After school, Kaoru Mitoma thought it would just be the two of them walking home together, but to his surprise, another shameless person tagged along.
Just like yesterday, Masumi Kamuro wore an expression that said they were just heading the same way, following the two from a not-too-close, not-too-far distance. Kaoru Mitoma could more or less guess what she was thinking. She was probably feeling a bit uneasy, and she wanted to know the truth about the school too, so she subconsciously tagged along.
"Has your leg always been like this?"
Even with a cane, Arisu Sakayanagi walked very slowly, so Kaoru Mitoma had to slow down to match her pace.
"Heh, I must look ridiculous to you. I have a congenital heart disease, so I've been weak since I was little. I can't handle any kind of exercise, not even walking for a long time."
"Is there no cure?"
"For now, there isn't any medical technology that can help."
"Sorry, I brought up something unpleasant."
"You're really kind, Mitoma-kun, but you don't have to go out of your way to take care of me."
As they talked, the two of them finally arrived at the gym. At this point, the gym was already packed with quite a few first-year students—by a rough estimate, there were over a hundred people.
Kaoru Mitoma even spotted Katsuragi Kohei standing with a group of guys. Even with so many people around, Kaoru Mitoma could still pick out the most eye-catching ones. There was a girl with light pink hair, surrounded by a bunch of other girls. She seemed to be the center of her class, her face lit up with a bright smile, looking gentle and easygoing.
Then there was a student who looked like a delinquent, hands stuffed in his pockets, jacket thrown carelessly over his shoulders, a bruise on his face—he probably got into a fight yesterday. And another boy who kept bickering with the person next to him, giving off a totally average vibe. But then, as if he sensed something, he suddenly glanced over at Kaoru Mitoma.
Kaoru Mitoma just casually looked away. These guys all had so many wishes clinging to them, it was hard not to notice.
"Thank you for waiting, first-years! Next up is the club introduction session, where each club's representative will give a brief explanation."
A petite, cute girl with her hair in a bun stood on stage.
"I'm Tachibana from the student council, serving as the host for today event. Please take care of me!"
After her greeting, a line of club representatives appeared on stage—judo club, archery club, basketball club, tennis club, art club, tea ceremony club, cooking club, and more. The variety was dizzying. Even though it was a lot to take in, Kaoru Mitoma noticed a man standing at the end of the line. Before long, he was the only one left on stage.The person stood in front of the microphone, not saying a word. This action quickly drew everyone's attention.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Come on, upperclassman! You can do it!"
"Check your cheat sheet!"
"What, did this senpai already pee his pants or something?"
All sorts of voices came from the first-years, but none of it seemed to affect the person on stage. The long silence gradually made the atmosphere heavy. The noisy voices faded away, and suddenly the whole gym was filled with tension and silence. After a long silence, the other person finally spoke.
"I'm Horikita Manabu, the student council president. With the graduation of upperclassmen, the student council will be recruiting candidates from the first-year students." He looked around at everyone, his expression unreadable.
"There are no special requirements for this election, but if anyone is considering running for the student council, please refrain from joining any clubs. In principle, the student council does not allow students who are members of other clubs to run for student council positions."
"Also, our student council doesn't want anyone running with naive or optimistic ideas. People like that won't just lose—they'll probably leave a stain on the school's reputation."
"Our school's student council has the authority and responsibility to change the order of things. This is recognized by the school and carries high expectations."
"So, we only welcome those who truly understand what that means." After saying all this, the student council president stepped down from the stage without hesitation and left the gym.
Kaoru Mitoma watched him go—or more accurately, watched the wishes clinging to his back.
"Help senpai teach his useless little sister,"
"Take Horikita Manabu place,"
"Humiliate the little sister in front of her brother,"
"Expel Horikita Manabu,"
"Make Horikita Manabu say this to his sister, 'My foolish little sister'"
....
Little sister?
Kaoru Mitoma glanced around, and soon spotted a girl standing completely still.
Horikita Suzune?
"Pinch Horikita Suzune soft little waist,"
"Expel Horikita Suzune right in front of her brother,"
"Expel Horikita Manabu right in front of his sister,"
"Let Horikita Suzune graduate as a member of Class D,"
"Ruthlessly lick Horikita Suzune delicate feet,"
"I have to thoroughly train Horikita Suzune,"
"I want to see Horikita Suzune serve me with that unwilling look on her face"
... Not far away, the girl stood motionless, her long black hair draped down, a few strands falling over her slightly raised chest. Her slender legs were wrapped in black over-the-knee socks, smooth and delicate with a soft sheen. The skin of her thighs beneath her skirt was snow-white, making the contrast in color stand out.
If you looked a little closer, you could see the top of her socks pressing gently into her thighs, leaving a faint mark, giving off a sense of softness that was still full and firm. This girl called Horikita Suzune seemed to be in some kind of daze, staring blankly ahead, with a boy standing next to her.
Just then, Kaoru Mitoma suddenly heard Sakayanagi Arisu voice.
"What are you looking at, Mitoma-kun?"
Maybe it was out of curiosity, but Arisu Sakayanagi followed his gaze and looked over in the direction of Suzune Horikita with interest.
"I didn't see any girls as cute as you, so I'm relieved."
Kaoru Mitoma withdrew his gaze, and at the same time, he glanced at Arisu Sakayanagi, only to realize that she wasn't actually looking at Suzune Horikita.
