Complicated

Miyabi Nagumo, the Student Council vice president known for her handsome appearance and radical methods, was standing by the window.

He learned a few days ago that Tanaka Yukishin from Class D had been nominally appointed as the Student Council secretary.

With the addition of Ichinose Honami from Class A and Sakayanagi Arisu from Class B (a prospective Student Council member), the only one left in the first year who is still within the range of those who can be recruited is Ryuen Kakeru from Class C, the "tyrant."

"Horikita-senpai, you're really quick..."

Miyabi Nagumo muttered to herself, a playful smile playing on her lips, but a hint of displeasure at being beaten to it flashed in her eyes.

He recalled Horikita Manabu's warning to him not long ago about his underhanded tactics; that unhurried yet extremely authoritative attitude remained fresh in his memory.

"I only tested the limits of the rules, and I received such care from the senior. It seems he is quite wary of my ideas as a junior."

Miyabi Nagumo gave a soft hum, then seemed relieved.

Since Horikita Manabu disliked undercurrents and preferred open and aboveboard actions, he granted his wish.

He turned and instructed a reliable second-year student leader beside him, "Go to Class C and arrange a meeting with Ryuen Kakeru for me. The location... is the courtyard behind the old teaching building; it's quiet there. The time is after school this afternoon."

He paused, then added, "Go and invite them in person. Be polite, but don't lose face for the Student Council."

Miyabi Nagumo ultimately decided not to take action herself.

Besides the strategic need to maintain a certain distance and mystery,

There's also a more personal reason— Ryuen Kakeru is male.

This dashing vice president, deep down, prefers to associate with girls who are cute, intelligent, or troublesome but ultimately pleasing to the eye.

Unless absolutely necessary, he really couldn't muster the interest to personally "woo" a stiff, unyielding guy.

The lunch break bell rang, but the noise from Class A had not yet completely subsided.

With her slightly messy, honey-colored curly hair and a lingering hangover, Hoshinomiya Chie approached the group where class representative Ichinose Honami was.

She leaned against the podium, twirling the ends of her long hair with her fingers.

His gaze swept over the core students gathered together— Ichinose Honami, Kanzaki Ryuji, Shibata Hayate, Xiao Qiaomeng, and Himeno Yuki, who was quietly organizing her notes.

These are the five group leaders after Class A was divided into groups.

"Honami ~" Hoshinomiya Chie drawled, her voice tinged with a hint of coquettish complaint and a touch of drunkenness, "Yesterday, I really tried my best to test that Tanaka. And the result... I was perfectly brushed off!"

She sighed dramatically, then looked at her most trusted student with sparkling eyes.

"I remember you seem to have some connection with him? Why don't you go and ask him what he really thinks for the teacher? After all, the Uninhabited Island Exam is just around the corner, and it's important to know the dynamics of potential rivals!"

As a graduate of this school, Hoshinomiya Chie Tanaka Yukishin was all too aware of the energy and influence embodied by students like Tanaka Yukiko.

She instinctively felt a sense of unease, yet also a touch of schadenfreude.

At this moment Ichinose Honami is discussing preparations for the upcoming Uninhabited Island Special Exam during summer vacation with several core members.

"Are all the students ready?" Ichinose Honami asked habitually.

"Yes, the basic supplies list has been checked." Shibata Hayate replied cheerfully.

"We've also prepared several contingency plans, which can be adjusted at any time," Himeno Yuki added.

"No problem!" Kobashi Yume nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing the homeroom teacher's "request," Ichinose Honami felt a sense of helplessness.

As the class monitor, she was already used to Hoshinomiya Chie's semi-drunk state.

This Hoshinomiya Chie, is someone you both love and "hate."

She's reliable, but she's often drunk, and sometimes her students have to take care of her.

While she might seem unreliable, at crucial moments, such as when she offers advice on purchasing information at the start of the school year or inquires about class strategies, she always manages to provide highly constructive opinions.

This time, she even took the initiative to test Tanaka Yukishin for the sake of the class's interests.

This complexity left Ichinose Honami at a loss for words.

Therefore, Ichinose Honami moment.

"This? Oh, okay, Hoshinomiya Chie. I'll try sending a message to Tanaka-kun later to ask."

She chose to use cautious wording.

"Why don't I go and ask him out for Honami!"

Kobashi Yume's eyes lit up, and she volunteered, a hint of eagerness in her voice, "I haven't officially met this legendary Tanaka-kun yet! A face-to-face chat might reveal more about him."

As the leader of Group 5 in Class A, one of her strengths is her strong initiative.

After Ichinose Honami agreed.

"Yes, Meng. But," she said more seriously, "You must be careful how you do it, try to keep a low profile, and don't attract too much attention."

Deep down, she didn't want the fact that she and Tanaka Yukishin had been in contact and were good friends to be exposed to other classes too early.

This connection is a potential trump card she's reserving for future competition with other classes.

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Kobashi Yume waved her hand casually, looking like she was saying, "You can trust me to handle things. I know what I'm doing. I guarantee I'll infiltrate discreetly and conduct a perfect reconnaissance!"

Kobashi Yume's initiative to volunteer caught Hoshinomiya Chie's eye, and her smile deepened.

The lunch break bell seemed to break a seal, and the corridor was instantly filled with students pouring out of the classrooms, noisy and full of energy.

Kobashi Yume walked through the crowd towards Class D to carry out her "secret mission".

However, as she passed the entrance to Class C, a scene made her pause.

