Chapter 34

Light's POV

Who do those idiots think they're dealing with, anyway?"

Sora complained from beside me, motioning towards a group of three boys who were staring at us from across the cafeteria.

Right now, I was eating lunch with Sora, Shiro and Ryuzaki. Sora was complaining about three boys who, for a few days now, had been harassing us regularly. Things like blocking our way as we walked and spouting provocations. Childish stuff like that.

"According to Ayanokōji, Class C students have been doing the same thing to some students of all the other classes as well." Ryuzaki said, perched in his immensely odd seating position.

"There's no reason to doubt him, but where the hell does that guy get all his intel from?" I wondered out loud.

"I've seen him with that Kushida Kikyō a few times recently. Maybe from her?" Sora guessed.

"You don't think they have a... special relationship, do you?" I said mockingly.

"Who knows? Perhaps our boy has turned into a man already."

I couldn't help but laugh at Sora's mocking speculation. Ayanokōji and Kushida, huh? If they had a thing going on, then good for them, I guess. Personally though, I've never had even the slightest interest in romance and I didn't plan to start now at this school, either.

"Getting back on topic, though," Ryuzaki interjected. "If what Ayanokōji said is true, then that means that it's likely that Class C is trying to provoke a reaction out of someone. They're probably targeting some of the more hot-tempered students, if I had to guess."

"Ryūen Kakeru is trying to start a fight? What else did I expect from that guy who only rules through violence?" I sighed exasperatedly. Really, how mundane.

"Aha, that might not be it. What if he's trying to conduct an experiment?" Sora proposed an intriguing idea.

"Oh? An experiment?" Ryuzaki looked surprised, which was a rare sight to behold.

"It's the only way to explain Class C's behaviour. They're clearly trying to provoke someone into attacking them so that they can test what level of punishment will be dealt to students who commit acts of violence."

I felt some anger swell up within me. Ryūen Kakeru is trying to use me as a lab rat? Who does he think he is? I composed myself before I spoke up.

"If that's the case, then I have a little idea of my own I'd like to try. I'll make Class C into an example of why you shouldn't mess with us." I declared with a smirk.

Sora, Shiro and Ryuzaki were momentarily stunned, but Sora shortly snapped out of it and laughed, which freed the other two as well.

"Do you mind if I join your plan, Light?" Surprisingly, Ryuzaki wanted in on the action.

Until now, Ryuzaki had been a bystander to just about everything that has happened - I never expected him to make an active move to get involved. I saw no reason to refuse his offer. In fact, having someone with me might make it a whole lot easier to execute.

Besides, I've been wanting to find out a bit about who Ryuzaki is and what he can do, anyway. He's felt off to me ever since the second day, where he tagged along with me to investigate Class A. I felt like he didn't accompany me just to help the class or get to know me better. No, he definitely had some kind of ulterior motive.

"Sure, feel free to help me. May I ask your reasoning, though?" I inquired, masking my inner thoughts.

"Let's just say that working within the justice system is a speciality of mine."

Is that right? Could it be that Ryuzaki, like me, values justice over all else? He did mention that he solved crimes before enrolling here, but doing so at such a young age that must mean he does it for another reason than money. What could that reason be, I wonder?

I'm going to unravel your secrets, Rue Ryuzaki. You'd better be prepared.

Shiro's POV

"What do you think, Shiro?"

Nii asked me as we walked through the school corridor after our final class had ended, hands interlocked comfortably.

"About Light's plan?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah." Nii nodded affirmatively.

"I think it'll only work because Ryūen's henchmen are too stupid to make adjustments to the plan themselves, even if the situation calls for it."

I gave him a surface level assessment. Ryūen Kakeru, based on the knowledge I had obtained, was much smarter than he initially appeared. He was a violent dictator who also had brains to back his violence. In fact, if he was more mature about his methods, I thought he could easily fit into my class.

"Ryūen is certainly smart, but his mistake here is that he assumed anyone that would fall for his provocations would also be an idiot. He hasn't considered that someone might fall for them on purpose." Nii responded as we climbed up the stairs.

Ryūen himself would probably be able to manipulate the situation once he figured out that it was a set up, but the people who were working for him wouldn't have the same level of keen insight and flexibility.

"Say, Nii, are you enjoying this school?" I inquired, changing the subject.

"Yeah, it's definitely far better than most places in this rotten world. It's just missing that extra flair, though."

"You mean the flair of playing against opponents?"

