On Tōji Mikage's Strange Appeal

The members of the concert band stood in rows along the shore, playing their instruments toward the sea. Was this some kind of bizarre training method?

Three minutes later, Katsuragi Kōhei finished going over all the information and let out a long breath. When he looked at Mikage Touji again, there was a new note of admiration in his eyes.

"Could you tell me how you got this information? To be honest, I only suspected some of it myself." Katsuragi handed the phone back.

That was exactly what he'd been waiting to hear!

Mikage turned around to face the distance, deliberately lowering his voice. A hint of "pain" crept into it. "To be honest, Katsuragi-san, I didn't uncover any of this. I only discovered that Class Points could buy anything, so I asked the school if I could buy information... They said yes, but the full package was absurdly expensive. Since this information was so important, I had no choice but to discuss it with a few well-off classmates and some upperclasswomen I knew, then pool our money to buy these key details."

Katsuragi praised Mikage's actions without hesitation, then asked, "You made the right call. How much did this information cost? How many points will the rest cost? I'll collect them from the class right away."

"Three hundred thousand points. The rest will cost seven hundred thousand."

"A million in total? Understood."

Katsuragi immediately took out his phone and sent a message to the class group chat.

Mikage glanced at the group chat too, the corners of his mouth rising wildly where Katsuragi couldn't see.

As expected, Katsuragi-san. Everyone really trusts you...

The revelation that only Class A could enjoy the graduation benefits was so explosive that screenshots of transfers and urgent messages soon flooded the group chat. Transfer notifications rang incessantly on Mikage's phone. In just twenty minutes, the full million points had landed in his account.

"Great!"

His fingers trembling, Mikage turned off the screen and carefully put his phone away. Then he put on a serious expression. "I'll go buy the rest of the information in a bit. I should be able to give it to you tonight."

"Would you like me to come with you?"

"No!" Mikage refused sternly, speaking with righteous conviction. "The class just learned about the S System, so everyone's probably in a state of confusion. Your priority is to calm them down quickly. Make sure nobody panics and leaks information about the S System. If they do, our class will be in serious trouble."

"You're right. That's the most urgent thing. I'll notify them right away."

Katsuragi suddenly saw the light. He took out his phone and began typing rapidly.

"Then I'll leave this to you. I'll go buy the rest of the information."

"Please!" Katsuragi pleaded solemnly.

Mikage clenched his back teeth so hard they nearly cracked, struggling to keep from laughing as he turned the rooftop door handle and prepared to leave.

"Wait!"

At last, Katsuragi voiced the question on his mind. "Mikage, don't you want to lead the class? If you did, I'm sure everyone would support you."

Mikage had already shown more than enough ability to win over the Class A students. His behavior could be baffling at times, but that wasn't a major issue.

At least, based on what Katsuragi knew, the class preferred Mikage to him. Even Katsuragi had to admit that Mikage had completely outdone him in this entrance exam.

"No. I have no interest in doing something so thankless."

Mikage glanced back, doing everything he could to keep his cheeks taut. He tried to make himself look stern in the shadows instead of like he was about to burst out laughing.

"You're willing to take on the responsibility, Katsuragi-san, so I couldn't ask for anyone better. After all, you're a very 'reliable' man."

Katsuragi stared at Mikage for a long while, at a loss for words.

"I understand!" He nodded firmly, his voice low. "Leave it to me."

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

"Sure. Take care."

Katsuragi stood straight on the rooftop, his eyes resolute and glimmering faintly as he watched Mikage leave, as if he were seeing off a comrade who shared his convictions!

Mikage opened the door and stepped over the threshold. Once he had disappeared into the shadows, he slowly and silently closed the rooftop door. The corners of his mouth gradually curled upward.

Don't laugh... Not yet. I need to get farther away...

Biting his lip and digging his nails into the inside of his thigh, Mikage hurried toward the stairwell. He didn't stop until he reached the shadowy landing, well out of reach in case Katsuragi came after him.

A smug, triumphant laugh rang through the stairwell.

"Heh-heh-ha-ha... Gah-ha... Oh yeah—!"

