The Egoist

"You're dropping the complaint?"

Hearing this, Nagumo Miyabi felt a sudden sense of boredom. "Then, at least tell us the reason."

"Vice President Nagumo, I believe it is my freedom to choose whether to pursue a complaint or not. There is no rule stating that one cannot withdraw a case halfway through."

"Of course! That is your right," Nagumo said, his eyes narrowing into a smile.

"The one who was guilty was Kato, but now I'm the one who's guilty!" (Yamamoto Sae)

"If the homeroom teacher could win this debate, that would be one thing, but if she loses, won't I be the one expelled?" (Yamamoto Sae)

"I set out to harm someone else, only to end up harming myself. I absolutely cannot let this 'shooting myself in the foot' scenario happen!" (Yamamoto Sae)

Horikita Manabu scrutinized Sae. Instead of directly rejecting the request to withdraw the complaint, he turned to Kato Satsu and asked, "As the involved party, what is Kato's stance?"

"Huh? Oh, yes!"

"Wait! What!"

Satsu had been lost in his own world. Faced with Horikita Manabu's question, he had nodded in agreement subconsciously, but by the time he realized what had happened, it was already too late.

"Since neither side has any objections, let us end this matter here."

After Horikita Manabu finished speaking, he stood up and left the room without hesitation, with Tachibana Akane following closely behind.

"No way! He just agreed like that?" (Yamamoto Sae)

"In a situation like this, shouldn't a normal person refuse to accept an apology, or at the very least, use the opportunity to extort a large sum of money?" (Yamamoto Sae)

Sae stood frozen in place, staring at Satsu with a look of utter bewilderment. Her homeroom teacher called out to her several times, but Sae did not respond.

In the hallway.

"President, isn't this too hasty? There are still many suspicious points about this matter that haven't been clarified."

Horikita Manabu walked quickly, with Tachibana Akane jogging to keep up as she asked.

"It is no longer necessary. They only built this stage to serve their own respective agendas."

"Now that the actors are leaving the stage, there is no need for us, the audience, to keep them here." Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses and spoke.

Inside the student council office, Arisu also signaled for Hashimoto and Kamuro to leave.

Just as the three reached the door, Arisu couldn't help but glance back at Satsu, yet this subtle movement was captured by the latter.

Their eyes met, and neither spoke.

"What, are you two planning on staring at each other until the end of time?" Nagumo spoke up, breaking the strange atmosphere.

"I think we will have many more opportunities to interact in the future, Arisu."

"I look forward to it~ Satsu."

Hearing this exchange, Hashimoto finally couldn't help himself. He rested his hand on his forehead and sighed helplessly.

"At a time like this, shouldn't you be declaring war?"

"Anyone who didn't know better would think you two were acting in a school romance drama."

Arisu ignored Hashimoto's snark and turned to leave.

Satsu and Chabashira did not linger in the office for long, leaving together.

"Is it really okay to leave that student, Sae, unchecked? There's no guarantee she won't cause you trouble again."

Hearing this, Satsu was quite surprised. "Chabashira-sensei, so you actually care about your students?"

"I thought you were the type who could face your own students being expelled with total indifference."

Chabashira glanced at Satsu and replied, "As a teacher, I should still provide necessary advice."

"I still want to see if I can rely on you to reach Class A." (Chabashira Sae)

"I see. The person she wants to use as a source of power has shifted from Ayanokoji to me." (Kato Satsu)

Upon learning Chabashira's goal, Satsu couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion; one of his own reasons for coming here was to graduate as a student of Class A.

Although Chabashira's goal aligned with his own, Satsu was unwilling to help her.

Strictly speaking, the lineup of Class D wasn't too bad; if everyone could unite, reaching Class A wouldn't be difficult.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Horikita Suzune, Kikyo Kushida, Hirata Yosuke, Haruka Hasebe, Koenji Rokusuke.

Setting aside their personalities, these people possessed the strength of Class B, Class A, or even beyond Class A.

In Class D, there were even some students with exceptional talents in specific areas, such as Sudo Ken and Yukimura Teruhiko.

But the problem was that these people all had some screws loose in their heads. Just as the rules for class placement stated, Class D was full of "defective" products.

Solve their problems and then unite them?

Just thinking about it gave him a headache. Rather than that, it would be better to aim for twenty million points and reach Class A on his own.

"Less trouble is better than more; sometimes, being an egoist is for the best!" (Kato Satsu)

"Kato Satsu."

In the hallway, Nagumo Miyabi suddenly spoke up, calling out to Satsu and his companion.

"Is there anything else, Vice President Nagumo?" Kato Satsu asked, puzzled.

The two turned in unison to look at Nagumo.

The latter's attitude was as arrogant and disdainful as ever: "I was just wondering why you are so obsessed with getting second-year students expelled."

"I don't understand what you mean."

Nagumo did not rush to answer Kato Satsu's question, instead walking slowly until he stood before him, a hint of malice unconsciously manifesting in his eyes as he spoke.

"After Kuraku and Matsuyama, Sae has also fallen victim to your schemes. Although you didn't succeed this time, there... will not be a next time. Do you understand?"

Nagumo's voice was low, but his tone carried an imposing momentum that could not be underestimated.

"Do you know how many points I lose in monthly income for every second-year student who gets expelled?"

As he spoke, Nagumo leaned in close to Kato Satsu's ear, continuing in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

"Of course, if you insist on playing this expulsion game, junior, then let me accompany you."

Having said that, Nagumo did not give Kato Satsu a chance to respond; he patted him lightly on the shoulder and walked away briskly.

He is filled with nothing but displeasure; these words are undoubtedly a naked warning. (Kato Satsu)

Seeing Kato Satsu staring blankly in the direction Nagumo had left, Chabashira spoke up to pull his thoughts back to reality.

"As a teacher's advice, it would be better for you not to make an enemy of Vice President Nagumo."

"Thank you for your advice, Teacher Chabashira. I will certainly keep it in mind."

Like hell I will! (Kato Satsu)

Meanwhile, inside the Chairman's Office.

Ayanokōji Atsuomi and Sakayanagi Narimori sat facing each other; his posture was flamboyant, filled with the majesty of someone in a position of power.

"I have taken time out of my busy schedule to see you, Narimori; you had better truly have something to discuss with me."

"So, what exactly have you encountered?"

Seeing Ayanokōji Atsuomi get straight to the point, Sakayanagi Narimori also skipped the pleasantries.

"Professor Ayanokōji... do you know of an organization called The Web?"

"I have never heard of it. What kind of thing is that?"

Not hearing the answer he had hoped for, Sakayanagi Narimori appeared quite dejected.

After a long while, he slowly began to recount everything that had been happening at the school.