Violence Solves Everything.

"Takeshi!"

To gather the other members of the band back together with Alisa,

Masachika rushed toward Takeshi, whom he spotted from the stage.

"Hey, Takeshi! Takeshi!"

"Oh, oh......."

Frowning at Takeshi's sluggish response despite calling him from

close by.... Masachika also froze upon seeing the person Takeshi's gaze

was fixated on.

"Shiratori......."

"......"

Nao looked like she didn't know what to do and silently averted her

gaze. Masachika hesitated for a second, then called out again to Takeshi,

who also stood there frozen, not knowing what to do.

"Takeshi, let's put that whole situation with Shiratori on hold for now

and return to the stage."

"Yeah, but......"

"Shiratori won't run away, and you can have a proper talk later! So,

for now, focus on the live performance! Show your little brother what you

can do!"

At Masachika's words, Takeshi shook his shoulders for a moment

before dashing off, hurriedly looking around.

"Yes, that's right! Where is he?"

"Hey, wait, Shiratori!"

Taken aback by Takeshi's sudden dash, Masachika took a few steps

before turning to Nao. Then, he lowered his head abruptly.

"Sorry, I was out of line earlier!"

"Eh──"

"Sorry, we'll talk more later!"

Leaving those hurried words behind, Masachika followed after

Takeshi. Fortunately, Takeshi was wandering while looking around, so

Masachika didn't lose sight of him and quickly caught up. At the same time,

Takeshi spotted his younger brother.

"Kano!

"Oh, nii-chan!"

"Are you okay!? Did you hurt yourself or something!?"

"Umm, yeah, onee-san was protecting me......."

Saying that, what Kano indicated with his gaze was Sayaka, who was

holding hands with him. Takeshi immediately tightly grasped her other hand

that was free and deeply bowed his head.

"Sayaka! Seriously, thank you!"

"Uh, well, it was just a coincidence......."

"Really, thank you...!"

While Sayaka's eyes flickered between white and black due to

Takeshi's heartfelt gratitude, she noticed that her hands were occupied and

froze. Surprised by Sayaka, who was rarely in a state of shock, Masachika

called out to Takeshi.

"Sorry to interrupt this emotional scene, but could you please return

to the stage as soon as possible? You can take your brother with you."

"Yeah, but......"

"I'll make sure the show goes on. So, please trust me. I'll call Hikaru

and Nonoa right away."

At Masachika's words, Takeshi and Sayaka looked at each other for

a moment before nodding, and the three of them headed toward the stage.

Looking behind himself, Masachika pulled out his phone and wondered

where the other two were.

"Hikaru... is probably in the restroom in the school building."

Then, while making a phone call to Hikaru, Masachika ran toward the

school building.

◇

"Ugh, I still feel kind of weird... This always happens when I'm

nervous."

After using the restroom, Hikaru walked down the hallway with a

reluctant look on his face to return to the schoolyard. Then, just off to the

side of the school building, a voice jumped into his ears that sounded like a

man and a woman arguing about something.

Turning his gaze in that direction, he saw a scene where a group of

boys surrounded a slightly flashy girl. It seemed like a typical pick-up

situation, but the atmosphere was far from calm. It was unusual for four

boys to surround a single girl. Moreover, all of the boys had brightly colored

hair, such as gold or green, and wore sloppy clothing. Clearly, they were

delinquents, a type of people not commonly seen in Seirei Gakuen or its

surrounding area.

(What's with this...? Why are those types of people here?)

Labeling them as mischievous friends of some student would be a bit

far-fetched. After all, the invitations for the event had the names of the

invitees written on them, so if problematic individuals were invited, the

students who invited them would be held accountable. It was hard to believe

that there were students who would invite such risky individuals and let

them roam freely.

(But I can't afford to think about that right now.)

It seemed that some students around also noticed the behavior of the

boys, but no one made a move to help. Hikaru himself had no experience in

dealing with such situations, and it was his first time having a conversation

with delinquents, but ignoring the situation was not an option from the

beginning.

"Huh?"

Then, inside Hikaru's pocket, his phone began to vibrate. However,

Hikaru ignored it for the moment and approached the delinquents.

"I told you, my sister is calling me! Let me go already!"

"So why don't you bring your sister along too~?"

"Yeah~. Let's have fun together"

With vulgar laughter echoing around the visibly irritated girl, the boys

gradually started moving towards a more secluded area. Hikaru mustered

his courage and called out to them.

"Um, excuse me."

However, the men only glanced at him and completely ignored his

presence.

"Excuse me! Can I have a moment?"

"Oh?"

Deciding that there was no way out of this, Hikaru boldly grabbed one

of the men by the shoulders. Then, he gulped at the vicious look in the

man's eye, and strained his stomach.

