"Kael… thank you so much for today. If it weren't for you…"
On the way back, Erina Nakiri finally couldn't help speaking up. She was genuinely grateful to Kael.
Azami Nakiri's sudden appearance had terrified her—she hadn't even known how to face him.
"No need to thank me. Honestly, the way that guy acts is just disgusting," Kael said calmly.
"But Erina, he's definitely going to keep targeting you from now on. So there are a few things I think you really should hear."
"And Arato, you too. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll end up being dragged into this as well."
Kael's words immediately drew everyone's attention. All eyes turned toward him. In truth, they already had plenty of questions—after all, it looked like Totsuki's Director was about to change.
"First of all, Azami Nakiri already has the support of six members of the Elite Ten. So replacing the Director is inevitable. That's not up for debate. Once he takes the position, he'll definitely push through a series of reforms. You need to be mentally prepared for that."
"As for you, Erina, you're guaranteed to keep dealing with him, and it won't be for a short time. So you need to prepare yourself mentally. When you see him, don't think of him as your father."
"I already explained the reason earlier. He never fulfilled his responsibility to raise you. Even if you refuse to acknowledge him as your father now, no one has the right to criticize you. The blame points entirely at Azami Nakiri."
"And his behavior toward you when you were a child can't be called 'fatherly' at all. He treated you like a tool. Now you've reconciled with your mother. You have family who truly loves you. There's no reason to cling to a so-called father who only ever used you."
"Another thing—don't attend classes for the next while, and don't leave Polar Star Dormitory. That guy will definitely try to approach you alone. Given your current state, facing him without anyone backing you up would be a nightmare."
"And Arato—he'll definitely try to force you away from Erina. You don't have to listen to a single word he says. He doesn't even qualify as Erina's father, so he certainly has no right to make decisions for her."
"As for the Arato family, the same applies. Right now, he's only the Director of Totsuki. Even though Sanzaemon Nakiri has stepped down, he's still the head of the Nakiri family."
"So you don't need to worry about the Arato family being targeted. Azami doesn't have the ability or the standing to do that. As for his authority as Director, he also has no right to interfere in any of your private matters."
"So remember this. Even if he comes to you and tells you to stop following Erina, you reject him outright. And don't be afraid if he threatens expulsion. I'll publicly announce that everyone in Polar Star Dormitory is my follower." Kael smiled as he spoke.
In the original timeline, Azami had gone straight to Erina and Arato Hisako, then forced Hisako out—using the nice-sounding excuse of "freeing her from tedious secretary work."
Because of her longing for family and her fear of her father, Erina had acted like a puppet on strings, unable to resist at all.
Azami knew very well that as long as Hisako stayed by Erina's side, she would interfere with his plans. What he wanted was a controllable puppet, not a daughter with independent thoughts.
Someone like that had no right to the word "father."
But now, Kael had already inoculated Hisako in advance. He had completely shut down every possible angle.
The only way Azami could target Hisako would be to find an excuse to expel her—cutting her off from Erina entirely.
But once Kael made his stance public and declared Polar Star Dormitory his faction, everything changed. Right now, Kael only had two official followers—Sarge and Bunnyhair.
If he openly recruited followers, countless people would rush forward, scrambling for the chance. The value of being Kael's follower far surpassed that of a Totsuki diploma by an absurd margin.
So Hisako didn't need to worry about being expelled. Azami wouldn't even dare. Kael was the one person who could completely hard-counter him.
"You really thought this through down to the last detail," someone said quietly. "If that guy finds out, he'll probably go insane."
After hearing Kael's plan, everyone was left speechless. Azami had finally clawed his way into the Director's seat—only to find Kael standing right there in Totsuki, leaving him powerless.
"Who cares if he goes insane?" Kael said flatly. "Scum like that deserves to be crushed. Let's head back and rest."
With that, everyone picked up their pace. Erina, walking behind Kael, stared at his back—and for the first time, genuine courage welled up inside her.
Just as Senzaemon Nakiri had believed, Kael had become Erina's source of courage, her pillar of support. As long as Kael was willing to intervene, this entire situation would inevitably move in a better direction.
After the Polar Star Dormitory residents returned to rest, Azami's side was far less peaceful. Though he had been humiliated into a complete spectacle, he knew he had to endure it.
This chance to return had been hard-won. He couldn't allow everything to collapse now.
That very night, he seized the Director's position. The next morning, the news was already being reported everywhere.
"He really hasn't changed at all—still as naive as ever," Gin Dojima said, shaking his head as he read the newspaper at the Totsuki Resort. "He doesn't even realize he's already become a chess piece."
Before Azami returned, Senzaemon Nakiri had already spoken to Dojima. While Azami couldn't directly interfere with the resort, overlap was inevitable.
Azami had even approached Dojima, asking him to play along if they met, and explained his so-called plan.
