[I can't mention Saiki's name, or it'll cause him a lot of trouble.]
[Although Nagumo has noticed my attention toward Saiki, it's probably just suspicion at this point. There's no concrete evidence, otherwise he wouldn't have needed to test me earlier.]
[So I'll just bluff for now.]
Horikita Manabu thought to himself, then spoke up:
"From the very beginning, I've known exactly what kind of person you are. Just like you, over these past two years, I've been deliberately creating an image that could mislead you."
"Horikita-senpai... as expected of you."
Nagumo Miyabi frowned, his expression growing more serious.
"So, it turns out you're the one who enjoys deceiving others."
"In the end, it's because you were the first to break our trust. If you had truly kept your promise and not involved others, I would have been more willing to compete with you. But since you chose to break our agreement, there's no longer any meaning in continuing our competition."
Horikita Manabu said slowly.
When Saiki first mentioned Nagumo Miyabi's possible tactics, Horikita Manabu had found it hard to believe. However, just to be safe, he had gone to Tachibana Akane to ask about her group's situation.
Even though Tachibana Akane had initially been reluctant to speak, Horikita Manabu could tell from her demeanor that something was wrong. After pressing her, he learned what had happened and immediately took steps to help her resolve the issue.
Horikita Manabu had to admit that Nagumo Miyabi was a man without honor—
At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel at how sharp Saiki's insight was.
Even after spending two years with Nagumo Miyabi, Horikita Manabu hadn't seen his true nature. Yet Saiki had seen through him in an instant.
Horikita Manabu's admiration for Saiki's abilities grew even stronger.
'Yare yare, at least he didn't cause me more trouble.'
Saiki breathed a sigh of relief.
[President Nagumo's expression has completely changed... Is he faking it? No... It doesn't seem like he's pretending.]
Hashimoto Masayoshi pursed his lips, while Ryuen Kakeru watched the scene with a smile.
"I never thought the esteemed student council president would end up being played like a fool. It seems you're indeed a step below the former president."
Ryuen Kakeru mocked Nagumo Miyabi.
Nagumo Miyabi's eye twitched, but he ignored Ryuen Kakeru and instead spoke to Horikita Manabu:
"Is that so? Horikita-senpai, whether or not you accept my challenge is no longer up to you... In that case, there's no need for me to hide anything anymore. Whether or not I involve others—not just Tachibana, but others in your Class A—is entirely up to me."
Hearing Nagumo Miyabi's words, a sense of unease crept into Horikita Manabu's heart, though he didn't show it.
The final months of high school would not tolerate any failures.
"Is that so? Then let's see."
Horikita Manabu responded expressionlessly.
"How interesting!"
Ryuen Kakeru crossed his arms and laughed.
Hashimoto Masayoshi, standing nearby, didn't dare to speak. The two student council presidents exuded an overwhelming pressure.
The conversation among the group soon ended, and Hashimoto Masayoshi and the others quickly left the first floor and returned to their rooms.
He controlled his footsteps, trying not to make a sound as he slowly approached Saiki's bed.
[Saiki... Earlier, President Nagumo specifically mentioned his name. I don't think it was a joke—he brought it up intentionally.]
[I always thought Koenji was the biggest threat in Class B, and I overlooked Saiki...]
[Could it be... that Saiki has been hiding his true self all along?]
Hashimoto Masayoshi looked curiously at Saiki's bed—and at that moment, he saw Saiki lying on his bed, breathing evenly, seemingly asleep.
In reality, Saiki was pretending to sleep.
After eavesdropping on the earlier conversation, Saiki had used his teleportation ability to return to his bed, avoiding any suspicion from Hashimoto Masayoshi.
[It seems no one noticed I was gone earlier.]
Hashimoto Masayoshi thought to himself as he returned to his own bed.
'Is tonight finally over?'
Saiki muttered to himself, finally able to close his eyes.
...
The next day, the exam began as scheduled.
This exam consisted of four parts: meditation, speech, a relay race, and a written test.
Saiki's group performed decently, and during the relay race, Koenji Rokusuke even participated in the exam, which was rare.
Of course, he hadn't suddenly realized the importance of teamwork—he was simply acting in his own self-interest.
After all, Koenji Rokusuke's bottom line was not to be expelled. Although the likelihood was almost zero, if the group's performance was so poor that the leader had to be expelled, Koenji Rokusuke could also be at risk of being collateral damage.
Never leaving his fate in the hands of others—that was Koenji Rokusuke's style.
Koenji Rokusuke didn't go all out, but he still outperformed over 80% of the students.
By the afternoon, the day's exams were finally over, and everyone gathered in the gymnasium where they had first assembled, as the third-year teachers announced the results.
"Over the past eight days at the training camp, all of you have worked hard. Although the exam content varies each time, this is a special exam that only happens once every few years—compared to the last special exam, this year's overall evaluation is very high. The main reason is likely due to your excellent teamwork."
"I'll announce the results now. All male groups have exceeded the school's passing standard, resulting in zero expulsions—the best possible outcome!"
"Next, I'll announce the overall first place for the male groups. I'll only mention the third-year leader's name here. Later, the school will distribute points to all members of the group, from first to third years. First place goes to the group led by Ninomiya Kuronosuke from Class C of the third year!"