"Heh, that's a pretty straightforward compliment. I didn't expect you to think so highly of me, Mitoma-kun. I'm truly grateful."
Arisu Sakayanagi accepted his words without batting an eye, even showing a slight smile. She really was shameless. Then she added another line.
"Actually, you score pretty high in my book too, Mitoma-kun. Handsome and gentle guys are always popular with girls, you know."
"That's great. I was just worried I wouldn't be able to find a girlfriend in the future."
Masumi Kamuro rolled her eyes. What nonsense were these two shameless people spouting?
She couldn't stand it.
"By the way, Mitoma-kun, what do you think about the clubs we just saw?"
Arisu Sakayanagi seemed to be changing the subject.
"Is there any club you want to join?"
"I do have one in mind, but I don't know if someone like me could actually get in."
Kaoru Mitoma answered calmly.
"Heh, I don't think anyone would turn you down, Mitoma-kun."
As she spoke, Arisu Sakayanagi looked up at him.
"Can you tell me which club it is?"
"Is there a reward for answering?"
"Mitoma-kun, you're not thinking about something pervy, are you?"
Sakayanagi Arisu had a half-smile on her face. As a beautiful girl, she was already used to all kinds of strange looks, and she could easily tell exactly where someone was staring.
"Do you want me to say it out loud?"
Kaoru Mitoma shifted his gaze away from her calf. These days, people's wishes were getting more and more twisted—wanting to be stepped on by a girl, wanting to lick a girl's delicate feet.
"No thanks, I feel like I'd get mad if I heard it." Sakayanagi Arisu shot down his suggestion.
"Where were you last night?"
"In the dorm." He had no idea why she was suddenly asking this, but Kaoru Mitoma still answered her question.
As for what he was doing in the dorm, there was no need to tell her that.
"I see. I actually thought we'd at least run into each other on the way." Sakayanagi Arisu let out a small sigh.
"Looks like you don't know yet. Let's call this a trade—I'll give you a bit of intel, but in exchange, you have to tell me your answer."
"Go ahead."
"Actually, I went to the upperclassmen's building yesterday and saw something interesting." Suddenly, a dazzling smile floated onto her face. "What do you think I saw?".
"Class points,"
Kaoru Mitoma answered.
"As expected, you know everything. That kind of annoys me, you know."
Even though she said she was annoyed, the smile on her face never faded.
I really couldn't figure out what she was thinking.
"For the second years, Class A has 2100 points, Class B has 1700, Class C has 1300, and Class D has 900. As for the third years, Class A has 1950 points, Class B has 1700, Class C has 1100, and Class D has 450."
Kaoru Mitoma was a bit surprised. The second-year class points clearly followed a distinct progression, almost as if someone had deliberately set up a series of barriers. Compared to the second years, the third-year class points had dropped significantly. Was there some reason behind those deductions?
"By the way, there are currently 143 students in the second year, and 152 in the third year. You know what that number means, right?"
'It meant some students had dropped out.'
"Even if it's not exactly valuable information, can you tell me which club you want to join now?"
Sakayanagi Arisu pressed.
"Student Council."
The two of them exchanged a glance, and a dangerous glint slowly appeared on her face, like she'd just spotted something fun.
"Why?"
"Because it looks pretty cool."
"Have you ever run for student council before?"
"No, this is my first time."
"I see." Sakayanagi Arisu nodded, then added, "I've heard the current student council president is a pretty strict upperclassman. Even I can't help but worry about you, Mitoma-kun." Before Kaoru Mitoma could say anything, she let out a sigh of relief and said, "But seeing how motivated you are, I feel a lot better."
"I thought I was already pretty motivated with you just now." Kaoru Mitoma studied her expression.
She was wearing a beret today, which made her look even more petite.
"I don't mind if you get even more motivated." Sakayanagi Arisu smiled. "If I can't see Mitoma-kun performance, the days ahead are bound to be boring."
Kamuro Masumi, who had been eavesdropping, had a weird look on her face. What the hell are you two even talking about?
The next moment, she saw Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly turn her head to look at her.
"Sorry to keep you waiting so long, Kamuro-san."
Kamuro Masumi was startled—she actually remembered her name.
"It's just a suggestion, but I hope you'll consider joining a club soon."
As she spoke, Sakayanagi Arisu gave a slight smile.
"But if you have any worries, you can come straight to me. After all, we're classmates, and who knows, maybe we'll even become good friends."
Kamuro Masumi stared at her in disbelief. Was this girl always this forward with people?
"Heh, it's getting late, and I have something else to take care of. Mitoma-kun, let's call it a day."
After that brief conversation, Sakayanagi Arisu had gotten the answer she wanted. Now that she knew, there was no reason to stick around. Besides, she'd just seen a certain fake genius—she needed a moment to cool off.
Before she buried her opponent, she might as well have a little fun first. That was exactly why Sakayanagi Arisu deliberately left the opportunity open. She didn't even react to Katsuragi Kohei attempts to unite the class.
After all, while the other side was focused on the class, Sakayanagi Arisu had already made a trip to the upperclassmen teaching building. At the same time, using her delicate appearance to her advantage, she challenged the Chess Club to a wager match in the game she excelled at "chess" and racked up a bunch of easy wins.
Not only did she earn personal points, but she also gathered quite a bit of intel.