Mikage clutched his stomach with one hand and pounded the wall with the other, laughing so hard that tears flew from his eyes.

Once he'd finally managed to calm down, Mikage took out his phone and made a call.

"Hey, Morishita. If we had a million-point fortune, how should we spend it?"

"Give me eight hundred thousand!"

"...What kind of split is that? Even people dividing up their assets in a divorce don't do it like that!"

"You want to marry me? No! Please allow me to refuse!"

"What are you talking about? You think it's all yours? Yamamura gets a share too."

"What? You want to marry Yamamura Miki too? Mikage Touji, you really are a super pervert!"

Morishita Ran's prim scolding came through the phone, mixed with Yamamura Miki's flustered yelps.

The Weirdo Magnet That Is Mikage Touji

After bantering with Morishita, Mikage ambled down the stairs at a leisurely pace.

As he passed Class C, a delinquent-looking boy with red hair parted down the middle was fighting other students, cursing as he swung.

Then a burly Black man wearing sunglasses knocked him out with a single punch.

Mikage's eye twitched. Did that guy even count as a high schooler?

He quickened his pace to get away from the trouble, just in case he got caught in the crossfire.

After reaching the end of their peak bloom, Tokyo's cherry blossoms began to fall in droves. The petals settled on the ground and mixed with the soil, turning grayish white. A few others landed here and there along the school paths.

Mikage casually brushed a cherry blossom petal off his face and wandered along at an unhurried pace.

The school's true intentions had been uncovered, and for now, he wasn't in danger of being expelled. All he had to do next was milk Katsuragi for all he was worth, and he could enjoy a happy school life.

As it approached lunchtime, he strolled into a restaurant and picked up the menu from the table.

"..."

He'd never understood how his fellow transmigrators had gotten used to Japanese food. The sashimi gleamed with a cold sheen, the seafood was served icy cold, and lunch was usually just a sandwich or rice ball.

Every time, Mikage felt like his stomach was howling in protest!

In the end, Mikage ordered a pork cutlet set meal. It was one of the few dishes he could tolerate.

Just as Mikage rubbed his hands together, ready to eat, a boy with yellow hair and a confident smile walked straight over and sat down opposite him.

Mikage: "?"

"Um... do we know each other?"

"No, we don't."

The boy ran a hand through his yellow hair, his words brimming with confidence.

"That's why I came over today to get to know you, kouhai. I'm Miyabi Nagumo, the student council vice president."

"..."

This guy was so greasy!

After thinking it over briefly, Mikage figured out what was going on and asked in surprise, "Did you notice me when I went to investigate the second-years a couple of days ago, or does the student council here have that much power? Can you even access the surveillance footage?"

Mikage didn't think he'd done anything attention-grabbing over the last couple of days. The only likely possibility was the time an upperclasswoman had dragged him away while he was visiting the second-years.

Other than that, only the school's surveillance cameras could have recorded what he'd done—and the yellow-haired upperclassman in front of him had just said he was the student council vice president...

Miyabi's eyes suddenly lit up. He clapped his hands and praised him. "No wonder you figured out the existence of the 'S System' just days after enrolling. You're nothing like those incompetent people on the student council."

"I'd say it's a bit of both. A couple of days ago, someone in my class told me a stranger had shown up near our classroom. That was when I wanted to meet you. But Kiryuin beat me to it."

"Um, is it all right for you to tell me this, senpai?" Mikage hinted.

"Well... now that you already know the answer, a gag order wouldn't work on you anyway."

Mikage lowered his eyes. It wasn't strange that Miyabi knew he'd uncovered the truth about the S System. After all, he hadn't made any effort to avoid the school's cameras in the first place.

Miyabi leaned back, settling into a more comfortable position. "Didn't you go to the club presentation the other day? The student council really does have considerable privileges here. We help the school manage things."

He'd been busy going head-to-head with Morishita Ran at the time. He hadn't paid the slightest attention to the club presentations.

"Is there something you wanted from me, senpai?"

Mikage had no intention of continuing the conversation. He picked up his chopsticks and dug in. Someone with any sense would get the hint and leave... right?

