"Oh?"
Hearing Hashimoto's words, Ryūen's eyebrows twitched.
*[This guy… Could he have noticed Saiki?]*
As Saiki Kusuo's face flashed in his mind, Ryūen's heartbeat quickened slightly.
"I investigated Albert and Ishizaki earlier. They're not the type to get along with others, but within our group, they're unusually well-behaved. The most likely explanation is that the so-called X is among us."
Hashimoto said with a smile,
"And Ryūen, just now, your eyes flickered with hesitation."
*'Yare yare, has Hashimoto noticed too?'*
Saiki's eyes narrowed slightly. First Kōenji, now Hashimoto.
Kōenji was fine; he was the type to do as he pleased and wouldn't spread rumors. Even if he did, others might not believe him.
But Hashimoto was different.
Even if he was someone who switched sides for profit, they were currently enemies. If Sakayanagi shifted her attention to Saiki, it could cause trouble.
Worst-case scenario, Saiki might need to use his mind control abilities.
"Oh?"
Ryūen smirked dismissively,
"I didn't hesitate; you must have misread me. Who do you think it is?"
"Kōenji is a likely candidate. If he acts for his class, honestly, who knows what Class A would become? There's also Hirata and Yukimura, who are academically gifted, and Sudō, with his top-tier physical abilities."
"Haha, Kōenji?"
Hearing Hashimoto's words, Ryūen laughed instead. Beside him, Saiki sighed in relief,
"Regardless of the others, I don't think that man will make a move."
Hashimoto smiled:
"True, but who knows what he might do on a whim? Even so, I'll stay cautious. As long as there's room for me to intervene, even if Kōenji and the others rise to Class A, it won't be a problem."
"Whether or not you have that kind of power is questionable, but do your best without putting yourself at a disadvantage."
Ryūen looked at him, shaking his head,
"Even taking a long bathroom break can be troublesome."
"Yeah."
Their conversation was nearly over when footsteps approached. Saiki noticed the newcomers first.
"Even first-years are having secret meetings at this hour."
Nagumo Miyabi and Horikita Manabu had arrived.
"Huh?"
Standing before Ryūen and the others, who were about to head back inside, were Nagumo and Horikita.
Ryūen paused for a moment but quickly lost interest and stepped forward, directly into Nagumo's path.
However, Nagumo didn't intend to avoid him.
"Get lost."
Facing Ryūen's glare, Nagumo maintained a meaningful smile.
"I've heard about your delinquent reputation. You're Ryūen, right? I'd like to talk with Horikita for a bit. Why don't you join us? And you over there, feel free to stay too."
Nagumo turned to Hashimoto.
"I'm not interested."
Ryūen ignored Nagumo, walking past him and even deliberately bumping his shoulder.
"So bold. Aren't you afraid of me, Ryūen?"
"Whether you're the student council president or not, I'll crush anyone who gets in my way."
"Oh—"
"I don't dislike your type, but you're not suited for my student council—"
Nagumo paused slightly,
"Want to bet as an outsider? In this special exam, which group will score higher—mine or Horikita's? One point for ten thousand. If you guess right, I'll pay you that amount. If you're wrong, you'll have to pay up."
*[Ryūen, I've already investigated you. You're capable, but last semester, your actions seemed to suddenly stop. Why?]*
"Boring. I'm not interested in small change."
"Ten thousand points is small change? In Class D, you're probably always short on money. I can increase the amount if you'd like."
"Make it a million. If you can raise the stakes that high, I'll join."
Ryūen said, turning back.
"Hahaha, that's a bold joke, Ryūen. You can go now."
He seemed to think Ryūen's proposal was a joke.
"If you don't have the courage to raise the stakes that high, don't propose bets to me."
"Hey, first-year over there, do you think Ryūen can pay up?"
Nagumo narrowed his eyes slightly, curious if Ryūen could really afford a million points.
Nagumo asked Hashimoto, who knew about the secret agreement between him and Class A. Hashimoto undoubtedly knew Ryūen had the points but wasn't about to say so.
"I don't know… Since we're in different classes, it's hard to say."
Hashimoto shrugged.
"If we could confirm with a phone, I'd be happy to join. Too bad."
"I'll be leaving too, seniors."
With that, Hashimoto and Ryūen prepared to leave.
Nagumo seemed to have lost interest in them, shifting his gaze to Horikita.
"By the way, I remember a first-year freshman you seem to value highly… Who is it? Do you know?"
Nagumo looked at Hashimoto and Ryūen,
"Oh, right, I remember this first-year is in the same group as him—Saiki Kusuo."
