April 13th. 9 am.

Against my expectations, the class was dismissed yesterday as soon as my turn came up. The reason for that being----the witnesses were wasting too much time, so Yuka-sensei said that we would conduct the interrogations one at a time. In no other circumstance would the class end that early, even though classes nowadays feel less... spirited.

How should I say this... It's as if the boys missing created a lack of spark.

As I seat here at my desk, I can only think that we girls are just too boring on our own. I mean, come on! No one will do anything, so...

I will have to because I feel the need to compete and create something for you to look forward to.

Now, I'll analyze the situation.

My seat has always been on the east side of the room. There are two doors for our classroom. Therefore, allocated towards the one at the end, not the top beginning. Currently present, there are eleven girls, myself included. Our teacher is more than a girl, so she's not included.

Right now, we are having the usual classes. No one exactly complained about this because Yuka-sensei said that we would conduct the interrogations during the afternoon every day as long as we had witnesses to use as resources. In other words, this afternoon, Arkalee and Sana's witnesses will be the center of attention. Until then, we have to content ourselves with mediocre classes.

Yet, this is so, but, SO, boring! It's too peaceful, but it's obvious that we don't exactly like each other at all, entirely speaking to all of us girls. There's no reason to break this barrier of peace whatsoever. We pride ourselves on being delicate and elegant because the boys would give us the reason to be such contrasts. But now...

No one will do anything, as I've thought.

I pretended to keep on writing in my notebook the subject's matter just to not get caught, but simultaneously, I was already picking my victim.

There is a necessity to choose someone that would bring the attention of others. I can't just pick some random lone-wolf, like, Iris, for example. If I were to hurt her, then... Nobody would care that much. Unless I went deep on her, but that's not the point. It needs to be someone who is easy to trigger the attention of others.

Sana is my personal play toy, so I refuse to let others assist her.

"Check..."

I crossed out Sana's name. Secretly, I was folding with the last page of my notebook where I had noted down my classmates' names. Naturally only the female ones though. Mine wasn't written on it, obviously.

The order here was based on the ones that had the least likelihood of being worthy of this task of mine. I've never actually done it, so this will be the first time.

I am quite excited and can barely contain myself. Plus, I'm confident I can do it if I truly put my mind to it. I'll create something to catch your attention for sure when you return to this world of mine.

Moving forward, I crossed out Shizuku's name.

Very much like Iris, she would have no shoulder to cry on. Alternatively speaking, I additionally crossed Iris's name out of the list. Three already cast out.

Next up, Tateyana... I wanted to pick her so badly, but no. I'll deal with her myself if she gets in my way, but I won't get in her way deliberately. Defensive as it may sound; it was Tateyana who started it. If she wasn't sarcastic about giving me the extra turn, I wouldn't have sabotaged the whole thing. Nonetheless, Tateyana is out.

Four down; six to go.

Arkalee, Arkalee... Her mental state is beyond messy. I can't tell if she's insane or not. If she were to commit an action out of lack of passion due to her boyfriend's sudden vanishment; then would it be classified as an action that can enter the field of insanity? Because then, if she were to act on pure emotion without any logic, then that's almost insanity. Insane individuals are not aware of what they are actually doing. The whole point here is... Is it worth toying around with her? Probably not. She's already suffering and I don't think that I can inflict greater damage to what she's going through.

And if hypothetically speaking, I did, then the range of the consequences that would come from that might be something that I necessarily wouldn't want to have. Arkalee most likely should be in an asylum.

I'm not saying I shouldn't, but I am aware of what I'm actually doing.

"Check, check, check..."

Hinagiku seems funny to me. I can't take her seriously because of her tiny height. Furthermore, her morals are comedy relief at their peak. However... She does know martial arts and I don't, so... She would most likely not hesitate to use violence on me. This isn't to say that I couldn't use this to my advantage, but I would rather prefer if my plaything was feeble and fragile.

Eliminated out of the list immediately...

"Four left..."

I murmured silently, which attracted the attention of no one.

Not even Shizuku who was at my left side. Subsequently, I took my eyes out of the notebook, temporarily closed the end page, and looked outside to gain an image of what the scenery looked like. Unlike yesterday, it's not raining and although I want to label the sky cloudless and utterly cerulean; it's heavily shaded with a dark blue with shards of baby blue.

