If It Doesn’t Yield, Then There’s No Choice But To Break It

Yasutaka Kaji. The son of the president of a major home appliance

manufacturer who just so happened to have served as the student council

president at the Seirei Gakuen junior high school three years ago. Sayaka,

Nonoa, Yusho, Sumire, Yuki and Masachika, who were once all close

friends, had all looked up to him as the President of the Student Council that

they had all run together as a team. If he had not been defeated by Touya in

the election campaign, she would still be calling him "President" by now.

"You intentionally created a weakness in security and let the intruders

in, didn't you? Kaji-senpai."

In response to Yuki's question, Yasutaka silently lowered his gaze.

That was enough for Yuki.

"Why are you doing this?"

"...Why? I'm sure Suou-san has an idea why, don't you?"

Yuki answered Yasutaka's cross-examination without changing her

expression.

"It's about Kirika-senpai, isn't it?"

"...Yes, that's right... to get her, Kirika, back, I have to... do

whatever it takes to join the Raikokai!"

Letting his raging emotions get the better of him, Yasutaka shouted in

a slightly out of tune voice.

Kirika Asama was Yasutaka's partner in the campaign. However,

their relationship went beyond that─they were engaged, which was rare in

this day and age. Although their engagement was arranged by their parents

for business purposes, they did not have a bad relationship, especially for

Yasutaka, who was madly in love with Kirika. However, when Yasutaka lost

to Touya in the election campaign, losing his chance to join the Raikokai,

their engagement was dissolved by the Asama family's proposal.

"They said they didn't want a son-in-law who lost to a commoner... I

was abandoned! If things continue like this, Kirika will be married off to

another influential family... To prevent that, I need to somehow get the

Raikokai's attention now!"

His voice lacked restraint and displayed clearly his unstable

emotional state. His pupils contracted behind glasses. He was a far cry from

the former Yasutaka that Yuki knew.

"That's right... It was weird from the beginning. To want to be the

student council just for the girl I loved? It was ridiculous how much I... care

about Kirika, I know. But everyone is... wrong by voting for such a

commoner. They're absolutely wrong... definitely wrong, I'm the one who

deserved it the most......."

Muttering while biting his nails, Yasutaka was met with a slightly

pitiful look from Yuki before she quietly asked.

"Who influenced you and what did they say to you?"

At Yuki's question, Yasutaka stopped moving and slowly raised his

gaze. Looking straight back into his eyes, Yuki continued earnestly.

"The Kaji-senpai I knew was not one to hold such arrogant and selfcentered thoughts. Let me ask you again. Who or what instigated you with

this idea?"

Yasutaka was met with the face of the gaze of a junior who tried to

believe in their respected Senpai... However, Yasutaka responded with a

dark smile and a snort.

"What do you know about me?"

Yasutaka shut Yuki down, telling her not to talk like a know-it-all. In

response, Yuki quickly narrowed her eyes and said,

"Annoying[1]."

"...Eh?"

Yasutaka, taken aback by the offensive remark that came from the

mouth of the lady of the Suou family, who was known for her elegance and

the epitome of being a prestigious daughter, opened his mouth wide in

astonishment, believing it to be a misunderstanding. But of course, it was

not a misunderstanding.

"What do you mean by, 'What do you know about me?'? Of course I

don't know anything! I don't hold any interest in you to that extent! You lost,

fair and square, due to your own lack of ability, and yet you fell into

darkness just because your engagement was annulled? Apologize to all the

young ladies out there who were falsely accused, had their engagements

broken, and were expelled from the country!"

"!?"

Yasutaka, experiencing the greatest sense of panic in the past few

years, struggled to process Yuki's insults and incomprehensible demand for

an apology after she shed her ojou-sama facade. However, Yuki paid no

attention to such matters and continued at full throttle.

"Listen up! A man can only fall into darkness if he has already

established a good relationship with the heroine! It is only when a heroine

who can accompany him in that darkness exists, that falling into darkness

becomes an event that can advance a romantic relationship! Falling into

darkness while being single is utterly worthless and self-indulgent in the

realm of romance, so please refrain from it. Besides, if you continue like

this, all I see in your future is becoming a stalker man obsessed with your

ex-fiancé, you know?"

"Wha-What, I-I'm not becoming a stalker, you know!?"

