Chapter 056: Horikita Manabu: First-Years Shouldn't Be Too Arrogant!
"It is nothing major; I have simply come to consult President Horikita on a few questions," Sakayanagi Arisu said.
"Ask questions?" Horikita Manabu put down his documents and leaned back against his chair, his spine perfectly straight. He recalled that at the beginning of the month, when he summoned the representatives of Classes A and B, only Hikigaya from Class B had proactively asked questions, while Sakayanagi and Katsuragi remained silent.
"If they are questions that do not exceed the scope of my authority, I can answer them," Manabu said.
Did this mean the President would provide information for free?
"In that case," Sakayanagi tilted her head slightly, offering a polite smile. "Are the senpais also having written exams this month?"
"..."
As the words fell, the air in the office seemed to stagnate for a moment.
Not only did Horikita Manabu frown slightly, but even the Student Council Secretary, Tachibana Akane, who was organizing documents nearby, stopped her movements. She looked up at this exquisitely cute first-year junior with clear confusion and puzzlement in her eyes.
The reason was obvious.
Hadn't Hikigaya Hachiman, the representative of Class B, already asked this exact question clearly?
And weren't you, Sakayanagi Arisu, present at the time?
Or did you just not hear it clearly back then?
"..." Manabu remained silent, but his mind was racing. He had noted during their last meeting that Sakayanagi possessed insight far beyond ordinary people.
While others were haggling over the value of a Secretary position, she had keenly grasped the more important aspect: that the position offered a path to becoming the next Vice President, which naturally led to eligibility as a candidate for the next Student Council President.
Therefore, with her intellect, she would never speak without a purpose.
Right now, she was definitely repeating a question with a known answer on purpose.
"We are indeed having written exams," Manabu maintained the same answer as before, his voice steady.
"According to convention, the second month of a new semester is always a written exam."
"I see," Sakayanagi continued slowly, seemingly unfazed by the slight tension in the air. "Speaking of which, although the senpais are facing written exams, they seem exceptionally relaxed lately."
She paused briefly, her gaze sweeping over the two seniors.
"One rarely catches sight of them in the library. They seem... completely confident and unconcerned about this exam."
Horikita Manabu: "..."
These words caused the gazes of both Manabu and Tachibana to instinctively shift toward the other first-year present—Katsuragi Kohei.
According to the intelligence held by the Student Council, the entire first-year grade was aware that the exam would use old questions and had made full preparations. Otherwise, Nagumo Miyabi wouldn't have hinted so bluntly to Katsuragi that while the school has many harsh special exams, it also arranges some "welfare" exams. The premise of that hint was that the first-year grade had already seen through the truth.
Upperclassmen cannot directly give information to underclassmen, but once the underclassmen already know the information, the confidentiality agreement becomes loose.
'So, Katsuragi, did you not inform your classmate Sakayanagi of this crucial news?'
Although there was clear factional conflict within Class A, if one faction knew and the other didn't, the gap in exam results would be obvious. This would be undeniable proof of internal strife. If a class showed such blatant internal division, it would undoubtedly lower the overall evaluation of Class A.
As one of the representatives of Class A, Katsuragi Kohei would be looked down upon.
Sure enough, Katsuragi's body visibly stiffened.
He stood up almost immediately, his brow furrowed, his tone carrying a trace of urgency and interrogation: "Sakayanagi! Just what are you here for?"
He added quickly, "Regarding this exam, haven't [we] already reached a consensus on how to deal with it?"
At the start of the month, during the meeting with Hikigaya, he had brought Kamuro as requested. Since Kamuro was Sakayanagi's right hand, she should have informed Sakayanagi of the details. Sakayanagi was definitely in the loop.
Furthermore, he had already notified the entire class about the test papers. It was impossible for Sakayanagi not to know.
Of course, out of caution, he had adopted a phased strategy: letting students study freely at first, and then distributing the [old questions] ten days before the exam for everyone to
memorize. This balanced normal academic accumulation with exam security, preventing the school from changing the questions if the leak were discovered too early.
Indeed. Though the probability was low, it existed.
He had arranged for people to observe Class B and found that even though they held the questions, they were still organizing study groups. Katsuragi couldn't understand why Class B was studying so honestly. He assumed Class B didn't fully trust everyone and was taking cautious steps in case the questions were changed.
After all, if someone did that, the students in Classes C and D with weak foundations would fail en masse, leading to numerous expulsions. This would directly reduce the numbers of Classes C and D, making them uncompetitive in future special exams requiring manpower—a benefit to Classes A and B.
So, it was normal for Class B not to fully trust Class A, especially since Katsuragi himself had reported Class C to the Student Council last month. There was no signed contract for this cooperation; it relied on unspoken understanding. His trust was insufficient.
He understood all of this.
He also suspected whether Class B would remain faithful. Though Class B had taken benefits from Class C and then approached Class A for cooperation to ensure the whole grade got the welfare reward, if a report led to a change in papers, Classes C and D would be decimated. It was hard to say if Class B could resist that temptation.
However, such a "wicked act" of benefiting oneself at others' expense couldn't be done by Class A. If Class B did it, the anger of C and D would only be directed at B. If Class B didn't do it, it didn't matter. Since the whole grade knew about the old questions, just like the upperclassmen, this was a chance to legally obtain "welfare" from the school. Why miss it? Special exams involve not only bonus points but also penalties like expulsions and point deductions. Accumulating points from the school was vital for class risk resistance.
