Ichinose and Miyabi Nagumo

The Student Council.

A new first-year student joined the Student Council today.

I heard she was a pretty girl.

Ichinose Honami from Class B.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Ichinose Honami, and I'm from Class B. I look forward to working with you."

She was a beautiful first-year, with a lovely face and a polite manner.

It was especially commendable that she openly admitted she was from Class B.

The upperclassmen applauded Ichinose.

The Student Council wouldn't reject the girl just because she was from Class B.

After all, Horikita Manabu was the president of this school's Student Council.

And he had personally approved her membership.

Secretary Tachibana led the applause. Even if the others were only reading the room, they still had to clap.

This wasn't child's play. It was a proper workplace.

The Student Council's welcome for new students was very simple.

The first-year students introduced themselves, then got their work assignments. In short, it was a meeting, plus.

After all, Advanced Nurturing High School was one where students constantly competed, so meetings also dealt with exams.

First-years had a month to get used to the school's rules, but for the upperclassmen, the first month meant a Special Exam in earnest.

They had to take the new first-years' Special Exam seriously.

That was the mood in the Student Council at that moment.

The second-years were all studying for exams. It seemed the Special Exam would focus on academic ability.

The third-years were studying too, but they seemed more at ease.

After all, third-years in the Student Council probably weren't lacking in academic ability. At the very least, they wouldn't be fretting over the entrance exams.

After a brief observation,

Ichinose had more or less figured out the personalities of everyone in the Student Council.

Afterward, she was to hand over her duties to a blond upperclassman.

His name was Miyabi Nagumo. He was a second-year and the vice president of the Student Council, as well as the most promising candidate to become its next president.

Ichinose already knew a little about Nagumo.

Ever since Kujo had added her contact information, he had regularly responded to her messages asking for help.

Usually, she was the one people came to with questions.

But now Ichinose had someone she could confide in, too.

Though he only replied with information about the school and its students, he was rather casual when it came to trivial matters.

And she really had no idea how he knew so much.

Ichinose didn't dare ask him about it.

Everyone had their secrets, after all.

Then Ichinose politely greeted Nagumo, who had approached her.

"Hello, Senior Nagumo."

Nagumo looked her up and down from close range, then nodded with satisfaction.

"You're Ichinose, right? Hello. I'm Miyabi Nagumo, a second-year, and I'll be handling your work handover. Come with me."

Ichinose followed Nagumo out of the Student Council room.

The school building.

Nagumo led Ichinose to the second-year section of the school building.

This was Miyabi Nagumo's territory.

Only here could Nagumo let down his guard.

Only here could he be completely certain no one would hear his conversation with his underclassman.

"Ichinose, as the future Student Council president and your second-year senior, I want to ask you a question. We're both from Class B, after all."

At that, Ichinose nodded, but naturally took a step back.

Nagumo noticed that she was on guard. He softened his tone and asked,

"Ichinose, do you know why President Horikita invited you to join the Student Council?"

Ichinose did know.

But she couldn't say so.

Kujo had told her that the senior in front of her liked to toy with girls' feelings, and that he had a messy private life, too.

Ichinose was inclined to believe Kujo.

So she remained wary of his every move.

"I'm sorry, I don't know."

At that, Nagumo smiled and continued explaining.

"Because the president's younger sister is among this year's first-years."

What did that have to do with her being chosen?

Nagumo continued,

"The president's younger sister is in Class D. I'm sure you know how this school works. Here, Class D can't compare to Class A—or even to you and me, as students from Class B."

Nagumo's words kept circling back to being from Class B.

And to advancing to Class A.

Even though she understood the nature of this school, Ichinose still felt Nagumo placed too much importance on class rankings.

Nagumo had managed the remarkable feat of moving up from Class B, and had the ability and drive to advance to Class A.

But Ichinose felt that he was someone who had been made a slave to the school's rules.

At some point, Ichinose had become unable to fit in with the school's atmosphere.

Weren't students supposed to enjoy school life?

Ichinose grumbled inwardly.

She was even counting the floor tiles to distract herself, so that her feelings wouldn't show.

Seeing Ichinose say nothing, Nagumo assumed she understood what was at stake. Satisfied, he continued,

"The president refused to let his younger sister join the Student Council to protect her. That's obvious, isn't it? But you're different. You're the first-year the president chose over even a Class A student. That shows how much he expects of you and that he recognizes your abilities. Follow me, and I can tell you the secret to reaching Class A."

After listening for a long time, Ichinose finally understood.

Nagumo had said all that just to get her on his side.

"What kind of policies will you use to manage your year once you become Student Council president, Senior Nagumo?"

Ichinose's sudden question interrupted Nagumo's pitch.

He hadn't even noticed that she had started calling him "Senior Nagumo."

Nagumo coughed and frantically tried to choose his words.

Though Ichinose's question about his governing policies was incisive, it also showed that she was a clever girl.

A cute underclassman worth getting to know better.

Nagumo figured that if he could show her his best side now, there was a good chance she would follow him.

Then he could bring the girl before him, along with all the first-years behind her, under his control.