"Then face it head-on! A situation where being forcibly separated by

her parents could turn into an amazing scenario depending on your choices!

That's where true manliness is tested! Don't channel your passion in the

wrong direction!!"

With a desperate cry from Yuki, Yasutaka's face turned pale.

Completely pale, and then... when he returned to normal, all signs of his

emotional instability had completely disappeared. In a state of complete

dejection, he weakly questioned Yuki.

"What should I do....?"

In response to that question, Yuki pointed straight behind Yasutaka.

"First! Go to Kirika-senpai and apologize. Confess everything you did

and then say, 'I didn't want to give up on you even if it meant doing

something like this.' Look, I already called Kirika-senpai and had her wait

behind the school building for you."

Saying that, Yuki flicked her thumb sideways, and Ayano, who had

actually been there all along, stepped forward and held up Yuki's

smartphone. Yasutaka, who hadn't noticed her presence, was startled as

she suddenly appeared. Then he smiled faintly, as if a burden had been

lifted.

"Haha, I suppose you're right... I should have talked things out

more properly, shouldn't I?"

Muttering to himself, Yasutaka lowered his head with the calm

expression that Yuki was familiar with.

"Thank you, Suou-san. I'll talk to Kirika again."

"Yeah. Oh by the way, I can't help but ask, but is Yusho Kiryuin the

guy behind all this?"

"Yeah, that's right.... His aim was to create chaos at the school

festival and undermine the authority of the current Student Council. He also

intended to have Sumire-san solve the trouble to elevate her own credibility.

It seems like he was drawing in troublemakers, people who held grudges

against the student council or even the school itself, even magazine

reporters and annoying social media influencers... But I didn't know the

details. In the end, I suppose I was just one of his pawns..."

"I see, so I guess this incident is over now. The 'mastermind

wannabe prince' will be taken care of by Masachika-kun, right?"

With Yuki casually dissing Yusho, Yasutaka chuckled.

"You trust Kuze-kun, don't you."

"Of course, Masachika-kun is the strongest."

Yuki placed a hand on her waist and puffed out her chest. Seeing

that, Yasutaka's wry smile deepened, and he shook his head selfdeprecatingly.

"Oh, is that so... Hahaha, I had thought that maybe you two had

some falling out... I really just pretended to know everything when I

actually knew nothing."

Muttering like that, Yasutaka glanced up at Yuki for a moment, then

walked down the stairs. As his footsteps receded and eventually became

inaudible, Yuki suddenly relaxed her shoulders.

"Phew~ Dealing with a Senpai who complicated his first love is such

a pain. Well, if I consider the fact that Kaji-senpai probably owes me a favor

now, it's not too bad, I guess."

"Yes, it seems that if we can get the assistance of Kaji-senpai, the

former junior high school Student Council president and current Disciplinary

Committee Chairman, it would work in our favor in the election.

Nevertheless, your persuasive skills were truly impressive. I was sincerely

impressed."

"Oh well, it was more like defeating his arguments... Well, thanks to

his inherently good nature, it worked out."

While waving her hand to Ayano, who was looking at her, Yuki turned

her gaze in the direction her brother had gone.

"Things won't be so easy for him over there......"

◇

On the other side, Masachika and Yusho confronted each other with

knives behind their smiles.

"There are VIPs ahead from here. Other than the President and the

Vice President, other members of the student body are prohibited from

going further from here, you know?"

"That includes you, right? Just because you're a student council

member doesn't mean you're an exception."

"Yeah, you're right. So, how about you take a detour with me and go

back?"

While exchanging superficial smiles and shallow words, Masachika

and Yusho probed each other's true intentions. They were aware of each

other's ulterior motives, but it had come to a point where they still engaged

in this formal exchange. However...

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible."

When Yusho firmly refused, Masachika also stopped pretending to

smile. With a serious expression, he raised his chin and looked at Yusho

with a mocking gaze.

"Oh, so you're not even trying to hide it anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"No matter how freely you act, do you really think the higher-ups will

simply 'forgive' you? How naive. Even if Raikokai forgives this incident, do

you think the school would comply?"

Yusho didn't let himself be provoked and maintained his smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about... but you're the naive one.

Do you think this school is in the position to defy the Raikokai's intentions?"

"This incident raises the interests of the police. If the school doesn't

address it properly, the public won't forgive us."

