(The Chairman is iron-clad, while Student Council Presidents come and go. To think a Student Council President could recklessly change school rules is merely wishful thinking. Power is only accountable to its source; the Student Council President's authority to change rules stems solely from the Chairman's authorization. Ultimately, Chairman Sakayanagi's opinion remains paramount.)

(Therefore, there is no need to worry at all.)

"Because Tachibana and I are stepping down early as third-years, there are two spots open for new recruits in the first year."

"Therefore, I hope you will support Horikita Suzune in joining the student council before her second year. By building a powerful opposition force within the council, we can prevent a situation where multiple students from Class D are expelled."

"I do this so that this school does not become unrecognizable after I leave."

(Although I knew from the start that Horikita Manabu's special care for Class D was solely for Horikita Suzune's sake, this 'map of Yan' is far too long. Why wait until you're stepping down to think about bringing Suzune into the student council? Does he not understand the principle that once a senior official leaves, the tea goes cold?)

(Is this an unexpected move by President Horikita, or is it intentional?)

I wonder how I should respond to this directly? Should I wait until he graduates before I decide whether to quit? After all, there is only one semester left.

"Senior, I will do my best."

Horikita Manabu sighed and began to explain Nagumo's methods in the second year.

In short, Nagumo had unified the entire second year. He used a method that was both simple and despicable—the absolute trump card of a leader with the advantages of Class A.

That was to collect protection money from everyone who submitted to him, ranking them by their level of loyalty to ensure that, before graduation, he could select the most loyal individuals to be promoted to Class A using 20 million points.

Everyone was so busy acting as Nagumo's dogs that they lost their fighting spirit and had no time to consider their own predicament. When one person began to defect, all the weaklings scrambled to demonstrate their loyalty.

The first to start was Class D of the second year; because the gap to Class A was too large, almost everyone gave up on treatment and chose to pledge allegiance.

Class C followed suit, and finally, even the only class capable of resisting, Class B, fell into the prisoner's dilemma, selling their souls for a vague, illusory promise of the future.

Reflecting on the weaknesses of human nature, Nagami recalled a story about a bandit. A bandit robbed a caravan and demanded they pay a ransom one by one. The first person only needed to pay one copper coin, the second needed two, and so on, until the tenth person had to pay a tael of silver. Everyone scrambled to pay the ransom, completely forgetting the fact that they were being robbed.

(But the only difference is that Nagumo isn't holding a knife to the students' throats to force them to hand over their points.)

However, Nagami had already seen through everything.

(Promoting the lucky ones to Class A is just a superficial phenomenon; the true goal is to strike at the threats posed by viable forces.)

(Then the answer becomes obvious: fortresses are always breached from within. A class leader cannot attend to every detail, and there will inevitably be a few students with low presence who are overlooked. All it takes is one mole tempted by points.)

(If 2 million isn't enough, then 3 million; if 3 million isn't enough, then 4 million—even if it goes up to 20 million. It would be worth it to crush the entirety of Class B.)

(Once a mole appears, the seeds of suspicion spread like a plague, and everyone struggles internally. Do they choose angelic friendship or demonic profit?)

If I were the class leader of Class B in the second year, what would I do?

(It's simple: just make the losses outweigh the gains. Once I discover who is planning to join Nagumo's pet shop, I will immediately self-destruct and take them down with me. I wonder how Nagumo would respond to that.)

(The only way to defeat a rogue is to be even more of a rogue. This is deterrence therapy.)

(I declare that this place shall now be called Nagami Plaza. Everyone, stand up! Do not let the battle stop.)

(However, this method of deterrence can only be used once. It won't work a second time.)

(Little Nagumo, you really have given your senior a difficult problem.)

If you can't find the book title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has just been changed!

"I look forward to your performance, Nagami."

After conveying the news to Nagami, Horikita Manabu turned and prepared to leave.

"Goodbye, Senior."

"Wait a moment, Ayanokoji."

Ayanokoji turned his head slowly.

"Oh, it's Hirata-kun. Is something the matter?"

"I've come regarding the matter with Karuizawa. Ayanokoji, you've known all along. I've been pretending to be Karuizawa's fake boyfriend to protect my classmates."

"However, she has changed a great deal recently compared to before. She mentions you with a smile from time to time; I feel this is the influence of Ayanokoji."

"I am very happy that my classmates can get along so well."

"I see. Thank you for your concern, Hirata-kun. But unfortunately, I have an appointment and am running late."

It was rare for the head of the Going-Home Club to have an appointment. Clearly, this was the influence of the study group; compared to the first semester, Ayanokoji now had more stable friends outside of Horikita.

Horikita even teased Ayanokoji, saying that the look of anticipation on his face when he checked his phone was quite unsettling.

"Sorry, sorry. Bye-bye."

Hirata expressed his apologies and left.

Ayanokoji hurried to the meeting place, a cafe near the park. He saw his friends already sitting at a window seat waiting for him.

"Ayanokoji, over here!"

One of them waved and called out.

After sitting down, everyone began to chat, planning to meet up once a week from now on.

The topic gradually shifted to the various tactics used by Ryuen at school. Ayanokoji just listened quietly, occasionally taking a sip of his coffee.

"Ayanokoji, you're always so calm. Do you have some kind of plan to deal with him?"

Hasebe Haruka asked curiously.

"There will always be a way."

Ayanokoji said expressionlessly.

"The weather outside has been really chilly lately. It's a bit cold outdoors with the wind whistling. Kosan, let's go inside."

"I think karaoke would be better."

Everyone responded in agreement, so the group left the cafe and headed to a nearby karaoke parlor. Along the way, the scenery of late autumn transitioning into early winter came into view.

Entering the karaoke parlor, a wave of warmth rushed to meet them. Everyone quickly threw themselves into singing and having fun.

Ayanokoji, however, quietly walked to the window and stared blankly at the bleak street scene outside.

He thought of the White Room and the complex situation at school, the conflict between Class C and Class D, and his thoughts drifted far away. But at this moment, the cheerful singing of his friends pulled his thoughts back; he turned around and rejoined the joyful atmosphere.

No matter how the outside world changed, at least for this moment, this simple happiness could temporarily dispel the gloom in his heart, and those struggles regarding the school would just have to be left for later to be resolved slowly.

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