When the afternoon bell rang, Yukio should have been relaxing, basking in the glory of his massive fortune — yet here he was, reluctantly heading to the student council room for the latest meeting.
Or rather, it was the farewell meeting for the graduating third-years.
During the afternoon break, the school had sent messages to all student council members, announcing that the year-end special exams for all three grades had been fully designed and now needed council review, adjustment, and approval.
In other words, after this year-end exam, Yukio and the others would advance to the second year, while the third-years, including Horikita Manabu, would graduate and leave. A new batch of students would enter ANHS, continuing the eternal cycle of renewal.
Arriving early, Yukio was chatting idly with Ryuen. When Kiriyama came in, he stayed quiet and obediently took his seat, occasionally sneaking glances at Yukio.
He looked just like a bashful girl stealing looks at her crush — except Kiriyama was a guy, so those furtive glances just looked… a bit creepy.
Of course, it wasn't that Kiriyama had some strange obsession; he was just incredibly curious. Curious about what Yukio, now in possession of a fortune capable of shaking not just a grade but the entire school, would do next.
That much power could easily overturn ANHS itself.
"You're all early." Ichinose arrived at the student council room, greeting everyone before sitting on Yukio's other side.
"I knew it — Yukio-kun would definitely pull it off."
After saying her words of gratitude, she smiled, the kind of smile that came naturally whenever she looked at him — soft, relieved, and serene.
It was as if just seeing Yukio made all her worries disappear. Her smile overflowed with the quiet joy of a girl looking at the boy she loved — safety, warmth, and sweetness all at once.
"How could he not pull it off? The guy just made a fortune!" Horikita came in next with Kushida, looking at Yukio with obvious irritation.
Unlike the other students who had only learned about Yukio's plan after the voting exam ended that morning, Horikita had known since the day before.
But knowing was one thing — actually seeing it happen was another. Watching Yukio really earn such an absurd amount left her feeling uneasy.
It was like back in the 1990s when everyone was doing manufacturing, and someone suddenly switched to real estate. Everyone knew real estate would make money — but no one expected that much money. Naturally, it left a bitter taste.
Horikita even felt a faint twinge of regret. Maybe she shouldn't have signed that unconditional contract to transfer all special exam profits to Yukio. If not for that, he wouldn't have gotten rich this fast.
"Haha, President, don't forget to treat us~!" Kushida jumped in, easing the tension with a teasing tone. She called him "President" playfully, blinking flirtatiously in front of everyone — openly throwing sparks at Yukio.
"No problem." Yukio waved grandly. "Tonight then — dinner's on me."
"Yay! The president's the best!" Kushida cheered first, dissolving the heavy air Horikita had brought in. Ichinose, who loved such lively atmospheres, joined in too.
In no time, the room was filled with cheerful energy — everyone except Horikita, who sat stiffly with a blank face.
What really bothered her wasn't how much Yukio had earned, but rather the little wager they had made.
During the exam, as they waited for results, Horikita's thoughts had wandered endlessly. What did Yukio plan to make her do because of that bet?
The more she thought about it, the more it gnawed at her — hence her sharp tone when she'd first entered.
"Dinner? I didn't miss anything, did I?" Sakayanagi was the last to arrive, probably due to her health. Moving slowly into the room, she was immediately surrounded by Kushida and Ichinose, who eagerly filled her in about Yukio's dinner invitation.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's get to business." Yukio said, setting the dinner talk aside and opening the meeting on his phone.
Hearing that, Kiriyama's expression grew serious. They were just one step away from reaching Class 2-A status — they couldn't afford to slack off.
Ryuen raised an eyebrow slightly, wondering what kind of new tricks the school might pull this time.
Sakayanagi wore her usual elegant smile, but her attitude said she couldn't care less.
Ichinose looked bright and spirited — as if no matter what the exam entailed, she'd give it her all.
Kushida wore her fake cheerful grin, while Horikita looked the most earnest. The year-end exam was serious enough on its own, and this one involved her brother's final test before graduation.
After all, in this whole year, she'd barely exchanged a few words with him.
"Let's start with the third-years," Yukio said, scanning his phone before reading aloud. "The third-year exam's pretty interesting — they'll be dispatched to various departments as temporary workers."
"In simple terms, the earlier workplace exam let them experience being office workers; this one lets them experience being civil servants."
"The council can only modify two things — grouping and penalties."
"No need to discuss it too much. We'll leave the groups as they are and cancel the expulsion penalty. Any objections?"
"…" Everyone froze for a moment. Was this even a meeting? It felt like Yukio had just called them in to make announcements.
Still, no one objected. None of them were graduating, and even Horikita, whose brother was among the third-years, was happy to see the expulsion penalty removed. Who would complain about that?
"Good." Yukio smiled, satisfied. "Next is the second-year exam. Kiriyama, yours is about mentality and decision-making. There are three items you can modify. Anything you want to change?"
"Ah— huh?" Kiriyama blinked, pointing to himself in surprise, as if wondering if he really had the authority to change anything. Then he broke into an excited grin.
"Change them! Change them all!"
…
He'd never expected that the ever-decisive Yukio would actually give him such freedom. He thought he wouldn't even get to speak today!
After adjusting the second-year exam per Kiriyama's input, Yukio moved on — not out of kindness, but practicality. If not for the fact that Kiryuin-senpai was also in Class 2-B like Kiriyama, Yukio wouldn't have bothered.
"Lastly, our first-year year-end exam," Yukio said. "It's a project-selection test, with two modifiable items."
"One: project count. Two: penalty."
Ryuen leaned over curiously to look at the phone. "What does 'project count' mean?"
Yukio shook his head. "No idea. The school's like that — even the student council isn't told specifics. Probably something like the training camp exam — several smaller projects within one big test."
"And this one's special. We can't modify it freely — we have to choose from specific options. Five, seven, nine, or eleven projects."
"Then let's pick seven! Seven's a lucky number anyway," Kushida said with playful innocence.
No one objected. It was just the number of projects — no one cared enough to argue — so they agreed on seven.
For the penalty, Yukio decided on his own again: the expulsion punishment would be removed and replaced with class point deductions instead.
After these student council adjustments, Tsukishiro could no longer expel any first-years. Furious, Ayanokoji Atsuomi berated him harshly, but though Tsukishiro sounded terrified on the surface, deep down, he didn't take it to heart at all.
...
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