Chapter 287: The Collapse of Balance

"President! You're finally back!"

Kirari had finally returned to the school.

The student council office had already lost two members—Ikishima Midari and Manyuda Kaede had both joined Rinji's Anti-Gambling Club.

Although Yuriko had been informed earlier, she had failed to leave the student council under pressure. Unlike the two who left voluntarily, she was too timid to make a decision immediately.

It wasn't that she didn't understand the situation—she simply didn't want to disrupt the status quo. She had been hoping that Kirari would return and turn things around.

Kirari glanced at the remaining members of the student council and met eyes with the masked vice president.

The vice president nodded at her, and Kirari gracefully took her seat behind the desk.

"A lot of interesting things seem to have happened while I was away."

"This is not something 'interesting'!"

Igarashi Sayaka shouted anxiously.

"Thanks to all the things Takamine Rinji did over the past few days, the entire school has descended into chaos!"

Since Kirari became president, Hyakkaou Private Academy had grown to revere gambling. Despite the cruel hierarchy it fostered, the system had at least maintained some sort of balance.

That balance was one where the student council bled the students dry, and the students took it out on the "livestock." It was brutal, but it created a kind of ecosystem.

But that balance had now collapsed.

After killing Kiwatari Jun, Rinji continued to help those who came to the Anti-Gambling Club repay debts and retaliated against the winners. This sparked a realization among some students.

"If we're gonna gamble anyway, let's go big. If we win, we profit; if we lose, we can just ask the Anti-Gambling Club for help."

With this mindset, many students began challenging others recklessly.

As expected, those who lost showed up at the Anti-Gambling Club with their debts. Rinji would have them sign the anti-gambling and withdrawal agreements, then go straight after the ones who won. Through various means, he made them cough up not just what they won but often double or triple.

Many students suffered from this retaliation—some fell into debt, others had to beg their families to sell assets to repay what they owed.

Because of this, fear swept through the school.

If you won, the Anti-Gambling Club would come after you.

If you lost, they'd help you.

As predicted by Nureba Ayame, the entire school was caught in a web of mutual suspicion.

Every student began to doubt those around them, suspecting anyone who invited them to gamble of plotting to lose on purpose and sic the Anti-Gambling Club on them afterward.

As a result, gambling at the school sharply declined.

Once boasting over a thousand games of all sizes every day, the school now resembled a deserted casino.

Empty club rooms, distant students in classrooms, and wary glances when anyone asked, "Want to place a bet?"

For three straight days, there had only been five games in the whole school—small wagers between familiar students.

Gambling was vanishing from Hyakkaou Private Academy.

The student council, in charge of managing gambling, had done nothing to stop Rinji's actions, and as a result, their reputation plummeted.

In contrast, the Anti-Gambling Club gained a great deal of support for its decisive and consistent approach.

"As expected of Takamine Rinji. I was right about him." Kirari chuckled. "It was the right decision to bring him here."

"I don't get it, President!"

Sayaka stepped in front of her and shouted.

"Why did you let someone as dangerous as Takamine Rinji transfer here in the first place!? He's a disaster for this school!"

"That's exactly why I brought him here."

"What?"

Seeing the confusion in Sayaka's eyes, Kirari smiled slightly.

"This school is my castle. Like a giant fish tank—it thrives on gambling and the law of the jungle. A beautiful, self-contained ecosystem. But…"

She smiled softly as she continued.

"That ecosystem had already been rotting for some time. Left alone, I would've just watched the school I love slowly crumble."

"So I decided to introduce a variable—to destroy the balance and reshuffle the deck. That would be far more fun."

"…"

The remaining student council members swallowed nervously, unsure how to process Kirari's words.

No one looked more disturbed than Yuriko, who had always been the most risk-averse. She hadn't expected the president herself to desire radical change.

"President… are you saying Takamine Rinji is the reshuffling agent? A predator meant to pressure the ecosystem?"

"Calling him a predator isn't quite right." Kirari smiled. "Sayaka, let me ask you: How did major biological upheavals occur in history?"

"Not by a single species rising to power…"

Sayaka shook her head.

"They usually came from climate shifts or natural disasters."

"Exactly."

Looking at the nervous faces around her, Kirari's smile deepened with joy.

"Takamine Rinji isn't a predator. Because predators alone can't break the balance. What really reshapes an ecosystem… is a natural disaster."

Takamine Rinji—was the natural disaster, a "Calamity" Kirari had unleashed to reshuffle Hyakkaou Private Academy.

---

"Rinji, you've been over there a week now. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, Rinji-kun. We've been so worried about you!"

Inside a restaurant, Ishigami Yu, Shirogane Miyuki, Fujiwara Chika, and Shinomiya Kaguya were all seated with Rinji, who was sipping coffee.

It was the weekend. With hardly any students around Hyakkaou, the members of Shuchiin's student council had arranged a meet-up to check in on him.

"I'm fine. Life over there is incredibly dull. The student council is boring. So I've just been looking for something to do to kill the monotony," Rinji said with a grin.

"Phew… that's good." Chika sighed in relief.

"By the way, Rinji—" Ishigami suddenly asked, "You're joining the sports festival in a few weeks, right?"

"Yeah."

"They're recruiting for the cheer squad. If you're in, I'll sign you up."

"Sure, go ahead."