"Yeah. I'm hoping we'll get the chance to really have some fun when we fight the other classes. I'll be thoroughly disappointed if the contests here are dull."

Blank's number one principle is to have fun. If we can't do that here, we will probably drop out. Originally, I didn't even want to enrol here - I was scared to leave the place I'd grown to feel safe in behind. But I trusted Nii's decision to enter this school because if I couldn't even do that, then what was I even good for?

"And what about our classmates? Do you think that we can live among this society, which is separated from the rest of the world?" I asked, my voice almost a whisper.

Nii's smug expression that I adore so much vanished, and his face became serious.

"Society is repulsive. It's an evil that I refuse to be a part of. But this school, which is like an entire world of its own, separated from society... Perhaps, I will be able to accept it."

Whether Nii decides to accept this school or reject it, I will follow him blindly. That is the promise that I made, all those years ago.

"We're here." Nii said, stopping in front of a door.

"Yes," I replied flatly.

Nii reached out and gripped the door handle. He gave my hand a squeeze before pushing the door open and calmly entering the room it revealed.

"I'm here for my appointment~" he said jovially, adorning his lovable smirk once more.

There was an additional person in the student council room this time. A beautiful girl with long pink hair. Ichinose Honami, first year, Class B, student council first year representative, most popular girl in the first year, excessively kind, hopelessly naive. Enormous breasts.

I felt a jealous frustration building up as I stared at her well-endowed figure with hostility. Where is my chest? Will I ever develop beyond this pitiful figure? No matter how many times Nii called me beautiful, I couldn't help but feel inadequate.

"Hmm, this is odd. I was under the impression that the student council interviews were one-on-one." Nii said perplexed as he seated himself on a couch.

"Well, I'm not the only one who's brought company." The President said, motioning towards me as I sat on Nii's lap.

Ichinose Honami looked surprised. Clearly, she hadn't been told that students could still be interviewed even after she got accepted as first year representative.

"The only position left in the student council is the vice-president seat, isn't it?" Nii pondered aloud as he began stroking my hair.

"Don't get any funny ideas, kōhai. I'm the student council vice-president here. Right, Horikita-senpai?" Nagumo Miyabi spoke up, warning Nii. Nii was unfazed, though.

"There can be two vice-presidents in the student council, even though it's unusual for such a thing to happen." Horikita-senpai responded calmly.

"It's unusual, huh? That means you're going to reject the kōhai, right?"

"I've actually been wondering about that too," Nii interjected, claiming the attention of both senpais. "Why didn't you just tell me that the student council wasn't accepting new members after a first-year representative had been chosen?"

"There is still a seat open, and it would look bad if I flat out refused to even hear out a first-year." Horikita-senpai replied.

"But you're going to reject me no matter what I say here, right? Why not just skip the formalities and do it now?"

Horikita-senpai's eyes widened a fraction. He did his best to compose himself immediately to hide it, but I'm sure that Nii caught it as well.

"What makes you think that I'm going to reject you?"

"It's obvious. You can drop the act." Nii said confidently.

"I see... You heard it from somewhere, then?"

Ichinose looked surprised once more at Nii's words. However, she wasn't prepared for what was about to be said next.

"No, I just guessed. You just confirmed my suspicions though, so thank you!"

"You were bluffing?" Horikita-senpai looked genuinely impressed this time.

"Yeah. After I found out that you rejected Ichinose's application, I crafted a little theory. And you've just confirmed that theory of mine, Horikita-senpai."

"As I thought, you really are an interesting student. Go on, then. What exactly is your theory?"

"Ichinose Honami should've been the perfect candidate for the student council," Ichinose became slightly flustered as Nii began his explanation by praising her. "However, I found out that she was rejected by the student council president, quite quickly mind you."

Everybody listened attentively to Nii as he spoke. No matter how many times I hear them, his deductions never fail to impress me and make me interested. It's just one of the many things that I love about Nii.

"Now, why could this be? Let's start with Question One! Why did Horikita-senpai reject arguably the best candidate for the student council among all of the first years without much thought?"

"Because he didn't plan on accepting any first-years into the student council, no matter how suitable they were." I answered from Nii's lap.

Ichinose looked shocked. It's understandable, I suppose. She was probably under the impression that she just wasn't good enough in the president's eyes. To hear that he had rejected her for a different reason would surprise anyone.

"And that leads us on to Question Two!" Nii continued, now possessing complete control over the attention of all four student council members. "Why did the student council change its mind so quickly, and accept Ichinose's application during the third week?"

