The next day, I arrived early at the classroom. As usual, Mii-chan, Nishimura, Horikita, and Hirata were the only ones inside the room.
"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun," greeted Hirata.
"Good morning." Mii-chan greeted me as well.
"Good morning!" Nishimura followed suit.
"Good morning," I replied.
I'm not gonna lie, after a few months of being in the class's forefront, I've become more and more accustomed to my classmates' warm treatment.
After that incident with Ryuuen, I don't feel the need to hide anymore. Around this time, Sakayanagi Arisu, who's aware of my identity, would probably start to move. I don't know if her father told her about my enrolment here from the start, but given how significant our promotion was during May, it's safe to assume that I'm already on her radar.
There's also Katsuragi Kouhei. He's apparently leading a faction that's separate from Sakayanagi. At first glance, Class A seems to have some sort of internal strife, but given their consistent amount of class points, I'm inclined to suspect that it's part of some convoluted strategy. Whatever the truth is, I need to see it for myself.
"Good morning, Horikita," I greeted.
"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun," she replied.
"You've prepared the contract, right?" I asked.
"Yes," she nodded. "I've taken everything you've suggested into account. Ryuuen-kun agreed with the terms when I sent it to him last night. Here's the form to get the class's signatures of agreement."
"Alright, good work, Horikita."
Last night, I messaged everyone in the class group chat that we wanted their signatures for a contract with Class D. I told them that the contract was about them agreeing to withdraw from the case. Horikita and I judged that deceiving the class wouldn't be detrimental in the future since the contract offered no downsides for Class B.
I slumped on my chair, laying my head on the desk. At that moment, I decided to move forward with my plans. I turned to Horikita with one thought inside my head.
Alright, let's overtake to Class A.
"I'll take the lead from now on. You guys support me from the back."
Horikita was surprised by my sudden announcement.
"You'll finally lead the class again? That's good news, but Class A is still an unknown variable to you. Do you have a plan?" she asked.
Horikita wasn't at all displeased that I'd taken back the position after one week. Instead, she was worried if my preparations were completed.
"Hmm... Maybe I can do something about Sakayanagi Arisu, but Katsuragi Kouhei is completely foreign territory to me," I sighed. "If I do anything reckless like Ryuuen and attack first, then chances are... I might get the rug pulled under me."
"That's true. So, why did you decide to come out today? You're not going to attack them now, are you?"
"Of course not, but I think there will be a good chance to do that soon. I want to rise to Class A as soon as possible and take a break," I said with a shrug.
"Take a break, huh? I don't think anyone will stop you, especially if you're the one responsible for bringing us to the top. Regardless of what it is that you're up to, I will cooperate. Do you plan to announce all of this to everyone, like before?" asked Horikita.
"Nah. They can find out for themselves. The delay would also keep the other classes from catching on too soon. It's fine if Ryuuen finds out though. He'll probably think of it as a joke, anyway."
The class still thinks of me as the true leader, too. Or at least, that's what Kikyou told me. And in the end, even if Ryuuen really does find out that I'm the real leader, it's not like I'm afraid of him.
"How about Hirata-kun and Kushida-san?"
"Oh, I haven't told them yet. I'll just give them a message later. It's not really a big deal."
The main reason why I had Horikita act as the class's de facto leader for a week was to solidify her position as someone who's second to me, in terms of overall capability. Well, I'd say that she's a bit lesser than Hirata because of his overwhelming social skills, but he's better suited as a supporter.
"Yaho~! Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun!"
"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Yo, Ayanokouji!"
The classroom continued getting filled up and most of them greeted me, Horikita, or Hirata. The same thing happened after Kikyou arrived.
Class started normally but something weird happened during morning break.
"Ayanokouji, wanna have lunch with us later? Our treat," said Ike.
"Oh... You don't really have to treat me."
"What are you saying? Our butts got spared because of you, right? Take this as a thank you and apology from us," responded Yamauchi.
To be honest, I don't really know how to feel about this. However, it seems like they felt genuinely grateful, so I guess accepting their offer wouldn't be so bad.
"Well, if you two insist."
————————————————————————
When lunchtime arrived, I ate with Yamauchi, Ike, Miyamoto, Hondou, and Professor.
"I don't know how you and Horikita-chan did it, but you guys really saved us there!" Yamauchi laughed heartily.
"Yeah! I thought there was no hope!" added Ike.
"How'd you do it, Ayanokouji?" asked Hondou.
I don't really wanna answer that particular question, but of course, it's an obvious thing to ask.
"Fufun! I assume that it was another master plan by our shadow leader," Professor said with a strange chuckle.
"I'm too lazy to get into the specifics, so let's just leave it at that," I shrugged.
"Eh, no fun!" Miyamoto complained with a grin. "But it did feel nice to be in one of your plans, though. I really thought we would pull it off nicely the first time, especially when you predicted when the Class D girls would confess."
Apparently, Hondou and Miyamoto told Ike, Yamauchi, and Professor about my initial scheme. But contrary to what I told Horikita, I've actually relayed some things to Professor. It's nothing specific, but he got the gist of the situation. That's also why he wasn't too surprised about Hondou and Miyamoto's revelation.
"But man... To think that there would be someone who can match up to Ayanokouji's wits. That Ryuuen sure is dangerous," commented Ike.
"But Ayanokouji came out on top in the end, right?" Yamauchi said softly while clenching his fist. "I'll punch that guy back in the face someday."
Well, I guess it's fine to have them keep their guard up.
Suddenly, Ike and Yamauchi faced me with serious expressions.
"Sorry, Ayanokouji. We caused you and the entire class a whole lotta trouble."
"Yeah, everything you said about us was right. We were acting pathetically the whole time."
