As Arakawa stepped toward the staircase leading to the first floor, two voices called his name from behind. He wasn’t particularly surprised—people had started noticing him more—but what did catch him off guard was that there were two voices.

  Turning around, he saw an awkward yet intense stare-down between two girls. One was Suzuki, exuding her usual bubbly energy, while the other was Nijuri, her face nearly devoid of emotion. However, the way they looked at each other made it clear what they were thinking:

  "What does she want with him?"

  Arakawa sighed internally. This again. He casually broke the tension.

  "Yeah? Need something?"

  Suzuki, ever the forward type, seized the opportunity before Nijuri could react. "Wanna come to the student council with me? I'm thinking about joining. And after that, I’ll treat you to lunch."

  Arakawa glanced at Nijuri, who, despite maintaining a neutral expression, had a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. She hesitated for a second but quickly steeled herself.

  "I thought we could get lunch together," she said firmly. Then, in a sharper tone—one clearly directed at Suzuki—she added, "And after that, we could walk to our rooms together."

  Arakawa tilted his head slightly. Interesting. Nijuri wasn’t the type to pick fights, yet here she was, openly challenging Suzuki, the class’s unofficial leader. Daring, yet reckless.

  Despite the amusement the situation provided, his decision was clear.

  "Nijuri, let's do that tomorrow. I think I wanna check out the student council today."

  A fleeting disappointment crossed Nijuri’s face, but she quickly masked it. "...Okay. Tomorrow then."

  As she descended the stairs, Suzuki waved her off with a smug expression, a silent declaration of victory. Nijuri didn’t respond, but the tension in her posture was unmistakable.

  Arakawa and Suzuki made their way toward the third-floor student council room. As they walked, Suzuki suddenly said, "You’re pretty cute sometimes."

  Arakawa blinked. He hadn’t expected that. Still, he kept his composure.

  "You’re pretty cute as well."

  Suzuki's face immediately turned a deep shade of red. "Geez! I thought I could catch you off guard!" she huffed, crossing her arms. "But you’re just the same as ever."

  That last sentence made Arakawa pause for a fraction of a second. Same as ever? A slight unease crept into his mind, but he quickly regained his composure.

  "And what do you mean by that?" he asked, his voice controlled but with an edge of warning.

  Suzuki waved her hands defensively. "Hahaha, just kidding! I was just teasing you!"

  Arakawa narrowed his eyes slightly but let it slide. I’ll have to be more careful around her.

  They arrived at the student council room. Suzuki knocked before pushing the door open. Inside, only two people were present.

  A girl’s voice, sweet and light like cotton candy, greeted them. "Oh my, are you two first-years?"

  Suzuki nodded. "Yes, ma’am! We’re here to check out the student council."

  Arakawa, ever indifferent, added, "I only came for the free meal after this."

  The girl giggled. "You two are cute. Well then, welcome to the student council room. The president’s late, so it’s just us for now. I’m Rika Hoshino, and this is—"

  Before she could finish, a voice interrupted her.

  "I’m Ryusei Tenji. Student council vice president."

  The boy sitting at the far end of the table exuded a tense, almost intimidating aura. His sharp gaze landed on them like he was sizing them up.

  "We’re not accepting new members this year, so once you’re done looking around, you can leave," he stated bluntly.

  There was something off about him—his stiffness, the slight agitation in his expression. Rika gave them an apologetic look.

  "Sorry, he’s not in the best mood today. Something’s bothering him," she explained. "Normally, he’s much friendlier."

  Suzuki offered a polite nod. "No worries. Sorry for dropping by at a bad time."

  Rika clapped her hands together. "As an apology, why don’t I treat you both to lunch? I’m starving anyway. Tenji, do you want anything?"

  "...No, I’m fine."

  Just as the three of them were about to leave, Tenji suddenly looked up and locked eyes with Arakawa.

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  "Hey, first-year. Stay. I need to talk to you."

  Both Suzuki and Rika looked surprised—and slightly worried.

  "Come on, don’t look at me like I’m going to eat the guy," Tenji said, sighing. "I just need to ask him something. I’ll send him to the cafeteria once we’re done."

  Suzuki frowned but turned to Arakawa. "You sure?"

  Arakawa nodded. "Yeah. You two go ahead."

  With hesitant glances, Suzuki and Rika left the room, leaving him alone with Tenji.

  A thick silence filled the air.

  The student council room wasn’t particularly large. One side had a tall bookshelf stacked with neatly arranged documents. A large wooden desk sat against the far end—most likely the president’s. In front of it was a six-seater meeting table. A separate small table held tea cups and an electric kettle.

  Breaking the silence, Tenji pulled out his phone and slid it across the table. The screen displayed a grainy CCTV recording.

  The footage showed the intersection between two school buildings—where Arakawa had met Riko just a few days ago.

  "That’s you, right?" Tenji’s voice was firm, but his eyes searched Arakawa’s face for a reaction.

  Arakawa’s mind raced. What does he want? Why bring this up now? He wasn’t ready to get involved with the student council yet—there were still too many preparations to be made. But perhaps, if he played his cards right, this situation could work in his favor.

  His lips curled into a slight smirk. "Yes, I believe that’s me. Why are you showing me a CCTV recording?"

