Time always flies quickly in sleep. Alistair's eyes were still hazy when he heard the sounds of Anna Komiya and the others leaving.
Since they were going to welcome a 'distinguished guest,' they couldn't just wait for them to arrive. The guests wouldn't know the way, so someone needed to guide them. Only the President, Vice President Anna Komiya, and the Secretary went; the others waited in the student council room.
"Koyasu-kun, it's almost time. We need to prepare to welcome the guests."
Shizuku Hatsufuji, the senior, walked over to Alistair and shook his shoulder.
"Ugh... Mm... Got it. Ha~~~"
Alistair propped himself up, yawned, stretched, and prepared for the upcoming greeting.
Nina Tsubakihara and Anna Komiya didn't take long; they arrived almost on time and quickly reached the student council room. After meeting Nina Tsubakihara in person, they all realized that the photos hadn't exaggerated her looks. Alistair was once again stunned by her beauty.
What followed were polite pleasantries. Since they were all students and there were no actual 'leaders,' the conversation was brief before they moved on to self-introductions.
"This is Naoto Koyasu, our prospective treasurer."
Alistair was the last person Anna Komiya introduced, mainly because Alistair was a preparatory member. Strictly speaking, he wasn't yet a 'senior executive' of the student council, only a newcomer, so he was introduced last. The introduction of members was generally in order of seniority.
However, upon hearing the introduction of Alistair, Nina Tsubakihara's expression noticeably changed, looking somewhat surprised.
Both parties had some basic information about the other. Just as Anna Komiya had Nina Tsubakihara's information, Nina Tsubakihara had information on Anna Komiya's staff. However, Alistair's information was missing from their file, presumably because he had been introduced only recently.
That was only one reason. What surprised her more was the name 'Naoto Koyasu.' She was very familiar with that name recently, as he was the only person in her LINE contacts she had no memory of. She originally thought they would have no further interaction, but unexpectedly, he was a member of this student council.
"Hello."
Alistair nodded as a greeting. Since there were several people on the other side, all girls, and they were still strangers, this was sufficient for Alistair. Only Anna Komiya, being a woman and a Vice President herself, represented their side and shook hands with Nina Tsubakihara.
"Does Tsubakihara-san know our Koyasu-kun?"
Seeing Nina Tsubakihara's surprised expression, Anna Komiya asked curiously. If they genuinely knew each other, their relationship shouldn't be bad, or her expression would be one of disgust rather than surprise.
"I suppose we met by chance, but we're not very familiar."
Nina Tsubakihara replied with a smile. Although it was strange, her impression of Alistair was quite good. At least he didn't look overly perverted like some boys. Okay, she admitted, Alistair's appearance was quite appealing to her preference.
His fair skin and delicate, somewhat frail-looking face, although they were about the same height, Alistair looked like the slender type. She felt that with her physical condition, she could easily overpower Alistair.
"Vice President Tsubakihara?"
A girl next to Nina Tsubakihara leaned slightly forward and called out to her, waking Nina Tsubakihara from her sudden, inexplicable fantasy about Alistair. Fortunately, Nina Tsubakihara's expression was like that of someone contemplating a problem. Otherwise, being caught daydreaming about someone publicly would be social suicide.
"I'm fine, I was just thinking about something."
Nina Tsubakihara calmly waved away her assistant, indicating that she was only thinking.
"Why didn't your President come? It was originally decided that the President would come."
President Tōmoto adjusted his glasses and asked Nina Tsubakihara.
The initial decision was for the President to lead the visit, but they suddenly changed their minds to send the Vice President instead. Such a last-minute change usually doesn't happen unless there's something important. However, besides the exchange student matter, there shouldn't be any major events recently, unlike during the summer when they had the summer festival.
"Ah, the reason for that is actually simple. After hearing there was a male exchange student, and considering your President is also male, our President suddenly changed her mind and didn't want to come. She asked me to make contact, and I also have instructions to persuade you to cancel the male student's exchange spot."
Nina Tsubakihara explained to President Tōmoto, her attitude becoming serious, as this involved the actual purpose of her visit.
"Um, does President Kannon-zaka have a strong dislike for the opposite sex?"
President Tōmoto's expression showed some helplessness upon hearing that he was part of the reason. This kind of gender issue wasn't his fault; it was purely an objective factor, and he couldn't do anything about it.
"Yes. I believe you are all aware of the situation at our school."
