"Then why bring it up now?" Shiina asked, puzzled. They could do this in their second year, couldn't they? By then, they should already be in Class A. Wasn't it a little too early to be thinking about it?
"You still don't get it, Shiina?" Ryuen had somehow wandered over, looking thrilled. "This is interesting. Is this what you're planning? I can't wait to see the look on the school's and those conglomerates' faces when your plan succeeds.
"He brought it up now so those useless pieces of trash could make themselves useful."
Ryuen had already figured out Sawahara's idea: putting the trash to use. He thought the right thing to do was to ignore them, but Sawahara's rebellious idea sounded much more interesting.
"Most of the people in our class get poor grades. No matter how hard they study, they can't catch up with the top students, and they know it themselves. So, apart from a few with good grades, nobody wants to keep studying. Most of them will choose a career path instead. If they can turn the careers they want to pursue, or their interests, into skills over the time ahead, they can bring value to our class in the various exams to come.
"You're no different from them."
"I never said I was." Sawahara had a clear understanding of himself. He would manipulate power and bully the weak, too. He had never denied how ugly he could be.
"But at least I'll give them a chance to choose for themselves."
Even if that choice was the only one left to them after he backed them into a corner.
"Hmph, say whatever you want." Ryuen curled his lip and said no more.
"Speaking of which, what do you plan to do in the future, Ryuen?" Sawahara was curious about Ryuen's answer. Would he start his own gang and become its boss? Or join some other gang and become a leader?
"I want to start my own company." Ryuen's answer left Sawahara dumbfounded.
"Ahem, wait. Let me ask you first: are you planning to run a legitimate business, Ryuen? The school won't support any illegal businesses." Sawahara cleared his throat. He had actually guessed wrong.
"Heh. You probably thought I wanted to become some kind of gang boss, didn't you?" Ryuen looked at Sawahara mockingly. "So you judge people by appearances, too."
"I'm going to run a legitimate business. I'm thinking of getting into logistics."
"Ha, haha. That's a great idea." Sawahara laughed awkwardly, covering up his embarrassment. "What about you, Shiina? What are you thinking of doing in the future?"
This time, Sawahara didn't make any wild guesses, lest he get proven wrong again.
"Hmm, I'd like to become a novelist or a writer, or do some other kind of work with words," Shiina said.
"That really suits you, Shiina." Shiina always seemed to be surrounded by an air of bookishness. A job involving writing really was the best fit for her.
"Then I'll look forward to reading your work." Sawahara smiled and offered her his best wishes.
At his words, a blush suddenly spread across Shiina's face. She didn't want Sawahara to read her work at all. That was because she planned to write about him.
She had just seen the fire in Sawahara's eyes. She knew he would become someone extraordinary, and she wanted to record everything about him, little by little. How could she let him find out about that?
"Heh. You offer Shiina your best wishes for her dream, but all you say about mine is that it's a good idea. You're such a jerk..." Ryuen snickered from the side, at the wrong time.
"Then I wish you success in business, too, Ryuen." Sawahara was at a loss. What was he, a kid trying to steal someone else's candy?
"Tsk. Hearing you say that makes me feel like my business is going to go badly." Ryuen clicked his tongue. For some reason, Sawahara's well wishes left him feeling annoyed.
"..." You're so hard to please.
"Morning, President. Secretary." Sawahara got up early and headed to the swimming pool. There he saw Manabu Horikita and Tachibana, already changed into staff uniforms and waiting.
"Morning."
"Morning." Tachibana looked at Sawahara with hostility. Why was this guy still calling the president "President"? And why had he suddenly started calling her "Secretary"? Hadn't he always called her Tachibana-senpai before?
"Why the sudden change in how you address us?"
"Oh, because the upperclassman kept emphasizing that you're the Student Council Secretary, so I changed what I call you." Sawahara unhesitatingly put the blame on Manabu Horikita.
"Maybe, in the president's eyes, I'm just the secretary."
Tachibana visibly began to look dejected. Did the president see her as nothing but the secretary?
"Cut it out, general affairs." Manabu Horikita shot Sawahara a glare, changing what he called him as well. "Tachibana, don't mind what this general affairs officer says. He's teasing you."
"Huh?!" Tachibana first looked up in shock, then turned toward Sawahara, cheeks puffed out in anger.
"Honestly, didn't the president make me the Student Council Secretary before?" Sawahara complained with a smile.
"You've been dismissed."
"There sure are a lot of people." Sawahara watched the line at the swimming pool grow longer and longer, and sighed.
"The second- and third-year special exams didn't take them to the beach, so naturally some people thought of coming here to swim." After all, cooling off in a pool during the summer felt great.
"Not all the first-years got to enjoy the pool and the ocean, either." Class A and Class B hadn't dared to go into the water freely on the island, since getting sick would have caused trouble. Then the second Special Exam had started soon after, so very few had actually gotten to enjoy themselves.
"You did well in this summer's Special Exams." Manabu Horikita praised Sawahara for his results in the two exams aboard the Cruise Ship. "But don't get too proud. There are plenty more exams like these ahead, and you won't come out on top every time."
He had praised him, but had also offered a warning. Just as you'd expect from the president.
"What about Horikita's performance? She took quite a hit in those two exams." Sawahara brought up Horikita.
"I don't know the full details of your exams," Manabu Horikita said with a faint smile. "But Suzune must have given it everything she had, only to lose completely in the end."
He knew his younger sister's personality well and could easily guess what she had done.
"Yeah. You don't seem upset about it, President." Sawahara looked at Manabu Horikita. He didn't seem sad at all; in fact, he seemed rather pleased.
"Of course. It's not a bad thing for Suzune to face some setbacks at this point. As long as she can learn something from them and make a few changes, that's all for the better."
"Oh, that's a relief. I was worried you'd make things difficult for me over this, President." Sawahara put on an expression of relief. Manabu Horikita knew he was joking, but played along anyway.
"Of course I wouldn't, general affairs."
Before you continue