Chapter 289: Hundred Devouring Families

Monday, Hyakkaou Private Academy.

In the student council room, only a few remained. Each face bore a trace of gloom.

"President, today was supposed to be collection day," Runa said while playing on her handheld. "But with so many students joining the Anti-Gambling Club and dropping out, our tribute collections this quarter are awful."

"That's not the worst part."

Yuriko's expression was grim.

"Some students who stayed are outright refusing to pay. They say, 'If you try to collect, I'll just go to the Anti-Gambling Club.' That's a threat."

Although a loss in tribute wasn't financially devastating to the wealthy council members, it showed something worse: the student council had lost its former influence.

To most students now, the Anti-Gambling Club could completely crush the council.

A strange phenomenon had taken over the school.

Gambling desires had plummeted. And for those who still gambled, some deliberately lost to then ask the Anti-Gambling Club for help and retaliate against the winners.

Some even used gambling for revenge: luring enemies to bet, losing on purpose, and then siccing the Anti-Gambling Club on them.

This chaos was the direct result of Rinji's indiscriminate policy of helping losers and punishing winners. By intentionally leaving holes in his system, he let students exploit them.

Rinji was fully aware of the loopholes—but never intervened.

He wanted them to exploit it. The more they did, the more distrust would brew among students. Eventually, the rules they had all once followed would collapse.

Just as Kirari had said, the "ecological balance" was completely ruined.

"As expected, though faster than I thought," Kirari said with a smile, showing no concern over the school's disorder.

"President, then what should we do—"

"The natural disaster that destabilized the system has already appeared. Now begins the survival of the fittest," Kirari replied, snapping her fingers.

Snap!

The student council room doors burst open.

A group of unfamiliar students in Hyakkaou uniforms marched in.

Yuriko scanned the group. None of them looked familiar—and all were distinctly unique. Impossible to forget if seen before.

"President… who are these people?"

"They're here to make an already chaotic ecosystem even more chaotic."

Kirari grinned and turned to the newcomers.

"Welcome to Hyakkaou Private Academy."

Her words were welcoming, but the visitors didn't return her smile. Some looked angry, others cold, and some wore mocking grins.

Leading them was a girl with shoulder-length hair in a wheelchair, pushed by another girl. She wheeled up to Kirari and said coldly, "You haven't changed at all. Still doing things your way. I guess that's a relief."

"Welcome to my academy," Kirari replied with a smile.

"President, these people are…"

"Hmm… explaining is a bit troublesome. Clear it up for them, Sayaka."

"Sure."

Facing the puzzled student council members, Igarashi Sayaka cleared her throat and explained:

"Besides being our school's student council president, Kirari is also the head of the Hundred Devouring Families—'Momobami Ichizoku'."

This vast family group included dozens of branch families under the Kirari-led main house.

"And these people here are representatives from those branch families."

She introduced them one by one:

The wheelchair girl: Totobami Terano, representative of the Totobami family.

The bandaged, ghost-like woman: Warakubami Sumika, from the Warakubami family.

The black-haired tall woman with eyeshadow: Inbami Miyo, of the Inbami family.

The cold girl with buns: Yobami Miri, also from Yobami but a different branch.

The tall, busty white-haired woman: Honebami Miroslava, of the Honebami family.

The handsome, perpetually smiling boy: Obami Rin, of the Obami family.

The gothic loli with no uniform: Mushibami Erimi, of the Mushibami family.

After the introductions, Sayaka stood beside Kirari.

Yuriko, though now understanding their identities, was still puzzled.

"They're your relatives… but why did you call them here?"

"Oh, right, I haven't said yet."

Kirari smiled and calmly delivered a bombshell.

"I plan to dissolve the student council."

"WHAT!?"

Everyone except Sayaka was shocked.

"President! That's insane!!"

Yuriko slammed her hands on the desk.

She had stayed loyal because she believed Kirari could handle the current crisis. But now this? Disbanding the council!?

Without it, all their authority in the school would vanish.

"This is just throwing away power! It's foolish!"

"Rare to see you argue with me, Yuriko," Kirari said, smiling at her.

"Do you really crave a stable life that badly?"

She stood and addressed them all.

"The school's order has already collapsed. Now is the best time to reshuffle the deck."

Rinji had begun the destruction. Now, Kirari would wipe the slate clean by dissolving the council, plunging the school into primal competition again.

Destruction before rebirth—this was Kirari's answer.