Chapter 31: The Alliance of Outcasts and the Failed Cram School Plan
At the entrance of the Service Club.
Fumino Furuhashi and Rizu Ogata looked at Haruka and the Service Club sign with strange expressions.
Then, Fumino took a slight step back and asked in an awkward but polite tone, "Kasugano-san, are you sure this is the place?"
Beside her, Rizu touched her chin and glanced at the Service Club sign again, as if confirming something.
"Kasugano-san, it is impossible for the school to have such an institution. Bringing us here is useless," she said, sounding slightly robotic and dazed.
???
'What on earth are you two thinking?'
'I knew it! The name "Service Club" was bound to cause misunderstandings sooner or later!'
Haruka curled his lip and pushed the door open with a bam.
Revealing the true scene inside.
Yukino Yukinoshita, elegant and untouchable, like the calm breath of a falling snowflake.
Shoko Nishimiya, quiet and gentle like the warm sun.
Four beautiful girls holding various instruments.
And in the very center, a cool, dashing girl playing the piano with an indifferent expression.
A small, abandoned classroom had somehow gathered so many high-quality girls.
"Kasugano-kun, I believe I told you to remember to knock, didn't I?" Yukino Yukinoshita walked over to greet them.
"Hah... urgent situation, I forgot."
"Leaving that aside, let me introduce two people to you."
Haruka stepped aside, revealing the two girls behind him.
Yukino shot Haruka a disgruntled look, clearly dissatisfied with his method of changing the subject.
"Hello everyone, I am Fumino Furuhashi from Year 1, Class 1-D. It's very nice to meet you all."
Fumino stepped forward with a friendly smile and introduced herself.
Beside her, Rizu Ogata froze for a moment before reacting, bowing to them. "I am Rizu Ogata from Year 1, Class 1-D. Please take care of me."
Yukino narrowed her eyes slightly. She had a bad premonition.
She looked at Haruka standing to the side.
"Kasugano-kun, why did you bring them here?"
"See if they can integrate. After all, your group still looks a bit small. Kirisu-sensei happened to send them to find me, so I brought them along to take a look," Haruka said with a smile.
"..."
Yukino looked at him expressionlessly.
Obviously, she wasn't going to be fooled by such a cheap trick.
"Alright, fine. I think they're pretty good, so see if they fit. And while you're at it, help guide them with their academic problems."
?
The air pressure around Yukino dropped dangerously low.
"Do you take this place for a daycare center?"
"No, no, no. Listen to me carefully." Haruka prepared to use his heart, blackened by society, to persuade this woman who was a genius but surprisingly naive and easy to deal with in certain aspects.
"Yukino, your plan is great, but there's one thing you forgot. We are all students. Academics are our main job. Being busy fulfilling everyone's wishes and working hard for them—ah, truly youthful. It sounds really nice, but after the dream comes reality."
It had to be said, Haruka's words hit Yukino's soft spot.
He wasn't wrong.
Although Yukino believed much of society was filled with superficiality, she couldn't deny the cruelty of reality and the importance of academics for students.
"So?"
"So? So I brought them here!"
"Her, Fumino Furuhashi, the Literary Princess. Her, Rizu Ogata, the Science Machine. Plus me, first in the grade. And you, second in the grade."
"What a luxurious lineup! With a lineup like this, during club activities after school every day, we can help each other study. We can also tutor Shoko and Hitori in their studies."
"What do you think?"
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but when he mentioned "second in the grade," the air pressure around Yukino seemed to drop a little further.
"..."
"You are right. I will evaluate them."
Although she felt this socially tainted Kasugano-kun was scheming something, after serious consideration, Yukino agreed.
Because it made sense.
It was correct.
She wouldn't reject what was correct, nor would she refuse to acknowledge it due to other factors.
However, when Yukino announced this news, although most people agreed, the piano girl who had been watching coldly from the side—Kazusa Touma—spoke bluntly. "Not needed."
"I only came here to try out a different mode of musical cooperation."
As it turned out, the daughter of a world-class pianist, the school's well-known eccentric with terrible interpersonal relationships...
The reason she accepted Yukino's invitation was that she was somewhat interested in the band Hitori and the others were planning to form.
Heavy metal instruments like guitars and bass were diametrically opposed to the piano.
But how could she know if she didn't try?
So she came.
The atmosphere was slightly awkward.
Yukino was very calm and said directly, "Alright. We will respect individual wishes."
Shoko sat at the table, watching this scene with a worried expression on her face.
At some point, Haruka had sat down next to her.
"Relax. It's just personal preference. As long as I'm here, the mood won't go bad. Don't worry."
Shoko looked at Haruka in surprise, seeming puzzled about how he figured out her thoughts.
Haruka waved his hand. "The expression on your face is very easy to read."
Shoko immediately covered her cheeks with both hands in embarrassment.
The matter seemed to have come to an end.
However, when the study session began.
Looking at the pure yet foolish eyes of Fumino Furuhashi, who was practically illiterate in science, and Rizu Ogata, who was an idiot in literature...
Yukino suddenly felt like she had been scammed.
***
[You seem to have formed a loose alliance.]
[You began to use your academic genius brain to organize study pamphlets and obtained some past internal mock exam questions from certain teachers.]
[You attempted to use these to start a "Pre-Exam Crash Course Cram School."]
[You handed out small business cards everywhere and started exchanging benefits with some teachers to gain support.]
[Soon, rumors of your cram school spread through the school.]
[Quite a few people relied on your pamphlets, as well as the follow-up knowledge they paid for, to successfully boost their grades by a large margin in the exams.]
[You knew deep down this wasn't a long-term business, so you worked even harder. And then...]
[You were summoned by the Principal.]
Principal's Office.
An energetic elderly man in a suit.
This was the Principal.
The strongman who merged the schools into Sobu High!
Rumor had it he hailed from a distinguished family with powerful corporate holdings.
"Haruka Kasugano-kun?"
"Principal."
The Principal chuckled jovially.
Haruka also chuckled jovially.
"Young people like you always manage to surprise me."
"You flatter me. Just earning some living expenses."
Another round of polite pleasantries.
"..."
"Kasugano-kun, this business of yours... isn't very friendly to our dear teaching profession."
"But the enrollment rate has gone up."
"Oh? Not by much. Recently, teachers have been coming to me to file complaints..."
"..."
"..."
Watching Haruka leave, the Principal nodded.
"Not bad… the kid's got potential."
Then, he sent a document regarding Haruka's identity into a certain group chat.
Conglomerates didn't lack talent, but they never complained about having too much.
Especially talent from their student days—that was even better. They could perfectly serve as confidants for the children of their own families... among other uses...
Of course, Sobu High was different from Shuchiin.
The Principal wasn't anyone's personal talent scout, nor did he bow to the influence of any one family.
The Shinomiya and Shijo of the financial cliques...
The Fujiwara and Koizumi of the political cliques...
The Shimon, Akamon, and Josuikai of the academic cliques...
[After that conversation, your cram school collapsed overnight.]
[Although you had already earned some money, getting shut down like this still showed you how strong the people above you really were.]
[You began to think about how to acquire more wealth.]
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