GIFTED ACADEMY: THE PERFECT STUDENT

What did you do, Hasegawa Mio.

"Sayaka, I... don't really want to mess with Hasegawa anymore."

I was talking with Marin, the girl I had sent to report back to me regarding Mio's situation. She's always been skilled at gathering information and covertly mixing with others, but it seems that Mio is a step too far.

There's not much point in trying to push her. Against someone like Mio, I would have to take more direct action than I usually like. Using other people would cause more issues than it would solve. Fighting in this school is an information game—you need to find out the weaknesses of the other person since direct confrontations aren't very effective at making any real impact.

Mio is like an invincible entity by the standards of the school. It is impossible to manipulate her since she leaves no weaknesses to be attacked.

The only trump card I held was her Mission.

It was the only thing that might give me an opening to defeat her.

"What happened, Marin."

"She... it's just not worth it. It's impossible to gather any information on her. She's been staring at me more than usual as well, she knows what I'm doing."

Stretching my legs a little, I decided to get up from the table. Marin was sitting on the other side, awkwardly twidling her thumbs. Pouring some orange juice from the fridge, I chugged it down as Marin looked down at her phone.

"Sayaka... I'm really sorry."

"It's fine, I don't mind it that much. Mio isn't someone who would leave an opening anyway."

"What would you like me to do?"

"Just go home and take a break."

Timidly, she got up and headed toward the door.

"Actually, one last thing. Can you call Takumi over for me?"

"The vice president?"

"Yeah. Tell him to see me here."

"Sure."

Considering I was risking my position in the Future Association for this, I assumed that Takumi would be inclined to take a side. Despite all of her strengths, Mio lacked support from other people, so it was something I needed to take advantage of.

Walking back over to my couch, I rested on its soft cushions.

I had no desire to play a bartering game. In a situation like this, I would have to sacrifice as much as I need to defeat her.

"I'll give you 60,000 points. How's that."

"That's a decent amount, but it also depends on how much you want me to do."

I took a second to think.

"I want you to find out everything about Hasegawa Mio. Then, I want you to help me in my final plan to completely get rid of her."

"I don't necessarily mind helping you, but I might make a decision after I see her for myself. Just from what you've said, getting on Hasegawa's wrong side might cause a lot of trouble for me."

"There's not much more I can offer."

Takumi leaned back and stared up at the roof.

"Ah... what a bind you're putting me in, Sayaka. This sounds like a hassle, but then again, it might be fun to team up with you."

"Aren't you beginning to get bored of this school anyway?"

He sighed.

"Well, it's been pretty quiet recently. I wouldn't mind doing something interesting, but I don't want to do anything that would threaten my position in the future. This school is still unpredictable after all."

"If you succeed, your position will be strengthened."

"Still, what are my odds, Sayaka?"

"That's something even I haven't been able to fully determine."

"You know what Principal Kurosawa said about the next stage of National High School, right? Do I really want to put myself at risk before such a large possible change to the school?"

"With the information we have now, there's no reason why we should be worried about the next stage. Our places in the Future Association are already confirmed."

"Still, this school is not something you can rest ignorantly in. Big changes will inevitably come with new challenges—to every single person."

I looked down at him.

"What would you like from me then."

"I want not only your points but your assurance that you'll assist me with any of my future endeavours."

"Is my word really good enough for you?"

"Your word is more than enough. If I can't trust your word then you'd be no use to me anyway."

"I guess it's settled then."