Chapter Twenty-Two: Nagumo Miyabi, Ruler of the Second Years / Chapter Twenty-Three: Working Together

Horikita Manabu didn't answer his question. Instead, he asked, "You seem to know a lot about the school now. Have you figured out the rules?"

"At least I've learned one thing, and I think it's been worthwhile." Suzuki Toru took out his phone and showed Horikita Manabu his Private Points balance. "I have one million Private Points right now. I hope I can use them to buy a spot on the Student Council."

Tachibana Akane's eyes widened. She couldn't help asking, "Wait, how could a first-year possibly have one million Private Points?"

Unless Suzuki Toru had collected points from his classmates, there was no way he could have one million Private Points!

The school strictly prohibited part-time jobs. Even if students were allowed to work, nobody could earn a million in just a few days after starting school!

Tachibana Akane was suspicious about where the points had come from. She looked Suzuki Toru up and down, trying to spot any possible flaw in his story.

Horikita Manabu was also slightly surprised, but he quickly recovered. "If I remember correctly, you first-years get one hundred thousand Private Points a month. Did you do something?"

"I got a reward from a certain upperclassman. It has nothing to do with my class," Suzuki Toru said. "If that price isn't enough, I can offer more."

A certain upperclassman. Horikita Manabu looked thoughtful.

"Didn't you say you wanted to help me deal with Nagumo? Why spend points to buy a spot on the Student Council?"

"I think you should demonstrate an appropriate level of strength to the person in question. Facts are more convincing than empty words."

"You're an interesting first-year." Horikita Manabu gave a rare, faint smile. "But I'm still curious: how did you pick up on these clues?"

"Although the school forum lets us communicate with upperclassmen, the second-years are very careful about sharing personal information on Nagumo. They don't reveal much. In fact, I still know nothing about him."

Looking at the second-year class rankings, it was easy to see that Miyabi Nagumo's Class A had an absolute grip on the entire year.

The Class Points of the four classes were conspicuously arranged in descending order. That wouldn't have been possible without someone controlling the situation.

"What little information I've managed to gather is that Nagumo is about to take your place. He's a future Student Council President, and he's in Class A. I think he's already reached the top of this school."

On top of that, Miyabi Nagumo had a huge number of Private Points. By the time he reached his third year, he would probably have an astonishing twenty million Private Points.

"When someone loses their goals within their own year, it's only natural for them to look elsewhere out of boredom. The third-years are more of a challenge than the first-years. And Nagumo seems very interested in you. If someone like that starts targeting you, it'll be a real nuisance."

Horikita Manabu had just turned down Ichinose Honami, and Miyabi Nagumo had immediately approached her. It was hard not to wonder whether Nagumo had done it on purpose.

"You have to deal with the other classes in your year while keeping an eye on an underclassman. I thought you were in a tough spot, so I decided to step forward and help."

Horikita Manabu had turned down Ichinose Honami because he was in a difficult position. Otherwise, he had no reason to reject the student who'd ranked first on the entrance exam.

With that, Suzuki Toru delivered his final conclusion.

"I hope I'm wrong, senpai."

There was an accompanying illustration. Update to the latest version to view it.

The Ruler of the Second-Years, Miyabi Nagumo

Tachibana Akane remained expressionless. What did he mean, he hoped he was wrong? What an arrogant thing to say!

She'd seen his million Private Points, and his analysis had seemed somewhat reasonable, so she could give him a little more credit.

But that didn't mean he could say something so disrespectful to the Student Council President!

"You've surprised me. You dared to come before me with so few clues. Weren't you afraid I'd dismiss your theory?" Horikita Manabu fixed Suzuki Toru with a piercing gaze.

"Sorry, I didn't see any sign in your eyes that you meant to turn me down," Suzuki Toru replied calmly.

Even Horikita Manabu, usually so composed, was at a loss for words. This first-year had extraordinary confidence; he'd even overpowered him with his presence.