Nina Tsubakihara's expression was also slightly embarrassed. She herself certainly wanted more boys to attend the school. This would effectively prevent some girls from ganging up and bullying the male students, relying on the strength of numbers. While those relying on strong family backgrounds might be unstoppable, those who just followed the trend would surely be restrained.
However, there's always a 'but,' which indicates an unexpected situation.
But this time, there were only a handful of exchange students, and only one boy. This meant that going to their school would not have any positive impact; it would only create one more victim. Therefore, she genuinely did not want that boy to go for this exchange. In a way, this was also protecting the boy.
"We truly don't have a better solution for this. Alternatively, you could have the boy decide not to go himself. His participation in the exchange program is voluntary."
President Tōmoto shook his head. Although the initial selection was put forward by them, the final choice was made by the higher-ups. Essentially, this so-called 'exchange program' was only to achieve a certain objective, and the specific purpose was not something they were privy to.
"Have the person decide not to go?"
Nina Tsubakihara looked confused. She wasn't familiar with the specific list of exchange students. She had only heard about the personnel situation after the selection was basically finalized. Her visit this time was actually to pick up the list.
"That boy is watching right here."
President Tōmoto smiled and looked at the only male present besides himself—Naoto Koyasu.
"Koyasu-kun?"
Nina Tsubakihara widened her eyes and looked at Alistair. Aside from anything else, given the student council's capabilities, they should have been able to investigate most of her school's situation. If so, they should be aware of the serious bullying issues at the school. Knowing this, why would he still want to go?
"Yes, that's me. However, I decided to go even after learning about the situation."
Since he was involved, Alistair certainly needed to state his position. His family background was not bad, and his 'Grand Patriarch' identity made it easier for him to act. Although his memories were hazy, there were still some useful parts, such as the fact that many of his followers were influential people from various industries. Otherwise, the headquarters wouldn't be built to such an absurd scale.
"You still decide to go even knowing that? Are you desperate for a girlfriend?"
Nina Tsubakihara couldn't understand. Going there meant entering Kannon-zaka's territory. As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. Once you enter their territory, the dragon must coil and the tiger must crouch. Even if you cried to your family for help, they would probably just apologize to resolve the matter. If you hurt someone, your family might even have to pay compensation. It simply wouldn't end well.
If he still chose to go despite all this, he probably just wanted to find a good girlfriend in an environment with many girls, right? Weren't all boys like this during adolescence? Based on this assumption, Nina Tsubakihara didn't think too badly of Alistair; it was normal at his age to start focusing on finding a preferred partner of the opposite sex.
"No, I just simply want to go and take a look."
Alistair replied. The real reason, of course, was not this. He had already become a 'pig for slaughter.' If he followed the status quo, it would be too slow. The entity could come at any time to take the 'meat' on his body, and he would be completely defenseless. The only way to resist was to transform the 'meat' into a fully integrated part of himself before the entity 'cuts the meat.'
The 'Evolution' process uses a strange item as the connection node to fully integrate a sufficient amount of 'Mystery' into oneself, thereby elevating oneself to the level of an Extraordinary Being. Before that, the 'Mystery' Alistair had accumulated was merely superficial, making it easy for anyone with the appropriate spells to take his 'Mystery.'
For example, the neighbor stocks grain, I stock a gun; their house is my granary. And Alistair was that 'neighbor.'
Once Alistair was fully integrated, the entity couldn't take it away. Otherwise, the entity could simply go to the Demi-Human District and plunder freely, as Demi-Humans are generally at the level of Extraordinary Beings.
However, there is a significant difference among Extraordinary Beings. Alistair's development is comprehensive and follows a high-standard approach, which is why he could achieve the 'Mystery' level of a typical Extraordinary Being with just twenty percent progress plus some fragments.
If the highest standard were followed, all advancements would be through the unique 'Mystery' of the strange items themselves. However, that is truly luxurious and beyond Alistair's means. To date, two of the three strange items Alistair has absorbed were 'drawn' by himself.
Alistair's firm decision to go to St. Lux Academy is also driven by his desire to investigate the 'Twilight Hour (Meikoku no Toki)'. If the 'Twilight Hour' can provide a substantial amount of 'Mystery,' Alistair can attempt rapid advancement. There might be many problems, but since he was already being 'farmed,' he couldn't afford to worry. Every method that could quickly enhance his power should be attempted.