Jojo : Now before we start the next video I have an announcement to make.

Ike : What is it ?

Jojo : Nothing much since you all have been sitting like this from the beginning I've decided to change your seats well not everybody's but somepeoples.

Everyone : That doesn’t sound too bad.

Random 1 : I wanna change my seat.

Random 2 : Yeah I'm tired of sitting near this idiot.

Random 3 : Shut up bitch, God plzz change my seat.

And one by one most of them started to raise their opinions.

Jojo : SHUT UP !!!!!

Silence

Jojo : Well well calm down now. I said I'm not gonna change everyone's seat remember.

Clap * Clap * Clap *

With that he clapped 3 times and when he did I suddenly got teleported to a new seat.

When I turned to my left I saw kei sitting next to me. She was suprised to see me.

Kei : K‐kiyotaka.

Kiyotaka : I was wondering who might I be sitting with if my seat changed and it seems I got my answer now.

Kei : What ? Do you got any problem sitting near me.

She asked me with a glare.

Kiyotaka : Of course not. Infact I wanted to sit with you.

Hearing it from me made her give a big smile with a small blush.

Kei : I wanted to sit with you too Kiyotaka.

She said in a lower voice enough foe me to hear.

Sato : Kei‐chan don't forget about us. We are also here he~he.

To kei's left was her friends Sato and Matsushita.

Kei : W‐What i‐it's not ‐

Sato : Yeah yeah we get it.

Matsushita was smiling at them. Well she already had a clue about my relationship with kei anyway.

Horikita was seated in front of me and sudo was seated right infront of Horikita. He must have really wanted to sit with her. Members of the Ayanokouji group Akito sat at the seat behind me and the others were seated beside Matsushita. I could also see me that some students were unhappy with the seating arrangement.

Ibuki : I was sitting beside shiina why the heck do I have to sit near this creep.

Ryuuen : Kuku, Don't get so riled up ibuki.

Kamuro : Why am I still sitting with you.

Sakayanagi : Fufu, don't be like that masumi‐san.

Jojo : Well now that it's all over let's get into the show. This is video is right after the double date.

Ike : Double date ??

Jojo : Hirata , Karuizawa and Satou , Ayanokouji went on a double date.

Shinohara : Woah seriously.

Mori : First I'm hearing about it.

CHRISTMAS DAY. Students were on their way back to the dorms from

club activities. It was unlikely that anyone would see me, even a teacher.

There weren’t enough lights on in the building to attract attention.

“It’s cold. They’re not here?” asked Karuizawa.

“They’re late,” I replied.

Ike : Were you guys meeting with someone.

Sato : Who were you meeting with.

Kei : Don't worry it'll be shown in the video.

It was twenty minutes past the agreed-upon time. No one was nearby.

“They’re this late after calling you out here? Talk about rude,” said

Karuizawa.

“Maybe they’re nearby and scoping us out,” I replied.

“What? That’s unfair, isn’t it? They confirm your identity, then head

back?”

“I’m sure they’d like to, but they probably can’t afford to do that.”

I was almost certain that this person would contact me. I’d brought

Karuizawa to add some camouflage. I’d look odd if I showed up alone in an

isolated spot, but today was Christmas. Karuizawa and I could pass as a

couple. Even if the mystery person tried calling me again via a blocked

number, my phone was turned off. The only way for them to be certain of my

identity was by talking to me directly.

Kanzaki : You always cover your base don't you.

Kiriyama : ' So he had done preparations to make me directly approache him.'

Kiryuuin : What's the matter Kiriyama, feeling not well are we.

Kiriyama just stayed silent.

Nagumo : ' So that's when Kiriyama came into contact with Ayanokouji.'

As Karuizawa and I waited patiently, a lone student approached us. I’d

seen him before. The moment our eyes met, I understood. He was definitely

not who I expected.

He didn’t say my name. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“We just got here, Vice President Kiriyama.”

Horikita : So it's the vice president.

Nagumo : I wonder what you are going to speak with him Kiriyama.

Nagumo said with a grin.

Kiriyama : Well you must have already figured it out.

Matsushita : How did you know his name Ayanokouji‐kun.

Ayanokouji : Well I had heard about him before.

His eyes widened in surprise. “It seems you’ve gathered some information on the student council already. Your name’s…Ayanokouji. Right?”

It wasn’t strange that Vice President Kiriyama remembered my name. He’d stood nearby when I spoke with Nagumo earlier today.

“I never imagined that the vice president, of all people, would want to

take on President Nagumo,” I remarked.

“Before we get into that, let me ask you something.” He looked at

Karuizawa. “Who’s this? I don’t know her.”

“She’s trustworthy. She’s my partner,” I replied.

Horikita : ' So he really trusts her more than anyone else. From watching all those videos before I can understand why he would.'

Karuizawa looked momentarily excited before she quickly regained her

composure.

Kei : Hehehe

“Trustworthy, huh? Well, why not? This situation’s already hopeless if

I have to turn to a first year for help,” Kiriyama said. He’d accepted

Karuizawa’s presence very easily. Either he was that dissatisfied with

Nagumo’s regime, or he trusted Horikita’s brother that much. “Can we cut to the chase? I don’t want to draw this out.”

