Kaoru sent Miki Yamamura away before heading to his real destination.
"Did he agree?"
Under a tree by the artificial lake, Katsuragi turned around upon sensing Kaoru's presence behind him, his expression complicated.
"Just as you predicted. But how did you know he'd agree to our side job for his girlfriend's sake?"
"Because he hasn't broken up with her, and they've been going out a lot lately." Kaoru walked up beside him.
"We owe that intel to Kiriyama-senpai and Iijima-senpai. Speaking of which—Iijima-senpai, you can come out now."
From a nearby corner, a boy emerged cautiously, glancing around to confirm no one else was present before slowly approaching.
Katsuragi was surprised.
The boy looked familiar, but he couldn't immediately place him.
"Just to be safe—do you really trust this guy?"
The newcomer eyed Katsuragi skeptically.
"I've heard he's often with Nagumo. Aren't you afraid he's secretly sided with him already?"
Before Katsuragi could defend himself, Kaoru chuckled and said, "This is our class leader. I trust he wouldn't do that. Besides, he'll help you take down Nagumo."
"Alright, I hope you can understand how I feel. Nagumo is in a terrible mood right now, and I suspect someone might drop out during this special exam."
"Using expulsions and class transfers as leverage for coercion—it's not the most sophisticated tactic, but not entirely terrible either. So, are you thinking of teaching Nagumo a lesson or making him disappear from Class 2-A?"
"... Making him disappear is impossible. Besides, without him, our class's standing would be precarious."
"I see."
Katsuragi hesitated, but Kaoru had already stepped forward and asked.
"Who else knows about this?"
"I took photos before leaving and already sent them to Nagumo."
"Can I see your phone?"
"..."
"Sorry, it's not that I don't trust you, Ijima-senpai. There are just a lot of things I'll need your help with later."
Under Kaoru's gaze, Ijima reluctantly handed over his phone.
The chat logs with Nagumo indeed showed their conversation from today.
"Alright, thank you for your help today, Ijima-senpai. Please keep a closer eye on the class situation moving forward."
Kaoru returned the phone, and Ijima's figure gradually retreated into the shadows.
"Have you already teamed up with upperclassmen?" Katsuragi couldn't help but ask.
Ah, right—he hadn't explained this to Katsuragi.
No wonder he found Ijima's sudden appearance strange.
"Sorry for suddenly asking you to meet Mizowaki-senpai at the café today. The real goal was just to make sure others saw you two meeting privately." Kaoru revealed his true intentions.
"Ijima-senpai saw your meeting and naturally reported it to Nagumo."
Katsuragi froze for a moment.
He had genuinely thought Kaoru wanted him to seek Mizowaki's help.
Puzzled, he asked, "Isn't it bad if Nagumo-senpai finds out...?"
"It is bad, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway. You've been by his side all this time without showing any real loyalty. He's well aware of our little schemes."
"But... what does this have to do with Mizowaki-senpai?"
"Simple—to make Nagumo feel like he has no one left to trust."
...
The next day, Class 2-A.
Mizuto Mizowaki arrived at the classroom as usual but immediately sensed something off—especially with the strange looks from those around him.
Tonokawa Sosuke stared at him, hesitating to speak.
"Mizowaki, where were you yesterday afternoon?" Nagumo Miyabi sat at his desk, not even looking up, his tone indifferent.
'Damn, Nagumo's informants had caught wind of it.'
Mizowaki heart sank, though he didn't overthink it—after all, they'd met at a café.
There was no reason to feel guilty.
"Katsuragi-kun asked to meet me at a café. Said he needed my help with something."
"Oh? And what was it?"
As Nagumo lifted his head with disinterest, the air in the room seemed to freeze.
Many students silently filed out of the classroom, voices hushed.
Asahina Nazuna watched the scene with concern.
Mizowaki instinctively grew nervous.
The atmosphere now was eerily similar to when Nagumo had decided to expel someone from the class before.
"Ijima said you two were discussing the first-years' special exam. Is that true?" Mizowaki was taken aback for a moment.
Seeing the boy not far away give him a faint smile, he couldn't help but sigh in relief.
He had thought it was something serious, but it turned out there was a witness to back up his statement.
"That's right. He wanted me to help with setting the exam questions, and in return, he would give me Personal Points as compensation," Mizowaki explained.
"I figured if we controlled part of their class's exam questions, it would make it easier for Ryuen and the others to deal with Class 1-A."
Nagumo Miyabi stared at him coldly, curling his lips into a disdainful smile.
"Acting on your own, did you really think he and Mitoma wouldn't anticipate us helping Ryuen?"
Mizowaki froze for a moment.
"I never told you to agree to his request. No matter how you look at it, this is Mitoma's scheme—though I have no idea what he's thinking," Nagumo sneered.
"If it were me, I'd have you take charge of the entire exam paper and then switch it out the day before the test. How do you think Ryuen and the others would react?"
Mizowaki's expression shifted.
He hadn't considered that at all.
These first-years were truly cunning.
"My apologies. That was indeed an oversight on my part."
Nagumo waved off his apology indifferently.
"Since you've already agreed, do your best for them. I want to see what Mitoma is up to."
"Understood." Mizowaki lowered his head slightly, thinking the matter was settled.
However, Nagumo's voice immediately dragged his thoughts back to a chilling reality.
"But, Mizowaki, there's one thing I'm curious about." Nagumo smiled, though there was no warmth in it.
"You're in the student council with me, and you've been by my side all this time. You should know exactly how I feel about Mitoma, shouldn't you?"
Mizowaki's pupils trembled.
He had made a mistake—one that Nagumo despised the most.
"I waited all night, yet you never reported this to me." Nagumo chuckled.
"Mizowaki, why did you agree to Katsuragi's request?"
In an instant, Mizowaki broke out in a cold sweat.
"Iijima says you accepted 700,000 Personal Points. Were you really willing to help Katsuragi just for that? How strange. I recall the school issued you a considerable amount this month, and I've never treated you poorly either."
Mizowaki instinctively glanced at Iijima, who scratched his head awkwardly, his hands clenching and unclenching unconsciously.
Nagumo didn't miss Mizowaki reaction.
His expression darkened, though he wasn't actually suspicious of his subordinate.
Still, the traitor in their class had to be rooted out.
Everyone had to be tested—especially students like Mizowaki.