Blue...

My eyes followed the trail that corresponded to the bluest thing in the room. A nervous look permanently locked with anxiety. How come she's always anxious though? I really am curious now.

"..."

Re-opening the page by swiftly enveloping my fingers with the paper's edge, the names that were to be cast out started to look minimal.

Lus is a no for certain. She does not give a weak impression whatsoever. I hate women like her, in specific. Her omnipresent confidence doesn't give me a window of opportunity. She's really cold as well. Meeting someone face to face of the same kind as me doesn't really sound like a good tactic.

I additionally crossed out Kanawari's name. Something tells me that if I were to mess with Kanawari that Lus would most likely anticipate me.

The point here, really, really, isn't too complicated. I'm looking for someone that just doesn't have strong attachments but would be a good toy.

Ultimately crossing them out off the list, I got down to the last two names. However, I went with Akimiyashika first.

She gets really protective and is essentially a hypocrite. She's a hypocrite because if you are here and you try to be right, you are most likely not doing it genuinely, and instead... you are being fake. Hypocritical behavior would be applied if she were to actually try to act right and be right when the main qualification entry for this classroom is to be a criminal! How ironic!

But seriously, you just won't do...

"Get out..."

Violently to the point of ripping the paper apart, the last name got met with a giant circle performed as quick as my eyesight on it.

All this time, the factor of protection wasn't really something I was afraid of, but if I am going to play a similar game to Omega, then... I'll do things a bit differently from you. You didn't allow evidence because you had factors that would give you such benefit. I'll play around with evidence.

Because, unless I do it this way, then it won't be obvious that I was the one who did it and that's exactly the point. Everyone needs to know that I did it.

I've thought of scenarios where I would do the essence of the task by escaping evidence like Omega, but... I do enjoy the spotlight. I admit.

With the victim in mind, I reached out to Shizuku, by adjoining my table to hers, which caught her by surprise.

"How surprising! Are you feeling like a social human being suddenly?"

"That is correct."

Although we interacted, we did it very lowly in order to not be detected. Then, as we took notes of what was going on in the class, I started to speak to her.

"I need your assistance, Shizuku. You see, I'm feeling the necessity to create something on my own for my beloved."

There's a really basic trick in a classroom in order to escape your teacher's attention. I've done this since kindergarten and it has always worked. Simply take notes and look only from the panel to your notebook without looking elsewhere. Vision is the key element. Shizuku did the same while replying.

"Are you going to commit some crime of passion like he did?"

"It wasn't an actual crime, Shizuku. The immorality of the act just makes it sound like one. That's how he's getting away. Real crimes have more windows of opportunity. Truly thoughtful..."

I could spend all day talking about how much of a God he is to me, but...

"So, listen up. Here is what I have in store for us."

I told her my plan, essentially.

1:15 pm.

"So... What is it that you urgently need to talk to me about, Yukishiro?"

We were attracting quite a lot of attention, so to say.

Put more concretely, Shizuku and I were in a cafeteria near block A which was almost the equivalent of the rich kids' playground. It's almost as if the ones that were in this cafeteria belonged to block A only yet I saw no restrictions. This, to me, was just a slightly above-average cafeteria. Though, this train of thought and self-indulgence attracted the unwanted attention of girls from other tables who were gossiping about me and Shizuku certainly.

"What are they doing here...?"

"Who do they think they are anyways..."

Forcefully drinking a cup of coffee, the boy in front of me, who was being eyed by the majority of the girls in a questionable way did not know how to properly react to my intentional reluctance.

Indecisive between looking up and down, I kept on switching my visual gears.

"U-Um..."

I made sure to answer as reluctant as possible the boy in front of me. At first, he sounded unaware of what was actually happening, but as he looked more into my almost fully blushed expression, he came to the quick conclusion that he was about to be what many would consider "a lucky guy".

"Y-Yes...?"

A reluctant yet less composed reply came forth. Skeptical looks towards the boy grew from the girls who watched us in this isolated table for four near the foggy window reflecting saturated blue.

But, I could not reply yet and instead, looked towards Shizuku and she followed her supposed role.

