The circular conference room, the most solemn and private of the Student Council at Tracen Academy.
Around the enormous mahogany round table, large enough to reflect the ornate crystal chandelier from the ceiling, a historic meeting was taking place, one that could change the future power structure of the entire Academy.
In front of each person at the table, nameplates, unopened water bottles, and brand-new notebooks and fountain pens were formally arranged.
The "President" — Symboli Rudolf — was sitting in the main seat, symbolizing maximum authority, and her face showed the impeccable composure and dignity befitting the President of the Student Council.
To her left was the delegation of the "Elders' Faction" for this meeting:
The representative of the "Military Faction," Gold City, stood with her arms crossed, an expression of displeasure on her face, as if she were about to flip the table at any moment.
The representative of the "Artistic Faction," TM Opera O, fanned herself gently, smiling sweetly, but a deep cunning could be perceived in her eyes.
The representative of the "Technology Faction," Agnes Tachyon, remained impassive while quickly building a "game theory model" of the meeting on her laptop.
To her right was the delegation of the "Newcomers' Faction":
The representative of the "Heaven-Favored Faction" (the faction blessed by providence), Rice Shower, nervously clenched her small fists, striving not to look like a white bunny that had stumbled into a pack of wolves.
The representative of the "Silent Faction," Manhattan Cafe, sat in silence, using only her beautiful eyes to observe everyone present.
And finally... the sole representative of the "Disconnected Faction": Narita Taishin.
Symboli Rudolf had forcibly removed her from the training field under the pretext of "an important meeting that the new members of the Fierce Umas Division must attend"
At that moment, her face reflected deep perplexity: "Who am I, where am I, and what are they doing here?"
Further away, in the spectator area, was the "Technical Consultant" specially invited for this session: Kiryuin Aoi.
As she contemplated the scene before her, filled with surreal and magical colors, the face that usually radiated common sense and scientific brilliance now reflected deep shock and existential doubt.
The atmosphere in the conference room was solemn and serious.
It was imbued with the sacred ritualistic sense of a "high-level political consultation."
However, the air was charged with an irrepressible tension, stronger than that of a G1 final.
"Ahem"
Symboli Rudolf gave a light tap on the table, using the unmistakable voice of the president to announce the start of the meeting.
"Dear members"
She spoke slowly, using the standard and impeccable opening speech of a student council president:
"Today I have gathered you all to discuss a fundamental issue regarding the long-term stability and harmonious development of Tracen Academy..."
"Specifically, how to scientifically, reasonably, and efficiently plan and allocate the working time and personal time of our most important strategic resource: the chief rehabilitation therapist, Kaito"
"This is to ensure that, while maintaining his own vigorous energy and a healthy mental and physical state, he can maximize his irreplaceable 'strategic value' for all of us"
"Good grief! Talking about fighting over a guy in such a refined and sophisticated way? Truly worthy of Symboli Rudolf! The art of language... I call this mastery!"
Kaito (through the office microphone) complained furiously to himself.
Symboli Rudolf pressed a remote control, and a document was immediately projected onto the large screen behind her.
The title was shocking.
[Draft V1.0: On the establishment of a guarantee mechanism for sustainable development and equitable distribution of Chief Kaito's time resources]
The document also used an intense red, typical of war, to highlight several core topics that must be discussed in this meeting:
1. Final method for determining the rotation order of the "Deputy Chief Weekly Rotation System."
2. The issue of exclusive companionship rights during Japanese national holidays and special commemorative days (such as Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc.).
3. Reasonable frequency and final selection mechanism for "Deep Night Rehabilitation Therapy."
4...
"Now then, regarding the first item on the agenda, the method for determining the 'rotation order,' I ask the esteemed members to begin an open debate"
As soon as Symboli Rudolf finished speaking...
"I object to the draw!", exclaimed Gold City, representative of the "Military Faction," slamming the table and standing up.
"That vague system is completely unreliable! I propose that the order be decided according to the most direct and forceful criterion: 'Contribution to the Chief'! Whoever has recently won a race and brought glory to the Chief should have the first choice in the rotation!"
(Last weekend she had overwhelmingly won a Grade 2 race).
"Heh, heh, victory is such a vulgar unit of measurement"
The representative of the "Artistic Faction," TM Opera O, immediately offered an elegant rebuttal:
"I believe the rotation order should be judged solely by the criterion of 'Ability to provide the Chief with the highest level of artistic enjoyment,' for example, I, the magnificent one, who can offer him the most perfect victory concert"
"Both proposals lack the most basic scientific logic"
The representative of the "Technology Faction," Agnes Tachyon, adjusted her glasses with a stern gesture.
"The value of a victory and the degree of artistic enjoyment are subjective feelings that cannot be precisely quantified, therefore, I propose establishing a rigorous 'Key Performance Indicator Point System'"
She projected her laptop screen onto the big screen.
It showed a scoring model filled with complex formulas.
"Each time the Chief is assisted in a routine therapy session, 1 point is awarded."
"Providing a valid report of physiological data grants 3 points."
"Performing an important scientific discovery grants 5 points."
"Likewise, during the 'Deep Night Care' program, if the Chief's main physiological indicators (such as maximum heart rate, dopamine secretion concentration, and refractory period duration, etc.) reach a new higher peak, S-rank points ranging from 10 to 50 are awarded."
The points will be tallied at the end of each month, and the person with the highest score will have priority in selection for the following month's rotation program.
