Chapter 263 – Chairman’s position

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...

After Shiina finished preparing dinner and the three of them had eaten their fill, they didn't linger. With evening classes still on the schedule for the final month, both girls left shortly after.

The next day, Yukio refused outright to consider taking another sick day. He diligently showed up to class, unwilling to tempt fate with more bizarre incidents arising from another absence.

The day passed uneventfully, and just before the evening classes began, the shortened club activity period gave way to Yukio's student council duties. However, upon arriving at the student council room this time, he found only Horikita Manabu standing by the window, gazing out. Not even Tachibana, Manabu's ever-present shadow, was there.

Sensing that something significant was about to unfold, Yukio quietly closed the door behind him and walked over to stand beside Manabu, joining him in looking out the window.

From the club building's window, the athletic fields were clearly visible. Members of sports clubs were passionately practicing, cherishing their limited activity time during this compressed month. The energy of their movements, their focused expressions, and the cheers and encouragement of teammates filled the air with a vivid sense of youthful vitality.

Manabu, however, didn't maintain the typical stoic pose of a "mysterious expert" but rather gazed intently at the scene through his glasses. His calm, flat voice broke the silence:

"The notice came through. The school has officially approved my recommendation. Yukio, as of now, you're the new student council president."

The moment those words were spoken, Yukio could sense a significant shift in Horikita's demeanor. While his expression remained as impassive as ever, with no discernible change in his gaze, the atmosphere around him felt noticeably lighter, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Previously, Horikita exuded an impression of meticulousness and precision, someone who left no room for error. Now, he gave off an aura of a senior who was strict but no longer burdened, free from an invisible shackle that had restrained him.

"So that's why no one else showed up today?" Yukio withdrew his gaze from the fields outside, scanning the empty student council room. His remark cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Horikita Manabu remained fixated on the athletic fields as if the daily training routines of the sports clubs held some profound allure for him. "I sent a text to the others, telling them they didn't need to come today."

This wasn't unusual. The student council wasn't swamped with tasks every day—only during busy periods like month-end budgeting or in preparation for special exams. Most of the time, it didn't demand excessive personal time from its members.

Yukio understood and couldn't help feeling a sense of anticipation. "So, what you're about to share with me now is the exclusive information that only successive student council presidents are privy to, right?"

The student council at AN High School wielded considerable authority, even having the ability to modify certain aspects of special exams. As the student council president, one gained access to even higher-level privileges and information—things ordinary students couldn't even begin to imagine. This was precisely why Yukio had agreed to join the student council when Horikita had invited him.

"Indeed." Horikita began with one of the most extraordinary facts, revealing the exclusive knowledge reserved for student council presidents: "Yukio, you're aware that any student can transfer to their desired class by paying 20 million private points."

"Even a student from the lowest-ranked class can transfer to Class A as long as they can pay the 20 million points. It's the most direct and individual-centric way to advance to Class A."

"Now, do you know how many private points it would take to move an entire class to Class A without anyone being expelled?"

Yukio didn't need to think too hard about this—it was a simple multiplication problem. "Eight hundred million."

"Correct." Horikita's tone carried a mix of reverence for the astronomical figure and an almost wistful acknowledgment that such a feat was unattainable. "It would cost 800 million private points to advance an entire class to Class A."

"And to advance every student in the school to Class A? That would require 2.4 billion private points."

"There's almost nothing within the AN High School system more expensive than achieving full-school Class A status."

"Almost?" Yukio caught the nuance, intrigued. That single word implied that there was something within the system even more costly than 2.4 billion private points.

What could it possibly be that would require such an astronomical amount? Yukio's curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

Fortunately, Horikita Manabu wasn't the type to keep others in suspense. He directly revealed everything to Yukio, his successor as student council president: "When you enrolled, your homeroom teacher should have explained that, within the AN High School system, everything can be purchased with private points."

"And by 'everything,' this includes positions."

Yukio raised an eyebrow, catching the profound implication in Horikita's statement. It meant that as long as one had enough private points, advancing to Class A was just the beginning. Positions such as teaching staff, homeroom teacher, and even—if one dared to imagine—the chairman of the school board itself could be outright bought.

It was a staggering revelation, difficult to comprehend.

"Three billion," Horikita said, as if sensing Yukio's train of thought. Without any hesitation, he disclosed the highest price point: "Three billion private points are enough to replace the chairman of the AN High School."

"This information is one of the most closely guarded secrets in the school's history, buried deep within the S-System. Only the student council president is privy to it. Not even the chairman is aware of this clause."

"Unfortunately, in the history of this school, no student has ever achieved such a miracle."

It made sense. Such a terrifying piece of information was understandably kept exclusively to student council presidents. If the current chairman were to learn about it, they'd likely feel deeply unsettled. They would spare no effort to erase this hidden clause—an invisible bomb that could jeopardize their position and authority.

Horikita's final comment reflected his belief that no one could realistically achieve this feat. Three billion private points were an almost unimaginable amount. Even someone as exceptional as Horikita Manabu, nearing graduation, had managed to accumulate just over 20 million private points personally.

If the entire private point pool of the third-year Class A were included, it might total close to one billion.

But one billion was still a far cry from three billion—a gap so vast it seemed impossible to bridge.

Even Horikita Manabu, upon becoming student council president and learning of this ultimate secret, had never considered pursuing it. He had always regarded it simply as a rule embedded in the S-System, likely designed for the school's staff.

After all, students only had three years at AN High School. Achieving this goal within such a short time frame was practically impossible. If anyone within the school system had even a sliver of a chance, it would be the staff who worked tirelessly over many years.

Through daily effort, incremental accumulation, and potentially earning bonuses by advancing their classes, it wasn't entirely inconceivable that a teacher could achieve this feat after decades of work. However, for a student council president who knew about this hidden rule but couldn't use it personally, it became a leverage point—something they could exchange with faculty members or even the chairman for unimaginable benefits.

"This is truly..." Yukio was taken aback, both by the sheer scale of the numbers involved and the audacity of the S-System's original designer. "Fascinating."

Back when preparing for the sports festival, he had already learned from Sakayanagi that only the chairman had direct access to the S-System. If he wanted to achieve his ultimate goal, he would need to take the chairman's position.

His initial plan was to rely on outside forces to gradually contend with Chairman Sakayanagi. But now, he realized that within the campus itself lay this incredibly challenging shortcut!