In truth, she'd never had such thoughts.
Getting Natsume-san to even consider forming a clique, making her dwell on all sorts of trivial troubles every day—that was even less likely than getting her to seriously participate in Judgment activities.
Even without considering their increasingly close relationship, simply based on their mutual understanding, Shokuhou-senpai naturally had neither the intention nor the need to suppress a certain bun-girl.
After all, compared to the Railgun whose thoughts were often a mystery, the personality and thought patterns of her own underclassman had long been quietly figured out by a certain Mental Out.
"The Queen's Clique? That would be Shokuhou-senpai."
Natsume Sonoko was slightly surprised. She hadn't expected the other party to seek her out concerning Shokuhou-senpai.
Though the other girl had only spoken half of what she meant, Natsume Sonoko could roughly imagine the rest.
Most of her curiosity instantly vanished. It was nothing more than just friction, rivalry, or some tangled drama between senior students.
Tokiwadai Middle School was always bustling with activity. The young ladies' lives weren't just about tea parties and club activities.
However, Natsume-san never paid much attention to those matters; she had the standing to remain detached from it all.
Now that she thought about it, this script felt all too familiar.
Before, Misaka-senpai and Shokuhou-senpai had been at odds like this too. Perhaps things eased slightly after the Kihara Gensei incident, but their fundamental incompatibility was surely hard to resolve.
Most conflicts between girls arose for baffling reasons and were endlessly messy. Natsume Sonoko made it clear she wanted no part in any of it.
But she could still gather that Shokuhou-senpai seemed to have quite a few rivals within the school. The Gaouin-senpai before her was clearly one of the opposition.
Natsume Sonoko didn't treat her differently just because she disliked Shokuhou-senpai. Nobody could be liked by everyone.
Besides, the Mental Out ability itself was a major negative. Unless someone truly understood Shokuhou-senpai, feeling aversion or rejection was perfectly normal.
'It's not like I go around boasting about my noble character just because I have one'—or so a certain unnamed athletic star might say.
"Yes, indeed, it's concerning Shokuhou-san and her group—that largest clique."
Gaouin-senpai nodded, reaching up to adjust the ribbon at her neck.
"That Shokuhou-san wields both the 'Largest Clique' and 'Mental Out' as her weapons. She's practically an unprecedented, tyrannical ruler in Tokiwadai's history."
"Not only is she adept at manipulating minds and coercing the Railgun, but she's also repeatedly absorbed the former assets of the Big Three cliques outside school, gaining profits through dubious means across multiple sectors."
"Furthermore, she occupies a large number of classrooms in the school's clique activity building as her private territory, forcibly demarcating spheres of influence and suppressing the expansion of all other cliques."
Gaouin Tsukasa counted off on her fingers, speaking with grave seriousness.
Though there was some exaggeration, many of these things had a basis in traceable events. This was probably the norm for the dominant cliques within Tokiwadai.
It was said that a year ago, the old-era Big Three cliques had even experienced a serious, violent bloodshed due to internal strife—something completely unlike what one would expect from a school for young ladies.
Since most of the clique leaders and senior members from that time had since graduated, only the current second and third-year students knew some of the inside details.
"But the root of all this doesn't actually lie with Shokuhou-san herself. Or rather, the #5 Level 5 is just going with the flow, bound tightly to her clique by her subordinates and various tangible benefits."
"When you trace it to its source, the problem is Tokiwadai's abnormal clique system itself. It's the root cause of student infighting and chaos."
"We already have all sorts of clubs. The emergence of cliques like these is completely meaningless, yet here they are."
Shifting her focus, Gaouin Tsukasa aimed her criticism at the clique system itself, glossing over the shade she had just laid against the Shokuhou clique.
"Eh?"
Her expression freezing for a second, Natsume-san wasn't sure how to respond.
Much like Natsume-san's own somewhat unsavory reputation in Academy City, her Shokuhou-senpai's public image wasn't great either.
But the issue seemed to have shifted from Shokuhou-senpai's reputation to the so-called clique system itself, leaving her feeling utterly confused. What was all this about?