"I'm a member of the school festival committee. I would like to ask

you to refrain from persistently picking up girls on campus without regard to

the other person's intention."

He called out calmly, even bluffing. However, the other party was not

a communicative group to begin with.

"Ah, yeah yeah, whatever."

The man brushed Hikaru's hand away roughly and grabbed the girl's

arm forcefully, seemingly losing interest in trying to resolve the situation.

"Ouch, hey!"

"Hey! Aren't you guests too? If you cause trouble here, the person

who invited you will face consequences!"

At Hikaru's words, the men stopped moving for a moment, then all

grinned at the same time.

"The person who invited us, huh?"

"I'm telling you, we're only doing this at the request of the guy who

invited us."

"What...?"

At the moment Hikaru was taken aback, the man grinning in front of

him suddenly became straight-faced ──and the next moment, a shock

pierced through his abdomen.

"Huh!? Gah!"

In an instant, he lost the strength from his legs and collapsed on the

spot. Immediately afterwards, a severe pain that seemed to turn his internal

organs upside down came up from his abdomen to his throat, and Hikaru

found himself in agony.

"Heh, haha, weakling. Don't try to act tough, you wimp!"

"Yeah, you should train yourself more, rich boy!"

"What are you guys doing!?"

From overhead, Hikaru could hear the taunts of the men and the

screamed protests of the girl, but he didn't have time to pay attention to

them. The pain was the greatest pain he had ever felt in his life, and all he

could do was stare at the ground, his vision blurred with tears.

"Help, Sis! Leo!"

The girl's voice told him that someone had come to help her...

(Oh, thank God.)

Hikaru felt a little relief in the corner of his mind.

◇

It was at the age of four that Nonoa clearly realized that she was out

of step with her surroundings.

It was during lunch break at kindergarten. There was a rumor that

there was a big frog in a small pond in the corner of the ground, and more

than a dozen children from the same class gathered there. Then, spotting

the biggest frog they had ever seen on a dead branch sticking out from the

center of the pond, a few mischievous boys started throwing rocks at it.

Then one of the teachers came running in, looking panicked.

Normally, she would caution the children not to approach the pond because

it was dangerous, so it seemed like she intended to do the same this time.

However, when she saw the boys persistently throwing stones at the frog,

her expression changed.

"Stop it. Don't you feel sorry for the frog!?"

At the teacher's shout, the boys who had been throwing stones

stopped moving. The children watching around them also looked somewhat

uncomfortable, their faces downcast. Among them, only Nonoa.

She genuinely wondered, "What's the teacher talking about?"

There was no way the teacher could know if the frog was suffering or

not. Why would this teacher tell such a lie that anyone could understand

with such a nonchalant face? Adults always told children that they should

not tell lies. So why...

"Yes~!"

"I understand~"

Why were the other children so convinced? It was beyond strange, it

was eerie. The teacher who told lies with a serious face, and the children

around her who were deceived. Nonoa couldn't help but think of them as

creatures different from herself.

She understood why they shouldn't approach the pond. It was

dangerous if they fell in. She understood why she shouldn't hit their friends.

If they hit someone, that person would hit back. But she couldn't understand

why they shouldn't throw stones at a frog. Even if they threw stones at a

frog, a frog wouldn't throw stones back at them. No matter how much she

thought about it, she couldn't believe that humans would suffer any harm

from a frog. After all, the teacher said it wasn't because it was dangerous

but because it was "pitiful." In other words...

(I see, everyone is an idiot.)

She was sure that's what the teacher meant. The truth is, she didn't

know why they shouldn't throw stones at the frog. She didn't know, so she

tried to deceive by telling a simple lie. And the other children were so easily

fooled. The teacher who thought they could deceive, and the children who

were all deceived, were all idiots. The moment Nonoa realized this, the

teacher became untrustworthy. Because they would tell lies.

"Do you understand, everyone?"

""""Yes~""""

However, Nonoa also realized that it would be troublesome if she

openly expressed her thoughts. Besides, her mother had told her to "listen

to what the teacher says."

"Yes."

She nodded obediently along with those around her.

Even after that, Nonoa's distrust towards her teacher continued to

grow. Upon closer examination, her teacher's words were full of lies and

contradictions, even within the realm of understanding for children. She

must have been telling even more lies than Nonoa thought. Once she came

to such a realization, she could no longer believe in anything.

"Hey, Dad, Mom, why does Sensei lie?"

One day, Nonoa was so sickened by the lies that she couldn't bear

the feeling of being around others. Her parents looked at her with surprise

and asked her what had happened. In response, Nonoa spoke harshly.

