Kamishita Nagi was not calling from anywhere else; it was Mibuomi Aoi's office.
Mibuomi Aoi sat opposite him, listening to the entire conversation with a smile.
This wasn't Kamishita Nagi deliberately trying to betray the Elder Okinotou Sisters; Mibuomi Aoi had already known about Kamishita Nagi's private contact with the Elder Okinotou Sisters and had called him over directly after the meeting.
At first, Kamishita Nagi wanted to help conceal it, but after Mibuomi Aoi hinted that he already knew the inside story, he weighed the pros and cons and confessed very straightforwardly.
"The Elder Okinotou Sisters have some talent in gambling, but in terms of emotional intelligence, they are truly spoiled and have not experienced the harsh realities of society.
Since they would be dissatisfied because their 'friends' prioritized obeying my orders, why didn't they consider that their friends also prioritized reporting their unusual behavior to me?"
Mibuomi Aoi shook his head helplessly, feeling regret for the Elder Okinotou Sisters.
Although the two of them were very careful when questioning these "friends" and didn't directly state their intentions, there were always some observant people who would become suspicious of them.
Most of the ordinary members of Zenshoukai were Mibuomi Aoi's admirers. With reports from these observant individuals, Mibuomi Aoi had known about the two's "rebellious hearts" a long time ago.
All this time, Mibuomi Aoi had pretended not to know, allowing the two to act in secret.
The Elder Okinotou Sisters were completely unaware that all their activities were under Mibuomi Aoi's surveillance, and they had always been a pawn in his hands.
Just like this time, Mibuomi Aoi used the two sisters to test Ayanokouji Kiyohira, to see if he genuinely wanted to defeat Momobami Kirari or if he had already lost courage before the fight.
The answer satisfied him greatly; Ayanokouji Kiyohira's goal aligned with his own, and he showed no hesitation when faced with the Elder Okinotou Sisters' persuasion.
However... it's also possible that Ayanokouji Kiyohira felt that the Elder Okinotou Sisters couldn't achieve anything significant and deliberately spoke that way in front of them.
"Now there are only two days left until the final uprising, Ayanokouji Kiyohira... please don't disappoint me," Mibuomi Aoi murmured to himself.
After a while, Mibuomi Aoi looked up and said with a smile, dismissing him, "Kamishita Nagi, you've done very well. You have a tough battle to fight in two days. Keep up the good work. I won't keep you any longer."
Kamishita Nagi didn't leave but instead asked, "Mibuomi-sama, do you really think I can win?"
"Of course, I believe you can win," Mibuomi Aoi nodded without hesitation.
Believe he can win... Kamishita Nagi sneered in his heart.
He himself didn't believe he could win.
The gambling opponent Kamishita Nagi had to face was the Student Council's Secretary, Igarashi Sayaka.
Even after going through all the data, he still saw no possibility of him defeating Igarashi Sayaka, the secretary.
"What a joke, to make me gamble with Igarashi Sayaka. Isn't that just sending me to my death...?"
Kamishita Nagi understood in his heart that he had actually become a "pawn," merely used to stall Igarashi Sayaka's time, with no impact whatsoever on the outcome of the entire uprising.
He was also a "defeatist"; otherwise, he wouldn't have so easily accepted the Elder Okinotou Sisters' invitation.
Compared to the gamble he had to participate in on Friday, he was more curious about how the Elder Okinotou Sisters would be dealt with.
Kamishita Nagi cleared his throat: "Mibuomi-sama, the Elder Okinotou Sisters have rebellious intentions. How do you plan to punish them?"
Mibuomi Aoi shook his head, and what he said surprised Kamishita Nagi: "Punish? Why punish? They didn't do anything wrong."
"But they want to replace you as Zenshoukai President. You're just going to let them off?"
"They haven't done anything yet, have they? Since they haven't done anything, why should I punish them?"
Mibuomi Aoi smiled and shook his head: "If your subordinates have no ambition at all, that's truly a failure; it means the position you hold has no value to them at all.
Momobami Kirari knew my ambition, yet she still appointed me to such an important position as Accounting. I should be magnanimous too."
"Besides... if I really lose and leave this school, it wouldn't matter if I gave this position to them," Mibuomi Aoi smiled, speaking magnanimously.
...
During dinner that evening, all the girls who attended the concert were present, and even Miharu Taki Sakura was pulled along for the meal.
When the girls saw Ayanokouji Kiyohira, who arrived late, they naturally asked him what he had been doing that afternoon.
It seemed like they were just casually bringing it up, but half of the girls present were staring intently at him, wanting to see what explanation he could offer.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira tried to brush them off with a casual excuse, but at this moment, the girls' sixth sense kicked in. Hanatemari, Miharu Taki, and Ririka all felt that Ayanokouji Kiyohira wasn't telling the truth and wanted to press him further.
Seeing that the timing wasn't right, Ayanokouji Kiyohira took out the bank card he had prepared in advance, containing 40 million Japanese Yen, and solemnly handed it to Meari.
This was the money Ayanokouji Kiyohira had promised to reward her with earlier.
Upon receiving the money, Meari was immediately overwhelmed with surprise, feeling a bit dizzy.
Suddenly, everyone's attention shifted to Meari, and for a moment, they forgot to question Ayanokouji Kiyohira, instead beginning to discuss methods for quickly earning money at the casino.
When it was time to pay the bill, Meari, who had just come into a windfall, naturally treated everyone to dinner.
Although this dinner was expensive, it was nothing compared to the money she had just received.
After leaving the restaurant, everyone was about to part ways and return to their respective accommodations.
During the meal, Hanatemari Tsuzura had drunk some red wine and was already feeling a bit emotional. After the meal, she instinctively walked towards Ayanokouji Kiyohira.
But halfway there, she stopped, because by then, there was already a silver-haired girl accompanying Ayanokouji Kiyohira—it was Anna Kinomiya, also known as Ririka.
Hanatemari Tsuzura then realized that from today onwards, Ayanokouji Kiyohira and Anna Kinomiya would be staying in the same hotel, with their rooms directly opposite each other.
This meant that, at least for the duration of the Ryōran Festival, she wouldn't be able to find Ayanokouji Kiyohira for a "heart-to-heart talk" at night.
Facing Hanatemari's resentful gaze, Ayanokouji Kiyohira could only smile helplessly.
If he could, he would have liked to have a lively time every night during the Ryōran Festival, but Ririka's sudden arrival had disrupted his plans.
Having no other choice, Hanatemari Tsuzura, with a resentful look, supported the tipsy Meari and walked towards the dormitory area.
Miharu Taki Sakura exchanged a glance with Ayanokouji Kiyohira, smiled slightly, and then left.
It seemed she felt satisfied just to be able to sit there in her current capacity. Throughout the entire dinner, she hadn't spoken much, only occasionally showing a faint smile when her gaze rested on Ayanokouji Kiyohira.
Her mood had not been good a few days ago, but after today's relaxation, she was already quite happy.
After everyone else left, only Ririka remained by Ayanokouji Kiyohira's side.
The two walked side by side, in silence, until they reached the hotel and stood before their respective room doors, when Ayanokouji Kiyohira suddenly spoke.
"Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
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