Seeing the coin in Amane's hand, Kushida Kikyō seemed to recall something, and her expression shifted noticeably.
"Amane, we're discussing who to protect from expulsion—this isn't the time for games."
Before Amane could respond to Kushida's criticism, Horikita cut in.
"Then, Kushida-san, who do you propose we expel?"
Seeing Horikita Suzune take Amane's side, a flicker of disgust flashed quickly through Kushida's eyes.
Still, she kept a gentle smile on her face the entire time.
"It's precisely because I can't decide who should be expelled that I've asked Hirata-kun to cast the deciding vote."
Kushida was still trying to drag Hirata into this—it was the only way she could protect Ichihashi from being expelled.
"Can't decide? Weren't you rather quick to raise your hand in support of Ichihashi-san earlier? Since you've chosen a neutral stance, let's just deduct one vote from Ichihashi's side. That should neatly resolve our current dilemma."
Horikita's suggestion made Kushida's smile slowly stiffen.
She hadn't expected Horikita to corner her like this.
"I think you've misunderstood something, Horikita-san. My position has been neutral from the start. I haven't favored anyone because of personal relationships. My vote for Ichihashi-san was purely based on rational considerations."
Kushida tried to twist the meaning, but in front of Horikita, her little act was like a grade-schooler boasting, 'I'm really good at math,' to a high school student.
"Oh? Then I'd like to hear what rational consideration led you to cast your precious vote for Ichihashi-san."
Seeing Horikita ready to confront Kushida head-on, Amane quietly slipped behind Horikita Suzune.
'With Suzune here, even if Kushida talks till she's blue in the face, she's probably no match for Horikita.'
Horikita's tongue was sharp indeed.
"Of course, it's about their value to the class. This time, Ichihashi-san and Sakura-san ended up with the same overall score, but this was just a slip-up on Ichihashi's part."
"In the last quiz, Ichihashi ranked in the top twenty, while Sakura-san, if I recall correctly, was somewhere in the thirties, right? Not to mention the gap in physical ability…"
Kushida Kikyō didn't get to finish before Horikita interrupted.
"What value does she have now?"
"Horikita, that's a really harsh thing to say."
Facing Amane, Ichihashi held back because they were acquaintances, even if they were on different sides.
But with Horikita Suzune, she had no such reservations.
"I'm speaking with Kushida-san. Do you even have the right to interrupt? Even if you end up staying, all I have to do is withdraw my offer of ten thousand private points, and you'll still be expelled. Know your place before you speak."
Horikita Suzune shot her a fierce glare.
Ichihashi immediately fell silent.
"Horikita-san, Ichihashi-san was only pointing out that your words were harsh. Was that really necessary? Besides… even without your ten thousand points, do you really think I can't borrow ten thousand private points myself?"
Kushida fired back without backing down.
"Is that so? Then go ahead and borrow them. You've got fifteen minutes—good luck."
After saying this, Horikita spread her hands toward Hirata.
"See? Kushida-san believes she can borrow enough points to keep Ichihashi-san. That means she doesn't need our help at all, doesn't it?"
Horikita Suzune had effectively thrown Kushida into the frying pan.
"Horikita-san, you…"
"Enough! We only have fifteen minutes left. What I need isn't arguing—it's an answer. Whether it's Kushida-san or Horikita-san, please tell me: who will you keep?"
Hirata's eyes were bloodshot as he shouted, cutting off the ugly squabble in front of him.
"Ichihashi-san."
"Sakura-san."
Horikita and Kushida gave completely different names.
Hirata glanced at the time.
Only fourteen minutes remained now, and it was a five-minute walk to the student council office.
Which meant…
They only had nine minutes left.
"You have one minute to agree on an answer. If you can't, I'd rather trust Amane-san and decide this with a game."
Hirata's words made Kushida's eyes widen.
This cold, decisive version of Hirata didn't match the boy she thought she knew.
That he would even suggest deciding a classmate's fate with a game… It was unbelievable.
"Hirata-kun, this isn't a joke. We should be serious—"
"Then give me an answer that satisfies everyone."
Kushida immediately fell silent.
She couldn't give Hirata the answer he wanted. In truth, no outcome in this meeting would satisfy everyone.
Horikita Suzune snorted coldly and said nothing more.
Amane, standing behind Horikita, quietly watched the farce unfold.
Both sides were arguing fiercely over who should be expelled.
The interesting part was that neither Ichihashi Ruri nor Sakura Airi had any say in the matter—their fates were firmly held in others' hands.
Time ticked away.
One minute passed in the blink of an eye.
Without bothering to consult Kushida further, Hirata turned to Amane.
"We'll go with Amane-san's plan."
"Wouldn't it have been easier to do this from the start?"
Amane stepped forward, tossing the coin.
"I want heads."
Before Amane could even speak, Ichihashi blurted out.
She remembered being with Amane at the arcade—Amane always liked tossing tokens, and they usually landed on heads.
If they were betting, she had to go with the side that had the best odds.
"Then I'll take tails…"
Sakura spoke up timidly.
"No, no, no—who said we're betting on heads or tails? The rules are: I'll toss the coin, and whoever picks it up first, I'll cover the full fifty thousand private points. No need for anyone to chip in."
Hearing that Amane would personally cover all the required points for the expelled student, the happiest one there was without a doubt Karuizawa.
Several thousand private points would take her quite a while to save up.
She never wanted to donate points to anyone in the first place and had only offered because of Hirata.
Now that Amane was offering to shoulder the full cost for protecting the expelled student, no one was more relieved than Karuizawa.
"Amane, we're still friends, right?"
A smile spread across Ichihashi's face.
Amane's game was clearly designed to test the physical ability of the students facing expulsion.
While Ichihashi's physical ability was far below the boys', and even below a girl like Horikita, surpassing Sakura would be effortless.
For a moment, Ichihashi even wondered if Amane's earlier actions were all a setup for this game—to let her showcase her strengths and gain everyone's approval.
"Of course, we've always been friends, haven't we?"
Amane replied with a smile.
That smile reminded Ichihashi of the first time she'd seen Amane—that captivating, adorable grin.
Right now, Amane looked exactly like she had back then.
Could this be a hint?
'Amane is still on my side!!!'
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.