What is going on?
The person who entered was none other than Amane's old acquaintance, Katsuragi Kohei.
He had come here today to ask about a rather important matter. After hearing from Sakayanagi that the Student Council was about to change the student council president, he couldn't help but feel worried, so he wanted to ask for a solution before the student council president changed.
Otherwise, once the student council president actually changed, the probability of the matter he wanted to inquire about succeeding would likely become even lower. After all, he didn't have the confidence to build a good relationship with someone like Nagumo.
But... why was Amane here?
Looking at the small hand grabbing at him repeatedly in front of him, and Amane, who was huffing and puffing while urging him to pay her back, Katsuragi didn't know for a moment what Amane was referring to.
"I don't recall owing you any money... Oh, are you talking about that contract? We agreed on monthly installments at the time. If you want it, just wait until the beginning of the month."
Katsuragi's words made Amane deflate instantly.
"You're such a blockhead, you know that? Wouldn't it be easy to mobilize everyone and scrape together two million points?"
Amane's words made the corner of Katsuragi's mouth twitch uncontrollably.
If he could, Katsuragi really wished Amane wouldn't say that scraping together two million points was easy with such a relaxed look on her face.
"Miyako-san, you need to understand. If this amount of points were split among everyone, it would be a full 62,500 points. This can no longer be called a small amount. Moreover, not everyone is willing to pay these points for my mistake, so I also need to further... Are you... fishing for information from me?"
Katsuragi's expression became serious. He had just been a little careless and had let the girl in front of him fish out crucial information.
He, who considered himself sufficiently cautious, had still easily fallen into the trap woven by Amane. The natural and smooth conversation hadn't made Katsuragi realize at all that Amane was fishing for information. They had just met, so it was obviously impossible for this to be a pre-planned strategy.
Could it be that she formulated such a strategy the moment she saw him? No, no, no... that shouldn't be possible, no matter how you look at it.
Perhaps it was just that he was simply a bit careless, which is why he failed to notice.
"I didn't expect Katsuragi-san's influence in the class to have dropped to the point where you can't even mobilize two million private points. How pitiful. And also, I wasn't fishing for information; you just blurted everything out yourself, Katsuragi-san. You can't blame me for that."
Amane stuck out her tongue playfully, but her body turned back and she sat on the sofa to the side.
She had originally been in a hurry to return to the air-conditioned room, but now she was interested. She was a bit curious about what Katsuragi had come to find President Horikita for at this time.
"You... Hmph, I'll give you credit for being glib, but that was just me being a bit careless. I don't think I'll give you such an opportunity next time."
Seeing Katsuragi say such things with a straight face, Amane clapped her hands happily.
"I don't dislike serious boys, but... being too stubborn will make you suffer, you know? The fundamental way to avoid this kind of thing is to defeat Arisu. That way, you won't have to worry about class discord becoming the talk of the town every day."
"I don't need you to teach me how to do things. I came to see President Horikita because I have something to discuss. Could you please excuse yourself for a moment?"
Katsuragi was clearly still a bit angry; his tone was stiff.
But how could Amane, whose curiosity had been piqued, let such a good opportunity slip by?
"Katsuragi-san, first I want to remind you that I am the chairperson of the public morals committee of the Student Council. In addition to monitoring violent behavior, I also have the authority to investigate and stop internal violations of rules and discipline. Is the conversation you are about to have with President Horikita about something that violates school rules and regulations? If not, I have no need to leave. If it is... then I need to be present even more, don't I?"
Amane's excuse was half-true and half-false, but it was unassailable, at least as far as Katsuragi was concerned. If he insisted on Amane leaving, wouldn't that be equivalent to telling Amane that the matter he wanted to ask for help with was a violation of rules and discipline?
Even if he didn't state the content, it might get back to Sakayanagi. If Sakayanagi were to send people to follow him... Katsuragi hated the feeling of being monitored.
But the thing he wanted to ask for help with couldn't be said to be completely free of violating school rules. If he just said it like that, not only would he implicate himself, but even Horikita Manabu, who was about to step down, might not be able to escape involvement. This was not a result Katsuragi wanted to see, which led to Katsuragi being caught in a dilemma by Amane's words.
Finally, in desperation, Katsuragi looked at Horikita Manabu, who was sitting in his seat without saying a word, quietly watching the two of them spar.
The winner had been decided.
Horikita Manabu naturally knew that Katsuragi was asking him for help, but just as Amane had said, having her leave now would directly prove that the upcoming conversation was problematic. So, even if Horikita Manabu believed he wouldn't participate in illegal or disciplinary activities, he needed Amane to fulfill her supervisory duties here.
Even if she hadn't officially joined the council yet.
"You can say whatever it is in front of Amane-san. Since you came to see me, it must be a matter that urgently needs to be resolved. In the coming time, because I need to complete the handover work, I may not be able to handle Student Council matters. If you have any issues, you can only wait until the new student council president takes office to ask him. How you proceed is entirely up to you, Katsuragi-san."
Horikita Manabu kicked the ball back, but he wasn't lying. He would be very busy in the coming time and simply wouldn't have the time to deal with the problems of First Year students like Katsuragi.
Katsuragi looked at the yawning Amane, then at Horikita Manabu, closed his eyes, and only gave a response after a long while.
"Then I will say it here."
It seemed to be a quite urgent matter.
Amane silently noted this in her heart.
"It's like this: I came here to ask about the specific details of the school rule that states, 'Contact with the outside world is prohibited during enrollment without permission.'"
Starting right off the bat with a question that pushed the bottom line—had he encountered something tricky?
Horikita Manabu first examined Katsuragi's body and complexion to confirm there were no signs of injury or illness before continuing.
"Since you've said as much, I assume you've read the school rules, haven't you? Unless there is an unavoidable reason, the school will not allow students to contact the outside world."
Upon hearing this, Katsuragi's expression immediately changed drastically, and even his gaze carried a hint of urgency.
"Yes, I am very well aware of this, but my situation is somewhat special. I just want to send out some things, like gifts, letters, and cards. It doesn't matter if you check the content of the letters, and I don't intend to receive a reply..."
In other words, one-way contact?
Judging by his appearance, perhaps it was a situation like a girlfriend or relative's birthday. If it were a younger sister, that would be even better; Horikita Manabu would probably choose to turn a blind eye, right?
"It's all the same. Even if it's one-way, it is not allowed."
Fine, Amane admitted that she had underestimated the coldness of Horikita Manabu in his Student Council President mode.
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