Chapter Sixty-Eight: I Swear My Loyalty to You (Extra Update 1/5) / Chapter Sixty-Nine: I'll Be Quick

Chapter Sixty-Eight: I Swear My Loyalty to You (Extra Update 1/5)

The moment someone made a move against Miyabi Nagumo, it was bound to attract the attention of certain people, especially the potential rebels among the second-years.

The news came as no surprise to Suzuki Toru. After all, Nagumo's control over his year was built on his personal strength.

If he suffered a defeat or setback, it was only natural that people would begin to question him—and might even try to assassinate the king.

"Which upperclassman is interested in me?" Suzuki Toru asked, his peripheral vision catching Tachibana Akane quietly rising from the Student Council President's throne and obediently standing to one side.

Noticing his gaze, she gave a soft snort and immediately looked away.

Where had this guy hidden the snacks?

"You've met him before. Kiriyama from Class 2-A," Horikita Manabu said. "But he doesn't have much influence, so he doesn't dare openly defy Nagumo."

Suzuki Toru recalled what he had seen in the second-year area. There had indeed been a leader named Kiriyama Ikuta, who was also a member of the Student Council.

"You seem to know him, President."

From the way Horikita Manabu acted, the two seemed to have some history. Otherwise, Horikita wouldn't have known that Kiriyama was interested in him.

"We're acquainted to some extent. I happened to be there when the previous president interviewed him." Horikita Manabu didn't want to say more on the subject.

"So the president cultivated a rebel in the second year, then picked me out of the first-year students?" Suzuki Toru winked at him.

Horikita Manabu fell silent for a moment. "I've observed the first-years. Most of them are mediocre at best. As for the rest, you stand out in every respect."

Suzuki Toru was a little curious about what he meant by "every respect." It sounded like praise, but maybe it wasn't.

"In that case, I'll meet Kiriyama-senpai," Suzuki Toru said. "Where is he now?"

At this, Horikita Manabu wore a strange expression and answered with some helplessness, "Kiriyama is wary of Nagumo, so he won't contact you openly. He wants to meet near the dorms, probably around ten tonight."

There were cameras in many places around the school, but few near the student dorms. There were also a few secluded spots where it was hard for anyone to see them.

Take yesterday's conversation between the siblings. If Horikita Manabu hadn't called him over, almost no one would have noticed the Student Council President lecturing his younger sister.

Horikita Manabu thought Suzuki Toru would nod and agree, but all he did was give a slight nod.

"I'll talk to Kiriyama-senpai when I have time."

Unlike Kiriyama Ikuta, Suzuki Toru wasn't particularly interested in him. He was just some guy who hid in the shadows.

Besides, Kiriyama needed Suzuki Toru right now, not the other way around.

Horikita Manabu hesitated, then stopped himself. He knew Suzuki Toru intended to keep Kiriyama Ikuta in his grasp, so he could only keep quiet.

Once Horikita Manabu graduated, Kiriyama Ikuta would have no one to rely on. He would have no choice but to deal with someone like Suzuki Toru.

All Horikita Manabu could do was let Kiriyama get used to Suzuki Toru's style ahead of time and accept the fate of being manipulated.

"By the way, President, do you know Kiryuin-senpai?" Suzuki Toru asked out of the blue.

"I've heard her name, but I don't know much about her." Horikita Manabu frowned. "Why are you asking all of a sudden?"

"I'm a little interested in her." Suzuki Toru wasn't about to tell him that he had his eye on the rewards he could get from her.

Tachibana Akane suddenly cut in. "I've heard about that upperclassman. She seems very capable, but her personality is particularly awful."

"Awful personality?" Suzuki Toru asked, puzzled.

"I heard that when a vending machine jammed and wouldn't dispense her item, she kicked it and smashed it to pieces," Tachibana Akane told him confidently. "She also does whatever she wants and goes around fooling around. Even her classmates can't stand her."

"Careful. The walls have ears," Suzuki Toru kindly reminded her. Badmouthing someone behind their back wasn't nice.

Tachibana Akane sulked and ignored him.

"Kiriyama mentioned her. She seems to be one of the more capable students in the second year, but she hasn't done anything for her class and often acts alone." Horikita Manabu neither disliked nor approved of Kiryuin Fuka's behavior.

It seemed he would have to meet Kiryuin Fuka himself.

But he was a first-year student, and he had no legitimate reason to go straight to her classroom.

Was he supposed to hope they'd run into each other on the way somewhere?

He could only wait for Kiriyama Ikuta to come to him, then have him sell Kiryuin Fuka out.

Suzuki Toru was plotting how to engineer a chance encounter when Horikita Manabu spoke up. "Katsuragi from your class seems to have been in contact with Nagumo lately."

As Student Council President, Horikita Manabu had also assigned Tachibana Akane to work with Ichinose Honami and Katsuragi Kohei, so he knew a fair bit about what the two were up to.

For some reason, Katsuragi Kohei had been meeting with Miyabi Nagumo often lately. Tachibana Akane also occasionally saw him among the second-year representatives.

