Since Sakayanagi Arisu was a student in Class A, she had already considered the strange aspects of the school during the entrance ceremony and won over some of her classmates. If she could direct those students, she ought to be able to obtain important information more quickly.
"Then what brings you to the Student Council today?" Shirogane asked.
He didn't think Sakayanagi would answer him outright.
After all, if Sakayanagi knew about the class competition, giving information to students from other classes wouldn't exactly be a clever move.
"I came to print out the student roster for the entire year," Sakayanagi Arisu said. "Since we're going to have class competitions, isn't it important to learn about our own class and the other classes?"
Uh.
Okay.
So you already understand most of it, don't you?
Scary.
And this was the final boss Class C had to face?
Even Shirogane felt the pressure. Ryuen's forceful consolidation might be able to unite a class that was scattered like loose sand, making everyone obey as one. Sakayanagi, on the other hand, had won her classmates' approval.
Her classmates were also quick to read the situation. As soon as Sakayanagi gave them instructions, they got to work.
They'd divided up the tasks efficiently.
So Class A was dangerous.
They had a powerful leader, and her subordinates obeyed her.
"From the looks of it, Classmate Sakayanagi has already taken control of Class A and become its leader?" Shirogane asked, pretending to be casual.
"Not quite." Classmate Sakayanagi gently grasped her cane, seeming to show a trace of regret. "I'd like to become the class representative, but some of my classmates would rather take a cautious approach."
Oh.
So you're the aggressive type.
You'd never guess.
She looked so small and frail, yet her attacks were incredibly fierce.
Still, that meant Class A wasn't completely united internally. Any disagreement would be good news for the other classes.
As Shirogane was thinking this, the Student Council's door suddenly creaked.
Then someone opened the tightly shut door from the inside.
Shirogane and Classmate Sakayanagi both looked toward the silhouette of a black-haired boy in the doorway.
The Student Council President!
As expected, it was the Student Council President who had given a speech at the entrance ceremony: the formidable upperclassman who had made it to his third year without a single student being expelled, the representative of Class 3-A, Horikita Manabu.
"What is it? You were having quite the lively conversation out here. Are you not coming in?" the Student Council President asked, delivering a pointed question.
"No," Shirogane replied.
"Well..." Classmate Sakayanagi maintained her cute demeanor.
But.
Everyone had learned one thing.
The Student Council's door was really bad at keeping sound out.
P.S. Today's update is here. Please support the story! And no need to send blades just yet. Thank you, everyone.
Let me promote a fellow author's book.
Synopsis: A man in the world of Honkai: Star Rail, but Bailuo has no luck enjoying himself.
[Day one: Ruan Mei forces him to research the Path of Propagation.]
[Day two: Herta pins him down to study the Simulated Universe.]
[Day three: Tingyun drags him off to experience her service skills.]
[Day four: Robin personally teaches him posture.]
Kafka, Black Swan, Sparkle, Firefly, Silver Wolf, Asta...
Six months without a break left Bailuo utterly despairing.
Just when he'd hit rock bottom, the real people from the real world showed up!
Looking at the cool-faced Ruan Mei, Bailuo finally found his savior. He clung to her long legs and burst into tears.
Little did he know, every memory and feeling the NPCs had of him was synced with their real-world counterparts.
Bailuo: I'm in danger!
Horikita Manabu: Why Don't This Year's Freshmen Play by the Rules?!
Shirogane and Classmate Sakayanagi entered the Student Council office.
The door might have been poorly soundproofed, but the office itself was impressive. It had a general work area, as well as a private office for the Student Council President.
There was also a dedicated reception room.
At the moment, however, Horikita Manabu was the only one in the office.
Despite being alone, he still gave off an intimidating aura.
Shirogane studied his appearance.
He hadn't paid much attention at the graduation ceremony, but now he noticed that Horikita did resemble the Class D student Horikita in some ways.
They both had black hair.
But unlike Classmate Horikita, who gave off a cool and distant air, the Student Council President seemed much sharper.
And once Shirogane learned that Horikita Manabu was also the representative of Class 3-A, it was clear just how formidable he was.
Not only had he led his class to a commanding lead, earning them over 200,000 Private Points in monthly allowances, but he had also kept the entire class from having anyone expelled.
He was capable in his own right, and the students around him were willing to follow him. The fact that he had become Student Council President showed that the school recognized his abilities, too.
After Shirogane and Sakayanagi entered, Horikita Manabu introduced them to the layout of the Student Council office.
"Would you like to move to the reception room?" Horikita Manabu asked.
