Nagumo Miyabi's Probe

June 5, Monday.

Shiraishi Makoto walked into the Student Council office.

"Shiraishi, you're here." But the voice that rang out in the office was not Horikita Manabu's.

"Vice President Nagumo, what did you need me for?" Shiraishi Makoto was full of doubts, but he maintained a calm appearance.

Nagumo Miyabi could not possibly fail to see that he was firmly part of the "Horikita Faction." Nagumo had never contacted him before, so why had he summoned him now?

"Here's the thing. I have a job I'd like to assign to you, Shiraishi." Nagumo Miyabi stood and handed Shiraishi Makoto a document.

Shiraishi Makoto accepted it and found that it contained detailed records of a certain Class 1-D student's rule violations.

When he saw the document, only one thought crossed Shiraishi Makoto's mind: This dumbass has gone crazy.

"I have always believed that the school's rules are far from perfect. Don't you agree?" Nagumo Miyabi continued without waiting for a response. "Because of the school's protection, weaklings can hide within this school without worrying about expulsion."

"This is a waste of educational resources! It is unfair to strong people like us!"

"In my view, those without ability do not deserve to remain at this school. Therefore, my principle is to 'select the strong and eliminate the weak,' removing everyone unfit to survive here."

Shiraishi Makoto did not respond. He closed the document and asked, "So, Vice President Nagumo, you want me to notify Kouenji and make him stop violating the rules?"

"That's right. Since you're a First Year student, I'll leave this matter to you." Nagumo Miyabi nodded with a smile. "I think highly of you. Go on."

After leaving the office, Shiraishi Makoto still could not make sense of it, so he contacted Horikita Manabu through his phone.

"..." After hearing what had happened in the office, Horikita Manabu fell silent for a while before speaking. "This actually has something to do with your attack on Class 1-D."

"What does my attack on Class D have to do with it?" Shiraishi Makoto did not understand at first. After all, class competition was nothing unusual.

"Wait, could it be the Archived Exam Questions?" Shiraishi Makoto suddenly realized.

That was right. Class 1-D was not the only class that used Archived Exam Questions. Since upperclassmen could sell them, there were naturally plenty of upperclassmen who used them.

And after Shiraishi Makoto reported the existence of Archived Exam Questions, not only did the First Year exam papers need to be changed, but the upperclassmen's exams had to be changed as well.

"Both the Third Years and Second Years had students fail this month, though they managed to save themselves with Private Points." Horikita Manabu reminded him of what had happened among the upperclassmen this month.

Reporting the Archived Exam Questions had effectively cut off the lifeline of students who were poor at studying. That aligned perfectly with Nagumo Miyabi's philosophy of "strength above all else." He had probably mistaken Shiraishi Makoto for someone who shared his ideals.

To be honest, if he had not watched the entire matter unfold and understood Shiraishi Makoto's intentions, Horikita Manabu would have thought that Shiraishi Makoto had switched sides to Nagumo Miyabi.

Reporting the Archived Exam Questions was simply too out of character for Shiraishi Makoto.

However, because Shiraishi Makoto had been personally brought into the Student Council by Horikita Manabu, Nagumo Miyabi considered his background "not clean enough." So, Nagumo wanted to assign Shiraishi Makoto a task and test him further.

Nagumo Miyabi's goal remained the same: to control the entire school. It was only because of the rules' protection that he could not openly launch an attack on the First Years yet.

"Do you have some doubts about this task?" Horikita Manabu asked, seemingly noticing Shiraishi Makoto's reluctance.

"Not really doubts. I just feel like it's a bit suicidal." After all, Shiraishi Makoto had no memories of living in the outside world, so he did not know much about Japanese society. Everything he knew about Japan and conglomerates came from film and television.

But in a country where the yakuza and cults could flourish so openly, Shiraishi Makoto did not think that films and television exaggerated their portrayals of conglomerates. On the contrary, he felt that anything allowed to air on television had already been toned down.

If Nagumo Miyabi and he messed with Koenji like this, would they really not be dragged off and dumped in Tokyo Bay after leaving school?

"I see." Horikita Manabu glanced at Shiraishi Makoto in surprise. He likely had not expected Shiraishi Makoto to think that far ahead.

"However, Shiraishi, you may be underestimating Kouenji."

Horikita Manabu gave his assessment. As the next heir of the Kouenji Conglomerate, Kouenji Rokusuke was not an ignorant playboy. On the contrary, his abilities fully suited his status as the conglomerate's heir.

His academic ability was outstanding, and his athletic ability was outstanding as well. It was precisely because he possessed such overwhelming ability that he was so narcissistic. Likewise, he believed that anyone unable to understand his beauty was simply "unfortunate," just as a true great man understood that ordinary people could not comprehend him. Something this minor would never stay on his mind.

The evidence Nagumo Miyabi had gathered showed that an upperclassman had learned of Kouenji's status as the conglomerate's heir and, after discovering that Class D had no Class Points, voluntarily provided points to support Kouenji Rokusuke. She probably hoped to work for a company under the Kouenji Conglomerate after graduation. At the same time, Kouenji intended to use money from outside the school to purchase Private Points.

The first matter could be set aside for now, but the second was expressly prohibited by the school.

"So long as you convey the school's regulations normally, it's impossible to anger Kouenji," Horikita Manabu explained.

"Since that's the case, I have another idea." Shiraishi Makoto changed the subject. "President Horikita, do you know about Pachinko?"

Pachinko was the common Japanese name for a pinball machine game, named after the "pachin" sound of the balls colliding inside the machine.

Pachinko involved launching metal balls and earning scores when they struck designated scoring zones inside the machine. Players ultimately received game points. In essence, it was a machine designed for gambling.

However, gambling was illegal in Japan. Under the regulations, prizes exchanged for these points could only be inexpensive gifts worth no more than 1,000 yen, such as snacks or cartoon stickers.

Yet Pachinko parlors usually had a special category of prizes. These special items required enormous amounts of game points to exchange for, but unlike snacks, they had no practical value of their own, making them seem rather baffling.

But near the Pachinko parlor, sometimes even on the floor above or below it, there would happen to be a shop willing to buy back those little prizes at a high price. If you investigated, you would find that the two shops had no legal connection whatsoever.

By splitting apart one illegal act, it became two separate legal acts.

"So you're planning to help Kouenji?" Horikita Manabu understood Shiraishi Makoto's meaning. The method was indeed feasible, but he did not know Shiraishi Makoto's purpose.

"I wouldn't call it helping. It's just a simple expression of goodwill." Shiraishi Makoto smiled. "First, I still want to make as many friends as possible. Second, even if Kouenji himself does not care, the people beneath him may not feel the same."

There would always be people who tried to guess their superior's preferences. Shiraishi Makoto still wanted to enjoy his life in this new world properly.