Chapter 134 – Invisible confrontation

"Really?" Yukio looked at Sakayanagi with a bit of surprise, noting how naturally she hid all her emotions, earning a bit of respect from him.

This Sakayanagi seemed more troublesome than Katsuragi, and from her mention of Nagumo from second-year A-Class, it didn't seem like a threat but rather an indication of resistance to the idea of second years picking on first years.

Seeing Yukio understood her, Sakayanagi suggested with a smile, "Why don't we talk alone?"

"Heh, no thanks, not interested." Yukio quickly dismissed the idea, causing Sakayanagi's smiling expression to stiffen slightly.

Even if Sakayanagi wanted to collaborate against the second years, Yukio was uninterested. To him, Nagumo's class was insignificant, and without Sakayanagi, he would handle them as he planned.

There was no need to reduce his own benefits for Sakayanagi's sake. It was clear that Sakayanagi couldn't be offering her help without expecting something in return.

Probably, she hoped to collaborate to jointly oppose Nagumo in exchange for a favor, then to have the agreement for the monthly one million private points, signed by Katsuragi as the class representative, canceled.

Of course, he couldn't agree. Yukio didn't even want to discuss it because there was absolutely no need.

Sakayanagi was truly in a difficult position. Her initial plan was to send a few students from her class to gather intelligence and exert psychological pressure, securing a position of advantage for herself in negotiations.

But intelligence should not be underestimated. Some students might think it unnecessary to investigate, questioning the utility of knowing which classes are stronger or weaker in certain events when the competition is divided into five sub-events and matchups are uncertain.

If they don't face each other, all intelligence gathered becomes useless.

However, intelligence is crucial. Detailed investigations can reveal patterns, like if someone is particularly nervous during training but otherwise outgoing, they might be slated to compete first, feeling the pressure of training but not in general.

Many insights can be gleaned from minor details.

Therefore, Sakayanagi believed that Yukio must also understand the importance of intelligence. Coupled with what Hashimoto and Kamuro described about Yukio's domineering personality, she concluded he wouldn't allow his classmates to investigate freely.

Despite the presence of surveillance, Yukio, albeit reluctantly, should have had no choice but to comply, allowing Sakayanagi to eventually make a graceful entrance and explain herself, gaining the upper hand in the conversation. By inviting Yukio to discuss Nagumo privately, she expected her proposal would naturally be accepted without refusal.

However, unexpectedly, Yukio resorted to brute force to disrupt the plan with threats of physical encounters and shot puts, rendering the surveillance useless and completely derailing Sakayanagi's premeditated strategy. This resulted in a loss of the initiative to even extend an invitation, as Yukio showed no interest in engaging with her at all.

With just a few words, the two had already engaged in an invisible battle.

Seeing Sakayanagi thwarted, her class's members felt a chill, wondering if Sakayanagi, like Katsuragi before her, was also no match for Yukio.

Were they destined to be forever suppressed by Yukio's class, unable to return to A-Class?

The students of Yukio's class, missing the subtleties of the exchange, merely thought this white-haired girl was nothing special, seemingly even less capable than Katsuragi.

In light of this situation, Sakayanagi knew she had to do something significant today; otherwise, her planned status boost would backfire, leading to the worst outcome of decreased authority.

"Why not?" Sakayanagi remained composed, her demeanor calm and unassuming: "Are you truly not interested in learning something, Yukio-kun?"

"For example, the actions Nagumo plans to take during the sports festival against your class? Or perhaps some of the school's hidden rules?"

Yukio looked at Sakayanagi seriously, still unable to glean anything from her expression: "Then I'll listen."

He wasn't concerned about Nagumo's tactics but was interested in the rules of the Advanced Nurturing High School.

After the special exam for the VIPs on the cruise, he had told Katsuragi, Ichinose, Horikita, and others that he was exploring all the rules of the Advanced Nurturing High School as thoroughly as possible.

So, it wasn't surprising that Sakayanagi knew about this and might have discovered something valuable. With this as leverage, Yukio was genuinely interested in learning more.

After speaking, he walked away alone, and Sakayanagi could only follow slowly with her cane. Whether her slow pace was due to her physical condition or her fixation on Yukio's retreating figure, she moved more leisurely than anyone else.

All the students from both classes remained silent, waiting for the outcome of their conversation.

The sports ground was vast, with students from both classes surrounding it, making it impossible for anyone to eavesdrop on this unique conversation. Sakayanagi finally approached and opened with a significant secret: "You wanted to know, Yukio-kun."

"If one successfully graduates from A-Class, in what form will the school fulfill the students' dreams of higher education or employment?"

"Not interested, next." While this piece of information was indeed valuable, it was just that, given the social resources embedded within the Advanced Nurturing School's context, anything could be achieved, rendering these details unnecessary.

"Very picky, aren't you, Yukio-kun?" Sakayanagi casually, unconcernedly switched topics: "Then, how much do you know about the S-System?"

"This is interesting." Yukio's interest was piqued. He had only heard about the so-called S-System once from Horikita Manabu, the student council president.

Horikita Manabu had mentioned that it was the core of the Advanced Nurturing School, responsible for its efficient operation, but had not elaborated on the specifics. Sakayanagi seemed to know about it?

Indeed, she was no ordinary person.

Such precious information was at Sakayanagi's fingertips: "The S-System is a highly complex integrated cultivation system."

"It stores personal information of all elementary and junior high school students in Japan and is connected to hundreds of the world's most developed universities in sociology and education, sharing various achievements in these fields."

"The special exams we have encountered and will encounter are simulated through the S-System, aiming to provide elite talents to fill gaps."

"All students of the Advanced Nurturing School, past, present, and future, are recorded in the S-System as basic data, facilitating the summary of a streamlined process workflow."

Yukio even yawned, seemingly finding these high-level details incomprehensible, while internally he took note. So, to fully understand all the rules, he no longer needed to test them one by one?

Just by getting hold of this system, he could completely control all the rules? The information Sakayanagi provided far exceeded Yukio's expectations.

Thus, he couldn't help but say, "I'll modify the contract later, and your class will be notified. Considering this boring story, you can just pay us eight hundred thousand a month instead of a million."

"Just to give you a bit of gain, otherwise, you might end up like Katsuragi, getting overturned in your class."

"Then I thank you, Yukio-kun~" Sakayanagi gracefully accepted, smiling elegantly. In reality, she couldn't care less about what happened in the class. If it weren't for better control of the class to achieve her goals, she wouldn't have bothered with this visit.

***

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