How the teacher never told her the truth. How the teacher always

said random things and tried to make everyone follow her words forcefully.

Trying her best to convey those thoughts, her father nodded with a

serious expression and gently stroked Nonoa's head.

"I see... Nonoa is much more mature and clever than the other

children."

"...Clever?"

"Yes, Nonoa is smart enough to understand when adults are lying."

Clever. That was a word she had not expected to hear. For a long

time, she had thought that she was exceptionally normal. So this

unexpected compliment from her father was a ray of sunshine for Nonoa.

"Lies.... So, everyone is lying after all?"

"Ummm, it's hard to say what's a lie, but──"

As her father hesitated to answer, Nonoa's mother took over the

conversation.

"Listen, Nonoa. In this world, what everyone believes to be true

becomes true."

"What? Even if it is a lie?"

"Yes, even if it's a lie. Even if it is a lie, if everyone thought it was

true, it will become true."

"...Disgusting."

Nonoa frowned and muttered those words, causing her parents to

wear slightly troubled expressions. In truth, at that moment, the two of them

hadn't realized their daughter's true peculiarity. Not was it intelligence, but

rather Nonoa's inherent uniqueness was her lack of guilt and empathy.

The primary reason why Nonoa felt out of step with her

surroundings was because she could not feel guilty about bullying living

creatures. And it was because she could not sympathize with the

awareness of those around her that it was pitiful to bully said living

creatures.

Her parents thought, "Because she is intelligent, she must have

seen through the true feelings and formalities of adults." But that was a

mistake. Nonoa simply couldn't comprehend emotions and didn't get

swayed by her own feelings or the opinions of others. Therefore, she merely

judged the teacher's words as a deceptive way of hiding the truth.

But on top of this misunderstanding, Nonoa's parents miraculously

drew the correct answer at this time.

"Nonoa. Being smart is something to be proud of... but it's also

important to fit in with others, you know? Look, if you go against everyone

and make things difficult, won't it be troublesome?"

"But if you really can't understand what the teacher says, you can tell

Mom or Dad, okay? We'll talk to the teacher on your behalf."

These words, spoken with genuine concern for their daughter's wellbeing, struck a chord deep in Nonoa's heart.

At this moment, her parents became the only adults in her life that

she could trust. She decided to obey her parents in order to fit in and avoid

trouble. That absolute rule became the one and only law that bound Nonoa

and protected her.

And now, Nonoa found herself in a particular situation.

In front of the approaching man with a smirk on his face, she

questioned her own law. Behind the man, Rea was being held by another

man. Hikaru was crouched down, clutching his abdomen. Hikaru, who had

tried to help Rea, had been beaten down. Witnessing this scene... Nonoa

felt her heart pounding strongly, a sensation she hadn't felt in a long time.

(Ah, this feels good...)

Her heart stirred. Heat surged through her body. The sense of her

own will, always overlooking the world, merging with her body. The

exhilaration of becoming human.

(I'd like to immerse myself in this sensation more... but this is

getting quite troublesome.)

Staring at the obstacle in front of her, Nonoa thought. What should

she do now in this place? She looked back at the many rules her parents

have given her up until now.

"Be nice to your brother and sister."

"Treat your friends well."

"Don't make the first move."

"Don't do anything dangerous."

"If you are in danger, run away first. If you can't do that, call for help."

"If you get involved with a strange person............"

Nonoa examined these rules in her mind and thought about what she

should and not do in this situation. Then she came to a conclusion.

"Oh come on, seriously? This one is really cute too──"

"Somebody──!! Help──!!"

"!?"

Nonoa screamed with all her might right in front of the man who

approached her with a vile smile on his face. The man cowered at the

sudden scream. No, the true reason he froze was because he couldn't see

any trace of fear in the eyes of the girl before him.

Nonoa was not afraid of anything, even though she was calling out

for help at the top of her voice. After she finished screaming, her eyes were

as lifeless as glass marbles, as if she were simply fulfilling her duty. This

eerie sight, combined with her beautiful and perfect appearance, exuded an

inhuman and unsettling aura.

"What!"

The man took a step backward in the face of the unknown entity.

Looking up at his face with a blank expression, Nonoa, who had kept her

word, decided to quickly eliminate the obstacle in front of her.

(For now, let's just blind him.)

In a purely rational manner, without any hesitation.

Nonoa thrusted her fingers toward the man's eyes.

"Whoa!"

The man reflexively recoiled and turned his face away, so she didn't

hit her target. However, her intention was clearly conveyed.

(Wha-what just happened? What did she do to me just now!?)

The man asked himself inwardly, but he knew the answer. His

common sense just didn't want to admit it.