With a light hit on my back, she looked at Liyuga and explained my emotional state.

"Ah, sorry, Liyuga! She's just really nervous, give her a few seconds, alright...?"

"It's alright, take as much time as you need to."

He was even further analyzing the elements of my appearance. It wasn't just because that I chose this location. My hair shine reflects the best near strong illumination, so the contrast in my hair color is all over the place, which further enhances the appeal. Should I have held this conversation in a darker place, then it wouldn't be as visible, and too much light might just ruin everything. My position right now is ideal, aesthetically speaking.

"Oh gosh, I need to take a few deep breaths, sorry...!"

Upon seeing my neurotic reaction, Liyuga got embarrassedly puzzled. As for me, I really took some deep breaths in front of him while looking tired and having trouble saying words. Yet, what words? Such thoughts surely crossed his mind by now.

"Okay... Um, sorry, it's just... Ah, I'm too much of a bother, am I not...? I'm so--"

"No, don't worry! You seem really stressed, so calm down a bit and say what you want to say afterward. I'll patiently wait."

Eh...

He's someone patient... Shall I truly test his patience then...?

No, on second thought, I really need to get this done quickly. The crucial part here is to plant a seed.

Taking that into consideration, I took on a deep breath and confronted Liyuga. Slowly but comfortably, I formed a small fist and adjoined it to my left cheek while feeling a rather blazing sensation from the heat in my cheeks.

"Are you seeing someone right now...?"

Partial to this, some girls nearby spit out their drinks consecutively. Now, I was expecting a shy type of answer, but he replied rather composed, which brought me a wave of anxiety at first.

The sudden transformation from a total flushed face to a calm solemn face was completely bizarre.

"I'm not. Hold on; I don't want to hurt your feelings, so I'll just say this; student council members aren't allowed to have any sorts of romances, so if by some chance you are interested in my affection, then I can't offer you my assistance."

Almost, if not totally instantly, my face bridged the edge of paleness as soon as I heard those anti-climatic words.

"Ehhhh?! Isn't that too cruel, Liyuga?"

Shizuku complained while I was emotionlessly still processing this stupid anti-climatic answer.

I just couldn't believe it. My eyes opened themselves so much that I thought they would just flat out fall off.

"It's because the president doesn't want potential romances to take our focus away from our studies. In order to stay in the student council, there's a really tough quota to meet, so it makes perfect sense. I am sorry, Yukishiro."

Well... My intention was to fake feelings for him, but now that such is not possible, I'll adjust my tactics up a bit.

"Oh, no. I'm actually relieved, really."

"...Huh?"

Of course, Liyuga couldn't be more confused. He thought that I was actually going to confess to him. Not that I wasn't going to make an implication, but even Shizuku couldn't help but be puzzled.

With confidence, I intertwined my fingers and spoke the current truth to Liyuga.

"A classmate of mine asked me to confirm if you were seeing someone right now because she is interested in you. I care about her very much, to the point where I went a mile ahead to see if a scenario of romance was possible. If she were here right now and you would've said those words, then, wouldn't her heart just be mercilessly crushed...?"

More coldly, I emphasized my point to Liyuga, who took a serious stance in response. He realized that if I truly was in love with him and I was planning on confessing it to him that my heart would be crushed by such a response. Not being able to actually hold a romance over such a stupid rule is not only heart-breaking but literally infuriating.

"Now that you mention it... Sorry, I just had no way of knowing it. Though, who was it? I don't fully know the names of those in your classroom. I know your name is Yukishiro and yours is Shizuku. There's Akimiyashika and Arkalee too. The rest, I can't exactly remember."

Mhm...

This was going to be tasking if I hadn't brought along a picture that I took of her while she walked out of the room with Akimiyashika and Hinagiku. In order to take this picture, I pretended to be fiddling with my phone while in reality, I was taking a picture of her. Another detail to add is that we were really lucky to meet Liyuga next to block E. For reasons unknown, he was there, but I grabbed that chance to make this happen. He naturally suggested this cafeteria though.

Ultimately, I limited myself to showing him the picture of the one that supposedly had feelings for him.

"Look here. It's this girl. Isn't she just a cutie?"

In addition to taking a picture of her, I made sure that it showed her face. This was very, but very important.

