"Hello, is this Chairman Sakayanagi?"
As the call connected, Tonokawa froze for a moment, casting a doubtful and suspicious glance at Kaoru, who sat in the president's seat.
Of course, Kaoru showed no change in expression.
A chairman was nothing special to him.
"Is this Mitoma-kun?"
Sakayanagi Narumori was initially surprised but soon chuckled. "Heh, are you calling to request permission to leave campus?"
Kaoru did have that intention.
He needed to step out soon to handle external matters—otherwise, people like Muto Hiromichi and Sato Keisaku would be in trouble.
Additionally, this call served another purpose: sending a signal to Tonokawa.
Not only could Nagumo, the student council president, directly contact the school administration—Kaoru could also reach the chairman himself, further eroding Nagumo's advantage.
If Tonokawa were a little sharper, he might even connect this to the earlier involvement of the Shinomiya Financial Group.
It sounded underhanded, but Kaoru was never one to play fair.
"Yes, I plan to leave campus this week to handle some equity matters." Kaoru stated his reason plainly.
Selling off these shares wasn't something that could be done in a day or two—he intended to tap into his old connections.
If he insisted on holding onto them, the Shinomiya Financial Group would be the first to come after him.
Beside him, Tonokawa looked stunned.
Sakayanagi didn't agree immediately, pausing briefly before responding.
"How many days do you need?"
Kaoru tested the waters. "A weekend?"
"Heh, Mitoma-kun. As chairman, I do have the authority to grant you special privileges, but this would go against the school's traditions. In principle, it's not allowed."
Unexpectedly, Sakayanagi seemed inclined to refuse.
Kaoru frowned but didn't immediately question why this contradicted their earlier discussion.
Instead, he smiled.
"Chairman Sakayanagi, I've always respected the rules. The school's traditions were established by you and your predecessors, and they've earned everyone's trust and care. I have no intention of breaking them—I merely wish to obtain the same opportunity to leave campus as club activities permit. What would it cost?"
Not being allowed to leave was a rule, but so was the principle that Personal Points could buy anything.
Using one rule to counter another should still fall within the rules.
Even though the school had once denied Katsuragi Kouhei's request to leave.
"What do you think would be appropriate?" Sakayanagi asked with clear interest.
Kaoru couldn't quite grasp the chairman's intentions, but years of experience allowed him to instantly discern that something significant must have happened—the other party was trying to protect him.
Leaving the school might seem like an insignificant privilege.
Students were informed before entering ANHS that they would spend their entire high school years there, so normally no one would think to purchase the right to leave campus.
Even if someone requested it, the school would refuse.
However, certain clubs could leverage participation in competitions as an opportunity to leave the school under teacher supervision.
Thus, in the school's eyes, leaving campus wasn't an outright forbidden request.
With valid reasons and teacher accompaniment, approval was often granted.
If a threshold needed to be set, it should be one that deterred most students.
Currently, Class A of the first year received 200,000 Personal Points per month.
"1 million for one day?" Kaoru tested the waters, "And the school could assign a supervising teacher—no one would desert."
The next moment, Sakayanagi Narumori's laughter came through the phone.
"Hehe, just as Arisu described—your reactions are indeed quick. Leaving campus requires legitimate justification; we can't simply make an exception for you alone."
Kaoru pursed his lips.
'You're the troublesome one here. What could've been done quietly now needs a whole new rule.'
"However, 1 million is too little—they won't agree. It needs to start at 2 million at minimum," Sakayanagi continued.
"And the off-campus range must be within Tokyo, with a report submitted to the school."
Kaoru frowned, only to hear another chuckle from the other end.
"Are you thinking how inconvenient this is? That I'm going back on my word?"
"No, not at all. You jest—I was merely considering potential implications."
"Heh, there are none to speak of. Just a tailor-made rule carved out for your sake."
Kaoru was taken aback.
If this wasn't a joke, the favor carried immense weight—a clear indicator of how highly he was regarded.
"Pressure is being applied from certain quarters. Even if you hadn't called, I would've contacted you eventually," Sakayanagi sighed. "I'll soon be taking leave, likely with someone replacing me as acting chairman next month."
Understanding dawned on Kaoru.
Sakayanagi was being forced to relinquish his position and couldn't uphold prior promises—hence rushing to carve this backdoor into school regulations before departing.
"Might I ask what happened?" Kaoru was perplexed.
After finally establishing this connection with Sakayanagi, it was about to vanish.
Expecting reticence, he was surprised when Sakayanagi hesitated only briefly before resolving to speak.
"Has Arisu ever mentioned the White Room to you?"
At the mention of the White Room, Kaoru realized trouble was brewing.
His gaze instinctively shifted to Tonokawa, who immediately grasped the cue and discreetly exited the office.
This was a significant signal, though Kaoru didn't dwell on it.
Only when alone did he inquire further.
The root lay with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
His father had visited the school last December demanding his withdrawal—a request Sakayanagi had refused.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was an unusual high school student—he was a product of the White Room, and his father was none other than its creator.
Through Sakayanagi's words, Kaoru came to fully understand the nature of the White Room for the first time.
Over a decade ago, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's father, Ayanokoji Atsuomi, proposed an idea: since Japanese society had a significant problem with abandoned and unwanted children, why not have the government take them in and educate them?
The plan was rejected by the government, forcing Ayanokoji Atsuomi to aggressively pitch it to politicians and capitalists instead.
By taking in their illegitimate children in exchange for financial support, he secretly carried out the White Room project underground.
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