From Suzuki Toru's analysis of Miyabi Nagumo, it was clear that he'd keenly noticed Nagumo's change in mindset. He believed someone like Nagumo, having reached the top so early, would grow bored and start looking for amusement.

The key point was that Suzuki Toru was right.

A future Student Council President, a member of Class A, someone who seemed able to control the entire year, and someone with nearly ten million Private Points.

Miyabi Nagumo had practically speedrun Advanced Nurturing High School. The next two years would probably be a long, boring stretch for him.

Of course, Suzuki Toru couldn't possibly know exactly what Miyabi Nagumo was thinking.

He'd simply put himself in Nagumo's shoes. There was also someone similar in his own class, which was how he'd reached that conclusion.

As for why he thought it was Horikita Manabu—

Honestly, Suzuki Toru didn't know. He just had a vague sense that Miyabi Nagumo cared a lot about Horikita Manabu.

For instance, in a sense, Nagumo's attempt to manipulate Ichinose Honami might have been aimed at Horikita Manabu.

"Very good. You did guess correctly, but there's one thing I should add," Horikita Manabu said. "Nagumo isn't targeting me just because he's bored. It's also because of me personally."

Suzuki Toru's eyes glinted, but he didn't speak right away.

"Nagumo and I have different positions on certain issues. He hopes to change the school's existing rules through the Student Council and implement a thorough meritocracy. If nothing unexpected happens, his ideas will force many students to drop out and turn the school into a zero-sum game where it's either you or me."

Horikita Manabu paused.

"Do you know about the dropouts in the second year?" he asked Suzuki Toru.

It was hard to learn about the upper years, especially what was happening within a class. Most students were probably guarding against their opponents.

But the number of dropouts was something he could find out with a little effort, especially since Suzuki Toru didn't need to investigate it himself.

Someone had already done the legwork for him.

"I heard more than ten students dropped out," Suzuki Toru replied.

Horikita Manabu nodded slightly. "Most of them were innocent. A few were Nagumo's opponents."

Tachibana Akane spoke up then. "The first dropout incident in the second year happened in the first semester last year. Three students dropped out then, from Class C and Class D."

Suzuki Toru glanced at Horikita Manabu. The Student Council President didn't say anything, which clearly meant he approved of Tachibana Akane speaking.

No, it wasn't that he approved. Tachibana Akane was his clerk, essentially doing the work of a secretary. These detailed explanations were generally her responsibility.

"The second dropout incident happened after Nagumo led his class past the former Class A. During an exam in the second semester... You can think of it as a special kind of test. He attacked Class C and Class D, making seven students drop out all at once."

As she spoke, Tachibana Akane seemed to grow angry. She gripped her notebook tightly, her fingers pressing hard enough to leave faint marks.

"After that incident, the two classes pretty much obeyed him without question. And since he promised to help any student who followed his orders rise to Class A, nobody dared oppose him," Tachibana Akane said, clearly despising his methods. "Some students from the former Class A and Class B were unhappy with him, but he kept making them drop out in later exams. That's why the entire second year is under his rule now."

First hit them with a stick, then offer them a carrot. It was a crude, straightforward strategy.

But it worked. Suzuki Toru could imagine the panic that had gripped the two classes.

First, take down the weaker groups with greater numbers. Then target anyone who opposed him. No wonder Miyabi Nagumo had nearly ten million Private Points. He'd probably taken them from the other students.

"Doesn't the school think there's something wrong with this approach?" Suzuki Toru asked.

"Even if Nagumo made a lot of people drop out, he did it within the rules. There's nothing the school can do, even if they know about it," Tachibana Akane complained.

This upperclassman seemed to have a lot of hostility toward Miyabi Nagumo. Was she standing up for the second-years?

"That's not what I meant. I'm asking whether the school has a problem with him uniting the whole year and dividing up the Class Points," Suzuki Toru asked again.

Tachibana Akane was clearly taken aback. Even Horikita Manabu paused, then smiled with considerable satisfaction.

"That's unexpected. You've seen so much from just a few clues, Suzuki. You're more impressive than Ichinose."