Nonetheless, it was rather funny how Liyuga was having some hardcore trouble reminding himself of who she was.

"Ah...! That girl! She was really silent. I never got to know her name. Could you tell me?"

"Most certainly. Rikishima Ikkiri."

Now that he had the knowledge of her name, Liyuga could have a slightly advanced understanding. Out of caring, he asked me a rather interesting question.

"Do you think I should confront her about this?"

Things needed to go as planned, so I made sure to take absolute control of the situation. It seems that Liyuga over here is not enough of a man himself to verify Ikkiri's "feelings" for him personally. I'll gladly take advantage of that.

"No. If I may add, I'll talk to her about this in a way that won't demolish her feelings. Thank you for your consideration, Liyuga."

"I see. Please contact me if you need my assistance regarding this matter. I don't want to cause misunderstandings. Let's exchange numbers, okay?"

"Sure!"

Unexpected, I must say, but Liyuga and I traded numbers subsequently right away, which infuriated the wrath of a few girls nearby.

It does seem that Liyuga is quite popular. I could've dragged our conversation on and on, or even better, I could've made sure that this conversation would've taken place elsewhere, but it really had to be here. Because block A girls are sure to have clout; which I need for the success of this.

"If that's all, then I need to go, ladies."

"Student council duty?"

Liyuga sighed a bit and relaxed his shoulders before answering Shizuku's question.

"It is what it is. Well, I like what I do, so it's actually fine. Later and good luck with the interrogation this afternoon."

"Thank you." x2.

We took a polite bow yet I made sure that despite the fact that Liyuga was leaving out of the cafeteria that we did not actually leave our seats. It would be very counterproductive if we did and I've emphasized this scenario to Shizuku previously, so she knows about it.

Alas, we started an idle chat while drinking our strawberry shakes.

"What a stupid rule, but I'm just glad that I didn't have to actually go through that."

It is quite good and solid. I even started to drink it with my eyes closed. It was quite delightful.

"Sigh... Part of the plan already failed, didn't it, Yukishiro...?"

Lacking any sort of hope in the first place, Shizuku thought of our current state of action as something that had already been a failure for sure while taking small sips of her strawberry shake through the silk straw intersected within.

"That is not true. Look, here they come."

"I know. Just my rare sarcasm kicking in."

"You're good at hiding it if you didn't lie just now."

It was already 1: 30 pm, which means that half of our lunchtime had gone down the drain.

I started to get up to give away a nervous stance. Same with Shizuku. We were going to leave the cafeteria until we heard voices calling out for us.

"Yukishiro and Shizuku, may I have your attention?"

That caught me off guard. I thought for sure that we were just going to get interrogated, but for them to know our identities straight up? How?

In the end, though, we didn't really leave our seats and simply allowed two girls to confront us, by taking Liyuga's previous seat.

Snarky, I made a remark back at the one who said such words.

"You're lacking manners, depraved slut!"

Twisted and distorted; my eyebrows became.

"How do you know our names...? I don't remember ever talking to you people in the first place."

To further describe these two, looking back at it, they were already here in the first place, drinking tea extravagantly. Yet they kept on looking at Liyuga for a certain reason. I couldn't quite sense that it was out of romance, but they surely wanted something out of him. His clout, perhaps?

Her name is still unknown, but she has a very delicate hairstyle that contains elements such as a snail bun hairstyle alongside a mixture of greenish hair with a slight gradient of purple. It is somewhat hard to describe but it simply will give you the striking impression of someone whose style isn't bound by common sense.

As for the other girl who hasn't spoken yet, although silent, she looks like she has a confident look and a permanent long dark blonde braid on the back of her head. Outspoken yet seemingly sharp.

I'm even more surprised that she ignored my insult; out of all the things to say next.

"We have our ways of knowing just about everything. Now, mind explaining yourselves? You don't belong here. Get out or else."

"Or else?"

Shizuku said that, but I planned on doing so, just not in such a direct way. How exactly was our presence here threatening in the first place in their eyes?

In response to these uncaring words from Shizuku, the snail girl grew a very angry expression.

"Don't you dare play games with me, ok? I am one of the C.R's and I can if I do want to, get you out of any territory within block A's 1-kilometer range just by calling out guards to expel you from here."

