While the student council was holding their tea party, Nagumo Miyabi had already found his target.
"What do you want with me?"
Sudo, who had been heading to the basketball club in a sour mood, found himself unexpectedly intercepted and led behind the school building.
The person before him was naturally not Nagumo, but Iijima Ryota.
As Nagumo Miyabi's most trusted subordinate at the moment, Iijima Ryota was responsible for conveying Nagumo's intentions to him.
Of course, Nagumo Miyabi didn't fully trust Iijima Ryota either, and was observing their every move from not far away.
"I'm quite interested in your first-year voting exam."
Iijima Ryota glanced behind Sudo Ken and saw no one there.
At this moment, Ike Kanji was with Yamauchi Haruki, so Nagumo Miyabi had chosen the isolated Sudo Ken.
Sudo Ken remained vigilant: "Who are you? An upperclassman?"
"Watch your tone with your seniors. The senior before you might actually be able to help you."
Iijima Ryota frowned slightly, reminded of Kaoru who often ordered him around.
Sudo Ken snorted disdainfully: "What could you possibly help me with?"
Under normal circumstances, given his temper, he would have turned and walked away long ago.
If Iijima Ryota hadn't mentioned the exam, which piqued his interest, he wouldn't have bothered with this nonsensical upperclassman at all.
"Let me introduce myself first. I'm Iijima from Class 2-A. Sudo-kun, pleased to meet you."
Perhaps because of Iijima Ryota's polite attitude, Sudo Ken relaxed his guard slightly, though still puzzled.
"How do you know my name?"
Iijima Ryota didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "Yes, I specifically sought you out today, representing Nagumo-kun who wants to cooperate with you."
Sudo Ken was startled, finally realizing what Class 2-A meant.
The conflict between Kaoru and Nagumo had been the school's biggest news, especially since the cause was suspected to be a love triangle - a plot too juicy to ignore.
"You want to cooperate with me?"
Sudo Ken pointed at himself incredulously, "Do you think I can defeat Kaoru's Class A?"
"With Nagumo-kun here, we will win."
Iijima Ryota said sternly, "Besides, we don't expect you to defeat him. If possible, we hope to cooperate with your Class 1-D."
Sudo Ken instinctively wanted to refuse.
What did this have to do with him? He was already worried about expulsion.
Getting involved in the conflict between Kaoru and Nagumo would be suicidal.
"Actually, our goals align. Nagumo-kun wants Mitoma-kun expelled, and you want to climb to Class A too, don't you?"
These words made Sudo Ken waver.
If Ryuen Kakeru had said this, he would have at least hesitated.
But Iijima Ryota was an upperclassman, so there was no issue of collusion or betrayal.
Some people would kill to have upperclassmen help them.
"What's the point of telling me this? Horikita, Hirata, and Kushida would all be more useful than me. Aside from physical ability, I'm basically useless."
Compared to his arrogance at the start of school, the current Sudo Ken had a clear understanding of himself after being repeatedly put down by Horikita Suzune and others.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted Horikita Suzune's nomination for his expulsion.
"No, before approaching you, we already conducted an evaluation. You're very suitable to be our cooperation partner."
Iijima Ryota lied through his teeth, "Kushida and Karuizawa have unclear relationships with Mitoma-kun, so it's hard to say if they would agree to cooperate. Hirata-kun and Horikita are too rigid and don't want to rely on our help."
His words were half-truths and half-lies.
Upon hearing the names Karuizawa and Kushida, Ken Sudo actually somewhat believed they had connections with Kaoru, which was why he didn't intervene when Haruki Yamauchi attacked them.
When it came to describing Horikita as rigid, Sudo completely believed Ryota Iijima, since the Horikita in his impression was exactly that kind of person—someone who only trusted her own strength and refused anyone's help.
Even so, Sudo still verbally insisted, "Even if you say that, I don't have the ability to help you. No one in the class cooperates with me."
Finally, he added, "Tomorrow is the voting exam, and I'm also within the expulsion range. I might be leaving here soon."
Yamauchi had stirred up trouble in the class, dragging Sudo and Kanji down with him.
Their names would undoubtedly be high-frequency topics in tomorrow's exam.
Despite his dissatisfaction, Sudo honestly hoped his friends could stay safe and that Ryuen would truly cast Class C's Praise Votes for Yamauchi.
However, Ryota Iijima noticed a trace of unwillingness in his eyes.
"In that case, let's treat this voting exam as our first collaboration."
Sudo looked at the person before him in surprise.
Hadn't his words been clear enough?
"You really want to help me?"
"Are you willing to just drop out like this?"
"But she's right—my contributions to the class have been too low."
"With Nagumo's power, your future will surely make her look at you in a new light. You might even lead the class to touch the crown of Class A. Don't you want to present this victory to her?"
In an instant, Sudo was deeply tempted, even swallowing hard.
"I think you're aware of Nagumo's capabilities. He reigns over the entire second year, he's the student council president, and he once led his class to surpass Class A in one fell swoop. Countless students dreaming of promotion to Class A gather around him. If he's willing, you too can break through the defenses of Classes C and B and make the lofty Class A witness your strength firsthand."
By the end, Ryota Iijima remained expressionless.
So what if Nagumo was currently being pushed back by Mitoma?
Who didn't have a glorious past?
Clearly, Sudo, unaware of the truth, was taken in by this.
After all, the day Nagumo assumed the student council presidency was his moment of greatest triumph.
Who could have imagined that in less than half a year, his reign would already be precarious and on the verge of collapse?
Sudo didn't pay attention to Ryota Iijima's expression; his mind was filled with images of himself leading Class D to rise to Class A.
How astonished his classmates would be then, and how pleasantly surprised Horikita would look.
"What... what should I do?"
Hearing Sudo's slightly flustered voice, Ryota Iijima sighed inwardly.
It was just as Nagumo had predicted.
"That depends on how much you can tell me. Without knowing your class's situation, there's not much I can do, right?"
Sudo held nothing back and immediately told Ryota Iijima everything that had happened today.
After listening, Ryota Iijima fell into deep thought.
Sudo watched him nervously, as if awaiting a doctor's final verdict.
Could this situation still be salvaged?
"Someone from your class must be expelled now." Iijima Ryota suddenly remarked, "However, this person doesn't necessarily have to be you or your friends. After all, your rationalist believes anyone who doesn't contribute to the class falls within the scope of expulsion."
The so-called rationalist naturally referred to Horikita Suzune - discarding the least useful members of the class was undoubtedly the most rational and emotionless decision.
Yet precisely this point happened to align with Nagumo Miyabi's way of thinking.