A moist and viscous liquid brushed past his hair, across his cheeks, and over his neck. The chilling touch revitalized his spirit.
Kagura Hikaru subconsciously touched the dampness on his face, brought it close to his nose, and smelled a hint of sweetness.
It was yogurt.
Not orange juice, not cola, but yogurt.
Among beverages, yogurt's sweetness is more prominent, and its color is more noticeable, easily catching attention.
Being seen like this would surely stand out conspicuously.
"A dramatic act of falling out will deepen Ayakoji Chiyoko's impression of our poor relationship. Having a common enemy can bring people closer than having a common friend."
"This is something I especially bought from the vending machine, and it cost me 500 yen~"
Kiryu Hina's smile contained not a trace of feeling, "Don't disappoint me, okay?"
Don't disappoint me... huh.
Meaning, his feelings had never been considered from the start.
Kagura Hikaru's eyes dimmed for a moment before he silently got up and left.
Next, he would parade the marks of 'bullying' on himself before all his classmates. Eventually, this matter would reach Ayakoji Chiyoko's ears.
'Bullying' occurred during lunch break; she would definitely understand what this implied.
Kagura Hikaru already knew how to leverage this situation.
He believed Kiryu Hina had the same thought.
Kiryu Hina smiled as she watched Kagura Hikaru leave, then turned and departed in another direction.
This was supposed to be an unprovable conspiracy that occurred behind the scenes.
Unexpectedly, a witness accidentally appeared at the scene without anyone noticing.
In a corner, a pretty girl dressed in a volleyball uniform, carrying a box of sweat towels, happened to witness the entire process.
The Student Council President pouring milk overhead, the bullied departing without a word.
She couldn't help but pause in her steps, her eyebrows tightly furrowed.
"Is that person... Mr. Kagura?"
...
After leaving the courtyard, Kagura Hikaru, with odd glances from passing students, went to the men's restroom to wash his face and dry his hair with a paper towel before heading home early.
By the next day at school, rumors of the Student Council President bullying a student were everywhere.
"That President Kiriyu? Impossible... She's such a gentle person."
"So that's her true face, truly disgusting!"
"Who is the student that got bullied? It must be a misunderstanding."
"I can't believe President Kiriyu would do such a thing!"
"..."
Walking through the classroom corridors, such voices were incessantly heard.
Everyone looked solemn—as if it genuinely concerned them.
The spread of the issue was unnaturally fast.
It was unclear if Kiryu Hina was spreading it herself, or if Ayakoji Chiyoko was adding fuel to the fire, perhaps both sides were involved.
At any rate, the school's atmosphere had turned exactly as both parties had hoped.
Thus, Kiryu Hina's reputation would surely be damaged, but without evidence, it would likely end with no conclusion.
This didn't mean Kiryu Hina didn't care about her reputation, just that her scheming was much more significant than her own image.
As for whether Ayakoji Chiyoko would seize the opportunity to act, that was certain, but Kagura Hikaru felt no need to worry. Since Hina had acted this way, she must have had her countermeasures ready.
Compared to that, the real test he was about to face was actually his own.
When Kagura Hikaru opened the classroom door, he could clearly feel the volume inside drop by two levels.
Regardless of gender, everyone cast glances his way, whispering in a volume low enough to pretend he couldn't hear, yet clearly audible.
"Hey, hey, the reason Kagura left early yesterday couldn't be..."
"There's no mistake, it seems a senior from second year saw him with the Student Council President."
"Ah, how could it be, Kagura doesn't seem like a bad guy, does that mean President Kiriyu really is..."
"People's hearts are inscrutable; who knows what their relationship is."
"Shh, keep it down!"
"..."
In the midst of a small commotion, Kagura Hikaru expressionlessly hung his backpack on the side of his desk, set down his guitar case, and as usual, pulled out a light novel to enter his own world.
Clang!
Suddenly, the classroom's back door was forcefully pushed open, and a graceful figure strode inside, followed by several high school students wearing red 'Discipline' armbands.
The figure reached Kagura Hikaru's desk amidst the surprised looks of the students and tapped on the tabletop, "First-year student Kagura Hikaru, we are from the Disciplinary Committee, and we'd like to talk to you about something. Please come with us."
Kagura Hikaru looked up and, unsurprisingly, saw Ayakoji Chiyoko with a stern face, accompanied by several Discipline Committee members.
