The Storm After the Midterm Exam (1)

After Secretary Tachibana announced the latest class rankings and point totals, Katsuragi Kohei stood before the bulletin board, staring at the data:

[Class A: 1004cp

Class B: 906cp

Class C: 492cp

Class D: 87cp]

"Is Class C already showing signs of fatigue?" he remarked. "Is Ryuen pulling strings again? What a dangerous man."

Standing beside him, Sakayanagi replied, "That Ryuen fellow is certainly tiresome, but compared to Class C, Katsuragi-kun, you should be paying more attention to Class B. The gap between us is narrowing; you must be careful not to be surpassed by them in the next special exam."

"Rest assured on that front. We have a general grasp of Class B's current situation. However, I am more concerned about Kitahara Seiichi of Class D. Up until now, we only know that he spends most of his time in his dormitory."

"Although it is unclear whether he is actively participating in the class competition this time, his ability is beyond doubt. He poses a significant threat to our Class A."

After saying this, Katsuragi looked at the news posted nearby and continued, "Furthermore, he has now joined the Student Council. Aside from you, Sakayanagi, he is the only first-year to do so."

But there was one thing Katsuragi Kohei did not voice: he suspected that Sakayanagi was acting in concert with Kitahara during this exam. After all, they had been seen together frequently before, and now they had both joined the Student Council; he refused to believe that was a mere coincidence.

Even though he and Sakayanagi were currently at odds, they were still in the same class. As long as she did not harm the class's interests, he preferred not to interfere in her affairs.

Katsuragi, who had been speaking for some time, suddenly realized that Sakayanagi, who had been responding to him, had fallen silent. When he looked at her, he noticed she was busy communicating with someone on her phone.

Having just finished her message, Sakayanagi smiled and said, "I truly look forward to meeting you."

Katsuragi felt deeply puzzled upon hearing this, but ultimately, he remained silent.

Sakayanagi then continued, "Katsuragi-kun, I have my own plans for the upcoming special exam."

Seeing the determination in her eyes, Katsuragi considered his response before saying, "As long as you do not harm the interests of the class, do as you please."

In truth, Katsuragi said this out of helplessness. Before today, he and Sakayanagi had been evenly matched, but recent events had caused his supporters to gradually gravitate toward her.

He knew that if he suffered a defeat in the next exam, he would lose his leadership over the class entirely.

Hearing this, Sakayanagi nodded and slowly walked away, leaning on her cane.

Due to the hardships since the start of the school year, it was not just the students of Class D who were anticipating the latest class points; the entire student body was waiting in suspense.

The nature of their anticipation differed, however: the former were hoping the latest points would be enough to sustain them, while the latter were considering the shifting power dynamics between the classes.

From this, the stark gap between Class D and the other classes was evident.

In the Class C classroom, where they had also been keeping a close eye on Class D, Ryuen looked at the latest point totals and said, "It seems we must begin our move against Class D."

Hearing his leader, a subordinate named Kaneda spoke up, "Boss, can we really execute this plan safely? After all, Kitahara Seiichi of Class D has become a disciplinary committee member for the Student Council. If he finds out, then we..."

Listening to his subordinate's worried tone, Ryuen said confidently, "They already had a conflict this morning, during which Kitahara even threatened Sudo."

"Boss, how did you get this information?" asked Ishizaki.

Seeing his foolish expression, Ryuen couldn't help but feel a vein throb on his forehead as he said, "The idiots in Class D were already blabbing about it by noon."

"Hmph. Komiya, Kondo, how have your contacts been lately?" Ryuen turned away from him to address the other two.

"Don't worry, Boss. Everything is going according to plan," the two assured him confidently.

"Good," Ryuen nodded.

"Heh, let's send Class D back to the bottom of the abyss," Ryuen laughed heartily.

"Nice shot, bro..."

"So lethal..."

From Kitahara's dormitory came the rhythmic clatter of a keyboard, accompanied by Kitahara muttering, "Basic play, don't be impressed."

Watching the words "Chosen One" gradually appear on his computer screen, Kitahara finally couldn't help but shout, "I finally won a match! Do you know the pressure I face every time I'm under 450+ ping? It's really not easy, and the school network is the main culprit."

That's right: while the other classes were busy making plans, he had been in his room, playing from Dragon Hidden Cave Heaven to Jukuzhou. Just as Kitahara was savoring his hard-won victory, his phone vibrated several times.

When Kitahara picked up his phone, he discovered a few messages from the Student Council President.

[You all did quite well this time, and it has affected Nagumo Miyabi's control over the second years. The 2 million points I promised will be transferred to you tomorrow.]

Looking at the praise from President Horikita, Kitahara recalled the private deal he had made with him.

It was a dark and windy night, we...

No, that's the wrong story. In reality, after I left with Sakayanagi, I sent a message to Horikita Manabu to arrange a meeting at the school's central plaza that night to discuss a serious matter.

Why did I choose that location? It was definitely not because I was curious about the spot where the "handprint" incident occurred.

When I arrived, I found President Horikita had been waiting for some time, so I immediately apologized.

He clearly didn't mind, instead asking Kitahara directly, "What exactly is it that required a private meeting?"

"President, let's speak plainly. I have a deal I'd like to discuss with you regarding the Student Council Vice President, Nagumo Miyabi."

Upon hearing Kitahara's words, even the usually composed Horikita Manabu lost his composure, though he quickly regained control of his emotions, thinking as he stared at Kitahara.

Watching Horikita Manabu's gaze, Kitahara couldn't help but sigh, So this is the true inheritance of the Horikita family. The way these two look at people—it's not just similar; it's exactly the same.

"Ahem, President, have you considered it?" Unable to endure that death stare any longer, Kitahara finally broke the silence.

Horikita emerged from his thoughts and asked, "When did you start investigating the internal information of the Student Council?"

Facing Horikita Manabu's reaction, Kitahara had long anticipated it, so he had already prepared his explanation in advance.

"Probably from the time you rejected the membership invitations of Ichinose and Katsuragi Kohei. That was when I started to wonder why the Student Council would refuse them, given that they are excellent in every respect."

"It wasn't until I noticed that the position of Vice President was never filled, neither during the entrance ceremony nor in the morning meetings, that I..."

"So you started investigating, then? Truly excellent insight and analytical ability," Horikita said, finishing Kitahara's sentence.

"Yes, that's exactly it." (This is the man holding the script—Kitahara Seiichi. It seems President Horikita believes my story.)