"Because she was accepted by someone other than the President, behind his back." I once again answered the question as Nii patted my head.

Everyone now looked thoroughly baffled about how Nii had managed to deduce this much based off of little scraps of information. They'd better prepare themselves, then, because we're not nearly done yet.

"And so, Question Three is logical! Who was it that accepted Ichinose Honami into the student council?"

"Nagumo Miyabi. Not only does he seem to view Horikita-senpai as a rival, but he's also the vice-president, which is most likely the only other seat in the student council with the authority to accept new members."

Everything was silent as Nii's crimson eyes scanned the room. He was probably gleaming mountains of information just by observing the various reactions and expressions worn by the senpais in the room.

"Question Four! For what reason did the student council president not want to accept any first-years into the student council?"

"To protect them from Nagumo-senpai, who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, as proven when he went behind his superior's back to accept a previously rejected council member." I replied in monotone.

Even I, with my sub-par human reading ability, was able to notice Nagumo's discomfort as Nii and I dissected every little truth about the student council. From now on, he would probably be very wary of Blank.

Knowing that Nagumo-senpai is manipulative and cunning, that only leads to one last question, a question that I have yet to discover the answer to." Nii leaned forward, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Question Five! What did Nagumo-senpai ask Ichinose to do in return for admission to the student council?"

Nii reclined in the sofa once again as everyone's eyes widened in shock. It appeared that nobody was prepared for that question, but Horikita-senpai was probably surprised for a different reason than everyone else. Tachibana-senpai looked more confused than surprised. It seemed like she wasn't able to follow at all.

"What could you possibly be talking about, kōhai? I merely accepted a candidate that I deemed suitable for the student council using my own judgement." Nagumo-senpai said, composed and calm.

"Trying to play dumb, are we? Ichinose's expression of discomfort tells me that there was some truth in my speculation, though." Nii nodded towards Ichinose, who was leaning against the wall with her eyes still wide.

Nagumo turned to look at her, playing right into Nii's hands. When it comes to reading people and situations, Nii has no match. I couldn't fault Nagumo for falling into his trap.

"That was a lie. Ichinose actually still just looks dumbfounded. However, you were very hasty to check her expression yourself, weren't you? An innocent man wouldn't be as panicked as you just were. You're guilty!" Nii accused Nagumo arrogantly as he played with my hair.

"Nagumo. Is it true? Did you demand something from Ichinose in return for her acceptance here?" Horikita-senpai asked sternly. It seemed like he wasn't very happy with this discovery.

"N-no, senpai, he's just talking nonsense."

"You're just digging yourself a deeper hole, you know?" Nii chided him smugly.

"I think we're going to have to have a talk later, Nagumo." The student council president looked a bit angry.

According to my sources, he rarely loses his composure. That meant that this is an especially aggravating situation for him. Good to know.

"So, there's a civil war within the student council which the president wanted to keep the first years away from, huh? How intriguing." Nii and I stood up and turned towards the door.

"You're leaving? What about your interview?" Horikita-senpai surprisingly was concerned about Nii's interview.

"Not interested. I got what I came here for. Knowledge is power, as they say." Nii tapped the side of his head as he opened the door.

Nagumo glowered at us as we made for the exit. He was obviously not happy that Nii had spilled his secret to the student council president. Nii must've noticed this, because he stopped just before leaving and turned to him.

"Try not to take advantage of any more girls while our backs are turned, Nagumo-senpai."

With that, Nii and I left the room without looking back and shut the door. As we walked down the corridor and back towards the dorms, I couldn't help but ask a question.

"Nii, would Nagumo really use Ichinose's wish to join the student council to take advantage of her?"

I tried my best to hide my anxieties, but Nii saw right through me.

"I wouldn't put it past him. Unfortunately, Shiro, there are some people out there who're like that. Don't worry, though." Nii placed his hand on top of my head." I wouldn't let something like that happen to you."

I felt reassured, but...

"Are you going to help Ichinose?"

"Help her? Do you want to intervene, Shiro?"

"I can't help but feel bad for her..."

"I see. Well, if my cute little sister wants to help her, then I suppose I have no choice." Nii smiled warmly at me. I really do love him. "As of right now, there isn't really much for us to do. However, if a time comes in the future where Ichinose is in danger of being exploited by Nagumo, Blank will lend a hand."

I nodded appreciatively. Maybe it was just because of my own past experiences, but I felt that I couldn't just stand by and watch something like this. Nii took my hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

As long as I was with him, I was confident that Blank would forever be invincible