"I just think it's strange. If an entire year joins forces, then the school's goal of making them compete with one another loses its meaning, doesn't it?"

"The current Chairman Sakayanagi, who runs this school, is very open-minded. Although I often get the sense that the school feels helpless and frustrated about it, Chairman Sakayanagi doesn't interfere lightly in matters between students."

"..."

In other words, the school was turning a blind eye?

As soon as Suzuki Toru had the thought, he dismissed it.

The school couldn't possibly allow this situation to continue. The only reason they were tolerating Miyabi Nagumo was probably that he'd achieved something nobody else could—not even Horikita Manabu could control an entire year.

A situation like Miyabi Nagumo's had to be extremely rare. It might even be the first time in the school's history.

That was why the school could accept Miyabi Nagumo.

But it wouldn't accept another person taking control of an entire year. The logic was like that of a game developer who wouldn't let players keep enjoying the same advantage across several versions.

Even if it meant doing so reluctantly, the school would raise the difficulty and cut him down a notch.

"After I step down, Nagumo will push his reforms immediately. Then the number of students who drop out because they can't adapt to the situation will probably rise dramatically." Horikita Manabu looked at Suzuki Toru seriously. "Although this school believes in the survival of the fittest, I think things are fine as they are. Students need more than just competition."

He understood. Miyabi Nagumo was a radical reformer, while Horikita Manabu was a conservative traditionalist. That was why the latter had said they had different positions.

Cooperation

"Suzuki, even after hearing all that, do you still intend to stick to your original plan?"

Horikita Manabu studied Suzuki Toru's expression. He still couldn't see the slightest change. It was as if Suzuki Toru had expected all of this; he hadn't even blinked.

He knew Miyabi Nagumo was the king who controlled the second year. Even students who'd once tried to oppose Nagumo had been forced to drop out. Was he really not afraid?

Wait, this first-year wasn't fearless.

It wasn't hard to tell from what Suzuki Toru had said earlier that he'd already guessed all this—before Horikita Manabu explained it.

Otherwise, Suzuki Toru wouldn't have walked in and immediately said he'd help him deal with Miyabi Nagumo.

He'd come knocking on the Student Council's door precisely because he'd figured it out.

I see. This year's first-years really are not to be underestimated, Horikita Manabu thought with a quiet sigh.

However, even though he believed he understood Suzuki Toru's thinking, he still fell silent.

"If Nagumo can control the entire year, then the second-year senpai are too useless," Suzuki Toru said, shocking everyone with his bluntness. "Now he's going after you across year groups. Later, he'll probably lead the future third-years against me too. We need to deal with Nagumo as soon as possible—at the very least, we have to undermine his position."

Horikita Manabu fell silent for real this time. Did this first-year even know what he was saying?

"Hey, first-year. Do you think you're telling a joke?" Tachibana Akane glared at Suzuki Toru. "You're a new student. You need to work on your attitude. Don't get too arrogant, okay?"

"I hope to settle this before I finish my first year—in other words, before you senpai graduate." Suzuki Toru ignored her and continued speaking to Horikita Manabu.

"Do you have any idea what you're up against? As much as I hate to admit it, Nagumo is very powerful right now. He'll take over the Student Council next semester, too. How do you plan to deal with someone like that?" Tachibana Akane looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Horikita Manabu spoke as well. "You may not yet understand the Student Council's authority. It's allowed to propose changes to school rules and revise certain rewards or punishments, including the exams you'll encounter later."

He stopped there. That was the most he could reveal.

"That's why I'm planning to buy a spot on the Student Council," Suzuki Toru said with equal seriousness.

Horikita Manabu was taken aback, then shook his head. "I can let you join the Student Council, but please don't expect too much. Tachibana Akane and the rest of us will be stepping down. There are various battles and competitions ahead."

"Not just us. You first-years will be dealing with them soon, too." Tachibana Akane gave a mocking snort. "This school isn't a game. You'll probably have your hands full just dealing with your class!"