"It's fine, and I didn't dismiss you guys for the sake of it. You needed to know how the whole class saw you. It would do you good to gain some self-awareness," I replied.
The two of them sincerely admitted their mistakes and apologized to me. To be honest, I'm surprised.
While I don't expect them to contribute much, I can at least hope that they'll exercise prudence to avoid trouble in the future. I wouldn't count on it, though. Immaturity and ignorance aren't the same thing.
Our lunchtime continued with Hondou and Miyamoto hounding Ike and Yamauchi about the things I said to them that day. Professor laughed strangely in the background while spouting manga references that I have little idea of.
When we got back to the classroom, Ike and Yamauchi called our classmates' attention. To everyone's surprise, the two formally apologized to the entire class. The first ones to speak up were Hirata and Kikyou's groups. They said it was alright since everything turned out fine in the end. They most likely responded to ease the awkward atmosphere. After all, the class wasn't used to Ike and Yamauchi behaving like that. It was a good attempt to fix up their reputation by giving an apology, but the class wasn't so easily swayed.
————————————————————————
"I'll be there shortly. Horikita and I just have to finish our business with Ryuuen," I said.
"Please be careful, Kiyotaka-kun..." Airi said to me with a worried face.
"Heh, you'd rather say that to Ryuuen, Airi. You know how strong Kiyotaka is." Ken crossed his arms confidently.
"Do delinquents decide things solely by competing in arm wrestling?" Haruka asked sarcastically.
"What? N-No..."
"Then there you go, idiot Kencchin," she replied with a smirk.
"Well, Kiyotaka can probably fight." Ken snapped back. "I haven't seen it tho..."
"Can you fight, Kiyotaka?" At that time, Akito spoke up and asked me.
"Yeah, I can protect myself just fine. You guys don't have to worry about us," I answered sincerely.
"Alrighty~! We'll be waiting in Airi's room. Remember, we won't start the serious talk until you come, Kiyopon!" said Haruka.
"I-It's not really anything serious..." muttered Airi.
————————————————————————
After bidding farewell to my friends, I walked towards the Student Council Office and saw Horikita waiting in the hallway with Ryuuen.
"Oh? Your bodyguard is here, Suzune. What a way to spoil our fun."
"Seems like I'm not welcome here," I said.
"That's right. After all, you're just an insignificant character..." Ryuuen narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. "Well, unless you're not."
"Who knows?" I ignored Ryuuen's presence and knocked on the door.
"Come in," said the person inside.
Secretary Tachibana received us after coming in.
"You're here to sign the memorandum, correct?" asked the elder Horikita.
I took a copy from Horikita's hand and presented it to him.
"These conditions should abide by the school's rules, I assume?"
Horikita Manabu scanned each word with speed.
"Hmm... I always thought you were involved behind the scenes, but to think that you really were the cause of Class D's withdrawal along with this contract... I'm impressed, Ayanokouji," said the elder Horikita.
Well, I guess the secret is out then. Ryuuen should get the message by now. He pondered over Horikita Manabu's words with a sinister smile.
That said, he sure is amazing. To think that he understood that much just by looking at the contents of our contract...
"So Ayanokouji was the one who set everything up for you, Suzune?" he asked.
Horikita refused to answer. Well, it's not like I'm trying to hide anymore, so I guess it's fine. The elder Horikita only responded with a subtle understanding grin.
"Alright, I'll approve of this contract. Since this involves your entire class, I assume you at least have eighty percent of the class's approval?" he asked.
Ryuuen and I presented the signed forms to him.
"Good. As of today, this contract will be in effect. The student council will keep one signed copy." After the elder Horikita finished up the official process, he had Ryuuen and his little sister leave the room.
Of course, this surprised the two. I don't know what he's after, but I don't think there's any harm in having Horikita stick around.
"Is it alright if Horikita stays?" I asked.
"Very well. You may go now, Ryuuen Kakeru. Tachibana, please see him off," he ordered.
"We'll face each other again soon, Class B. I'm really looking to it."
Ryuuen exited the room after leaving us with ominous parting words.
"So, what's the big idea?" I asked, not using the most respectful set of words.
Secretary Tachibana gasped in horror while Horikita looked at me in surprise.
"W-What guts— to speak like that towards the president!" yelled Secretary Tachibana.
"I have a proposal to give you." The elder Horikita replied as if he didn't mind my rather discourteous attitude. "I want you to join the student council, Ayanokouji."
The stiff expressions of both Secretary Tachibana and Horikita evolved into utter shock. Horikita wasn't the type of person who became jealous because I was acknowledged by her brother, but she probably wasn't expecting him to think of me that highly.
"P-President?! You just refused a student from Class A, didn't you...?!" said Secretary Tachibana.
I thought about joining the student council at the start of the year but ultimately decided against it after considering the fact that I wanted to sit back and relax for the rest of my time after testing myself and reaching Class A. I won't be able to do that if I join the student council. Duties would come creeping at me.
"Thanks for the offer, but I refuse," I replied.
"And he just refuses?!" she yelped.
Secretary Tachibana is pretty good at being an expressive tsukkomi.
"Would you like to give me a reason? You're not in any clubs, are you?"
"Yes, but it's a pain so I don't want to. Why don't you recruit your sister instead."
Horikita instantly glared at me with an anxious expression.
"We don't take in underqualified students," he replied, not even sparing her a look as he fixed his glasses in place.
"Then you're saying that I'm qualified, right? Why is that? I don't think I'm that superior in comparison."
"It's because I said so."
"I still refuse."
We stared at each other for a brief second before he finally looked away in disappointment.
"Then, it's a pity," he said with a short, almost imperceptible sigh. "You may go now. Tachibana, please see them off."
Secretary Tachibana, who looked like she was holding her breath the whole time, finally cleared her head and followed the elder Horikita's orders.