His gaze was calm, but carried a hint of cool detachment.
Shirogane already understood what he was doing.
The Student Council President was testing why they had come. Normally, any student could visit the Student Council, but first-years were a special case. They didn't yet know the true nature of the school, and they had to take the Behavioral Standards Exam during their first month, so they had to be treated with caution.
The school's nature couldn't be disclosed.
At the same time, Student Council business still had to be handled.
So he was testing them with his choice of words.
If Shirogane and Sakayanagi chose the work area, that meant they needed the Student Council's help with something. If they chose the reception room, they were just new students dropping by.
So the area they chose would affect how he treated them.
"I came to print out the student roster for the entire year," Sakayanagi Arisu said. "So I'll pass on the reception room."
She'd pass on it.
In other words, she was here to request the Student Council's services.
"During yesterday's homeroom, our teacher mentioned that Private Points could be used as currency at this school, and that you could buy anything if you had enough points."
"So, Student Council President, I'd like to print out the first-year roster. Name your price."
Name your price?
After hearing Sakayanagi's request and response, Horikita Manabu glanced up at her.
Hadn't she already figured out most of the truth about this school?
"First-Year Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu. Physically frail, but excellent in both academics and intelligence. You ranked third in the entrance exam."
"Though you've only been here two days, you've already gathered a number of supporters in Class A."
"During the first class this morning, you took the initiative and asked your homeroom teacher whether paying enough points could get him to tell you how to claim the reward advertised by the school."
"Am I right?"
"Sakayanagi."
Horikita Manabu had returned to his desk. He rested his elbows on it and interlaced his fingers in front of him.
He gave off an imposing air.
His words were just as intimidating.
The first two statements could be dismissed as him reciting information from a file, but the next two were something else entirely. It was as if he knew everything Sakayanagi had been doing—even what she'd said in class.
That was terrifying.
"It seems the school has quite a lot of cameras," Classmate Sakayanagi said calmly, without looking flustered.
"..." Horikita Manabu didn't continue speaking.
He'd confirmed that Sakayanagi knew the truth about the school—or at least had come very close to figuring it out.
And the school really did have a lot of cameras. The administration had installed them specifically to observe and evaluate the students' performance.
After all, it was impossible to waive tuition, provide living expenses, and even offer truly lavish rewards to qualified students without doing anything in return.
The administration observed the students and continually updated its assessments of them in order to track their growth.
"Then, Shirogane Miyuki, what brings you to the Student Council?" Horikita Manabu chose to question someone else.
[This Student Council President is pretty strong.]
The Narration System in Shirogane's mind had become active.
And she wasn't wrong. The Student Council President really was formidable. If Horikita Manabu had remembered Sakayanagi's information, that could be explained by her being a standout student in First-Year Class A.
But he couldn't have known in advance that Shirogane and Classmate Sakayanagi would visit the Student Council. Yet he recognized them at once and had information ready to share. That meant he'd already known about them—possibly even memorized the records of every first-year student, or perhaps every student in the school.
"I came to ask what it takes to join the Student Council," Shirogane said. "I'm only a student in Class C, but I'd like to do something to help my class."
"Just do something to help your class?" Horikita Manabu looked at him sharply.
If Shirogane had come because he had questions about the school and wanted to ask the Student Council, that would have made sense.
That was about as much as an ordinary new student could be expected to understand.
But you, on the other hand, were even more outrageous.
"I'm only from Class C," and "I want to help my class"—didn't that mean you'd already figured out most of the truth about this school, too?
You were already planning to give your class an advantage in the class competition.
Horikita Manabu recalled the information in Shirogane Miyuki's file.
Shirogane Miyuki had entered the school with the highest score on the written exam. However, because of his shortcomings in athletic skills and physical coordination, as well as his poor social skills in middle school and several other factors, he had ultimately been placed in Class C.
On paper, he seemed like a promising student.
But this promising student was acting strangely.
"The Student Council at this school operates similarly to those in the outside world. The Student Council President appoints and dismisses its members at their discretion."
"And if the Student Council President changes, all the members of the Student Council are dismissed."
"However," Horikita Manabu continued, "to join my Student Council, you'll need my approval. More precisely, you'll have to prove that you're good enough."
"Ordinary students have to go through a month-long evaluation, so come back in a month," Horikita Manabu said.
"I see." Shirogane nodded.
He didn't seem disappointed at being turned down.
"..." Horikita Manabu frowned slightly.
"Then I'll move on to the second thing I came here for," Shirogane said. "I'm here to report someone."
"Report someone?"
Before you continue