“Same. I’ll catch cold if I stay here much longer.”

“I’ve never agreed with Nagumo once. I joined the student council

because I admired Horikita-senpai. He was my senpai from Class A. Well, he

used to be, I suppose.” Kiriyama’s defeat at Nagumo’s hands had knocked

him down to Class B. Frankly, I was surprised Nagumo had kept him on as

vice president. “I wanted to stop Nagumo from becoming student council president, but it was impossible. It’s beyond the scope of my abilities.”

“The story about President Nagumo bringing all the second-year

students under his control… How much of that is true?” I asked.

“Almost all of it. There are those dissatisfied with the situation, but not

enough to vote Nagumo out. They’ve resigned themselves to his rule,”

Kiriyama replied.

Ryuuen : Kukukuku, this just means that all our senpai's were just small fries. Glad I'm not in their year or else I would have died of boredom.

Sakayanagi : Fufufu, that's certainly true. I'm truly glad that I'm in this year.

Kiryuuin : Haha, I must agree with you kouhai's. Those guys are way too boring especially thae main guy.

Nagumo glared at Kiryuuin but she shrugged it off.

Horikita : But there's something I can't understand ?

Kanzaki : Yes, I have the same doubt.

“Hey, Kiyotaka. I understand uniting your own class, but how could

you possibly make other classes your allies? Isn’t everyone competing to

reach Class A?” asked Karuizawa.

Horikita : That's what I don't understand.

Kanzaki : Yes, I mean there's no benefit for the other classes right.

“I’m sure Vice President Kiriyama will explain.”

“Nagumo promised reform,” Kiriyama told her. “He said capable

students would be promoted to Class A, no matter where they’d started.

There are a lot of dissatisfied people at this school who feel they were placed

in the wrong class.”

Karuizawa appeared slightly confused. I clarified. “He means people

like Horikita and Yukimura.”

Horikita gave me a glare.

Kiyotaka : It's not my fault you know you were like that at the beginning.

Horikita : Yes, you are right. I can't deny that I wasn’t like that at the beginning.

If it was the Horikita in the past I doubt she would have accepted it but right now Horikita has changed a lot.

“I see. But that wouldn’t be enough, right?” Karuizawa asked. “I mean,

most of the students from the lower classes aren’t that talented.”

“Nagumo says that every student will be given a chance,” explained

Kiriyama. “I don’t have any more concrete details yet.”

“Isn’t that kinda suspicious?”

“Yes, but those are his terms. Anyone in Class B or below already feels

the pressure mounting. The gap in class points between Class A and everyone

else is widening.”

“Shouldn’t you be seizing the opportunity to return to Class A, Vice

President Kiriyama?” I asked. “I mean, you oppose the president and lose,

that’ll never happen, right?”

"If there really is such a 'chance' that might have been an option too.

However, I don't believe Nagumo will really offer that kind of 'chance' to

everyone. There's no way he would do that. If graduation from Class A is

guaranteed and the tables are then turned on him, he wouldn't be able to take it all back then".

Katsuragi : That's a good reasoning.

Nagumo : Kiriyama, do you seriously think that I will make any kind of mistakes.

Kiriyama : Hmm, nobody can be invincible forever.

Kiryuuin : Can you guys just shut up I'm trying to watch here.

“Didn’t you think about resigning from the student council when Nagumo became president? I mean, no one wants to work under somebody they oppose, right?”

“If I left, what then? Nagumo would be even more free to wreak havoc.

I thought it best to infiltrate his inner circle and collect information…try to

find an opening I could exploit. If I hand that information to Horikita-senpai,

I’m sure he can do something with it.”

Even though Kiriyama spoke in a detached, matter-of-fact way,

frustration seeped into his words.

“Do you understand how hard this is for me? Having to stand by and

grit my teeth, knowing that if I can’t stop this, the school’s done for?” he

asked. Unfortunately for him, I didn’t.

Kiryuuin : Haha, oofff burned.

Kei : You know you are quite rude inside your head.

Kiyotaka : Thanks for the compliment.

Kei : It's not a compliment, idiot.

Kiyotaka : Yeah, I get it.

“Well, I suppose there’s no way you

would. There are no first years like Nagumo. But that doesn’t mean you’re

safe, either. Nagumo’s watching Horikita-senpai and the third years for now, but once they graduate…the first years will be his next target.”

“Ugh. He sounds like the worst,” said Karuizawa.

Asahina : Yeah, he definitely is.

Nagumo : Nazuna, just shut up.

So she said…but I could see benefits to following Nagumo. If he could make former rivals fall so readily in line, he had to be both competent and persuasive.

“Well, forget about fighting back or whatever. Wouldn’t it weird for us

to poke our noses in student-council affairs?” asked Karuizawa.

“Until now, yes,” replied Kiriyama. “But you’ll be seeing a lot more of the senior students from this point on. Once the third semester begins, the school holds a special exam that brings all three grade levels together. I went through the same thing last year. First, and second, and occasionally even third years battle it out.”