His eyes had been targeted. It was a forbidden move, avoided even

in combat sports or unrestricted brawls. He had been subjected to an eye

gouge. The girl in front of him, who had attempted it, had a faint look of

suspicion and disappointment, as if she had missed a shot in football or

something.

"Hn!"

A terrible fear ran down his spine, and he let out a spasmodic cry

without realizing it.

It was a first-time experience even for a man accustomed to using

violence and being subjected to violence. It was a violent act devoid of

murderous intent, anger, or pleasure, but one that suddenly assaulted him

with extreme brutality. The man felt genuine fear toward the presence that

had calmly carried out such an act.

"Ugh, gaaah!"

That's why, to him, it was an emergency evacuation in the form of

violence. He couldn't allow this presence in front of him. He had to eliminate

whatever this something was, taking the form of a beautiful girl, right away.

Driven by such madness, he swung his fist... but due to the sudden

retreat of his target, it simply cut through the air. And with a wide opening

created, the man's face became vulnerable.

"Gah!"

A fist punched him squarely in the face, and the man's

consciousness was blacked out by the blow.

"Oh, Kuzecchi!"

"You... at least try to dodge, will ya?"

Pulling Nonoa from behind and delivering a counter punch to the

man's face, Masachika sighed with exasperation. Inadvertently, he found

himself in a position where he was hugging her shoulders from behind, but

Masachika showed no signs of embarrassment on his face, and Nonoa's

expressionless face remained without any expression. Well, if you looked

closely, there was a slight flicker of emotion in her eyes... but it was fleeting.

Suddenly, Nonoa twisted her expression into a grimace, burying her face in

Masachika's shoulder.

"Th-thank you.... I was scared......."

(Ugh!)

Suddenly, Nonoa acted as if she were a frail maiden frightened of

violence, and Masachika tightened his facial muscles to prevent any

expression of annoyance. Right here and now, Masachika was the only one

who was aware of Nonoa's act . The students who were hanging around her

also looked at her with satisfaction and fondness for Nonoa's behavior.

And... the crony friends of Nonoa who had heard her cries rushed to the

site.

"What? Wh-who are you guys?"

"What? What about you? What were you trying to do to Nonoa?"

"I'm gonna kill you."

Two large boys appeared, sprinkling their murderous intent as much

as they could, and hunted down the rest of the delinquents like the fiends

they were. Masachika, still holding Nonoa in his arms, watched the scene

with a look of surprise on his face.

Masachika himself didn't know much about those two. However, he

knew that they fanatically worshiped Nonoa and carried out various deeds

that couldn't be made public, eliminating any obstacles in her way. They

were publicly known as modest fans who admired Nonoa from afar, but in

reality, they were fanatical believers who buried anyone who posed a threat

to Nonoa in darkness.

(I guess I can leave that one to them... or rather, should I be careful

not to overdo it?)

Deciding that this was the case, Masachika rushed over to Hikaru,

who finally raised his upper body.

"Hey, Hikaru, are you okay?"

"Umm, yeah... I've calmed down now, I'm fine."

Hikaru tried to stand up slowly while holding his stomach, but... it

seemed like his legs couldn't support him, causing him to wobble a little.

"Hold on."

Masachika quickly grabbed Hikaru's right arm to support him. But at

the same time, there was someone... supporting, or rather embracing,

Hikaru's left arm.

"Um, thank you so much for rescuing me."

"Oh, uh... it's nothing."

Clinging to Hikaru's left arm and pressing her body against him with

sparkling eyes was the girl who had initially been harassed by the

delinquents.

"Um, are you... perhaps, Noanoa's...?"

"Yes! My name is Rea Miyamae, I'm her little sister! Oh, this is my

younger brother, Leo."

Saying so, Rea rudely pointed to a slightly defiant-looking boy with a

swollen cheek who stood there with a sulking expression.

"Are you okay? Did they hit you?"

"No, it's nothing serious."

Despite Masachika's concern, Leo simply turned away in annoyance.

After a moment of looking at it as if to say, "You little

brat," Rea then quickly put on a smile and looked up at Hikaru with upturned

eyes.

"What's your name, onii-san?"

"Oh, uh... It's Hikaru Kiyomiya."

"Hikaru... that's a nice name! Can I call you Hikaru-san?"

Saying that, the girl tilted her head slightly. Despite her somewhat

calculated mannerisms, she was undeniably cute, being Nonoa's sister after

all. However...

"Oh, haha......."

To Hikaru, she was honestly the type he was extremely

uncomfortable with. Hikaru forced a wry smile and gave an ambiguous

answer. But Rea didn't pay any mind to it.

"Then, I'll call you that, okay? Thank you for helping me, Hikaru-san."

