After the fun was over, Amane found herself in front of unimpressed cabinet members. Most of the Tsurugi corporation's leaders were old and well past their prime.
And like most old people, these people clung to ideals from the past.
But what irked Amane was their unwillingness to adapt and improvise. They refused to even hear Amane's ideas, much less adapt them into their daily activities.
"Lady Yoko, I don't know how you got to the conclusion to sell the Griffin nails to this new bidder when our old ones are perfectly fine."
"Yeah, and we don't change our suppliers either. The margin might be a little less currently but we have a trust-filled foundation with our current partner. We cannot just ditch them without notice."
"Lady Yoko, you might be too young to know this but this is not how business works. Maybe you are too young to be here. Why don't you relax for now and let us handle this company."
The cabinet members were trying to make Amane feel incompetent. They were finding any faults with her.
It was a good strategy to force a new power out and to re-establish control. And it was amazing to see all the cabinet members be in on this issue.
'So it's either suppress me or force me out? These people are underestimating my intelligence and willpower.'
Amane could see the greedy looks on the cabinet member's faces. They were not even trying to gain her favor right now.
'Now, let's test if they will fold or not under pressure.'
"I saw the problems you all pointed out but I am neither too young to do business nor naive enough to fall into your trap. As for the talks about trust and profit margins, I attached a detailed report about it in your papers which you all might have neglected to read."
"So really, who is at fault here - Me or you? Now, I don't want to hear unnecessary chatter here or I will be forced to retaliate against you."
The elder faces flushed red with shame as Amane pointed out their mistakes.
From the second these people started talking about profit margins and trust issues, Amane knew that they had not read the report, nor did they have any intention of letting Amane come to a peaceful solution.
They already had a bias against Amane and there was nothing that would change their mind about her.
That is unless Amane forced them to change their mind about her.
The rest of the meeting passed in relative peace. Once the cabinet elders realized that Amane was no push-over, they quieted down and took their planning into their minds.
But try as they might, Amane had already taken note of them.
And that was how the day finally came to an end.
The next day started peacefully as well so it gave Amane hope that it would be a calmer day. She was not in a mood to have too much done today but her hopes were dashed as soon as she saw her seating arrangement.
'Wow, I did not expect Nadia to show her face to me so soon. And to think that she even took the initiative to approach me herself. Now, what is she cooking up?'
Amane did not trust Nadia's intentions as far as she could throw them. But it was worth finding out what Nadia was planning.
'But should I tease her a little for now? What would happen if I change my seat for today?'
Amane took a step toward the opposite of the classroom when where she was sitting yesterday and she watched Nadia's face flush in panic.
'So she is waiting for me to sit down with her. Well then, who am I to disappoint her.'
Amane finally changed her direction toward her usual seat and watched Nadia's expression melt into relief.
"Yoko, it's so nice to see you. You know, I was thinking about our fight yesterday and I came to a realization. Since we were both at fault yesterday, we should forget about it and be friends for now. Don't worry, I've learned my lesson so I won't ask you for anything again. Let me make it up to you by buying you lunch today."
Nadia's voice was smooth and without any signs of guilt or worry. Her words were also loud enough to be heard by everyone surrounding them.
Amane quickly looked around and caught Ely's worried expression which begged Amane not to forgive Nadia.
But Amane had other ideas. She was 100% confident that Amane was saying her apology out of the goodwill of her heart but because she wanted to be Yoko's friend.
'She surely has an ulterior motive and it's making me curious. Darn my curious nature, now I want to know.'
Amane knew she should not stick her head into this business. It went against her idea of a peace-filled YOLO future life.
'But it'll keep on bugging me if I don't find out what this is about. Darn me and my curious nature.'
"Alright, let's put our break-up in the past and start anew."
Elys's look of dislike was the most prominent expression in the room followed by Faridha's curiosity. And then there was the calculating look in Nadia's eyes that was gone as soon as it came.
"That's good. So how about I pay for today's lunch with you? I want to show you how much I appreciate your company."
The more Amane heard Nadia speak the more curious she became. She was so sure that Nadia had wanted to use Amane for her money but this sudden offer was out of the norm for Nadia.
Didn't she owe a lot of money to the seniors and other students because of the stunt she pulled yesterday? Was that thing already taken care of?
"Don't worry too much. Everything is already taken care of."
Nadia sounded confident. Amane wanted to press her, even more, to see if she would break or not.
And that was what she did.