In other words, Horikita Manabu was tactfully warning Suzuki Toru that one of his people might defect to Nagumo's camp.

"There's no need to worry about that. It's only natural for Katsuragi to have his own ideas."

Suzuki Toru knew exactly what was going on.

Two days earlier—

Miyabi Nagumo looked over the bald boy standing in front of him with interest. The boy was a first-year newcomer from the same class as Suzuki Toru.

"Interesting. You say you want to join me. Can you tell me why?"

The newcomer was Katsuragi Kohei.

Under Nagumo's scrutiny, Katsuragi Kohei replied, "President Horikita will be stepping down soon. You're certain to be the next Student Council President, senpai. Rather than wait until then to build a relationship with you, I thought I'd join you now."

"That reason doesn't seem convincing enough," Nagumo said slowly. "I value ability, and you don't have anything that appeals to me. Why should I accept you?"

"To be honest, Class A currently has two factions, and I lead one of them. If you help me suppress Sakayanagi and Suzuki, the first-years will become an asset to you as well." Katsuragi Kohei lowered his head slightly.

Nagumo fell silent for a moment. Tonegawa, who stood beside him, leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear.

After a while, Nagumo suddenly smiled.

"So Suzuki is your enemy?"

Katsuragi Kohei nodded and explained, "If you don't believe me, you can ask the students in Class A. Suzuki is often seen with students from the Sakayanagi Faction."

"No need. I'm willing to believe you, Katsuragi." Nagumo's eyes were sharp. There was no way he believed such a flimsy story. The boy was most likely a spy Suzuki Toru had sent to him.

The nerve of him! He clearly didn't take Nagumo seriously at all. Did he think a spy like this could fool him?

Nagumo forced down his anger and kept smiling.

"As long as you can satisfy me, I'll certainly help you defeat Suzuki."

Heh. If Suzuki had sent him a spy, Nagumo would pretend he knew nothing and accept the boy with open arms. They'd see who outplayed whom!

Chapter Sixty-Nine: I'll Be Quick

Just as Nagumo had guessed, Katsuragi Kohei really was a spy Suzuki Toru had sent to him.

Usually, people would simply refuse to accept someone in this situation, but there were exceptions.

Nagumo felt he'd been provoked and mocked. Given his usual arrogance, he would probably want to return the favor and make Suzuki Toru look foolish.

Nothing felt better than taking an opponent's move, then giving it back twice as hard.

He'd play along and turn Katsuragi Kohei to his own advantage.

That said, Suzuki Toru hadn't expected much from Katsuragi Kohei in the first place.

Rather than wait for Nagumo to make a move in secret, he'd sent him a pawn he already knew. That way, he'd at least learn something about Nagumo's thoughts.

Then he could take further action based on what he learned, instead of getting caught off guard by Nagumo.

In truth, Suzuki Toru had really hoped Nagumo would learn from him and send a beautiful spy to his side—someone like Asahina Nazuna.

But that probably wasn't going to happen.

What he didn't know was that Asahina Nazuna had gone back and told Nagumo about him.

Well, she hadn't mentioned the foot massage. Since it involved a girl's privacy, she was a little embarrassed.

Even after hearing that Suzuki Toru had supported his childhood friend on the way to the infirmary, Nagumo was still suspicious. He remembered his first meeting with Suzuki Toru.

Damn it, was this guy after his childhood friend?

The thought alone made Nagumo feel restless.

Asahina Nazuna seemed easy to approach, but she was far from easy to win over.

If even Nagumo couldn't win her over, there was no way some junior could do it.

Still, he couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong. It had left him with no desire to deal with Suzuki Toru lately, and for the past few days, he'd been following Asahina Nazuna around.

After all, she'd just been injured and needed someone to look after her.

If Nagumo found out that a junior had touched the feet he'd never even touched, he might just break down.

As a result, Suzuki Toru had been taking it easy lately.

As before, Suzuki Toru brought Kamuro Masumi to the library to study.

This time, though, he deliberately sat beside Shiina Hiyori, leaving Kamuro Masumi looking deeply displeased.

"Good afternoon, Shiina," Suzuki Toru greeted the girl who was reading.

At the sound of his voice, Shiina Hiyori looked up, a little confused. When she saw him, she seemed to remember something, and a smile gradually spread across her face.

"Good afternoon!"

The girl sounded rather cheerful. Sitting beside her, Suzuki Toru could occasionally catch a faint, delicate fragrance. He wondered what brand of shampoo she used.

"I finished the book you lent me. It was really good." Suzuki Toru handed her the novel. "Honestly, I've never read anything with a premise like this before. The plot and the writing were both impressive."

It hadn't taken long for him to figure out that Shiina Hiyori might be a girl who liked reading detective novels.

He could indulge her interest a little. It was the first time he'd met someone who recommended a novel to a stranger.

And she seemed to be alone.

Did she usually have no one to talk about novels with?

"I'm glad you liked it, Suzuki-kun. I was worried it might be a bother." Shiina Hiyori let out a breath of relief, then felt a little happy. That was the joy of sharing something you liked.

"This might be a little forward, but I haven't really seen you spending time with your classmates."