What played from Ryuen Kakeru's phone was the recording of his earlier discussion with his classmates about how to frame Horikita Suzune.
Just moments ago, Saiki had used his psychic abilities to control his own phone and send the recording to Ryuen Kakeru.
This was his solution to the conflict between him and Ryuen today.
Since Ryuen Kakeru believed there was a mastermind behind Class B, Saiki decided to let him continue believing that.
This should save him a lot of trouble.
"Hahaha, hahahaha, hahahaha!"
Hearing the recording, Ryuen Kakeru couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Interesting, interesting. So he managed to record us, huh?"
Although Ryuen Kakeru appeared calm, his mind was filled with confusion.
[What's going on? Why is there a recording? This shouldn't be possible.]
[Manabe is the traitor in our class, but she wasn't there at the time. So who recorded this?! Is there another traitor in our class?! No, that's impossible... Could it be that Yamauchi Haruki from Class B recorded it himself? Did he sneak into our Class D rest area and record us without anyone noticing? Is that even possible?]
[And he chose to send this to me now, just to show off his abilities? To tell me that everything is under his control... even the fact that I'd come to confront Saiki... What a terrifying guy...]
'Actually, I'm the one who recorded it...'
Saiki stared expressionlessly at Ryuen Kakeru. Although Ryuen appeared to have everything under control, Saiki knew that Ryuen was actually starting to panic.
[Yamauchi Haruki... he's really something else...]
[From the special exam onward, everything has been within his calculations.]
[I've already failed twice. In the next exam... no matter what, I have to win.]
'Yare yare... his hatred for Yamauchi is growing stronger and stronger...'
Saiki pursed his lips. Although he had anticipated this outcome, there was nothing he could do about it.
Let Yamauchi Haruki bear the brunt of it. He deserves it.
"Alright, alright, interesting. Then the battle between our classes will be settled in the next exam. Tell Yamauchi that even though you won this time, we'll be watching him closely. If he shows even the slightest weakness, we'll tear him apart without mercy!"
"Saiki, even you, this lapdog, even if you're Shiina Hiyori's friend, I won't let you off easily."
"Just wait. We'll crush you underfoot."
After saying this, Ryuen Kakeru waved his hand and left.
[Strange, why do I smell something weird? Did I get something on my clothes?]
Watching Ryuen Kakeru walk away, Saiki finally let out a sigh of relief. At least in the first stage, Ryuen hadn't noticed anything unusual. However, the trouble wasn't completely resolved yet.
...
A few minutes later, in front of the bushes behind the dormitory.
Albert, Ibuki Mio, and Ishizaki Daichi gathered again in front of the bushes.
This was because earlier, Aiura Mikoto, disguised as Ryuen Kakeru, had ordered them to repeat yesterday's task and gather here again.
Ryuen Kakeru hadn't arrived yet, and the group was chatting.
"Ryuen seemed a bit off yesterday and today, but I can't quite put my finger on it."
"He must be in a bad mood... The way he treated me this morning... It's clear he's not happy with us."
"Anyway, let's try not to talk about the sports festival from now on..."
At that moment, the sound of Ryuen Kakeru's footsteps suddenly rang out.
"How's it going, you guys?"
Ryuen Kakeru quickly walked up to the group and asked.
[What's that smell on Ryuen?]
[Is it mothballs? Mixed with some mildew?]
[Did Ryuen not wash properly... or... does he not know how to do laundry?]
Similar thoughts crossed everyone's minds, but they knew they absolutely couldn't provoke Ryuen Kakeru right now.
They didn't want to get beaten up.
Ishizaki Daichi glanced at the others, deep in thought, then turned to Ryuen Kakeru:
"Ryuen, I've been tailing that Yamauchi guy all day. I've recorded all his movements."
After saying this, Ishizaki Daichi handed over a notebook.
"Huh?"
Ryuen Kakeru flipped through the notebook, his brow furrowing.
Yamauchi Haruki
11:31 AM - Entered the restroom
11:34 AM - Left the restroom without washing his hands
11:55 AM - Entered the cafeteria
He ordered three dishes: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, fried fish fillet, and broccoli
12:30 PM - Left the cafeteria
12:42 PM - Bought a cup of milk tea on the way
...
Several pages of the notebook were filled. Ishizaki Daichi had recorded every single action Yamauchi Haruki took throughout the day.
It even included how many times he went to the bathroom and how long he spent each time...
"...What exactly am I supposed to do with this?"
Rather than angry, Ryuen Kakeru was more confused.
"You told me to tail Yamauchi Haruki and see if he did anything unusual, but he's hiding it too well. I couldn't find anything, so I just recorded everything he did..."
Ishizaki Daichi said very seriously.
"..."
Ryuen Kakeru was completely speechless. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. The only thing he could do was clench his fist and punch Ishizaki Daichi in the face.
After beating Ishizaki Daichi for a full three minutes, Ryuen Kakeru finally stopped.
"Yamauchi from Class B is more troublesome than I thought."
Ryuen Kakeru wiped his fist, then took out his phone and played the recording from earlier.
"How is this possible? Someone actually... recorded us there?"