In other words, our class would be rubbing shoulders with

upperclassmen this January.

“That’s also when Nagumo will start compiling his list of persons of

interest among the first years,” added Kiriyama. Students that could

potentially threaten Nagumo’s reign.

I would’ve preferred to go unnoticed. Unfortunately, I had a hunch that

my wish wouldn’t be granted. “What happened in last year’s exam?”

“Probably nothing resembling this year’s exam. Most special exams

are designed to be completely different from year to year.”

“Even so, information about last year’s exam might prove

advantageous.”

“Maybe. But I can’t give it to you. Even if Horikita-senpai endorsed

you, I can’t break school rules. If anyone found out, I’d be expelled.”

Kiryuuin : And yet you still gave information about the comming exam.

Made sense. If Kiriyama was part of Horikita’s faction, that meant he

held school rules in high regard.

“Our options for fighting back against Nagumo are limited.

Expulsion’s the surefire route, but hard to achieve lucky. The next-best

option would be revealing to everyone that he’s unfit to serve as student

council president. If Nagumo is removed from office, many second-year

students will cut ties with him. That’d mean no harm will come to you first

years, or to the incoming freshmen starting next year,” explained Kiriyama.

The problem here was that I didn’t know the true Nagumo Miyabi.

Even Karuizawa couldn’t get me that information; we just had so little

interaction with the seniors. Because Nagumo had accrued so much influence, was incredibly wary of others, and had Hirata’s respect and envy, I

could only conclude that he was no average student.

I would’ve preferred Kiriyama to find second-year students who shared

his opinion to help him take Nagumo down. Sadly, he didn’t have that option,

which meant he had to hassle first years.

Nagumo : Look at you trying so hard, Kiriyama.

“Wait. Getting Nagumo expelled, or pulled out of office—that’s pretty

serious, isn’t it?” asked Karuizawa.

“You wouldn’t resort to such measures in the face of a mortal enemy?”

“I’ve never even thought of doing something like that.”

Ryuuen : Kuku, Simply put none of that is worth your time.

Sakayanagi : Fufu, that's more likely to believe.

Karuizawa looked suspicious, but I ignored her. I didn’t know how much I could trust Kiriyama. From what I saw,

there was no doubt that he hated Nagumo. But I also saw that he was being very careful with his words, maybe to manipulate me. At present, I lacked enough information to reach a definite conclusion.

Shibata : Why does he hate the president so much. Is it to get back to Class A.

Kanzaki : It will probably be explained.

“Tell us what you want,” I said. “We’ll decide how to go about it.”

“So, you can’t trust me, is that it?” Kiriyama asked. “Maybe I sound

like I’m going too far. I don’t need to be responsible for stopping Nagumo.

But I can’t bear seeing my juniors go through the same hell I did. That’s the

truth.”

Sakayanagi : I wonder if it is true.

Kiryuuin : Seriously Kiriyama. I am disappointed.

So, he was just doing this for his juniors, huh? I found that selflessness

hard to believe. Honestly, if Kiriyama said that he hoped to get back to Class

A by eliminating Nagumo, I’d have trusted him more. Guess it’s just human nature to play the saint, huh?

Ryuuen : Kukuku.

“Think whatever you want,” Kiriyama added, “but just remember this.

Every student who got on Nagumo’s bad side has been expelled. Across the

board.”

“If that’s the case, maybe I shouldn’t get on his bad side, either.”

“So, you won’t cooperate?”

“I will. I have reasons I can’t back down either.”

“All right. You’re on Nagumo’s radar now, anyway. Sorry, but you’re

about to find out just what kind of person he is. I’ll keep you informed on his movements from here on. As long as that’s within the scope of the school

rules, of course. Beyond that, you can do as you please.”

So, he was putting his fate in my hands?

Kiriyama seemed to sense that I wasn’t as enthusiastic as he might

have hoped. “To be perfectly honest, you’re kind of unreadable to me. If it

weren’t for that relay race with Horikita-senpai, I probably wouldn’t ask for your help at all. In fact, the relay was what made Nagumo notice you,” he said. Had I known about Nagumo in advance, I wouldn’t have drawn

attention to myself during the relay. Unfortunately, what was done was done.

“If I think you’re incapable of seeing this through, I’ll stop contacting

you,” Kiriyama added.

“Wouldn’t that put you in more danger, Kiriyama-senpai?” asked

Karuizawa.

He silently nodded. “I won’t make direct contact with you after this.

I’ll create a random e-mail account and get in touch through that.”

Good. Communicating via burner e-mail accounts was the safest option.

“Also…you know what’ll happen if your incompetence leads Nagumo

to find out that I colluded with you,” he added. In other words, he’d take me

down with him. Of course. With those parting words, Kiriyama quickly left.

“Uh, does this whole thing kinda give you a bad vibe?” asked

Karuizawa.

“Yeah.”

There was no room for error.

Ike : Good it's over. It was quite above my mind.

Ishizaki : Yeah I get you dude.