Well, look at you, thick-browed and big-eyed, actually betraying the organization

Evening, Student Council Room.

Horikita Manabu was browsing through the files of the first-year students on his desk, his expression solemn.

The glow of the setting sun spilled across his profile, and the sharp, heroic lines of his face left the purple-haired girl beside him somewhat mesmerized.

Manabu is so handsome!

Tachibana Akane was swooning in her heart, her gaze unable to look away.

Even if you're a block of wood in reality, in my mental world, you have to obediently fall for me, right?

Thinking this, she barely managed to keep a trail of drool from escaping the corner of her mouth.

Horikita Manabu still had no idea what he had gone through in the girl's fantasy world that day; he simply continued to silently perform the duties of the student council.

His eyes swept rapidly over the thick stack of freshman files.

Before long, his hand stopped on a particular face. His expression froze for a second, and then his gaze landed on the comprehensive ability assessment in the information section:

Intelligence C-, Judgment C-, Physical Ability C-, Teamwork D, Academic Ability E...

Heh.

Horikita Manabu narrowed his eyes slightly, the corners of his lids lifting as if he had seen something interesting.

"Akane, who provided the information about the kidnapping at Warehouse No. 4 that day?"

Tachibana Akane snapped back to reality in a second, extending a slender finger to point slowly at the photo on the file:

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."

Late at night, Ayanokoji felt his throat parched. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to head downstairs for something cold.

He put on his jacket, grabbed his phone, and strolled downstairs, arriving in front of his beloved vending machine to order the drink highly recommended by that good boy Hirata.

The first sip felt refreshing all the way from his throat to his gut.

This stuff definitely has a laxative effect.

Ayanokoji critiqued in his mind.

Recalling the exam from that morning, it could hardly be called an exam at all.

Almost no one in the class had even bothered to run the questions through their brains; only he had gone through the motions, pretending to struggle.

Of course, you couldn't blame them. With the cheat sheet in hand, who would bother trying to get a perfect score? Just rushing through it was enough.

However, some people couldn't even manage to rush through it properly.

Ayanokoji's expression faltered slightly, and he finished the rest of the drink in one gulp.

As he turned to head back, he noticed a figure flash by the riverbank just as he took a step.

?

Kushida Kikyo?

Out counting stars in the middle of the night?

Filled with a bit of excitement and curiosity, Ayanokoji followed.

By the chilly riverside, a purple-haired man looked at the girl before him with a playful expression, a smile lingering on his face.

"Yo, Kushida, not bad. That first piece of intel was quite valuable. I'm almost tempted to reward you personally~"

"Then I can take it that we have established a cooperative relationship, right?"

Kushida ignored the man's teasing and cut straight to the point.

"Not bad. You've shown me your sincerity."

"However... I still need to consider the matter you mentioned~" The man put on a rogue-like act.

"You..." Kushida's brows knit together, her soft gaze turning fierce. "What else do you want me to do before you'll agree to work with me?"

Hearing this, the corners of the man's mouth curled up even further, his expression one of a plan coming to fruition.

"For the next special exam, leak all the information you have on your class, including everything else you've gathered on other classes, to me. Then I'll agree."

The man said with a look of greed.

"..."

"It's a deal."

After a moment of contemplation, Kushida gave her answer, her decisiveness suggesting this was something she felt she had to do.

Her action successfully piqued the man's curiosity: "Oh? You'd rather betray your class's interests just to get her expelled? It seems the misunderstanding between you two runs deep."

"Why not tell me about it? I'd be happy to offer some advice to my future partner."

Kushida didn't want to waste any more breath on him. Every word the man spoke was filled with ulterior motives; if she kept talking, she might accidentally reveal some leverage or secret he could sniff out. If that happened, forget about cooperation—she'd likely end up working for him unconditionally.

So, she left him with a reminder to honor their contract and turned to leave.

However, just as she turned her head, she was drawn back by a sudden, sharp shout from Ryuen.

"Who's there! Get out here, you bastard."

Ryuen let out a menacing shout toward the nearby shrubbery.

A few seconds later, a boy wearing the same uniform stepped out from within, forcing a wry smile:

"Yo, what a coincidence, Ryuen. Out for a stroll too?"

"Oh, Kushida from Class D is here too. Having a little late-night chat, are we?"

Hashimoto Masayoshi from Class A scratched his head with one hand while keeping the other in his pocket, looking sheepish.

"Do you really think I'd believe that, Hashimoto Masayoshi?"

"Why aren't you acting like a good guard dog by your princess's side? What are you doing wandering around? What, didn't finish marking your territory during the day?"

The flippant look on Ryuen's face vanished, replaced by a hint of genuine seriousness in his eyes.

"Hey, hey, don't be so harsh. I really was just passing by. I was... I was just coming over to buy a drink!"

Hashimoto said with a cheeky grin, pointing toward the vending machine at the base of the dormitory building ahead.

"Take your other hand out of your pocket and show me your palms, and maybe I'll believe you."

"Haha, why so suspicious?" Hashimoto pulled his hand out of his pocket and turned both of them inside out, flashing a helpless smile as if he were being wrongly accused.

Seeing this, Ryuen didn't press the issue further, only offering a warning: "Stop lurking in the shadows and eavesdropping on people. If we run into each other again, it won't be as simple as just proving your innocence."

Hashimoto gave an awkward laugh.

"I'll change my ways, Lord Ryuen."

With that, Ryuen, unwilling to look at that sycophantic face any longer, called for Yamada and Ishizaki behind him and turned to leave.

Seeing Ryuen drop the matter, Kushida let out a long sigh of relief; after all, if she had been recorded, she would truly be finished.

Colluding with other classes was one thing, but attempting to sow discord within her own class—if that news got out, no matter how silver-tongued she was, she wouldn't be able to talk her way out of it, and everything she had built would vanish into thin air.

Finally, she shot Hashimoto a look that marked him as an enemy before turning and leaving the scene.

With only Hashimoto left by the riverbank, he finally dropped his facade.

After checking that no one was around, he walked straight toward the bush where he had been hiding, a triumphant smile on his face.

However, less than a second later, his smile vanished once again.

He began diving in and out of the bushes, as if searching for something, but he couldn't find the item that was supposed to be there, scurrying back and forth like a frantic little puppy.

After several more minutes passed with no results, a look of anxiety finally appeared on his face.

Damn it! Where's my phone?

Early morning.

Boys' Dormitory Room 306.

Lying in bed, Ayanokoji recalled the experience, still feeling a faint sense of excitement.

When Ryuen shouted at the bush where he was hiding, he felt his heart race for the first time in his life.

It was truly incredible!

But fortunately, he had held his breath. A few seconds later, a less composed youngster had walked out from a bush a few feet ahead of him; if that guy hadn't stepped out on his own, Ayanokoji wouldn't even have known someone was in front of him.

Furthermore, he had "picked up" a phone nearby, and it was still recording—what incredible luck!

He had only gone down to buy a drink to quench his thirst, and he ended up watching a good show and gaining a phone?

What incredible luck!

Ayanokoji felt a brief surge of excitement in his heart, then slowly smoothed out the corners of his mouth, his eyes turning cold.

Now then, how should he handle this recording?