Kapitel 55: Chapter 55 - All Hail Miyabi Nagumo

---Notice---

I'm sorry I haven't uploaded in almost a month. First, there was Thanksgiving, then I was busy with finals. Lastly, as you all know, Christmas came up, so I didn't have much time to upload, but I'm back.

As always, if you don't give me your powerstones, I'll...

They will be very sad, so please send them my way. As always, I appreciate comments and reviews as well; I love hearing everyone's thoughts.

My discord: discord.gg/27NhKhtH

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"It is not wisdom but authority that makes a law." ~Thomas Hobbes

"Why so quiet, Yagami? Don't you have anything to say about this image?" Nagumo mocked, leaning back in his chair with a smug grin. "Bullying—that was the original reason for the expulsion of those three, wasn't it? It would explain a lot. But then, some other questions come to mind. I wonder, can you answer them for me, Yagami?"

He pauses, letting the room fall into silence. His words hang in the air, heavy with implication.

After a moment, Nagumo continues, his voice steady but probing. "Why hide this incident of bullying behind a smaller charge? It really doesn't make sense… unless Karuizawa was trying to bury the entire situation, isn't that right? It makes me wonder—what is she so scared of that she'd want this incident buried so badly?"

"What are you getting at, Nagumo?" I ask my tone calm but pointed.

"I think you already have a good idea," he replies, his smirk widening. "It's obvious Karuizawa has some past trauma. Of course, maybe I'm wrong. But, well, if I were to lie about it, who would really know the truth except for Karuizawa? She's the one who seems desperate to keep the fact she was bullied a secret."

Nagumo taps lightly on the table, his confidence radiating from every movement. "She doesn't seem like the strong-willed person she pretends to be in the hallways, does she? Not in this photo." He gestures toward the image, where Karuizawa's distressed appearance speaks volumes. "I'm really curious what would happen if I started spreading some rumors about her. True or false, it would definitely affect her school life, don't you think?"

"What do you want, Nagumo? Get to the point," I reply, finally breaking the building tension.

"So impatient," he says with a laugh as if my frustration only amuses him. "Fine. Let's just say I respect Karuizawa's wishes to separate herself from this past incident. And I've heard you and Karuizawa have been getting along quite well. Since you're her friend, I'll be kind and leave her fate in your hands, Yagami."

Nagumo leans forward slightly, his tone dropping into something more sinister. "I really don't want to ruin Karuizawa's school life. But if you insist on going against me, I may have no choice but to do just that. On the other hand, if you simply ignore me and go about your life, I'll do the same. It's a win for everyone, no? You, me, and Karuizawa can all go on living our regular school lives without a care in the world."

"..." I remain silent for a moment. This wasn't a kindness. It was exactly what Nagumo wanted: me on a leash, so I carefully weighed my response. Finally, I speak. "I see. I should've expected something like this from you."

Nagumo chuckles lightly, leaning back in his chair with a smug expression. "Yes, you're certainly smart enough to expect something like this from me. But that's the problem with Manabu—and, it seems, with you as well. You tend to see and expect the best in those around you. When in truth, though, the world is full of opportunistic and disgusting people, waiting to take advantage of you the moment they get the chance."

He pauses, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watches me for a reaction. "But I guess, in a way, your naivety is almost admirable. It's beautifully flawed, Yagami. I wish I could adopt that mindset myself. Maybe then I'd see the world the way you do."

Nagumo tilts his head, his grin widening slightly. "So then, what will it be, Yagami?"

"..." Another pause. Finally, I respond, my tone calm and measured. "Alright. I won't interfere with your plans, Nagumo. Just promise me you won't do anything to Karuizawa."

"Yes, yes, of course," Nagumo replies, his tone almost dismissive. "I promise, as long as you keep your end of our deal, Karuizawa will get to continue her normal school life."

He stands, gathering his folder and files with a practiced ease. "Now that we've come to an agreement, though, I should get going."

Nagumo begins moving toward the door, but just as his hand touches the handle, he stops and turns back to face me, his expression shifting to a sly smirk. "Ah, I almost forgot. Now's as good a time as any."

He gestures subtly toward me. "Since you're going to be vice president, let this serve as your formal welcome to the student council, Yagami. I truly hope you get to enjoy your time here at this school."

As soon as the door clicked shut behind Nagumo, the room was silent. Deafeningly so. My hands rested on the table, trembling ever so slightly as I stared at the polished surface, my reflection staring back at me. Nagumo's smug voice still echoed in my head.

He thinks he's won. He thinks he's cornered me.

