Nagumo Miyabi's Little Moves

The next day, Ichinose Honami received instructions from the student council and headed to the student council office for an interview.

But surprisingly, even though Ichinose Honami now clearly understood the school's competitive rules, Horikita Manabu still didn't let her join the student council.

When she returned to the classroom, she immediately sought out Shiraishi Makoto and explained the situation.

"Why is that? Someone as capable as Ichinose couldn't pass the assessment?" Hamaguchi Tetsuya, sitting behind her, furrowed his brow. He didn't understand what the student council president was doing.

From what they'd observed, the upperclassmen's student council had about ten to twenty members, which meant the requirements for joining shouldn't be particularly strict. Yet Ichinose hadn't made it through—this was very abnormal.

Shiraishi Makoto put down his phone. To avoid slipping up again like when he forgot to ask about personal points, he now recorded all pending tasks and known intel on his phone for constant cross-referencing. After thinking for a moment, he asked the others, "What about the other classes?"

"Class A hasn't sent anyone yet, but their situation is a bit delicate right now. It seems like Class A has two leaders." Kanzaki Ryuji stood off to the side.

"Class C... it's hard to judge them. There's a student named Ryuen Kakeru who seems intent on ruling the class, but his methods are pretty violent." Shiranami Chihiro said quietly.

"As for Class D, nothing unusual there. The class leader is probably Hirata Yosuke, right?" Hamaguchi Tetsuya rubbed his chin. "But I asked Ando to check with Kushida from Class D, so it might not be accurate."

"I've heard of Kushida. She's made a lot of friends in these first few days—she seems like the type who 'wants to be everyone's friend.' She wouldn't lie about something so easily verifiable." Shiraishi Makoto nodded slightly. Gathering intel on each class was Kanzaki Ryuji's idea—know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated. Kanzaki Ryuji handled collecting information on their biggest rival, Class A, while other classes were delegated to classmates.

"How about Shiraishi gives it a try?" Ichinose Honami suggested. She'd always thought Shiraishi was better suited for the student council election. Although Shiraishi Makoto might be a bit lacking in academics and inexperienced in dealing with people, he could quickly spot and understand the school's rules, which would make him a better fit for the student council.

"As for me..." Shiraishi Makoto hesitated.

There were two reasons for his hesitation. One was that joining the student council meant directly confronting Nagumo Miyabi. The second was that he was currently buried in remedial study.

Subjects like physics, chemistry, and biology—universal disciplines—were fine. He'd studied them before college entrance exams, so picking them back up wasn't too troublesome. But things like Japanese history and Japanese literature, which relied on accumulated knowledge, were a real headache.

The problem was that he couldn't easily ask classmates or teachers about these topics, because many things he didn't know might be "common sense." Once he opened his mouth, questions about his nationality would arise. So he had to go to the library after school to look things up on his own, then copy them into his notebook for memorization.

Still, the benefits of joining the student council—especially becoming its president—didn't need elaboration.

"I'll go check it out tomorrow. No guarantee it'll work." Since the OAA System hadn't been updated yet like it would in second year, Shiraishi Makoto didn't know what his enrollment panel looked like, or whether it would catch Horikita Manabu's eye.

But based on his speculation, Horikita Manabu's selection criteria probably had little to do with the enrollment panel. Horikita Manabu didn't want people joining the student council mainly because he worried the new students couldn't stand up to Nagumo Miyabi and would either flee or defect under immense pressure. So the key to joining the student council should be showing the resolve and ability to oppose Nagumo Miyabi.

Still, one fact was certain: once Horikita Manabu's third-year class graduated, Nagumo Miyabi's attention would naturally turn to the lower grades.

Clashing with Nagumo Miyabi was inevitable. Securing more initiative in the first year was definitely the better choice.

"Ichinose." Someone suddenly called out to Ichinose Honami. Looking closely, it was a classmate by the door, and outside the classroom stood an unfamiliar student from another class.

Ichinose Honami walked over. The other person said something and left, then Ichinose returned with a puzzled expression.

"What happened?" Ichinose Honami made no effort to hide her thoughts, so everyone could tell something was off.

"That upperclassman just came to deliver a message. He said they want me to go to the student council office after school." Ichinose Honami frowned, her tone tinged with confusion and doubt.

From their perspective, it was indeed strange. The student council had just rejected her application, and now they were calling her over—it was baffling.

But Shiraishi Makoto knew that Nagumo Miyabi was trying to deceive Ichinose Honami.

Whether it was lust at first sight or a desire to control the lower grades by propping up a puppet class among the first-years, Nagumo Miyabi had no good intentions.

Still, he had no basis to say this now, and he hadn't gathered much intel on Nagumo Miyabi yet. But the current Ichinose Honami was completely different from her original counterpart; she should be able to see through Nagumo Miyabi's trap.

"Keep your eyes open when you go this afternoon. If anything comes up, come back and discuss it with everyone." Shiraishi Makoto gave a subtle reminder.

"Got it." Ichinose nodded lightly.

Still, Nagumo Miyabi sending someone also indicated one thing: Horikita Manabu probably had other business this afternoon and wouldn't be in the student council office, so applying to join would have to wait until tomorrow.

As for today, he'd just focus on studying.

Class B was in a very good state right now. Students with weaker grades were quietly working hard, while those with spare capacity had started gathering information on other classes to prepare for future class competition.

After school, Ichinose Honami headed to the student council office, while Shiraishi Makoto went alone to the library.

Finding the reference books he needed, Shiraishi picked a corner and started studying. Not long after, another figure entered the library.

The silver-haired girl lingered in front of the bookshelves for a while, then took out a book she wanted to read. While searching for a quiet spot, she noticed Shiraishi in the corner.

"That first-year boy was in the library yesterday too," the silver-haired girl thought to herself, memorizing Shiraishi's appearance before sitting down not far from him.