Chapter 7: The Gaze of the Student Council
News of Mary Saotome's defeat spread across the second-year floor as if it had grown wings.
The fall of the queen who once dominated the class, and her loss to an obscure transfer student, was undoubtedly major news at Hyakkaou Private Academy.
However, the person involved seemed entirely unaware of being at the center of the storm.
During lunch break, in the noisy classroom.
"Saotome."
I sat in my seat, not even bothering to look up at the blonde girl standing beside me, my eyes fixed on the news on my phone.
"...What?" Mary Saotome replied. Although her tone was impatient, she responded to me immediately.
"I want to eat that."
"Ha?"
"The Golden Yakisoba Bread, limited to fifty per day. If you go now, you should still make it."
Veins instantly throbbed on Mary's forehead.
"What do you take me for? Am I your errand boy? Don't mess with me! Our contract says 'collaborator,' not 'maid'!"
"A collaborator needs to act the part of someone who 'has no choice but to obey the victor after losing a gamble' to numb the observations of those around us."
I fabricated the reason without changing my expression.
"If we act too close or too distant, it will arouse suspicion. Only this kind of 'accepting defeat' master-servant relationship serves as the most natural cover."
Mary opened her mouth as if to argue, but she couldn't find a logical loophole. Most importantly, that signed contract hung over her head like the Sword of Damocles.
"...Tch."
她 let out an extremely irritated click of her tongue, wearing a fierce expression enough to scare off any nearby boys.
"Where's the money?"
"You're a daughter of a wealthy family, right? Cover it for now."
"Ayanokoji—!!"
Despite the low growl escaping her throat, Mary turned and stormed out of the classroom in a rage.
Watching her swaying twin-tails vanish, I couldn't help but reflect: she truly is a very useful pawn. She has initiative and is easily driven by emotion; she can be controlled with just a slight justification.
Ten minutes later.
"Here! I hope you choke on it!"
A steaming yakisoba bread was slammed onto my desk. Beside it sat a carton of strawberry milk.
"Um, I don't recall asking you to buy milk."
"Shut up! I bought it on the way. If you don't want it, throw it away!"
Mary turned her head to the side, the tips of her ears turning slightly red. It seemed that while she complained vocally, her subconscious was already beginning to adapt to this dominated role.
This "contrast" might also be one of her greatest strengths as a cover.
Meanwhile, in the Student Council Room.
It was a room of extreme luxury, with massive floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire campus.
A girl sitting on a leather sofa was idly fiddling with her freshly manicured nails. She was a member of the Student Council and the daughter of a major toy manufacturer—Itsuki Sumeragi.
"Hey, I heard that Mary Saotome lost quite pathetically."
She picked up a file from the table, which featured Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's lifeless ID photo.
"The opponent is... Kiyotaka Ayanokoji? A name I've never heard before." Itsuki narrowed her eyes, as if inspecting a novel toy.
"He looks like a gloomy, boring guy. But, to be able to tame that rabid dog Mary, his methods must be anything but simple, right?"
She pulled a deck of cards from her pocket and shuffled them skillfully. She loved to collect—beautiful fingernails, rare toys, and of course, promising talents. Or rather, she loved turning them into her personal collectibles.
"It just so happens things have been a bit dull lately. If he really is an interesting fellow, should I 'buy' him?"
Itsuki looked at the dead-fish eyes in the photograph, her lips curling into a sweet, malicious smile.
At the library after school.
I hid here to avoid the prying eyes in the classroom and Mary's incessant complaining.
The library at Hyakkaou Academy is well-stocked, and in a school where gambling is supreme, this is a rare place of peace.
I held a hardcover book on game theory, currently turned to the chapter on "Nash Equilibrium."
Suddenly, a faint scent drifted by.
It wasn't the scent of shampoo, but a deeper floral fragrance that felt out of place in this school reeking of money.
The footsteps were light—so light they were undetectable if one didn't listen closely.
I looked up slightly.
At the other end of the bookshelf, a girl with long, straight black hair walked slowly past.
She wore the same uniform as I did, yet she gave off a completely different feeling. It was some kind of... extremely dangerous signal.
It was like an herbivore in the forest instinctively sensing the presence of an apex predator.
If Mary was a barking mad dog, then this girl... was a giant python waiting to reveal its fangs.
She seemed to be looking for a book, her slender fingers tracing the spines.
Sensing my gaze, she tilted her head slightly.
Beneath her hime-cut bangs, those deep crimson eyes met mine for an instant.
That was... Yumeko Jabami.
The mysterious transfer student rumored to be joining the school soon.
She didn't speak; she only gave me an incredibly elegant yet inscrutable smile before turning to vanish at the end of the shelves.
In that instant, the page in my hand trembled slightly.
"It seems," I closed the book and muttered to myself, "the ecological balance of this school is about to completely collapse."
Fine. The muddier the water, the easier it is for a fish like me to stay hidden.
I only hope this new storm doesn't reach my peaceful life too quickly—though that is likely wishful thinking.