Miyabi didn't seem to take the hint. He simply continued, "I came to see whether you might be qualified to become my rival someday."

Mikage could barely keep a straight face. This wasn't just confidence; it was pure, inexplicable narcissism.

As he spoke, Miyabi broke into an excited smile. "To be honest, there aren't any opponents worth paying attention to in my second-year class. And Horikita-senpai keeps avoiding a fight with me. So I've had to turn my attention to the new first-years."

"Sure enough, I was right. From the moment I saw you, Mikage Touji, I knew you were someone who could fight me as an equal!"

The more Miyabi spoke, the more excited he became. His voice began to tremble as he praised Mikage's actions over the past couple of days.

"But you're still too green, and your class hasn't come together yet. It'd be boring to challenge you now. Wait until you're a second-year. I expect I'll be student council president by then, and you can keep me company through the dull days ahead!" Miyabi ran a hand through his hair and pointed confidently at Mikage.

Mikage leaned back. He couldn't take much more of this. What was wrong with this guy? He felt like a bizarre combination of an old-fashioned domineering CEO and an overpowered protagonist.

And he was even considerate enough to give Mikage a whole year to bring his class together. They could have a proper man-to-man showdown the following year.

Mikage silently swallowed a mouthful of rice and edged farther to the side.

"Ahaha," Mikage chuckled stiffly. "So you came all this way just to tell me that?"

He mostly treated Miyabi's challenge like background noise. Just because someone challenged him didn't mean he had to accept. Who would bother if there was nothing in it for them?

"Though that is part of it, I also came to invite you to join the student council." Miyabi ordered a drink, looking as if he intended to talk for a while.

"May I ask why?"

"Kouhai, do you think the Class Points system is fair to students who are strong but end up in lower classes?"

The school deliberately placed some capable students in lower classes if they were lacking in certain areas. Mikage quickly picked up on the hidden meaning.

"Fairness is relative, isn't it..." Mikage silently sped up his eating. If the enemy wouldn't leave, he would!

Miyabi accepted the iced drink the server brought him and took a sip before continuing. "That's not wrong, but I don't think the current system reflects the school's meritocracy. So I want to change it."

"Unfortunately," Miyabi added regretfully, "the current student council president, Horikita-senpai, doesn't agree with my ideas. He's always trying to stop me."

Even so, it was hard to miss how much Miyabi admired the student council president.

Mikage felt a quiet sense of relief. So his target was Horikita-senpai. Mikage offered a moment of silence for him.

"Do you admire Horikita-senpai, Miyabi-senpai?" Mikage decided to confirm his guess and tried to steer the conversation.

"Haha, you saw right through me?"

Miyabi's smile froze for an instant. His fingers unconsciously rubbed the side of his cup, and then he looked frustrated.

"I've been trying to challenge Horikita-senpai to a duel, but he keeps refusing!"

That resentful tone—was this some abandoned wife complaining about her unfaithful husband?!

Mikage had never believed in intuition, but today his instincts were telling him that there was something seriously wrong with this guy.

"After I graduate, someone will need to carry on the student council reforms. If the next student council president is one of Horikita-senpai's people and doesn't agree with my ideas, then all my efforts will have been for nothing."

"So, kouhai, join the student council."

Miyabi braced both hands on the table and stared intently at Mikage.

"You'll be the next student council president after me. The student council can influence the school's decisions to a certain extent, has a say in exam recommendations, and handles the approval of school club budgets—"

"I refuse," Mikage said decisively.

"May I know why?" Miyabi wasn't surprised. "I personally think you'd be a great fit."

You thinking I'm a good fit is exactly the problem! If you were a girl, I might have said yes!

Mikage wailed inwardly. Did this guy have no self-awareness at all?

And yet he was so polite. For some reason, he'd revealed everything about the student council right away and invited Mikage to join. Now it was awkward to leave.

"I'm not interested in student council work. Besides, I don't think it makes any difference whether your ideas or Horikita-senpai's are put into practice, as long as the person in charge is strong."

"That's true, but if—"