"Is that so? This school has a kind of extraterritoriality... Besides,

even if it becomes an issue, the responsibility falls on the current sitting

Student Council, who organized the festival, and the former President and

Vice President, right?"

"Yeah, and the perpetrator behind the commotion, too."

"That's right. It would be great if they were found, wouldn't it? The

perpetrator."

Masachika inwardly clicked his tongue at Yusho's smug smile. He

was probably cautious about being recorded and not giving any

incriminating evidence. Judging by his composure, he most likely hadn't left

any evidence that would lead back to himself. In fact, Masachika hadn't

been able to find any evidence that Yusho was the one behind this whole

ordeal.

(Well, even if evidence were to surface... the Raikokai would be

able to suppress it. In reality, as long as there was a motive to do whatever

it takes to win the election, they'd seem to forgive anything and everything.)

And at that moment, Masachika remembered the stories he had

heard from his grandfather, Gensei, about election battles during his

childhood. Most likely, the Raikokai would forgive such actions. Yusho must

have been aware of that, which was why he was trying to obtain forgiveness

directly.

"Why would you do something like this... No, that's a foolish

question. You wouldn't stand a chance if a regular popularity contest were

held as usual; and as such, you've resorted to undermining the authority of

the current student council through twisted means... That's just like you,

isn't it?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

Yusho, still trying to maintain a composed expression, expressed a

slightly different type of smile.

"But if I may speak in general terms... Isn't it the nature of elections

to use all available means, even if they're twisted or underhanded? Do you

think all power struggles in the world are conducted peacefully and cleanly?"

With an ambitious and mocking smile, Yusho taunted.

"Money, power, violence... If adults used them, then I should be

able to use everything I can to win. Those who have the strength,

determination, and resolve to do so are worthy of Raikokai. Immature

individuals who can't bring themselves to do so aren't worthy of being

accepted by them."

"Quite an impressive opinion. Please continue to present it when we

reach the student council room to the higher-ups of Raikokai,"

"Right. So... Can you let me pass?"

Yusho asked while once again displaying a confident smile. He took

something out of the inner pocket of his uniform. It was something that

Masachika had only seen on television, and it made him raise an eyebrow.

"Hey, hey, bringing a stun gun to school? ...Do heirs of big

corporations really have to be that concerned about self-defense?"

"I don't usually carry it around. But today, since there were going to

be a lot of outsiders, it's just a precaution. After all, it turned out like this,

didn't it?"

"Yeah no kidding. What a coincidence."

Masachika shrugged his shoulders calmly as he spoke, and Yusho

narrowed his eyes sharply. He then revealed a flat voice, devoid of a smile,

as he extended the stun gun in front of him.

"Will you let me pass? Like I said before, I have no hesitation in using

violence when necessary."

"That's good. I didn't intend to hesitate either."

After stating this nonchalantly, Masachika's demeanor changed. He

pierced Yusho's eyes with a sharp gaze, but his tone remained calm as he

slowly asked,

"The school festival that everyone in the Student Council worked so

hard to organize... What about them?"

All those days when everyone else all came together and gave it their

all, even screaming that we were short-staffed...

"How about Takeshi, not to mention Hikaru who tried to make the live

performance a success despite getting beaten up...?"

Two best friends who managed to pick up their instruments to

continue and face forward even after their band's collapse.

"Alya.... and the courage she forced herself to have by facing her

own weaknesses......"

Alisa, who had revealed her weakness only to Masachika behind the

stage, despite being the type who never wanted to show her vulnerability.

"And you, who tried to ruin everything... Do you think I'll let you off

so easily?"

As the tension rapidly escalated between the two, Yusho swallowed

his saliva in response to Masachika's quiet yet simmering anger. He felt his

hand holding the stun gun moisten with sweat and took a step back,

adopting a defensive stance.

Standing about five meters apart, facing each other, the air crackled

with an increasing sense of tension. And then, out of nowhere, came an

unexpected and utterly absurd question that epitomized Masachika's

composed yet boiling fury.

"By the way, which do you prefer, moderately big breasts or

completely massive ones?"

"Hah....?"

It was a question so out of place and nonsensical that Yusho

momentarily froze in bewilderment. And in that split second of his lapse in

concentration, Masachika seized the opportunity and made his move.

Masachika had practiced karate in his early years, learned kendo in

junior high school, and took up judo in high school. He had a black belt in

karate and displayed considerable proficiency in both kendo and judo,

reaching the level of a third-degree black belt.

