"Eh? You're asking about Vice President Nagumo?" Kushida Kikyo blinked in surprise, looking at Karuizawa Kei standing before her.
"Well, you get along with everyone, Kikyo, so I thought I'd ask you," Kei said with a cheerful smile, placing her palms together in a gesture of request.
As the most socially adept girl in Class 1-D, Kushida Kikyo had managed to build an extensive network across most of Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School within just one semester. Kei was hoping she might be able to dig up some useful information through her.
"I've met him once or twice, but I wouldn't say I know him well."
Although she was curious why Kei was asking about Nagumo Miyabi, Kushida didn't pry. Instead, she offered a thoughtful suggestion:
"But I did hear that Vice President Nagumo has been visiting the soccer club after school lately. If you're interested, maybe you could drop by and take a look."
"Thanks a lot!"
"It's nothing at all."
After finishing her friendly conversation with Kushida, Kei quickly went to find Hirata Yosuke, who was also a member of the soccer club.
"Vice President Nagumo?" Hirata looked a bit surprised but answered Kei's question patiently.
"Yeah, he's been coming to our practice field lately. He used to be a star player in the soccer club, but he left when he joined the student council. Even so, he still drops by occasionally to help train the newbies."
"Mhm, I see."
Kei nodded thoughtfully, making a mental note of the information.
Since she had resolved herself to oppose Nagumo Miyabi, she needed to understand her opponent well before the sports festival began.
"What kind of person is Vice President Nagumo?"
Hirata pondered her question for a moment before answering:
"He's very kind to underclassmen and always looks out for us. He's also incredibly athletic. Even though he's no longer in the soccer club, none of the current members can compare to him."
"Is he better than you, Hirata?"
"Yeah. Soccer is one of my strong suits, but Nagumo-senpai has better technique and physical abilities."
Hirata admitted this openly, without any hint of jealousy. He didn't seem to mind praising others.
Frankly, the only people in Class 1-D with better physical abilities than Hirata were Sudou, Kouenji, and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. The first two had visibly muscular physiques, while the latter had shown his prowess during that rainy night brawl with Kitagawa Ryo.
High grades, athletic excellence, a handsome face, the achievement of leading Class B to Class A, and the imminent promotion to student council president.
With all those accolades, it wasn't hard to see why Nagumo Miyabi was so popular on campus.
"Could you tell me where the soccer club usually practices?"
"It's over at the schoolyard. Planning to stop by? Visitors are allowed as long as they don't interfere with practice."
Hirata seemed to realize something and gently added:
"I know you might be feeling a little down because of last night, but don't let that make you dismiss your own feelings so easily."
Kei's mouth twitched. She immediately understood what Hirata was referring to—after all, the grand confession event last night had already spread across the entire school, and even the school forum was still buzzing about it.
"Nagumo-senpai and Kitagawa-kun might seem a bit alike..."
Completely different, actually. Why did it feel like Hirata had already assumed she was using someone else to cope with heartbreak?
There's no way that Nagumo could ever compare to Ryo.
Finding an excuse to end the conversation, Kei walked away while Hirata kindly added, "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
[Nagumo Miyabi... Nagumo Miyabi.]
She scoured the school forum for any information on the student council vice president, but all she saw were endless threads about last night's confession.
Clicking her tongue, Kei ignored them entirely.
If she focused all her energy on one thing, it would be easier to forget everything else that was bothering her.
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The first day of the new semester didn't have a heavy course load. When the afternoon classes ended, Karuizawa Kei broke away from her friends and made her way alone to the field, where a good number of students had already gathered. Some were club members, while others were simply there for training, creating a lively and energetic scene.
"They're in the middle of a match."
Turning her gaze to the center of the field, Karuizawa saw students in uniforms divided into two teams. They had already finished their warm-ups and were now engaged in a practice match.
Bang—
A male student took a right-footed shot. The ball traced a curved path through the air toward the goalpost. It was a beautiful trajectory, but one that was easy to read. The goalkeeper responded swiftly and punched the ball away.
Sweeping her eyes across the field, she quickly spotted Hirata Yosuke. The two teams appeared to be a mix of first to third-year students, and many unfamiliar faces could be seen.
Just as Karuizawa was about to look for Nagumo Miyabi among them, a sudden voice called out behind her.
"Hey there, Karuizawa-san."
Turning around, she saw Ichinose Honami from Class 1-C standing at the edge of the field, just like her, watching the soccer club's practice match.
Due to the point changes at the start of the new term, Class 1-C and Class 1-B had switched places. However, since their point difference wasn't that large, a single special exam could easily flip the rankings again.
"Good afternoon."
Since the other party greeted her first, Karuizawa felt obliged to return the gesture and stepped forward to stand beside her.
"I heard Shibata from your class is in the soccer club. Are you here to watch him play?"
