"Mrs. Sagara, here's the donation report from the latest OB meeting. I'll just leave it here."
"Alright, that's fine."
Shirogane Miyuki placed the printed spreadsheet on Sagara Kaname's desk.
Since Rinji wasn't around, Ishigami had temporarily taken over his Treasurer duties.
After setting the report down, Shirogane noticed Sagara had been distracted for a while, resting her chin in one hand and clicking around on her computer.
The screen was filled with articles related to Hyakkaou Private Academy.
"You're worried about Rinji too, aren't you, Mrs. Sagara?"
"Yeah, I really am."
Sagara leaned back in her chair and stretched. Shirogane took a glance at the screen.
The search results listed: Students forced into debt and prostitution, Gambling encouraged, Severe bullying—that's what Sagara had found.
"Mrs. Sagara... do you really think Rinji will be okay there?"
Shirogane couldn't hide his worry.
From what he'd learned, that place was anything but normal. The last thing he wanted was for Rinji to suffer through something nightmarish.
"Of course I'm worried. A lot."
"Then we should report this to the school, talk to the parents..."
"Calm down, Shirogane."
Sagara watched him grow agitated and interrupted.
"It's too late to apologize to those parents. Besides, do you really think Rinji did anything that requires apologizing?"
"...I don't think so, but—"
"Don't act on your own. I know you're worried, but this is Rinji's decision."
"I..."
"Trust him. At least, I've never once been afraid he'd get hurt."
"...Got it."
Shirogane's expression turned serious.
"If anything happens to Rinji, please let me know. He's part of the student council. He's my friend."
"I understand."
Sagara's expression softened at last.
"Rinji has a great friend in you. Don't worry. He'll be just fine."
"Alright, I'll get going then."
"Go ahead."
After Shirogane left, Sagara's face grew stern again. She stared at the screen, clicking her mouse.
"Rinji's safety isn't the issue. What we should really be concerned about... is that this school might draw out the terrifying malice and madness hiding inside him."
---
"President... I've brought the guest..."
Inside Hyakkaou Private Academy, the girl nervously opened the door to the student council office and walked in together with Rinji.
"So this is your student council office? Surprisingly luxurious."
Stepping inside, Rinji chuckled as he glanced around the room.
Luxurious sofas and wooden furniture, a tea table adorned not only with delicate tea sets but also with fresh flowers. The décor leaned toward European elegance, and several expensive-looking paintings hung on the walls.
There were eight people seated inside the office.
A boy with glasses, a fashionable-looking girl, a girl reclining on a sofa with an eyepatch, another dressed like an idol, one who looked like a child, and a girl in traditional Japanese kimono who kept her eyes closed.
At the center stood a masked girl whose face was completely concealed. She respectfully stood beside the student council president.
And the student council president was someone Rinji had met once before—Kirari Momobami.
"Welcome to Hyakkaou Private Academy, Takamine-san."
Seeing that Rinji had arrived, Kirari offered a slight smile and gestured for him to take a seat.
Rinji didn't bother with formalities—he pulled out a chair and sat down casually.
What's more, he even took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it in front of the entire Hyakkaou Private Academy student council.
"You really should welcome me. Those parents who caused trouble for me—your doing, wasn't it?"
"That... would be hard to say," Kirari didn't answer directly.
"If you don't want to say, fine. I'm not really the kind of guy who needs evidence," Rinji sneered. "But if the next pawn you send at me asks me to cover their travel costs, I'll only reimburse them for a coffin."
SLAM!
Before Kirari could respond, a bespectacled boy slammed the table and stood up.
He strode up to Rinji, looking down at him condescendingly.
"Whoever you are, when you're in the student council office, please show some respect. Address the president properly. And no smoking in here."
"Oh."
Rinji removed the cigarette from his mouth—and pressed it right onto the lenses of the guy's glasses to snuff it out.
"You—!"
Before he could curse, Rinji smiled and asked, "And you are?"
"I'm sa—"
"He's Kaede Manyuda," a loli-looking girl nearby chimed in with a grin. "The treasurer of our student council."
"Ah, the treasurer."
Rinji chuckled.
"So am I—the treasurer of the student council at Shuchiin Academy."
"I don't care what you were at your last school. This student council isn't some kiddie roleplay."
"Kiddie play, huh…"
Rinji smiled again, took a teacup from the table, poured some hot tea into it, and gently placed it in front of Manyuda.
"Here, fellow treasurer. How about some tea?"
"Are you even listen—"
Before he could finish, Rinji suddenly grabbed his hair and slammed his face down into the hot teacup.
CRACK!!
The cup shattered, scalding tea and sharp shards pressed against his face.
"Mmmph!! MMMMPHH!!"
"What was that? 'Not allowed'? Called our student council 'kiddie play'?" Rinji's eyes were frigid as he ground the guy's face into the broken porcelain and hot liquid.
"Trying to teach me your rules? You got guts, loser."
The rest of the student council was frozen in fear. As for Kirari, she calmly sipped her tea like she hadn't seen a thing.
"Though I already said this at the school gate, I'm generous enough to repeat it," Rinji's eyes glinted blood-red.
"Your rules mean nothing. Mine are the ones that matter."