"What? But that's just pure violence!"

I was analyzing the situation calmly and rationally without trying to create outbursts. First of all, she said "C.R." which is the short term for "Class Representative". Furthermore, she said that she is one of them, which means... There is the option of being more than one?

"Wait, Shizuku."

"Huh?! Did you just hear them?!"

"I did! I did! But they are misunderstanding something very deeply..."

"Excuse me...?"

While I attempted to calm Shizuku down, I traded glances with the two of them; snail girl in particular.

It was about time I actually clarified the situation here clearly.

But first...

"Well, you know my name and Shizuku's, so, what's yours? If you don't give me your names, I'll call you "Snail" and as for her, let's see... "Really bad braids who took hours to make for a poor result"? Yeah, that sounds about right..."

Shizuku lightly laughed consequently, which further provoked reactions out of them.

"What the hell is the matter with you?! I'm not a snail! I refuse to give my name to a no life like you."

"You said something about we deeply misunderstanding, what did you mean by that?"

Well, if that's how they want to play, then sure. Still, the silent girl spoke and questioned me.

She probably thought that I wouldn't actually say that gigantic nickname but as someone who wore braids in the past, those knots are giving me a headache.

"You see, really bad braids who took hour---"

"Anea..."

I didn't stop.

"...s to make for---"

"I said Anea! My name is Anea, stop chanting it!"

How cute! That reaction really contrasted her previously lethargic one.

"...a poor result, er--- I mean, Anea!"

"Carol, can we go ahead and just---"

Seemingly pissed off, Anea was starting to wave at the snail girl, who was undoubtedly the person undergoing the name of Carol, which means that she wasn't liking how things were progressing. I had to quickly dispel the bad blood here and thus I went fully direct to the issue.

"Shizuku and I aren't interested in Liyuga."

"..."

They took some time to think; for about 5 seconds before Carol fired yet another question at me.

Way more aggressive this time around, she even pointed her right index finger straight into my soul; to my utter dislike.

"Care to explain yourselves on that? How do I know that you aren't after Liyuga?"

I just had to confirm something with Carol right off the bat, so after swirling with my strawberry shake straw from left to right and fully envisioning my sight on her, I bluntly asked.

"Do you two like him or something? Jealousy? Is that it?"

"Huh? Ridiculous! It's just straight up common for clout chasers like you to look for an opportunity and we won't let you have your way!"

..........

First things first... From the way they both glared at me as they took my question, I didn't feel or see any traces of actual jealousy or hidden affection. Secondly, Carol mentioned clout chasers, which means that it's already a common act for other girls to chase Liyuga for the wrong reasons. The question remains though: Why do they care?

More importantly... They can't be allowed to think that we are the clout chasers here. Certainly, I want to have a bit of Liyuga's clout so I can infiltrate the cameras and do a thorough lip reading. It's gonna be a long process but it will all fall into pieces eventually.

For that to work, I need to clear yet another misunderstanding.

"Hold on, that's what you got confused about. We are just messangers. We weren't actually---"

"Don't lie! I saw your face! It was so blushed and embarrassed that it's hard not to believe that you were here to confess!"

Ugh, I want to seriously question this bitch's reasoning regarding why my supposed confession even matters in the first place. But, I don't plan to go against the tide here. It's fine if she thinks like this.

When attempting to strike a deal, it's important to suck up a little bit at first. Objecting to her way of thinking is out of the question and Shizuku understood that.

Ergo, with a calmer composure now, Shizuku spoke to Carol and clarified something.

"She's not lying. She was sent here to portray the "feelings" of a clout chaser in our class after Liyuga's power. Honestly, it's so fucked up..."

Perfect. She's totally in the line for this, so I'll continue after Shizuku.

I closed my eyebrows a bit and emitted a sense of hopelessness.

"I've tried to tell her that it wouldn't work, but she's clout-hungry, that Ikkiri. Plus, making me do all the dirty work for her... Give me a break..."

"....What are you two talking about...?"

"Sigh..." x2.

As if we were actual victims constantly suffering from overwork, we relaxed our shoulders and began explaining our situation, since they started to believe us. Though, they were skeptical still. Therefore, I had to go about this in a delicate way.