"No, actually I couldn't do anything about it......"

"That's not true! If it weren't for you, I wonder what would have

happened to me......"

Rea put her hand over her mouth and lowered her gaze for a

moment, her eyes filling with tears. It was a very protective gesture, but

Hikaru's reaction was indifferent.

"Well, I'm just glad nothing happened... Well, I shouldn't say 'nothing

happened.'"

"Hmmm, you're very kind, Hikaru-san. But I'm more worried about

Hikaru's... stomach, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Masachika's gaze sharpened at the exchange and he asked.

"Did they beat you up? Or did they kick you?"

"I think they hit me."

"Who did?"

"Well.... he's lying over there."

Following Hikaru's gaze, Masachika saw a man lying flat on his back.

"Heh......."

Saying this in a cold voice, Masachika yielded and headed toward

the man. Hikaru, driven by a sense of urgency, gripped his wrist with a jolt.

"Hey, what are you planning to do?"

"Just wait. I'll wake him up and make him kneel before you."

"No, no, it's already enough. He's already bleeding from his nose like

crazy... and wait, isn't his front tooth broken?"

"That was self-defense, so no harm done."

"No, seriously, it's already enough!"

Stopped again with great force, Masachika looked at the fallen man,

scoffed, and then turned back to Hikaru.

"Well then, just to be safe, should we go to the infirmary?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine."

"No, it's not okay. If there's any damage to your bones or organs, it

could be dangerous, right?"

"That's right! I'll accompany you too, so let's go together!"

Hikaru made a face that seemed to say he'd rather be spared from

that, but unfortunately, Masachika was pressed for time. If he considered

that there might be more people like these delinquents, he couldn't stay

here indefinitely.

"Well then, Rea? Can I leave it to you?"

"Huh, wait a sec─"

"Yes! Come on, Leo, come with us too."

"I don't really─"

Leo, wearing a sour expression, was interrupted by Nonoa's calm

words.

"No, your mouth is cut, right?"

"Hey, don't treat me like a kid, Neechan!"

"I'm not treating you like a child, I'm treating you like a little brother."

"That's the same damn thing!"

Nonoa tried to squeeze her brother's cheek, but her hand was

swatted away. Masachika approached and whispered softly into Nonoa's

ear.

"(After Hikaru's treatment is done, please go back to the stage. Also,

can I leave dealing with those guys to your friends?)"

"(Roger~)"

It was a curt, unenthusiastic reply. For the moment, Masachika was

reassured by her words.

"(I'm counting on you.)"

Expressing his gratitude, Masachika began to move in order to fulfill

his promise with Alisa.

◇

At the same time, another group of delinquents showed up at the

maid café run by the first-year D and F classes.

"Kya!"

"Hey, hey, "Kya!"? Are young ladies supposed to have such refined

screams?"

"P-Please stop......"

"Well, it's just a little slap on the butt. Come on, maid, give us some

service."

The female students couldn't say anything in response to their

behavior, who seemed to mistake this place for a hostess club or

something. The absence of Sayaka and Nonoa, who were at the live

performance, was significant. After all, Seirei Gakuen was a school for the

affluent. Many of the students had been raised with care, far removed from

any rough activities. They had never interacted with people who displayed

such rudeness or rather, actively displayed it.

"Heh, well, I thought it would be boring to go to a rich school festival,

but it's more fun than I thought it would be."

"Yeah. Real high-class ladies are different, huh? They're nothing like

our dirty girls."

"Thank you for inviting me! Gonda-san!"

"Oh. You should be very grateful to me."

A large man with thin eyebrows smiled broadly. This man, called

Gonda by his friends, was the leader of the group.

To tell the truth, he himself had no connection to Seirei Gakuen. He

was a delinquent who attended a public high school eight stations away

from the school, which was famous for being rough around the edges. His

only knowledge of Seirei Gakuen was that it is a school for smart and

wealthy people. Why did he come to such a festival with his friends? It was

because of an envelope from an unknown sender that arrived at his

doorstep two weeks ago.

Inside the envelope were ten invitation tickets and a letter. The letter

contained a request to "mess up the Seirei Gakuen Festival," as well as

detailed instructions on how and when he could enter the festival without

getting caught by security, how he could escape after causing trouble, how

he would be paid, and so on. Gonda was skeptical at first, but when he

checked the locker at the station which was stated in the letter and found

cash in it, he was convinced the letter was true.

"Seriously, we're getting treated?!"

"Yeah, I had some unexpected temporary income the other day."

"Wow, Gonda-san, you're so generous!"