The people around Saiki immediately cheered.
Ninomiya Kuronosuke, the boy mentioned, was part of Saiki's larger group.
Neither Nagumo Miyabi nor Horikita Manabu would put themselves in the risky position of being the leader.
'Even though we first-years didn't contribute much, thanks to the second and third-year seniors, we still managed to take first place.'
Saiki turned to look at Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi.
Despite winning first place in the exam, neither of them showed any signs of joy.
Horikita Manabu realized that Nagumo Miyabi was more dangerous than he had anticipated. The next few months would be even more challenging than the past three years.
Nagumo Miyabi, on the other hand, realized that Horikita Manabu was more formidable than he had thought. All the plans he had meticulously prepared had been ruined, leaving him in no mood to celebrate.
The competition they had agreed upon no longer held any meaning.
"Next, I'll announce the results for the female groups. This time, all female groups passed, with no expulsions. First place goes to the group led by Ayase Natsu from Class C of the third year..."
Hearing the results announced by the teachers, Tachibana Akane finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She had mentally prepared herself for sacrifice, but in the end, Horikita Manabu had used various means to protect her.
Tachibana Akane's gaze shifted to Saiki—
[The first-year student, Saiki... He was able to see through Nagumo's true nature, something even Horikita-kun couldn't do... I never realized he was so capable.]
"Kusuo! Your group got first place! That's amazing!"
At that moment, Karuizawa Kei quickly walked over to Saiki and said with a smile.
"We just rode on the coattails of the upperclassmen."
Saiki replied. Even though their first-year group hadn't performed particularly well, the groups led by Nagumo Miyabi and Horikita Manabu had ensured their victory.
Since Nagumo Miyabi and Horikita Manabu were in the same larger group, it was difficult for Nagumo Miyabi to take any drastic actions against Horikita Manabu without sacrificing his own group's performance, which would also harm his own interests.
"But I feel like the school's exams are getting stricter... The risk of expulsion seems to be increasing."
"That's true."
Saiki also noticed that the school's rules seemed to be changing in some way, with the risk of expulsion growing.
Was the school always like this, or was something changing within the school?
For now, though, it didn't affect Saiki personally.
'If I just deal with the risks ahead of time, everything should be fine.'
He thought to himself.
...
After the training camp exam, all the teachers and students returned to the school.
Unbeknownst to them, over half a month had passed, and February had quietly arrived. The cold weather gradually began to warm up.
However, during this period, the teachers at Advanced Nurturing High School were extremely busy.
Even though the training camp exam had just ended, all the teachers had to prepare for grade promotions, expulsions, and graduation—especially for the final special exam that all grades would participate in.
However, the teachers responsible for the first-year students felt more complicated than those of the other grades.
"...That concludes the content of the final special exam for the first-year students, as well as the introduction of the new system."
A man stood before all the teachers, having finished explaining the details of the final special exam for the year.
The explanations for the second and third-year students were similar to previous years, but the first-year students' exam was entirely different.
"If any teachers have questions, please feel free to ask."
The man maintained a smile, his gaze sweeping over the teachers seated around him in a tense atmosphere.
An eerie silence filled the room, and the first-year teachers looked particularly serious.
"May I say something, Acting Chairman Tsukishiro?"
At that moment, Mashima Tomonari, the homeroom teacher for Class A of the first year, raised his hand, breaking the suffocating silence. The other teachers' eyes turned to him.
The man standing before them was Tsukishiro Tokinari.
Not long ago, Ayanokoji Atsuomi had used his influence to force Sakayanagi Narimori out of his position and installed his subordinate, Tsukishiro Tokinari, as the new chairman.
His goal was to have Tsukishiro Tokinari bring Ayanokoji Kiyotaka back to the White Room.
"What is it, Mashima-sensei, homeroom teacher for Class A of the first year?"
Tsukishiro Tokinari, expecting questions, smiled gently, though it was all a facade.
"While the second and third-year students' special exams follow the same standards as previous years, the first-year students' exam standards have significantly exceeded the average. The class vote... This exam carries a high risk of expulsion, doesn't it?"
As a teacher responsible for the first-year students, Mashima Tomonari didn't hesitate to challenge the acting chairman's authority, his tone serious:
"I know this may sound rude, but Acting Chairman Tsukishiro, you've only just taken office. While you may have some understanding of our school, forcing expulsions when no first-year student has been expelled so far is highly problematic."
Just moments ago, Tsukishiro Tokinari, who had recently taken office, had used his authority to forcibly change the content of the final special exam for the semester.
This exam would inevitably result in at least one expulsion from each class.
Hearing Mashima Tomonari's words, Tsukishiro Tokinari's smile remained unchanged.
[My goal is simple—to expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. But even as chairman, expelling a student without cause would likely cause unrest within the school~ So I'll change the rules to make Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expulsion a legitimate outcome. That way, no one can argue against it~]
[As for the other classes, there will inevitably be expulsions, but that's none of my concern. My only task is to expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. As for whether others are expelled, I couldn't care less.]
[Oh, and I have another task—to investigate whether there are any other noteworthy students among the first-years.]