Agnes Tachyon's "Point Theory," especially the phrase "refractory period duration," instantly caused the atmosphere of the entire meeting to shift from a "political consultation" to a kind of indescribable late-night program.
The pretty faces of Gold City and TM Opera O flushed immediately and they began to argue heatedly with her about what constituted a "valid indicator."
Just when the situation was about to spiral out of control.
Narita Taishin, who had remained silent and oblivious to the situation, suddenly formulated the most innocent, yet most fatal question with her expressionless and indifferent voice.
"Ehm..."
"Why are we fighting over him?"
"Isn't he for all of us?"
This statement, naturally naive and overflowing with "communal" glory, was like pouring a ladle of ice water into boiling oil!
The entire conference room fell into a deathly silence...
Everyone (including Symboli Rudolf) stared at her with an expression that screamed: "The innocence of this girl is terrifying."
Immediately after—
An even greater storm broke out!
"Who said 'us' includes you?!"
"Newcomers should have a minimum of self-awareness!"
"How naive you are! You don't understand the cruelty of this war!"
Seeing that this sacred council was about to degenerate completely into a shameful fight.
Symboli Rudolf decisively used the supreme justification that "the central figure related to the agenda item has the right to express the final opinion" and, via an internal telephone, "summoned" the "culprit," Kaito, who at that moment was trembling and frantically eavesdropping in his office, to the scene.
When Kaito entered the conference room, which was permeated with "resentment" and "murderous intent," he felt his legs shaking.
Symboli Rudolf, with great elegance, handed him a top-secret document summarizing the "core demands" of all parties, and then gave him a mischievous and amused smile.
"Kaito-kun, as the central figure of this 'bill,' your opinion is crucial"
"Now, please issue your... Final Verdict"
With extraordinary cunning, she had shifted all the irreconcilable points of the conflict to Kaito, this "walking humanoid battlefield."
Kaito took the document, scanned it quickly, took a deep breath, and approached the enormous whiteboard that symbolizes "Truth."
He took the marker and, under the murderous gaze of everyone present, wrote his "Imperial Judgment" —a masterpiece of the art of compromise— with bold and broad strokes.
First: Maintain the basic structure of the "Weekly Rotation System" and the "Assistant Chief."
"The rotation order will be based on a draw, but a 'Contribution Weighting' mechanism will be introduced."
"That is, the winner of the most recent race will have the right to place an additional ball with her name during the draw. (Gold City, reluctantly satisfied)."
"Second: During the Assistant's rotation week, they will have the exclusive right to attend all 'Artistic Appreciation' activities (such as concerts, art exhibitions, etc.) with me. (TM Opera O's eyes lit up)."
"Third: After all 'Deep Night Care' sessions, both parties must jointly complete and submit a detailed 'Physical and Mental State Feedback Report,' which will subsequently be subjected to an anonymous and highly professional data analysis by Dr. Agnes Tachyon, serving as the fundamental scientific basis for optimizing all subsequent treatment plans. (Agnes Tachyon, starting to get excited)."
"Fourth: All members who do not rotate will enjoy a fixed time per week for 'Afternoon Tea for Two,' during this time, a moment of coexistence and purely spiritual communication can be shared, without physical contact. (This reassured everyone, but not entirely)."
This plan, which was a work of art in itself, seemed to adopt everyone's opinions but skillfully maintained a fragile balance by establishing various restrictions (like the damn "non-physical contact" rule).
In this way, everyone gained some benefit, but no one got everything.
Just as everyone was carefully absorbing and analyzing this complex set of rules, Kaito wrote the final auxiliary clause, the most crucial and absolutely dominant one, at the bottom of the whiteboard.
[Auxiliary Clause: The final right of interpretation of all the above rules, as well as the "Maximum Priority Right" to ignore and break any and all rules under any circumstance of "force majeure" or "special situations"...]
[Belongs personally to the chief rehabilitation therapist, Kaito]
This single clause descended like a divine decree.
It completely ended all discussions.
With an undeniable and absolute "hegemony," it announced to everyone present the supreme and absolutely dominant position of Kaito in this smoke-filled "harem game."
Faced with this "Overlord Clause," although the girls gnashed their teeth in frustration inside, they were totally unable to refute it.
In the end, they could only reluctantly accept this completely absurd draft of the... "Harem Constitution."
A new competition was about to begin, more "civilized" and more "insidious," centered on "contribution weighting," "artistic appreciation rights," "core data collection rights," and "spiritual communication rights during afternoon tea."
Once the meeting concluded.
Narita Taishin stopped Kaito, who was alone in the corner of the hallway.
She didn't say a word, but silently, her face flushed, she slipped a folded piece of paper into his hand.
Kaito opened the note with a bewildered expression.
He saw it was written in a neat, though somewhat stubborn, handwriting.
"For my rotation week... can I skip the afternoon tea and artistic appreciation?"
"I only want... to be in the stands of that old track..."
"and simply stay with you, like that day"
This "special request" belonged only to the two of them.
It was, without a doubt, the first, sweet, and most fatal "challenge" launched against the newly promulgated "Constitution."
Kaito looked at the note and sketched a smile both helpless and affectionate.
He knew it.
This "harem drama," with rules established by himself and that he would inevitably break himself... had only just begun its small prelude.
…
Meanwhile.
At the exit of Narita International Airport in Tokyo.
The blonde figure, wearing aviator sunglasses and exuding the scent of the California sun, had already climbed into a private car bound for Tracen Academy.