When Sakayanagi unceremoniously prevented Katsuragi from taking the tract, the atmosphere in Css 1-A immediately turense.

  Standing nearby, Hikaru and Iose watched as the shaved-headed student awkwardly retracted his hand, silenced by Arisu's words.

  "You make a fair point, Sakayanagi," Katsuragi said, his toiff. "Go ahead and tinue your speech."

  Although his expression darkened, he didn't sh out. Instead, he stepped aside, moving to stao Hikaru and Iose, the three of them now waiting beside the podium as Arisu began her campaign speech.

  "Thank you for your cooperation, Katsuragi-kun," she replied with a gentle smile.

  With that, she leaned on her bck e and began her ele speech.

  Her speech redictable—promising to uhe css, support her peers, and lead everyooward a successful future.

  However, Sakayanagi's naturally delicate and doll-like appearance, bined with her fairy-tale-like silver hair, effortlessly drew the attention of her cssmates.

  After all, who wouldn't be drawn to a beautiful girl?

  When she fihe once agaied ihusiastic appuse.

  ---

  The step was voting.

  The students anizing the ele began colleg votes and tallying them on the bckboard, uhe names of Katsuragi Kōhei and Sakayanagi Arisu.

  Watg with i, Hikaru leaoward Iose and whispered,

  "Who do you think will win?"

  "Hmm… I'm not sure. Both Katsuragi and Sakayanagi seem pretty popur."

  Iose couldn't predict the oute, but on a personal level, she found herself admiring Arisu more.

  Despite her physical limitations, Sakayanagi was able to stand tall and and the attention of her peers—something Iose, as a fellow female student, couldn't help but respect.

  "What about you, Hikaru?"

  "I think… the result will surprise everyone."

  Hikaru shrugged, watg as the votes were ted.

  The numbers under Katsuragi's and Sakayanagi's names were rising at aical pace—making it impossible to determine a winner just yet.

  After about five or six mihe final t was announced.

  "The votes are in."

  A male student with gsses, who had been tallying the results, spoke in a tone filled with disbelief.

  "Katsuragi Kōhei: 20 votes."

  "Sakayanagi Arisu: 20 votes."

  "That means… it's a tie!"

  "What the hell? A tie?!"

  "Seriously?! After all that, and it's even?!"

  The tension in the immediately shifted into a chaotic murmur.

  Nobody had expected su oute.

  Even Katsuragi, standing beside Hikaru, fell into deep silence.

  "Should we… redo the vote?"

  Someoantly suggested.

  But another voice quickly shut that down.

  "And what if it's the same result again? Are we just going to waste even more time?"

  "I-I didn't mean—"

  "Then what did you mean?"

  A student—clearly frustrated with the tie—snapped back.

  Just as the argument was about to escate, a deep voice calmly interrupted.

  "Yahiko, sit down."

  Katsuragi's words were firm and absolute.

  "...Got it, Katsuragi-kun."

  The short-haired male student—Totsuka Yahiko—immediately shut his mouth and sat down, clearly loyal to Kohei.

  ---

  Katsuragi then turo Sakayanagi and asked,

  "Sakayanagi, what do you suggest we do about this tie?"

  Sakayanagi smiled gracefully.

  "I have no particur opinion oter. If this is the result of my cssmates' votes, then I will simply accept it."

  Her words, while seemingly polite, carried a clear message—she wasn't going to back down.

  It was either they tinued voting, or her of them would take the position.

  "You…"

  "Excuse me."

  Just as the tension threateo rise again, Hikaru stepped forward.

  "How about we pause the ele for now?"

  He looked between Katsuragi and Sakayanagi before tinuing.

  "We came here to discuss something important, and once we're done, you resume voting."

  "Depending on what we tell you, your cssmates might even ge their minds about who they want to vote for."

  Katsuragi sidered Hikaru's words befng at Sakayanagi.

  After a moment's thought, he nodded.

  "Fine. I'll go along with that."

  Sakayanagi tilted her head, then smiled again.

  "In that case, I suppose I'll agree as well. So, what exactly is it that you wish to discuss?"

  She turned her attention to Hikaru and Iose, her eyes filled with curiosity.

  "Take a look at this first."

  Hikaru sigo Iose, who pulled out the tracts.

  She handed oo Katsuragi and ao Sakayanagi.

  ---

  As they read through the terms of the tract, Katsuragi's expression shifted dramatically—his eyes narrowing in shock.

  Sakayanagi, oher hand, simply smiled.

  Their reas were pletely different.

  "So, this is what you wao iate," Katsuragi muttered.

  "You're to sell us the school's hidden rules, with a tract preventing resale?"

  "That's right, Katsuragi-kun," Hikaru firmed, then turo address Css 1-A as a whole.

  "Today is only the first day, but the school has already revealed a lot of information. Haven't any of you noticed something strange about this pce?"

  "What do you mean?"

  Despite his calm nature, Katsuragi's voice carried a hint ency.

  "It means that our css has already figured out the school's secrets," Hikaru replied.

  "And now, we're to sell that knowledge to those who haven't."

  Sakayanagi suddenly began walking toward Hikaru, tapping her e softly against the floor as she approached.

  As she got closer, Hikaru could even catch a faint fragrance from her.

  "You're saying that you've already solved the school's puzzle—and now, you're here to sell us the answer?"

  Her pierg violet eyes locked onto Hikaru's.

  "That's exactly what I'm saying."

  Hikaru didn't break eye tact.

  "Of course, we had to pay Private Points to obtain this information. Now, we're willing to sell it to you."

  "And this tract serves as proof of itimacy."

  Iose added, "With this tract, rove to both Sakayanagi and Katsuragi that our css obtaihe hidden rules through official school els."

  "I see," Katsuragi muttered.

  The tract bore the official school stamp—identical to the one on their acceptaters—meaning it was authentic.

  "I did notie irregurities today," Katsuragi admitted. "But I hadn't sidered that the school itself had set up a puzzle for us to solve."

  He wasn't arrogant—he reized that he had missed something.

  "So, what's your price?"

  Hikaru held up one finger.

  "One million Private Points. Noiable."

  This was the price he and Iose had decided on earlier.

  If they charged too much, Css 1-A might reject the offer and iigate on their own—which would pletely undermiheir strategy.

  This price point was set to maximize profit while ensuring they retained trol of the information flow.

  "One million?"

  Some students in Css 1-A voiced their doubts.

  "How do we know you're not scamming us?"

  Hikaru's gaze turned cold as he looked at the student who spoke.

  "Because we obtaihese rules through official school els. And we paid three million Private Points for them."

  He turned back to Sakayanagi and Katsuragi.

  "That's why we're having you sign a tract prohibiting resale—because we pn to sell this information to all four csses."

  "That way, you only pay ohird of the total cost."

  "And isn't that a bargain?"

  Now, it all depended oher Css 1-A would take the deal.