Nagumo quickly weighed the pros and cons, then laid out his plan: to put as many personal points as possible from the students of Classes A, B, C, and D into the hands of their leader—himself.

The capable would graduate; the incapable would be expelled.

If someone was truly outstanding and willing to follow his orders, they could graduate even if they came from Class D.

As for how he would judge whether someone was incapable?

At that point, Nagumo offered her a rosy promise.

Once he became Student Council president, he would immediately work with the school to discuss the details and draw up a concrete plan.

In short, Nagumo's philosophy was a true meritocracy, not the childish exam check-ins they had now.

Ichinose listened to the general outline of Nagumo's grand vision.

Nagumo felt sure he had won her over.

The girl before him had clearly been captivated by his plan.

After all, in all the years since the school's founding, Nagumo believed he was the first person capable of controlling every student in an entire year.

He doubted anyone else would ever pull off such a feat.

"Then what if someone refuses to obey? Would you abandon even someone who had helped you before?"

"I'd try to talk them around, of course. But if they stubbornly tried to ruin our plan, I'd have no choice but to act. Only capable people deserve to graduate from Class A and enjoy the privileges that come with it. If the incapable had those privileges, they'd only fare worse out in society."

Nagumo was very confident. He even referred to it as "our plan."

"..."

Nagumo felt as if he had been waiting for ages, but Ichinose still hadn't said anything.

Actually, the girl in front of him was almost frighteningly quiet.

May was just around the corner.

Yet the sea breeze coming through the window still felt so cold to Nagumo.

He straightened his tie, trying to dispel all the irritation in his heart.

In the end, Ichinose couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

Before Nagumo could understand what her laughter meant, her next words completely overturned his first impression of her.

"Do you know, Senior? Even students who aren't in Class A can enjoy the same sea breeze."

The wind blew through the girl's hair. She was in an especially good mood.

"You might be disappointed, Senior."

"You really are impressive, and I genuinely believe you could accomplish something like that. But if you think your goal is so great, why don't you hear what kind of person I am? I'm—"

Someone who would never abandon a single companion.

Every first-year would graduate together.

No.

To be precise,

I won't let a single first-year be expelled because of the school's exams.

Everyone has the right to enjoy a wonderful school life.

As long as we stand together, move toward one goal, and don't hurt our friends...

If this school tries to use its so-called rules to make us lose any of the family we've found along the way,

then we first-years can only fight back.

The girl's smile remained sunny, but her words carried a dark edge.

Ichinose had changed.

She was still lost and uncertain, and she was exhausted, too.

But she wasn't alone. Countless first-years still stood behind her.

And now, there was also a very annoying person in front of her, always leading the way.

He said things that were hard to understand, but he kept doing one small thing after another.

So many things had changed for this year's first-years because of that person.

Nagumo had thought it was the blind confidence of someone who, after much worry and self-reproach, had finally settled on a clear goal.

It was a laughable goal.

A naive, childish idea.

The kind of thing dreamers came up with.

This school wasn't a playground for kids playing house. This was Advanced Nurturing High School!

The points required for every student to graduate from Class A would be astronomical.

I'm afraid you won't even be able to hold on to Class B.

But then, Nagumo suddenly had a terrifying suspicion.

If the first-years wanted to get more points,

where would those points come from?

Could they come from anywhere but the current second- and third-years, and the first- and second-years who would follow them?

Horikita Manabu.

Did you bring someone who could oppose me into the Student Council?

I only just made you my target, and you've already planned what you'll do after graduation. Are you going to make my life miserable at every turn?

Horikita Manabu!

Nagumo turned away and continued showing Ichinose around the school, while his mind raced to work out a strategy.

Damn it!

He'd been played.

Was there anyone among the first-years who could stand against the girl behind him?

Someone whose goal was Class A, who was good at socializing, and who had strong judgment and even stronger determination.

It didn't matter whether they were a boy or a girl.

The most important thing now was to increase his influence in the Student Council over the coming months, and then build up his strength among the first-years—just as Horikita Manabu was doing.

If his target was the first-years...

Nagumo held his chin, thinking over everything that had happened in last year's exams. Then he thought of the midterms coming up soon, which would use the original exam papers.

Horikita Manabu had always protected this school.

That was why the school's competitive nature had rarely changed while he served as vice president and president.

Nagumo was the type to adapt his actions to his opponents' styles and habits in any situation, and he specialized in striking at their weaknesses.

Just as Horikita Manabu had observed, Nagumo had been competing with others ever since he entered the school.

If Horikita Manabu was good at protecting things in principle, then Nagumo leaned toward being good at tearing others down.

That was the weapon with which Nagumo had adapted to this school, and it had served him well at every turn until now.

At that moment, he had already formed a plan in his mind to replace Horikita Manabu as Student Council president.

It wasn't an idea he'd come up with on a whim, nor was it something he could accomplish overnight. It was the kind of experience unique to someone who had climbed from Class B to Class A.

Nagumo wasn't weak. Once he shifted his attention away from women and toward the senior he had to defeat, his mind opened up completely.