A senior student stood solemnly at the entrance of Class C, his voice not loud but clearly penetrating through some of the noise.

"Excuse me, who is Ryuen Kakeru? I'd like to meet with Miyabi Nagumo, the Student Council vice president, after school."

This question, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly attracted the attention of many people around.

The air outside Class C seemed to freeze for a moment.

Ryuen Kakeru himself had not yet appeared, but his "right-hand men," Albert and Ishizaki Daichi, had already gathered around alertly, eyeing the uninvited guest with hostility.

At the other end of the corridor, near the door of Class D, a few students were also peeking in.

"This is more important than curiosity."

Kobashi Yume immediately changed direction and quickly returned to Class A.

"Honami!" She returned to the middle of the group, lowering her voice but speaking quickly, "Just now at the entrance of Class C, I saw a senior student from the Student Council, representing Vice President Miyabi Nagumo, meeting with Ryuen Kakeru!"

The news struck like a bolt of lightning, instantly making the core members of Class A's team tense.

Upon hearing Ichinose Honami frowned slightly.

Kanzaki Ryuji and Shibata Hayate also gathered around, while Himeno Yuki stood a little further away, listening quietly.

"Vice President Nagumo... you acted so quickly!"

Shibata Hayate blurted it out.

"Because all the girls in the other classes are already taken."

Kanzaki Ryuji calmly analyzed, "Ichinose Class A, Tanaka is in Class D (nominal), Sakayanagi in Class B can join at any time if we unify the whole class. Ryuen Kakeru in Class C has become the only key piece that Vice President Nagumo can win over."

"This..."

A barely perceptible hint of annoyance flashed across Ichinose Honami's delicate face.

If that crazy and extremely destructive Ryuen Kakeru really gets into the Student Council by Miyabi Nagumo...

The situation in the Student Council among the four first-year classes would be evened out in an instant!

A (Ichinose), B (Sakayanagi), C (Ryuen Kakeru), D (Tanaka).

She was overjoyed to join the Student Council and was looking forward to using it to gain more advantages for Class A, but the fierce "ideological debate" among the senior students immediately drew the vortex to their year.

"Couldn't the rivalry between Vice President Nagumo and President Horikita... at least not affect us first-year students so quickly?"

In the center of Class D classroom, Karuizawa Kei was pulling Sakura Airi along as they headed to their usual club room for lunch.

The surrounding chatter inevitably reached my ears.

Karuizawa Kei wrote it down, intending to tell Tanaka Yukishin later.

Along the way, her eyes kept glancing at Sakura Airi beside her, her mind in turmoil.

She was not backing down.

On the contrary, the urge to confront Sakura Airi never disappeared.

What puzzled her greatly and made her feel a little disappointed was Sakura Airi's attitude.

I had tried so hard to encourage her, from analyzing the current situation to giving her confidence, and even half-seriously urging her to confess her feelings.

At that moment, a small flame of courage did indeed ignite in Sakura Airi's eyes.

But what was the result?

That bit of courage deflated quickly, like a punctured balloon, ultimately leading to no action.

Sakura Airi retreated back into the protective shell she had built with her camera and her introverted nature.

"What a coward! I just don't understand where all her courage went!"

Karuizawa Kei tightened her grip on the lunchbox slightly, thinking with some irritation.

She even began to doubt whether she had done something wrong, or whether she had overstimulated the situation.

What about those occasional bursts of embarrassed and annoyed protests after you've made yourself blush?

And what about the faint glimmer in her eyes when I encouraged her to "go for what you like"?

Little did they know, Sakura Airi's heart was also in turmoil at that moment, her gaze occasionally sneaking over Karuizawa Kei.

It was filled with immense confusion and a hint of barely perceptible grievance.

"Hui-chan is really strange... She warned me so nervously at first, like a kitten guarding its food."

Later, he started teasing me, saying things that made me blush and my heart race.

Then suddenly she became very serious and encouraged me to do things I was afraid to do...

Now, however, Hui-chan occasionally, intentionally or unintentionally, reveals sweet little details in front of her. Like what interesting message "he" sent her last night, or what special thing "he" said at breakfast today...

What... what is she thinking? Is she trying to provoke me?

If we hadn't spent so much time together and become truly trusted friends...

She knew that Karuizawa Kei sometimes liked to express her concern in this slightly mischievous way.

Sakura Airi almost wondered if she had schizophrenia.

This complex attitude of being hot and cold, push and pull.

This made her already timid heart even more lost and confused, and her courage vanished completely like the receding tide.

She could only bury her head deeper like an ostrich, as if that would shut out the emotions that were making her anxious and uneasy.

The two walked silently down the corridor to the familiar club activity room.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm dappled patterns on the wooden floor.

Karuizawa Kei put down her bento box and watched Sakura Airi still absentmindedly eating her food mechanically in small bites.

A thought so bold it was almost absurd, yet it had been lingering in my mind for a long time.

Like a flood breaking through a dam, it could no longer be contained.

She took a deep breath.

The activity room was quiet except for the soft sound of bento box lids being gently opened and the faint chewing sounds of Sakura Airi.

Karuizawa Kei turned around to face Sakura Airi, her usual playful or encouraging expression gone.

Instead, there was an unprecedented solemnity and a resolute determination to go all out.

"Sakura Airi."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out all the subtle background noises.

Sakura Airi looked up blankly, a small mouthful of rice still in her mouth, like a frightened little animal.

Karuizawa Kei looked directly at her and said, each word clear and distinct, "I've thought about it for a long time... If... I mean, if!"