Arc 5: The Labyrinth of Cross-Questions
The air temperature in mid-October dropped drastically, bringing gusts of dry autumn wind that pierced through the ventilation slits of the main gymnasium of Advanced Nurturing High School. A long red carpet stretched down the center of the giant room, separating the rows of students by their respective grade levels. On the main stage, a pair of school flags flanking the Student Council emblem hung majestically, creating a formal atmosphere so thick it was capable of silencing the whispers of the hundreds of teenagers gathered there.
Today was no ordinary day. The massive post-Sports Festival evaluation had been processed by the school system, establishing a completely new constellation of power for the first-year students.
For the first time since the freshman entrance ceremony, the rightmost lane was filled with students wearing gold badges on their collars. Horikita Suzune stood at the very front of the new Class 1-A, with an upright posture that radiated the decisiveness of a legitimate leader. Behind her, Sudou Ken and Hirata Yosuke stood maintaining the formation, while Ayanokouji Kiyotaka chose to sink into the middle rows with his signature flat gaze.
Right beside Seiji Koroizumi, who stood casually in the Class 1-A ranks, his obsidian-black eyes were instead observing the lane of the new Class 1-B—the former Class 1-C belonging to Sakayanagi's faction.
Micro-ripples of confusion and surprise still spread among the second and third-year senior students standing across the hall. Their gaze was not fixed on the new scoreboard, but rather on the figure of a silver-haired girl standing at the front of Class 1-B. Sakayanagi Arisu stood there without her trusty cane. Her black loafers stepped perfectly onto the floor without a tremor, radiating a healthy complexion and a pair of violet eyes that glinted with new vitality.
Sakayanagi glanced briefly at Seiji, then gave an incredibly slight micro-nod—a secret gesture confirming that the healing transaction at Pallet Café two days prior had permanently altered the course of the girl's destiny.
In the Class 1-C lane, Ichinose Honami stood with eyes that were no longer gloomy. Even though her class had dropped in rank, there was no longer any aura of melancholy or despair on her shoulders. Seiji's advice under the streetlamps had reforged her mentality into something far more pragmatic and dangerous. Meanwhile, at the very end of the deepest lane, Ryuen Kakeru merely leaned against the gymnasium wall with a thick predatory smirk, staring at Seiji's back with his fists in his trouser pockets.
The chess pieces have been calibrated, Seiji thought, the corners of his lips lifting to form the faint smile typical of an educator satisfied with his students' progress. Now, let's see how the stage of this school will change.
The hum of the main loudspeakers broke the silence of the gymnasium. The Student Council Secretary, Tachibana Akane, stepped forward to the podium with a highly melancholic expression. Her eyes looked slightly teary as she adjusted the height of the microphone.
"Good afternoon to all students of Advanced Nurturing High School," Tachibana's voice trembled slightly, yet remained clearly audible in every corner of the room. "Today, we gather to witness the handover ceremony and the conclusion of the current Student Council administration's term. To Student Council President Horikita Manabu, the time and the stage are yours."
A polite and organized roar of applause sounded from the third-year ranks, slowly spreading throughout the entire room.
Horikita Manabu stepped forward. His posture was the manifestation of absolute discipline—upright, cold, and flawless. Every footstep on the wooden stage radiated the authority of a tyrant who had maintained the school's order for years. When he stood behind the podium and looked straight ahead, the entire gymnasium instantly froze in absolute silence. Even problem students like Ryuen or Kouenji Rokusuke unconsciously halted their casual movements.
Manabu adjusted the microphone, then began to speak with a tone that was flat yet carried heavy weight.
"Good afternoon. Today marks the end of my term as the Student Council President of Advanced Nurturing High School. For the past year, I have carried out this duty with one simple goal: to ensure the school system runs fairly and stably."
In the front row of Class 1-A, Suzune held her breath. Her eyes did not blink in the slightest, recording every silhouette of her brother standing at the school's highest peak for the final time.
"This school was founded upon the principle of meritocracy," Manabu continued, his voice flowing constantly, piercing the hearts of every listener. "However, ability is not merely about academic grades or individual strength. Ability also encompasses discipline, responsibility, and self-control. Competition is indeed necessary. Without competition, there is no growth. However, competition without control will only result in chaos. The duty of the Student Council is not to favor one class or one individual. Our duty is to ensure that every student has the opportunity to develop according to their abilities."
