"They really compensated us this much!"
Kushida Kikyo was astonished, refreshing her account multiple times.
Her personal balance had increased by 2 million points.
Though she felt somewhat embarrassed, Horikita Suzune insisted she keep all the points since she had been the target of Ishizaki's drugging.
At that moment, numerous classmates were messaging Kushida, having evidently received the school's notification.
Seeing Class C deducted 100 Class Points was particularly satisfying.
"This is already quite a severe punishment," Chabashira Sae remarked with a complex look in her eyes
"If they pursued it seriously, the perpetrator would definitely face expulsion."
Drugging could be considered intentional harm against a fellow student when viewed seriously.
If someone would drug others for exam results today, they might resort to causing serious injuries tomorrow.
The school had always been vigilant against such unscrupulous behavior.What the school expects is to achieve goals by any means within the rules.
Even if something outrageous happens, it's fine as long as the school remains unaware.
Ryuen's biggest mistake was getting exposed.
Drugging someone immediately puts the school in an awkward position.
This is an institution for cultivating national talent, not a breeding ground for criminals.
In other words, Ryuen nearly caused serious trouble for the school.
If not for the Student Council's swift response, with Vice President Kaoru promptly summoning the involved parties, the situation would have escalated and undoubtedly angered the school administration.
Ryuen admitted his mistake quickly, so the matter was reluctantly considered closed.
Fortunately, this happened at ANHS.
In any other school, Ryuen would have faced either suspension or transfer.
"Is it really that serious?"
Kushida Kikyo recalled that Class C had been involved in fights before, but there hadn't been such severe consequences back then.
"Drugging can harm the body."
Horikita Suzune shook her head.
While one packet had been confirmed to contain laxative, the contents of the other remained unknown.
If it contained something dangerous to human health, the consequences could have been disastrous.
Kushida began to feel frightened.
She felt fortunate she hadn't drunk the coffee, then instinctively glanced back at Kaoru.
Indeed, she would have been drugged today.
It was Kaoru who had warned both her and Horikita Suzune in advance, telling them not to panic.
As predicted, Ishizaki had indeed come to drug them before fleeing back to his dorm in a panic - behavior that was highly suspicious!
"You were quite lucky this time."
Chabashira Sae vaguely sensed something amiss, but since her class had benefited from the situation, she didn't dwell on it, merely casting a glance at Kaoru.
His timing had been too perfect.
"Yeah, it's thanks to me and Ayanokoji being nearby."
Sudo wholeheartedly agreed, trying to make Horikita Suzune acknowledge his contribution.
He had been the first to charge into Ishizaki's dorm and bring him to justice.
"Sudo-kun, if not for you..."
Kushida Kikyo quickly put on a deeply moved expression, "Thank you so much!"
This being the first time a girl had thanked him, Sudo felt all his recent frustrations vanish instantly.
He then looked expectantly at Horikita Suzune, hoping for her praise.
Horikita showed no reaction whatsoever, leaving him deeply disappointed.
...
No sooner had the drugging incident caused a stir than it was suppressed by the joint efforts of the Student Council and school administration.
However, Ryuen and Class C's reputation deteriorated further.
"How did you know he would actually drug us?"
Back at the dorm, Kushida couldn't wait to question Kaoru, "Is Ishizaki working for you too?"
Horikita Suzune was equally curious about how Kaoru had foreseen Ishizaki's attempt against them.
"Someone did tip me off, but I can't tell you who for now."
Having just evaded Ichinose Honami's questioning yesterday, Kaoru had no desire to undergo another interrogation by these two girls.
Horikita contemplated his words - so there was another person involved, not just Ishizaki?
"A girl?"
Kushida Kikyo's eyes widened, her tone almost accusatory, "You must be colluding with some girl from Class C!"
Kaoru looked stunned.
What kind of image did he have in Kushida's eyes?
"Don't think I don't know what you've been up to."
Kushida snorted several times, "Is it Shiina?"
The little angel was extremely popular, so of course she could find out any information she wanted.
It wasn't exactly a secret that Kaoru occasionally had private dates with Shiina Hiyori in the library.
Kaoru often hung out with girls, and in a way, he could be considered someone who lived off women's favors.
Naturally, he could obtain some information from Shiina Hiyori.
However, Horikita Suzune seemed confused and couldn't follow the train of thought.
"No, anyway, I'll tell you all when the time comes."
Kaoru still couldn't bring himself to say it.
The secret involving Shiho Manabe and the others, along with today's incident, were all results he had personally orchestrated.
Yes, this time he had used the [Black-rimmed glasses] - an item that made everyone around believe in the fabricated identity he created.
He had disguised himself as [Ishizaki], and with some additional styling and camouflage to prevent cameras from capturing his full face, everyone would believe he was indeed [Ishizaki].
Not even Ryuen would suspect the truth behind this.
He could only speculate whether Kaoru had bribed everyone, as there was no other logical explanation.
Since he couldn't obtain laxatives on short notice, Kaoru had instead given Kushida an [Aphrodisiac].
While it looked identical to the laxatives Ryuen possessed, the effects were completely different.
If Kushida consumed it, she would simply turn into a lewd fool.
Of course, aside from him, no one else knew about its actual effects yet.
"How stingy."
Completely unaware that her master possessed such a secret weapon, Kushida happily gazed at her personal balance.
"What should I do? I'm so rich now - I'm wealthy!"
To her, this was nothing short of a windfall - completely risk-free, with some classmates even offering her comfort.
"Rather than money, I'd prefer you to focus more on the exam the day after tomorrow."
Horikita slightly frowned. "You remember everything I've discussed with you these past few days, right?"
As the [Command Tower] of Class 1-D, Kikyo Kushida needed to exercise her authority at critical moments.
Horikita had invested considerable effort, devising multiple strategies for her reference and reminding her to remain vigilant about on-site developments.
"Stop nagging. It's not like I have amnesia."
Kushida put down her phone. "But Class C clearly wants to challenge us to a showdown. Are your methods really effective?"
"We will win."
Confidence shone in Horikita's eyes - this was her final battle in first year, the last one her brother could witness.
"Even if he wins five rounds, the ultimate victory will still be ours."
Kaoru felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, as if he had heard Sakayanagi say something similar before him.
However, he currently felt somewhat frustrated.
Although he had managed to thwart Ryuen's plan in time, he knew the secret couldn't remain hidden any longer.
The moment Ryuen suspected there might be a spy in the class, he would undoubtedly begin endless probing until the real spy was uncovered.
What should he do?
As Kaoru pondered solutions, his phone suddenly vibrated, displaying a message from Tsukishiro.