However, Gonda had no intention of blindly following the instructions

and causing a major rampage. Although the letter stated that there would be

no consequences for whatever they did, he wasn't foolish enough to take it

at face value. Therefore, Gonda had no plans to do anything that would

involve the police. At most, he would use this advance payment to enjoy

himself as he pleased. The reward, if received, would be just a bonus... that

was his mindset.

(But... it's not as bad as I thought.)

The surrounding girls, who seemed to have a refined upbringing,

cautiously observed them. They had naturally beautiful, unadorned skin and

clean black hair that had never been dyed. Even though they were high

school students like themselves, they were completely different creatures

from the girls at their own school. Surely, the world they lived in was

fundamentally different from Gonda and his friends, who didn't even have

the money to attend a private school, let alone a cram school.

These young ladies, who wouldn't even be able to have an equal

conversation with them under normal circumstances, were now trying to

gauge their reactions. For Gonda, it was incredibly delightful. It satisfied his

desire for dominance, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of

omnipotence that was different from making underclassmen obey him at

school.

"Hey! How long are you guys going to stay here?"

But then someone interrupted him. Unlike the other students, a

female student with dyed hair and makeup was staring at them with her

hands on her hips. Unbeknownst to them, she was one of Nonoa's cronies,

and she was determined not to allow any further brutality in her queen's

absence.

"It looks like you've been sexually harassing my girls a lot. Forget the

bill, get the hell out of here!"

"Hah?"

In response to the girl's scolding, one of the delinquents raised his

eyebrow and stood up. However,

"Hey."

Gonda, with a glare, made the man sit down and turned to the female

student with a fake smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit ill-mannered. At my place, it's not even sexual

harassment to touch someone's buttocks. I'll give you my order, so please

give me a break."

The female student blinked as if she had just been caught off guard

by this unexpectedly unsolicited offer. But she immediately wrinkled her

brow and rejected the offer.

"Hey, hey, didn't I say we'll pay? Besides, who's bothered by us

being here? Huh?"

Saying so, Gonda looked around, but all the other customers had

already left. It was obvious that the cause was Gonda and his friends, more

so than anything else.

"It's because of you that the other customers can't get in!

"That's a problem. Hey, we'll compensate for that too, right?"

"Oh well. I'll have a Coke then!"

"Uh, I'll have a beer."

"You idiot, that's not on the menu."

The students laughed foolishly. After that, Gonda dutifully avoided

the female student's demands, but... just as the female student was about

to lose her patience, the classroom door swung open.

"That's enough!"

Entering while spouting lines like a live action hero was a crossdressing beauty with honey coloured hair in a ringlet roll hairstyle.

"S-Sumire-senpai!"

While the female maids had relieved expressions and Gonda and the

others were taken aback by her appearance, Sumire looked down at Gonda

and the others with dignity and said proudly:

"We won't resolve anything through discussion. Let us calmly resort

to violence!"

"Calmly resort to violence?"

Gonda and the others were stunned by this brazen remark, which

bore no resemblance to her ladylike appearance.

"Suppress them☆, desuwa!"

With these words as a cue, the five members of the Public Discipline

Committee stormed into the classroom.

"W-Wait! We weren't causing any trouble or anything!"

"T-That's not what you said!"

"Using weapons is unfair!"

It took less than a minute for Gonda and his friends to be mercilessly

overwhelmed, without any room for argument or resistance.

◇

"Kujou-senpai! We have another report of trouble from a student!"

"Where is it?"

"Well, three... men were forcibly picking up two female students

near the gym."

"Then it's the same thing as before. Chairman-san, let's send security

guards there."

"Oh? Excuse me, but it seems that the issue has already been

resolved. One of the visitors who happened to be present at the scene

managed to restrain the troublemakers..."

"A visitor? Were they injured?"

"No, it seems not. I couldn't get all the details, but when their ticket

was checked, it turned out they might be a relative of Sarashinasenpai......"

"Oh, Chisaki-chan's......"

Reports of troubles with unwanted guests and violent incidents kept

coming in one after another. The committee members, who had not

anticipated such a situation at all, were completely shaken up. The only

reason they were still able to respond to the situation was because the three

of them were calmly giving instructions to the others.

"Chairman-san! There was a man who interrupted the stage in the

gym!"

"Calm down, there should be some teachers in the gymnasium. But

more importantly, have you closed the school gates yet? And are we ready

for the school-wide announcement?"

"The closure seems to be complete now! I have Inoue at the school

gate explaining the situation to visitors."

"Alright, then──"

"Excuse me!"

Then, Touya and Chisaki opened the door to the conference room.

The unexpected appearance of these two people caused both surprise and

relief to spread among the people in the room.

"Touya... What happened to the Raikokai?"