Once Dojima learned that Azami's return was nothing more than a staged farce, he was left utterly speechless.
Not because of Senzaemon and the others' acting—but because of Azami's sheer naiveté.
After surviving in the outside world for so many years, the entire situation was dripping with conspiracy from start to finish, yet Azami hadn't sensed a thing. He'd walked straight into the role of a pawn.
Dojima could already imagine how completely Azami would break once he learned the truth.
"To think we couldn't see what kind of person he really was back then," Joichiro Saiba said from the side.
Having not seen his old friend in ages, Joichiro had made a rare visit. He hadn't even been there long before learning the truth of the plan.
Azami had always been fragile—his heart as brittle as glass. And the one who shattered that glass… was Joichiro himself.
Back then, Joichiro had been targeted and chose to leave Totsuki instead of staying until graduation. That was when Azami's obsession began.
As Joichiro's diehard admirer, Azami believed everything was the world's fault. He turned that resentment outward—and inward—until he completely lost himself.
Learning that Azami had become this way because of him left Joichiro stunned.
"Maybe he just hid it too well," Dojima said with a faint smile. "But after what happened last night, he really embarrassed himself. Just look at these reports."
Though Azami was now Director, he had no control over public opinion. To suppress the press, he'd need to become head of the Nakiri family—and that was impossible.
So the papers didn't hold back. Every moment of Kael humiliating Azami was printed in full detail.
Even Dojima couldn't help laughing as he read. He never expected Kael—normally so gentle—to be that ruthless when tearing someone down.
Putting himself in Azami's shoes, Dojima felt his scalp tingle. If it were him, he'd never show his face again. Yet Azami, thick-skinned as a fortress wall, still showed up the next day like nothing happened.
"It was humiliating, sure," Joichiro admitted. "But with Kael around, at least we don't have to worry about Azami hurting others."
Joichiro finally felt at ease. His son was still at Totsuki, after all. If Azami ran wild unchecked, Soma could easily get dragged into it.
But now, as long as Kael was there, Azami would always be suppressed. There was nothing to worry about.
While Dojima and Joichiro discussed Azami, over at WGO headquarters, Mana Nakiri had already received the reports.
She had been keeping a close eye on Azami all along and knew her father's plan, which was why she hadn't interfered. Otherwise, Azami would have been finished the moment he tried to exploit Erina.
"So he really thinks grabbing the Director's seat means he can do whatever he wants," Mana muttered.
"At least he had the sense to block off everyone else's retreat by abolishing the Director replacement rule the moment he took office."
Reading the information Anne had delivered, Mana noted that Azami's very first action as Director was eliminating the rule that allowed the Director to be replaced.
On the surface, it looked decisive. In reality, it only exposed his insecurity—his fear that others might sway the Elite Ten and remove him just as easily.
After all, if the Elite Ten could betray Senzaemon, they could betray Azami too.
Of course, Azami only abolished the Director replacement rule. He left the Elite Ten's authority intact—meaning they could still decide any matter within the academy with a majority vote.
He kept that rule precisely because most of the Elite Ten were under his control. They were the sharpest blade in his hand. Why would he ever break it himself?
"And Kael's involved now," Mana continued softly. "That must be Father's doing. That's fine. It protects Erina, and it also brings her closer to Kael."
Mana had seen the reports of Kael verbally dismantling Azami. Honestly, it felt like he'd vented her anger for her.
She understood very well why Kael had appeared at Erina's restaurant—it had to be her father's arrangement. And she fully approved. More than anything, she wanted her daughter to end up with Kael.
"Anne, keep watching Totsuki. Report anything immediately."
Even knowing this was all part of a performance, Mana was still a mother. She would never stop paying attention to her daughter's situation. If things went too far, she would step in personally.
"I understand, Mana-sama," Anne replied at once.
At this point, even Anne almost felt a little pity for Azami. Used as a pawn, watched by someone as terrifying as Mana Nakiri—his ending was guaranteed to be miserable.
And frankly, Anne welcomed that. She was a normal person too. Seeing a father treat his daughter like that disgusted her. Not to mention Azami was Mana's husband—her hatred for him ran bone-deep.
Meanwhile, Azami himself had no idea how many eyes were locked onto him. Right now, he was focused on one thing—finding out where his daughter was.
Erina had left with Kael the night before and hadn't returned to the Nakiri residence.
Fortunately, now that he was Director, tracking Erina's location was easy.
"So she ran off to Polar Star Dormitory," Azami muttered after learning the truth. "Hiding there won't help."
He was surprised, but not worried. He knew Polar Star Dormitory's special status well—its independent accounting system and related businesses had been partly his own doing in the past.
Polar Star Dormitory was still Totsuki property. Even with independent accounting, he had the Elite Ten. With their authority, dismantling Polar Star Dormitory wouldn't be difficult at all.