Therefore, the tone for the first year was set: Class A wouldn't report the leak, but sharing the benefit was a tacit agreement for all.
Yet, Sakayanagi had suddenly appeared at the Student Council.
Katsuragi's greatest fear was that she would represent Class A to report the leak. If so, Class A would immediately become the public enemy of Classes B, C, and D. Although the ultimate goal was for only Class A to graduate with rewards, and they were everyone's rivals, causing BCD to unite against A in such a crude manner was undoubtedly a stupid strategic blunder.
"Rest assured," Sakayanagi said, as if seeing through Katsuragi's anxiety. "I will not shake the foundation of the first-year exam. Since you and Hikigaya-kun have made a decision, I naturally won't interfere."
These words sounded quite "honest."
However, as a classmate of over a month, Katsuragi maintained an instinctive guard against Sakayanagi. He didn't doubt she was smart enough not to isolate Class A, but he doubted she would agree to such a conservative strategy that gave up the initiative.
In his understanding of Sakayanagi, she should be a more aggressive and radical person. This harmless demeanor felt wrong.
"So, do you have any other questions?" Manabu brought the topic back on track, his sharp gaze returning to Sakayanagi. He had keenly perceived that Sakayanagi seemed to be acting alone and did not represent the collective will of Class A—at least, Katsuragi was in the dark. So, what was her true purpose? Why repeat a question Hikigaya had already asked?
"Does the President remember our last visit to the Student Council?" Sakayanagi did not back down. She leaned forward slightly, her posture elegant yet carrying an undeniable pressure.
"At that time, though our Class A purchased the Secretary position from Class B at a premium, you did not disclose the specific price regarding the next Presidential Candidate eligibility."
Her tone shifted, her eyes becoming exceptionally cold as she looked directly at Horikita Manabu.
"However, you have already granted that eligibility to Class B, haven't you?"
"What do you mean?" Katsuragi Kohei's pupils shrunk. He reacted instantly, thoughts flashing through his mind.
Was the reason Hikigaya Hachiman was willing to surrender the Secretary position because he had already obtained something more valuable—the eligibility to be the next Student Council President?!
"You are indeed clever." Manabu did not deny it. He looked directly at Sakayanagi with a trace of subtle praise.
"Previously, Hikigaya provided me with important intelligence. As a reward, I gave him the candidacy for the next Student Council President." He paused, scanning Sakayanagi and Katsuragi.
"If you are interested in that status, you can consult him personally. Since it belongs to him now, he might be willing to sell it for a price."
No, no, no.
Katsuragi immediately dismissed this as a viable plan.
Class B was Class A's direct rival; why would they easily sell such a vital qualification? And even if they did, the price would be astronomical.
Class A had already paid a high premium for the Secretary position; Katsuragi didn't think Hikigaya's next price would be low. 5 million points? No, even 10 million or 15 million—that would be a staggering sum for Class A.
"Then may I ask, what are the specific procedures for electing a Student Council President?" Katsuragi couldn't suppress his urgency and asked first, his body leaning forward unconsciously.
Tachibana Akane: "..."
Tachibana, also a Secretary, glanced with surprise at the slightly out-of-character Katsuragi. Sakayanagi had started the questioning, so why had he become so desperate? However, the election process fell precisely within her duties.
She cleared her throat and introduced the steps clearly.
To run, one needs candidate status. The current Vice President automatically has candidate status. Additionally, the Student Council President holds an extra nomination slot. Ultimately, the entire school votes, and the one with the most votes wins.
In summary: get the candidacy, then get the votes.
"From this perspective, Class B's preparations are truly thorough." Katsuragi's brow furrowed deeply, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the desk.
A strong sense of unease spread rapidly through his heart.
He suddenly realized the gravity of the problem.
He had thought Class A holding two seats in the Student Council—himself and Kito Hayato—was a huge advantage.
However, Hikigaya from Class B already held the candidacy for the next President! What did this mean? It meant that once the other party was elected President, they had the power to dissolve the existing Student Council and easily kick both him and Kito out!
Thus, the Secretary positions Class A bought for a fortune would only be valid for a year at most. By then, Class A would have nothing left in the Student Council.
Or should they start building relations with the current Vice Presidents, Nagumo or Kiriyama, now? Could they secure their seats if they got a promise from one of them not to fire Class A members after being elected? But then Class A's votes would likely have to be surrendered.
Katsuragi instantly realized they were at a disadvantage.
"Now, for my second question." Sakayanagi Arisu's voice rang out again, pulling everyone's thoughts back. She ignored Katsuragi's anxiety, her gaze still locked on Horikita Manabu.
"President Horikita, regarding the candidate status for Student Council President—as the current President, how many people do you have the authority to nominate?"
The moment the words fell, the air in the office seemed to drop to freezing point.
"Do you know what you are saying?" Manabu's calm gaze suddenly became sharp.
He leaned forward slightly, an invisible majesty instantly flooding out and enveloping Sakayanagi Arisu.
His voice was low and filled with pressure, enunciating every word: "First-years shouldn't be too arrogant!"
Clearly, Horikita Manabu understood her intent.
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