Kaoru received a message from Iijima Ryota in the evening.
Upon seeing Nagumo Miyabi's plan, he was genuinely moved.
Although it seemed risky and could easily fail—like a clown dancing on a tightrope—Kaoru understood his reasoning.
Nagumo Miyabi only had the Praise Votes of one class, while Kaoru had the Praise Votes of two classes.
The gap was simply too large, so Nagumo Miyabi could not afford to reveal his true intentions.
If exposed, his plan would have no chance of success, leaving him with no choice but to watch helplessly.
Kaoru was grateful that Manabe and the others had not been exposed and that he had kept them hidden.
Otherwise, Nagumo Miyabi would have attacked on both fronts, forcing him to use Personal points.
On the other hand, he began to worry about Asahina Nazuna's safety.
What if Nagumo Miyabi was even willing to target his own childhood friend?
It was clear that he needed to put an end to Nagumo Miyabi's schemes as soon as possible.
After some thought, Kaoru decided he had to meet with the acting chairman.
The controversy surrounding the impeachment of Nagumo Miyabi has persisted until now, yet the school has shown no response.
It is evident that the acting chairman forcibly suppressed this turmoil.
If it were an ordinary student, even if they realized this, they could only stare helplessly, as the chairman holds an authoritative position in the school—his word is the school regulation, even if he is merely an acting chairman.
Kaoru was contemplating what identity he should use to approach this acting chairman.
He knew the other party's identity, and the other party was likely wondering what exactly he was.
At the time, he had been too busy developing his career in the entertainment industry and hadn't delved deeply into the political and business circles.
Moreover, he died too quickly—right in the gap when these people were interested but hadn't yet made their move.
Recalling the past, Kaoru stood up and opened the window of his room.
He saw the bright moon hanging in the sky, casting a clear glow, with countless stars twinkling like faint city lights floating in the night sky.
"Miracles aren't necessarily about coming back to life, are they?"
At this moment, he was alone in the room.
Karuizawa had happily told him about her day, but the impact was so overwhelming that she couldn't come to his place and instead went to discuss tomorrow's exam with her girlfriends.
In reality, these girlfriends were taking the opportunity to comfort Karuizawa, using this chance to strengthen their bonds.
Kushida's situation was quite similar.
[We clearly agreed back then that you would be my outsourcing for life.]
Kaoru felt the gentle breeze from outside the window, then slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, his eyes gleaming.
"To be honest, this time has been too long."
He turned and walked back to the living room, passing by the kitchen where he could see the cooking oil Horikita Suzune had used.
"What would they think if they saw me loafing around in a high school for a year or two?"
[Next time, I'll take you to a real otherworld—cat girls, dragon girls, bunny girls, and succubi. Whose jade feet you want to lick, you can lick.]
"Do you think that's possible?"
Not only was it impossible, but Kaoru even felt that staying here any longer was a bad idea.
He needed to resolve matters with the school and his agency as soon as possible.
[What about me... then?]
As soon as Kaoru sat down, his phone vibrated a few times.
Picking it up, he saw that Ayanokoji had called him.
"Sudo and Ike are secretly planning the vote. They intend to cast Criticism Votes for Sakura while having us cast Praise Votes for the two of them."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point.
"I understand."
Kaoru's reaction was calm. "How many people are willing to cooperate with them?"
"It's unclear for now. Their specific reasoning is to find an alternative scapegoat to prevent Class C from actually casting Praise Votes for Yamauchi. So, they want to confirm a backup early to avoid accidentally harming their own people."
Just hearing this flimsy excuse, Ayanokoji was already speechless on the spot.
However, upon second thought, such an easily debunked reason might actually mislead people.
Since Sudo and Ike are also within the range of potential expulsion, this excuse would only make others think they are trying to save themselves, thereby overlooking the underlying scheme.
"Aside from me, they've approached quite a few others, such as Sotomura, Hondo, Miyamoto, Ijuin, and so on."
Kaoru was somewhat surprised.