As the absolute athletic ace of Class 1-C, Shibata Sou also had excellent social skills. He could be called the male version of "Ichinose Honami." Karuizawa knew this well because her first group operation with Kitagawa Ryo involved framing Shibata and extorting 800,000 private points from him.
"That's part of the reason, but I'm mainly here to call Vice President Nagumo back to the student council."
Ichinose glanced at her watch to check the time, then cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward the field:
"Vice President Nagumo! It's almost time for the meeting!"
Startled by her sudden action, Karuizawa quickly grabbed Ichinose's arm to stop her.
"You're not supposed to interrupt on-field practice, right?"
"Don't worry. It's not a real practice, just a friendly match organized by Nagumo-senpai."
Ichinose smiled as she explained. However, the intensity on the field suggested otherwise. The two teams looked like they were in a full-on clash, completely ignoring her shout.
The ball was kicked from the corner and landed near a teammate by the goalpost. The precise pass came from Hirata. Since a direct shot would be blocked, he passed to Shibata, who did not disappoint. At the perfect moment, he delivered a stunning goal.
"Oh? Is it already time? Looks like I should get serious."
On the opposing team, a blond boy made this declaration.
Nagumo Miyabi winked at Ichinose and gestured for her to wait. Then, he started running.
With Nagumo suddenly getting serious, Hirata and Shibata's team tensed up, immediately sensing the shift in atmosphere.
When the match resumed, both the ball and the players focused around Nagumo.
To his teammates, he was someone they could fully rely on. To his opponents, he was a formidable threat. Hirata stepped up to challenge Nagumo. Though his movements were sharp, Nagumo dodged effortlessly, almost playfully.
Shibata then attempted a tackle, but Nagumo used a series of feints to confuse him and slipped past.
In Karuizawa's eyes, both Hirata and Shibata were highly skilled, yet Nagumo was on a different level.
He advanced alone and delivered a powerful mid-range shot. The ball curved in a terrifying trajectory, completely fooling the goalkeeper and landing in the net.
Having pulled off this solo performance, Nagumo waved goodbye to the players, took off his outer jersey, and walked toward Ichinose while drinking water.
This was the first time Karuizawa had seen Nagumo up close. His striking blond hair made him stand out even in a crowd, and he was indeed handsome with a solid build. But due to her prior impressions, she felt there was something scheming behind those narrow eyes.
"Thanks for waiting, Ichinose. Sorry about that."
Nagumo apologized sincerely, then turned to Karuizawa and smiled brightly.
"And who might you be?"
"I'm Karuizawa Kei from Class 1-D."
Hearing she was from Class D, a faint flicker of disdain passed through Nagumo's eyes, though it was quickly concealed by his grin.
"Nice to meet you, Karuizawa-san. I'm Nagumo Miyabi, a second-year."
"Sorry, I'm a bit of a germaphobe. I'm not used to shaking sweaty hands."
Karuizawa glanced at his outstretched hand with distaste and gave a casual excuse.
"Ah, that's a shame."
Nagumo didn't mind. Though Karuizawa's appearance earned her a place in his mental list, there were more pressing matters at hand.
"Let's go, Ichinose."
The two seemed to be heading to a student council meeting. Ichinose said goodbye to Karuizawa, who nodded in acknowledgment.
Watching them walk away, she guessed they were going to discuss the sports festival.
But unlike the soccer club, the student council was off-limits to spectators.
Karuizawa took out her phone, connected Bluetooth, and inserted her earphones.
[Looks like Vice President Nagumo plans to propose a new motion today.]
Though faint, Ichinose's voice came through clearly enough.
Ichinose Honami, the only first-year member of the student council.
At the moment Karuizawa grabbed her arm earlier, she had slipped a tiny bug into Ichinose's pocket.
Lying and deceiving with a straight face.
Even using such tactics, she had to obtain information.
Karuizawa closed her eyes and focused on listening.
This was her first solo mission, without Kitagawa Ryo's guidance.
-------------------------------------
"Though Suzune's goldfish scooping failed miserably last night, since you gave it your all, here's your reward."
Kitagawa Ryo handed a slip with a phone number to Horikita Suzune sitting across from him.
"It's strange though. You're his sister, yet you don't even have your brother's contact info."
"None of your business."
Suzune responded coldly, but the way she immediately clenched the slip showed she wasn't as calm as she appeared.
"I'll be going now."
Having completed his task, Kitagawa Ryo stood to leave. He couldn't stop thinking about Hiyori, the cooking novice, alone in his room's kitchen.
Worried about his stomach tonight, he decided to go home and prepare himself.
"...Don't go."
But Horikita Suzune grabbed the hem of his shirt.
Her other hand held her phone, finger hovering over the green call button.
For the first time, Suzune showed vulnerability in front of Kitagawa. The tremble in her hand transferred to his shirt.
She had shed her outer shell.
Now standing before him was a little girl reaching desperately for a long-lost memory.
"Please stay."
"...Give me courage."
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