Miyabi Nagumo looked at Kikyo Kushida before him with a smile.
He actually did not know much about Kushida's background.
Although the authority of the Student Council was not great enough to completely excavate Kushida's past, Nagumo still managed to find out which school she came from.
By finding Kushida's schoolmates, inquiring about rumors regarding her class, and then applying a bit of deduction...
An answer had formed in Nagumo's heart—
It was Kushida who had done something to cause the collapse of her class.
That was why, even though Kushida appeared outstanding in every aspect, she was assigned to Class D by the school.
He could be certain that Kushida was disguising herself.
Nagumo's earlier probe contained an element of deception, and it proved his conjecture was not wrong.
But even if he were wrong, using methods like spreading rumors could turn falsehoods into reality.
In fact, from the very beginning, Kushida had absolutely no room for choice.
Watching Kushida forcefully suppress her anger and finally be compelled to nod in agreement, the smile on Nagumo's face became increasingly pleasant.
He liked this sense of control. He liked watching these self-righteous little prey struggle in his web, only to be forced to proceed along the path he had set.
"A wise choice, Junior Kushida."
His tone was relaxed, as if the coercion just now had merely been casual chatter.
"Then, it's settled. Keep in touch. Tell me immediately about any noteworthy movements regarding Subaru, especially who he contacts or if he shows any special emotions~ Afterwards, I will also convey my instructions to you. Make sure to execute them well~"
He emphasized the word "execute" with deep meaning.
"Nagumo-senpai, as a student of Year 1, Class D, I have a small piece of advice."
"Oh? Advice? For me?"
Nagumo narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Kushida before him with a face full of curiosity.
"Nagumo-senpai, you must, absolutely must, not underestimate Subaru-kun."
Kushida took a deep breath, forcing herself to unclench her fists. She squeezed out a formulaic fake smile on her face again, though it no longer carried that sweet warmth from before.
It was as if she were being sarcastic.
"If you intend to deal with Subaru-kun, Senpai, please go all out from the very beginning and get him expelled."
"Oh?"
Nagumo could sense that Kushida agreeing to cooperate wasn't just because she was afraid of his threat.
At the same time, she also wanted to use him.
Kushida wanted to use him to get Subaru expelled.
"If you just hold onto a playful mentality, you might have to pay a terrible price~"
Listening to Kushida's warning, Nagumo did not take it to heart at all.
In his eyes, he was the Student Council Vice President.
The only person qualified to be his enemy was Manabu Horikita.
Asking me to be careful of a first-year freshman?
Perhaps Subaru was indeed very special and had potential.
But right now, it was absolutely impossible for him to be his opponent.
"I understand. Is there anything else you want to say?"
A contemptuous laugh surfaced on Nagumo's face.
"Of course. Subaru-kun can be put in a later position. I can cooperate with you, Nagumo-senpai, but as a condition, please also deal with Horikita properly, Senpai, and make her withdraw from the school."
"Horikita... He was originally my opponent, you know. You're talking about his precious little sister~ But due to some special reasons, I temporarily cannot move directly against his sister. However, if you were to do something~"
The upward curve of Nagumo's mouth widened—
"I would, of course, turn a blind eye."
"I understand, Nagumo-senpai. Then, if there is nothing else, I will head back first."
"Of course, please do, Junior."
Nagumo stepped sideways to make way, making a gesture of invitation with an elegant posture.
"I look forward to our pleasant... cooperation to come."
Kushida did not spare him another glance, turning and leaving quickly.
Her pace was fast, almost as if she were fleeing. It wasn't until she turned a corner and completely left Nagumo's line of sight that she abruptly stopped, leaned her back against the cold wall, and gasped for breath rapidly.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Kushida cursed Nagumo incessantly.
She had already made up her mind in her heart to eliminate Nagumo as well.
However, before that, it would be best to use him a little.
Nagumo wanted to deal with Subaru; this was clear.
But he didn't seem anxious to expel Subaru immediately, leaning more towards "observation" and "testing."
This didn't entirely align with her own goal of urgently eradicating those who knew her secret.
But... this could perhaps also become a form of utility.
If she could borrow Nagumo's power and resources to dispose of Suzune Horikita faster, or even... at the "appropriate time"...
Guide Nagumo and Subaru into a more direct conflict. Perhaps she could sit back and reap the benefits?
Let these two troublesome guys wear each other down?
This thought calmed her down slightly, and the light of calculation flickered in her eyes once again.
Yes, being forced to cooperate wasn't entirely a bad thing.
At least Nagumo stood in a higher position and could see many things she could not.
The key lay in maintaining her own value within the cooperation, while carefully avoiding being completely controlled by Nagumo or treated as a discarded pawn.
She needed information. She needed leverage.
Even though Kushida could sense that Nagumo did not fully know her past, she dared not gamble.
The other party indeed had the ability to completely destroy everything she had worked so hard to build.
She tidied up her expression, confirmed once again that no one was around, and then took out her phone. She saved Nagumo's contact information under a seemingly insignificant name.
After doing all this, she took a deep breath. That impeccable, gentle, and amiable smile hung upon her face once more.
As if she were just an ordinary girl who had finished chatting with a friend and was preparing to return to the dormitory to rest, she walked towards the dorm building.