Seiji listened carefully. As a former teacher who had once taught Kunugigaoka's Class 3-E, he could feel the incredibly pure idealism within Manabu's words. Manabu was the type of leader who considered the sustainability of the system as a whole, akin to a rigid yet fair concept of order.
"I believe every generation possesses the potential to surpass the previous one," Manabu's gaze shifted momentarily, sweeping over the first-year ranks before finally locking onto the Class 1-A lane, exactly where Seiji and Suzune were positioned. "Starting today, that responsibility rests in the hands of the new Student Council President, Nagumo Miyabi. I hope he will lead in his own way, and prove that his choices are the best for this school. To all students—do not merely rely on the system. Use this environment to forge yourselves. That is all from me. Thank you."
Horikita Manabu bowed respectfully with a perfectly precise angle, then stepped back from the podium. Applause erupted once more, this time louder, led by a deep sense of respect from the third-year faction he had protected all this time.
However, that authoritative atmosphere did not last long.
As soon as Horikita Manabu moved away from the microphone, a young man with honey-blonde hair and a confident, almost arrogant smile stepped forward. Nagumo Miyabi, the new ruler from the second year, ascended the stage stairs with a deliberate, relaxed yet dominant rhythm. He twirled the baton of leadership in his hand for a moment before placing it on the podium desk.
Nagumo stared at the sea of students before him. His smile widened, radiating the aura of a predator that had long held itself back in the shadows. Once he grasped the microphone, the ensuing silence was no longer born of respect, but of an unstable psychological tension.
"Good afternoon to all students of Advanced Nurturing High School," Nagumo began, his voice sounding far more expressive and sharp. "Today, I officially take over the position of Student Council President from Horikita-senpai. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for his dedication thus far. However... allow me to speak honestly."
Nagumo paused for a moment, letting his eyes sweep the entire gymnasium before his wild gaze locked onto the podium where Manabu stood behind him.
"The system that has been running all this time is too soft," Nagumo stated, detonating his first bomb of provocation without hesitation.
Several third-year senior students instantly tensed up, their facial expressions altering drastically upon hearing such a blatant insult. But Nagumo didn't care. Instead, he leaned forward, gripping the sides of the podium with both hands.
"For the past year, we have called this school a place of meritocracy. A place where ability determines everything. However, in reality, the existing system still restrains the true potential of the students far too much. Forced equality. Protection for the weak. Stability maintained for the sake of pseudo-order. That is not true competition."
Nagumo's breathing sounded heavy through the loudspeakers, adding to the intensity of the intimidation he broadcasted throughout the hall.
"If this school is truly an institution that evaluates ability, then the strong must be free to climb as high as possible. And the weak... must accept the consequences. Starting today, the Student Council will no longer be a counterbalance that suppresses conflict. We will not turn a blind eye to fierce competition among students. On the contrary—we will ensure the system operates exactly as it should."
In the ranks of Class 1-A, Suzune quietly gritted her teeth. Her hands clenched at her sides. Nagumo's speech wasn't merely an announcement; it was an incredibly naked and sharp insinuation aimed at tearing down the entire legacy of her brother's philosophy. Nagumo was spitting on the concept of "stability" that Manabu had painstakingly maintained.
"True competition. Without artificial limitations. Without sentimental compromises. Without excessive protection," Nagumo continued with a rising voice, radiating a radical ambition that burned the air in the gymnasium. "Horikita-senpai created stability. I will create evolution. Under my leadership, there will no longer be stagnation. First years, second years, and third years—all will exist within the exact same competitive system. Those who are capable will stand at the top. Those who are not... will be left behind. That is the true form of justice. Thank you."
Nagumo did not bow. He merely raised his hand in a casual, triumphant wave, then turned to look at Manabu with a gaze that seemingly said: Your time is up, Senpai. This is my territory now.
The main gymnasium was instantly enveloped in a suffocating silence. There was no spontaneous applause from the third-year ranks. There were only frightened whispers from the lower-class students who realized that the sentimental protection they had enjoyed thus far had been completely revoked by the new tyrant.