*[I want these first-years to realize the existence of someone named Saiki Kusuo.]*
*'Hey, why did you suddenly bring up my name?'*
Saiki was baffled.
*[Saiki Kusuo isn't someone I particularly care about. Among first-years, he's clearly less noticeable than Kōenji. But why is Horikita so interested in him?]*
*[Though Horikita probably doesn't realize that I've noticed his small interactions with Saiki.]*
*[Just in case, I'll have other first-years keep an eye on this Saiki Kusuo to see if he's worth paying attention to.]*
*'Yare yare… This is troublesome.'*
Saiki sighed inwardly, never imagining he'd become the subject of gossip.
"What do you think, Hashimoto? Do you know anything about Saiki?"
"What do I think… No, I see him as a very ordinary student…"
Hearing the name, Hashimoto's eyes flickered with confusion.
*[Saiki? Why did President Nagumo specifically mention that name? He seems like a pretty ordinary student.]*
Unlike Hashimoto, Ryūen stopped in his tracks, his expression turning serious.
"Is that so? But Horikita seems to value Saiki highly among first-years."
"Because of their impressive relay race during the sports festival?"
"Usually, yes, but it seems there's more to it. It's not Sakayanagi, not Ryūen, not Ichinose—Horikita values Saiki. I thought you, being in the same group, would have noticed something."
"No…"
Hashimoto shook his head, trying to recall his interactions with Saiki.
Though Saiki was the group leader, he didn't stand out much.
"What's going on, senior? It's time you told me the reason."
Nagumo smiled at Horikita.
"You're saying some strange things, Nagumo. When did I ever say I valued Saiki? Spreading misinformation isn't helpful. There should be limits to pranking first-years."
Though Nagumo's realization surprised Horikita, he remained calm in his response.
"My apologies, senior. You're right. Sorry, Hashimoto, I was just joking earlier."
"I see…"
Hashimoto's eyebrows twitched. He didn't think Nagumo was joking.
*[From now on, I'll need to pay closer attention to this Saiki.]*
*'Yare yare… More trouble for me?'*
Saiki sighed inwardly.
"Horikita, just forfeit tomorrow's exam."
At that moment, Nagumo spoke up.
"Forfeit?"
"Yes."
"That sounds even more malicious than the joke Ryūen made earlier."
"I'm actually quite serious, but—"
Nagumo Miyabi flashed a grin like a jackal's.
"This is for your own good, senpai."
"Explain yourself clearly. You have this bad habit of jumping to conclusions in your head, and it seems you haven't changed."
Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses.
"Sorry. Being able to foresee outcomes is a double-edged sword. If you don't forfeit, you'll regret it. Consider this my act of mercy. I could've just sabotaged you without warning, but that would've been too cruel, right?"
"What are you planning? Depending on the situation, I might not accept."
"I know the rules: win fairly without involving others. But if we proceed, we won't know who wins until the end—though I expect it to be a close match. That's why I want to win, and I've taken measures."
"And that involves asking me to forfeit?"
"It minimizes damage, senpai. Can you predict my moves? No, you can't. No one in this school can outthink me."
Nagumo's smile twisted with madness, as if everything was under control.
*"Horikita-senpai, you'd never guess. I've already tampered with your secretary's group. If you don't forfeit, Tachibana will be expelled."*
*"Imagine the look on your face when she's expelled."*
*"Your class will likely spend points to save her, but that'll jeopardize your Class A status."*
"Your plan is to use Class B girls to expel Tachibana, isn't it?"
Horikita remained calm, seeing through Nagumo's scheme.
"What?!"
Nagumo's face showed genuine surprise for the first time.
Hashimoto Masayoshi and Ryūen Kakeru noticed the change in Nagumo's expression.
"What are you talking about, Horikita-senpai?"
Nagumo's voice trembled, his eyes fixed on Horikita.
*"How does Horikita know my plan? No one here should know! He should trust me!"*
*"What's going on?!"*
"I see right through you."
Horikita explained slowly.
"For two years, you've obeyed my every command, creating an illusion of trust. You planned to exploit that trust in this exam, making those around me fail."
"..."
Nagumo was speechless, shocked that Horikita had uncovered his plan.
*Did I underestimate him?*
"You made their group fail, lowering their average score. Then, you'd use the leader's authority to expel Tachibana. That was your goal."
Horikita continued calmly.
"As the former student council president, I still have some authority. I warned those students. If even one hesitates, your plan fails. Nagumo, you've lost my trust—the most valuable thing. Our competition is meaningless now. I won't accept any more challenges from you."
".....No way, Horikita-senpai. You figured it all out?!"
Nagumo wiped sweat from his forehead, frustrated that his plan was exposed.
"I never thought you'd see through it... How?"