A smirk tugged at the corners of my mouth. It was almost funny. No—it was hilarious.

A quiet chuckle escaped before I could stop it, low and barely audible but enough to make my shoulders tremble slightly. I pressed my fingers tighter against my mouth, forcing myself to stay composed.

"Are you alright, Light?" Ryuk asked while floating around me.

"No… no, I can't laugh… not yet!" I hissed through gritted teeth, clutching the edge of the table as my entire body trembled. My reflection on the table warped, twisted by the tears welling in my eyes from the sheer effort of holding it in. "I've gotta hold it in… for now…"

Slowly, I exhaled, letting my expression settle back into its usual calm, collected facade.

Trying to openly manipulate me—how funny. He thinks this is over. But Nagumo… I can't wait to see your pathetic face when you've lost everything you've worked so hard for. Yes, that's when I'll finally laugh.

I stood, collecting my items, the smirk still lingering on my lips. As I adjusted my blazer, I whispered to Ryuk, "Yes, actually, I am perfect, Ryuk."

Ryuk let out a soft chuckle behind me, but I didn't wait for a response. I walked to the exit of the meeting room and opened the door, only to find two familiar faces waiting on the other side—Horikita and Tachibana.

They stood there silently for a moment, their eyes scanning me as if trying to gauge the outcome of my meeting with Nagumo. Finally, Horikita broke the silence.

"How was everything?" he asked, cutting straight to the point.

"Nagumo… well, he's as I expected," I replied simply.

"I see… what did you two talk about?" he pressed further, his curiosity evident.

I glanced between the two of them, considering my words carefully. "Well, I hope you two can keep this secret," I said, watching them nod in unison before I continued. "I don't want to get too deep into it, but… he's trying to blackmail me to make sure I can't interfere with his plans."

"Blackmail you?" Horikita's brow furrowed, his skepticism apparent. "That doesn't make sense. What dirt could Nagumo possibly have on you?"

At that moment, I saw the shift in his expression—his eyes widening as realization dawned. "Forget it. I think I understand now," he said quietly. "Do you think you can handle it?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, Horikita," I replied, my tone steady but carrying just enough confidence to dispel any doubt. "If this much were enough to get me to throw in the towel, then you wouldn't have allowed me to join the student council, would you?"

Horikita paused, seemingly caught off guard by my words. But then, a small smirk appeared on his face, his usual composure returning. "Yes, you're right," he said softly.

"Well then, I'll get going now," I said, preparing to leave.

"Sounds good. I'll announce your new position soon," Horikita replied, and with that, I turned and walked away from the student council room.

"Light, there's one thing that's been bothering me," Ryuk said as soon as we exited the student council room.

"What is it, Ryuk?" I asked, glancing at him briefly as we continued walking.

"You're normally so overly thorough and careful. So how did the details about the school's cameras slip your mind?" Ryuk asked, his curiosity evident.

"Huh?" I said, a faint smirk tugging at my lips. "I think you're a bit confused. I always knew the incident could be traced back to Karuizawa through the school cameras. I just concluded there was nothing that could be done about that fact."

"What do you mean?" Ryuk pressed, tilting his head slightly.

"Take Ayanokoji, for example," I began, my tone measured. "I used a similar camera trick against him to learn he was the shadow leader of Class D. Now, what do you think was the mistake Ayanokoji made that got him caught?"

Ryuk thought for a moment, his grin widening slightly. "His mistake? I guess it was being on camera with that short-haired girl, Kushida. That's how you pieced everything together—all your evidence."

"You're wrong," I replied calmly. "Ayanokoji made no real mistake. In criminal justice, there's a concept known as Locard's Exchange Principle. In short, it states that every contact leaves a trace. When two individuals come into contact, there's always evidence of that interaction. It's an inescapable truth.

"There are a thousand cameras in this school, according to you. If I really wanted to, I could track nearly all interactions between students—even in camera-restricted areas. Now, let's go back to why I concluded I'd be caught on camera during the Karuizawa incident. The confrontation happened in a construction zone with no cameras, but once that area is exited, there are cameras in every other part of the school. To figure out I was in contact with Karuizawa and the three second-years, all Nagumo would need to do is trace the second-years' movements and cross-check the surrounding area's footage till he saw me and Karuizawa exiting the area a bit after those three. There's no way to hide such an interaction entirely."

Ryuk nodded slightly, his glowing eyes narrowing with understanding. I continued without pause.

