The Service Club's club activity room.
Posters with unclear meanings or records of combat achievements were pasted on the walls of this classroom. Equipment used for fighting, such as folding chairs and mop handles, was piled in the corner. The air was filled with the smell of cheap cosmetics and sweets.
When Yukino walked in holding Kanzaki Saku's arm, followed by Yumiko whose expression was as usual, six or seven people were already gathered in the room, either sitting or standing. They were all core cadres of the Service Club, having rushed over immediately upon hearing the summons.
Saki Kawasaki, with a fierce look in her eyes, was leaning against the wall, boringly playing with a butterfly knife. Beside her, Hina Ebina, wearing glasses, was quickly flipping through a smutty novel.
"Boss!"
"Lady Yukino!"
"Brother-in-law is here too!"
Greetings rose one after another, and quite a few people's gazes were glued to Kanzaki Saku.
This was truly human nature, and it could even be said they were being very restrained. If Kanzaki Saku weren't Yukino's boyfriend, and he dared to enter the Service Club alone, it is estimated that they would have held a Fan Appreciation Festival for a whole day.
Yukino pulled Kanzaki Saku to sit on the long sofa in the main seat—usually, only Yukino sat there, but now her man was added.
Yumiko, meanwhile, silently stood within the ranks of the cadres.
"Is everyone here?" Yukino scanned the circle, confirming that the main cadres were present, and cut straight to the chase. "Long story short, over at the Student Council, Shinomiya Kaguya is about to get serious. 'Public Morals Enforcement'; the target is us."
"Hah? For real?" Saki Kawasaki stopped twirling her knife and let out a sneer. "Just that bunch of goody-two-shoes in the Student Council?"
"Afraid of her? How many of those nerds in the Student Council can actually fight?"
"That woman Kaguya has a hard background. What if she plays dirty?" Several cadres chimed in agreement.
"Quiet." Yukino's voice wasn't loud, but it immediately suppressed the discussion. She looked at Kanzaki Saku beside her. "Saku, you are now the Student Council Vice President. Do you have any inside information?"
Kanzaki Saku naturally knew nothing; after all, Kaguya didn't intend to let him know and had directly assigned him to manage studies.
However, even if Kanzaki Saku knew, he wouldn't say.
Kanzaki Saku wore a helpless expression and shook his head. "I'm just a figurehead with an idle position. Shinomiya Kaguya appointed me probably more for show to the outside world. As for exactly what she wants to do, I'm not clear either."
"Oh my, how can you blame Brother-in-law for that!" Kanzaki Saku had just finished speaking, and before Yukino could say anything, a lively and slightly deliberate voice interjected.
The pink Dango, Yuigahama Yui, had leaned in close at some point, a brilliant smile piled on her face.
"Brother-in-law just entered the Student Council; he's unfamiliar with the place and people. That woman Shinomiya Kaguya is definitely guarding against him! For our Brother-in-law to be able to infiltrate the enemy's interior is already a great merit! Right, Yukino?"
As she spoke, she winked at Kanzaki Saku, the heat in her eyes almost overflowing. Ever since being appointed by Yukino as Kanzaki Saku's bodyguard, she didn't even pretend anymore; she just forcefully leaned into Kanzaki Saku's face.
Of course, these displays were interpreted by Yukino as Yuigahama wanting to show her face in front of her and express loyalty; she simply wanted to progress too much.
Yukino glanced faintly at Yuigahama, ignoring her remark, and turned to look at everyone else. "Speak up, everyone. What thoughts do you have?"
The cadres immediately began talking all at once.
It was Saki Kawasaki who spoke first. She slapped the table. "If you ask me, what's there to be afraid of! How many people are in the Student Council? If they really dare to come hard, we'll clash with them! Let's see if their school rules are harder or our fists are harder!"
"Reckless fool!" Hina Ebina retorted. "What kind of background does the Shinomiya family have? If we clash head-on, we'll definitely be the ones to suffer. I think it's better to think of a way to smooth things over, find some connections, and appropriately 'express' our goodwill. Spend money to avoid disaster, you know."
"Express? How to express? Give Shinomiya Kaguya money? Does she lack that little bit of money?" Someone sneered.
"Then let's go underground!" another voice proposed. "Restrain ourselves for the time being, don't hit the muzzle of the gun, and wait for this gust of wind to pass."
"Coward! When has the Service Club ever been so stifled?"
Seeing that the argument was about to escalate, Yukino raised her hand and rubbed the space between her eyebrows.
"All of you, shut up."
Three simple words, and the room was instantly quiet.
Yukino's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Kanzaki Saku's side profile. She paused for an instant, then looked away.
"Listen to the Student Council and reform ourselves according to the school rules? Then what kind of delinquent girls would we still be? We might as well directly go become model students."