However, in this instance, Masachika employed a technique known

as "Everyone's Beloved Shukuchi[2]

" His mentor was from the realm of twodimensional characters, and his textbook was manga.

"!?"

Yusho finally noticed Masachika's approach when his right wrist was

grabbed. But in the next moment, a sharp pain shot through his wrist, and at

the same time, his collar was grabbed, followed by a quick sweep of his

legs.

His vision spun violently, and the impact from his fall reverberated

through his back. His breath stopped, and for a moment, he thought his

vision had blacked out. In an instant, he had been flipped over and pinned

face-down, with his right arm twisted up behind his back.

"Guuh.... Ahh!"

With his left shoulder pressed down by a knee and his right arm

twisted, he couldn't get up at all. Struggling to twist his neck, Yusho glared

up at Masachika, who calmly spoke while taking the stun gun from his hand.

"Using money, power, and violence... going all out to win, right?

So? Violence means this, doesn't it? What do you plan to do from here?"

As he met Yusho's eyes with a cold gaze, who furrowed his

eyebrows in pain, Masachika smiled defiantly.

"What about you? What do you plan to do from here? Do you think

you can just injure me and get away with it? Besides, what if someone sees

this situation?"

"Why don't I give it a try then? I think it would be quicker for me to

break you than for someone to discover us. Didn't I tell you? I won't hesitate

to use violence."

Saying so, Masachika calmly grabbed Yusho's index finger of his

right hand and exerted pressure in the opposite direction of the joint.

"Ahh!"

Without even flinching at the small groan from Yusho, Masachika

spoke without emotion.

"I'll break each finger one by one until you admit to everything you

did. When I'm done with your right hand, I won't hesitate to do the same to

the left one. You won't be able to play the piano properly anymore. Oh, don't

worry, once you admit it, I'll take you to Raikokai. You'll be brought there as

a miserable loser who resorted to dirty tricks."

As he applied pressure to Yusho's index finger, Masachika's words

made the last trace of composure disappear from Yusho's face.

"S-Stop it! Do you really think you'll get away with this without

consequences!?"

"I wonder? You said people should be able to do anything they can to

win the election, didn't you? Well, even if I'm not let off the hook, I really

don't mind."

"W-What?"

Peering into Yusho's questioning eyes, Masachika wore a cynical

smile.

"If you and I get expelled together, all that's left is to pair Yuki and

Alya together, and they'll easily win. Alya would become the Student

Council President and she'll be happy. Yuki can join the Raikokai and she'll

also be happy. I can make Alya the Student Council President and Yuki

won't miss out either, so it's a win-win. Ah, what an amazing happy ending."

"Wha...! You, don't tell me, you planned it from the beginning─"

In response to Yusho's wide-eyed astonishment, Masachika

answered with a silent smile, then firmly pressed his left leg against Yusho's

back, compressing his lungs as if to silence his loud voice.

"So, unlike you, I have nothing to lose. Well then, if you want to admit

it, admit it sooner, alright~?"

"S-Stop it! Stop!"

Ignoring Yusho's desperate voice and his squirming legs, Masachika

exerted force in his hand─

"Well... settling it with violence would be an option, but unlike you, I

try to abide by the rules as much as possible... So I'll give you the

privilege of choice."

"W-What...?"

Masachika looked down at Yusho, who was breathing heavily, and

spoke.

"Choose. Either you get your fingers broken right now, or we settle it

through a match in accordance with the rules as candidates of the same

position."

"A match....?"

"If I win, you will confess in front of all the students about what you

did in this incident. On the other hand, if you win, I won't pursue any

suspicions against you."

Upon hearing Masachika's one-sided condition, Yusho sarcastically

curled the corner of his mouth.

"What's with that unfair deal? Our stakes aren't balanced─"

"I see, then the conversation ends here."

"S-Stop it! H-How... in the first place! Even if we have a debate,

how can I ensure that your end of a verbal deal will be honored!?"

"Well, that's easy. Just have Sumire-senpai be a witness."

"That... Hah."

Yusho visibly became flustered at Masachika's words. Seeing his

reaction, Masachika was convinced that Sumire was completely unaware of

Yusho's scheme. At the same time, he recognized it as Yusho's weakness

and swiftly pressed on.

