The discussion ended, and Uesugi Hara was just about to leave when Miyabi Nagumo suddenly called out to him. "Uesugi, could we talk?"
Uesugi Hara stopped and glanced back at Nagumo, then flicked a look at Horikita Manabu beside him. Seeing that Horikita's expression was calm and he had nothing to say, Uesugi turned back and replied, "Of course, Nagumo-senpai."
Nagumo led Uesugi into the empty classroom next door and shut the door behind them, cutting off the noise from the hallway.
Uesugi noticed him locking the door and put on a timid expression, deliberately drawing out his words. "Nagumo-senpai, that move of yours is making me feel pretty unsafe."
Nagumo stared at his deliberately feigned timidity. After hearing that, he felt a headache coming on, and the words on the tip of his tongue suddenly caught in his throat. He took a deep breath and rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I'm not interested in men. Why would I go after a hard, unyielding guy like you when there are soft, lovely girls around?"
Uesugi grinned. "Heh, just kidding. It's just that you suddenly shut the door, so I couldn't help wondering what was up."
"I just didn't want anyone else overhearing our conversation." Nagumo's tone softened a little.
"I see." Uesugi's playful expression faded. "So, Nagumo-senpai, what did you want to talk to me about?" He couldn't really figure out Nagumo's true intentions.
Nagumo suddenly leaned forward, his gaze sharpening. "Uesugi, you're a very capable person. I know a few things about you, though I won't go into specifics. Would you be interested in working with me to make this school a more interesting place?"
"Is that all you wanted to talk to me about, Senpai?" Uesugi raised an eyebrow, his tone probing.
"Of course." Nagumo's lips curled up. "Given your abilities, Uesugi, I'm sure you already know about the history between President Horikita and me. The Student Council recruitment next month is coming up, and to limit me, President Horikita will probably refuse to recruit anyone at all. But I have my own way of dealing with that. And, as it happens, I think highly of you." He paused, a hint of coaxing entering his eyes. "How about joining me and doing something that'll truly change the status quo?"
Uesugi tapped the desktop lightly, letting his gaze sweep across the empty classroom before slowly looking up at Nagumo. "Make the school more interesting? That sounds like you're planning to flip the board over, Nagumo-senpai."
"I wouldn't go that far." Nagumo leaned against the lectern and watched Uesugi. "I just think Horikita Manabu's rules for 'maintaining the status quo' are unbearably dull. Look at this school. It's shiny on the surface, but beneath it, every year and every class is locked in a struggle for advantage. There are all sorts of shady dealings in how resources are distributed. And yet he pretends not to see any of it, content to cling to his little patch of power and live out his days in peace."
"So you want me on your side to help you deal with President Horikita?" Uesugi's fingers paused, his tone giving nothing away. "But as I recall, your influence among the second-years is already firmly established, isn't it? And, in principle, the next Student Council President's position should be yours. Once President Horikita steps down, the school's influence will naturally fall into your hands. Why rush things?"
Nagumo chuckled at that and slapped the lectern with a loud thump. His eyes blazed with a sharpness that refused to stay in the shadows. "That's true enough." He paused, his fingers suddenly tightening until his knuckles turned pale. "But Horikita Manabu's idea of 'absolute balance' is like a suffocating cocoon, wrapping the whole school in lifelessness. I acknowledge his skill. I acknowledge that he can keep every faction firmly under control—but that's exactly what I can't stand."
He suddenly lifted his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade. "If victory comes too easily, if I just wait for him to step down as though inheriting an estate, what's the point? I don't want to 'take over.' I want to 'defeat' him. While he's still standing at the peak, I want to tear apart his supposedly perfect rules with my own hands and show everyone that the balance he so fiercely upholds is nothing but a coward's fig leaf."
Uesugi was silent for a moment, tapping the desktop lightly with his fingers. Then he suddenly looked up with a smile. "You certainly have big ambitions, Senpai."
"Ambitions?" Nagumo scoffed and straightened up. His shirt collar fell open slightly with the movement, revealing faint blue veins near his collarbone. "I'd rather call it 'the determination to break the deadlock.' Don't you ever look at Horikita Manabu's eternally unruffled face and feel like doing something just to make him lose his composure?"
"Making President Horikita lose his composure..." He drew out the words, their trailing note carrying an indefinable meaning. "That does sound pretty interesting, Senpai."
A flash of delight crossed Nagumo's eyes. "So, you're in?"
"Don't rush me." Uesugi rested a hand on the desktop and lifted his gaze slightly, meeting Nagumo's eyes. "I do have a question, Nagumo-senpai. What do I get out of helping you?"
"I can help you join the Student Council." Nagumo answered at once, his tone growing more confident. "Don't underestimate this school's Student Council. It has far more power than you might think."
Uesugi lowered his eyes and suddenly chuckled. "The Student Council's power? Do I look like someone who'd covet something like that?"
He leaned back against a desk and folded his arms across his chest. "Since enrolling, I haven't run for class leader or gotten involved in any public activities, and I've been doing just fine. Power is a shackle when you hold it, and if you use it badly, it can burn you. Surely you don't think that little bait will make me wade into the mess between you and President Horikita?"
Nagumo wasn't surprised by his response. Instead, his lips curled into a smile. "Looks like Uesugi wants more than that." He walked to the window and gazed down at the students running around the sports field. "On paper, the Student Council controls the school's resources. In practice, most of that power is in Horikita Manabu's hands. The Student Council sets the rules for certain Special Exams, for instance, but he's always kept those rights to himself."
"Oh?" Uesugi raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that if I help you bring him down, I'll get my hands on those things?"
"More than that." Nagumo turned around, his eyes shining with confidence. "Once I take over the Student Council, I'll rewrite the rules. After that, the points and privileges you want—if you have what it takes to claim them, I'll dare to give them to you."
"So, what do you say? Interested in joining me? Let's build this up and make it great!"
Uesugi looked at the glint of confidence in Nagumo's eyes and suddenly chuckled. "Build this up and make it great? That sounds like a street vendor's sales pitch."
Nagumo didn't take offense. Instead, he leaned back against the lectern. "It may be blunt, but it's true. This school is like a gladiatorial arena with walls around it, and Horikita Manabu insists on keeping everything as it is. But you and I both know that true prey will never be content to stay inside a designated ring."
"The rules for Special Exams... resource distribution..." Uesugi repeated softly, his final words tinged with amusement. "You've certainly laid out a tempting spread, Senpai."
"The benefits are substantial, aren't they?" Nagumo's voice came from behind him. "Those idiots fixated on the Student Council position only see the hollow shell of power."
"It does sound like a pretty good deal."
"But I'm still going to refuse."
Nagumo had expected Uesugi to accept, and the smile on his face froze in an instant. He narrowed his eyes, surprise just barely detectable in his voice. "Why?"
"The bait you offered is certainly tempting." Uesugi had already started toward the door. He rested his fingertips lightly on the handle, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather. "Unfortunately, I'm the sort of person who hates trouble. I'm not particularly interested in the conflict between you and President Horikita."
He paused and glanced over his shoulder at Nagumo, the faintest smile on his lips. "I won't tell anyone about what happened today."
The lock clicked softly. As he opened the door, he left Nagumo with one last remark. "Until next time, Nagumo-senpai."