Even though Sogo Doma had a terrible reputation—while it had not reached the point where everyone wanted to beat him up and even gods and ghosts despised him, parents did still tell their children, "Don't get involved with him."
In fact, even the parental line of "Don't play with him" was only popular among most people. A small number of families instead said, "Suck up to him! If you can get involved with that wastrel from the Doma Family, then no matter what he does, suck up to him as hard as you can..."
It could not be helped. The Doma Family behind Sogo Doma was simply too powerful. What did the little bit of family fortune he squandered amount to for the Doma Family? It was nothing.
By the way, that small group openly talking about "sucking up" was only the surface of things. In reality, who knew how many parents who publicly said, "Don't play with Sogo Doma," privately said, "Are you useless brats incapable of even making friends? Sogo is our family's friend forever!"
At the very least, that was how things were before the Doma Family fell...
After all, most people—or rather, those who had made it into the upper class—thought the same way: Sogo Doma might be a wastrel, but didn't that mean he was easy to control?
Easy to control, plus the Doma Family behind him...
If they let even a tiny bit slip through their fingers, it would be enough to let most so-called prestigious families advance another step. And that was practically the limit of what a University of Tokyo student could achieve, because—
Not everyone was Keiryu Doma!
Especially in this country, where "class" had become so entrenched that it could no longer be shaken. University of Tokyo students might be