"You know our class, right? Block F's special. One and only."

"Yes. What does that have to do with anything? And who is this Ikkiri? I demand answers!"

It's really intriguing why Carol is so persistent on knowing who is after Liyuga's clout even though I just can't see any reason as to why she would care so much in the first place.

In other words, the answer is simple. The reason is beyond my current knowledge. It's something most likely privileged to those from block A, I daresay.

Though, I will not insist on that. I don't have a reason to.

Taking my turn for me, Shizuku gave a succinct answer to the anxious Carol alongside her rather observant partner named Anea.

"Ikkiri is our class leader. She rules our class like a tyrant and every girl in our class, ---we included of course--- is forced to work under her. You probably already know about the witness case, correct?"

"Why, I do. Liyuga, under very questionable conditions accepted to be that impertinent creature's witness..."

"The gal of that wretch...!!"

Interestingly, Anea once more contrasted her expression and bent her will into a feat of transient rage. They were most likely referring to Lus. I don't see Kanawari being the source here. Regardless, it was my turn to continue the lie.

"So you know. That makes things easier. Well, Ikkiri has a rather... power-hungry personality. In front of other girls who aren't the ones from her class, she will display a meek and feeble attitude in order to not get suspected, but to us, it's a whole different story--- she's a demon in disguise..."

Emphasizing my point even stronger, Shizuku's expression alongside mine grew a terrified look as if Ikkiri had actually been ruling us under some sort of ironclad dictatorship from which we could not hope to escape from. The only reason as to why this argument is even slightly believable in the first place is because this school operates in a system that makes this lie seem like something actually believable!

"Your circumstance aside... Well, I am sorry that you are being treated like that, but what exactly did you tell Liyuga that Ikkiri told you to tell?"

"Ah, that? Ikkiri ordered me to make sure if Liyuga was seeing someone or not. You see, she's quite manipulative, so she has her way around things rather maliciously. I'm so sick of it..."

Your turn; Shizuku.

"We don't actually like to do this, but we can't do anything about it. Soon enough, more girls from our class will be forced to go after Liyuga just for the sake of Ikkiri's ambition..."

"For the record, she always walks around a small blue-haired girl and a somewhat tall red-haired girl. Both of them are supposed to look confident and intimidating at first, but even them are just Ikkiri's puppets..."

Our arms started to shake just to make sure that we could break that barrier of disbelief in this atmosphere.

Even if Carol and Anea looked as if they were starting to believe, I went the extra mile and gave them a piece of information.

Trembling, I took out my cellphone and presented them with the picture of Ikkiri and spoke something in addition to that.

"She doesn't stand out socially that much because she is calculative in that regard..."

"...Why are you showing us this picture of her? All we asked was what you were told to tell Liyuga."

Naturally, someone rational would question an additional favor. In my mind, I had placed a gigantic smile on my lips, but in reality, I kept my apologetic look on with my eyesight marked below like a sad victim.

"We just thought... Maybe exposing her would make her stop doing what she does... Ah, you probably can't relate because you have never been there, but around Ikkiri we have no freedom..."

"It's as Yukishiro says... If only she were to get exposed somehow, then we could have a little bit of freedom, but that's just not possible, isn't that right?"

"I guess..."

With puppy eyes, we heavily sighed and looked to get up from our seats, but Anea stopped us; not Carol.

"Hold it. Carol, we could use them if Ikkiri is after Liyuga. We need this and you know it..."

"I know, but still..."

Lacking any sort of knowledge in the first place; I could not understand what they were implying. However, it would be amazing if they could buy the image of using us.

So, I gave them a little push.

"If you want, we could work for you..."

But my words gave them more reason to be skeptical. It really couldn't be helped. They have to be allowed to be skeptical about my intention here so I can ease their worries afterward.

"Suspicious..."

Carol spoke but not Anea.

Shizuku capitalized on that rather quickly.

"We won't ask anything back! We would even tell you when Ikkiri would order someone else to approach Liyuga!"

"!"

Their eyebrows rose to an elevated extent as their eyes massively opened themselves. Before they could be able to think further, I added a few more words to Shizuku's helpful speech.

"Although we don't get why, it's clear that it's important for no one to be able to access Liyuga's clout, right?"

