"He rejected me again..."
Mibuomi Aoi sat in his office chair in the Accounting Room, looking at the bustling students leaving school outside the window, and let out a helpless sigh.
Just half an hour ago, on a whim, he had once again invited Ayanokoji, hoping he would join his Zenshoukai.
But his eagerly anticipated invitation was immediately rejected by Ayanokoji, without a hint of hesitation.
And... Ayanokoji seemed to have misunderstood him. Until he left the Cooking Room, he kept looking at him with a strange gaze.
He really wasn't a homo... Mibuomi Aoi had originally wanted to explain, but after thinking about it, he decided not to.
If being seen as a homo could increase Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's "fighting spirit," giving him a reason to have to win the Formal Match, then he could accept being looked at with a strange gaze.
Mibuomi Aoi went to see Ayanokoji this afternoon using the excuse of "apologizing for Morikawa." His original intention was to probe him to see if his stance had softened and if he was willing to hand over the patent rights.
He used a "carrot and stick" approach, threatening Ayanokoji while also promising him some things, hoping Ayanokoji would voluntarily give him the patent rights.
He had used this combination of soft and hard tactics on others before, and it had always worked. He had thought Ayanokoji would also give in, but when he used it on Ayanokoji this time, it was completely ineffective; his attitude remained firm.
What Mibuomi Aoi hadn't expected was that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had directly laid his cards on the table during this conversation, immediately pointing out his purpose in forming the Zenshoukai and accusing him of having impure intentions.
Upon hearing Ayanokoji say this, Mibuomi Aoi's heart was filled not only with shame and anger but also with fear and unease.
It was as if someone had suddenly pulled away the fig leaf he had always worn, exposing his thoughts completely.
Being seen through was terrifying. If it were someone narrow-minded, they might try every means to make that person "shut up."
But Mibuomi Aoi was different.
His heart was indeed initially filled with unease, worried that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would tell his "ambition" to the other members of the Zenshoukai, rendering his year of effort meaningless.
But he quickly adjusted his mindset, looking at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka from a different perspective.
No wonder Juraku Sachiko was interested in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka; he was indeed different from everyone else.
Even though he had never revealed anything, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had only met him a few times, yet he spoke his thoughts accurately, as if he were an old acquaintance.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka saw through his "disguise," revealed his true purpose in forming the Zenshoukai, and even anticipated what he wanted to do after becoming Student Council President of Hyakkaou Private Academy in the future.
This kind of keen observation and deductive reasoning was extremely rare even at Hyakkaou Private Academy.
—Just as Ayanokoji thought, in Mibuomi Aoi's eyes, the Zenshoukai members were merely "pawns" who could be sacrificed once he became the Student Council President.
Mibusakaomi Aoi also admitted that, as Ayanokoji said, he did not have the confidence to directly defeat Student Council President Kirari Momobami.
That's why he had been secretly developing the Zenshoukai, continuously "amassing troops" and accumulating strength, waiting for an opportunity to unseat Momobami Kirari in one fell swoop.
He also wanted to defeat Momobami Kirari head-on, but he lacked the confidence, and he didn't believe that the "cadres" of his Zenshoukai had that ability.
Mibusakaomi Aoi had always been waiting for a "hero" to emerge who could defeat Momobami Kirari. He originally thought that person would be Saotome Meari, so he didn't hesitate to ally with Juraku Sachiko and set a trap for Saotome, hoping she would become livestock and work for him.
But Meari disappointed Mibusakaomi Aoi, losing repeatedly and unable to secure even one decent victory.
She had no ambition, just content with some small favors from others… Forget about challenging the Student Council President; she probably couldn't even beat a "cadre" of the Zenshoukai.
After Mibusakaomi Aoi shifted his attention from Saotome, he began to use the Zenshoukai and Beautification Committee staff to search for the girl who had won the Dou Di Zhu Competition.
If it was the champion personally invited by Juraku Sachiko, perhaps she could become Momobami Kirari's opponent…
That's what he originally thought, but the champion hadn't been found yet, and now he had an even better candidate in front of him—Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Mibusakaomi Aoi had learned about Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's "track record" since he came to the academy. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had not "acted" many times; although seemingly ordinary and with a low winning probability, he had never truly "lost."
Every time he gambled with others, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could always leave the gambling table unscathed and take something from his opponent.
He never lost, and could even make a small profit.
Once was fine, but since it was like this every time, Mibusakaomi Aoi began to wonder if Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was "hiding his true abilities."
In reality, his gambling skills were extremely superb, but he just didn't want to show off or win money through gambling?
He already had such a guess in his mind, and after this conversation with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, he became convinced that Ayanokoji might just be the "hero" he was looking for.
When he first invited Ayanokoji to join the Zenshoukai, he was interested in the Landlord patent, and inviting Ayanokoji to join the Zenshoukai was just an afterthought.
This time, his invitation was sincere.
Mibusakaomi Aoi had always yearned for such a talent.
If Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could join his ranks, then he would have a card to play against the Student Council President.
Of course, the premise was that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was truly "hiding his true abilities."
The "100 million yen" gambling stake proposed by Mibusakaomi Aoi was a "test" for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
If Ayanokoji lost the Formal Match, he could find an opportunity to acquire the patent rights.
If Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could win consecutive Formal Matches, confirming that he was the person he wanted, then Mibusakaomi Aoi would spare no effort to absorb Ayanokoji Kiyotaka into the Zenshoukai.
Whether it was the identity of the Zenshoukai President or the Student Council Accountant, Mibusakaomi Aoi was willing to put them on the gambling table—what were these identities compared to the position of Student Council President?
"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, do you think you won't lose in gambling… I hope so too," Mibusakaomi Aoi murmured to himself with a smile.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka originally thought that as long as he won against the challenger sent by Mibusakaomi Aoi in the Formal Match and increased the gambling stake to 100 million yen, Mibusakaomi Aoi would no longer bother him and let him quietly do his business.
Ayanokoji had no idea that the more times he won, the more valuable he became in Mibusakaomi Aoi's eyes, and the less Mibusakaomi Aoi would want to let him go.
What a cunning homo…
If Ayanokoji knew, he would probably only sigh like that.
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