"Hey Nadia, is it alright if three more people join us today? I was thinking of having lunch with my cousin Sakura and Lady Ely and Lady Faridha. I hope that is no problem."
Amane had looked into Nadia's financial situation and it was not good. Usual Nadia would not have agreed to this arrangement but if she was desperate then it would have shown up on her face.
Instead, there was a smile on Nadia's face as she heard Amane speak. There was not a big delay before her eyes opened and she replied with a simple 'alright.'
'Weird. What is this girl cooking in that mind of hers? She doesn't even have any special powers to try and make an enemy of me.'
Nadia was a normal human in every sense of the world. Amane wanted to press her more but she did not get a chance to.
The classroom door opened and in came the buff teacher Amane had seen in passing before.
"Teacher Emily, what are you doing here? This is Teacher Shiry's class."
It took that one question for the gossip to start. Now that the obvious has been pointed out, no one gave the poor teacher any time to explain herself.
Amane could see the buff lady getting agitated and her temper rising. The children did not know how close they were getting to an outburst.
"That is enough. Your teacher Shirly is on an extended leave due to health issues so I will be her substitute for the time being. I am here to inform you of the important test that will be held over the weekend and to get permission from your guardians for the same"
The class went quiet at the news of a test. Many people frowned at the sudden announcement but there were just as many curious looks as well.
Amane was curious about the test as well since it would be held for two consecutive days. There were only a few tests that matched the criterion.
"As you know, survival skills were a subject that was added recently to the syllabus so we will be conducting the first test for it this weekend. You are being informed in advance to prepare all the necessities you will be needing for a two-days survival trip."
"The course will be the Lyco forest and you will be divided into groups of four. Make sure you are prepared for that and submit the list by the end of the day. You can check the rest of the information in your school mail. You can choose not to take this test but it will affect your end grade."
That was all the information Teacher Emily provided the students with. There was hardly anything of importance in her words but it was enough to hype the students up.
Someone threw paper at the back of Amane's head and she instantly turned around to catch Lady Faridha's eyes.
The younger pointed toward the paper and mouthed 'read it' to Amane.
'You, me, and Ely in one team. We will figure out the fourth member later.'
Those simple words conveyed to Amane that she held Lady Faridha's interest currently. The stunt she had pulled yesterday seemed to have worked well in her favor.
Amane nodded to show that she understood what Lady Faridha wanted and that she agreed.
Amane had seen Lady Faridha's talent in work and it could help her out shortly. As for Lady Ely, she was from Marchal Zhen's household so she would likely have his ability to control puppets. (Amane had read over this once she had gotten to know Lady Ely.)
'So that makes it three. As for our fourth-'
Amane had one idea and she could see that Nadia had the same one. Nadia had likely read the note over Amane's shoulder so she already knew who else was in their group.
Someone like Nadia who had no magic needed strong allies to get through this test. And currently, Amane's team looked to be the strongest.
"Nadia, you want in on our team? We still have one place left on it."
Nadia looked like she wanted to take this chance but then she suddenly quietened down. The change was sudden and it made Amane curious.
"Are you sure I should, Yoko? Won't it make you and your friends uncomfortable to have me around?"
Although Nadia said that, her eyes said that she wanted to be on Amane's team. There was an eagerness in her eyes that was impossible to hide.
"Yeah sure. I don't think anyone would mind you being on our team. After all, we are friends and we need to look after each other."
Nadia looked startled for a second and her eyes lost their greedy look. She looked guilty and embarrassed for one single moment before greed masked it over again.
"Yeah, we are friends for sure. I would love to join your team if you don't mind. I will look forward to the weekend then."
'So would I. I have a feeling something fun would happen pretty soon.'
Amane was sure that the weekend test would not go as the school had planned it to go. Lyco forest was not an easy place to navigate but it was relatively beast-free.
It would be a good place for Amane to get away from prying eyes and to let her core free for some time.
For the rest of the day, Amane ignored the curious look of the students who came to recruit her into their teams. Their looks were filled with disappointment as soon as they realized that Amane was taken.
And then it came time for that uncomfortable lunch scene.
No one knew what to make of it or where to look. The only people who looked to be at ease were Amane, Sakura, and Nadia. Ely looked troubled while Faridha looked indifferent.
It was a disaster and Amane loved every second of it.
And just like that, the week passed, and came the time for that outdoor weekend test. Amane was looking forward to it for the whole week.