Ibuki Mio's eyes were filled with shock. She hadn't expected the recording to exist, much like the incident with Sudo Ken last semester.
"Could it be... that there's another traitor in our class? Kinoshita might be the one..."
"I've already checked Kinoshita's phone. She doesn't seem to be involved. Her fall during the race was probably just an accident."
Ryuen Kakeru said.
"Then who..."
"It's possible that Manabe is just a decoy, covering for another traitor or there's another possibility: there's no other traitor among us. Either Yamauchi snuck in and recorded us himself, or our area has been bugged with recording devices."
Ryuen Kakeru's expression grew more serious.
"Just like what happened before..."
"How did he even do it?"
Ibuki Mio's confusion deepened.
"Can we check the surveillance footage to find out who it is?"
"Absolutely useless."
Ryuen Kakeru shook his head.
"If Yamauchi could pull this off, it means he anticipated this. He probably avoided all the cameras. There's no point in wasting our time no matter what, we need to take action in the next exam. We'll push Yamauchi into a corner."
...
Back in his dorm, Saiki had been observing everything with his clairvoyance.
'It seems this matter has been resolved.'
Saiki let out a long sigh. The situation was finally over, at least for now. Ryuen Kakeru hadn't noticed any changes in himself.
By sending that recording to Ryuen Kakeru, Saiki not only diverted Ryuen's attention but also further confirmed that he had no connection to the supposed mastermind behind Class B.
However, from now on, Ryuen Kakeru would undoubtedly target Class B even more—
But that's a problem for later. For now, the immediate issue was resolved.
'This semester is definitely not going to be peaceful...'
Saiki sighed inwardly.
...
Before anyone realized it, almost a week had passed.
Nothing particularly noteworthy happened during this time except for the change in the Student Council members.
The school held a general election to decide the next Student Council members, followed immediately by the transition ceremony.
Although Saiki and the others didn't care much about these events, the rules required all students to attend the ceremony. Class B was seated quite close to the stage.
"Now, please welcome Student Council President Horikita Manabu to deliver his final remarks!"
Following the host's announcement, Horikita Manabu slowly walked up to the microphone on the stage.
"I am proud to have led the Student Council for nearly two years, and I am deeply grateful. Thank you."
Horikita Manabu's words were simple, as if preparing a long speech would be a waste of time.
[Big brother... is about to graduate...]
At that moment, Horikita Suzune watched Horikita Manabu from afar, her eyes filled with admiration and pride.
"Student Council President Horikita, thank you for your hard work. Now, let's welcome the newly elected Student Council President, Nagumo Miyabi from Class 2-A, to say a few words"
After the host finished speaking, another person stepped forward.
Saiki remembered this person. He had seen him during the relay race, and it seemed he didn't get along well with Horikita Manabu.
"I am Nagumo Miyabi from Class 2-A. Student Council President Horikita, thank you for your strict yet kind guidance. It has been an honor to serve under the best Student Council President in the school's history, and I would like to express my deepest respect."
After saying this, he bowed deeply in Horikita Manabu's direction.
Although there were many people in the room, Saiki, being close to the stage, could clearly hear Nagumo Miyabi's thoughts.
[President Horikita, although I deeply respect you, once you graduate, there will be no one left in this school who can oppose me. That would be too boring.]
'Yare yare, he's definitely a troublesome guy...'
Saiki shook his head slightly.
At the same time, Nagumo Miyabi turned to face all the students—
A meaningful smile spread across his face:
"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Nagumo Miyabi, and I will be the new Student Council President of Advanced Nurturing High School. I look forward to working with you all."
"Let me get straight to the point. First, I plan to change the Student Council's term limits, appointment process, and the way general elections are conducted. I propose moving the general election, traditionally held in December by former President Horikita, to October. This is an experiment to shift to the next generation earlier, which I believe will yield positive results. Therefore, I believe this is the moment for the new Student Council to step into a new era. I will also change the terms of the Student Council President and other officers to indefinite, allowing them to serve until graduation."
"At the same time, I will abolish the general election system and the limit on the number of members, creating a system where anyone can join the Student Council at any time. In other words, as long as someone is excellent and necessary, they can become a Student Council member and serve regardless of time or numbers. If someone is deemed unfit during their term... With this as a starting point, I declare to all the students, teachers, and former Student Council officers gathered here as part of the new school system... I intend to completely dismantle the traditional image of the school that the Student Council has upheld until now."
The crowd buzzed with discussion. Although Nagumo Miyabi had just expressed his respect for Horikita Manabu, all his decisions seemed to negate everything Horikita had done.
What caught Saiki's attention the most was Nagumo Miyabi's thoughts.
[Boring, so boring. Without Horikita Manabu, how dull will this school become?]
[This school has too many incompetent people. It's supposed to be a merit-based institution, but there are too many failures mixed in. President Horikita was too lenient, tolerating so much garbage. I, on the other hand, will eliminate all of them those without ability don't deserve to survive in this school!]
[I can't wait to reshape this school in my image. The capable will rise to the top, while the incompetent will fall to the bottom...]
'Yare yare.'
Saiki's gaze remained fixed on Nagumo Miyabi.