It was just that those eyes hidden in the night were colder and sharper than ever before.
Inside Subaru's dormitory.
He was simply lying on the bed, his gaze focused on the ceiling.
"—It's Miyabi Nagumo."
Subaru knew who had been on the other end of Kushida's call just now.
Knowing the other party's identity was not a difficult task.
At worst, he would just start over once.
Subaru felt slightly annoyed by Nagumo's existence.
Unlike his expectations for Kakeru Ryuen and Kikyo Kushida, Subaru knew that Nagumo was already an unfixable "defective product."
He could not see any value in Nagumo.
So...
In Subaru's hands, Nagumo had already died many times.
The first time, he snapped his neck.
The second time, his throat was slit by glass.
The third time, an accidental fall from a high altitude.
Subaru had killed Nagumo several times.
But his heart held no ripples.
It was just like brushing dust off his body.
But this time, Subaru did not plan to do so.
This ant was indeed somewhat annoying.
However...
The existence of Nagumo itself might still have value.
For example, as fuel to drive the actions of Ryuen and Kushida.
Nagumo himself had no meaning, but with his instigation, Ryuen and Kushida seemed likely to take action.
Their "colors" might be able to fully reveal themselves through this opportunity.
Nagumo, you are ultimately just a defective product after all. Oh no, not even a defective product—just a speck of dust.
At least, before you exit the stage completely, play a small role.
The corners of Subaru's mouth rose slightly.
One month of time quietly slipped away amidst the campus life that was calm on the surface but surging with undercurrents.
For the first-year students, this month was full of change and unease.
Class D, under the leadership of Suzune Horikita, stopped their self-destructive tactics. Because of the portion of personal points previously given by Class A, although this month was difficult, they successfully pulled through.
However, contrary to the conjecture Kiyotaka Ayanokoji had mentioned earlier, Class C did not conduct any further activities against Class D after taking revenge on Horikita.
The students of Class D only occasionally had interactions with Class A under Horikita's lead.
Class C, under Ryuen's control, continued to execute the strategy of dragging down the class points of Class A and Class B on one hand, while secretly preparing for the upcoming "Special Exam" on the other.
Class A, under the leadership of Honami Ichinose, seemed stable, but in reality, they were also enduring pressure from Class C and their own internal competition. Class B, meanwhile, was relatively stable.
The final exams arrived as scheduled. After the exams, the students would welcome summer vacation, marking the passing of the first semester.
But just as July arrived, the school suddenly sent a message instructing all first-year students to head to a cruise ship to spend their summer vacation.
This made many students incomparably excited and expectant, as most people had never been on a cruise ship before.
But only Ryuen and the others in Class C knew that this was definitely related to the school's Special Exam.
On the day of boarding, the weather was clear, and the sea breeze blew gently.
A gigantic white cruise ship was docked at the port, reflecting dazzling light under the sun.
The first-year students lined up according to their classes, boarding the ship one by one under the teachers' command.
The atmosphere was noisy and enthusiastic, with curiosity and apprehension about the unknown journey written on everyone's faces.
In the Class D line, however, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.
After a month of setbacks and internal exhaustion, many people wore expressions of fatigue and confusion.
Especially coming from the direction of Class C—Kakeru Ryuen's undisguised gaze carried scrutiny and malice. There was Kikyo Kushida's prying eyes disguised beneath concern, as well as the occasional fleeting glance from Suzune Horikita, mixed with complex emotions.
He even noticed that petite figure in the crowd, head lowered, hugging her backpack tightly, almost curling herself up—Airi Sakura.
She looked even more uneasy and fearful than usual. The eyes behind her glasses scanned the surroundings in panic from time to time, as if she had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.
Subaru knew what was happening.
In one of the loops, Subaru had arrived early at a point further in time.
Special Exam.
Next, the school would use the cruise ship to send the students to an uninhabited island to conduct a Special Exam.
However, Subaru did not care about the content of the exam.
He was indifferent to what kind of results Class D obtained or if anyone was expelled.
He was merely looking forward slightly to what kind of performance the others would bring him.
It seemed that Ryuen had learned about the Special Exam in advance.
It was intelligence provided by Miyabi Nagumo.
Although Nagumo could not know the specific content of the exam, simply having the information that a Special Exam existed already possessed tremendous value.
Ryuen could be certain that since it was a Special Exam, it probably wouldn't be a standard written test.
Ryuen had informed the core members of his class about this news in advance, allowing them to be mentally prepared.
Even if it was just psychological, this gave them preparation for the upcoming exam.
However, he did not tell all his classmates this news.
For example, Hiyori Shiina.
Ryuen knew that Hiyori Shiina would not do anything to betray the class.
But in order to gain as much of an advantage as possible, Ryuen still chose to conceal it.
He wanted to give Subaru a surprise during the Uninhabited Island Exam.
Oh no.
It wasn't Subaru.
Ryuen revealed a smile, his gaze locking onto a certain person's body.
The ship advanced towards the uninhabited island shrouded in mist in the depths of the sea.
____
New Story: ZZZ: Mr. Ethereal Does Not Want to See a Tragedy
🔥We're handing out that '30% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan