Morning Jog, Then Meeting the Student Council President

When the sky was completely swallowed by darkness, all facilities of Tokyo Elite High School fell silent. All students had returned to their dormitories in accordance with the curfew, and the shops on the street had already closed their doors.

The entire artificial island was enveloped in the night's darkness, but at this moment, only one place remained lit: the student council room, located on the upper floors of the school building.

The student council president sat in his usual place, a printed file containing a student's information laid out before him.

"Hashima Hikaru, Class 1-B, isn't it?"

Horikita Manabu, regarded as the best student council president since the school's founding, adjusted his glasses. He had just received a particular piece of information through his own channels.

A new student in Class 1-B had solved the school's rigged entrance exam on the first day, then used the S-system to purchase all the school's hidden rules from his homeroom teacher.

This was a first in the school's decade-long history. Thus, the administration had immediately been informed of the student's feats and quickly printed his file to pass it on to the student council.

Horikita Manabu fully understood what this meant. As the student council president of Tokyo Elite High School, his powers far exceeded what ordinary students could imagine.

Beyond managing clubs and school activities, he had the privilege of reporting directly to the school director and could even bypass teachers to obtain first-hand information.

Now that this file was in his hands, his role as president was to assess the student's abilities, confirm them with the administration, and then present him with a reward on behalf of the student council.

"I hope I'm not disappointed. If he's truly a master asset, it would be perfect."

Horikita Manabu stared at the file on his desk, memorized the student's features, then methodically turned off the lights in the student council room before stepping out.

Bathed in moonlight, the man walked straight, head held high, with a confident stride, just as he had on his first day at this school. Time hadn't changed him; rather, he had changed the school.

---

The next morning, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Hashima Hikaru was already up.

His plan was to train on the track before the first class, then return to the dorm to shower before heading to class.

When the freshly washed young man, dressed in his sportswear, pushed open the dorm door, it wasn't even 7:00 AM yet. He had plenty of time for his exercise.

Hashima Hikaru chose Track No. 1, near the gymnasium. It was the widest track in the school, large enough to accommodate more than twenty runners side by side. Outside of sports festivals, it was primarily used by the track and field club.

However, when he arrived, he found that other students were already training.

"Seriously, I thought I got up early enough."

"Well, whatever, I'll focus on myself."

As he spoke, Hashima Hikaru began stretching to prepare his body. Although the exercise required by the *Sports Booster* was running, the annotation didn't specify the intensity. A slow jog should suffice.

Once his stretches were done, Hashima Hikaru started running. Shortly after, as he felt his body rise and fall with each step and his heartbeat quicken, his face instantly paled.

"*Cough*, it's always like this... That's why I hate sports!"

Hashima Hikaru glanced at the timer displayed by the system. Though his chest began to burn, he didn't stop. Instead, he adjusted his stride to slow his pace. His body had always been weak, which is why he spent most of his time studying.

After all, as his teachers used to say: *As long as your grades are good, you can get into the best schools, even if you're terrible at sports.*

"Is this some kind of karma? It's coming back to bite me so quickly…"

As he ran, Hashima Hikaru remembered the physical education classes he'd skipped in middle school. Since he was always at the top of his class, he enjoyed privileges others didn't.

Not only could he skip PE classes, but he was also allowed to snack in the teachers' lounge while watching his classmates train on the field from the window.

*What a pleasure.*

"*Sigh*!"

Hashima Hikaru felt the negative effects of his frail body while forcing his legs to move. Anyway, the money was already spent, so he had to endure the full hour.

The rubber track of Field No. 1 was 400 meters long. At Hashima Hikaru's slow pace, one lap took about five to six minutes. Even the least athletic girls passed him effortlessly.

But he didn't stop. He continued to jog slowly, gradually finding a balance between effort and his physical limits.

After overcoming the most difficult period, Hashima Hikaru suddenly realized he was starting to get used to the pace. As long as he controlled his breathing, the feeling of exhaustion lessened.

"*Cough*, this is going to kill me…"

After three laps, Hashima Hikaru felt he couldn't go on and decided to buy a bottle of water from the vending machine to take a break.

He stopped and checked the system interface.

[Sports Booster Active. Exercise Goal Completed: 0/30.]

[Current Exercise Time: 22 minutes.]

"Another thirty minutes… This is exhausting."

As he approached the vending machine, Hashima Hikaru suddenly noticed a figure beside him. The person seemed to be staring at him intently.

The young man wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up to see someone who had left an impression on him.

The student council president, Horikita Manabu.

Also dressed in sportswear, he held a black thermos in his hand.

Since he was the student council president and a senior in the third year, Hashima Hikaru was the first to greet him.

"Horikita-senpai? What a coincidence, are you also doing morning exercise?"

"It's not a coincidence. I was waiting for you."

Horikita Manabu's tone was calm, but these words left him perplexed.

".....???"

*What's going on?*

He cautiously asked:

"Horikita-senpai, you must be mistaken. This is the first time we've spoken, right?"

"Indeed." Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses, his face remaining expressionless. "But I was indeed waiting for you, Hashima Hikaru."

"Is it you who discovered the school's anomalies and proposed buying the hidden rules with personal points?"

"Or… are you acting under someone else's orders?"

"..."

Hashima Hikaru tugged at his sweat-soaked sports shirt, his expression turning serious.

"And if I said yes, what would you do, Horikita-senpai?"

Horikita Manabu simply replied:

"In that case, I would give you an opportunity."

"An opportunity to stand by my side."