And so, Miyuki and Sakayanagi entered the student council office.
Even though the door had awful soundproofing, the office itself was impressive. It was divided into a general work area, the student council president's private office, and a dedicated meeting room.
But right now, the only person inside was the student council president, Horikita Manabu.
Even though he was alone, he still gave off a strong sense of authority.
Miyuki took a moment to study his face.
He hadn't paid much attention during the entrance ceremony, but now that he looked closely, he noticed that Horikita did resemble the Horikita from Class D.
Both had black hair.
But unlike Class D's Horikita, who had a cold and distant aura, the student council president's presence was sharp and intense.
And knowing that Horikita Manabu was also the leader of Class 3-A, it was clear just how strong he really was.
Not only had he led his class to dominate the rankings, earning more than 200,000 points in monthly living expenses, but he had also managed to keep every single classmate from being expelled.
He had both power and influence—students willingly followed him, and the fact that he became the student council president showed that the school acknowledged his abilities as well.
As Miyuki and Sakayanagi stepped inside, Horikita Manabu introduced the layout of the student council office.
"Would you like to move to the meeting room?" he asked.
His gaze remained calm and slightly indifferent as he spoke.
But Shirogane had already figured it out.
The student council president was testing their reason for coming here. Normally, any student could visit the council, but first-years were a special case. Since they were still unaware of how the school truly operated and had to take a behavioral assessment exam in their first month, extra caution was needed.
They couldn't reveal too much about the school.
Yet, the student council still had to function.
So, he was probing them with his words.
If Shirogane and Sakayanagi said they were heading to the student council's work area, it would mean they had official business with the council. But if they said they were going to the reception room, it would suggest they were just clueless newcomers.
Depending on their choice, he would treat them differently.
"I'm here today to print a full roster of all first-year students," Sakayanagi Arisu said proactively. "So, I won't be going to the reception room."
Won't be going, huh?
In other words, she was here to request student council services.
"During yesterday's homeroom, our teacher mentioned that private points could be used as money in this school. As long as you have enough, you can buy anything."
"So, Student Council President, I'd like to print the first-year roster. Name your price."
Name your price?
Hearing Sakayanagi's request, Horikita Manabu looked up and glanced at her.
She had already figured out most of how this school worked, hadn't she?
He had suspected that this year's students were a little different, but very few people understood the school's true nature by their second day.
"First-Year Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu. Physically weak, but highly intelligent and academically gifted. You ranked third in the entrance exam."
"It's only been two days since you enrolled, but you've already gained a following in Class A."
"This morning, during the first class, you directly asked your homeroom teacher whether enough private points could buy the method to obtain the school's promised rewards."
"Am I right?"
"Sakayanagi."
Horikita Manabu had now returned to his desk, resting both elbows on the tabletop, his fingers interlocked in front of him.
He gave off a powerful presence.
And his words carried just as much pressure.
The first two sentences could have come straight from her student records. But the last two were different.
It was as if he had full knowledge of Sakayanagi's actions—right down to what she had said in class.
That was unsettling.
"Looks like this school has quite a lot of surveillance cameras," Sakayanagi remarked, showing no sign of panic. She responded with a composed and calm demeanor.
"..." Horikita Manabu didn't say anything this time.
He had already confirmed it—Sakayanagi had either fully grasped the school's true nature or was close to figuring it out.
And yes, the school was indeed filled with cameras, installed specifically to monitor and evaluate students' behavior.
After all, with free tuition, a living stipend, and extravagant rewards for top students, the school wouldn't just hand these out without supervision.
The school administration observed and constantly updated their assessments of students to track their progress.
"So then, Shirogane Miyuki, why did you come to the student council?" Horikita Manabu shifted his attention.
[This student council president is tough.]
The narration in Shirogane's mind started running again.
But she wasn't wrong—the student council president really was impressive. If Horikita Manabu could remember Sakayanagi's name, it could be explained by the fact that she was an honor student from Class 1-A.
However, there was no way he could have known in advance that Shirogane and Sakayanagi would visit the student council today. Yet, he not only recognized them immediately but also provided information about them. This suggested that he might have memorized the entire first-year roster—or maybe even the names of every student in the school.
"I came to ask about the requirements for joining the student council," Shirogane said. "Even as a student from Class C, I want to contribute to my class in any way I can."
"Just contribute?" Horikita Manabu gave him a sharp look.
If he had said he was curious about how the school worked and wanted to confirm things with the student council, that would have made sense.
That would be a typical mindset for a new student.
But this guy? He was on a completely different level.
"Even as a student from Class C…" "I want to contribute to my class…"
This meant he had already figured out how the school worked.
He was already thinking about gaining an advantage in the class competition.
Horikita Manabu recalled the student record for Shirogane Miyuki.
Shirogane had ranked first in the written entrance exam. However, his physical abilities, coordination skills, and social interactions during middle school were lacking, which led to him being placed in Class C.
On paper, he was still considered promising.
But his behavior was definitely unusual.
"The structure of this school's student council is similar to those outside. The president has full authority over appointments and dismissals," Horikita Manabu explained.
"Whenever a new student council president is elected, all current members are dismissed."
"But," Horikita Manabu continued, "to join my student council, you need my approval. In other words, you have to prove yourself worthy."
"The usual process takes a month. If you're serious about joining, come back in a month."
"I see," Shirogane nodded.
He didn't seem disappointed at all.
"..." Horikita Manabu frowned slightly.
"In that case, I'd like to take care of my second reason for coming here," Shirogane said. "I'd like to report something."
"A report?"
"Yes, a report," Shirogane repeated. "Yesterday, I went to an electronics store to buy something, and I found that one of the store employees was secretly filming customers with a hidden camera at the register."
"He turned the camera on whenever a female customer entered the store."
As he spoke, Shirogane pulled out the SD card he had picked up. Then, as if remembering something, he added,
"I found this SD card, but I think another girl had already noticed what was happening before me. She must have taken the card out of the camera before I found it."
"I don't know her name, but I remember she was tall, had long purple hair, and wore two hair clips," Shirogane said. "Does that information help?"
"..."
"..."
Does that information help?
Help?
Horikita Manabu was at a loss for words.
Did this guy think reporting something like this would earn him a reward? And was he even trying to make sure that purple-haired girl got a reward too?
This whole situation…
Shirogane Miyuki hadn't misunderstood.
For the first month after enrollment, freshmen were evaluated on their behavior.
The main focus of the assessment was whether they could meet the standards of an elite student at Advanced Nurturing High School.
If their behavior didn't meet expectations, they would lose points.
So, if points could be deducted for poor behavior, wouldn't exceptional performance be rewarded with extra points?
In the past, that had never happened.
But—
No freshman had ever reported something like this before. If it turned out that the store clerk really had done something inappropriate, it would be a huge stain on the school's reputation.
If the issue was dealt with quickly, it could prevent any serious consequences for the students involved.
So—
If the report was confirmed to be true, there was a high chance the school would make an exception and award extra points.
At the very least, Horikita Manabu knew the chairman was someone who strictly followed a reward-and-punishment system.
So while it was rare, this year's freshmen might not only face point deductions but also have a chance to gain points.
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