"I asked the bodyguards who were escorting them to bring them

outside and have them wait in the Student Council room. In this situation,

there's no need for them to be guided or anything."

"I see......"

After hearing Touya's words, the committee Chairman showed a

slightly worried expression, then nodded and issued further instructions.

"Understood. Touya, please assist here. Sarashina, you...."

"I know. We just have to crush all the troublemakers, right?"

"Don't overdo it, okay? And also, please don't involve anyone who is

not involved. We are in the process of checking the surveillance cameras,

and it seems that the paper material used for the invitations held by the

intruders is different from the real thing, so if you see someone suspicious,

you should first──"

"Roger that. But I can't guarantee that I won't overdo it. I... will

never forgive them for messing up the school festival that we worked so

hard to put together."

As they watched her back, half reassuring, half worried that she

might overdo it, a bespectacled member suddenly stood up.

"I'm going to the site, too."

"Kaji?"

"Kensaki-kun is also here, and I want to talk to the teachers a little

about the security situation."

Upon hearing his words, the chairwoman thought, "Indeed, it might

be awkward to have Touya and Kaji work together," and nodded.

"Understood."

"Chairman-san! Class 1-D has been taken care of!"

"Oh, I see. Understood."

The sudden outbreak of multiple troubling events were gradually

being brought under control, thanks to the swift response of the executive

committee and disciplinary committee.

◇

"Bullshit."

Yuki muttered as she looked at the middle-aged man she had

subdued in the hallway. He had been ranting and causing a scene, saying

things like, "You ruined my life" and "You destroyed my company," but it

made no sense. She noticed the invitation ticket he had and spoke under

her breath.

"With an invitation like this, you shouldn't be able to enter the

school......."

The names in the inviter's column were meant to be checked at the

school gate by a member of the public morals committee. If they used the

name of a fictitious student, they would have been denied entry at that point.

"Ojou-chan, where should I take this guy?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. To the disciplinary committee room... Do you know

where it is?"

"Don't worry. I'm a graduate of this school."

"In that case, may I ask you to handle it?"

"Yeah, all right."

Leaving the man in the custody of a nearby adult, Yuki looked back

at Ayano and shrugged her shoulders.

"It seems that in addition to the person who distributed the counterfeit

invitations, there was someone who helped break in from the inside. It's

possible they are the same person, though......."

"Is that so?"

"...Put your weapons away for now. It's not something you want

people to see too much of."

"Oh, excuse me......."

Upon Yuki's words, Ayano hid the sharp object she used to subdue

the man in her sleeve. Then, unexpectedly, she muttered something to

herself.

"...The student council room."

"Hm?"

"If it's Masachika-sama, I believe he would head to the Student

Council room."

At Ayano's words, Yuki raised her eyebrows and thought for a few

seconds...

"...I see. The target is the Raikokai, huh?"

Yuki said to herself and headed for the student council room with

Ayano.

◇

In the student council chambers, a school-wide disturbance took

place as the members of the Raikokai were visiting. It was a scandalous

incident for which, if one were a working professional, the issue of

responsibility for the supervisory staff would be unavoidable. However, the

members of the Raikokai present in that room showed no signs of

discomfort.... or so it seemed.

"Now... I wonder how they intend to settle the matter?"

"Rather than that, I wonder who caused this turmoil? I'm assuming

they are trying to target the current student council.... or perhaps maybe

targeting the former president and vice-president?"

No, on the contrary, they were even rather enjoying this commotion.

Even the eyes looking down at the schoolyard where the commotion was

taking place were more curious than concerned. Their demeanor was truly

that of spectators from a higher vantage point.

Of course, if the commotion really turned into a disturbance that

resulted in a string of injuries, they would mobilize their bodyguards here to

bring the situation under control. However, at this stage, the members of the

Raikokai were more interested in observing the response from the

coordinating members of the student body. For them, it was not unusual for

this level of commotion to occur during an election campaign.

"With the former student council president serving as the executive

committee chair and the current student council overseeing the school

festival itself, it was customary for those who aimed to overthrow the current

student council to target this event. That was the norm back then during our

time."

"The only way to qualify for the Raikokai was to survive and succeed

in coordinating the school festival... But I suppose times have

changed......"

"Even so, it's still pathetic.... Excuse me. I mean no disrespect to

Suou-san's granddaughter."

"It doesn't matter. The fact remains that my granddaughter failed to

prevent this situation."

Back when they were students, corporal punishment by teachers was

commonplace in schools across the country. Seirei Gakuen served as a

distinguished social gathering place for its students, and the election

campaigns were legitimate factional disputes where the students

represented their respective families.