"Didn't we become delinquent girls precisely because we defied the school rules?!"
She paused, then continued, "But our rise didn't rely on brainlessly butting heads either. Everyone understands the principle that the gun shoots the bird that sticks its head out."
"Boss, do you mean...?" Minami Sagami, who had been silent all along, also spoke up.
Yukino didn't hide it and directly spoke her thoughts. "Shinomiya Kaguya wants to rectify the 'delinquent atmosphere' and wants to catch a typical example. Then we simply won't be this example."
"Right now in the school, which is the largest delinquent group?"
Someone answered subconsciously, "Before, it was us and the Kato Legion dividing the world in two. Now, the Kato Legion, having won the decisive battle, is in the limelight. They count as the biggest, right?"
"Correct." Yukino nodded. "The Kato Legion just 'defeated' us and is at the height of their power. Why isn't Shinomiya Kaguya watching them? Why is she staring at us?"
She leaned her body slightly forward, assuming the classic pose of interlacing her fingers to support her chin. "Therefore, we must think of a way to shift Shinomiya Kaguya's gaze over to Megumi Kato's side. Let them face off first."
"Drive the tiger to swallow the wolf?" Hina Ebina pushed up her glasses.
"More or less." Yukino looked at Kanzaki Saku, her eyes becoming somewhat complex. "Isn't Megumi Kato very interested in Saku? Kidnapping him before, and now sending people to invite him. Just right, Saku is now the Student Council Vice President..."
She didn't finish speaking, but everyone present understood.
Use Kanzaki Saku as bait or a bridge to manufacture conflict between the Kato Legion and the Student Council, letting the snipe and the clam fight while the Service Club, the fisherman, benefits.
Of course, the most critical factor in this was Kanzaki Saku's thoughts. If Kanzaki Saku didn't cooperate, then it would be impossible to achieve. Just as Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu still needed Diao Chan between them.
"This... requires Brother-in-law's cooperation, right? Won't it be dangerous?" Someone asked hesitantly.
Yumiko's hand subconsciously curled up, and she looked at Kanzaki Saku.
Yuigahama's eyes, however, lit up, and she spoke first, "I'll protect Brother-in-law in the shadows; absolutely no problems will occur!"
Yukino ignored Yuigahama. Her gaze remained fixed on Kanzaki Saku's face, carrying a rare caution.
"Saku, this is just a thought of mine. The most important thing is your willingness. If you aren't willing, we'll think of another way. I promise, I won't force you to do anything, and I will fully guarantee your safety."
Her tone was very serious, even somewhat solemn. This wasn't just asking for a plan participant's opinion; it was more like a probe. Or rather, she was observing Kanzaki Saku's reaction, wanting to confirm something from it.
Kanzaki Saku met her gaze and simply smiled faintly.
"Sure, sounds quite interesting," he said. "Just let me be this bait to help you, Yukino, and the Service Club get through this difficult moment."
Actually, even if Yukino didn't say it, Kanzaki Saku would have done so. Only by personally participating could he balance these three forces, and he himself could better fish in troubled waters.
Kanzaki Saku agreeing so readily actually made Yukino startle slightly. She had predicted that Kanzaki Saku might hesitate, might worry, or might even resist due to Megumi Kato's kidnapping earlier...
The only thing she hadn't anticipated was that he would agree so crisply. This, in turn, made Yukino, who used this to test Kanzaki Saku, appear somewhat selfish.
Kanzaki Saku's clear eyes and calm attitude at this moment were like a breeze blowing away the last bit of suspicion in the bottom of her heart.
Saku was still that Saku. He still trusted her and was willing to share her burdens.
What mole, what mission... sure enough, she had overthought it all. How could an insidious woman like Megumi Kato move Saku?
Yukino looked at Kanzaki Saku's face close at hand, looked at his docile, smiling brows and eyes, and thought about how he clearly could have stayed out of it, yet was willing to get involved in these troubles for her, for the Service Club.
With a husband like this, what more could a wife ask for?
Under the impulse, she almost forgot the occasion. She leaned over and gently imprinted a kiss on Kanzaki Saku's lips.
Very light, very fast; a touch and then separation.
But it was enough to make the entire activity room fall into deathly silence instantly.
All the cadres, including Yuigahama and Yumiko, stared with wide eyes and open mouths, as if they had been collectively paused.
Yumiko subconsciously looked away, her heart filled with mixed flavors. She had just done something unfair to Yukino earlier; not long ago she was still doing 'body strengthening exercises' with Kanzaki Saku, causing her to feel that seeing Yukino and Kanzaki Saku being intimate now was very surreal.
As for Yuigahama, her eyes were rounded, immediately bursting with intense light. Her face expressed the excitement of "I ship it! I ship it!", but inside, that desire to replace her burned even hotter.