"...You don't need to know about that."

Carol denied it in a weak way, but it was crystal clear that Liyuga's clout was precious to her. Or, more precisely and accurately assumed, to both Carol and Anea. It could be that it's more. Yet it matters not. What matters here is establishing a point of importance for a consensus to exist.

"Ikkiri is evil beyond your thoughts. You must allow us to help you, we will do anything, please! Just.... help us!"

Bowing down and borderline slamming her forehead on the table, Carol and Anea couldn't reject such a strong stance. In advance, I had already done the same and we did not lift our heads up until they gave a reply.

5 seconds went by...

Our eyes remained shrouded in darkness; we refused to open them up until a positive reply came forth.

10 seconds and finally...

After 15 seconds, we heard their calling.

"Suppose we accept your "deal"... that benefits you, people, just a little. Suppose just this: what would you propose we would do in order to diverge Ikkiri's attention from Liyuga?"

!!!!!

Just for about a millisecond, the corners of my lip resonantly increased, but I behaved myself while we elevated our heads to the surface once again. With grand assertiveness, I spoke to Carol, who after this time, was still skeptical.

"As you can see... I and Shizuku have poor social standing. Even if we told everyone about Ikkiri, the likelihood of them believing it is just about zero, honestly..."

"So you want us to do that part of the job, in other words?"

Anea spoke rather harshly, but Shizuku further explained with care.

"The goal would be to alert all other classes and blocks about Ikkiri. If you two were the sources of this wave of helpfulness, then wouldn't the credit go over for you?"

Shizuku made a fantastic point, actually. She brilliantly connected her knowledge with the elections in November, which allowed me to make the ultimate connection here with my upcoming words.

"By being the source, wouldn't votes be raining for you? If you think just a bit, you'll realize that stopping someone evil like Ikkiri is just an excuse for votes, and... wouldn't that be great? Imagine if all the votes could go to Liyuga. Isn't that why you are protecting him? So no one ruins his image until the elections?"

They looked severely shocked as they heard my resonating words, but this isn't that hard to connect in the first place.

According to Izufusa, if someone damages your image, despite you being from block A, your fame could get destroyed in a single stroke and they are most likely looking out for their leader. That's right; I truly think that Liyuga's class consists of students who are afflicted to him for their own reasons. Regardless of reasons, they want to protect their leader.

Just like if you had the chance, you would stand up and defend the person who you are voting for President. Extremely simple, all in all.

"Hey, Carol..."

"...Yeah, I know, I know... Agh, I know! Okay, so here is the deal, and don't you dare screw it up, or else I'll use my authority to make your lives hell here!"

It wasn't as if we wanted to obey Carol's sudden tyranny, but it heavily benefitted us in doing so, therefore, we stood in silence as she laid down the deal.

"I and Anea will start spreading rumors regarding Ikkiri based on what you have told us and---"

Ahhh...

I had to interrupt her a little bit faster than anticipated. Carol should not think that spreading rumors based on what I've said is enough to grab someone's attention. No, it needs to be more... Drastic than that.

"Hold on."

"What?! I don't like to be interrupted!"

"I understand! I really do! It's just, I think that spreading rumors is great and all, but not based on what I've told you."

Seeing how confused she became almost gave me the idea of surrendering to this constant wave of laughter hiding inside my brain yet I nonetheless resisted and persisted with my reasoning.

"We should exaggerate. "Ikkiri is a whore who would suck someone's dick in order for you to give her a vote." "She is manipulative and steals from others." "If you are a boy, then be careful because she might just offer up her body in order to get you to do dirty favors for her." See the pattern here?"

At first, they were a bit disturbed by my lack of empathy as I harshly exemplified, but they ultimately thought about how the examples of the rumors that I've suggested are better than what I've told them about Ikkiri previously.

"That is rather evil, Yukishiro, but I'll agree to it. What about you, Carol?"

"Heh, just my style. That's fine! But, give me her picture! I'll spread it on social media just to spark more notice..."

How absolutely perfect.

Things could not have gotten better for the first step of the plan.

Mildly smiling, I extended my right hand as a sign of the deal's closure, and Carol rightfully accepted it without a second thought.

Omega, I'll create a masterpiece that will challenge yours.