"Don't worry. Until this is settled, I won't disclose the reason for our

debate to Sumire-senpai. In other words, if you want to keep what you did a

secret from Sumire-senpai, you have no choice but to defeat me... Well,

with conditions like these, I'll make sure the match favors you in some way."

"What do you mean?"

Yusho furrowed his brow, and Masachika leaned in close, sneering

as he whispered.

"I'm saying we'll compete in what you're best at─playing the piano.

How about a showdown, Second Place-chan?"

In that instant, Yusho's eyes widened, and his teeth were bared

through his distorted lips.

"I knew it... Suou...!"

The fiercely competitive gaze directed at him was something

Masachika remembered well. It reminded him of the same look a certain

boy used to give him during competitions and recitals. Masachika arrogantly

sneered, recalling that boy from the past whom he never paid much

attention to until Nonoa had pointed it out.

"Oh, so you were that boy back then, huh? Sorry, but I didn't care

about you at all back then until Nonoa mentioned it."

"You...!"

"Well, what will you do? Let me tell you, I haven't touched a piano in

over five years. It's a match that's extremely advantageous for you. Still, I

don't have the slightest intention of losing to you, Second Place-chan."

Despite Masachika's blatant provocation, Yusho couldn't even

pretend to remain calm and raised his voice in agitation.

"Don't underestimate me... I'll do it! This time, I'll defeat you... for

sure!"

◇

"So you didn't come back at all, Masachika."

In the backstage of the schoolyard stage, Takeshi looked up towards

the school building with a slightly worried expression.

It had been about forty minutes since the firecracker incident. Thanks

to Alisa's call and the efforts of the staff, the schoolyard had regained its

composure, and the stage performances had resumed. At the same time,

through the school-wide announcement, it was relayed that all suspicious

intruders had been apprehended and the closing time would be delayed by

thirty minutes, relieving any lingering concerns... or so it should have

been, but for some reason, Masachika was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, even if all the intruders have been caught, there might still be

clean-up work to do... Maybe he's still busy?"

In response to Hikaru's speculation, Alisa's expression darkened

slightly. As instructed by Masachika, she had made efforts to calm down the

audience. She also assisted with the aftermath of the firecracker incident.

But if she thought about it, that was all she did.

As a student council member and Masachika's partner, shouldn't

there be more she could do? Was it really okay for her to just stay here?

Alisa was tormented by a mixture of impatience and frustration, as Sayaka

pushed up her glasses and spoke,

"You seem restless. As a leader, you should try to remain calm."

"Yeah, that's right. Alisa, try to calm down a bit."

"...On the other hand, you're too calm, Nonoa."

Sayaka retorted as Nonoa, who was taking selfies in her

performance outfit, and both of them returned to their usual banter. Takeshi

and Hikaru also relaxed their expressions.

"Yeah, there's no use worrying. Besides, it feels like a waste of time

to worry about Masachika! Given his nature!"

"Haha, that's right... Alisa, let's trust Masachika, okay? What we

should do is give the best performance we can. That'll be proof that we

didn't yield to suspicious intruders. We are... Fortitude, after all."

Upon hearing Hikaru's words, Alisa recalled Masachika's words in

her mind.

「I'll make sure the show goes on. So, please trust me.」

Masachika had made that promise. So, Alisa knew what she had to

do... It was only natural.

After closing her eyes for a moment and opening them again, Alisa

made eye contact with each member of the band. Her determined gaze,

free of hesitation, was returned by each of the four.

"Thank you, everyone."

At the moment Alisa spoke those words, her phone in her pocket

vibrated. Prompted by a premonition, she quickly checked the screen and

found a short message from Masachika.

「Do your best.」

Just that one phrase. Yet, it made Alisa's heart burn with passion.

"(Thank you, too.)"

Whispering those words, Alisa raised her phone to her mouth and

flashed a confident smile.

"Well then, let's make our first live performance the best one ever!

Eeiii!"

"Oh, Ohh~"

"Ohh~?"

"...Oh~"

"Oh─!"

"Synchronize, you guys!"

As Alisa retorted and the four of them laughed, she couldn't help but

get caught up in the moment and laugh along too. Finally, their turn had

come.

"And now, 'Fortitude,' you're up next! Please give it your all!

In response to the staff's voice, they nodded to each other once

again. The five of them leaped onto the stage.