Chapter 213 – Ayanokoji’s suggestion

After finishing the second day of the assignment, the students of Advanced Nurturing High School were gradually getting used to the routine. Upon returning to the hotel this time, not as many people were complaining about being tired.

Those who were truly exhausted had already retreated to their rooms to soak in hot water and relieve their fatigue. The less tired students gathered in the lobby to chat, either venting about their workplace or discussing their experiences from the day.

"Hahaha, let me tell you, we've secured so many orders that we've already overtaken Class 3-A. That Student Council President would never have guessed that Yukio-san's strategy would be this effective!"

"Overtaken Class 3-A? That Horikita? No way, Yukio-san has already turned the tide this quickly? That's incredible!"

"Yukio-san is really something. Among the first years, he's the only one who can go head-to-head with the upperclassmen and actually win."

"You guys aren't too shabby either! Just now, Shibata came over and told us that you are the most popular ones at the food street now. It seems like the upperclassmen from the second-year classes are no match for you!"

In the lobby, the members of Yukio's class, who had been running around all day, and Ichinose's class, who had been busy all day, gathered together to brag. One side would praise Yukio, and the other would follow up with compliments. Then the roles would switch, with one side talking up Ichinose, and the other side praising her efforts.

For a while, the lobby was filled with a joyous atmosphere, but this joy belonged to these two classes. Students from other classes, regardless of their grade, only felt the pressure rather than happiness.

At this rate, wouldn't all the second and third years be overshadowed by these two first-year classes? Where was the dignity of the upperclassmen?

It's one thing for Ichinose's class to do well, but for Horikita Manabe, someone so capable, to be outdone by Yukio? Is Yukio really going to first challenge Nagumo, then suppress President Horikita, and sweep through the upperclassmen as a first-year underclassman?

This reality placed immense pressure on the upperclassmen. If there was one upperclassman who seemed to remain at ease, it was probably Fuka Kiryuin, who was sitting on the sofa sipping coffee.

As usual, this senior was domineering. Even on a large sofa, she occupied it all by herself, lounging comfortably across the extra space. No one dared to sit next to her.

"Mm… this junior is really something~." No one noticed Kiryuin's muttering to herself.

On another sofa, Horikita and Ayanokoji were also sitting there. They seemed to be resting due to exhaustion but were actually there to gather intelligence.

Horikita had realized yesterday that the hotel lobby, with its many sofas and dedicated waitstaff serving tea and coffee, was an ideal place to gather information about other classes.

As for Ayanokoji, he had been "forcibly" brought there by Horikita. How forcibly? He had deliberately walked around in front of Horikita a couple of times, knowing that she would inevitably ask him to join her.

In the class, only their homeroom teacher Chabashira and Horikita knew about Ayanokoji's hidden abilities. So whenever Horikita saw Ayanokoji, she thought he might have some solutions and insisted on bringing him along.

But Horikita didn't know that Ayanokoji had something to say to her, which was why he had intentionally walked around near her: "Yukio has beaten the Student Council President."

"Don't talk nonsense," Horikita lowered her voice in rebuttal. "If you don't understand, don't make random comments. The Student Council President has always maintained a leading advantage."

"Yesterday, he first secured all the high-scoring positions, forcing Yukio's secret revenue growth plan out into the open. But the Student Council President's strategy has yet to be revealed."

"Yukio has played his trump card, while the Student Council President still has reserves and backup plans. The outcome isn't as clear as you think, and temporary suppression is nothing significant."

"Is that so?" Ayanokoji's tone was indifferent, almost emotionless: "Horikita-san, you seem to be defending the Student Council President a lot. If I remember correctly, the Student Council President's last name is also Horik—"

Horikita didn't give Ayanokoji the chance to fully voice his suspicion, cutting him off directly: "Let's not talk about things unrelated to the special exam. What we need now is to gather intelligence, then come up with our own strategy to defeat Sakayanagi's class."

"…"

Ayanokoji silently reflected. Were his previous words really unrelated to the special exam? Did Horikita mean not to discuss topics unrelated to their own group's project?

Indeed, if that was the case, the outcome between President Horikita and Yukio had no bearing on their eel project group.

Unaware of Ayanokoji's internal musings, Horikita continued with her previous stance, stopping Ayanokoji from speculating about the relationship between her and President Horikita: "So the focus is still on the strategy for increasing revenue."

"Have you thought of any good ideas? When I got off the bus, I asked Matsushita-san. She said she had been racking her brain all day and still couldn't come up with any good solutions."

Previously, Ayanokoji would have played dumb in response to such questions, feigning ignorance. But now, with Sakayanagi keeping a close watch, he couldn't hide anymore. He tugged at his school uniform jacket: "Speaking of which, our school is quite famous."

Horikita's eyes changed, looking at him as if he were an idiot, her expression saying, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

Of course, Advanced Nurturing High School is famous. Every junior high graduate in Japan aspires to attend it. Every parent's standard of success is having their child enter this school. Did Ayanokoji really need to tell her this?

Ignoring Horikita's particularly disdainful look, Ayanokoji continued: "Just by wearing this uniform, without showcasing any abilities, the surrounding waitstaff treat us with utmost respect, serving tea and water with genuine willingness."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Horikita's eyes gradually returned to their usual coolness. She felt that Ayanokoji's words held some deeper meaning and that he wasn't as foolish as he seemed.

Ayanokoji kept tugging at his jacket: "And within our project group, Mr. Fujii is the actual person in charge, but he treats every student with great courtesy, lacking the typical superior's attitude toward newcomers in the workplace."

"Horikita, why do you think this is? Why do people treat us with such respect the moment they see us after we leave the school?"

"Why else?" Horikita snapped, revealing the answer: "Because, to anyone who doesn't understand the internal workings of the school, it seems obvious that we are destined to be elites of society after graduation!"

"So the waitstaff are willing to serve the elites they admire. Mr. Fujii, including the other project leaders, value our potential future, thinking that investing a little in networking now won't hurt them."

Horikita's inherently blunt nature showed itself again, her words leaving no room for niceties: "Who knows, maybe in a few years, one of us might collaborate with them. That's the fundamental reason why they treat like that...!"

As she spoke, Horikita suddenly grasped Ayanokoji's meaning, her eyes lighting up: "So, this is your strategy!"

"You really are useful after all. Come on, let's find Matsushita-san! With your suggestion, we might actually be able to defeat Sakayanagi's class!"