The class couldn't unite, and then... they might even betray the opposing faction to secure victory for their own.
As the saying went, they weren't much good at fighting, but they were champions at infighting.
From the way the desks and chairs in Class A were arranged, Shirogane could see that the class had split into two sides, representing two factions. There wasn't even a desk for a neutral student, which showed just how fierce the conflict between the factions was.
So if he could catch a Class A student, he might really learn something more valuable than the roster Classmate Sakayanagi had paid to have printed.
That was why...
Come on, Class A students. Show up already.
[Someone's coming.]
A voice sounded in Shirogane's mind.
Shirogane held his breath and watched.
Soon...
A figure came from the other side of the second-floor bookshelves and headed toward the shelf where Shirogane had been earlier.
Judging by the person's figure, it was a black-haired girl.
She reached the shelf where Shirogane had just been and seemed to hesitate for a moment before walking over to a nearby computer for independent searches.
She opened the search screen.
But she wasn't searching for a book title or for a book she wanted to borrow. She was searching for [Shirogane Miyuki].
She was looking up Classmate Shirogane—checking his borrowing record.
Clearly, this student had come for Shirogane.
No time to waste.
"What are you doing?"
"Do you know how many points your class could lose because you're following me?"
But as soon as Shirogane made his entrance, he realized the girl... seemed familiar, and she didn't seem to be from Class A.
She was strikingly beautiful, with delicate, refined features and a cool, serious air.
This was Horikita Suzune, a girl from Class D.
"Why is it Horikita Suzune from Class D?"
Shirogane murmured, as if asking himself—or perhaps the Narrator System.
According to the Narrator System, Sakayanagi Arisu would arrange for someone to follow him. But the person caught following him was Horikita Suzune.
Had Classmate Sakayanagi already extended her influence so far that she'd even recruited a student from Class D?
[I'm not sure about this either, but at this point in time, Horikita Suzune shouldn't know Sakayanagi Arisu.]
[But Sakayanagi Arisu considers Horikita Suzune a rival.]
[Sakayanagi's assessment was that she was dangerous.]
Hmm... Shirogane began sorting through the information. According to the Narrator System, Sakayanagi and Horikita didn't know each other at this point, which meant they'd meet later?
And Sakayanagi would remember her.
So Horikita was actually a major boss too?
Shirogane had already met her once in the elevator. He'd gotten her to give her name by telling her she was the Student Council President's younger sister.
Still...
Shirogane thought that although she was cool and aloof, she didn't seem especially powerful. Perhaps his judgment was off if Classmate Sakayanagi considered Horikita a rival and thought her dangerous.
Thinking this, Shirogane looked at Horikita.
"Horikita, do you know Classmate Sakayanagi?"
"Classmate Sakayanagi?" Horikita Suzune looked a little confused.
She seemed to have never heard the name before, as if she had no idea who it was.
If that was an act, she deserved an Oscar. So she really didn't know Sakayanagi?
Then she hadn't been sent by Sakayanagi. She'd come on her own?
"Why were you following me?" Shirogane asked.
"Following you—"
Horikita noticed the strange way he'd put it. "I wasn't following you. I was studying you."
"Although I hate to admit it, it seems I lost, so I had to choose the second option."
"So I started learning from you."
"I want to become stronger." Horikita's expression changed, revealing her frustration.
But...
"..."
Hmm.
Shirogane understood every word, but he couldn't make sense of what she was saying at all.
"Anyway, this isn't the place to talk. Horikita, let's go somewhere else," Shirogane said after thinking it over.
So...
Twenty minutes later.
Classroom Dormitory.
Teacher Chabashira had just finished showering and was standing on the balcony, enjoying the evening breeze. Her mood was a little low.
She had broken the rules by revealing some information to Horikita Suzune, and she'd also gotten her moving.
But...
It seemed she hadn't gotten anywhere.
For three days straight, Horikita Suzune had indeed taken action and started investigating the school, but she'd hit a wall.
She had found the small blackboards set up for each of the three year groups.
She had also taken pictures of the class and number information written on the blackboards. But she couldn't figure out what it was for.
She had started trying to get information from upperclassmen too, but she'd hit a wall again and again. She also seemed too timid to approach third-years.
Even if you hit a wall while looking for information, you could still gain something.
But Horikita couldn't. Her social skills simply weren't up to it.
If she had a better relationship with Kushida and asked her to approach upperclassmen together to get information, they probably could have learned something.
But if Horikita Suzune were capable of relying on others and getting along with them, that would be strange in itself.
That was right.
Horikita's stats were good across the board. Her academic ability was even good enough for Class A, and her physical ability was a B, which was enough to hold her own among the girls in Class A.
But her social skills were below zero.
Learning to rely on others, make friends, gain support, and work together were all things she needed to learn at this school.
But by now, Horikita should have given up on investigating the school and moved on to approaching Shirogane Miyuki.
Actually, two people had made a name for themselves in Class C during this time.
One was Ryuen Kakeru, and the other was Shirogane Miyuki.
Both were outstanding students whom Sakagami had bragged about in the staff room.
Class C was ambitious, and its homeroom teacher, Kazuma Sakagami, was in high spirits. Class C had indeed been performing abnormally well: its class evaluation score hadn't changed for three days, which meant its cohesion was explosive.
That wasn't what she wanted to see.
As she thought this...
"Beep!"
Chabashira heard her phone alert her to a text message. It was from Horikita Suzune.
Since Chabashira had assigned Horikita work, she'd naturally added her as a friend and set a special notification for her messages.
And now...
What had Horikita sent?
Had she learned something from Shirogane?
As she thought this...
[It failed. I tried to approach Shirogane, but he realized that the information you gave me was against the rules. If he reports you, you'll get into trouble too, won't you?]
"..." Chabashira.
"..." Chabashira.
At the shopping district café.
There weren't many students in the café at this hour, and the staff watched them nervously. When they realized they hadn't ordered anything, they breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, the café was closing in just twenty minutes. The staff were busy getting ready to leave and had already cleaned the equipment, so taking another order would mean doing the work all over again.
So...
When they saw that Shirogane and the others had only sat down, the staff naturally didn't ask them to leave.
Shirogane and the prettiest girl in Class D sat together in a booth.
"Did you send the message?" Shirogane asked.
"I sent it."
As she spoke, Horikita Suzune placed her phone on the table. The screen was still on, showing a number saved under the contact name "Homeroom Teacher Chabashira."
The message showed as read, too.
But...
Before you continue