Miyabi Nagumo Had to Say Thank You

"Junior, I think your plan is excellent. It'll effectively get rid of all the useless trash in Class C and Class D."

"Even if you don't push for it, I will. Why not just come work with me, junior?"

Miyabi Nagumo asked with a smile, trying to decide the fate of ten students with a single sentence.

That was the biggest difference between him and Horikita Manabu.

The principle of Advanced Nurturing was meritocracy, but different people had different interpretations of what that meant.

Miyabi Nagumo leaned toward athletics, while Horikita Manabu leaned toward business.

Compared to Horikita Manabu's meritocracy, which focused on the strength of the group, Miyabi Nagumo's was more about individual strength.

In his eyes, people who could only coast along were supposed to be eliminated.

He was ruthless. People like him would never play top-lane Malphite in their lives.

Makoto Nishikado's scheme was exactly to Miyabi Nagumo's liking.

With this move, he could clear out all the trash in Class C and Class D in one go.

If Makoto Nishikado hadn't already made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with him, Miyabi Nagumo would have thought he was coming over to join his side.

"I already told you, this is actually a trap."

"Students have their responsibilities, and the school has its own."

"As students at Advanced Nurturing, we can't act on a moment's impulse and make the school lose face."

Makoto Nishikado smiled and waved his hand, having gained a deeper understanding of Miyabi Nagumo.

The guy was too self-centered and didn't consider how anyone else felt.

Makoto Nishikado even dared to say that if Miyabi Nagumo ever truly gained absolute power, it would be a disaster for the entire school.

In the end, not only would ordinary students suffer, but he would also push himself into an abyss from which there was no return.

Even if he had once held absolute power, ending things with dignity would have been the best outcome he could hope for.

"Make the school lose face? What are you talking about?"

Miyabi Nagumo frowned, unable to understand what Makoto Nishikado meant.

He had assumed this so-called trap was set in the second year, which he controlled. Now it seemed he had been wrong.

Miyabi Nagumo turned to look at Horikita Manabu and saw that his expression was still composed.

Miyabi Nagumo's heart skipped a beat as he instantly understood: Makoto Nishikado and Horikita Manabu clearly both knew what those words meant.

He was the only one who didn't.

The feeling of being looked down on and surpassed pricked at his competitive streak, instead rousing his fighting spirit.

He stared hard at Makoto Nishikado, his mind racing as he tried to work out the crucial point.

Two minutes later, he finally asked, uncertainly,

"You mean that if so many students are expelled in the first exam of the school year, people will start questioning the school's authority?"

"Especially people from outside the school?"

Miyabi Nagumo wasn't stupid.

The fact that he had become the ruler of the second years was proof enough that he had brains.

He just didn't usually think in that direction.

This matter really did concern the school's reputation.

Even in the second year, where the number of expulsions was relatively high, only a dozen or so students were expelled in an entire year. Now ten first-years were going to be expelled in their very first exam. What would outsiders think when they saw that?

The public wouldn't think it was the school's strategy. They'd think this year's administration was incompetent!

Advanced Nurturing's standing wasn't untouchable. The school had to regularly show the outside world its results, too.

More importantly, Advanced Nurturing couldn't afford to make mistakes.

"More or less. Strictly speaking, it's a question of who takes responsibility."

"If something like this happens, is it because the people in charge of admissions messed up and accepted students who weren't qualified to enter Advanced Nurturing?"

"Or did the people who set the exam fail to respond properly and make it too difficult?"

"Vice President Nagumo, you should understand that in Sakurajima, no one is willing to take responsibility."

Makoto Nishikado explained in detail, watching Miyabi Nagumo's expression change.

"...Impressive, junior. I really hadn't thought that far ahead."

Miyabi Nagumo felt a pang of fear.

Just because he hadn't experienced certain things firsthand didn't mean he hadn't heard about them.

In Sakurajima, a subordinate's achievements belonged to their superior, while a superior's mistakes were the subordinate's responsibility.

If he used this move, he would inevitably resort to public opinion to keep the school from pretending nothing had happened.

If things escalated and the outside world found out and started raising questions, how would the administration at Advanced Nurturing answer the question, "Who's responsible?"

"If you can't solve the problem, solve the person who brought it up."

"Vice President Nagumo, you're still just a student, after all. The school is the one that gave you all your power."

"To anyone who doesn't know the details, your position isn't much different from that of a temporary employee at a company."

Makoto Nishikado smiled as he gave his answer.

[Having stirred Horikita Manabu's emotions, gained 4,512 emotion points.]

After hearing those words, everyone in the room saw Makoto Nishikado in a new light.

He really was worthy of being someone Horikita Manabu had taken notice of—and being made vice president right off the bat.

Makoto Nishikado had certainly shown that he was no ordinary person.

"...Thank you, junior. It seems you're just as generous as Horikita-senpai."

Miyabi Nagumo's expression had been grim; he had already lost this round.

But after thinking it over, he broke into a smile instead.

Makoto Nishikado had laid out the consequences so clearly that he obviously hadn't meant to set him up.

Otherwise, after proposing the idea, Makoto Nishikado wouldn't even have needed to steer him toward it. Miyabi Nagumo would have volunteered to be the one to stick his neck out.

Then, when the school's whip came down, Miyabi Nagumo would have thought he had only himself to blame.

At that moment, Miyabi Nagumo saw Makoto Nishikado as much like Horikita Manabu: someone who acted in an upright and honorable way.

As vice president, he had constantly provoked Horikita Manabu and taken a position completely opposed to his.

But that hadn't stopped Horikita Manabu from putting him to good use, which showed just how broad-minded he was.

The difference between them was that when this junior came up with a nasty plan, he wouldn't discard it. Instead, he'd find a less underhanded way to achieve his goal.

Just like now: Makoto Nishikado had laid it all out in the open and successfully established his authority within the Student Council with a few words.

Miyabi Nagumo could only watch him step on his head on the way up, and still had to say thank you.

What a rare experience.

Miyabi Nagumo felt like he was about to catch fire!

Advanced Nurturing really was a wonderful place. It always brought him into contact with characters as extraordinary as this one.

The thought that he still had two years to go head-to-head with Makoto Nishikado made his unhappiness vanish in an instant.

"Junior, you won this round." Miyabi Nagumo accepted his loss and took out his Personal Terminal. "But you still haven't told me what you're after."

Makoto Nishikado took out his Personal Terminal too and accepted the 1 million personal points that had been transferred to him.

That extra zero probably wasn't meant to buy him off.

Makoto Nishikado thought about it, decided to treat it as a thank-you gift, and accepted it.

"Could I trouble Vice President Nagumo to submit this proposal for me?"

"Of course. But do you really just want to see how the school reacts?"

Miyabi Nagumo was a little confused.

If this plan wasn't meant to set him up, then what was it for?

Makoto Nishikado didn't rush to explain. He really did want to learn how the school would react to this matter.

More precisely, he wanted to see how the school would react to a particular situation.

If he said that in advance, he might not be able to find out.

"Even though you've already admitted defeat, why not take another guess? The outcome of this matter is very important to me—and to all of us. I have to know the answer."

At those words, Miyabi Nagumo looked at the paper Makoto Nishikado had pinned beneath his hand on the desk, itching with curiosity.

"All right, I'll help you submit this proposal."