The Raikokai, which was originally just a group of influential alumni,

introduced the election system about 70 years ago in order to centralize

power and make it more elite. Since then, the students of the school have

been vying for just two seats, using power, financial resources, and

sometimes even violence. And in the election campaign, where everything

was at stake, it was not unusual to see people injured or even expelled from

school.

But that was why the positions of student body President and Vice

President were so special. Winning such factional battles and taking such

positions was synonymous with becoming the rulers of the generation. And

the organization where such rulers gathered was today's Raikokai. They

have the power to move Japan without exaggeration. With their

connections, there was nothing they couldn't do in Japan. That is why, from

their point of view... the current generation's election

campaign seemed utterly feeble.

The advancement of social media and the strengthening of

compliance were pressing forces of the era, causing the previously fierce

election battles to fade away. While the ruthless screening system, such as

debates and greetings by student council members, remained unchanged,

such reality had transformed into a popularity contest among the students.

They didn't respect the current Student Council President and VicePresident, who were chosen in such an election campaign. Moreover, deep

down, they didn't even acknowledge them as fellow members of the

Raikokai.

"But it seems that there is a candidate pair that is a little interesting

this year, isn't there? I heard that if they are to be elected, they plan to

incorporate the opposing candidate into the student council to work

alongside them."

To dispel the slightly awkward atmosphere, one of the men raised his

voice and Gensei's eyebrows twitched. The other man, however, did not

seem to notice and responded in a curious manner.

"Oh, including the opposing candidate as well? Hmm, quite

intriguing.... It seems that candidate pairing understands the essence of an

election campaign."

What they mean by the essence of an election campaign was

networking. To make connections that would be useful to them in the future,

form factions, and when they eventually achieve electoral victory, give their

faction members positions on the board of directors. In this way, they control

the students of the school and the people of their generation. That was the

election campaign for them.

"That would give me a little hope for next term's election

campaign.... It seems we have some other students with a bone to pick

who can cause such a ruckus."

"Hmmm, so far, it looks like things are going exactly as that someone

wants them to...... Well, let's see what happens now, shall we?"

But there was one easy way to get away with it.

Knowing this, they waited. They awaited the moment the doors of the

student council room would open once again.

◇

"Oh......."

"Ara."

Masachika stopped for a moment when he saw Yuki and Ayano, who

appeared from just the opposite side of the hallway in front of the student

council chambers. But as they approached, Masachika also walked silently.

In front of the student council room, the opposing candidates faced off.

"......"

The two parties stood on either side of the door to the student council

chambers, and at about the same time, Masachika and Yuki looked at each

other silently for a few seconds before turning their attention to the two men

who appeared to be the Raikokai's bodyguards.

"Excuse me, I am Masachika Kuze, one of the Student Council's

General Affairs officers. I have been instructed by President Kensaki to

come here to check on the Raikokai."

"Likewise, I'm Yuki Suou, Student Council Public Relations.

"I am Ayano Kimishima, Student Council General Affairs."

All three of them introduced themselves and showed their student ID

cards.

"Has anyone else come here before us? While we appreciate the

presence of the bodyguards ensuring safety, it is crucial that the

whereabouts of the Raikokai members are not known to suspicious

individuals."

In response to Masachika's question, the two bodyguards looked at

each other for a moment before answering shortly.

"No, no one else had arrived before."

"I see... Thank you."

Masachika and Yuki were internally relieved to hear these words.

They had made it in time.

"Now what do we do? Masachika-kun."

"......"

A short distance away from the student council room, Yuki asked

Masachika. She looked at her brother's eyes and let out a small wry smile.

"In that case, let's keep an eye on each person who arrives.

Regardless of who they are, let's hold no grudges."

"Ah."

After a small nod,

Masachika spun around on his heel. Feeling the presence of Ayano at his

back, Masachika turned the corner of the corridor and leaned his back

against the wall.

After a few minutes of waiting, a figure appeared at the other end of

the corridor. Masachika stood in the middle of the corridor and greeted the

person with a faint smile on his face.

"Yo, Kiryuin. What brings you here to such a place?"

"Ah Kuze. I could ask you the same thing, what are you doing here?"

In response to Masachika's unfriendly smile, Yusho answered with a

faint smirk of his own.

◇

"...it you, was it?"

On the other hand, as Yuki headed in the opposite direction from

Masachika, another male student appeared before her.

Looking up at Yuki, who was standing in front of the staircase, the

student narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. Meeting his gaze, Yuki spoke

calmly.

"That's a shame, President-san."

The boy chuckled a little at this call.

"I'm not the President anymore... Suou-san.

"That's right... Kaji, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee."

The 67th and 68th student body Presidents of Seirei Gakuen Junior

High School faced each other across the stairs.