Explanation

He paused, seeing Honami Ichinose nod thoughtfully, before continuing: "Manabu Horikita is impressive, but there is an unchangeable fact—he is about to graduate, and he must step down from his position as president. The transfer of power is never a smooth process."

"The current vice president, Miyabi Nagumo," Yun Lan's tone deepened slightly as he mentioned the name, "his philosophy... or rather, the rules he wants to implement, are extremely radical. I don't know the specific details yet, but according to Manabu Horikita's assessment, if Miyabi Nagumo takes over as president and pushes his agenda with full force, it will likely cause internal competition to deteriorate to an uncontrollable level, or even... lead to a large number of students dropping out due to point depletion, excessive pressure, or other reasons. This is not the outcome Manabu Horikita wants to see; he believes it deviates from the school's bottom line of 'cultivating talent'."

Honami Ichinose held her breath as she listened; she hadn't expected such profound ideological conflicts and undercurrents of power to be surging beneath the calm surface of the campus.

"The problem is," Yun Lan clasped his hands together, his fingertips tapping lightly against the back of his hands, "Miyabi Nagumo has immense prestige among the second-years. It is said that he has basically unified the second-year factions, forming a powerful base of support. This means that within the Student Council, and in the potential election for the next president, he holds a massive advantage. As the outgoing president, many of Manabu Horikita's direct intervention methods are restricted; he needs a new 'variable'."

His gaze shifted to Honami Ichinose, and he said clearly: "So, he found me. A first-year student who just enrolled, has a relatively simple background (at least on the surface; if not for the Chairman's introduction, Manabu Horikita wouldn't know the energy Yun Lan possesses), but appears unconventional, dares to act, and seems to have a clear understanding of the school's power structure. He wants me to join the Student Council and step onto that stage. One of the goals is to drive a 'wedge' into Miyabi Nagumo's sphere of influence, or to put it more bluntly—to become one of the candidates capable of 'going head-to-head' with Miyabi Nagumo when necessary, or at the very least, act as a force of containment and balance."

The room was quiet for a moment. Honami Ichinose digested this massive amount of information, her face filled with shock. "Going head-to-head... but, Brother Lan, you are only a first-year, and the opponent is a vice president who has almost unified the second-years... This is too dangerous! Isn't President Horikita using you as... as..."

"As a gun? Or perhaps, as a chess piece with self-awareness?" Yun Lan finished her sentence, smiling with a mix of helplessness and coldness, "Exactly, in a way, that is what it is. This is a transaction, or rather, a venture capital investment. He gave me a ticket into the inner circle and a certain level of 'tacit approval,' while what I have to face is the immense pressure, and even the open and hidden arrows, that may come from Miyabi Nagumo and his supporters."

He looked at Honami Ichinose, his expression softening slightly: "Now do you understand why I couldn't simply say I 'wanted to contribute to the school'? And do you understand the weight behind President Horikita's words, 'Welcome to the team'? This is no easy club activity."

Honami Ichinose bit her lip tightly, her hands gripping the bedsheets unconsciously. She was worried about the complex situation, yet she also felt a faint ache in her heart for Yun Lan being dragged into such a vortex. After a long while, she asked softly: "Then... why did you agree, Brother Lan? This sounds..."

"Because of the benefits, and also because..." Yun Lan paused, looking at the deep night sky outside the window, his voice dropping lower, "because I want to protect you. Entering the Student Council and gaining a certain level of influence is one of the shortcuts to achieving that goal. And..."

He turned back, a sharp light flashing in his eyes: " 'Going head-to-head' sounds dangerous, but it is also an opportunity. In this school where ability is supreme, the fastest way to gain power and a voice is to enter the center of the storm. Miyabi Nagumo is a challenge, but he is also a stepping stone."

It also just happens to align with Manabu Horikita's goals, Yun Lan thought to himself. Miyabi Nagumo will eventually target Honami, and I won't let him succeed. Going head-to-head with him is just a convenient way to eliminate the threat.

Honami Ichinose was stunned; she hadn't expected that Yun Lan's reasons would actually include her. "Because of me? Why?"

"That..." Yun Lan looked away, "is a longer story, I'll tell you when there's an opportunity later. In any case, Honami, that is how things are. My joining the Student Council is both Manabu Horikita's layout and my own choice. This road won't be smooth, but I have already stepped onto it."

He looked at Honami Ichinose's worried eyes, his tone softening further: "So, keep this a secret for me, okay? The fewer people who know about these internal power plays, the better."

Honami Ichinose nodded heavily, her expression shifting from worry to determination: "Mm! I understand, Brother Lan. I will keep it a secret! You... you must be careful!"

"Don't worry." Yun Lan smiled, trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere, "Your Brother Lan is quite good at maneuvering in these kinds of games."

Even though he said this, the worry in Honami Ichinose's heart did not fully dissipate. She knew that from tonight on, the "Brother Lan" she was familiar with would have to walk on a more complex and dangerous chessboard. And all she could do, perhaps, was to support him silently and keep this heavy secret. The light in the room seemed to take on an unusual weight because of this conversation.

After listening to Yun Lan's long explanation regarding the power struggle in the Student Council, Honami Ichinose did not continue to press for details about Miyabi Nagumo or express worry about his future situation as he had expected. The room fell into a brief silence, with only the faint sound of the school broadcast in the distance outside the window serving as background noise.

She remained sitting on the edge of the bed, but her body, which had been leaning forward slightly with the intensity of her questioning, slowly relaxed, her hands folded on her lap. Her gaze did not leave Yun Lan's face, especially his eyes. Those eyes, which always carried a gentle smile or calm calculation, were they hiding something else now that he had confessed?

"Brother Lan," she suddenly spoke, her voice much softer than before, lacking the sharpness of her previous questioning and carrying a more delicate perception, "actually... you don't really want to be questioned by me like this, do you? Especially about these... complex and dangerous matters."

Her gaze focused on capturing every possible change in Yun Lan's eyes, attempting to look past the surface of his words to reach the deeper, truer emotions beneath. She could feel that although Yun Lan had provided a seemingly reasonable explanation, he was not entirely at ease during the process; there was a sense of discomfort at having a private domain touched.

Yun Lan was slightly taken aback by her sudden shift to his own feelings. He instinctively wanted to brush it off with his usual smile or a lighthearted tone, but when he met those clear, bottomless blue eyes of Honami Ichinose, which seemed to reflect every pretense, the rehearsed dismissive words suddenly became difficult to utter.