This way, the other party had gathered nearly double-digit votes.
After Yamauchi Haruki's complete failure, Sudo Ken could still rally these people—no wonder Yamauchi Haruki had managed to secure covert support from quite a few.
"How did you know?"
"Sudo and Ike visited them one by one. Although I don't know exactly who agreed, these people usually have good relationships with them and are likely to have consented."
"Aside from using the excuse of abandoning Yamauchi to save themselves, what else did they say?"
"Nothing. They said they didn't want to be expelled. Sudo has contributions from the sports festival, and Ike was useful on the uninhabited island. That alone is enough to persuade some people."
"In comparison, Sakura has no presence, so even if she's expelled, it doesn't matter, right?"
"Right."
Kaoru pondered for a long while, while Ayanokoji Kiyotaka across from him waited quietly for him to speak.
"Who do you think might receive Criticism Votes besides Yamauchi, Sudo, and Ike?"
As if he had anticipated the question, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka replied without hesitation.
"Koenji, Horikita, Karuizawa, Shinohara. These are the ones likely to gather a higher number of votes."
"You're quite concerned about your own class."
Kaoru was somewhat speechless. "If you keep maintaining the presence of a background character, the next one to be expelled might be you."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was momentarily at a loss for words. In reality, his situation was only slightly better than Sakura Airi's.
If someone really decided to vote for him, it was unlikely anyone would speak up for him.
However, after hesitating for a moment, he said, "If you cast a Praise Vote for Sakura, try to keep it minimal if you don't want to draw attention."
Kaoru fell silent for a moment. "The Ayanokoji I remember wouldn't be this caring."
"If I can earn a positive evaluation like 'caring' in your mind, then my goal is accomplished," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said.
"As a partner, I think I'm doing quite well."
Kaoru chuckled. "Fair point. As a partner, I've decided—I'll take you to meet the new acting chairman."
"You're not planning to sell me out, are you?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka feigned concern.
"It depends on whether the other party is willing to pay more. With a title like 'Masterpiece,' you're at least worth a fortune."
Though he knew Kaoru was mocking him, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could only feel frustrated inwardly, aware that he was no match for this person.
Perhaps not even his father could handle him—this person possessed real power.
"Next year," Kaoru suddenly said, "I'll leave the school. After that, I'll take you to see a broader world. The path your father laid out for you is utter trash."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't respond.
His eyes flickered slightly.
His father was striving for a position among the elite and needed his son's assistance.
After hanging up, Kaoru turned his attention to the Wish Machine and said, "What do you think of this outsourcing?"
[Amazing! It's just like the old you!]
"Good. I'll assign this person to you in the future. You can give me half the profits."
Kaoru thought the matter was settled, but the Wish Machine slowly typed out a question mark.
"What do you mean by typing a question mark?"
Kaoru was displeased.
He had kindly prepared a workhorse for the Wish Machine, only to be met with this kind of treatment.
[No, isn't this the outsourced task you gave me?]
Kaoru furrowed his brow, his expression growing even more displeased.
"Who told you this was your outsourced task? This is my outsourced task."
Even the usually lazy wish-granting machine was dumbfounded—could someone really take kickbacks like this?
Kaoru couldn't be bothered to deal with her. After making her do so much work without even being considered a formal employee, was it strange to pass the task along?
[I think you'd be more impressive in another world.]
"Just tell me if you want it or not?"
[Guh... I want it...]
Kaoru thought for a moment.
On the streets filled with an otherworldly atmosphere, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was licking the Succubus Lady's delicate feet—the image carried an inexplicably strong sense of twisted amusement.
But, after all, this was something Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had willingly chosen to do.
Kaoru was merely responsible for guiding him to experience a broader world, without lying about it.
[My outsourced task's outsourced task is not my outsourced task...]
The wish-granting machine muttered regretfully in his ear, but she would probably come to accept this reality in a few days.
Kaoru picked up his phone and began contacting Ichinose Honami and Katsuragi Kohei.
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