The other cadres had varying expressions—some surprised, some snickering, some pretending to look at the ceiling. The atmosphere was strange and awkward for a time.
Kanzaki Saku froze for a moment too, then laughed involuntarily. He raised his hand to touch his lips and looked at Yukino.
Only after kissing did Yukino realize what she had done, but she forced herself to remain calm. She coughed, sat up straight, and used an icy tone to mask the awkwardness.
"Since Saku has agreed, then the tone is set. As for the specific operations, detailed planning is still needed. Yumiko, Yuigahama, you two stay. The others, dismiss for now. Be a bit more restrained recently; don't cause trouble."
"Yes! Boss!" The cadres held back their laughter and left one after another with strange expressions. Before leaving, quite a few people stole glances at Kanzaki Saku and the Yukino who was struggling to maintain her composure.
Soon, only Yukino, Kanzaki Saku, Yumiko, and the bright-eyed Yuigahama Yui remained in the room.
Yukino avoided Kanzaki Saku's smiling gaze and tried hard to pull the topic back to business.
"Specifically speaking, we need to manufacture some coincidences or transmit some information to make Shinomiya Kaguya think that the Kato Legion is provoking the Student Council through Saku. At the same time, we must also make Megumi Kato's side feel that the Student Council holds great hostility toward the Kato Legion."
"That's simple!" Yuigahama immediately raised her hand, incredibly active. "Isn't Brother-in-law the Vice President? He can 'accidentally' leak some of the Student Council's internal discussions. For example, Kaguya naming the Kato Legion for a crackdown during a meeting or something, and then we can think of a way to let the Kato Legion's people 'accidentally' hear it!"
Yumiko frowned and raised a more practical consideration. "How to let the Kato Legion's people accidentally hear it and believe it is a problem. Moreover, Student Kanzaki deliberately contacting people from the Kato Legion will itself arouse attention and suspicion."
"It doesn't necessarily need deliberate contact." Kanzaki Saku suddenly spoke. He leaned back into the sofa, his posture relaxed. "We can use some indirect methods. For example, utilizing Kushida Kikyou."
"Kushida?" Yukino looked at him.
"Mm." Kanzaki Saku nodded. "She came to invite me today. Although she was blocked by you, Yukino, she will definitely still think of a way. She dares not fail to complete Megumi Kato's order. We can utilize this urgent psychology of hers to reveal some half-true, half-false information that is easy to associate. She will process it herself and then report it to Megumi Kato."
"Furthermore," he paused and added, "passing it through her is more natural and safer than us directly contacting the Kato Legion. After all, she was the one who came looking for us on her own initiative."
Yukino pondered and felt this line of thought was feasible. She had also seen Kushida Kikyou's guilty and terrified appearance today; indeed, she was a breakthrough point easy to utilize.
"Then what about Shinomiya Kaguya's side?" Yumiko asked. "How to make her believe the Kato Legion is really provoking her?"
Kanzaki Saku smiled. "President Shinomiya's side doesn't require us to do too much. She already has a natural hostility toward the Kato Legion, or rather, toward any existence that might threaten the Student Council's authority."
Kanzaki Saku's words were bullying Yukino and the others for not understanding Kaguya. Kaguya didn't care about delinquent girls other than Yukino at all; she even cared about Yukino only because of her relationship as lovers with Kanzaki Saku.
In reality, Kanzaki Saku only needed to let Kaguya know that Megumi Kato was coveting him, and Shinomiya Kaguya would naturally go target the Kato Legion.
But he couldn't say this to Yukino. If he let Yukino know that Kaguya made no secret of wanting to 'latent rule' Kanzaki Saku within the Student Council, she might get heated and blow up at Kaguya.
"What we need to do is simply let President Shinomiya know that the Kato Legion does not put the Student Council and her in their eyes." Kanzaki Saku concluded. "As for the rest, she will fill in the plot with her own imagination."
Yuigahama listened with eyes shining. "Brother-in-law, you understand so well! Is this a high-end operation?"
Yukino looked deeply at Kanzaki Saku for a moment, and finally nodded.
"Good, the general direction is this. Yumiko, you are responsible for keeping an eye on the Kato Legion's movements, especially Kushida Kikyou and Kotegawa Yui. Yuigahama, you... restrain yourself a bit, don't add to the mess. If there's a chance, cooperate to spread some rumors."
"Yes!" Yumiko responded solemnly.
"Got it, Yukino!" Yuigahama also promised, though her gaze kept drifting toward Kanzaki Saku.
"Saku," Yukino turned to Kanzaki Saku, her tone softening. "You grasp the measure of things yourself; prioritize safety above all else. If there is anything wrong, tell me immediately."
"Mm, don't worry." Kanzaki Saku held her hand and squeezed it gently.
The plan was preliminarily finalized, and the atmosphere relaxed slightly.
_______
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