Just as the senpai was about to speak—
"My turn."
A voice cut through the air. The man who had been silently standing on stage finally spoke.
The moment the boxing senpai recognized him, his expression stiffened.
"President Horikita."
He immediately bowed, his tone laced with deference.
"Freshman, come down. It's the student council president's time to speak now."
Shimizu Akira followed the boxing club captain off the stage.
When he turned back, he froze—the man before him was none other than Horikita Manabu, the student council president who had given the opening ceremony speech.
And also the older brother of his seatmate, Horikita Suzune.
"Senpai… you seem pretty intimidated by that student council president."
"Shimizu-kun, you don't understand! In this school, the student council's authority is absolute. If you offend President Horikita—"
The senpai exhaled sharply, wiping sweat from his brow. "Thankfully, the president was lenient today. I almost crossed a line back there."
"Anyway, I've got high hopes for you, rookie." The boxing captain clapped Shimizu's shoulder, eyes gleaming with approval. *"That 10,000-point stipend? Exclusive. No one else gets that."* He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. "Only reason I'm offering is because you're special. Raw talent like yours…"
With that, the senpai strode back toward the boxing club's recruitment table. Before fully turning away, he tossed over his shoulder:
"If you're interested, the door's always open. Even next month."
His confident demeanor made it clear—he was certain Shimizu would join.
Shimizu gave a slight nod in response.
This senpai was interesting. To offer a Class D student a 10,000-point monthly stipend so readily…
That smug look on his face—did he already predict Shimizu would face a points crisis next month?
On stage, the student council president began outlining the council's structure and recruitment plans.
"We are currently accepting applications for provisional members." His voice was calm and measured. "A more rigorous selection process will follow for full membership."
Behind his glasses, his gaze swept the crowd as he emphasized:
"We have no tolerance for naïve idealism. Nor do we permit any blemishes on one's record."
Shimizu understood the subtext immediately—only elites from Class A and B need apply.
As he exited, a familiar figure caught his eye—Horikita Suzune, standing motionless, staring intently at her brother.
Yet the student council president merely glanced at her before coolly looking away.
Between these siblings stood an impenetrable wall of silence.
Friday arrived in a blink.
This week's intel updates had been disappointingly trivial:
[Miyake Akito joined the Kyudo Club]
[Ike Kanji is desperate for a high school romance]
[Sudō Ken's Entrance Evaluation: Intelligence - E | Academics - E | Physical Ability - A | Judgment - D+ | Teamwork - D]
Nothing but useless personal details—no help in his current situation.
But Shimizu wasn't bothered.
Intel was just intel. He never expected every scrap of information to be immediately actionable.
After all, high school lasted three years. This was only the beginning.
Intel was merely a supplementary tool.
One notable development—on Wednesday, he officially joined the Boxing Club.
Now, every day after school, Shimizu trained relentlessly for two hours.
True to his word, the captain transferred 10,000 points the moment he joined.
The first week's training was unexpectedly mundane—no sparring, not even a punching bag. No hand wraps either.
Instead, it was all fundamentals:
Jump rope.
Jumping jacks.
Basic footwork drills—advancing and retreating steps.
According to the coach, Shimizu was progressing quickly. If he kept this up, he could expect live sparring next month.
As the dismissal bell rang, Shimizu was packing his textbooks when light footsteps approached.
"Shimizu-kun!"Kushida Kikyō leaned in, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Did you buy your boxing gloves yet?"
"Not yet," he replied, zipping his bag. "Planning to get them next month."
"Then… can I come watch when you compete?" She clasped her hands together, practically glowing. "I've never seen a guy box in real life!"
"Sure,"Shimizu nodded, "but I hear you need to pay points for tickets."
According to the captain, while boxing was niche at other schools, it was a major draw here. The club had a professional-grade ring and even hosted exhibition matches that regularly sold out.
The school tacitly allowed it—apparently, a past captain had spent massive points to secure special permissions.
(Of course, spectators had to pay.)
The exact point distribution system was unclear, but fighters earned a base appearance fee, with bonus points for wins.
That dual benefit was why Shimizu joined—train his body while earning points. A perfect deal.
"Dammit! I wanna join too!"Yamauchi Haruki groaned. "But the captain said they're full!"
"Same,"Ike Kanji sighed, eyes dreamy. "Imagine how many girls you'd pull just by looking cool in the ring!"
The two whispered in the corner.
In reality, the boxing club had fewer than 20 active members.
Their recurring exhibition matches had grown stale, leaving audiences bored.
That very crisis was why the captain was desperate to scout real talent from the freshmen.
Naturally, the standards were brutally strict.