Natsume-san existed independently of any clique. She had only joined that Urban Legend Investigation Club with its handful of members, currently serving as the club's mascot.
When you thought about it, clubs and cliques were similar in nature, but ultimately different entities.
This was why, while you couldn't join two clubs or two cliques, you could join one club and one clique simultaneously.
"Gaouin-senpai, are you suggesting... disbanding the cliques?"
Her mind working quickly, Natsume Sonoko immediately grasped the meaning behind the other's words—or at least, the meaning the other girl wanted her to grasp.
"Correct. I intend to formally disband all cliques within the school under the banner of the next Student Council President."
Nodding firmly, a look of heightened determination appeared on Gaouin-senpai's face as she unabashedly spread her slogan and goal.
A true young lady from a proper family never stooped to underhanded schemes. She would unite everyone openly and fairly, toppling the mountain looming over all Tokiwadai students in one fell swoop.
"The specific date for the new Student Council election hasn't been set yet, but based on previous years, it will likely be between October and November. I, Gaouin Tsukasa, in my capacity as the current Student Council Vice-President and leader of the Gaouin Clique, formally invite Natsume-san to support me in the election."
"I will challenge Shokuhou Misaki openly and fairly during the election. Then, using public opinion and legitimate authority, I will pressure Shokuhou Misaki to disband her clique, put an end to Tokiwadai's clique system, and reunite power within the Student Council."
Gaouin Tsukasa spoke each word clearly, not avoiding the fact that she herself was a clique leader.
Similarly, she would also seek Misaka-san's support, trying to gain the backing of both Level 5s.
According to Tokiwadai Middle School's student council election rules, it could be roughly summarized as a two-stage system.
First, there was the clique election where all students voted for cliques. Based on the votes received, a corresponding number of 'Final Candidates' and 'Electors' were nominated.
Under this system, the formation of cliques was inevitable, even a necessity. Even though the Student Council could nominally manage all students, its power was inevitably diluted by the various internal cliques, preventing the formation of a strong, empowered Student Council that could even contend with the school's board of directors.
Furthermore, due to the overwhelming pressure from the Shokuhou Clique, the current Tokiwadai Student Council could no longer truly represent the student body. Its situation was similar to Natsume-san's position within her own club—you only heard their voice during events like the Daihasei Festival or other celebrations.
After the clique election, the 'Electors' would then vote for the 'Final Candidates' to select the new Student Council President.
Strictly speaking, this senior with such idealistic goals might just be a rare case of chuunibyou. Yet, the bun-girl sitting opposite her found herself somewhat infected by the other's intensity for a moment.
She also felt her school was a bit strange. The Student Council felt almost non-existent. Other prestigious schools in Academy City seemed to have similar situations, whereas the student councils in ordinary schools functioned much better.
"The Student Council election..."
Natsume-san had a minor epiphany, finally understanding why the other had sought her out.
The plan was to use a public challenge to provoke Shokuhou-senpai, then, under the gaze of the entire school, force Shokuhou-senpai to concede or even disband her clique from a position of victory.
Even if it didn't fully succeed, it would serve as a check. It was actually a pretty good idea.
But was there any real chance of success? The difficulty of defeating the Shokuhou Clique head-on was incredibly high.
Still, it wasn't impossible. If other Level 5s chose to stand with Gaouin-senpai, the outcome would be truly unpredictable.
As for whether Shokuhou-senpai would cheat to influence the election... that was something Natsume-san didn't even consider.
Moreover, Tokiwadai's election also had a 'Majority Rule': if a clique secured more than half the votes in the clique election, they would win outright.
Given the Shokuhou Clique's current prestige, this possibility existed.
Therefore, before Gaouin-senpai officially issued her challenge, gaining the support of the other Level 5 was absolutely necessary. It could rally a large number of followers and prevent a single clique from dominating completely.
Without even Natsume-san herself fully realizing it, her influence among the first-years at Tokiwadai was already no weaker than that of the Queen's Clique.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.