"Childish evolution," Seiji murmured softly as the rows of students slowly began to be dismissed by their respective homeroom teachers.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, walking beside him, shot a brief glance with his dead, golden-brown eyes. "You sound as if you are grading a poor student's exam answer, Koroizumi."
"Because that is exactly the reality, Ayanokouji-kun," Seiji chuckled, returning to his cheerful tone while clasping both hands behind his head. "Nagumo-senpai believes that letting the strong devour the weak is a form of pure meritocracy. He reminds me of someone from my past—a man who thought extreme fear and discrimination were the best fuel for education. But in the end, a system that only leaves a single winner with no room for evaluating failure... is nothing more than an inefficient slaughterhouse."
Ayanokouji did not reply further, but the gears in his mind noted Seiji's analysis. The young man beside him always viewed the school's conflicts from the perspective of a top-tier "educator," rather than as a student threatened by Nagumo's new system.
As they stepped out through the gymnasium doors into the open corridor, their walking path suddenly came to a halt.
Hundreds of first-year students pouring out instantly shifted to the sides of the walls, creating an empty space in the middle of the sandy corridor. The reason for that shift was a girl walking in the opposite direction with an incredibly graceful rhythm.
Sakayanagi Arisu walked, parting the crowd. Her uniform fluttered lightly in the autumn wind. Without her cane, her footsteps sounded so firm and constant upon the ground. Behind her, Kamuro Masumi walked with a face filled with the remnants of psychological trauma after witnessing her leader's physical miracle over the past two days.
Sakayanagi stopped her steps exactly three paces in front of the Class 1-A formation. Her violet eyes swept over Horikita Suzune's face, which still looked tense post-Nagumo's speech, then shifted to Ayanokouji, before finally locking completely onto Seiji.
A mysterious smile, laden with new calculations, was etched on her lips.
"The performance on the podium earlier truly confirmed many things, did it not, Koroizumi-kun?" Sakayanagi's voice flowed clearly, cutting through the hum of the corridor. "The new Student Council President has opened the gates to an incredibly vast arena for all of us. A world where physical limitations and artificial protections no longer exist."
Suzune took one step forward, glaring sharply at Sakayanagi. "You look very different today, Sakayanagi-san. Where is that cane you're always so proud of?"
Sakayanagi did not turn to look at Suzune. Her eyes remained locked on Seiji, as if Suzune were merely a pawn not yet worthy of entering their high-level dialogue.
"That cane was merely an anchor from the past, Horikita-san," Sakayanagi answered calmly. "When the right architect provides a new foundation, a Queen no longer has any reason to remain seated on her throne. I have decided to begin walking on my own two feet toward the front lines."
Sakayanagi took one step closer to Seiji, lowering her voice until it could only be heard by the few people immediately surrounding them. "Our transaction is officially operating within my cellular system, Koroizumi-kun. And as the first form of payment you requested... I will ensure that my class will not hold back in the slightest."
Seiji merely smiled widely, a warm smile that radiated not the slightest bit of fear facing the threat of the White Queen, who had now been freed from her physical cage.
"I highly recommend that you wear comfortable running shoes from now on, Sakayanagi-san," Seiji replied with his signature cheerful tone. "Because the curriculum I have prepared for my students cannot be caught up to simply by taking a leisurely stroll."
Sakayanagi chuckled softly, a laugh that sounded immensely satisfied and filled with a combat enthusiasm she had never felt in her entire life. "Let's see just how far your defensive walls can withstand my academic storm, Koroizumi-kun."
With one elegant turn of her body, Sakayanagi walked away down the corridor, followed by Kamuro, who shot a sharp glare at Seiji before catching up to her leader's steps.
Suzune turned to Seiji with deeply furrowed brows, a sharp sense of vigilance and suspicion radiating from her eyes. "Koroizumi-kun... what did you actually do to her? And what did she mean by that 'transaction' earlier?"
Seiji simply turned around, casually beginning to walk back toward the classroom building. "I merely gave a girl a good reason to start taking this school seriously, Suzune. Besides, weren't you the one who said you wanted to climb to the top without sentimental protection? Just consider the current Sakayanagi as the first true graduation exam for your leadership."
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