"That's why I say I wasn't careless. There was simply no point in wasting effort on precautions that wouldn't work. If Nagumo decided to investigate, he'd do so until he was satisfied. In Ayanokoji's case, it was similar. No matter what he did, there would be traces of his interactions with Kushida. All I had to do was check the times Kushida was in private with someone and cross-reference that with the approximate day that she claimed that 'Horikita' instructed her to buy the exam papers. From there, it was easy to narrow down my suspects."

Ryuk's grin grew wider as he nodded again. "I see. That does make sense. You've learned a lot from working with your dad, haven't you? But I've got one more question for you."

"What is it?" I asked, my curiosity mildly piqued.

"What if Ayanokoji had called the short-haired girl and given her his orders that way?" Ryuk questioned, tilting his head as if to challenge my reasoning.

I let out a small chuckle. "That wouldn't have happened. To justify that level of caution, Ayanokoji would need to know how the student council operates and the extent of its authority over the school's cameras. Even I did not have that level of insight, especially at the time of the midterms. Back then, I wasn't even in the student council yet, and I wasn't sure I'd get in. The only members of the student council at the time were upperclassmen with no reason to target Ayanokoji, and there was no significant information available about their abilities. It would've been irrational for Ayanokoji to anticipate such surveillance."

I paused briefly, letting my words settle. "And don't forget, Ayanokoji also had a cover. He made it seem like his commands were actually directives from Horikita. That allowed him to keep things running smoothly with Kushida. Ryuk, one-upping a genius isn't as difficult as people think. Even an idiot can do it. All it takes is one small piece of information they don't know."

I turned my gaze toward Ryuk, who seemed more amused than usual. "In Ayanokoji's case, he couldn't have known I would join the student council, and much less could he have known I'd gain access to the cameras. That's why he acted the way he did. And that's why I say he didn't truly make a mistake."

"I see… so what now, Light?" Ryuk asked, curious as he hovered beside me.

"What do you mean?" I replied, feigning slight confusion as I adjusted the strap of my bag.

"Well, you know—what about Nagumo?" Ryuk pressed.

I paused briefly before turning to him with a calm smile. "I don't understand. Maybe you're the one who's confused, Ryuk. Didn't you hear our conversation? What I'll be doing is obvious." My voice was light, almost casual.

"From this day forward, I'll be living a regular school life without a care in the world," I continued, my tone shifting into mockingly cheerful, "just as Nagumo demanded."

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Thank you for reading, everyone. I hope you enjoyed it. I know it has been a while, and I'm sorry about that. I've been busy with school and spent time with my family during Christmas. This chapter was mostly a conclusion to the last, and I was also tying up some loose ends, which I was excited to do. I'm currently happy with most parts of the story, although there are, of course, some storylines that will be followed up with as the story progresses, like those I opened up with Classes A, C, and D in the last exam, I'm sure some of you have ideas for what im planning with certain characters and I hope you all are excited too.

Your opinions so far would mean a lot, especially since it has been a while since I last wrote. I honestly just love reading opinions and comments, even if they are critical, as they give me things to think about; just don't go completely wild on me, please lol.

I already made it obvious someone from class A is going; I won't say which individuals im considering, but I'm sure that shouldn't be too difficult to narrow down; if you have a character you dislike or like in class A it would be nice to hear why they should or should not be expelled. Or just everyone's honest opinion on who in class A should go. I will take this into consideration; even though I have an idea of what I want to do, I am open to outside opinions or even just seeing if anyone agrees with me.

***Important***

Lastly, I mentioned this in my Discord, but I've really wanted to write an original story. Of course, if I do, this story will still take priority. Unlike my previous project with L, I'm genuinely happy with how this one is progressing and don't feel the need to step back and reflect on it. If I were to write an original story, it would only be during times when I feel fatigued from this one, to ensure it doesn't impact my upload frequency.

I know some of you might doubt this because of my inconsistent uploads, but I truly have no intention of dropping this story—even temporarily—at this point. That said, I may take a short pause once we reach Year 2, but that's still a while away. For now, aside from minor breaks, uploads shouldn't be too irregular. Please bear with me as I settle into things. I promise this story will remain my priority.

The original novel idea would be more of an experiment. After discussing it in my Discord, I've felt inspired to explore how to approach it. I'd love to know how many of you would be interested in reading an original work of mine. Like this story, the protagonist's main attribute would be his intellect. The setting would be a fantasy world, and the protagonist would be physically weak, with no insanely overpowered skills. Fighting wouldn't be his strength. Instead, the focus would be on how someone who's relatively normal (at least physically) could survive and thrive in a chaotic world. If you have any questions, please ask.

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas!