"Is it really okay to talk to the student council vice president like that, Masaryu?"
As we walked toward the building that housed the club rooms, Hiyori asked me with a worried look.
"If it were me, it wouldn't be a problem. Vice President Nagumo has a few tricks up his sleeve, but they only work at this school.
What's that saying again? A scholar's pen can wound more deeply than a sword. He might be able to make things difficult for me at school, but I can ruin his reputation outside of it."
It would be easy to set the pace against Nagumo. I'd just have to write a scathing post on my Japanese social media account and lay out everything Nagumo had done exactly as it happened. Then, if I could get one or several students to act as "anonymous" witnesses, he'd be well on his way to social death.
Wasn't manipulating public opinion supposed to be a writer's instinct?
"Oh, right. This is my Japanese social media account. Would you be interested in following me, Miss Hiyori?"
When we reached the entrance to the Traditional Literature Club room I'd been assigned, I took out my phone, opened my social media account, and showed it to Hiyori.
"Huh? Why can your phone connect to the outside world, Masaryu?"
"Uh, right. I forgot your phone probably can't follow me. You can log in on my phone. I signed a confidentiality agreement with the school for special reasons. I'm not allowed to reveal any information about what goes on inside this school to the outside world, or I'll be expelled."
I'd gotten a little carried away and overlooked the fact that I could do some things other people couldn't.
"Then how are you going to publish your denunciation?"
"I have a friend. I have lots of friends. I don't know where they got the information, and then they accidentally leaked it. I had no idea."
The all-purpose phrase: "I have a friend."
After watching that British sitcom several times, I'd mastered all sorts of ways to leak information. That was the confidence the wisdom of those who came before me had given me!
"Oh, really? You have lots of friends at this school too, Masaryu?"
"If we count Ryuen, you're the second."
"Am I really that high up? You know this school so well, Masaryu, that I thought you'd already made connections all over the place."
Just as I took out my key to open the door, and Hiyori fiddled with my phone to follow my account, a white-haired girl leaning on a cane walked out of the clubroom beside us.
I leaned over to look at the plaque on the door. It read "Chess Club." Quite fitting for her.
At this point in time, Sakayanagi Arisu was probably sweeping through the board games clubs to earn points. But that had nothing to do with my Traditional Literature Club.
If Sakayanagi Arisu dared to attack, I'd send her back in defeat. In the field of literature, I wasn't afraid of anyone.
"Oh, my. Masaryu, have you already found a club member willing to join the Traditional Literature Club? Let me introduce myself. I'm—"
"You're Sakayanagi Arisu, daughter of Chairman Sakayanagi and the only direct descendant of the Sakayanagi Family in your generation. You're obsessed with chess, and there's a very good chance you came over to talk to me because you want to amuse yourself.
Before you can amuse yourself, I'll hide your cane and turn you into the joke instead. So let's keep to our own corners of the Pacific. Goodbye."
I didn't give Sakayanagi time to react. I quickly turned the key, pushed the door open, pulled Hiyori inside with me, and shut it.
There was nothing to gain from dealing with Sakayanagi at this point, and she looked like she might cause trouble. I'd leave her alone for now. Hopefully, she'd leave me alone too. I'd let her stay dumb for a while longer.
"This clubroom is really, really—"
"A hidden treasure, a blessed place."
"Although you put it in a rather humorous way, Masaryu, I don't think that solves the situation we're facing."
"Then there's only one thing for it. Miss Hiyori, please tidy up the books scattered around and dust them. I'll arrange the tables, chairs, bookshelves, and everything else in the clubroom."
The activity room Chairman Sakayanagi had asked Horikita Manabu to assign me was more than large enough, and it was fully equipped. It just looked far too messy.
The huge activity room had probably been left empty and unused for a long time, so other clubs had turned it into a storage room.
"Let's leave it there for now. What would you like to drink? My treat."
After sorting through the clutter in the activity room, I left with Hiyori and headed toward the gymnasium. The opening ceremony was only a few minutes away.
Ryuen had only just begun establishing his authority. I shouldn't shatter the illusion too quickly.
"I'd like to try something you like, Masaryu."
"I like this Suntory coffee milk tea. I hope you like it too."
After spending so long here, this had become my favorite drink. I'd always had a bit of a bad association with coffee, but I couldn't help it. Back then, I'd just arrived in Japan, and while I was studying at a language school, I wasn't very familiar with Japanese.
I bought drinks from vending machines purely by instinct. Finding this coffee milk tea had been pure luck. After drinking it, I hadn't even realized it contained coffee until I found out later.
The sugar in it was just right for me. It had a hint of sweetness paired with a faint bitterness, and I loved it.
"I prefer coffee or tea with a stronger flavor. I guess Masaryu and I aren't quite on the same wavelength when it comes to that."
Hiyori seemed a little disappointed after taking a sip of the coffee milk tea I'd recommended.
"Class 1-C, gather over here!"
When Ishizaki saw Hiyori and me enter the gymnasium, he called out loudly for us to join them. He seemed to have already been won over by Ryuen. Albert wasn't with Ryuen right now, so he probably needed a little more time.
After we gathered, Hiyori and I stood at the back of the Class C line. From there, I observed the other three classes.
The students in Class A and Class B had lined up in two rows according to gender and height, displaying excellent discipline. Class D, on the other hand, was much more freewheeling. Even though they were the only class making noise in the entire gymnasium, they still had no sense of the atmosphere and kept making a racket.
It seemed that even now, Class D still hadn't chosen a class leader, nor had they reached a consensus on buying information from Ryuen.
That was bad. If things continued like this, Class D's points still wouldn't recover. I'd have to push them a little way out of the fire.
Before you continue