Shimizu Akira was about to speak when his phone buzzed—a message from Kushida Kikyō with the latest vote tally.
[Kushida Kikyō]:"I have 17 votes. Hirata has 18. If he gets 3 more, it's over."
[Kushida Kikyō]:"Shimizu-kun, I know I said you didn't need to do anything, but remember—I brought you in because of Kōenji."
[Kushida Kikyō]:"So... could you secure Kōenji's vote? Just one. I'll handle Karuizawa's group."
The words made him pause. A critical detail clicked.
Kushida only needed 4 more votes to surpass Hirata.
(Four votes...?)
His gaze flicked to Matsushita's calm face and Karuizawa's bright smile.
(That group has exactly four members...)
A thought struck him.
(Ironically, the one who solved Karuizawa's voting issue was Matsushita—seemingly uninvolved.)
(Coincidence... or calculation?)
(This girl... is sharp.)
"Kei, who should we vote for? Kushida or Hirata? Shimizu-kun, your thoughts?" Matsushita suddenly asked.
"Hmm..." Karuizawa's eyes lingered on Shimizu. "I'm not sure! You first, Shimizu-kun?"
"Both are qualified." Shimizu stayed neutral.
Matsushita's brows lifted slightly.
"Then..." Karuizawa bit her lip. "Let's go with Kushida. A female leader might be better. Plus..."
Her voice dropped as she recalled her early days clinging to Hirata.
Now that she'd chosen Shimizu as her shield, getting too close to another guy wasn't wise.
"...Really?" Matsushita blinked, then nodded. "Alright. If you say so."
"Let's go!" Karuizawa linked arms with Matsushita, and the two left.
Shimizu texted Kushida:
[Shimizu Akira]:"Karuizawa's group all voted for you."
[Shimizu Akira]:"That's 21 votes. You've won. Game over."
[Shimizu Akira]:"Our deal is done."
In her dorm, Kushida Kikyō stared at her phone, stunned.
"Huh? All four... voted for me?"
This was too absurd. Had Shimizu done something?
Memories surfaced—Karuizawa tailing Shimizu Week 1, even joining boxing club...
Then, four transfers popped up:
Karuizawa Kei: 25,000 pts
Matsushita Chiaki: 25,000 pts
Satō Maya: 25,000 pts
Mori Nene: 25,000 pts
Total: 525,000 points. 21 votes.
Her pulse spiked.
"I... won?"
A giggle escaped her lips. She hugged a pillow and rolled across her bed.
No need for masks here. This was her kingdom.
Being class leader meant:
Authority over decisions
Automatic respect
Watching those who looked down on her—like Horikita—bow their heads
But first, she needed to finalize the vote counts.
She'd promised rewards:
If a boy won: A date.
If a girl won: 80,000 points.
Checking her logs, only five people had secured votes for her—including Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji (both nominated Sudō Ken).
"Even without interference, Shimizu-kun would've won..."
She'd overcomplicated things.
But hindsight was 20/20. At the time, insurance felt necessary.
"Still... I should thank him properly."
Her fingers flew as she announced Shimizu's victory in the group chat.
Then, her eyes caught the plastic-wrapped uniform in the corner—a relic of that night.
Heat rushed to her ears.
"Honestly..." She pouted. "He wasn't shy at all... but I did tell him to..."
Re-reading Shimizu's message—"I need those points"—she huffed a laugh.
What had infuriated her then now amused her.
It had all been worth it.
She took a deep breath and messaged Chabashira:
"I won. 21 votes. Transferring 525,000 points now."
The reply was icy:
"Good. Announce the cameras tomorrow."
"Chabashira Sae..." Kushida's nails dug into her palms."You think I'm your puppet? Use me, then act like this? Disgusting!"
"Is she an idiot? If she's menopausal, she should take a damn vacation!"