  Tenji’s eyes stayed locked on him. "If that’s you, then you can also see that you went after Riko. I want to know if you know what happened that day."

  Arakawa kept his expression neutral, though internally, he processed every possible move he could make.

  "And what if I do know?" he asked smoothly. "What are you going to do then?"

  "From that tone, I would assume you know something that you think is useful to me? Otherwise I advise you to apologise right now."

  "Owh, I guess you don't need me then. Well goodbye senpai." , Arakawa started walking towards the door after making that statement.

  Tenji a little impatient started to explain what was on his mind exactly, "I like Riko. She took care of me when I was injured last year in sports festival. She proposed to me, but as the school doesn't allow senior and junior dating I couldn't go out. That day few of your classmates from different class did something unspeakable to Riko. I need someone who saw what happened so I can take action."

  "So senpai, your saying your feeling guilty because you think what happened to that girl was your fault as you rejected her? Isn't she a bitch for going out with someone else just after getting rejected by you?" , Arakawa stated in a peculiar manner, almost like he was trying to provoke Tenji the student council vice president.

  Tenji stood up from his chair, giving Arakawa a daring look, as if he was going to kill him, "Try saying that again. Don't think the school will protect you from me. Know your plac....."

  Arakawa stopped him in mid sentence and pulled up his phone, showing him a video of something. After seeing that Tenjis eyes widened. It was the video Arakawa took that day.

  Tenji understood the situation and braced himself. Trying his hardest to control himself, as he needed that video. "Listen, give me that video and I'll forget you ever said shit about the person I like."

  Arakawa leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he studied Tenji.

  This is it. The perfect opportunity to plant my pawn within the student council.

  He straightened his posture, his demeanor shifting into something almost professional.

  "Tell you what," he said, voice smooth and calculated. "You want those boys to suffer for hurting the people you care about, right? Without getting your own hands dirty."

  Tenji looked up, interested in what Arakawa just said. Thinking, " this might work in my favour. After using him to get rid of those boys, I'll dispose of him."

  Tenji replied, "Yes, but ho....."

  Arakawa cut off his words again and continued,

  "And you’re willing to do anything for it?"

  "Sure, I’ll do anything."

  A slow smile crept onto Arakawa’s face. Got him.

  "In that case," he said, "I can take care of them for you."

  Tenji went with Arakawa's flow, thinking he was just a stupid kid trying to play the boss, "Really?"

  Arakawa tapped his fingers on the table. "It’s not for free, obviously. I have a few conditions."

  Tenji laughing inside. "What conditions?"

  "First," Arakawa said, "you will keep our contact and conversation private. No one shall know we ever spoke about this."

  Tenji nodded. "Okay. I'll keep quiet."

  "Second," Arakawa continued, "I want access to every CCTV recording in this school. Even after this whole thing is over."

  Tenji amused . "Okay. That’s doable."

  "And lastly," Arakawa said, a smirk growing slightly, "you will persue and make three people join the student council: Sakura Suzuki, Nijuri Tokato, and Takeshi Yamamoto."

  "But, we aren’t accepting new members this year," Tenji replied immediately.

  Arakawa’s expression didn’t change. "Not my problem, is it?"

  Silence stretched between them before Tenji finally exhaled in surrender.

  "Okay… I’ll somehow get them on board." His replied while thinking. "Play the boss all you want kid, I'll destroy you when I got your worth."

  Arakawa tapped his fingers on the table. "One last thing. The school holds power over students even after they graduate, right?"

  Tenji furrowed his brows. "Yes…? Why are you asking that?"

  Arakawa didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled out his phone and pressed play.

  A voice recording echoed through the room.

  "And you’re willing to do anything for it?"

  "Yes, I’ll do anything."

  Tenji’s breath hitched. His face drained of color as realization struck.

  Arakawa chuckled—low, dark, and brimming with amusement.

  "This is just a precaution," he said smoothly, tucking his phone away. "Just so you don’t forget me after everything is over. I hope you stay loyal." He turned, heading for the door before glancing back. "Oh, and… I hope you’re okay with letting a few first-years die before the year ends."

  Before Tenji could react, the council room door swung open.

  The presence that entered was unmistakable.

  The student council president.

  Arakawa stood up, his demeanor shifting instantly back to something polite, almost casual. He gave Tenji a final glance before stepping toward the door.

  "Well then, goodbye, senpai." His smirk returned. "Thanks for the help."

  With that, he strode past the president, exiting the room.

  ---

  As he made his way toward the cafeteria, Arakawa’s thoughts swirled in satisfaction.

  "It couldn't have gone any better. The seed is already planted. Just a little longer before I can harvest the fruits it produces."

  A small, sinister smile tugged at his lips. No one was there to see it, but if they had, they might have felt an inexplicable chill run down their spine.

  Arriving at the cafeteria, he immediately spotted Suzuki and Nijuri sitting together at a table. The air between them was thick with unspoken tension—neither looking at the other, yet clearly aware of each other’s presence.

  When they saw him approach, both of them perked up.

  "Arakawa!" they said in unison.

  Then, as if realizing they had spoken at the same time, they turned to glance at each other—then immediately looked away, awkwardness hanging in the air.

  Arakawa sighed internally.

  "Right. I forgot about this situation."