It seemed she was visiting in her capacity as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee today.
He nodded, closed his book, stood up, and followed Ayakoji Chiyoko out of the classroom.
Behind him, the whispering immediately increased.
They left the main academic building and headed to the old school building on campus.
This place was designated by the school for student club activities, and most of the rooms were occupied by student clubs.
The third floor here was occupied by the Disciplinary Committee, and Ayakoji Chiyoko had established their office here.
An interesting bit of trivia: before Ayakoji Chiyoko enrolled, Haneoka Private High School didn't actually have a 'Discipline Committee', and the responsibility for maintaining discipline was actually managed by Student Council members.
This was actually a tough job, not any lucrative post.
If anyone wanted to take over this responsibility willingly, the Student Council would naturally be happy to see it succeed, as no one liked standing in the chilly air at the school gates every morning.
Where there's a will, there's a way, and the Disciplinary Committee was thus established by Ayakoji Chiyoko, whose members with red armbands soon became a new sight throughout the school.
Perhaps because the school had never had a Disciplinary Committee since its founding, neither the school authorities nor the Student Council had a good grasp of the specific powers, allowing Ayakoji Chiyoko to exploit a loophole and greatly expand her influence.
Now, the size of the Disciplinary Committee had reached sixty members, evenly split between males and females, with students from all grades.
Most of them were attracted by Ayakoji Chiyoko's personal charisma, and the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, full of martial virtue, cut down both men and women.
Initially starting from a single old classroom, the Disciplinary Committee soon became overcrowded. So, they resolutely applied to take over the entire floor of old classrooms, even setting aside the largest room as a practice space for their daily training, with grappling techniques and Sword Dao as the main activities.
Only students stronger than average could control other students' discipline, which was Ayakoji Chiyoko's consistent belief.
Today, the Disciplinary Committee existed as a society with influential power comparable to the Student Council on campus, with most students not daring to offend them, and even teachers wouldn't underestimate them.
Because, as a quasi-violent organization, the image of the members of the Discipline Committee was not gentle.
When Kagura Hikaru stepped onto the corridor where the Disciplinary Committee was located, he was almost frightened by a bunch of fierce (deleted) gang members (deleted) Disciplinary Committee members.
They moved in groups, looking fierce, some even carrying bamboo swords as weapons and hastily passing by.
It was almost time for morning classes. They should be going to classes... right?
"Hey, Ishida, Murakami! Drag this guy inside!"
"Yes!"
Behind him, shouts followed and three more Disciplinary Committee members hurried past them, greeting a very spirited Ayakoji Chiyoko with "Good morning, President!"
Kagura Hikaru silently watched as those three members dragged a blonde-haired misfortunate delinquent upstairs. That guy, not knowing what he had been through, had a pale face. He hung his head listlessly and was pulled into a classroom with the curtains drawn. As the door closed, the cries for mercy and screams inside became inaudible.
...This place was definitely a pit of demons.
Kagura Hikaru looked towards Ayakoji Chiyoko's retreating figure, his expression eerie.
Harboring such a dangerous crowd inside the school, she wouldn't be planning a violent rebellion, would she?!
Compared to that, Hina's nerdy Student Council... certainly seemed much weaker.
"This is the place, go in."
Ayakoji Chiyoko stopped, pointing to a classroom in front.
Immediately, a Discipline Committee member behind pushed Kagura Hikaru through the door.
At first, he felt their approach was too rough, but then he saw Ayakoji Chiyoko wave her hand, and instantly several people efficiently moved in tables and chairs, quickly cleaned them with a cloth, and even considerately placed a small vase with flowers as decoration. After that, he felt nothing.
Arguing with bootlickers was as meaningless as giving an ex-girlfriend a cucumber.
The two sat facing each other, separated by a desk.
"You guys, get out."
Ayakoji Chiyoko said, turning her head to the side.
The Discipline Committee members standing with their hands behind their backs heard her and left the classroom in an orderly manner. They even thoughtfully closed the door.
Soon, only Ayakoji Chiyoko and Kagura Hikaru were left in the Disciplinary Committee's office.
Ayakoji Chiyoko crossed her legs, folded her arms, and leaned back: "Tell me, what exactly is going on between you and Kiryu Hina?"