"Why was Kitahara with Yanagihara? And why had they spent the whole afternoon in the conference room?" Ichinose said, lying on her bed and looking at her phone.
"One was a well-known figure from Class D, and the other was a central figure in Class A. Why were they together? Did they have something to discuss? I wonder if this could pose any danger to Class B."
"I guess I should talk with Kanzaki and the others tomorrow about what Class B should do next. We've also been harassed by Class C lately. I wonder if I can really protect Class B."
"If Kitahara were in our class, that would be great. Then we wouldn't have to worry so much about attacks from the other classes."
As Ichinose pondered, she gradually drifted off to sleep. The phone in her hand still showed Kitahara's location.
As the sky began to brighten, a new day started. When Kitahara walked into the classroom, the whole class looked at him, but nobody said anything.
After Kitahara returned to his seat, Ayanokoji, who sat beside him, unexpectedly spoke up first. "Kitahara, what were you doing with Yanagihara from Class A yesterday? The forum's full of people saying you two were..."
"Uh, Ayanokoji, when did you get so curious?" Kitahara asked.
Seeing that Ayanokoji was acting the same as always, Kitahara realized someone had probably asked him to find out.
"But who? The most likely candidates are Kushida Kikyo and Hirata. Though, in a little while, Class D won't have anything to do with me anymore."
"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine," Ayanokoji said when Kitahara fell silent.
"It's nothing serious, so I can tell you. I just played a game of chess with Yanagihara," Kitahara replied casually.
"..." Ayanokoji nodded and said nothing more.
The morning passed quickly, and it was time for his appointment with Sakayanagi. Kitahara gathered his things and set off, unaware that someone was sneaking along behind him.
When Kitahara arrived at the café, a blond boy came over and said, "Hello, Kitahara. I'm Hashimoto Masayoshi, the little princess's right-hand man. The little princess has been waiting for you."
Hashimoto led him to a private room. When he opened the door, Sakayanagi was sitting there, slowly sipping her coffee.
"Sakayanagi, can you really drink coffee with your condition?" Kitahara asked as he walked toward the seat across from her. Hashimoto, who had been there moments earlier, had already left.
Once Kitahara sat down, he noticed Sakayanagi had handed him the other cup of coffee in front of her.
Kitahara picked up the cup and took a small sip. The bitter taste made him immediately set it down, and he looked at Sakayanagi in confusion.
His expression made his meaning obvious: How could you drink this?
"Hehe, I didn't expect you to dislike coffee, Kitahara."
"..."
"Let's get down to business. That way, we can move forward smoothly."
"According to your plan, the key is to persuade the Student Council President. Only then can we limit the influence the upperclassmen have on our plan."
"Don't worry, Yanagihara. I'm quite confident about that."
Yanagihara, you don't know what the Student Council is like right now. If I tell him this plan could greatly undermine Miyabi Nagumo's influence in the second year, Horikita Manabu will probably be more than happy to make a deal with me.
Besides, I still have another trump card: I can agree to join the Student Council and help him deal with Miyabi Nagumo.
Seeing Kitahara's confidence, Sakayanagi decided not to say anything more and simply asked him:
"Then how will we divide the profits?" Yanagihara asked, looking at Kitahara.
After thinking for a moment, Kitahara said, "Let's split it fifty-fifty." I'm mainly trying to rip off the school again. After all, you're the Chairman's daughter. If I ask for too small a share, the Chairman might make things difficult for me.
After Kitahara and Yanagihara discussed the final details, they set off for the Student Council. As the two walked out the door together, a flash of light went unnoticed. Kushida Kikyo had taken a photo of them with her phone.
I knew they were up to something. Kushida watched them walk away and thought.
When they reached the entrance to the Student Council Office, Horikita Manabu was at his desk handling some documents. Tachibana Akane, standing beside him, came over and said, "The president will need a little more time to finish up. Could I trouble you to wait?"
Kitahara indicated that he understood, then waited nearby for a while. During that time, he kept observing his surroundings. After all, this might be his workplace someday.
"All right, Tachibana. Show them in," Horikita Manabu said, gathering the documents in front of him.
"Yes, President."
"Kitahara, good to see you again. And this is Yanagihara, correct? May I ask what brings you here?"
"Hehe, President, what we're about to discuss could be a big deal. I'll let Sakayanagi explain it to you."
"..."
"Oh, I see. Your plan is good, but this matter could have far-reaching consequences. As Student Council President, I can't vouch for you, so I'll have to report this to the Chairman before making a decision," Horikita Manabu said, pushing up his glasses.
"Still, there's a very good chance the plan will be approved."
Before long, Horikita Manabu had finished his call with the Chairman. He looked at us and said, "The school can approve your plan, but Yanagihara, the questions you come up with will have to be reviewed by the school and kept strictly confidential."
"Really? Does that mean we've made our first breakthrough?" I even prepared two backup plans, but Horikita Manabu turned out to be much easier to deal with than I expected.
"Right. Now let's proceed according to plan, Kitahara."
"Then I wish you success," Horikita Manabu said.
"We'll do our best, President," Yanagihara said with a smile.
"Then let's go, Kitahara. Hmm?" Seeing that Kitahara didn't seem ready to leave, Yanagihara appeared to guess why and smiled at him.
"Ahem. Well, Yanagihara, you go on ahead. I have something to discuss with President Horikita." Unable to withstand Yanagihara's gaze, Kitahara hurriedly spoke up.
"Hehe, all right. I'll take my leave, then." Yanagihara was just about to leave, leaning on her cane, when Horikita Manabu suddenly spoke.
"I was wondering whether you and Kitahara might be interested in joining the Student Council."
After Horikita Manabu spoke, Tachibana Akane seemed about to say something, but he stopped her with a look.
"Join the Student Council? I'm not particularly interested. What about you, Kitahara?" Yanagihara asked.
"Well, I'm somewhat interested. But I heard Student Council members aren't allowed to join other clubs."
"That's right, there is such a rule. But as I recall, Kitahara, you haven't joined any clubs."
"That's true. I haven't joined one, but I'd like to start a club."
"I see. What kind of club do you want to start, Kitahara? The school's clubs should already be at capacity. Besides, you need at least three people to apply."
"Really? Finding three people should be easy enough. By the way, I want to start an Esports Club."